JPH11330190A - Carrying method and processing system of substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

The wafer is conveyed by conveyor (3) configured with arms (20-22). The wafer is conveyed to processing unit (8) by arm (21). The wafers are classified as odd and even corresponding to predetermined processing procedure and the wafers are taken out by the arm (22). - Processing units (6-11) are provided with shutter (30) which opens or closes the conveyance openings (6a-11a) such that the wafers are piled up at cleaning process unit for processing according to predetermined procedure. An independent claim is also included for substrate processing system.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate transfer method and a processing system for transferring substrates such as LCD substrates and semiconductor wafers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a semiconductor device manufacturing process,
For example, it is extremely important to keep the surface of a substrate of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as “wafer”) clean. Therefore, a cleaning system is used to remove contamination such as particles, organic contaminants, and metal impurities attached to the surface of the wafer. As one of the cleaning processing systems for cleaning a wafer, a cleaning processing system using a single-wafer processing apparatus is known.

In this cleaning processing system, 25 wafers are stored.
Place several carriers that can hold a wafer
And a cleaning unit provided with a processing unit for performing a predetermined cleaning process and a drying process on the wafer. Have been. In such a cleaning system, the transfer of the wafer between the processing units of the take-out storage unit and the cleaning processing unit is performed by stacking the first arm, the second arm, and the third arm holding the wafer in order from the top. This is performed by the transport device arranged.

[0004] In this transfer device, an unwashed wafer is taken out of a carrier placed in a take-out / storage unit by a second arm in the middle stage and a third arm in the lower stage, and the wafer is transferred to each processing unit. On the other hand, when the scheduled processing step is completed, the wafer is unloaded from the processing apparatus that performs the last processing by the first arm at the upper stage where there is no fear of particles falling from above in order to maintain the cleanliness of the wafer. , And performs an operation of storing in the carrier mounted on the unloading storage section. Thus, the first arm, the second arm, and the third arm are selectively used before and after the processing step.

[0005]

As shown in FIG. 18, in the transfer process of the conventional transfer device 100, the first arm 102 unloads the wafer W from the processing device 101 which performs the processing last. However, it is not specified whether the second arm 103 or the third arm 104 is to carry the wafer W into the processing apparatus 101. However, when the wafer after the cleaning process is unloaded from the processing apparatus 101 and the wafer before the cleaning processing is loaded into the processing apparatus 101, the first arm 10 close to the first arm 10 is replaced.
The opening area of the loading / unloading port 105 for the wafer W is widened so that not only the second arm 103 and the second arm 103 but also the isolated first arm 102 and the third arm 104 can be used alternately. As a result, when loading and unloading wafers,
The internal atmosphere and the external atmosphere of the processing apparatus 101 are easily communicated with each other, and the airtightness of the processing apparatus 101 is reduced.

In the processing apparatus 101, the loading / unloading port 105 is connected to the first arm 102 and the second arm 103.
And the third arm 104 has a vertical width enough to cope with the height of three steps. Therefore, the shutter 106 closes the loading / unloading port 105 during the cleaning process and opens the loading / unloading port 105 before and after the cleaning process. The ascent / descent distance becomes longer. Thus, it takes time to move the shutter 106 up and down. Normal,
The structure of the processing apparatus 101 is standardized so that it can be easily mass-produced, and the loading / unloading ports of other processing apparatuses provided in the cleaning processing unit have the same vertical width.
The problem of 01 is that it also has other processing devices provided in the cleaning processing unit. Looking at the entire cleaning processing system, a considerable loss of throughput is required, and improvement is desired.

When the wafer W is loaded and unloaded into the processing apparatus 100, the wafer W is loaded into the processing apparatus 100 by the second arm 103 and the wafer W is unloaded from the processing apparatus 100 by the first arm 102. Compared to the transfer step, the transfer step of loading the wafer W into the processing apparatus 100 by the third arm 104 and unloading the wafer W from the processing apparatus 100 by the first arm 102 is entirely performed in the vertical direction of the transfer apparatus 100. There is a possibility that the moving distance becomes longer and the throughput is reduced.

[0008] Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional processing apparatus, and has as its object
A substrate transfer method and a processing system, wherein a time required for loading and unloading a substrate in a processing apparatus is reduced, and a substrate is loaded and unloaded by a second arm and a first arm with respect to a last processing apparatus in a predetermined procedure. Is to provide.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim 1 provides a method for removing a substrate,
A processing unit provided with an opening / closing mechanism for opening / closing the substrate loading / unloading unit for storing the substrate and a processing unit having a plurality of processing units arranged so as to process the substrate in accordance with a predetermined procedure are stacked in order from the top. In the transfer method for transferring a substrate by the first arm, the second arm, and the third arm arranged in the second step, if the total number of processing apparatuses required for a predetermined procedure is an odd number, the second The substrate is taken out of the take-out / storage section by the arm of the above, the substrate is carried into the odd-numbered processing device by a predetermined procedure by the second arm, and the odd-numbered processing device excluding the last processing device by the predetermined procedure. The substrate is carried out by a third arm from the third arm, the substrate is carried into the even-numbered processing device by a predetermined procedure, and the second arm is carried out by the third arm from a predetermined procedure. By Then, the substrate is unloaded by a predetermined procedure, and the substrate is unloaded from the last processing apparatus by the first arm and switched to the step of storing the substrate in the unloading storage section. In the case of even number,
The third arm takes out the substrate from the take-out / storage unit and sends the substrate to the odd-numbered processing apparatus in a predetermined procedure.
The substrate is carried in by the predetermined arm, the substrate is carried out from the odd-numbered processing device by the second arm in a predetermined procedure, and the substrate is carried into the even-numbered processing device by the second arm in a predetermined procedure. Then, the substrate is unloaded by the third arm from the even-numbered processing device except for the last processing device in a predetermined procedure, and the substrate is unloaded by the first arm from the last processing device in a predetermined procedure. Then, the process is switched to a process of storing the product in the removal storage unit.

