JP2005101080A - Substrate carrier and substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate carrier and substrate processing equipment in which particles generated from the arm drive means, and the like, of a carrying means being driven to elevate/lower are collected surely. <P>SOLUTION: A substrate holding section 60 being driven to elevate/lower through an elevating/lowering mechanism is provided with a slide drive section 60B for driving two holding arms 602 to advance/retract, and a rotary drive section 60C for rotary driving the two holding arms 602 integrally with the slide drive section 60B. In the case body 702 of the slide drive section 60B, a fan unit 703 and a filter unit 704 for removing particles generated from a slide mechanism 701 for driving the holding arm 602 to advance/retract are provided. The fan unit 703 exhausts atmosphere in the case body 702 from an exhaust opening 770 through the filter unit 704 thus sustaining a negative pressure in the case body 702. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for transporting a substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”) such as a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for a photomask, and a substrate for an optical disk.

  As is well known, products such as semiconductors and liquid crystal displays are manufactured by performing a series of processes such as cleaning, resist coating, exposure, development, etching, interlayer insulation film formation, heat treatment, and dicing on the substrate. Has been. Of these various processes, for example, a substrate processing apparatus that incorporates a plurality of processing units for performing resist coating processing, development processing, and heat treatment associated therewith, and performs a series of photolithography processing on the substrate, is widely used as a so-called coater & developer. ing. In such an apparatus, a transfer robot (transfer apparatus) for transferring a substrate between the processing units is required.

  On the other hand, recent substrate processing apparatuses are required to improve throughput and reduce footprint, and many processing units are often mounted in multiple stages around the transfer robot. Therefore, the transfer robot includes an elevating mechanism that elevates and lowers the holding unit that holds the substrate. The holding unit includes a transfer arm that directly holds the substrate and an arm drive unit that drives the transfer arm forward and backward.

  In such a transfer robot, particles are generated from the arm driving means of the holding means, and therefore it is necessary to take measures so that the inside of the substrate processing apparatus is not contaminated by the particles.

  In the processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, an air supply port, an exhaust port, and the like are provided above and below an elevating / conveying apparatus provided with a holding unit that conveys a substrate by moving up and down, and downward in a portion in which the substrate conveying apparatus is accommodated. The flow of the atmosphere (down flow) is generated. For this reason, in this processing apparatus, it is considered that particles generated by the arm driving means or the like of the transport apparatus are guided and collected by the lower side of the transport apparatus by the down flow of the atmosphere.

Japanese Patent No. 3225344 (refer to claim 1, FIG. 5, etc.)

  However, a large pressure fluctuation may occur above and below the holding means due to the raising and lowering operation of the holding means of the transport device. For this reason, in the processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the downflow of the atmosphere is disturbed by this pressure fluctuation, and particles generated by the arm driving means or the like may not be sufficiently collected. Moreover, in order to suppress the pressure fluctuation due to the raising / lowering operation of the holding means, it is necessary to suppress the raising / lowering speed of the holding means, which may hinder the increase in the substrate transport speed.

  Further, in this conventional configuration, when the moving distance of the raising / lowering operation of the holding means is increased, the distance between the holding means and the exhaust port for downflow formation below the holding means is increased depending on the position of the holding means. In some cases, the particles generated from the holding means cannot be efficiently guided to the exhaust port, and the particles cannot be sufficiently collected.

  Further, if particles are reliably removed with this conventional configuration, it is necessary to form a stable downflow without being affected by the lifting and lowering operation of the holding means, and the apparatus is provided to form the downflow. It is necessary to increase the quantity and output of exhaust fans.

  Furthermore, in this conventional configuration, in order to reliably collect particles generated from the holding means, it is necessary to provide an exhaust path extending from the holding means to an exhaust port for forming a downflow provided below the apparatus. The size increases.

  Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a substrate transport apparatus and a substrate processing apparatus capable of reliably collecting particles generated from the arm driving means of the transport means that is driven up and down.

  Means for solving the problem is a substrate transport apparatus for transporting a substrate, the holding means for holding the substrate, the support means for supporting the holding means so as to be movable up and down, and the raising and lowering drive of the holding means. Elevating means, and the holding means removes particles in the case body, a transfer arm that directly holds the substrate, an arm drive means that drives the transfer arm, a case body that houses the arm drive means, and Particle removing means.

  Preferably, the particle removing means includes a filter for filtering particles in the atmosphere and a fan for passing the atmosphere in the kale body through the filter.

  Preferably, the filter is provided at an exhaust port provided in the case body, and the fan exhausts air from the exhaust port to the outside while allowing the atmosphere in the case body to pass through the filter.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the arm driving unit has a slide mechanism for moving the transfer arm forward and backward.

  Preferably, the arm driving unit further includes a rotation mechanism that rotates the transfer arm.

