Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.

Screen Holdings Co., Ltd.

Ichiro Mitsuyoshi

Jun Shibukawa

Shinji Kiyokawa

Tomohiro Kurebayashi

Ryo Muramoto

Toshio Hiroe

Koji Hasegawa

Tomoyasu Furuta

Hideki Shibata

Yoshihiro Nishina

A substrate processing apparatus has an indexer block and a processing block. One side of the processing block has a vertical stack of a plurality of top surface cleaning units and the other side of the processing block has a vertical stack of a plurality of back surface cleaning units. Reversing units for reversing the substrate W are provided one above the other between the indexer block and the processing block. For example, one reversing unit is used for reversing the substrate before a back surface cleaning processing by the back surface cleaning unit or for other purposes, and the other reversing unit is used for placing the substrate W after a top surface cleaning processing by the top surface cleaning unit or for other purposes.

Substrate processing method

A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate processing section that processes a plurality of substrates assuming a vertical posture in a batch manner; a first traversing mechanism that laterally moves a first traverse holding portion along a first traversing path between a substrate transfer position and a substrate delivery position; a second traversing mechanism that laterally moves a second traverse holding portion along a second traversing path disposed below the first traversing path between the substrate transfer position and the substrate delivery position; an elevation mechanism that raises and lowers an elevation holding portion in the substrate transfer position; and a main transfer mechanism that conveys a plurality of substrates assuming a vertical posture in a batch manner between the substrate delivery position and the substrate processing section, the first and second traverse holding portions, and the elevation holding portion each holds a plurality of substrates assuming a vertical posture in a batch manner.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate conveying apparatus for use in the same

A substrate treating apparatus includes a pod storage unitbetween a substrate treating unitand a pod storage and transport unit, with a transport robottransporting FOUPsbetween a load portand a rack array. A transport robottransports the FOUPsbetween the rack array, a rack arrayand a receiver. The transportation between the load portand rack arrayand the transportation between the rack array, rack arrayand receivercan be carried out substantially in parallel. As a result, the efficiency of transporting the FOUPscan be improved to improve throughput. Moreover, an increase in apparatus size can be inhibited since only the pod storage unitis disposed between the pod storage and transport unitand substrate treating unit. The capacity for storing the FOUPscan be increased to make effective use of the high throughput of the apparatus.

Substrate treating apparatus

A substrate processing apparatus is composed of an indexer block, a first processing block and a second processing block that are provided in parallel with one another. The indexer block is provided with an indexer robot. The first processing block is provided with a plurality of back surface cleaning units and a first main robot. The second processing block is provided with a plurality of end surface cleaning units, a plurality of top surface cleaning units and a second main robot.

Substrate processing apparatus

In a processing block, a plurality of back surface cleaning units and a main robot are provided. The main robot is provided between the back surface cleaning units provided on one side of the processing block and the back surface cleaning units provided on the other side of the processing block. A reversing unit used to reverse a substrate and a substrate platform used to transfer and receive substrates between an indexer robot and the main robot are provided adjacent to each other in the vertical direction between the indexer robot and the processing block. The main robot transports substrates among the plurality of back surface cleaning units, the substrate platform, and the reversing unit.

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a plurality of substrate processing sections arranged alongside a transport passage; a standby mechanism which retains a substrate in standby, the standby mechanism being movable along the transport passage; a transport mechanism which transports the substrate between the standby mechanism and each of the substrate processing sections, the transport mechanism being movable along the transport passage; a first movement mechanism which moves the transport mechanism along the transport passage; and a second movement mechanism which moves the standby mechanism along the transport passage.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate transport method

In a substrate processing apparatus consisting of an indexer block and a processing block, a substrate is transported between the indexer block and the processing block by an indexer robot. The indexer robot includes two hands that are provided one above the other on a rotating stage. The other hand moves in a vertical direction to one hand. A difference in height between the one hand and the other hand can be adjusted so as to be equal to spacing between substrate storing grooves of a carrier where the substrate that is to be carried into the indexer block is stored. In addition, the difference in height between the one hand and the other hand can be adjusted so as to be equal to spacing between support plates of a substrate platform provided between the indexer block and the processing block.

Substrate transporting apparatus, substrate platform shelf and substrate processing apparatus

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a brush for cleaning a substrate; a seesaw member which is swingable with a support member serving as a fulcrum and which has a force point section at one side with respect to the fulcrum and an actuating point section at the other side with respect to the fulcrum; a pushing actuator arranged to give a driving force to the force point section of the seesaw member, thereby to swing the seesaw member around the fulcrum, thus giving, to the seesaw member, a pushing force for pushing the brush to the substrate; and a transmission member which has an affected point section for receiving, from the actuating point section of the seesaw member, a driving force given to the force point section, and which transmits, to the brush, a pushing force for pushing the same to the substrate.

A reversing unit includes a fixed plate, a first movable plate provided so as to face one surface of the fixed plate, a second movable plate provided so as to face the other surface of the fixed plate and a rotary actuator. The rotary actuator rotates the first movable plate, the second movable plate and the fixed plate around a horizontal axis. A distance between the first movable plate and the fixed plate and a distance between the second movable plate and the fixed plate are set to be substantially equal to a difference in height between two hands of a main robot that carry a substrate in and out.

When FOUPs (front opening unified pods) () are mounted on shelves (), respectively, shelves () are moved in the vertical direction by cylinders (), respectively. The FOUP () is thereby moved above the FOUP () to create a space (), for ensuring a transport path (AR) for the FOUP (). The FOUPcan therefore be transported to a shelf () without moving the FOUP () to another shelf, achieving improved throughput of substrate processing.

A substrate treating apparatus for treating substrates includes a treating tank for receiving and treating the substrates, a holding device movable, while holding the substrates in a cantilever mode, between a treating position in the treating tank and a transfer position above the treating tank, a transport device for supporting the substrates and transferring the substrates to and from the holding device in the transfer position, a detecting device for detecting a posture variation of the holding device, and a correcting device for correcting a position of the holding device or the transport device. The correcting device performs a correction according to the posture variation of the holding device detected by the detecting device in time of transfer of the substrates between the holding device and the transport device.

A loader includes a receiving section for receiving a FOUP (front opening unified pod), an opener for transporting substrates out of the FOUP, and a transport robot for transporting the FOUP between the receiving section and the opener. When the opener transports the substrates out of the FOUP, the FOUP is placed on a holding table. The holding table is formed with a notch permitting a transport arm of the transport robot to pass through vertically. Thus, the downward passage of the transport arm with the FOUP held thereon through the notch allows the direct transfer of the FOUP from the transport arm to the holding table. This reduces the time required for the FOUP transfer operation, to provide a high throughput, thereby providing a substrate transfer apparatus capable of achieving a high throughput.

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Kyoto, Japan

Ichiro Mitsuyoshi