According to this method, when the number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is odd in total, the substrate is first taken out of the unloading and storing section by the second arm, and the substrate is transferred to the first processing device. The substrate is loaded. After the predetermined processing is completed in the first processing apparatus, the substrate is carried out of the first processing apparatus by the third arm and is carried in to the second processing apparatus. Then, after the predetermined processing is completed in the second processing apparatus, the substrate is again carried out from the second processing apparatus by the second arm, and thereafter, the odd-numbered processing apparatus and the even-numbered processing apparatus perform the processing. The transport process is repeated as described above. Since the last processing device is necessarily an odd-numbered processing device, the substrate is loaded by the second arm. After the predetermined processing is completed in the last processing apparatus, the substrate is unloaded from the last processing apparatus by the first arm and is stored in the unloading storage unit.

On the other hand, when the number of processing devices required for the predetermined procedure is an even number in total, the substrate is first taken out of the take-out / storage section by the third arm, and the substrate is carried into the first processing device. . After the predetermined processing is completed in the first processing apparatus, the substrate is carried out of the first processing apparatus by the second arm, and is carried in to the second processing apparatus. Then, after the predetermined processing is completed in the second processing device, the substrate is again carried out from the second processing device by the third arm, and thereafter, the odd-numbered processing device and the even-numbered processing device perform the processing. The transport process is repeated as described above.
Since the last processing device is necessarily an even-numbered processing device, the substrate is loaded by the second arm. After the predetermined processing is completed in the last processing apparatus, the substrate is unloaded from the last processing apparatus by the first arm and stored in the unloading and storing section. Thus, regardless of whether the number of processing units required for a given procedure is odd or even,
In the processing apparatus except for the last processing apparatus in the predetermined procedure, the second arm and the third arm are used alternately to load and unload the wafer, and in the predetermined processing procedure, the first processing apparatus performs the first processing apparatus.
The wafer is loaded and unloaded by alternately using the second arm and the second arm. These facts mean that sufficient loading / unloading of the substrate can be performed by setting the loading / unloading port of the substrate to a vertical width that can correspond to the height of two arms. Therefore, for example, an opening / closing mechanism for opening / closing the loading / unloading port can open / close the loading / unloading port more quickly than before, and the time required for loading / unloading the wafer in the processing apparatus can be shortened. In addition, the opening area of the loading / unloading port is reduced, for example, minimizing the diffusion of the internal atmosphere of the processing equipment containing chemical components into the external atmosphere and the intrusion of external particles and the like into the processing equipment. Can be. Further, in the last processing apparatus, the movement distance of two steps of the second arm and the first arm is always sufficient.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a substrate is taken out, and a processing apparatus provided with an unloading and storing section for storing the substrate and an opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the substrate loading / unloading port can process the substrate according to a predetermined procedure. A first arm disposed so as to be overlapped in order from the top with a plurality of processing units disposed in
In the transfer method for transferring a substrate by the second arm, the third arm, and the fourth arm and the fifth arm arranged so as to be sequentially stacked from the top, the number of processing apparatuses required for a predetermined procedure is reduced. In the case of an odd number in total, the fifth arm takes out the substrate from the take-out / storing section, and then transfers the substrate to the second arm, and sends the second arm to the odd-numbered processing device in a predetermined procedure. The substrate is carried in by a predetermined procedure, and the substrate is carried out by a third arm from an odd-numbered processing apparatus except for the last processing apparatus in a predetermined procedure, and is transferred to an even-numbered processing apparatus by a predetermined procedure. The substrate is carried in by a predetermined procedure, the substrate is carried out from the even-numbered processing apparatus by the second arm in a predetermined procedure, and the substrate is carried out by the first arm from the last processing apparatus in a predetermined procedure. The process is transferred to the fourth arm, and the process is switched to the process of storing the substrate in the unloading and storing section by the fourth arm. If the total number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an even number, the fifth process is performed. The substrate is taken out of the unloading and storing section by the arm, and then transferred to the third arm. The substrate is loaded into the odd-numbered processing device by the third arm in a predetermined procedure, and the odd-numbered substrate is processed by the third arm. The substrate is unloaded from the processing apparatus by the second arm, the substrate is loaded into the even-numbered processing apparatus by the second arm in a predetermined procedure, and the even-numbered processing apparatus is removed by the predetermined procedure except for the last processing apparatus. The substrate is carried out of the third processing apparatus by the third arm, the substrate is carried out of the last processing apparatus by the first arm in a predetermined procedure, and then transferred to the fourth arm. Characterized in that the switching to the step of storing the substrate to the takeout housing part by said fourth arm.