  Further, the means for solving the problem is a substrate transfer device for transferring a substrate, wherein the holding means for holding the substrate, the supporting means for supporting the holding means to be movable up and down, and the raising and lowering the holding means. Elevating means for driving, and the holding means is supported by the transfer arm that directly holds the substrate, the slide drive unit that advances and retracts the transfer arm, and the transfer arm is supported by the slide drive unit. A rotation drive unit that rotates integrally, and the slide drive unit includes a slide mechanism that moves the transfer arm forward and backward, and a first case body that houses the slide mechanism, and the rotation drive unit Has a rotation mechanism that rotates the transfer arm integrally with the slide drive unit, and a second case body that houses the rotation mechanism, and the first case body or the first case body One of the case bodies is provided with an exhaust port, and the other of the first case body or the second case body is provided with a vent hole through which an atmosphere can flow, and the first case body. Between the first case body and the second case body, a flow passage capable of circulating an internal atmosphere is provided, and one of the slide drive section or the rotary drive section includes the first case body or the second case body. A filter provided in the exhaust port provided in the case body for filtering particles in the atmosphere, and the atmosphere in the first case body and the second case body is passed from the exhaust port to the outside while passing through the filter. And a fan for exhausting the air.

  The means for solving the problem is a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate, the holding means for holding the substrate, the supporting means for supporting the holding means so as to be movable up and down, and the raising and lowering the holding means. Elevating means for driving, and the holding means is supported by the transfer arm that directly holds the substrate, the slide drive unit that advances and retracts the transfer arm, and the transfer arm is supported by the slide drive unit. A rotation drive unit that rotates integrally, and the slide drive unit is provided with a slide mechanism that moves the transfer arm forward and backward, and an exhaust port that accommodates the slide mechanism inside and exhausts the internal atmosphere. A first case body, a filter provided at the exhaust port of the first case body, for filtering particles in the atmosphere, and an atmosphere in the first case body. And a fan for exhausting the air from the exhaust port to the outside while passing through the rotary drive unit, the rotary drive unit rotating the transfer arm integrally with the slide drive unit, and the rotary mechanism substantially sealed And a second case body accommodated in a state.

  Further, the means for solving the problem is a substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a processing unit that executes a predetermined process on the substrate; and a transport unit that transports the substrate to the processing unit, The transport means includes a holding means for holding the substrate, a supporting means for supporting the holding means so as to be movable up and down, and an elevating means for driving the holding means up and down, and the holding means directly holds the substrate. A transfer arm, an arm drive unit that drives the transfer arm, a case body that houses the arm drive unit, and a particle removal unit that removes particles in the case body.

  According to the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, since the holding means that is driven up and down is provided with the particle removing means that removes particles generated in the case body, it depends on the state of the raising and lowering operation of the holding means. Therefore, the particles generated from the arm driving means or the like can be reliably collected. For this reason, the raising / lowering speed of the holding means can be increased to increase the substrate transport speed, and the particles can be reliably recovered even when the moving distance of the raising / lowering operation of the holding means is increased.

  In addition, when the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention is installed in a predetermined substrate processing apparatus and an atmosphere downflow is formed around the substrate transfer apparatus, particles generated in the holding means are provided in the holding means. Since it is collected by the particle removal means, the burden (number of installation, output, etc.) of the exhaust unit for downflow formation provided on the substrate processing apparatus side can be reduced, and the particles generated by the holding means can be downflow formed. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide an exhaust path or the like for leading to a general exhaust unit, and the apparatus size can be reduced.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, particles generated in the case body of the holding means can be reliably collected by the filter and the fan.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, by exhausting the atmosphere in the case body from the exhaust port by the fan, the case body can be made to have a negative pressure with respect to the outside, and a gap portion ( For example, it is possible to reliably prevent particles from leaking out of the case body through an opening through which the transfer arm is inserted.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the holding means that is driven up and down is provided with a filter and a fan for removing particles generated in the first and second case bodies. The particles generated from the slide mechanism and the rotation mechanism that drive the arm can be reliably collected without depending on the state of the lifting operation.

  In addition, a flow passage capable of circulating the internal atmosphere is provided between the first and second case bodies, an exhaust port is provided in one of them, and a vent hole is provided in the other. Since the particles are removed by the filter provided at the exhaust port while exhausting from the exhaust port, the air vents of the case body provided with the vent holes in both case bodies are directed to the exhaust port of the case body provided with the exhaust port. A flowing atmosphere can be formed, and particles generated from the slide mechanism, the rotation mechanism, and the like can be reliably transported to the filter and collected by the atmosphere flow. As a result, the particles in the first and second case bodies can be reliably collected by a set of filters and fans.

  Further, by exhausting the atmosphere in both case bodies from the exhaust port with a fan, the inside of both case bodies can be made negative pressure with respect to the outside, and the vents and gaps provided in the case body (for example, transfer arms) It is possible to reliably prevent particles from leaking out of both case bodies from the opening through which the is inserted.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the holding means that is driven up and down collects particles generated from the slide mechanism by the filter and fan provided in the first case body that houses the slide mechanism, and rotates. About the particle | grains which generate | occur | produce from a mechanism, the spreading | diffusion to the exterior is prevented by accommodating a rotation mechanism in the 2nd case body in a substantially sealed state. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the particles generated from the mechanism that drives the transfer arm from diffusing into the rotating portion and to reliably collect the particles generated from the slide mechanism without depending on the state of the lifting and lowering operation of the holding means. be able to.

