JP2005101079A - Substrate processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing device that has a local transporting area and satisfactorily processes a substrate without receiving any influence of chemical contamination. <P>SOLUTION: A chemical filter unit 70a is provided immediately above a main transporting area 48 near the outer upper part 81a of a developing block 4, and another chemical filter unit 70b is provided immediately above the local transporting area 49 near the outer upper part 81b of the developing block 4. Therefore, the down blows of clean air is formed even in the local transporting area 49 in addition to the main transporting area 48. Consequently, the substrate treating device satisfactorily processes the substrate without receiving the influence of chemical contamination even when the substrate W carried in a heating section PHP is moved vertically in the local transporting area 49. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for subjecting a substrate such as a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for a photomask, a substrate for an optical disk (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”) to a predetermined process such as a heat treatment. In particular, it relates to the supply of chemically controlled air to the local transport area.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent semiconductor wafer manufacturing, with the demand for higher density and higher integration, a technique for miniaturizing a circuit pattern formed on a semiconductor wafer is required. In response to this requirement, in a semiconductor wafer manufacturing process, a chemically amplified resist is used as a resist, and a resist film is formed on the substrate by subjecting the substrate coated with this chemically amplified resist to exposure, heat treatment and development. A technique for forming the pattern has been proposed.

  Here, in the process of forming a pattern on the resist film using the chemically amplified resist, first, in the exposure process, the resist film formed by the chemically amplified resist is irradiated with light. Thereby, an acid catalyst is generated in the irradiated portion irradiated with this light, and a state in which a pattern having a three-dimensional distribution is latently formed in the resist film is formed. Next, when a heat treatment is performed on the substrate that has been subjected to the exposure treatment, a chemical reaction that causes a change in the dissolution rate with respect to the developer is activated by the catalytic action of the acid catalyst generated in the irradiated portion. Subsequently, this chemical reaction is substantially stopped by subjecting the substrate to a cooling process. Then, by performing a development process on the substrate, a resist film pattern emerges on the substrate.

  In this way, chemically amplified resist generates an acid from the resist film upon exposure, and this acid diffuses by heat treatment and acts as a catalyst to decompose the base resin, which is the main component of the resist, and to change the molecular structure It is solubilized or insoluble in the developer. Therefore, it dislikes that the alkali that neutralizes this acid is mixed in the atmosphere, and a chemical filter for removing alkali is used in the fan filter unit (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). .

JP 2002-184678 A JP 2003-053124 A

  By the way, in the above-mentioned chemically amplified resist, a chemical that causes a change in dissolution rate with respect to the developer by the acid catalyst generated in the resist film from the time when the exposure process is completed until the heat treatment is started. The reaction proceeds. Therefore, in order to prevent heat leakage from the heat treatment apparatus to the main transfer area where the substrate is transferred by the main transfer robot and to control the amount of heat applied to the resist film formed on the substrate with high accuracy, it is separated from the hot plate. And a local transfer robot for transferring the substrate W between the hot plate and the temporary substrate setting unit, and a moving area of the local transfer robot is set. There is also a heat treatment apparatus that uses a local transfer area separated from the transfer area of the transfer robot.

  However, in the substrate processing apparatuses of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, it is possible to remove the chemical component and supply the chemically controlled air to the main transport area, but it is separated from the main transport area. Chemically controlled air cannot be supplied to the local transport area. Therefore, the substrate transported to the local transport region is chemically contaminated by the chemical component, and the acid catalyst generated in the resist film is neutralized. As a result, processing defects of the substrate may occur such that the line width of the fine pattern formed on the substrate is out of the predetermined range or the line width becomes non-uniform.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that can perform good substrate processing without being affected by chemical contamination even if the substrate processing apparatus has a local transfer region.

  In order to solve the above problems, the invention of claim 1 is a substrate processing apparatus, wherein a substrate processing unit that performs predetermined processing on a substrate, and a main transfer unit that transfers the substrate between the substrate processing unit The substrate processing unit is separated from the main transport region by a first air supply unit that supplies chemically controlled air to a main transport region that is a transport region of the substrate, and the substrate processing unit transports the substrate. And a second air supply means for supplying chemically controlled air to a local conveyance area which is a conveyance area of the local conveyance section to be performed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus of the first aspect, the first air supply unit and the second air supply unit perform chemical control of air independently. Features.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the second air supply unit is configured to supply chemically controlled air introduced from the first air supply unit via a pipe. It supplies to the said local conveyance area | region.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus of the third aspect, the second air supply means receives the introduction of air from which the chemical component has been removed in the first air supply means, In the second air supply means, particles are removed from the air from which the chemical component has been removed, and chemically controlled air is supplied to the local transport region.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the second air supply means is an air from which chemical components are removed and particles are removed in the first air supply means. It is characterized by receiving the introduction.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the substrate processing unit performs an exposure process on a resist film formed on the substrate. And a processing section for performing a heat treatment on the substrate.

  The invention of claim 7 comprises a processing unit that performs a predetermined process on a substrate and a single main transfer unit that delivers the substrate to the processing unit, and constitutes a single processing block, A substrate processing apparatus configured by arranging the processing blocks side by side, wherein each processing block includes an entrance substrate mounting portion for mounting a substrate to receive the substrate in the processing block, and the processing block. An exit substrate placement unit for placing a substrate for dispensing a substrate is provided separately, and a main transfer unit of each processing block is provided via the entrance substrate placement unit and the exit substrate placement unit. The substrate is delivered, and at least one of the processing blocks includes a first air supply unit that supplies chemically controlled air to a main transport region that is a transport region of the main transport unit, and the processing By part A second air supply unit that is separated from the main transfer region and supplies chemically controlled air to a local transfer region that is a transfer region of a local transfer unit that transfers the substrate in the processing unit. It is characterized by that.

  According to the first to sixth aspects of the invention, chemically controlled air can be supplied not only to the main transfer area but also to the local transfer area separated from the main transfer area. Therefore, chemical contamination can be prevented as a whole substrate processing apparatus, and processing can be performed satisfactorily in the substrate processing unit.

  In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the same air supply means can be used for the first air supply means and the second air supply means. Therefore, the parts of the substrate processing apparatus can be shared, and the manufacturing cost and maintenance cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claim 3, the second air supply means receives introduction of air chemically controlled by the first air supply means. Thereby, it is not necessary to provide equipment for performing chemical control on the second air supply means. Therefore, the size of the second air supply means can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claim 4, it is not necessary to provide the second air supply means with equipment for removing chemical components. Therefore, the size of the second air supply means can be reduced and the manufacturing cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claim 5, it is not necessary to provide the second air supply means with equipment for removing chemical components and equipment for removing particles. Therefore, the size of the second air supply means can be further reduced.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claim 6, even if the substrate on which the resist film is formed is transported to the local transport region after the exposure processing is completed, the resist film and the substrate itself are chemically components. Can be prevented from being contaminated. Therefore, it is possible to satisfactorily perform substrate processing in the substrate processing unit.

  According to invention of Claim 7, the main conveyance part of each process block can be operated simultaneously in parallel. Therefore, the delivery speed of the substrate to each processing unit can be equivalently improved, and the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus can be improved.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the inlet substrate mounting portion and the outlet substrate mounting portion are provided separately. As a result, the substrate received in the processing block and the substrate dispensed from the processing block do not interfere with the substrate mounting portion, so that the substrate can be smoothly transferred between the processing blocks.

  Furthermore, according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, at least one of the processing blocks has a local transport area, and chemically controlled air is supplied not only to the main transport area but also to the local transport area. Can be supplied. Therefore, chemical contamination can be prevented as the entire at least one processing block, and the substrate processing can be performed satisfactorily in the processing section.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<1. First Embodiment>
<1.1. Configuration of substrate processing apparatus>
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. 2 is a front view of the liquid processing unit of the substrate processing apparatus, FIG. 3 is a front view of the heat treatment unit, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a peripheral configuration of the substrate mounting unit. 1 to 4 have an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system in which the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction and the XY plane is the horizontal plane in order to clarify the directional relationship.

  The substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment is an apparatus that applies an antireflection film or a photoresist film to a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and performs development processing on the substrate after pattern exposure. In addition, the board | substrate used as the process target of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, The glass substrate for liquid crystal displays etc. may be sufficient. Further, the processing content of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to coating film formation and development processing, but may be etching processing or cleaning processing.