According to this method, the unprocessed substrate is taken out of the take-out and storage section by the fifth arm, and the fourth arm is used.
The processed substrate is stored in the unloading storage section by the arm of
The first arm, the second arm, and the third arm carry the substrate in and out of the processing apparatus in a predetermined procedure, so that the throughput is improved as in the case of the first embodiment, and the diffusion of the chemical solution atmosphere, particles, etc. Intrusion can be minimized.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the first arm, the second arm and the third arm, and the fourth arm and the fifth arm are connected to each other. May be transferred via the buffer unit.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the processing apparatus, it is preferable to process a surface of the substrate. The surface of the substrate means one or both of the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing apparatus having a take-out / reception part for taking out a substrate and storing the substrate, and an opening / closing mechanism for opening / closing a substrate loading / unloading port. A plurality of processing units arranged so as to be capable of being arranged, and a first arm arranged so as to be overlapped in order from the top,
In a substrate processing system including a transfer device for transferring a substrate by the second arm and the third arm, if the total number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an odd number,
The second arm takes out the substrate from the take-out / storage unit and sends the substrate to the odd-numbered processing apparatus in a predetermined procedure.
The substrate is carried in by the third arm, the substrate is carried out by the third arm from the odd-numbered processing apparatus except for the last processing apparatus in a predetermined procedure, and the substrate is carried out to the even-numbered processing apparatus by the predetermined procedure. The substrate is carried in by the third arm, the substrate is carried out by the second arm from the even-numbered processing device in a predetermined procedure, and the substrate is carried out by the first arm from the last processing device in the predetermined procedure. When the transfer device is configured to be stored in the unloading storage unit and the number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an even number in total,
The third arm takes out the substrate from the take-out / storage unit and sends the substrate to the odd-numbered processing apparatus in a predetermined procedure.
The substrate is carried in by the predetermined arm, the substrate is carried out from the odd-numbered processing device by the second arm in a predetermined procedure, and the substrate is carried into the even-numbered processing device by the second arm in a predetermined procedure. Then, the substrate is unloaded by the third arm from the even-numbered processing device except for the last processing device in a predetermined procedure, and the substrate is unloaded by the first arm from the last processing device in a predetermined procedure. The transfer device is configured to be stored in the removal storage unit.

According to this configuration, the transfer method according to the first aspect can be suitably implemented. Thus, regardless of whether the number of processing devices required for the predetermined procedure is an odd number or an even number, in the last processing device, the lifting / lowering operation of the transfer device can be performed only by the movement distance of two arms. Therefore, high durability of the transfer device and energy saving of the processing system can be realized.
Further, since the substrate is stored in the take-out storage section by the first arm at the upper stage, dust generated by the arm, for example, does not drop from above the substrate. Therefore, the transfer device can, for example, store the processed substrate in the storage unit while maintaining the cleanliness.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a substrate is taken out, and a processing apparatus having an unloading and storing portion for storing the substrate and an opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the substrate loading / unloading port can process the substrate according to a predetermined procedure. A plurality of processing units, and a first transfer device for transferring a substrate by a first arm, a second arm, and a third arm arranged so as to be sequentially stacked from the top, and a processing unit arranged so as to be sequentially stacked from the top. In a substrate processing system provided with a fourth transfer device and a second transfer device for transferring a substrate by the fifth arm, if the total number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an odd number, The substrate is taken out of the take-out / storage section by the fifth arm, and then transferred to the second arm, and the substrate is loaded into the odd-numbered processing apparatus by the second arm in a predetermined procedure. The substrate is carried out by the third arm from the odd-numbered processing device except for the last processing device in the procedure described above, and the substrate is carried into the even-numbered processing device by the third arm in a predetermined procedure. The substrate is carried out of the even-numbered processing apparatus by the second arm in a predetermined procedure, and the substrate is carried out of the last processing apparatus by the first arm in a predetermined procedure. And the first transfer device and the second transfer device are configured to store the substrate in the unloading storage section by the fourth arm, and the total number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an even number. In the case of a single unit, the substrate is taken out of the take-out / storage unit by the fifth arm and then transferred to the third arm, and the substrate is transferred to the odd-numbered processing apparatus by the third arm in a predetermined procedure. Then, the substrate is carried out from the odd-numbered processing device by the second arm in a predetermined procedure, and the substrate is carried into the even-numbered processing device by the second arm in a predetermined procedure. The substrate is unloaded by the third arm from the even-numbered processing device excluding the last processing device, and the substrate is unloaded by the first arm from the last processing device in a predetermined procedure. The first transfer device and the second transfer device are configured so as to transfer the substrate to a fourth arm and store the substrate in the unloading storage section by the fourth arm.

According to this configuration, the transfer method according to the second aspect can be suitably implemented. Further, high durability of the first transfer device and energy saving of the processing system can be realized. In addition, since the substrate is stored in the removal storage unit by the fourth arm at the upper stage, the second transfer device can store, for example, the processed substrate in the removal storage unit while maintaining the cleanliness.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a buffer unit may be provided for transferring the substrate between the first transfer device and the second transfer device.

In the processing apparatus, it is preferable that the surface of the substrate is processed. The surface of the substrate means one or both of the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate, as in the fourth aspect.

[0022]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described based on a cleaning system provided with a plurality of processing apparatuses for cleaning a wafer as an example of a substrate. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the cleaning processing system 1, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view thereof. The cleaning processing system 1 is configured to carry in the wafer W in units of the carrier C, clean and dry the surface of the wafer W one by one, and carry out the wafer W in units of the carrier C. Here, the front surface of the wafer W means one or both of the upper surface and the lower surface of the wafer W.

In the cleaning processing system 1, a take-out storage unit 2 on which a carrier C for storing a wafer W is placed, and a wafer W before a processing step is taken out from the carrier C mounted on the take-out storage unit 2. And a transfer device 3 for storing the wafers W after the processing step one by one in a carrier C,
Each processing device 6 that performs a predetermined cleaning process and drying process on the
And a cleaning processing unit 4 provided with the cleaning processing unit 11.

The unloading and storing section 2 has a configuration in which two carriers C storing 25 wafers W can be placed. FIG.
Further, as shown in FIG.
And a storage area 13. The extraction area 12
A carrier C containing 25 wafers W before cleaning carried from outside the cleaning system 1 is placed in the storage area 1.
3 is a wafer W cleaned in the cleaning system 1
Is configured to mount a carrier C capable of storing the information.
In the unloading and storing section 2, the operation from loading the wafer W before cleaning into the cleaning processing system 1 in units of carriers C and applying the cleaning to the cleaning processing system 1 is performed.
After the dried wafer W is loaded into the carrier C, it is carried out in units of the carrier C.

