JP2002324740A - Treatment equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide treatment equipment having a plurality of treatment units wherein both high throughput and small foot print can be obtained without causing a problem on equipment constitution, and the length of the equipment can be reduced comparatively. SOLUTION: This treatment equipment is provided with liquid treatment units 21, 23, 24 wherein a prescribed liquid treatment is performed while a substrate G is transferred in almost horizontally, thermal treatment unit sections 26, 27, 28 wherein a plurality of thermal treatment units are collectively installed which units are arranged corresponding to the respective liquid treatment units 21, 23, 24 and perform a prescribed thermal treatment after each liquid treatment, and a plurality of transferring apparatuses 33, 37, 40 which transfer the substrate G carried out from the liquid treatment units 21, 23, 24 to the respective thermal treatment unit sections. The liquid treatment units 21, 23, 24 and the thermal treatment unit sections 26, 27, 28 are arranged substantially in the order of treatment and in two substantial rows 2a, 2b at a prescribed interval. At least, a part of the thermal treatment units is arranged between the two rows.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plurality of substrates such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) glass substrate and the like, a resist coating and a developing process after exposure, and a thermal process performed before and after the application. The present invention relates to a processing device for performing the processing of

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the manufacture of LCDs, a predetermined film is formed on an LCD glass substrate, which is a substrate to be processed, and then a photoresist solution is applied to form a resist film. A circuit pattern is formed by a so-called photolithography technique in which the film is exposed and developed.

In this photolithography technology, an LCD substrate, which is a substrate to be processed, is mainly processed in a series of steps of cleaning, dehydration baking, adhesion (hydrophobicization) processing, resist coating, prebaking, exposure, development, and postbaking. After the processing, a predetermined circuit pattern is formed on the resist layer.

Conventionally, in such processing, processing units for performing each processing are arranged on both sides of the transport path in a manner that is conscious of the process flow, and the processing units to each processing unit are processed by a central transport apparatus capable of traveling on the transport path. This is performed by a processing system in which one or a plurality of process blocks for loading and unloading substrates are arranged. Since such a processing system is basically a random access, the degree of freedom of processing is extremely high.

[0005]

However, recently,
There is a strong demand for LCD substrates to be large, and even large LCDs having a side length of 1 m have emerged. In a processing system having a planar arrangement as described above, the footprint becomes extremely large. However, a reduction in footprint is strongly demanded from the viewpoint of space saving.

In order to reduce the footprint, it is conceivable to stack the processing units in the vertical direction. However, in the current processing system, from the viewpoint of improving the throughput, the transfer device moves a large substrate in the horizontal direction at high speed and high speed. In addition to this, there is a natural limit to moving the robot in the height direction at high speed and with high precision. Further, as the size of the substrate increases, the size of the processing unit also increases, and it is extremely difficult to provide spinner-based units such as a resist coating processing unit and a developing processing unit in an overlapping manner.

As another means for reducing the footprint, it is conceivable to arrange the processing units in the order of processing without using the central transfer device. In this case, although the overall footprint is reduced, the units can be reduced. Since the devices are serially arranged in the order in which they are transported, there is a problem that the length of the apparatus is increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can provide both a high throughput and a small footprint without a problem in the device configuration, and furthermore, make the device length relatively short. It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing apparatus having a plurality of processing units.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing apparatus for performing a series of processes including a plurality of liquid processes on a substrate to be processed. A plurality of liquid processing units in which predetermined liquid processing is performed while being transported substantially horizontally, and a plurality of liquid processing units are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of liquid processing units and perform predetermined thermal processing after the corresponding liquid processing. A plurality of thermal processing unit sections in which thermal processing units are collectively provided; and a plurality of transfer devices for transferring the substrate to be processed carried out from each of the liquid processing units to a corresponding thermal processing unit section. The plurality of liquid processing units and the plurality of thermal processing unit sections are arranged substantially in two rows at substantially predetermined intervals in a processing order and at a predetermined interval. And also to provide a processing apparatus in which a part is characterized in that it is arranged between the two rows.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing apparatus for performing a series of processes including a plurality of liquid processes on a substrate to be processed. A processing unit having a plurality of processing units for performing predetermined processing on the processing unit, and a storage container for storing a substrate to be processed before processing and / or a substrate to be processed after processing are placed on the processing unit. A loading / unloading unit for loading / unloading the substrate to be processed,
The processing unit is provided for each of the plurality of liquid processing units for performing predetermined liquid processing while the substrate to be processed is transported substantially horizontally, and is provided for each of the plurality of liquid processing units. And a plurality of thermal processing unit sections in which a plurality of thermal processing units for performing thermal processing are collectively provided, and a substrate to be processed unloaded from each of the liquid processing units is transported to a corresponding thermal processing unit section. And a plurality of liquid processing units and a plurality of thermal processing unit sections are arranged substantially in two rows at a predetermined interval substantially in the order of processing, and At least a part of the thermal processing unit is disposed between the two rows, and the substrate to be processed is carried into the processing section from the loading / unloading section, and then is transported along one of the two rows. Was being conveyed along the other of said two rows being transported to the transfer portion after providing a processing apparatus according to claim.