  The substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment is configured by arranging five processing blocks of an indexer block 1, a bark block 2, a resist coating block 3, a development processing block 4 and an interface block 5 in parallel. An exposure apparatus (stepper), which is an external apparatus separate from the substrate processing apparatus, is connected to the interface block 5.

  The indexer block 1 takes a mounting table 11 on which a plurality of carriers C (four in this embodiment) are placed side by side, and takes out an unprocessed substrate W from each carrier C and also transfers a processed substrate W to each carrier C. A substrate transfer mechanism 12 is provided. The substrate transfer mechanism 12 includes a movable table 12a that can move horizontally along the mounting table 11 (along the Y direction), and a holding arm 12b that holds the substrate W in a horizontal posture is mounted on the movable table 12a. Has been. The holding arm 12b is configured to be capable of moving up and down (Z direction) on the movable table 12a, turning in a horizontal plane, and moving back and forth in the turning radius direction. As a result, the substrate transfer mechanism 12 can access the holding arms 12b to the carriers C to take out the unprocessed substrate W and store the processed substrate W. That is, the substrate transfer mechanism 12 is provided so as to be movable in a main transfer region 18 surrounded by the mounting table 11, the outer wall 16 of the indexer block 1, and the partition wall 13.

  In addition to the FOUP (front opening unified pod) that stores the substrate W in a sealed space, the carrier C may be an OC (open cassette) that exposes the standard mechanical interface (SMIF) pod or the storage substrate W to the outside air. There may be.

  A bark block 2 is provided adjacent to the indexer block 1. A partition wall 13 is provided between the indexer block 1 and the bark block 2 for shielding the atmosphere. In order to transfer the substrate W between the indexer block 1 and the bark block 2, two substrate platforms PASS 1 and PASS 2 on which the substrate W is mounted are stacked on the partition wall 13.

  The upper substrate platform PASS1 is used to transport the substrate W from the indexer block 1 to the bark block 2. The substrate platform PASS1 has three support pins, and the substrate transfer mechanism 12 of the indexer block 1 moves the unprocessed substrate W taken out from the carrier C onto the three support pins of the substrate platform PASS1. Place. Then, the transfer robot TR1 of the bark block 2 described later receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS1. On the other hand, the lower substrate platform PASS <b> 2 is used for transporting the substrate W from the bark block 2 to the indexer block 1. The substrate platform PASS1 also includes three support pins, and the transfer robot TR1 of the bark block 2 places the processed substrate W on the three support pins of the substrate platform PASS2. Then, the substrate transfer mechanism 12 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS1 and stores it in the carrier C. In addition, the structure of the board | substrate mounting parts PASS3-PASS10 mentioned later is also the same as the board | substrate mounting parts PASS1 and PASS2.

  The substrate platforms PASS <b> 1 and PASS <b> 2 are provided so as to partially penetrate a part of the partition wall 13. The substrate platforms PASS1 and PASS2 are provided with optical sensors (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of the substrate W, and the substrate transfer mechanism 12 and the bark block 2 are based on detection signals from the sensors. It is determined whether the transfer robot TR1 is ready to deliver the substrate W to the substrate platforms PASS1, PASS2.

  Next, the bark block 2 will be described. The bark block 2 is a processing block for applying and forming an antireflection film on the base of the photoresist film in order to reduce standing waves and halation generated during exposure. The bark block 2 includes a base coating processing unit BRC for coating and forming an antireflection film on the surface of the substrate W, two heat treatment towers 21 and 21 for performing heat treatment associated with the coating formation of the antireflection film, and base coating processing A transfer robot TR1 that transfers the substrate W to the section BRC and the heat treatment towers 21 and 21.

  In the bark block 2, the base coating treatment unit BRC and the heat treatment towers 21 and 21 are arranged to face each other with the transfer robot TR1 interposed therebetween. Specifically, the base coating treatment part BRC is located on the front side of the apparatus, and the two heat treatment towers 21 and 21 are located on the rear side of the apparatus. In addition, a heat partition (not shown) is provided on the front side of the heat treatment towers 21 and 21. By arranging the base coating processing part BRC and the heat treatment towers 21 and 21 apart from each other and providing a thermal partition, the thermal processing towers 21 and 21 are prevented from having a thermal influence on the base coating processing part BRC. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the base coating processing unit BRC is configured by stacking and arranging three coating processing units BRC1, BRC2, and BRC3 having the same configuration in order from the bottom. If the three coating processing units BRC1, BRC2, and BRC3 are not particularly distinguished, these are collectively referred to as a base coating processing unit BRC. Each of the coating processing units BRC1, BRC2, and BRC3 includes a spin chuck 22 that sucks and holds the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture and rotates the substrate W in a substantially horizontal plane, and an antireflection film on the substrate W held on the spin chuck 22 And a cup (not shown) that surrounds the periphery of the substrate W held on the spin chuck 22.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the heat treatment tower 21 on the side close to the indexer block 1, six hot plates HP1 to HP6 for heating the substrate W to a predetermined temperature and the heated substrate W are cooled to a predetermined temperature. Cool plates CP <b> 1 to CP <b> 3 are provided that lower the temperature to a predetermined temperature and maintain the substrate W at the predetermined temperature. In the heat treatment tower 21, cool plates CP1 to CP3 and hot plates HP1 to HP6 are laminated in order from the bottom. On the other hand, the heat treatment tower 21 on the side far from the indexer block 1 has three adhesion reinforcements for heat-treating the substrate W in a vapor atmosphere of HMDS (hexamethyldisilazane) in order to improve the adhesion between the resist film and the substrate W. The processing units AHL1 to AHL3 are stacked in order from the bottom. In FIG. 3, piping wiring sections and spare empty spaces are assigned to the locations indicated by “x” marks.

  As described above, the coating processing units BRC1 to BRC3 and the heat treatment units (hot plates HP1 to HP6, cool plates CP1 to CP3, adhesion strengthening processing units AHL1 to AHL3) are stacked in multiple stages to reduce the space occupied by the substrate processing apparatus. And footprint can be reduced. Further, by arranging two heat treatment towers 21 and 21 in parallel, there is an advantage that maintenance of the heat treatment unit is facilitated and duct piping and power supply equipment necessary for the heat treatment unit need not be extended to a very high position. .

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the transfer robot TR1. FIG. 5A is a plan view of the transfer robot TR1, and FIG. 5B is a front view of the transfer robot TR1. The transfer robot TR1 includes two holding arms 6a and 6b that hold the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture so as to be close to each other in the vertical direction. The holding arms 6a and 6b have a "C" shape at the top end in a plan view, and a plurality of pins 7 projecting inward from the inner side of the "C" shaped arm to surround the periphery of the substrate W. Supports from below.

  The base 8 of the transfer robot TR1 is fixedly installed on the apparatus base (apparatus frame). On the base 8, a guide shaft 9c is erected and the screw shaft 9a is erected and supported rotatably. A motor 9b that rotationally drives the screw shaft 9a is fixedly installed on the base 8. The lifting platform 10a is screwed onto the screw shaft 9a, and the lifting platform 10a is slidable with respect to the guide shaft 9c. With such a configuration, when the motor 9b rotationally drives the screw shaft 9a, the lifting platform 10a is guided by the guide shaft 9c to move up and down in the vertical direction (Z direction).

  Further, an arm base 10b is mounted on the lifting platform 10a so as to be able to turn around an axis along the vertical direction. A motor 10c for turning the arm base 10b is built in the elevator base 10a. The two holding arms 6a and 6b described above are arranged vertically on the arm base 10b. Each holding arm 6a, 6b is configured to be able to move forward and backward independently in the horizontal direction (in the turning radius direction of the arm base 10b) by a slide drive mechanism (not shown) mounted on the arm base 10b. .

  With such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 5A, the transfer robot TR1 includes two holding arms 6a and 6b that are individually provided on the substrate platforms PASS1 and PASS2 and the heat treatment tower 21, respectively. It is possible to access a coating processing unit provided in the base coating processing unit BRC and substrate mounting units PASS3 and PASS4, which will be described later, and transfer the substrate W between them. That is, the transfer robot TR1 is provided so as to be movable in the main transfer area 28 surrounded by the heat treatment tower 21, the partition walls 13 and 25, and the base coating processing part BRC.