In the cleaning system 1, the transfer device 3
After transferring the wafer W taken out of the carrier C in the take-out area 12 between the processing devices 6 to 8 according to a predetermined procedure,
The transfer process until the wafer W is stored in the carrier C in the storage area 13 is performed.

The cleaning unit 4 includes processing units 6, 7, 8
Are arranged side by side so that processing can be performed according to a predetermined procedure. Below these, the processing units 9, 10,
Like the processing devices 6 to 8, 11 are arranged side by side so that processing can be performed according to a predetermined procedure. And
The processing devices 6 to 8 and the processing devices 9 to 11 are configured so that processing can proceed simultaneously. The processing device 6 will be described below.
Unless otherwise specified, the description of the processing devices 9 to 11 also applies to the processing devices 9 to 11, and the processing devices 9 to 11
Is omitted.

The above arrangement and the combination of these processing apparatuses can be arbitrarily combined depending on the type of the cleaning process for the wafer W. For example, one processing device may be reduced, or conversely, another processing device may be added. Further, the cleaning processing system 1 follows a predetermined procedure,
The number of processing devices required to process the wafer W is one, two
It can be changed to three or three. For example, the cleaning process of the wafer W may be performed only by the processing devices 7 and 8, or the cleaning process of the wafer W may be performed by using the processing devices 6 to 8.

Here, the structure of the transfer device 3 will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG.
A first arm 20, a second arm 21, and a third arm 22 are arranged above the base 23 in order from the top. The first arm 20, the second arm 21, and the third arm 22 have a moving mechanism 20a,
21a and 22a are attached, and are configured to be movable along the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the base 23. Also,
The lower surface of the base 23 is supported by a support member 24, and is rotated (θ direction) and vertically (Z direction) by a rotation elevating mechanism (not shown) built in the support member 24.
It is configured to be able to move to. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the support member 24 is attached to the upper surface of a transfer base 26 that moves in the left-right direction (X direction) along the processing devices 6 to 8 by rails 25.

The transfer device 3 includes a first arm 20, a second arm 21, and a third arm 21 for maintaining the cleanliness of the wafer W after the series of processing steps performed by the processing devices 6 to 8.
Arm 22 is properly used. That is, the wafer W is taken out from the carrier C in the take-out area 12, loaded with the wafer W into and out of the processing device 6, loaded with the wafer W into the processing device 7, and loaded with the wafer from the processing device 7. Unloading of the W and loading of the wafer W into the processing apparatus 8 are performed only by the second arm 21 and the third arm 22 until the wafer W unloaded from the processing apparatus 8 is stored in the carrier C in the storage area 12. Is performed by the first arm 20 which does not have a fear of particles falling from above.

Here, a processing device required for a predetermined procedure is as follows.
In the case of the processing devices 6 to 8, the number is three, that is, an odd number. In this case, the transfer device 3 first takes out the wafer W from the carrier C in the take-out area 12 by the second arm 21. The odd-numbered (first and third) processing devices 6 and 8 are given a second
The wafer W is carried in by the third arm 22, and the wafer W is carried out of the processing unit 6 except for the last processing unit 8 by the third arm 22, and is transferred to the even-numbered (second) processing unit 7 in a predetermined procedure. The wafer W is carried in by the third arm 22, and the wafer W is carried out of the processing device 7 by the second arm 21.

On the other hand, if the processing devices required for the predetermined procedure are the processing devices 6 and 8 or the processing devices 7 and 8, the number is 2
Number, so-called even number. In this case, the transport device 3
First, the wafer W is taken out of the carrier C in the take-out area 12 by the third arm 22. Then, the wafer W is loaded into the odd-numbered (first) processing device 6 or 7 by the third arm 22 in a predetermined procedure, and is unloaded by the second arm 21 from the processing device 6 or 7. The second arm 21 carries the wafer W into the even-numbered (second) processing device 8 in a predetermined procedure. Then, irrespective of the number of processing devices required for the predetermined procedure, the transfer device 3 carries in / out the wafers W to / from the processing devices 6 to 8, and transfers the wafers W in the processing devices 6 to 8 to / from the processing devices 6 to 8. The predetermined cleaning process has been completed, and the one that has not been subjected to the predetermined cleaning process is appropriately replaced.

The configuration of each of the processing units 6 to 8 provided in the cleaning unit 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the processing devices 6 to 8, and FIG. 5 is a side view thereof. Processing device 6-
8 has loading / unloading ports 6a to 8a on the front side. As described above, the vertical width of the loading / unloading ports 6a to 8a is set so that the wafer W can be loaded / unloaded by different arms.
It has the height of a step. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the vertical width of the loading / unloading port 6a is such that at least the second arm 21 and the third
Even if the two arms of the arm 22 are extended, the processing device 6
It has the minimum necessary vertical width that can penetrate inside.
This makes it difficult for the internal atmosphere of the processing apparatus 6 to communicate with the external atmosphere even when the wafer W is loaded and unloaded.

As shown in FIG. 4, shutters 30 which can be moved up and down by a drive mechanism (not shown) are provided below each of the loading / unloading ports 6a to 8a. In this case, since the shutter 30 moves up and down only by the moving distance of two steps of the arm, no load is applied to the drive mechanism, and the up / down time can be shortened.

The shutter 30 shown by a solid line in FIG.
Are driven by driving means (not shown) to carry-in / out ports 6a to 8a.
Shows a state in which it has been moved downward until it can be released. When the shutter 30 is lowered in this manner, the transport device 3 is in a state where the wafer W can be loaded into the processing devices 6 to 11 and unloaded from the processing devices 6 to 11. Also, a shutter 30 'indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG.
Are driven by driving means (not shown) to carry-in / out ports 6a to 8a.
It shows a state in which it has moved upward until it closes. When the shutter 30 is raised in this way, if the wafer W is stored in the apparatus, the inside of the processing apparatuses 6 to 8 can be sealed and the wafer W can be cleaned. The other processing units 9 to 11 and the processing units 6 to 8 also have the same configuration.
a can be opened and closed freely.