[0011] In this case, the plurality of thermal processing unit sections are formed by vertically stacking a plurality of thermal processing units provided adjacent to the corresponding transporting device. It is preferable to have a unit block.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing apparatus for performing a series of processes including cleaning, resist coating, and development after exposure to a substrate to be processed. A processing unit having a plurality of processing units for performing predetermined processing on a processing substrate, and a storage container for storing a processing target substrate before processing and / or a processing target substrate after processing are placed on the processing unit. A loading / unloading unit for loading / unloading the substrate to be processed, and an interface unit for transferring the substrate to be processed between the processing unit and the exposure apparatus, wherein the processing unit transports the substrate to be processed substantially horizontally. A cleaning unit that performs a cleaning process and a drying process with a cleaning solution while being performed;
A resist processing unit in which a resist process including application of a resist solution is performed while the substrate to be processed is transported substantially horizontally,
While the substrate to be processed is transported substantially horizontally, a developing unit for applying a developing solution, removing the developing solution after development, and drying, and a substrate to be processed unloaded from the cleaning unit are subjected to a predetermined thermal treatment. A first thermal processing unit section in which a plurality of thermal processing units for performing processing are aggregated; and a plurality of thermal processing units for performing predetermined thermal processing on a substrate to be processed unloaded from the resist processing unit And a third thermal processing unit in which a plurality of thermal processing units for performing a predetermined thermal processing on the substrate to be processed carried out from the developing processing unit are aggregated. A processing unit section, and a substrate to be processed unloaded from the cleaning processing unit are transported to the first thermal processing unit section, and the first thermal processing unit section is transported to the first thermal processing unit section. A first conveying device for conveying a substrate to be processed into the resist processing unit from Deployment, conveys the substrate to be processed is unloaded from the resist processing unit to the second thermal processing unit section,
A second transfer device that transfers the substrate to be processed from the second thermal processing unit section to the interface unit; and a substrate to be processed that is unloaded from the development processing unit to the third thermal processing unit section. And a third transfer device for transferring the substrate to be processed from the third thermal processing unit section to the loading / unloading section, wherein the cleaning processing unit, the resist processing unit in the processing unit, The development processing unit and the plurality of thermal processing unit sections are substantially arranged in a processing order and substantially in two rows at a predetermined interval, and at least a part of the plurality of thermal processing units is The substrate to be processed is arranged between two rows, and after the substrate to be processed is carried into the processing section from the carry-in / out section, the cleaning processing unit is arranged along one of the rows. And the resist processing unit reaches the interface unit, and after exposure by an exposure device, the exposure unit travels along the other side of the row from the interface unit to the carry-in / out unit via the development processing unit. I will provide a.

In this processing apparatus, the first, second, and third thermal processing unit sections each include:
It is preferable to have a thermal processing unit block provided adjacent to the first, second, and third transfer devices and configured by vertically stacking a plurality of thermal processing units. In addition, the delivery between the loading / unloading section and the processing section is as follows:
This can be performed by the third transfer device.