  In addition, by exhausting the atmosphere in the first case body from the exhaust port with a fan, the first case body can be made negative with respect to the outside, and a ventilation port provided in the first case body It is possible to reliably prevent particles from leaking out of the case body from a gap (for example, an opening through which the transfer arm is inserted).

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the holding means that is driven up and down is provided with the particle removing means that removes particles generated in the case body, it depends on the state of the lifting and lowering operation of the holding means. The particles generated from the arm driving means can be reliably collected, and as a result, the particles generated from the arm driving means can be prevented from diffusing into the substrate processing apparatus and contaminating the substrate. it can.

<1. Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus A according to this embodiment. 2 is a front view of the liquid processing unit of the substrate processing apparatus A, 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 A of the present 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 A 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 A according to the present invention is not limited to the coating film formation and the development processing, and may be etching processing or cleaning processing.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the substrate processing apparatus A of this embodiment includes five processing blocks, an indexer block 1, a bark block 2, a resist coating block 3, a development processing block 4 and an interface block 5, arranged in parallel. Configured. An exposure apparatus (stepper) which is an external apparatus separate from the substrate processing apparatus A 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. 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 (see FIG. 4).

  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.

  In this way, 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, thereby occupying the space occupied by the substrate processing apparatus A. The footprint can be reduced by making it smaller. 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. .

  Next, the transfer robots TR1 to TR3 (transfer device) will be described. FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the transfer robot TR1. Note that the transfer robots TR2 and TR3 have the same functions and configurations as the transfer robot TR1, and thus will not be described later.

  The transport robot TR1 in the present embodiment includes a columnar structure (support means) ST configured by a substrate holding part 60, a harness 61, a harness support part 62, a support member 63, and the like, and an elevating mechanism 65. Although details will be described later, by having such a configuration, the transport robot TR1 functions as a transport device that transports the substrate W in the three-dimensional direction in the substrate processing apparatus A.

  The substrate holding unit 60 includes two holding arms 602 that directly hold the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture in close proximity to each other. Each of these two holding arms 602 can hold one substrate W, and can advance and retreat independently of each other. Each holding arm 602 supports the periphery of the substrate W from below by a plurality of pins protruding inward from the inside of the arm 602.

  The substrate holding unit 60 includes the two holding arms 602 described above, an arm driving unit 600 that drives both holding arms 602, and a blanket 601 that is attached to the arm driving unit 600. The arm driving part 600 is supported by the columnar structure ST via the horizontal arm part 60A (FIG. 6) (details will be described later). A sensor for detecting the position of the substrate W held by the holding arm 602 is attached to the blanket 601.

  The harness 61 mainly accommodates a later-described slide mechanism 701 and a power cable to the rotation mechanism 801 in the arm driving unit 600. The cable accommodated in the harness 61 is not limited to power supply, and a flexible communication cable for a control signal and the like are also accommodated. The harness support portion 62 has a columnar structure that accommodates the harness 61 therein, and is opposed to the columnar structure ST at a position away from the lift space ES of the substrate holding portion 60 on the base of the bark block 2. Is erected. Then, the power supply side end 61e of the power cable in the harness 61 is supported at an intermediate height of the lift space of the substrate holding portion 60 (preferably approximately the center height of the lift space).

  As described above, the harness support portion 62 supports the harness 61 at a predetermined intermediate height, so that the transport robot TR1 can drag the harness 61 or move the other components even when the substrate holding portion 60 is moved. There is no collision with any part. In addition, it is good also as a structure which does not provide the harness support part 62 separately by comprising so that the harness 61 may be accommodated in the support member 63 of the columnar structure ST mentioned later.

  Further, the cable in the harness 61 is connected to the rotation driving unit 60 </ b> C (FIG. 8) in the arm driving unit 600 of the substrate holding unit 60. This prevents a situation in which the harness 61 is swung around when the arm driving unit 600 turns.

  Among the columnar structures ST, the support member 63 is a columnar body that is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is substantially in the Z-axis direction. The inside of the columnar structure ST is hollow and its cross section is rectangular. A slit 630 extending in the vertical direction is formed on the side surface. Elements 651 to 656 to be described later are accommodated in the support member 63, and these are configured as an integral structure. As schematically shown in FIG. 1, the support member 63 is disposed adjacent to the partition wall 25, and the lower end portion is fixed to the base of the bark block 2 by the second connection member 641, thereby the support member 63. Is standing. Further, the upper end portion of the support member 63 is fixed to the partition wall 25 of the bark block 2 via the connecting member 640. The base of the bark block 2 and the partition wall 25 are part of a structural material that defines the spatial structure of the bark block 2.