Next, the operation performed in the cleaning system 1 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. First, in a series of processing steps in the above-described cleaning processing system 1, as shown in FIG. 1, a transfer robot (not shown) removes a carrier C containing, for example, 25 wafers W that have not been cleaned yet.
And placed in the unloading and storing section 2. Then, the wafer W is taken out from the carrier C placed in the take-out / storage section 2, the wafer W is transferred to the cleaning processing section 4 by the transfer device 3, and the processing step according to a predetermined procedure is performed on the wafer W. Done.

Here, the transport process in the processing devices 6 to 8 will be described as a representative. When all of the processing units 6 to 8 are used in the processing step, that is, the processing units 6 necessary for a predetermined procedure are used.
The case where the total number of .about.8 is an odd number will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 11. The second arm 21 takes out the wafer from the take-out storage section 2. As shown in FIG.
The wafer 30 is loaded into the processing device 6 by moving the shutter 30 of the first processing device 6 in advance to open the loading / unloading port 6a. After the second arm 21 is withdrawn from the processing apparatus 6, the shutter 30 of the processing apparatus 6 is moved up to close the loading / unloading port 6a, and the wafer stored in the processing apparatus 6 is subjected to a predetermined cleaning and drying process. Is applied. Meanwhile, take-out storage unit 2
Then, the next new wafer is taken out by the second arm 21 in advance. Then, predetermined cleaning by the processing device 6 is performed.
After the drying process is completed, the shutter 30 of the processing device 6 is moved downward to open the carry-in / out port 6a. As shown in FIG. 7, the third arm 22 is caused to enter the inside of the processing apparatus 6, and the third arm 22 unloads the wafer from the processing apparatus 6. Then, a new wafer to be subsequently cleaned and dried by the processing device 6 is transferred to the processing device 6 by the second arm 21.
Carry in.

Then, the shutter 3 of the second processing unit 7
0 is moved downward to open the carry-in / out port 7a. As shown in FIG. 8, the third arm 22 is made to enter the inside of the processing device 7, and a wafer is carried into the processing device 7. Third arm 22
After leaving the processing apparatus 7, the shutter 30 of the processing apparatus 7 is moved up to close the loading / unloading port 7a, and the wafer stored in the processing apparatus 7 is subjected to predetermined cleaning and drying processing. After a predetermined washing and drying process is completed in the processing device 7, the shutter 30 of the processing device 7 is moved down to open the loading / unloading port 7a. As shown in FIG. 9, the second arm 21 is caused to enter the inside of the processing device 7, and the wafer is unloaded from the processing device 7. Further, the processing device 7 is carried out of the processing device 6 and
If the third arm 22 already holds a new wafer to be subsequently cleaned and dried, the wafer W is carried into the processing apparatus 7.

Then, the shutter 30 of the last processing unit 8
Is moved downward to open the loading / unloading port 8a. As shown in FIG. 10, the processing device 8 is necessarily an odd-numbered (third)
And the wafer is carried in by the second arm 21. After the second arm 21 is withdrawn from the inside of the processing apparatus 8, the shutter 30 of the processing apparatus 8 is moved up to close the loading / unloading port 8a, and the wafer stored in the processing apparatus 8 is subjected to predetermined cleaning and drying. Perform processing. After the predetermined cleaning and drying processes are completed in the processing device 8, the processing device 8
The shutter 30 is moved downward to open the carry-in / out port 8a. As shown in FIG. 11, the wafer is finally unloaded from the processing device 8 by the first arm 20. If the second arm 21 already holds a new wafer carried out of the processing device 7 and subsequently cleaned and dried by the processing device 8, the new wafer is carried into the processing device 8. Then, the wafer, for which the processing step in the cleaning processing unit 4 has been completed, is carried into the carrier C of the unloading and storing unit 2 by the first arm 21.

On the other hand, a case where only the processing devices 7 and 8 are used in the processing step, that is, a case where the number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an even number in total, will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the wafer is taken out of the take-out storage section 2 by the third arm 22. As shown in FIG. 12, the shutter 30 of the first processing apparatus 7 is moved down in advance to open the loading / unloading port 7a, and the wafer is loaded into the processing apparatus 7. After the third arm 22 is withdrawn from the inside of the processing apparatus 7, the shutter 30 of the processing apparatus 7 is moved up to close the loading / unloading port 7a, and the wafer stored in the processing apparatus 7 is subjected to predetermined cleaning and drying. Perform processing. Meanwhile, take-out storage unit 2
Then, the next new wafer is previously taken out by the third arm 22. After a predetermined washing and drying process is completed in the processing device 7, the shutter 30 of the processing device 7 is moved down to open the loading / unloading port 7a. As shown in FIG.
The second arm 21 is caused to enter the inside of the processing device 7, and the wafer is unloaded from the processing device 7 by the second arm 21.
Then, a new wafer to be subsequently cleaned and dried by the processing device 7 is carried into the processing device 7 by the third arm 22.

Then, the shutter 30 of the last processing unit 8
Is moved downward to open the loading / unloading port 8a. As shown in FIG. 14, the processing device 8 is necessarily an even-numbered (second)
And the wafer is carried in by the second arm 21. After the second arm 21 is withdrawn from the inside of the processing apparatus 8, the shutter 30 of the processing apparatus 8 is moved up to close the loading / unloading port 8a, and the wafer stored in the processing apparatus 8 is subjected to predetermined cleaning and drying. Perform processing. After the predetermined cleaning and drying processes are completed in the processing device 8, the processing device 8
The shutter 30 is moved downward to open the carry-in / out port 8a. As shown in FIG. 15, the wafer is finally unloaded from the processing device 8 by the first arm 20. If the second arm 21 already holds a new wafer carried out of the processing device 7 and subsequently cleaned and dried by the processing device 8, the new wafer is carried into the processing device 8. Then, the wafer that has been subjected to the cleaning processing by the cleaning processing unit 4 is carried into the carrier C of the unloading and storing unit 2 by the first arm 21.