According to the present invention, a plurality of liquid processing units performing liquid processing such as cleaning processing, resist processing, and developing processing are used to perform predetermined liquid processing while a substrate to be processed is transported substantially horizontally. A plurality of thermal processing units for performing subsequent thermal processing are collectively provided for each liquid processing unit, and the plurality of liquid processing units and the plurality of thermal processing unit sections are substantially processed. Are arranged in substantially two rows in this order and at predetermined intervals, and a series of processing is performed while flowing the substrate to be processed along these rows, so that high throughput can be maintained and the conventional A large central transport device that travels between a plurality of processing units and a central transport path on which it travels are basically unnecessary, and the footprint can be reduced accordingly. It can be reduced. In addition, at least a part of the plurality of thermal processing units is
Since it is arranged between the rows, the length of the processing device can be shortened accordingly. Further, as described above, the processing units are substantially arranged in two rows at predetermined intervals, so that the space between these rows can be used as a maintenance space.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an LCD glass substrate resist coating and developing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The resist coating / developing apparatus 100 includes:
A cassette station (loading / unloading section) 1 on which a cassette C accommodating a plurality of LCD glass substrates G is mounted, and a processing station including a plurality of processing units for performing a series of processing including resist coating and development on the substrate G (Processing section) 2 and an interface station (interface section) 3 for transferring a substrate G between the exposure apparatus 4 and a cassette station 1 and an interface station 3 at both ends of the processing station 2 respectively. Are located. In FIG. 1, the longitudinal direction of the resist coating and developing apparatus 100 is defined as an X direction, and a direction orthogonal to the X direction on a plane is defined as a Y direction.

The cassette station 1 has a transfer device 11 for carrying in and out the LCD substrate G between the cassette C and the processing station 2. In the cassette station 1, the carry in / out of the cassette C to / from the outside is performed. Will be The transfer device 11 has a transfer arm 11a, and the transfer arm 11a loads and unloads the substrate G between the cassette C and the processing station 2.

The processing station 2 basically has two parallel lines 2a and 2b extending in the X direction. One of the lines 2a is scrubbed from the cassette station 1 to the interface station 3. A cleaning processing unit (SCR) 21 and a resist processing unit 23 are arranged, and a developing processing unit (DEV) is provided on the interface station 3 side of the other line 2b.
24 are provided. Further, a first thermal processing unit section 26 is provided in a portion between the scrub cleaning processing unit (SCR) 21 and the resist processing unit 23 in the line 2a, and the lines 2a and 2b are provided.
A second thermal processing unit section 27 is provided in a portion adjacent to the interface station 3 of the first embodiment, and a third thermal processing unit section 28 is provided in a portion of the line 2b on the cassette station 1 side. Further, an excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 22 is provided on a part of the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21, and an i-line UV irradiation unit is provided adjacent to the downstream side of the development processing unit (DEV) 24. (I-UV) 25 is provided. The lines 2a and 2b are provided at predetermined intervals, and a space 20 is formed therebetween. The excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 22
Is for removing organic matter from the substrate G prior to scrub cleaning, and is an i-ray UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 2
Reference numeral 5 denotes a decolorizing process for development.

The above scrub cleaning unit (SCR)
Reference numeral 21 designates that the cleaning process and the drying process are performed while the substrate G is transported substantially horizontally without being rotated as in the related art. In the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21, the transfer of the substrate G is performed by, for example, roller transfer or belt transfer.

The development processing unit (DEV) 24 also includes
Among them, the application of the developer, the cleaning of the developer after the development, and the drying process are performed while the substrate G is transported substantially horizontally without being rotated. This development processing unit (D
Also in the EV) 24, the transfer of the substrate G is performed by, for example, roller transfer or belt transfer. The transfer of the substrate G to the i-ray UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25 is continuously performed by a mechanism similar to the transfer mechanism of the development processing unit (DEV) 24.

As shown in the plan view of the inside of the resist processing unit 23, a resist coating is performed by applying a resist solution by dripping a resist solution from a nozzle (not shown) while rotating the substrate G by a spin chuck 51 in a cup 50 as shown in a plan view therein. A processing apparatus (CT) 23a, a reduced-pressure drying apparatus (VD) for drying the resist film formed on the substrate G under reduced pressure in the reduced-pressure container 52
23b, and a peripheral resist removing device (ER) 23c for removing extra resist attached to the peripheral edge of the substrate G by a solvent discharge head 53 capable of scanning four sides of the substrate G placed on the stage 54 are arranged in this order. The substrate G is transported substantially horizontally between the pair of sub-arms 56 that move while being guided by the guide rail 55.
In the resist processing unit 23, a carry-in port 57 and a carry-out port 58 for the substrate G are provided on opposite short sides.
The guide rail 55 extends outward from the carry-out port 58 so that the substrate G can be carried out by the sub-arm 56. The loading of the substrate G into the resist processing unit 23 is performed by a first transfer device 33 described later.