  As described above, in the transport robot TR1 in this embodiment, the support member 63 of the columnar structure ST supports the substrate holding unit 60 between the first connection member 640 and the second connection member 641 having different height positions. Accordingly, the support member 63 can be configured as a single structure that is relatively thin.

  FIG. 7 is a view showing the structure of the elevating mechanism 65. The elevating mechanism 65 includes a drive motor 650 (FIG. 5), a drive pulley 651, a driven pulley 652, a timing belt 653, a guide 654, a seal belt 655, and a bearing 656. Among these, the main structure excluding the drive motor 650 is provided inside the support member 63.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the drive motor 650 is accommodated in a housing 65 </ b> A provided in the lower part of the support member 63. The drive motor 650 is a rotary motor that generates a rotational drive force with the Y-axis direction as a central axis, and transmits the rotational drive force generated through a gear or the like to the drive pulley 651.

  A timing belt 653 is stretched between the driving pulley 651 and the driven pulley 652, and the timing belt 653 is driven by the driving motor 650 rotating the driving pulley 651. The timing belt 653 is fixed to the horizontal arm 60A of the substrate holding unit 60, and the substrate holding unit 60 is moved up and down in the Z-axis direction by driving the timing belt 653 as the moving up and down unit.

  The guide 654 is fixed to the inner wall surface of the support member 63 along the Z axis, and is engaged with the substrate holding unit 60. The substrate holding part 60 can be moved up and down linearly only along the guide 654. That is, the guide 654 has a guide function that defines the movement direction of the substrate holding unit 60 in the Z-axis direction and the range of movement of the substrate holding unit 60.

  The seal belt 655 is wound around four bearings 656 that can rotate about an axis parallel to the X-axis direction, and is fixed to the substrate holding unit 60. The seal belt 655 is wider than the width of the slit 630 in the direction passing through the paper surface of FIG. Even has a large width. The seal belt 655 encloses the elements 651, 653, and 654. As a result, the seal belt 655 is driven synchronously in accordance with the movement of the substrate holding unit 60 up and down, and particles generated mainly inside the support member 63 are not scattered outside from the slit 630 or the like. It has a sealing function.

  In the transport robot TR1 in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the guide 654 of the columnar structure ST and the timing belt 653 support the substrate holding unit 60 outside (side part) of the columnar structure ST in a cantilever state. To do. As a result, it is not necessary to provide a support member for supporting the substrate holding unit 60 in the central portion of the transport robot TR1, and a large maintenance space can be taken.

  Further, as is clear from FIG. 5, the transport robot TR <b> 1 in this embodiment does not require any structure (such as a support member) above and below the substrate holding unit 60, and the substrate holding unit 60 is substantially open. Go up and down in the space. Therefore, the vertical stroke of the substrate holding part 60 can be made relatively large.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the structure of the arm driving unit 600 with a part thereof broken. The arm driving unit 60 is supported by a slide moving unit 60B that independently drives the two holding arms 602 to advance and retreat, and a support member 63 via a horizontal arm unit 60A, and the two holding arms 602 are supported by the slide driving unit 60B. And a rotational drive unit 60C that rotationally drives together.

  The slide drive unit 60B includes a slide mechanism 701 that drives the corresponding holding arm 602 to advance and retreat, a case body 702, a filter unit 703 (FIG. 9), and a fan unit 704 (FIG. 9). One slide mechanism 701 is provided for each holding arm 602. In FIG. 8, only a slide mechanism 701 (on the −X side) that drives one holding arm 602 is shown, a slide mechanism 701 that drives the other holding arm 602 to advance and retreat, a part of the case body 702, a filter The unit 703, the fan unit 704, etc. are omitted. In FIG. 9, the slide mechanism 701 is omitted.

  The case body 702 has a hollow, substantially box-shaped form, and accommodates two slide mechanisms 701 and the like therein. In the left and right side wall portions of the case body 702, slits 705 (FIG. 9) for inserting the attachment portion of the holding arm 602 are provided along the sliding direction of the holding arm 602. Each holding arm 602 is connected to a predetermined portion of the slide mechanism 701 by inserting its holding portion into the case body 703 via the corresponding slit 705.

  Each slide mechanism 701 includes a base panel 760, a drive motor 761, a timing belt 762, a drive pulley 763, a driven pulley 764, a guide 765, a seal belt 766, and a bearing 767.

  The base panel 760 is fixed at a predetermined position in the arm drive unit 600, and serves as a base on which other components of the slide mechanism 66 are arranged at a predetermined position. The drive motor 761 is a rotary motor that generates a drive force for driving the drive pulley 763 to rotate. When the driving pulley 763 rotates in a predetermined direction, the timing belt 762 stretched between the driving pulley 763 and the driven pulley 764 is driven in the predetermined direction.

  An attachment portion of one holding arm 602 is attached to the timing belt 762. Therefore, when the timing belt 762 is driven, the holding arm 602 is driven along with the movement of the timing belt 762.

  The guide 765 is a member that constitutes a so-called linear guide, and defines the drive direction of the holding arm 602 by receiving the holding arm 602 in a state where it can move only in a predetermined direction. The guide 765 is fixed to the base panel 760.