  Next, the resist coating block 3 will be described. A resist coating block 3 is provided so as to be sandwiched between the bark block 2 and the development processing block 4. Between the resist coating block 3 and the bark block 2, an atmosphere blocking partition 25 is also provided. In order to transfer the substrate W between the bark block 2 and the resist coating block 3, two substrate platforms PASS 3 and PASS 4 on which the substrate W is mounted are stacked on the partition wall 25 in the vertical direction. The substrate platforms PASS3 and PASS4 have the same configuration as the substrate platforms PASS1 and PASS2 described above.

  The upper substrate platform PASS3 is used to transport the substrate W from the bark block 2 to the resist coating block 3. That is, the transport robot TR2 of the resist coating block 3 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS3 by the transport robot TR1 of the bark block 2. On the other hand, the lower substrate platform PASS 4 is used to transport the substrate W from the resist coating block 3 to the bark block 2. That is, the transport robot TR1 of the bark block 2 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS4 by the transport robot TR2 of the resist coating block 3.

  The substrate platforms PASS3 and PASS4 are provided partially through a part of the partition wall 25. The substrate platforms PASS3 and PASS4 are provided with optical sensors (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of the substrate W, and the transfer robots TR1 and TR2 are mounted on the substrate based on detection signals from the sensors. It is determined whether or not the substrate W can be delivered to the parts PASS3 and PASS4. Further, under the substrate platforms PASS 3 and PASS 4, two water-cooled cool plates WCP for roughly cooling the substrate W are provided above and below the partition wall 25.

  The resist coating block 3 is a processing block for coating and forming a photoresist film on the substrate W on which the antireflection film is coated and formed in the bark block 2. In the present embodiment, a chemically amplified resist is used as the photoresist. The resist coating block 3 includes a resist coating processing section SC that coats and forms a photoresist film on an antireflection film that has been coated on the base, two heat treatment towers 31 and 31 that perform heat treatment associated with the resist coating processing, and resist coating. A transfer robot TR2 that transfers the substrate W to the processing unit SC and the heat treatment towers 31, 31 is provided.

  In the resist coating block 3, the resist coating processing unit SC and the heat treatment towers 31 and 31 are arranged to face each other with the transfer robot TR2 interposed therebetween. Specifically, the resist coating processing section SC is located on the front side of the apparatus, and the two heat treatment towers 31 and 31 are located on the rear side of the apparatus. A heat partition (not shown) is provided on the front side of the heat treatment towers 31 and 31. By disposing the resist coating processing part SC and the heat treatment towers 31 and 31 apart from each other and providing a thermal partition, the thermal treatment towers 31 and 31 are prevented from having a thermal influence on the resist coating processing part SC. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the resist coating processing section SC is configured by stacking and arranging three coating processing units SC1, SC2, SC3 having the same configuration in order from the bottom. If the three coating processing units SC1, SC2, and SC3 are not particularly distinguished, they are collectively referred to as a resist coating processing unit SC. Each of the coating processing units SC1, SC2, SC3 discharges the photoresist onto the spin chuck 32 that sucks and holds the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture and rotates it in a substantially horizontal plane, and the substrate W held on the spin chuck 32. A coating nozzle 33 and a cup (not shown) surrounding the periphery of the substrate W held on the spin chuck 32 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the heat treatment tower 31 on the side close to the indexer block 1, six heating parts PHP <b> 1 to PHP <b> 6 that heat the substrate W to a predetermined temperature are sequentially stacked from below. On the other hand, in the heat treatment tower 31 on the side far from the indexer block 1, cool plates CP4 to CP9 for cooling the heated substrate W and lowering the temperature to a predetermined temperature and maintaining the substrate W at the predetermined temperature are provided from below. They are arranged in order.

  Each of the heating units PHP1 to PHP6 includes a substrate temporary placement unit that places the substrate W on an upper position separated from the hot plate, in addition to a normal hot plate that places the substrate W and performs heat treatment. The heat treatment unit includes a local transport mechanism 34 (see FIG. 1) for transporting the substrate W between the hot plate and the temporary substrate placement unit. The local transport mechanism 34 is configured to be capable of moving up and down and moving back and forth, and includes a mechanism for cooling the substrate W in the transport process by circulating cooling water.

  The local transport mechanism 34 is a transport mechanism provided in each of the heating units PHP1 to PHP6, and is installed on the opposite side to the transport robot TR2 across the hot plate and the temporary substrate placement unit, that is, on the back side of the apparatus. . The local transport mechanism 34 moves up and down in a local transport region 39 surrounded by the outer wall 36 of the resist coating block 3, the partition wall 25, the partition wall 35, and the heat treatment tower 31.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the local transfer area 39 is an area separated from the main transfer area 38 by the heat treatment tower 31. As will be described later, the local transfer area 39 of the heating parts PHP1 to PHP6 is used for the purpose of preventing leakage of a thermal atmosphere. This area is necessary because the local transport mechanism 34 is added to each.

  The temporary substrate placement portion is open to both the transfer robot TR2 side and the local transfer mechanism 34 side, while the hot plate is open only to the local transfer mechanism 34 side and is closed to the transfer robot TR2 side. . Accordingly, both the transport robot TR2 and the local transport mechanism 34 can access the temporary substrate placement portion, but only the local transport mechanism 34 can access the hot plate.

  When the substrate W is carried into each of the heating units PHP1 to PHP6 having such a configuration, the transport robot TR2 first places the substrate W on the temporary substrate placement unit. Then, the local transport mechanism 34 receives the substrate W from the temporary substrate placement unit, transports it to the hot plate, and heats the substrate W. The substrate W that has been subjected to the heat treatment by the hot plate is taken out by the local transport mechanism 34 and transported to the temporary substrate placement unit. At this time, the substrate W is cooled by the cooling function provided in the local transport mechanism 34. Thereafter, the substrate W after the heat treatment transferred to the temporary substrate placement unit is taken out by the transfer robot TR2.

  In this way, in the heating units PHP1 to PHP6, the transfer robot TR2 only transfers the substrate W to the substrate temporary placement unit at room temperature, and does not transfer the substrate W to the hot plate. Temperature rise can be suppressed. Further, since the hot plate is opened only on the local transfer mechanism 34 side, the transfer robot TR2 and the resist coating processing unit SC are prevented from being adversely affected by the thermal atmosphere leaked from the hot plate. Note that the transfer robot TR2 directly transfers the substrate W to the cool plates CP4 to CP9.

  The configuration of the transfer robot TR2 is exactly the same as that of the transfer robot TR1. Therefore, the transfer robot TR2 has two holding arms individually for the substrate platforms PASS3 and PASS4, a heat treatment unit provided in the heat treatment tower 31, a coating processing unit provided in the resist coating processing unit SC, and a substrate mounting described later. The placement units PASS5 and PASS6 can be accessed, and the substrate W can be exchanged between them. That is, the transfer robot TR2 is movably provided in the main transfer region 38 surrounded by the heat treatment tower 31, the partition walls 25 and 35, and the resist coating processing unit SC.

  Next, the development processing block 4 will be described. A development processing block 4 is provided so as to be sandwiched between the resist coating block 3 and the interface block 5. A partition wall 35 for shielding the atmosphere is also provided between the resist coating block 3 and the development processing block 4. In order to transfer the substrate W between the resist coating block 3 and the development processing block 4, two substrate platforms PASS 5 and PASS 6 on which the substrate W is mounted are stacked on the partition wall 35 in the vertical direction. . The substrate platforms PASS5 and PASS6 have the same configuration as the substrate platforms PASS1 and PASS2 described above.

  The upper substrate platform PASS5 is used for transporting the substrate W from the resist coating block 3 to the development processing block 4. That is, the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 4 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS5 by the transport robot TR2 of the resist coating block 3. On the other hand, the lower substrate platform PASS 6 is used to transport the substrate W from the development processing block 4 to the resist coating block 3. That is, the transport robot TR2 of the resist coating block 3 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS6 by the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 4.