First thermal processing unit section 26
Are two thermal processing unit blocks (TB) in which thermal processing units for performing thermal processing on the substrate G are stacked.
31 and 32 are provided. The thermal processing unit block (TB) 31 is a scrub cleaning processing unit (SCR) 2
1, a thermal processing unit block (TB) 3
2 is provided in the space 20. Then, the thermal processing unit block (TB) 31 and the resist processing unit 2
3, a first transport device 33 is provided.

Second thermal processing unit section 27
Are three thermal processing unit blocks (TB) in which thermal processing units for performing thermal processing on the substrate G are stacked.
The thermal processing unit block (TB) 34 is provided on the resist processing unit 23 side, and the thermal processing unit block (TB) 35 is provided on the development processing unit (DEV) 24 side. A thermal processing block (TB) 36 is provided in the space 20 adjacent to the interface station 3. Then, a second transfer device 37 is provided between the thermal processing unit blocks (TB) 34 and 35.

Third thermal processing unit section 28
Are two thermal processing unit blocks (TB) in which thermal processing units for performing thermal processing on the substrate G are stacked.
The thermal processing unit block (TB) 38 is provided on the development processing unit (DEV) 24 side, and the thermal processing unit block (TB) 39 is an end of the space 20 on the cassette station 1 side. It is provided in. Further, a third transfer device 40 is provided between these two thermal processing unit blocks (TB) 38, 39.

Each of the thermal processing unit blocks (TB) in the first to third thermal processing unit sections 26 to 28 is configured as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 3A, the thermal processing unit block (TB) 31 of the first thermal processing unit section 26 includes a dehydration baking unit that sequentially performs a dehydration baking process on the substrate G from the bottom. (DHP) 61, an extension unit (EXT) 62 for transferring the substrate G, a dehydration bake unit (DHP) 63, and an adhesion processing unit (AD) 64 for performing a hydrophobizing treatment (adhesion treatment) on the substrate G. As shown in FIG. 3B, the thermal processing unit block (TB) 32 includes two cooling units (COL) 65, 66 for cooling the substrate G in order from the bottom, and An adhesion processing unit (AD) 67 is formed by stacking three stages. The thermal processing unit block (TB) 34 of the second thermal processing unit section 27
As shown in FIG. 3C, a pre-bake unit (PREBA) for performing pre-bake processing on the substrate G in order from the bottom.
KE) 68, Extension unit (EXT) 6
9, two pre-baking units (PREBAKE) 7
The thermal processing unit block (TB) 35 includes a cooling unit (COL) 72, an extension unit (EXT) 73, and a cooling unit (EXT) 73, as shown in FIG. The two pre-baking units (PREBAKE) 74 and 75 are formed by laminating four stages, and the thermal processing unit block (TB) 36
As shown in FIG. 3E, two extension cooling units (EXT · COL) 76 and 77 for transferring and cooling the substrate G are stacked in two stages. The thermal processing unit block (TB) 38 of the third thermal processing unit section 28 includes cooling units (COL) in order from the bottom as shown in FIG.
78, an extension unit (EXT) 79, and two post-baking units (POBAKE) 80, 81 for performing post-baking processing on the substrate, which are stacked in four layers, and a thermal processing unit block (TB) 39.
As shown in FIG. 3 (g), four post-baking units (POBAKE) 82, 83, 84, 85 are stacked in four stages.

The first transfer device 33 is configured to be able to access the respective units of the thermal processing unit blocks (TB) 31 and 32 and the resist processing unit 23, and to carry out the transfer from the scrub cleaning processing unit (SCR) 21. The substrate G thus transferred to the extension unit (EXT) 62 is received, the substrate G is transferred between the thermal processing units belonging to the thermal processing unit blocks (TB) 31, 32, and the resist processing unit 23 is loaded.
The transfer of the substrate G is performed.

The second transfer device 37 is configured to be able to access each unit of the thermal processing unit blocks (TB) 34, 35, 36,
Extension unit (EXT) 7
3, the transfer of the substrate G between the units belonging to the thermal processing unit blocks (TB) 34, 35, 36, and the transfer to the extension cooling unit (EXT.COL) 76 or 77. Delivery of the substrate G is performed.