  Thus, each slide mechanism 701 drives each holding arm 602 attached to the timing belt 762 by driving the drive motor 761. The driving direction is defined by a guide 765. In the transport robot TR1 in this embodiment, the guide 765 defines the drive direction of the holding arm 602 so as to be the Y-axis direction in FIG. That is, the slide mechanism 701 has a function of moving the holding arm 602 linearly in a predetermined direction.

  The seal belt 766 has a width larger than the opening width in the Z-axis direction of the slit 705, spans around four bearings 767 that can rotate around the axis in the Z-axis direction, and is attached to the holding arm 602. It has been. Thus, the seal belt 766 is driven as the holding arm 602 is driven, and always seals the slit 705 of the case body 702 regardless of the driving position of the holding arm 602. As a result, particles generated by the slide mechanism 701 and the like inside the case body 702 are prevented from scattering from the slit 705 to the outside.

  The configuration for removing particles such as the fan unit 703 and the filter unit 704 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the rotation drive unit 60 </ b> C includes a rotation mechanism 801 that rotates and rotates the two holding arms 602 integrally with the slide drive unit 60 </ b> B, and a case body 802 that houses the rotation mechanism 801. The slide drive unit 60B is installed on the rotary drive unit 60C so as to be capable of rotating.

  The case body 802 has a hollow, substantially box-shaped form, and houses a rotation mechanism 801 therein. On the upper surface of the case body 802, a connecting portion 803 is provided to which the slide driving portion 60B is connected in a rotatable state. On the outer wall of the case body 802, the above-mentioned horizontal arm portion 60A for supporting the arm driving portion 600 so as to be movable up and down is connected and fixed.

  The rotation mechanism 801 has a built-in drive motor 870 for turning the two holding arms 602 integrally with the slide drive unit 60B. A drive pulley 871 is attached to the drive shaft of the drive motor 870. A timing belt 873 is stretched between the driving pulley 871 and the driven pulley 872. As a result, the driving force of the driving motor 870 is transmitted to the driven pulley 872. The driven pulley 872 is fixed to the shaft 874. The shaft 874 is pivotally supported by the base plate 875 or the like in the connecting portion 803 of the case body 802 so as to be rotatable about an axis θ parallel to the Z axis, and an upper end portion thereof passes through an adjustment mechanism (not shown). And it is being fixed to the slide drive part 60B side. In addition, a bearing 876 for supporting the slide drive unit 60B so as to be rotatable about the axis θ is installed in the connection portion 803 of the case body 802. The adjustment mechanism has a function of adjusting the position so that the axis θ is parallel to the Z-axis and adjusting the turning operation of the arm driving unit 600 smoothly.

  For this reason, when the shaft 874 is rotationally driven by the power of the drive motor 870 via the drive pulley 871, the timing belt 873, and the driven pulley 872, the slide drive unit 60B and the two holding arms are rotated along with the rotation of the shaft 874. 602 rotates integrally around the axis θ.

  Here, the axis θ of the arm drive unit 600 is located in the vicinity of the intermediate point between the substrate placement units (PASS1, PASS2) and (PASS3, PASS4) facing each other in the positional relationship of FIG.

  That is, in the transport robot TR1, the advance / retreat direction of the holding arm 602 is determined by the rotation drive unit 60C turning the slide drive unit 60B. After the advancing / retreating direction is determined, the slide driving unit 60B moves the holding arm 602 forward and backward by a necessary distance, so that the holding arm 602 can access an arbitrary position in the horizontal plane. In addition, the lifting mechanism 65 moves the substrate holding unit 60 up and down, so that the holding arm 602 can access any height position.

  As shown in the schematic plan view of FIG. 6, in this embodiment, outside of the virtual 360-degree turning range RS of the substrate holding unit 60 (specifically, the virtual 360-degree turning range of the arm driving unit 600). Further, the columnar structure ST and the harness support portion 62 are erected. For this reason, there is no obstacle in the 360-degree turning range RS in the ascending / descending space ES, and the substrate holding unit 60 sets the 360-degree turning range RS as an actual turnable range, and within this range RS over 360 degrees. It can turn freely.

  Therefore, the transfer robot TR1 supports the substrate holding unit 60 in a cantilevered state by the columnar structure ST, and individually supports the two holding arms 602 as in the conventional apparatus, each of the substrate mounting units PASS1, PASS2, and heat treatment. Access to the heat treatment unit provided in the tower 21, the coating processing unit provided in the base coating processing unit BRC, and the substrate platforms PASS3 and PASS4 described later, and transfer of the substrate W between them. Can do.

  Next, a configuration for removing particles such as the filter unit 704 and the fan unit 705 will be described.