Thus, regardless of whether the number of processing units required for a predetermined procedure is odd or even, the processing units 6 and 7
Wafers are loaded and unloaded using the second arm 21 and the third arm 22 alternately.
The wafers are loaded and unloaded by alternately using the second arm 20 and the second arm 21. These facts indicate that if the loading / unloading ports 6a to 8a of the wafer W are set to have a vertical width which can correspond to the height of two steps of the arm, sufficient loading / unloading of the wafer W can be performed. Therefore, the moving distance of the shutter 30 is shortened, and the shutter 30 can open and close these loading / unloading ports 6a to 8a more quickly than in the related art.
Further, the opening areas of the loading / unloading ports 6a to 8a are reduced, and even when loading / unloading the wafer W, the internal atmosphere of the processing apparatus 6 to 8 containing the chemical solution component is diffused into the external atmosphere, and external particles and the like are removed. It is possible to minimize intrusion into the inside of the processing device. Therefore, the cleaning process can be performed stably. Further, when carrying in / out the wafer W, in any of the processing devices 6 to 8, the lifting / lowering operation of the transfer device 3 can be performed by the moving distance of two arms. As a result, no burden is placed on the transport device 3 and the cleaning processing system 1.

After the processing steps are performed in accordance with a predetermined procedure, the wafer is unloaded from the cleaning section 4 by the transfer device 3 and the wafer is stored again in the carrier C. Then, the remaining 2
Similar processing is performed on each of the four wafers one by one. Thus, when the processing of 25 wafers is completed,
The carrier C is carried out of the cleaning system 1 in units.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, if the loading / unloading ports 6a to 8a of the wafer W are set to have a vertical width which can correspond to the height of two arms provided in the transfer device 3, a sufficient wafer can be provided. Can be loaded and unloaded. Therefore, the shutter 30
The opening and closing of the loading / unloading ports 6a to 8a can be promptly opened and closed, and the time required for loading and unloading the wafer W in the processing apparatuses 6 to 8 can be shortened as compared with the related art. As a result, the throughput of the cleaning system 1 can be improved. Further, the opening areas of the loading / unloading ports 6a to 8a are reduced, so that even when the wafer W is loaded / unloaded, diffusion of the chemical solution atmosphere and intrusion of particles and the like can be minimized. Therefore, the cleaning process can be performed stably. In addition, in the last processing device 8, the lifting and lowering operation of the transfer device 3 requires only the moving distance of two steps of the arm. Therefore,
High durability of the transfer device 3 and energy saving of the cleaning system 1 can be realized. In addition, the upper first arm 20
As a result, the wafer W after cleaning is stored in the removal storage section 2, so that dust generated by the arm, for example, does not fall on the wafer W from above. Therefore, the transfer device 3 can store, for example, the washed wafer W in the unloading storage unit 2 while maintaining the cleanliness.

Next, a cleaning system 40 according to another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The cleaning system 40 includes a cassette section 41 and a second
, A first transfer device 43, a cleaning unit 44, and a buffer unit 45. Cassette unit 4
1 has a configuration in which a carrier C for accommodating a wafer W can be placed.

As shown in FIG. 17, the second transfer device 42
Has a fourth arm 46 and a fifth arm 47 for holding the wafer W, which are arranged above a base 48 so as to overlap each other. The fourth arm 46 and the fifth arm 47 are provided with a moving mechanism 46.
The base 48 can be moved in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the base 48 by a and 47a.
The rotating member (not shown) incorporated in the device can rotate (θ) and move in the vertical direction (Z direction), and the support member 49 can move in the left and right direction (X direction in FIG. 16). Have been. Then, the second transfer device 42
The wafer W before cleaning is taken out of the carrier C by the fifth arm 47 and the cleaned wafer W is stored in the carrier C by the fourth arm 46. In particular, in the fourth arm 46 in the upper stage, there is no risk of particles falling from above, so that the wafer W
Can be stored in the carrier C.

The cleaning unit 44 includes processing units 50 and 5
1, 52, 53, 54 and 55 are arranged. The processing devices 50 and 53 are the processing devices 51 and 54, and the processing device 5 is the
2 and 55 are respectively arranged in upper and lower tiers,
Reference numerals 0 and 53 denote the processing device 6, the processing devices 51 and 54 the processing device 7, and the processing devices 52 and 55 the processing device 8
Is substantially the same as

The first transfer device 43 is provided in a transfer area 56 of the cleaning section 44. First transfer device 4
In No. 3, a first arm 57, a second arm 58, and a third arm 59 are arranged so as to overlap each other above a base (not shown). Then, the first arm 57, the second arm 58, the third arm
A reciprocating drive mechanism (not shown) for moving the arm 59 forward or backward, a Z-axis drive mechanism (not shown) for raising the base, and a θ rotation mechanism (not shown) for rotating the base about the Z-axis. Zu).

The processing units 50 to 55 and the buffer unit 45 are arranged so as to surround the first transfer unit 43. The buffer unit 45 includes a transfer area 46 and a transfer area 5.
6 and the second buffer section 45
Between the transfer device 42 and the first transfer device 43
Is passed. Therefore, the first transfer device 43 takes out the unwashed wafer W from the buffer unit 45, stores the washed wafer W in the buffer unit 45, and follows the buffer unit 45 according to a predetermined procedure in the same manner as the transfer device 3. The wafer W is transported between the cleaning processing unit 45 and the cleaning processing unit 44. According to this configuration, similarly to the above-described cleaning processing system 1, it is possible to improve the throughput and minimize the diffusion of the chemical solution atmosphere and the invasion of particles and the like.