The third transfer device 40 is configured to be able to access each unit of the thermal processing unit blocks (TB) 38, 39, and is provided with an extension unit (EX).
T) Receiving the substrate G transferred to 79, loading and unloading the substrate G between units belonging to the thermal processing unit blocks (TB) 38, 39, transfer of the substrate G to the transfer device 11 of the cassette station 1, and cassette transfer The substrate G is received from the transfer device 11 of the station 1, and is further carried into the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21 and the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 22.

The first to third transfer devices 33, 37,
40 have the structure shown in FIG. That is, these transfer devices are provided with guide rails 91 extending vertically.
And an elevating member 92 that moves up and down along the guide rail 91
A base member 93 provided to be rotatable on the elevating member 92, and a base member 93 provided to be able to advance and retreat on the base member 93,
And a substrate holding arm 94 for holding the substrate G.
The elevating member 92 is raised and lowered by a motor 95, the base member 93 is turned by a motor 96, and the substrate holding arm 94 is moved back and forth by a motor 97. Since these transfer devices are provided so as to be able to move up and down, move back and forth, and turn, they can access each unit.

The scrub cleaning unit (S
As described above, the substrate G in the CR) 21 is carried out to the extension unit (EXT) 62 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 31 by, for example, roller conveyance, and the substrate lifted by projecting pins (not shown) there. G is transported by the first transport device 33. Also,
The loading of the substrate G into the resist processing unit 23 is directly performed by the first transfer device 33 as described above, but when the substrate G is unloaded from the resist processing unit 23,
The substrate G is transported by the sub-arm 56 through the carry-out port 58 to the extension unit (EXT) 69 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 34, where the substrate G is carried out onto protruding pins (not shown). . The loading of the substrate G into the development processing unit (DEV) 24 is performed by lowering the substrate from an elevated state by projecting pins (not shown) in the extension unit (EXT) 73 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 35. The operation is performed by, for example, operating a roller transport mechanism extended to the extension unit (EXT) 73. The substrate G of the i-ray UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25 is transferred to the thermal processing unit block (T
B) The substrate G is carried out to the extension unit (EXT) 79 of 38, and the substrate G lifted by projecting pins (not shown) is carried by the third carrying device 40.

The interface station 3 has a transfer device 42 for carrying in and out the substrate G between the processing station 2 and the exposure device 4, and a buffer stage (BUF) 43 for disposing a buffer cassette. TITLER and peripheral exposure equipment (E
An external device block 45 in which E) is vertically stacked is provided adjacent to the transport device 42. The transfer device 42 includes a transfer arm 42a, and the transfer of the substrate G between the processing station 2 and the exposure device 4 is performed by the transfer arm 42a.

In the resist coating / developing apparatus 100 configured as described above, first, the substrate G in the cassette C disposed in the cassette station 1 is transferred to the transfer device 11.
Is transferred to the third transfer device 40 of the processing station 2 and is carried into the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 22 by the third transfer device 40 to perform pre-scrub processing. Next, the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21 in which the substrate G is disposed below the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 22 by the third transfer device 40.
And scrub-washed. In this scrub cleaning, a cleaning process and a drying process are performed while the substrate G is transported substantially horizontally without being rotated as in the conventional case. The same processing capacity as that of using two units can be realized with less space. After the scrub cleaning process, the substrate G is transferred, for example, by roller transfer, to the extension unit (E) of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 31 belonging to the first thermal processing unit section 26.
XT) 62.

Extension unit (EXT) 62
Is lifted by projecting pins (not shown), and the first thermal processing unit section 26 performs the following series of processing. That is, first, the thermal processing unit block (TB) 3
1 is transferred to one of the dehydration bake units (DHP) 61 and 63 and subjected to heat treatment, and then the cooling unit (COL) of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 32
After being transported to one of 65 and 66 and cooled, the adhesion processing unit (AD) 6 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 31 is used to improve the fixability of the resist.
4 and one of the adhesion processing units (AD) 67 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 32, where it is subjected to adhesion processing (hydrophobic treatment) by HMDS, and then the cooling unit (C)
OL) 65, 66 and cooled.
The transport process at this time is all performed by the first transport device 33. In some cases, the adhesion process is not performed.