  An exhaust port 770 for exhausting the internal atmosphere is provided in a wall portion on the lower surface side of the case body 702 of the slide drive unit 60B. Along with this, the case body 702 and the like need to be provided with a vent hole that allows an external atmosphere to flow in. In this embodiment, the gap between the peripheral edge of the slit 705 of the case body 702 and the seal belt 766 is provided. The gap plays the role of the vent.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in order to allow the atmosphere to flow from the case body 802 of the rotation drive unit 60C into the case body 702 of the slide drive unit 60B, the connection part 803 of the case bodies 702 and 802 includes the case body. Flow passages 880 communicating with both sides of 702 and 802 are provided. Along with this, the case body 802 is provided with a vent 881 that allows inflow of an external atmosphere.

  In this embodiment, the shaft 874 of the rotation mechanism 801 has a cylindrical structure, and the upper and lower openings of the inner cavity of the shaft 874 communicate with the case bodies 702 and 802, and the inner cavity of the shaft 874 is in circulation. It plays the role of road 880. Note that the case body 802 has a substantially airtight structure at portions other than the flow passage 880 and the vent 881.

  The filter unit 704 is for filtering and removing particles in the atmosphere in the case bodies 702 and 802, and is installed so as to close the exhaust port 770 of the case body 702. In this embodiment, it is installed inside the exhaust port 770.

  The fan unit 703 is for exhausting the atmosphere in the case bodies 702 and 802 from the exhaust port 770. In this embodiment, the fan unit 703 is installed on the upper side of the filter unit 704 in the case body 702 (upstream side of the exhaust flow). Has been. For this reason, when the atmosphere in the case bodies 702 and 802 is sent to the filter unit 704 by the fan unit 703 and exhausted from the exhaust port 706, particles in the atmosphere are removed by the filter unit 704.

  When the fan unit 703 is driven and the atmosphere in the case bodies 702 and 802 is exhausted to the outside through the exhaust port 770, the inside of the case bodies 702 and 802 becomes negative pressure with respect to the outside, and the slits of the case body 702 The external atmosphere flows in through the gap portion 705 and the vent hole 881 of the case body 802, whereby particles generated from the slide mechanism 701, the rotation mechanism 801, and the like are discharged from the gap portion of the slit 705 and the vent hole 881 to the outside. It is prevented from scattering. Along with this, in the case bodies 702 and 802, the atmosphere flows from the gap portion of the slit 705 toward the exhaust port 770, and from the vent port 881 of the case body 802 to the exhaust port 770 via the flow passage 880. The flow of the atmosphere which goes is generated, and the particle | grains which generate | occur | produced from the mechanisms 701, 801 grade | etc., By these atmosphere flows are efficiently conveyed to the filter unit 704, and are collected. That is, a clean atmosphere from which particles are removed by the filter unit 704 is discharged from the exhaust port 770.

  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 installed on the opposite side to the transport robot TR2 across the hot plate and the temporary substrate placement section, that is, on the back side of the apparatus. 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.

  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 the same configuration as the transfer robots TR1 and TR2 described above.

  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> 12 are provided that lower the temperature to a predetermined temperature and maintain the substrate W at the predetermined temperature. In the heat treatment tower 41, cool plates CP10 to CP12 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 and a cool plate CP13 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, 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.

  Further, in the heat treatment tower 42, 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 assembled in close proximity to each other. 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 that is provided adjacent to the development processing block 4 and delivers the substrate W to an exposure apparatus that is an external apparatus separate from the substrate processing apparatus A. 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.

  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. 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 indexer block 1, the bark block 2, the resist coating block 3, the development processing block 4 and the interface block 5 are always supplied with a clean atmosphere as a down flow, and the process is caused by the rising of particles and airflow in each block. To avoid the negative effects of. 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 A of the present embodiment. Each block is assembled to an individual block frame (frame body), and the substrate processing apparatus A is configured by connecting the block frames.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the transport control unit for transporting the substrate is configured separately from the block that is mechanically divided. 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 A 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 A of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an outline of the control mechanism. As shown in the figure, the substrate processing apparatus A 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 A, 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 A 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.

  Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus A of this embodiment will be described. Here, first, a procedure for transporting the substrate W in the substrate processing apparatus A 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 transport robot TR1 transports the received unprocessed substrate W to any of the coating processing units BRC1 to BRC3, and the coating liquid for the antireflection film is spin-coated.

  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 again to any 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.

  In the case of a processing flow in which a resist film is directly formed on the surface of the substrate W without forming an antireflection film, the transport robot TR1 transports the substrate W received from the substrate platform PASS1 to the coating processing units BRC1 to BRC3. Instead, it is conveyed to any one of the adhesion reinforcement processing parts AHL1 to AHL3. Then, 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, cooled, and placed on the substrate platform PASS3.

  Further, in the case of a processing flow in which dehydration processing is performed before forming the antireflection film, the transport robot TR1 first transports the substrate W received from the substrate platform PASS1 to any one of the adhesion reinforcement processing units AHL1 to AHL3. . In this case, the adhesion strengthening processing units AHL1 to AHL3 heat the substrate W without supplying a vapor atmosphere of HMDS (hexamethyldisilazane) (that is, the adhesion strengthening processing units AHL1 to AHL3 are used as dehydrated bake). The transport robot TR1 transports the substrate W heated by the adhesion reinforcement processing units AHL1 to AHL3 to any one of the coating processing units BRC1 to BRC3. As a result, the coating liquid for the antireflection film is spin-coated on the substrate W.