  The substrate platforms PASS5 and PASS6 are provided so as to partially penetrate a part of the partition wall 35. The substrate platforms PASS5 and PASS6 are provided with optical sensors (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of the substrate W, and the transport robots TR2 and TR3 are mounted on the substrate based on detection signals from the sensors. It is determined whether or not the substrate W can be delivered to the parts PASS5 and PASS6. Further, below the substrate platforms PASS 5 and PASS 6, two water-cooled cool plates WCP for roughly cooling the substrate W are provided vertically through the partition wall 35.

  The development processing block 4 is a processing block for performing development processing on the exposed substrate W. The development processing block 4 includes a development processing unit SD that performs development processing by supplying a developing solution to the substrate W on which the pattern has been exposed, two heat treatment towers 41 and 42 that perform heat treatment associated with the development processing, and development. A transfer robot TR3 that transfers the substrate W to the processing unit SD and the heat treatment towers 41 and 42 is provided. The transfer robot TR3 has exactly the same configuration as the transfer robots TR1 and TR2 described above, and can move in the main transfer region 48 surrounded by the partition walls 35, the heat treatment towers 41 and 42, the partition walls 45, and the development processing unit SD. Is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the development processing unit SD is configured by stacking five development processing units SD1, SD2, SD3, SD4, and SD5 having the same configuration in order from the bottom. Note that the five development processing units SD1 to SD5 are collectively referred to as the development processing unit SD unless particularly distinguished. Each of the development processing units SD1 to SD5 includes a spin chuck 43 that sucks and holds the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture and rotates the substrate W in a substantially horizontal plane, and a nozzle that supplies a developer onto the substrate W held on the spin chuck 43. 44 and a cup (not shown) that surrounds the periphery of the substrate W held on the spin chuck 43.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the heat treatment tower 41 on the side close to the indexer block 1, five hot plates HP7 to HP11 for heating the substrate W to a predetermined temperature and the heated substrate W are cooled to a predetermined temperature. Cool plates CP <b> 10 to CP <b> 13 are provided that lower the temperature to a predetermined temperature and maintain the substrate W at the predetermined temperature. In this heat treatment tower 41, cool plates CP10 to CP13 and hot plates HP7 to HP11 are laminated in order from the bottom. On the other hand, in the heat treatment tower 42 on the side far from the indexer block 1, six heating parts PHP7 to PHP12 are laminated. Each of the heating units PHP7 to PHP12 is a heat treatment unit including a temporary substrate placement unit and a local transport mechanism 47, similarly to the heating units PHP1 to PHP6 described above. However, the temporary substrate placement portions of the heating units PHP7 to PHP12 are open on the side of the transport robot TR4 of the interface block 5, but are closed on the side of the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 4. That is, the transport robot TR4 of the interface block 5 can access the heating units PHP7 to PHP12, but the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 4 is not accessible. Note that the transfer robot TR3 of the development processing block 4 accesses the heat treatment unit incorporated in the heat treatment tower 41.

  The local transport mechanism 47 is installed on the opposite side of the transport robot TR3 with respect to the temporary substrate placement section, that is, on the back side of the apparatus, and the outer wall 46, the partition walls 35 and 45 of the development processing block 4, and the heat treatment tower 41. , 42 is moved up and down in a local transfer area 49 surrounded by. Here, the local transfer area 49 is an area separated from the main transfer area 48 by the heat treatment towers 41 and 42, and the local transfer mechanism 47 is provided to each of the heating units PHP7 to PHP12 for the purpose of improving the performance of the heat treatment. This is an area that is necessary because of the addition.

  Further, two substrate platforms PASS7 and PASS8 for transferring the substrate W between the development processing block 4 and the interface block 5 adjacent to the development processing block 4 are incorporated in the heat treatment tower 42 so as to be close to each other in the vertical direction. ing. The upper substrate platform PASS7 is used to transport the substrate W from the development processing block 4 to the interface block 5. That is, the transport robot TR4 of the interface block 5 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS7 by the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 4. On the other hand, the lower substrate platform PASS 8 is used to transport the substrate W from the interface block 5 to the development processing block 4. That is, the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 4 receives the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS8 by the transport robot TR4 of the interface block 5. The substrate platforms PASS7 and PASS8 are open to both sides of the transport robot TR3 of the development processing block 4 and the transport robot TR4 of the interface block 5.

  Next, the interface block 5 will be described. The interface block 5 is a block which is provided adjacent to the development processing block 4 and delivers the substrate W to an exposure apparatus which is an external apparatus separate from the substrate processing apparatus.

  A partition wall 45 for shielding the atmosphere is also provided between the interface block 5 and the development processing block 4. In the interface block 5 of the present embodiment, in addition to the transport mechanism 55 for transferring the substrate W to and from the exposure apparatus, two edge exposures for exposing the peripheral portion of the substrate W on which the photoresist film is formed are performed. And a transport robot TR4 that delivers the substrate W to the heating units PHP7 to PHP12 and the edge exposure unit EEW disposed in the development processing block 4.

  The edge exposure unit EEW, as shown in FIG. 2, applies light to the spin chuck 56 that sucks and holds the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture and rotates the substrate W in a substantially horizontal plane, and the periphery of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 56. And a light irradiator 57 that exposes the light. The two edge exposure portions EEW are stacked in the vertical direction at the center of the interface block 5. The transfer robot TR4 disposed adjacent to the edge exposure unit EEW and the heat treatment tower 42 of the development processing block 4 has the same configuration as the transfer robots TR1 to TR3 described above. The outer transfer wall 53 and the main exposure area 59 surrounded by the edge exposure unit EEW are movable.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a return buffer RBF for returning the substrate is provided below the two edge exposure units EEW, and two substrate platforms PASS9 and PASS10 are stacked on the lower side. Is provided. When the development processing block 4 cannot perform the development processing of the substrate W due to some trouble, the return buffer RBF performs the post-exposure heating processing by the heating units PHP7 to PHP12 of the development processing block 4, and then the substrate W Is temporarily stored. The return buffer RBF is configured by a storage shelf that can store a plurality of substrates W in multiple stages. The upper substrate platform PASS9 is used to transfer the substrate W from the transport robot TR4 to the transport mechanism 55, and the lower substrate platform PASS10 transfers the substrate W from the transport mechanism 55 to the transport robot TR4. It is used to pass. Note that the transfer robot TR4 accesses the return buffer RBF.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transport mechanism 55 includes a movable base 55a that can move horizontally in the Y direction, and a holding arm 55b that holds the substrate W is mounted on the movable base 55a. The holding arm 55b is configured to be capable of moving up and down, turning and moving in the turning radius direction with respect to the movable base 55a. With such a configuration, the transport mechanism 55 transfers the substrate W to and from the exposure apparatus, transfers the substrate W to the substrate platforms PASS9 and PASS10, and transfers the substrate W to the send buffer SBF for substrate transfer. Store and remove. That is, the transport mechanism 55 is provided so as to be movable in the main transport area 58 surrounded by the outer wall 53 of the interface block 5, the partition wall 45, and the edge exposure unit EEW.

  The send buffer SBF temporarily stores and stores the substrate W before the exposure processing when the exposure apparatus cannot accept the substrate W, and is configured by a storage shelf that can store a plurality of substrates W in multiple stages. .

  The above-described indexer block 1, bark block 2, resist coating block 3, development processing block 4 and interface block 5 are always supplied with clean air as a down flow by a fan unit which will be described later. This avoids adverse effects on the process caused by rolling up and airflow. In addition, the inside of each block is kept at a slightly positive pressure with respect to the external environment of the apparatus to prevent entry of particles and contaminants from the external environment.

  The indexer block 1, the bark block 2, the resist coating block 3, the development processing block 4 and the interface block 5 described above are units obtained by mechanically dividing the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. Each block is assembled to an individual block frame (frame body), and the substrate processing apparatus is configured by connecting the block frames.

<1.2. Configuration of fan unit>
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a cross section of the development processing block 4 as seen from the line VV. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the fan unit according to the present embodiment. Here, the fan unit disposed above the indexer block 1, the bark block 2, the resist coating block 3, the development processing block 4, and the interface block 5 will be described. In addition, since a similar fan unit is disposed above each block 2 to 5, the fan unit above the development processing block 4 will be described here.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the chemical filter unit 70 (70a) is located in the vicinity of the upper portion 81a outside the development processing block 4 and immediately above the main transport area 48, and in the vicinity of the upper portion 81b outside the development processing section SD. Thus, the chemical filter units 70 (70b) are respectively disposed immediately above the local transport region 49. The chemical filter units 70a and 70b of the present embodiment have a similar hardware configuration. Therefore, parts related to the fan unit can be shared, and the manufacturing cost and maintenance cost of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced.