Thereafter, the substrate G is carried into the resist processing unit 23 by the first transfer device 33. And
The substrate G is first processed by a resist coating apparatus (CT) 2 therein.
3a, a spin coating of a resist solution is performed on the substrate G, and then the sub-arm 56 uses a vacuum drying device (VD).
23b and dried under reduced pressure.
By 6, the wafer is conveyed to the peripheral edge resist removing device (ER) 23 c to remove excess resist on the peripheral edge of the substrate G. After the peripheral resist is removed, the substrate G is moved to the sub-arm 56.
From the resist processing unit 23. As described above, the vacuum drying device (VD) 23b is provided after the resist coating device (CT) 23a. If this is not provided, the substrate G coated with the resist is subjected to a pre-bake process or a development process. After the post-baking treatment, the shapes of the lift pins, the fixing pins, and the like may be transferred to the substrate G. By performing the reduced-pressure drying without heating by the reduced-pressure drying device (VD), the solvent in the resist is reduced. Is gradually released and does not cause rapid drying as in the case of drying by heating, can promote the drying of the resist without adversely affecting the resist, and effectively prevent transfer from occurring on the substrate. Because you can.

The substrate G carried out from the resist processing unit 23 by the sub arm 56 after the coating process is completed in this manner is the extension of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 34 belonging to the second thermal processing unit section 27. The data is transferred to the unit (EXT) 69. The substrate G placed in the extension unit (EXT) 69 is transferred by the second transfer device 37 to the pre-bake unit (PREB) of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 34.
AKE) 68, 70, 71 and the pre-bake unit (PREBAK) of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 35
E) The wafer is conveyed to one of 74 and 75 and pre-baked, and thereafter, the cooling unit (COL) 72 or the extension cooling unit (EXT · COL) 76 and 77 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 35.
And cooled to a predetermined temperature.

Thereafter, when the substrate G is cooled by the cooling unit (COL) 72, the second transfer device 3
7 extension cooling unit (EXT
COL) 76, 77, and then cooled by the extension cooling units (EXT COL) 76, 77, are directly transferred to the exposure device 4 by the transfer device 42 of the interface station 3, where the substrate G The upper resist film is exposed to form a predetermined pattern. In some cases, the substrate G is accommodated in a buffer cassette on a buffer stage (BUF) 43 and then transferred to the exposure device 4.

After the exposure, the substrate G is transferred to the external device block 4 by the transfer device 42 of the interface station 3.
5 is conveyed to the lower peripheral exposure apparatus (EE) to perform exposure for removing the peripheral resist, and then, by the conveyor 42, the upper titler (TITL) of the external device block 45 is used.
ER), and after predetermined information is written on the substrate G,
It is carried into the processing station 2 again. That is, the substrate G is transferred to the thermal processing unit block (TB) 3 belonging to the second thermal processing unit section 27 by the transfer device 42.
6 extension cooling unit (EXT ・ C
OL) 76, 77, and then transferred by the second transfer device 37 to the thermal processing unit block (TB).
It is conveyed to 35 extension units (EXT) 73. And the extension unit (EXT)
At 73, the pins are protruded to lower the substrate G from the raised state, whereby the development processing unit (DE
V) From 24 to Extension unit (EXT) 73
The substrate G is carried into the development processing unit (DEV) 24 by operating, for example, a roller transport mechanism that has been extended to the development processing unit (DEV) 24, where the development processing is performed. In this development processing, the substrate G is not rotated as in the related art, and the developer is applied, the developer is removed after development, and the drying processing is performed while being transported substantially horizontally by, for example, roller transportation. This makes it possible to achieve the same processing capacity as in the conventional case where three rotary type development processing units are used, in a smaller space.

After the development process, the substrate G is transported from the development processing unit (DEV) 24 to a continuous transport mechanism, for example, an i-ray UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25 by roller transport, and the substrate G is subjected to a decolorizing process. Is applied. Thereafter, the substrate G is transported in the i-ray UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 25 and extended by a transport mechanism such as a roller transporter, which belongs to the third thermal processing unit section 28 by a thermal processing unit block. (TB) 38 to the extension unit (EXT) 79.

