SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD, PROGRAM AND COMPUTER STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20120329000A1
• Filed: 03/02/2011
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Hirakawa, Osamu
• Application Number:
  US13/583,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20120329000A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 432/5
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6719 characterized by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68742 characterised by a lifting arrangement, e.g. lift pins

Abstract

The present invention includes: an upper container and a lower container relatively movable and uniting together into one body to form a processing space; a substrate holding part provided inside the lower container and mounting and holding the substrate thereon; and a delivery arm including a support member extending vertically downward from a lower surface of the upper container, and a delivery member supported by the support member and holding an outer peripheral portion of the substrate and delivering the substrate to/from the substrate holding part, wherein the delivery arm is movable together with the upper container in the vertical direction relative to the lower container, and a cutout groove capable of housing the delivery member is formed at a position corresponding to the delivery member at the outer peripheral portion of the substrate holding part.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:

an upper container;

a lower container provided below said upper container to face said upper container, movable in a vertical direction relative to said upper container, and uniting with said upper container into one body to form a processing space for the substrate therein;

a substrate holding part provided inside said lower container and mounting and holding the substrate thereon; and

a delivery arm including a support member extending vertically downward from a lower surface of said upper container, and a delivery member supported by said support member and holding an outer peripheral portion of the substrate and delivering the substrate to/from said substrate holding part,

wherein said delivery arm is movable together with said upper container in the vertical direction relative to said lower container, and

wherein a cutout groove capable of housing said delivery member is formed at a position corresponding to said delivery member at the outer peripheral portion of said substrate holding part.

2. The substrate processing apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said upper container is movable in the vertical direction, and said lower container is fixed and not moved.

3. The substrate processing apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said delivery member includes:

a mounting part mounting a lower surface of the outer peripheral portion of the substrate thereon;

a guide part extending upward from said mounting part and guiding a side surface of the outer peripheral portion of the substrate; and

a tapered part extending upward from said guide part and having an inner surface enlarged in a tapered shape from a lower side to an upper side.

4. The substrate processing apparatus as set forth in claim 3,

wherein at least a part of said guide part projects from said cutout groove in a state that said delivery member is housed in said cutout groove.

5. The substrate processing apparatus as set forth in claim 3,

wherein said delivery member has a cylindrical shape,

wherein said mounting part, said guide part, and said tapered part are formed by cutting an upper portion of said delivery member,

wherein said cutout groove is formed between upper and lower surfaces of said substrate holding part, and

wherein a through hole for allowing said delivery member to pass through is formed at a position corresponding to said delivery member in an upper surface of said substrate holding part.

6. The substrate processing apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said support member includes:

a support post extending vertically downward from a lower surface of said upper container; and

a support beam extending in a horizontal direction along the outer peripheral portion of said substrate holding part from a lower end of said support post, and

wherein a plurality of said delivery members are provided on said support beam.

7. The substrate processing apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said delivery arm delivers the substrate to/from a transfer arm outside said substrate processing apparatus,

wherein said transfer arm includes an arm part holding the substrate and extending in a diameter larger than a diameter of the substrate along the outer peripheral portion of the substrate,

wherein a coupling member extending in the horizontal direction is provided between said support member and said delivery member, and

wherein a passage space formed to be surrounded by said support member, said delivery member and said coupling member is configured to allow said arm part to pass through.

8. The substrate processing apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said delivery arm delivers the substrate to/from a transfer arm outside said substrate processing apparatus,

wherein said transfer arm includes two arm parts holding the substrate and linearly extending at an interval smaller than a diameter of the substrate, and

wherein said delivery member is provided outside said arm part.

9. The substrate processing apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said substrate holding part has a thermal processing mechanism thermally processing the substrate on said substrate holding part.

10. The substrate processing apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said substrate processing apparatus performs joint processing of a superposed substrate in which substrates are superposed.

11. The substrate processing apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said substrate processing apparatus performs hydrophobic treatment on a front surface of the substrate.

12. A substrate processing method using a substrate processing apparatus,

the substrate processing apparatus comprising:

an upper container;

a lower container provided below the upper container to face the upper container, movable in a vertical direction relative to the upper container, and uniting with the upper container into one body to form a processing space for the substrate therein;

a substrate holding part provided inside the lower container and mounting and holding the substrate thereon; and

a delivery arm including a support member extending vertically downward from a lower surface of the upper container, and a delivery member supported by the support member and holding an outer peripheral portion of the substrate and delivering the substrate to/from the substrate holding part,

said substrate processing method comprising;

lowering the upper container relative to the lower container toward the substrate holding part, and lowering the delivery arm holding the substrate relative to the lower container toward the substrate holding part;

housing the delivery member in a cutout groove formed in the substrate holding part, and delivering the substrate from the delivery arm onto the substrate holding part; and

performing predetermined processing on the substrate in a state that the delivery member is housed in the cutout groove.

13. The substrate processing method as set forth in claim 12,

wherein the substrate on the substrate holding part is thermally processed by a thermal processing mechanism provided in the substrate holding part.

14. The substrate processing method as set forth in claim 12,

wherein the predetermined processing is joint processing of a superposed substrate in which substrates are superposed.

15. The substrate processing method as set forth in claim 12,

wherein the predetermined processing is hydrophobic treatment on a front surface of the substrate.

16. A program running on a computer of a control unit controlling a substrate processing apparatus to cause the substrate processing apparatus to execute a substrate processing method,

the substrate processing apparatus comprising:

an upper container;

a lower container provided below the upper container to face the upper container, movable in a vertical direction relative to the upper container, and uniting with the upper container into one body to form a processing space for the substrate therein;

a substrate holding part provided inside the lower container and mounting and holding the substrate thereon; and

a delivery arm including a support member extending vertically downward from a lower surface of the upper container, and a delivery member supported by the support member and holding an outer peripheral portion of the substrate and delivering the substrate to/from the substrate holding part, and

the substrate processing method comprising;

lowering the upper container relative to the lower container toward the substrate holding part, and lowering the delivery arm holding the substrate relative to the lower container toward the substrate holding part;

housing the delivery member in a cutout groove formed in the substrate holding part, and delivering the substrate from the delivery arm onto the substrate holding part; and

performing predetermined processing on the substrate in a state that the delivery member is housed in the cutout groove.

17. A readable computer storage medium storing a program running on a computer of a control unit controlling a substrate processing apparatus to cause the substrate processing apparatus to execute a substrate processing method,

the substrate processing apparatus comprising:

an upper container;

a lower container provided below the upper container to face the upper container, movable in a vertical direction relative to the upper container, and uniting with the upper container into one body to form a processing space for the substrate therein;

a substrate holding part provided inside the lower container and mounting and holding the substrate thereon; and

a delivery arm including a support member extending vertically downward from a lower surface of the upper container, and a delivery member supported by the support member and holding an outer peripheral portion of the substrate and delivering the substrate to/from the substrate holding part, and

the substrate processing method comprising;

lowering the upper container relative to the lower container toward the substrate holding part, and lowering the delivery arm holding the substrate relative to the lower container toward the substrate holding part;

housing the delivery member in a cutout groove formed in the substrate holding part, and delivering the substrate from the delivery arm onto the substrate holding part; and

performing predetermined processing on the substrate in a state that the delivery member is housed in the cutout groove.