  Here, the chemical filter units 70a and 70b take in the air in the clean room in which the substrate processing apparatus is installed, and develop the clean air from which chemical components such as amine and ammonia contained in the air are removed. These are members supplied to the corresponding main transport area 48 and local transport area 49 in the block 4. As shown in FIG. 8, the chemical filter unit 70 mainly includes a chemical filter unit 71, a chamber 72, a fan unit 73, and a filter unit 74.

  Inside the chemical filter portion 71, a chemical filter provided with an adsorbent that adsorbs a chemical substance to a filter base material such as a nonwoven fabric is disposed. Further, an intake port (not shown) for taking in the air in the clean room is provided at the upper part of the chemical filter unit 71. Therefore, when the fan 78 of the fan unit 73 is rotated, the chemical components contained in the air in the clean room adhere to the chemical filter 71a and are removed when passing through the chemical filter unit 70a of the chemical filter unit 71. . The chamber 72 is supplied with chemically controlled air (air).

  Here, the chemically controlled air refers to air from which chemical components such as amine and ammonia have been removed. By forming this chemically controlled air atmosphere inside the development processing block 4, it is possible to prevent the acid catalyst existing in the resist film formed by the chemically amplified resist from being neutralized. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the wiring pattern formed on the substrate W from constricting into a T shape and the pattern collapse that the wiring pattern collapses.

  The chamber 72 is formed such that the cross section on the fan section 73 side is larger than the cross section on the chemical filter section 71 side in the cross section (a plane parallel to the XY plane). Accordingly, the chemically controlled air that has passed through the chemical filter unit 71 is uniformly supplied to the fan unit 73 through the chamber 72. The air that has passed through the chamber 72 is supplied to the filter unit 74 via the fan unit 73. Here, in the filter unit 74, an Ultra Low Penetration Air (ULPA) filter and a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter are disposed. Therefore, fine particles (particles) such as dust and dust are removed from the air passing through the filter unit 74. Then, the air from which the chemical components and particles that have passed through the filter unit 74 are removed is supplied to the upper portion of the main transport region 48 or the local transport region 49.

  An exhaust fan 91 is disposed near the lower portion of the main transfer region 48, and the lower portion of the main transfer region 48 is connected to the exhaust drain 75a through a pipe 76a. Therefore, when the exhaust fan 91 is driven, the atmosphere in the main transfer region 48 is exhausted to the exhaust drain 75a via the pipe 76a.

  Further, an exhaust fan 92 is disposed adjacent to the exhaust fan 91 in the vicinity of the lower portion of the main transfer region 48. Thus, when the exhaust fan 92 is driven, the atmosphere in the main transport region 48 is exhausted to the outside of the development processing block 4 through the exhaust port 95. That is, by driving the exhaust fan 92 in addition to the exhaust fan 91, the atmosphere in the main transfer region 48 can be exhausted to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus more efficiently.

  Further, an exhaust fan 93 is disposed near the lower portion of the local transfer region 49, and the lower portion of the local transfer region 49 is connected to the exhaust drain 75b through a pipe 76b. Therefore, when the exhaust fan 93 is driven, the atmosphere in the local transfer region 49 is exhausted to the exhaust drain 75b via the pipe 76b.

  As described above, the chemical filter unit 70 removes chemical components and particles contained in the air in the clean room, and forms a downflow of clean air in the main transport region 48 and the local transport region 49 in the development processing block 4. be able to.

  That is, in the conventional substrate processing apparatus, the clean air downflow is formed in the main transfer region 48. In the present embodiment, the clean air downflow is also performed in the local transfer region 49 in addition to the main transfer region 48. Can be formed. Therefore, even when the substrate W carried into the heating unit PHP moves up and down the local transport region 49, it is not chemically contaminated and the substrate processing can be performed satisfactorily.

  The indexer block 1, the bark block 2, the resist coating block 3 and the interface block 5 are similarly provided with chemical filter units 70, and the main transport area 18 of the indexer block 1, the main transport area 28 of the bark block 2, and the like. Similarly, in the main transfer area 38 and the local transfer area 39 of the resist coating block 3 and the main transfer areas 58 and 59 of the interface block 5, a downflow of clean air from which chemical components and fine particles have been removed is formed. Thus, chemical contamination of the substrate W can be prevented.

  Further, in each processing unit of the cool plates CP1 to CP13, the hot plates HP1 to HP11, the adhesion strengthening processing units AHL1 to AHL3, and the heating units PHP1 to PHP12, the corresponding main transport is performed by exhausting the atmosphere in these units. Chemically controlled air flows in regions 28, 38, and 48. Therefore, chemical contamination can be prevented in each processing unit.

  Further, the coating processing units BRC1 to BRC3, the coating processing units SC1 to SC3, the development processing units SD1 to SD5, and the edge exposure unit EEW are controlled so that the temperature and humidity are within a predetermined range and are chemically controlled. Air is supplied from an air supply source (not shown).

<1.3. Control of substrate processing equipment>
Here, the control system of the present embodiment will be described. By the way, in this embodiment, the conveyance control unit concerning board | substrate conveyance is comprised separately from the block which divided | segmented mechanically. In the present specification, such a transport control unit for transporting a substrate is referred to as a “cell”. One cell includes a plurality of processing units that perform predetermined processing on a substrate and a transfer robot that transfers the substrate to the plurality of processing units. Each of the substrate placement units described above functions as an entrance substrate placement unit for receiving the substrate W in the cell or an exit substrate placement unit for delivering the substrate W from the cell. And delivery of the board | substrate W between cells is also performed via a board | substrate mounting part. In this specification, in addition to the heat treatment unit and the coating / development processing unit, a substrate placement unit that simply places the substrate W is also included in the “processing unit” in the sense of the transfer target unit, and the substrate transfer The mechanism 12 and the transport mechanism 55 are also included in the transport robot.

  The substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment includes six cells: an indexer cell, a bark cell, a resist coating cell, a development processing cell, a post-exposure bake cell, and an interface cell. The indexer cell includes a mounting table 11 and a substrate transfer mechanism 12 and has the same configuration as the indexer block 1 which is a unit that is mechanically divided as a result. The bark cell includes a base coating processing unit BRC, two heat treatment towers 21 and 21, and a transfer robot TR1. This bark cell also has the same configuration as the bark block 2, which is a mechanically divided unit. Further, the resist coating cell includes a resist coating processing unit SC, two heat treatment towers 31 and 31, and a transfer robot TR2. This resist coating cell also has the same configuration as the resist coating block 3, which is a mechanically divided unit.

  On the other hand, the development processing cell includes a development processing unit SD, a heat treatment tower 41, and a transport robot TR3. As described above, the transfer robot TR3 cannot access the heating units PHP7 to PHP12 of the heat treatment tower 42, and the heat treatment tower 42 is not included in the development processing cell. In this respect, the development processing cell is different from the development processing block 4 which is a mechanically divided unit.

  The post-exposure bake cell includes a heat treatment tower 42 located in the development processing block 4, an edge exposure unit EEW located in the interface block 5, and a transport robot TR 4. That is, the post-exposure bake cell extends over the development processing block 4 and the interface block 5 which are mechanically divided units. Thus, since one cell is comprised including the heating parts PHP7 to PHP12 and the transfer robot TR4 for performing the post-exposure heat treatment, the substrate W after the exposure is quickly carried into the heating parts PHP7 to PHP12 and subjected to the heat treatment. It can be performed. Such a configuration is suitable when a chemically amplified resist that needs to be heat-treated as soon as possible after pattern exposure is used.

  The substrate platforms PASS7 and PASS8 included in the heat treatment tower 42 are interposed for transferring the substrate W between the transfer robot TR3 of the development processing cell and the transfer robot TR4 of the post-exposure bake cell.