Note that, without going through the buffer unit 45,
The wafer W is directly transferred between the second transfer device 42 and the first transfer device 43, and the cassette unit 41 and the cleaning unit are used by using the second transfer device 42 and the first transfer device 43. The wafer W may be transported between the wafer W and the wafer 44. With this configuration, the delivery time of the wafer W is reduced, and the throughput is further improved.

Although a plurality of examples of the embodiment of the present invention have been described, the present invention is not limited to these examples and can take various forms. For example, even if the number of processing units required for a predetermined procedure is increased to five or seven, the odd-numbered processing units except for the last processing unit and the even-numbered processing units are used for the odd-numbered processing units. The transporting step may be repeated as in the case. Also, the number of processing units required for a given procedure is four.
Even if the number is increased to six, even if the odd-numbered processing device and the even-numbered processing device excluding the last processing device are used, the transfer process may be repeated as in the case of the even-numbered processing device.

[0051]

As described above, according to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, if the loading / unloading port of the substrate is made to have a vertical width which can correspond to the height of two steps of the arm, a sufficient loading / unloading of the substrate can be performed.
Therefore, for example, an opening / closing mechanism for opening / closing the loading / unloading port of the processing apparatus can open / close the loading / unloading port more quickly than before, and the time required for loading / unloading the wafer in the processing apparatus can be reduced. it can. As a result, in a processing system or the like using this transport method, the throughput can be improved. In addition, the opening area of the loading / unloading port is reduced, so that the diffusion of the chemical liquid atmosphere and the intrusion of particles and the like can be minimized even when loading / unloading the substrate. Therefore, the processing can be performed stably.

According to the fifth and eighth aspects of the present invention,
According to the transfer method described in the fourth aspect, the transfer method described in the second, third, and fourth aspects can be suitably implemented. Thus, regardless of whether the number of processing devices required for the predetermined procedure is an odd number or an even number, in the last processing device, the lifting / lowering operation of the transfer device can be performed only by the movement distance of two arms. Therefore, high durability of the transfer device and energy saving of the processing system can be realized.

In particular, in the transfer device according to the fifth aspect, the upper first
7. The substrate is stored in the take-out storage section by the arm.
In the second transfer device, since the processed substrate is stored in the removal storage portion by the upper fourth arm, for example, the processed substrate can be stored in the removal storage portion while maintaining the cleanliness. Further, when loading and unloading a substrate to and from the processing apparatus, the lifting and lowering operations of the transfer device of claim 5 and the first transfer device of claim 6 require only a movement distance of two steps of the arm, so that throughput is reduced. Can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cleaning system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cleaning processing system according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a transport device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a group of processing apparatuses.

FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating a state in which a transport device faces a processing device.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a wafer transfer process using a transfer device when the number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an odd number.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a wafer transfer process using a transfer device when the number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an odd number.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a wafer transfer process using a transfer device when the number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an odd number.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a wafer transfer process using a transfer device when the number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an odd number.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a wafer transfer process using a transfer device when the number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an odd number.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a wafer transfer process using a transfer device when the number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an odd number.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a wafer transfer process using a transfer device when the number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an even number.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a wafer transfer process using a transfer device when the number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an even number.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a wafer transfer process using a transfer device when the number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an even number.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a wafer transfer process using a transfer device when the number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an even number.

FIG. 16 is a plan view of a cleaning processing system according to another embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a side view of the second transfer device.

FIG. 18 is a side view illustrating a state in which a transfer device faces a conventional processing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cleaning processing system 2 Take-out storage part 3 Conveying device 4 Cleaning processing part 6,7,8,9,10,11 Processing apparatus 6a, 7a, 8a, 9a, 10a, 11a Loading / unloading port 20 1st arm 21 2nd Arm 22 Third arm 30 Shutter