  When the substrate W on which the antireflection film is formed is placed on the substrate platform PASS3, the transfer robot TR2 of the resist coating cell 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 transporting 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. The substrate W that has been subjected to the post-exposure heat treatment is taken out by the transport robot TR4, transported to the cool plate CP13, and cooled. The cooled substrate W is placed on the substrate platform PASS8 by the transport robot TR4.

  When the substrate W is placed on the substrate platform PASS8, the transport robot TR3 of the development processing cell receives the substrate W and transports 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 A of the present embodiment, the filter unit 704 and the fan unit 703 for removing particles generated in the case bodies 702 and 802 are provided on the substrate holding unit 60 that is driven up and down. Therefore, the particles generated from the slide mechanism 701 and the rotation mechanism 801 that drive the holding arm 602 can be reliably collected without depending on the state of the raising / lowering operation of the substrate holding unit 60. For this reason, the raising / lowering speed of the substrate holding unit 60 can be increased to increase the conveyance speed of the substrate W, and the particles can be reliably collected even when the moving distance of the raising / lowering operation of the substrate holding unit 60 is increased. be able to.

  In addition, a flow passage 880 capable of circulating the internal atmosphere is provided between the case bodies 702 and 802 of the slide drive unit 60B and the rotation drive unit 60C, and the case body 702 has an exhaust port 770 and the case body 802 has a vent port. 881 is provided, and the air in the case bodies 702 and 802 is exhausted from the exhaust port 770 by the fan unit 703, and particles are removed by the filter unit 704 provided in the exhaust port 770. For this reason, in both case bodies 702 and 802, the flow of the atmosphere flowing from the gap portion of the slit 705 of the case body 702 and the vent port 881 toward the exhaust port 770 can be formed, and the slide mechanism 701 and the rotation are rotated by the flow of the atmosphere. Particles generated from the mechanism 801 and the like can be reliably conveyed to the filter unit 704 and collected. As a result, the particles in the case bodies 702 and 802 can be reliably collected by the one set of filter unit 704 and fan unit 703.

  Further, by exhausting the atmosphere in the case bodies 702 and 802 from the exhaust port 770 by the fan unit 703, the inside of the case bodies 702 and 802 can be made negative with respect to the outside, and the gap portion of the slit 705 and the ventilation It is possible to reliably prevent particles from leaking from the mouth 881 to the outside of the case bodies 702 and 802.

  In addition, since particles generated in the substrate holding unit 60 are collected by the fan unit 703 and the filter unit 704 provided in the substrate holding unit 60, the burden (the number of installed units) of the downflow forming exhaust unit provided in the substrate processing apparatus A , Output, etc.) can be reduced, and it is not necessary to provide an exhaust path or the like for guiding particles generated in the substrate holding unit 60 to the exhaust unit for forming the downflow, and the apparatus size can be reduced.

  Furthermore, the atmosphere flow path 880 between the case bodies 702 and 802 of the slide drive unit 60B and the rotation drive unit 60C is constituted by an internal cavity of the shaft 874 for rotation drive of the slide drive unit 60B provided in the rotation mechanism 801. Therefore, a relatively wide flow path 880 can be secured while securing confidentiality with the outside, and the atmosphere can be favorably distributed from the case body 802 side to the case body 702 side.

<2. Modification>
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention has been described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the flow path 880 that shares the circulation of the internal atmosphere is provided between the case bodies 701 and 802 in the substrate holding unit 60, and the ventilation holes 881 are provided in the case body 802 so that the particles in the case body 802 However, as shown in FIG. 11, the case body 802 may have a substantially sealed structure. That is, in the modification shown in FIG. 11, the vent 881 of the case body 802 is closed, the flow path 880 using the internal cavity of the shaft 874 is closed by the closing member 890, and the rotation mechanism 801 is inside the case body 802. Is contained in a substantially airtight state. For this reason, it is possible to reliably prevent particles generated from the rotation mechanism 801 from leaking out of the case body 802 and contaminating the inside of the substrate processing apparatus A. Particles generated in the case body 702 are collected by the filter unit 704 as in the above embodiment.

  In the above embodiment, the exhaust port 770, the fan unit 703, and the filter unit 704 are provided on the case body 702 side. However, these configurations are provided on the case body 802 side, and particles generated in the case body 702 are collected. You may make it collect | recover on the 802 side. Even in this case, the flow path 880 is used to distribute the atmosphere flowing in from the gaps of the slits 705 of the case body 702 from the case body 702 side to the case body 802 side through the wide flow path 880. Can do.