  The interface cell includes a transport mechanism 55 that transfers the substrate W to and from an exposure apparatus that is an external apparatus. This interface cell is different from the interface block 5 which is a mechanically divided unit in that the interface cell does not include the transport robot TR4 and the edge exposure unit EEW. The substrate platforms PASS9 and PASS10 provided below the edge exposure unit EEW are interposed for the transfer of the substrate W between the post-exposure bake cell transfer robot TR4 and the interface cell transfer mechanism 55.

  Next, the control mechanism of the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an outline of the control mechanism. As shown in the figure, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a control hierarchy including three levels of a main controller, a cell controller, and a unit controller. The hardware configuration of the main controller, cell controller, and unit controller is the same as that of a general computer. That is, each controller stores a CPU that performs various arithmetic processes, a ROM that is a read-only memory that stores basic programs, a RAM that is a readable and writable memory that stores various information, and control applications and data. A magnetic disk or the like is provided.

  One main controller MC in the first hierarchy is provided for the entire substrate processing apparatus, and is mainly responsible for management of the entire apparatus, management of the main panel (not shown), and management of the cell controller. The second-level cell controller CC is individually provided for each of the six cells (indexer cell, bark cell, resist coating cell, development processing cell, post-exposure bake cell, and interface cell). Each cell controller CC is mainly in charge of substrate transport management and unit management in the corresponding cell. Specifically, the cell controller CC of each cell sends information that the substrate W has been placed on a predetermined substrate placement unit to the cell controller CC of the adjacent cell, and the cell controller CC of the cell that has received the substrate W. Transmits / receives information that information indicating that the substrate W has been received from the substrate platform is returned to the cell controller CC of the original cell. Such transmission / reception of information is performed via the main controller MC. Each cell controller CC gives information to the transfer robot controller TC that the substrate W has been loaded into the cell, and the transfer robot controller TC controls the transfer robot to transfer the substrate W in the cell according to a predetermined procedure (flow). Carry according to recipe. The transfer robot controller TC is a control unit realized by a predetermined application operating on the cell controller CC.

  In addition, as the unit controller of the third hierarchy, for example, a spin controller or a bake controller is provided. The spin controller directly controls spin units (coating processing unit and development processing unit) arranged in the cell in accordance with instructions from the cell controller CC. Specifically, the rotational speed of the substrate W, the discharge timing of the processing liquid, and the like are controlled. Further, the bake controller directly controls the heat treatment units (hot plate, cool plate, heating unit, etc.) arranged in the cell in accordance with instructions from the cell controller CC. Specifically, the plate temperature and the like are controlled.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the control load of each controller is reduced by adopting a three-level control hierarchy. In addition, each cell controller CC manages the substrate transfer schedule only in each cell without considering the transfer schedule in the adjacent cell, so the burden of transfer control on each cell controller CC is reduced. . As a result, the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus can be improved.

  Various commands and data can be input to each transfer robot controller TC from an input panel IP connected via a connector provided on the outer wall surface of each block. For example, it is possible to instruct the transfer robot to start auto teaching from the input panel IP.

<1.4. Operation of substrate processing apparatus>
Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment will be described. Here, first, a procedure for transporting the substrate W in the substrate processing apparatus will be briefly described. First, the substrate transfer mechanism 12 of the indexer cell (indexer block 1) takes out an unprocessed substrate W from a predetermined carrier C and places it on the upper substrate platform PASS1. When an unprocessed substrate W is placed on the substrate platform PASS1, the transfer robot TR1 of the bark cell receives the substrate W using one of the holding arms 6a and 6b. Then, the transfer robot TR1 transfers the received unprocessed substrate W to any of the coating processing units BRC1 to BRC3. In the coating processing units BRC <b> 1 to BRC <b> 3, the coating liquid for the antireflection film is spin coated on the substrate W.

  After the coating process is completed, the substrate W is transferred to one of the hot plates HP1 to HP6 by the transfer robot TR1. When the substrate W is heated by the hot plate, the coating liquid is dried and a base antireflection film is formed on the substrate W. Thereafter, the substrate W taken out from the hot plate by the transfer robot TR1 is transferred to one of the cool plates CP1 to CP3 and cooled. At this time, the substrate W may be cooled by the cool plate WCP. The cooled substrate W is placed on the substrate platform PASS3 by the transport robot TR1.

  Further, the unprocessed substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS1 may be transported by the transport robot TR1 to any one of the adhesion reinforcement processing units AHL1 to AHL3. In the adhesion strengthening processing units AHL1 to AHL3, the substrate W is heat-treated in a HMDS vapor atmosphere to improve the adhesion between the resist film and the substrate W. The substrate W that has been subjected to the adhesion strengthening process is taken out by the transport robot TR1, transported to one of the cool plates CP1 to CP3, and cooled. Since the antireflection film is not formed on the substrate W that has been subjected to the adhesion strengthening process, the cooled substrate W is directly placed on the substrate platform PASS3 by the transport robot TR1.

  Further, dehydration treatment may be performed before applying the coating solution for the antireflection film. In this case, first, the transfer robot TR1 transfers the unprocessed substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS1 to any one of the adhesion reinforcement processing units AHL1 to AHL3. In the adhesion strengthening processing units AHL1 to AHL3, the substrate W is simply subjected to heat treatment (dehydration bake) for dehydration without supplying HMDS vapor. The substrate W that has been subjected to the heat treatment for dehydration is taken out by the transport robot TR1, transported to one of the cool plates CP1 to CP3, and cooled. The cooled substrate W is transported to one of the coating processing units BRC1 to BRC3 by the transport robot TR1, and the coating liquid for the antireflection film is spin-coated. Thereafter, the substrate W is transferred to one of the hot plates HP1 to HP6 by the transfer robot TR1, and a base antireflection film is formed on the substrate W by heat treatment. Thereafter, the substrate W taken out from the hot plate by the transport robot TR1 is transported to one of the cool plates CP1 to CP3, cooled, and then placed on the substrate platform PASS3.

  When the substrate W is placed on the substrate platform PASS3, the resist coating cell transport robot TR2 receives the substrate W and transports it to one of the coating processing units SC1 to SC3. In the coating processing units SC1 to SC3, a photoresist is spin-coated on the substrate W. In addition, since precise substrate temperature control is required for the resist coating process, the substrate W may be transported to any one of the cool plates CP4 to CP9 immediately before the substrate W is transported to the coating processing units SC1 to SC3.

  After the resist coating process is completed, the substrate W is transferred to one of the heating units PHP1 to PHP6 by the transfer robot TR2. When the substrate W is heated by the heating units PHP1 to PHP6, the solvent component in the photoresist is removed, and a resist film is formed on the substrate W. Thereafter, the substrate W taken out from the heating units PHP1 to PHP6 by the transport robot TR2 is transported to one of the cool plates CP4 to CP9 and cooled. The cooled substrate W is placed on the substrate platform PASS5 by the transport robot TR2.

  When the substrate W on which the resist film is formed is placed on the substrate platform PASS5, the transfer robot TR3 of the development processing cell receives the substrate W and places it on the substrate platform PASS7 as it is. Then, the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS7 is received by the post-exposure bake cell transport robot TR4 and carried into the edge exposure unit EEW. In the edge exposure unit EEW, exposure processing of the peripheral portion of the substrate W is performed. The substrate W that has undergone the edge exposure process is placed on the substrate platform PASS9 by the transport robot TR4. The substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS9 is received by the interface cell transport mechanism 55, carried into an exposure apparatus outside the apparatus, and subjected to pattern exposure processing.

  The substrate W that has been subjected to the pattern exposure processing is returned to the interface cell again, and is placed on the substrate platform PASS10 by the transport mechanism 55. When the exposed substrate W is placed on the substrate platform PASS10, the post-exposure bakecell transport robot TR4 receives the substrate W and transports it to any of the heating units PHP7 to PHP12. In the heating parts PHP7 to PHP12, a heat treatment (Post Exposure Bake) for uniformly diffusing a product generated by the photochemical reaction during the exposure into the resist film is performed. When the post-exposure heat treatment is completed, the substrate W is transported to the temporary substrate placement unit by the local transport mechanism 47 and placed on the substrate platform PASS8 by the transport robot TR4. Then, the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS8 is transported to the cool plate CP13 and cooled.