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A processing apparatus in which a plurality of processing apparatuses each having an unloading and storing unit for unloading a substrate and storing a substrate and an opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing a loading / unloading port of the substrate are arranged so that the substrate can be processed according to a predetermined procedure. A first arm, a second arm, and a third arm, which are arranged so as to be overlapped in order from the top with respect to the substrate, to transfer the substrate,
If the number of processing devices required for the predetermined procedure is an odd number in total, the substrate is taken out of the take-out / storage section by the second arm, and the second processing device sends the substrate to the odd-numbered processing device in the predetermined procedure. The substrate is carried in by the arm, the substrate is carried out by the third arm from the odd-numbered processing device except for the last processing device in a predetermined procedure, and the third substrate is transferred to the even-numbered processing device in the predetermined procedure. The substrate is loaded by the arm,
The substrate is unloaded by the second arm from the even-numbered processing device in a predetermined procedure, and the substrate is unloaded by the first arm from the last processing device in the predetermined procedure and stored in the unloading storage unit. If the number of processing devices required for the predetermined procedure is an even number in total, the substrate is taken out of the take-out / storage section by the third arm, and the substrate is transferred to the odd-numbered processing device in the predetermined procedure. The substrate is carried in by the third arm, the substrate is carried out by the second arm from the odd-numbered processing device in a predetermined procedure, and the substrate is carried out by the second arm in the predetermined procedure to the even-numbered processing device. The substrate is carried in, and the substrate is carried out by the third arm from the even-numbered processing apparatus except for the last processing apparatus in a predetermined procedure, and is transferred from the last processing apparatus to the first arm in a predetermined procedure. Yo The substrate is carried out, and wherein the switching to the step of storing said takeout housing part, the transport method of the substrate. 2. A processing apparatus, comprising: a plurality of processing devices having a take-out / reception part for taking out a substrate and storing the substrate and an opening / closing mechanism for opening / closing a substrate loading / unloading mechanism so that the substrate can be processed according to a predetermined procedure. A first arm, a second arm, and a third arm, which are arranged so as to be sequentially stacked from the top, and a fourth arm which is arranged so as to be sequentially stacked from the top.
In the transfer method for transferring a substrate by the fifth arm and the fifth arm, if the total number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an odd number in total, the fifth arm transfers the substrate from the unloading and storing section. The odd-numbered processing device is taken out and then transferred to the second arm, and the substrate is loaded into the odd-numbered processing device by the second arm in a predetermined procedure, and the last processing device is removed in a predetermined procedure. From the third arm, the substrate is carried into the even-numbered processing apparatus by the third arm in a predetermined procedure,
The substrate is carried out of the even-numbered processing apparatus by the second arm in a predetermined procedure, and the substrate is carried out of the last processing apparatus by the first arm in a predetermined procedure. To the step of storing the substrate in the unloading storage section by the fourth arm,
When the number of processing devices required for the predetermined procedure is an even number in total, the substrate is taken out of the take-out storage unit by the fifth arm, and then transferred to the third arm.
The substrate is carried into the odd-numbered processing apparatus by the third arm in a predetermined procedure, the substrate is carried out from the odd-numbered processing apparatus by the second arm in a predetermined procedure, and the even-numbered substrate is carried out by a predetermined procedure. The substrate is carried in by the second arm by the second arm, and the substrate is carried out by the third arm from the even-numbered processing device except for the last processing device in a predetermined procedure, and the substrate is finally carried out by a predetermined procedure. The substrate is unloaded from the processing apparatus by the first arm, and then the
Transferring the substrate to a step of storing the substrate in the unloading storage section by the fourth arm. 3. The first arm, the second arm, and the third arm.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the transfer of the substrate between the first arm and the fourth arm and the fifth arm is performed via a buffer unit. 4. The method of transferring a substrate according to claim 1, wherein the processing device processes the surface of the substrate. 5. A processing apparatus in which a plurality of processing apparatuses each having an unloading storage section for unloading a substrate and storing the substrate and an opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the loading / unloading port of the substrate are arranged so that the substrate can be processed according to a predetermined procedure. Processing required for a predetermined procedure in a substrate processing system including a unit and a transfer device configured to transfer a substrate by a first arm, a second arm, and a third arm arranged so as to be sequentially stacked from the top. When the number of apparatuses is an odd number in total, the substrate is taken out of the take-out / storage section by the second arm, and the substrate is carried into the odd-numbered processing apparatus by the second arm in a predetermined procedure. The substrate is unloaded by the third arm from the odd-numbered processing device except for the last processing device in a predetermined procedure, and the substrate is transferred by the third arm to the even-numbered processing device in a predetermined procedure. The substrate is carried in, and the substrate is carried out from the even-numbered processing device by the second arm in a predetermined procedure.
The transfer device is configured to carry out the substrate from the last processing device by the first arm in a predetermined procedure and store the substrate in the unloading storage unit. In the case of an even number, the substrate is taken out of the take-out / storage section by the third arm, the substrate is carried into the odd-numbered processing device by a predetermined procedure by the third arm, and the odd-numbered substrate is carried out by the predetermined procedure. The substrate is unloaded from the processing apparatus by the second arm, the substrate is loaded into the even-numbered processing apparatus by the second arm in a predetermined procedure, and the even-numbered processing apparatus is removed by the predetermined procedure except for the last processing apparatus. The substrate is carried out of the third processing apparatus by the third arm,
A substrate processing system, wherein the transfer device is configured to carry out a substrate from a last processing device by a first arm by a predetermined procedure and store the substrate in the removal storage portion. 6. A processing apparatus in which a plurality of processing apparatuses provided with an unloading storage section for unloading a substrate and storing a substrate and an opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing a loading / unloading port of the substrate are arranged so that the substrate can be processed according to a predetermined procedure. , A first transfer device for transferring a substrate by a first arm, a second arm, and a third arm arranged so as to be stacked in order from the top, and a fourth transfer device arranged so as to be stacked in order from the top. In a substrate processing system including an arm and a second transfer device for transferring a substrate by a fifth arm, if the total number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an odd number, the fifth The substrate is taken out of the unloading and storing section by the arm, and then transferred to the second arm. The substrate is carried into the odd-numbered processing device by the second arm in a predetermined procedure, and the last processing is performed in the predetermined procedure. The substrate is unloaded by the third arm from the odd-numbered processing device excluding the processing device, the substrate is loaded by the third arm into the even-numbered processing device in a predetermined procedure, and the even-numbered processing is performed in a predetermined procedure. The substrate is unloaded from the second processing device by the second arm, the substrate is unloaded from the last processing device by the first arm in a predetermined procedure, and then transferred to the fourth arm. The first transfer device and the second transfer device are configured so that the substrate is stored in the unloading storage unit by the arm of No. 4 and when the total number of processing devices required for a predetermined procedure is an even number, The fifth arm takes out the substrate from the take-out / storage section, and then transfers the substrate to the third arm, and carries the substrate into the odd-numbered processing device by the third arm in a predetermined procedure. procedure From odd-numbered processor unloads the substrate by the second arm,
The substrate is carried into the even-numbered processing apparatus by the second arm in a predetermined procedure, and the substrate is carried out by the third arm from the even-numbered processing apparatus excluding the last processing apparatus in the predetermined procedure. The substrate is unloaded from the last processing apparatus by the first arm in a predetermined procedure, and then transferred to the fourth arm, and the substrate is stored in the unloading storage unit by the fourth arm. A substrate processing system comprising a first transfer device and a second transfer device. 7. The substrate processing system according to claim 6, further comprising a buffer unit for transferring the substrate between the first transfer device and the second transfer device. 8. The substrate processing system according to claim 4, wherein the processing device processes the surface of the substrate.