It is a top view of the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment. 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 an external appearance perspective view of a conveyance robot. It is a typical top view which shows the vicinity of a conveyance robot. It is a figure which shows an raising / lowering mechanism. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a partially broken configuration of an arm driving unit. It is a figure which shows the structure in a slide drive part and a rotation drive part. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of a control mechanism. It is a figure which shows the modification of the structure shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

2 Bark block 21, 31, 41, 42 Heat treatment tower 13, 25, 35 Partition 3 Resist coating block 4 Development processing block 5 Interface block 60 Substrate holder (holding means)
60B Slide drive unit 60C Rotation drive unit 61 Harness (cable)
62 Harness Support Unit 63 Support Member 65 Elevating Mechanism 600 Arm Drive Unit 602 Holding Arm 640, 641 Connection Member 701 Slide Mechanism 702 Case Body 703 Fan Unit 704 Filter Unit 705 Slit 770 Exhaust Port 801 Rotation Mechanism 802 Case Body 880 Flow Path 881 Ventilation Mouth AHL1, AHL2, AHL3 Adhesion strengthening processing unit BRC Undercoat coating processing unit BRC1, BRC2, BRC3 Coating processing unit HP1-HP11 Hot plate PHP1-PHP12 Heating unit SC Resist coating processing unit SC1, SC2, SC3 Coating processing unit SD Development processing unit SD1, SD2, SD3, SD4, SD5 Development unit ST Columnar structure (supporting means)
TR1, TR2, TR3, TR4 Transport robot (transport device)
W substrate WCP cool plate

Claims (8)

A substrate transfer device for transferring a substrate,
Holding means for holding the substrate;
Support means for supporting the holding means so as to be movable up and down;
Elevating means for elevating and driving the holding means;
With
The holding means is
A transfer arm that directly holds the substrate;
Arm driving means for driving the transfer arm;
A case body that houses the arm driving means;
Particle removing means for removing particles in the case body;
A substrate transfer apparatus comprising: The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1,
The particle removing means
A filter for filtering particles in the atmosphere;
A fan for passing the atmosphere in the kale body through the filter;
A substrate transfer apparatus comprising: The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 2,
The filter is provided in an exhaust port provided in the case body,
The substrate transport device, wherein the fan exhausts the atmosphere in the case body to the outside from the exhaust port while passing through the filter. In the board | substrate conveyance apparatus in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 3,
The substrate transfer apparatus, wherein the arm driving means has a slide mechanism for moving the transfer arm forward and backward. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 4,
The substrate transfer apparatus, wherein the arm driving unit further includes a rotation mechanism for rotating the transfer arm. A substrate transfer device for transferring a substrate,
Holding means for holding the substrate;
Support means for supporting the holding means so as to be movable up and down;
Elevating means for elevating and driving the holding means;
With
The holding means is
A transfer arm that directly holds the substrate;
A slide drive unit for moving the transfer arm back and forth;
A rotation drive unit supported by the support means and configured to rotate the transport arm integrally with the slide drive unit;
Have
The slide drive unit is
A slide mechanism for advancing and retracting the transfer arm;
A first case body that houses the slide mechanism;
Have
The rotational drive unit is
A rotation mechanism for rotating the transfer arm integrally with the slide drive unit;
A second case body that houses the rotation mechanism;
Have
One of the first case body or the second case body is provided with an exhaust port, and the other of the first case body or the second case body is capable of flowing an atmosphere. Is provided,
Between the first case body and the second case body, there is provided a flow passage capable of circulating an internal atmosphere,
One of the slide drive unit or the rotation drive unit includes
A filter that is provided in the exhaust port provided in the first case body or the second case body and filters particles in the atmosphere;
A fan that exhausts the atmosphere from the first case body and the second case body to the outside from the exhaust port while passing through the filter;
A substrate transfer apparatus further comprising: A substrate transfer device for transferring a substrate,
Holding means for holding the substrate;
Support means for supporting the holding means so as to be movable up and down;
Elevating means for elevating and driving the holding means;
With
The holding means is
A transfer arm that directly holds the substrate;
A slide drive unit for moving the transfer arm back and forth;
A rotation drive unit supported by the support means and configured to rotate the transport arm integrally with the slide drive unit;
Have
The slide drive unit is
A slide mechanism for advancing and retracting the transfer arm;
A first case body that houses the slide mechanism therein and is provided with an exhaust port for exhausting the internal atmosphere;
A filter that is provided at the exhaust port of the first case body and filters particles in the atmosphere;
A fan that exhausts the atmosphere in the first case body to the outside from the exhaust port while passing through the filter;
Have
The rotational drive unit is
A rotation mechanism for rotating the transfer arm integrally with the slide drive unit;
A second case body that accommodates the rotating mechanism in a substantially sealed state;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: A substrate processing apparatus,
Processing means for performing predetermined processing on the substrate;
Transport means for transporting the substrate to the processing means;
With
The conveying means is
Holding means for holding the substrate;
Support means for supporting the holding means so as to be movable up and down;
Elevating means for elevating and driving the holding means;
With
The holding means is
A transfer arm that directly holds the substrate;
Arm driving means for driving the transfer arm;
A case body that houses the arm driving means;
Particle removing means for removing particles in the case body;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

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