  When the cooling process for a predetermined time is completed in the cool plate CP13, the transfer robot TR3 of the development processing cell receives the substrate W and transfers it to one of the development processing units SD1 to SD5. In the developing units SD1 to SD5, a developing solution is supplied to the substrate W to advance the developing process. After the development process is finished, the substrate W is transferred to one of the hot plates HP7 to HP11 by the transfer robot TR3, and then transferred to one of the cool plates CP10 to CP12.

  Thereafter, the substrate W is placed on the substrate platform PASS6 by the transport robot TR3. The substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS6 is placed on the substrate platform PASS4 as it is by the transfer robot TR2 of the resist coating cell. Further, the substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS4 is placed on the substrate platform PASS2 as it is by the transfer robot TR1 of Barxel. The processed substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS2 is stored in a predetermined carrier C by the substrate transfer mechanism 12 of the indexer cell. In this way, a series of processing is completed.

  As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment, each transfer robot TR1 to TR4 transfers the substrate W to the heat treatment unit, the coating / development processing unit, the substrate placement unit, and the like, so that a series of processes proceeds. . For example, the transfer robot TR1 of Barxel is applied to each substrate delivery target portion of the substrate platforms PASS1 to PASS4, the coating processing units BRC1 to BRC3, the cool plates CP1 to CP3, the hot plates HP1 to HP6, and the adhesion reinforcement processing portions AHL1 to AHL3. On the other hand, the substrate W is transferred.

<1.5. Advantages of the substrate processing apparatus of the first embodiment>
As described above, in the first embodiment, a chemically controlled air atmosphere can be formed not only in the main transfer areas 28, 38, 48, 58, 59 but also in the local transfer areas 39, 49. Therefore, chemical contamination can be prevented as a whole substrate processing apparatus, and processing can be performed satisfactorily in each of the blocks 1-5.

<2. Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment is compared with the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, and the hardware of the chemical filter unit disposed above the resist coating block 3 and the development processing block 4. The substrate processing apparatus is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the configuration is different. Therefore, in the following, this difference will be mainly described.

  In the following description, the same components as those in the substrate processing system according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Since the components with the same reference numerals have already been described in the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted in the present embodiment.

<2.1. Configuration of fan unit>
FIG. 9 is a view showing another example of a cross section of the development processing block 4 as seen from the line VV. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the fan unit according to the present embodiment. Here, the chemical filter units 170 and 180 disposed above the resist coating block 3 and the development processing block 4 will be described. Since similar units are disposed above the resist coating block 3 and the development processing block 4, only the unit above the development processing block 4 will be described here.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the chemical filter unit 170 is located near the upper portion 81 a outside the development processing block 4 and immediately above the main conveyance region 48, and the chemical filter unit 170 is located near the upper portion 81 b and directly above the local conveyance region 49. 180 are arranged.

  First, the chemical filter unit 170 will be described. The chemical filter unit 170 takes in air in a clean room in which the substrate processing apparatus is installed, and removes clean air from which chemical components such as amine and ammonia contained in the air are removed. This is a member supplied to the transport area 48 and the local filter unit 180. As shown in FIG. 10, the chemical filter unit 170 mainly includes a chemical filter unit 71, a chamber 172, a fan unit 73, and a filter unit 74.

  Inside the chemical filter portion 71, a chemical filter provided with an adsorbent that adsorbs a chemical substance to a filter base material such as a nonwoven fabric is disposed. Further, an intake port (not shown) for taking in the air in the clean room is provided at the upper part of the chemical filter unit 71. Therefore, when the fan 78 of the fan unit 73 is rotated, the chemical components contained in the air in the clean room adhere to the chemical filter 71a and are removed when passing through the chemical filter unit 70a of the chemical filter unit 71. . The chamber 172 is supplied with chemically controlled air (air).

  The chamber 172 is formed such that the cross section on the fan section 73 side is larger than the cross section on the chemical filter section 71 side in the cross section (a plane parallel to the XY plane), and passes through the chamber 172. The air thus supplied is supplied to the filter unit 74 via the fan unit 73. Therefore, fine particles such as dust and dust are removed from the air passing through the filter unit 74. The air from which the chemical components and particles that have passed through the filter unit 74 are removed is supplied to the upper portion of the main conveyance region 48.

  An exhaust fan 91 is disposed near the lower portion of the main transfer region 48, and the lower portion of the main transfer region 48 is connected to the exhaust drain 75a via a pipe 76a. Therefore, by driving the exhaust fan 91, the atmosphere in the main transfer region 48 is exhausted to the exhaust drain 75a. Further, an exhaust fan 92 is disposed near the lower portion of the main transfer area 48. Thus, when the exhaust fan 92 is driven, the atmosphere in the main transfer region 48 is exhausted to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus through the exhaust port 95.

  As described above, the chemical filter unit 170 can remove the chemical components and fine particles contained in the air in the clean room and form a downflow of clean air in the main transport region 48 in the development processing block 4.

  Next, the local filter unit 180 will be described. The local filter unit 180 is a member that supplies air from which chemical components and particles have been removed to the local transport area 49 in the development processing block 4. The local filter unit 180 mainly includes a pipe 185, a fan unit 183, a chamber 182, and a filter unit 184. Prepare. As shown in FIG. 10, an outlet 181 penetrating from the outside to the inside of the chamber 172 is provided at the upper portion of the chamber 172, and communicates with one end of the pipe 185. Further, the other end of the pipe 185 communicates with the fan part 183. As described above, the atmosphere in the chamber 172 of the chemical filter unit 170 and the atmosphere in the local filter unit 180 fan unit 183 are connected in communication via the pipe 185. Therefore, by rotating the fan 188 of the fan unit 183, a part of the atmosphere in the chamber 172 is introduced into the fan unit 183, and the inside of the fan unit 183 is filled with chemically controlled air. Then, the air supplied to the fan unit 183 passes through the chamber 182 and is supplied to the filter unit 184. Here, similarly to the filter unit 74, a ULPA filter and a HEPA filter are disposed in the filter unit 184. Therefore, fine particles such as dust and dirt are removed from the air passing through the filter unit 184. Then, the air from which the chemical components and particles that have passed through the filter unit 184 are removed is supplied to the upper portion of the local transport region 49.

  Further, an exhaust fan 93 is disposed near the lower portion of the local transfer region 49, and the lower portion of the local transfer region 49 is connected to the exhaust drain 75b through a pipe 76b. Therefore, by driving the exhaust fan 93, the atmosphere in the local transport region 49 is exhausted to the exhaust drain 75b.

  As described above, the local filter unit 180 can receive the chemically controlled air from the chemical filter unit 170 and can remove the fine particles by the filter unit 184. That is, in the local filter unit 180, it is not necessary to provide a chemical filter unit that removes chemical components. Therefore, compared with the chemical filter unit 70 of the first embodiment, the size of the hardware (local filter unit 180) that supplies the chemically controlled air to the local transfer regions 39 and 49 can be reduced. In addition, since the local filter unit 180 does not require an expensive chemical filter section, the manufacturing cost of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced.

<2.2. Advantages of Substrate Processing Apparatus According to Second Embodiment>
As described above, in the second embodiment, the local filter unit 180 can supply the chemically controlled air to the local transfer regions 39 and 49 without providing the chemical filter portion. Therefore, the size of the local filter unit 180 can be reduced as compared with the chemical filter unit 70 of the first embodiment, and the manufacturing cost of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced.

<3. Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The substrate processing apparatus according to the third embodiment is compared with the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment, and the hardware of the chemical filter unit disposed above the resist coating block 3 and the development processing block 4. The substrate processing apparatus is the same as that of the second embodiment except that the configuration is different. Therefore, in the following, this difference will be mainly described.

  In the following description, constituent elements similar to those in the substrate processing systems of the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals. Since the components with the same reference numerals have been described in the first and second embodiments, description thereof will be omitted in the present embodiment.

<3.1. Configuration of fan unit>
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the fan unit according to the present embodiment. Here, the chemical filter units 270 and 280 disposed above the resist coating block 3 and the development processing block 4 will be described. Since similar units are disposed above the resist coating block 3 and the development processing block 4, only the unit above the development processing block 4 will be described here.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the chemical filter unit 270 is located near the upper portion 81a outside the development processing block 4 and immediately above the main conveyance region 48, and is also located near the upper portion 81b and directly above the local conveyance region 49. 280 are respectively disposed.

  First, the chemical filter unit 270 will be described. Similarly to the chemical filter unit 170 of the second embodiment, the chemical filter unit 270 takes in air in a clean room in which the substrate processing apparatus is installed, and chemicals such as amine and ammonia contained in the air. A member that supplies clean air from which components have been removed to the main transport region 48 and the local filter unit 280 in the development processing block 4. As shown in FIG. 11, the chemical filter unit 270 mainly includes a chemical filter unit 71, a chamber 72, a fan unit 73, a filter unit 74, and a chamber 275.

  The chemical filter unit 71 includes a chemical filter provided with an adsorbent that adsorbs a chemical substance to a filter base material such as a nonwoven fabric. Therefore, when the fan 78 of the fan unit 73 is rotated, the chemically controlled air (air) reaches the chamber 72. Then, air from which chemical components and particles have been removed reaches the chamber 275 disposed below the filter unit 74 via the fan unit 73 and the filter unit 74.

  Here, the chamber 275 is provided on the inner upper portion of the development processing block 4, and one end of the pipe 285 communicates with the atmosphere in the chamber 275. Further, the other end of the pipe 285 communicates with the chamber 282 of the local filter unit 280. The lower portion of the chamber 275 communicates with the main transport region 48 of the development processing block 4. Therefore, by rotating the fan 78, a part of the air supplied to the chamber 275 is introduced into the main transport region 48 of the development processing block 4 and the other is introduced into the chamber 282 of the local filter unit 280.

  As in the second embodiment, an exhaust fan 91 is disposed near the lower portion of the main transfer region 48, and the lower portion of the main transfer region 48 is connected to the exhaust drain 75a via a pipe 76a. ing. Therefore, by driving the exhaust fan 91, the atmosphere in the main transfer region 48 is exhausted to the exhaust drain 75a. Further, an exhaust fan 92 is disposed near the lower portion of the main transfer area 48. Thus, when the exhaust fan 92 is driven, the atmosphere in the main transfer region 48 is exhausted to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus through the exhaust port 95.

  As described above, the chemical filter unit 270 can remove the chemical components and fine particles contained in the air in the clean room and form a downflow of clean air in the main transport region 48 in the development processing block 4.

  Next, the local filter unit 280 will be described. Similar to the local filter unit 180 of the second embodiment, the local filter unit 280 is a member that supplies air from which chemical components and particles have been removed to the local transport region 49 in the development processing block 4. A pipe 285 and a chamber 282 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the atmosphere in the chamber 282 communicates with the atmosphere in the chamber 275 via the pipe 285 as described above. Therefore, by rotating the fan 78 of the chemical filter unit 270, the air from which the chemical components and particles filled in the chamber 275 have been removed is introduced into the chamber 282. The air introduced into the chamber 282 is supplied to the upper portion of the local transfer area 49. In the local filter unit 280, the air introduced from the chamber 275 of the chemical filter unit 270 is temporarily received by the chamber 282 and then supplied to the upper portion of the local transport region 49. This is for supplying air from which particles have been removed.

  Similarly to the second embodiment, an exhaust fan 93 is disposed near the lower portion of the local transfer region 49, and the lower portion of the local transfer region 49 is connected to the exhaust drain 75b via a pipe 76b. ing. Therefore, by driving the exhaust fan 93, the atmosphere in the local transport region 49 is exhausted to the exhaust drain 75b.

  In this manner, the local filter unit 280 can form a downflow of this clean air in the local transport region 49 while receiving the introduction of air that has been chemically controlled from the chemical filter unit 170 and from which particles have been removed. . That is, in the local filter unit 280, it is not necessary to provide the chemical filter part for removing chemical components and the filter part 74 for removing particles. Therefore, compared with the chemical filter unit 70 and the local filter unit 180 of the first embodiment, the size of the hardware (local filter unit 280) for supplying the chemically controlled air to the local transfer areas 39 and 49 is further reduced. Can be Moreover, in the local filter unit 280 of this Embodiment, since it is not necessary to provide the filter part 74 in addition to the chemical filter unit 70, the manufacturing cost of a substrate processing apparatus can be reduced further.

<3.2. Advantages of Substrate Processing Apparatus According to Third Embodiment>
As described above, in the third embodiment, the local filter unit 180 supplies the air from which particles are removed while being chemically controlled to the local transport regions 39 and 49 without providing the chemical filter portion and the filter portion. be able to. Therefore, the size of the fan unit can be further reduced as compared with the chemical filter unit 70 of the first embodiment, and the manufacturing cost of the substrate processing apparatus can be further reduced.

<4. Modification>
While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above examples.
(1) In the present embodiment, the fan units disposed on the tops of the respective blocks 1 to 5 have been described as fan units that supply air from which chemical components and particles have been removed, but are not limited thereto. For example, only a part of the fan unit may be removed.
(2) In the second embodiment, in the coating processing units BRC1 to BRC3, the coating processing units SC1 to SC3, the development processing units SD1 to SD5, and the processing units of the edge exposure unit EEW, the temperature per chemically controlled air The air controlled so that the humidity is within a predetermined range is supplied from an air supply source (not shown). However, the present invention is not limited to this. For some of these processing units, a local filter is used. Chemically controlled air supplied from the unit 180 may be supplied.

It is a top view of the substrate processing apparatus in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the liquid processing part of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is a front view of the heat processing part of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the periphery structure of the substrate mounting part of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the conveyance robot of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of the control mechanism of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the cross section which looked at the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1 from the VV line. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the chemical fan unit in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of the cross section which looked at the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1 from the VV line. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the chemical fan unit in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the chemical fan unit in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indexer block 2 Bark block 3 Resist application block 4 Development processing block 5 Interface block 12 Substrate transfer mechanism 21, 31, 41, 42 Heat treatment tower 55 Transport mechanism 70 (70a, 70b), 170, 270 Chemical filter unit 75a, 75b Exhaust drains 76a, 76b, 85, 185, 285 Piping 18, 28, 38, 48, 58, 59 Main transfer area 39, 49 Local transfer area AHL1 to AHL3 Adhesion strengthening processing section BRC1 to BRC3, SC1 to SC3 Coating process unit C Carrier CC Cell controller CP1 to CP13 Cool plate HP1 to HP11 Hot plate IP input panel PASS1 to PASS10 Substrate placement part PHP1 to PHP12 Heating part SD1 to SD5 Development unit TC transport robot controller TR1~TR4 transport robot W board

Claims (7)

A substrate processing apparatus,
(a) a substrate processing unit for performing predetermined processing on the substrate;
(b) a first air supply means for supplying chemically controlled air to a main transport region which is a transport region of a main transport unit that delivers the substrate to and from the substrate processing unit;
(c) The first substrate is separated from the main transport region by the substrate processing unit, and chemically controlled air is supplied to a local transport region that is a transport region of a local transport unit that transports the substrate in the substrate processing unit. 2 air supply means;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the first air supply means and the second air supply means independently perform chemical control of air. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the second air supply means supplies chemically controlled air introduced from the first air supply means to the local transfer region via a pipe. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3,
The second air supply means receives the introduction of air from which the chemical component has been removed by the first air supply means, and removes particles from the air from which the chemical component has been removed by the second air supply means. Then, chemically controlled air is supplied to the local transfer region. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the second air supply means receives the introduction of air from which chemical components have been removed and particles have been removed in the first air supply means. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the substrate processing unit is a processing unit that performs a heat treatment on the substrate after an exposure process is performed on a resist film formed on the substrate. A single processing block is configured including a processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the substrate and a single main transfer unit that transfers the substrate to the processing unit, and the processing blocks are arranged in parallel. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
Each processing block includes an inlet substrate mounting portion for mounting a substrate to receive the substrate in the processing block, and an outlet substrate mounting portion for mounting the substrate to eject the substrate from the processing block. Provided separately,
The main transfer unit of each processing block performs delivery of the substrate via the entrance substrate placement unit and the exit substrate placement unit,
At least one of the processing blocks is
A first air supply means for supplying chemically controlled air to a main transport region which is a transport region of the main transport unit;
Second air supply means for supplying chemically controlled air to a local transport area which is separated from the main transport area by the processing section and is a transport area of a local transport section for transporting the substrate in the processing section. When,
A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

Images