Extension unit (EXT) 79
The substrate G placed in the post-bake units (POBAKE) 80 and 81 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 38 and the post-bake unit (PO) of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 39 are
BAKE) 82, 83, 84, 85, and are subjected to post-baking treatment, and then the cooling unit (COL) 7 of the thermal processing unit block (TB) 38.
After being conveyed to the transfer station 8 and cooled to a predetermined temperature, it is transferred to the transfer apparatus 11 of the cassette station 1 by the third transfer apparatus 40 and stored in the predetermined cassette C arranged in the cassette station 1 by the transfer apparatus 11. Is done.

As described above, predetermined liquid processing is performed while the substrate G is transported substantially horizontally in the scrub cleaning processing unit (SCR) 21, the resist processing unit 23, and the development processing unit (DEV) 24. The scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21,
For each of the resist processing unit 23 and the development processing unit (DEV) 24, a plurality of thermal processing units for performing subsequent thermal processing are aggregated to form first to third thermal processing unit sections 26, 27, 28. And a scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21, a resist processing unit 23, and a developing unit (DEV)
24 and thermal processing unit sections 26, 27,
28 are arranged in two lines 2a and 2b substantially in the order of processing and at a predetermined interval, and a series of processing is performed while flowing the substrate G along these lines 2a and 2b. As a result, high throughput can be maintained, and a large-scale central transport device that travels between a plurality of processing units and a central transport path in which it travels are basically unnecessary, thereby saving space. And the footprint can be reduced. Also, the thermal processing unit blocks 32, 36, 3
9 is located in the space 20 between the lines 2a and 2b,
Since a part of the thermal processing unit is arranged not in the line 2a, 2b but in the space 20, the overall length of the apparatus can be shortened accordingly. In addition, such a space 20
Can be used as a maintenance space.
The scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21 and the developing unit (DEV) 24 are so-called flat-flow systems in which processing is performed while the substrate G is transported horizontally without being rotated. It is possible to reduce mist that has been frequently generated.

Further, since the first to third thermal processing unit sections 26, 27, and 28 are composed of thermal processing unit blocks (TB) in which thermal processing units are stacked in a plurality of stages, the footprint is further increased accordingly. The size of the substrate can be reduced, and the thermal processing can be performed along the flow of the processing of the substrate G by minimizing the transfer of the substrate G. Therefore, the throughput can be further increased.
Further, since the first to third transfer devices 33, 37, and 40 dedicated to each thermal processing unit section are provided corresponding to each thermal processing unit section, the throughput can be increased also by this. .

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the concept of the present invention. For example, the device layout is merely an example, and is not limited to this. Further, the processing is not limited to the processing by the resist coating and developing processing apparatus as described above, but may be applied to another apparatus that performs a liquid processing and a thermal processing. Furthermore, although the case where the LCD substrate is used as the substrate to be processed has been described, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to the case of processing other substrates to be processed such as a color filter.

[0043]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A plurality of liquid processing units for performing a predetermined liquid processing are configured such that a predetermined liquid processing is performed while a substrate to be processed is transported substantially horizontally therein, and a subsequent thermal processing is performed for each liquid processing unit. A plurality of thermal processing units to be performed are collectively provided, and a plurality of liquid processing units and a plurality of thermal processing unit sections are arranged in substantially two rows at a predetermined interval in a substantially processing order. A series of processing is performed while flowing the substrate to be processed along the rows of, so that a high throughput can be maintained, and a large-scale central transfer device that travels between a plurality of processing units as in the related art and The central transport path on which it travels is basically unnecessary, so that space can be saved and the footprint can be reduced. Further, since at least some of the plurality of thermal processing units are arranged between the two rows, the length of the processing apparatus can be shortened accordingly. Further, as described above, the processing units are substantially arranged in two rows at predetermined intervals, so that the space between these rows can be used as a maintenance space.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an LCD glass substrate resist coating and developing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the inside of a resist processing unit of the LCD substrate resist coating and developing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration of each thermal processing unit block of the LCD substrate resist coating and developing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a structure of first to third transfer devices used in the resist coating and developing apparatus for the LCD substrate according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Cassette station 2 ... Processing station 3 ... Interface station 20 ... Space 21 ... Scrub cleaning processing unit (liquid processing unit) 23 ... Resist processing unit (liquid processing unit) 24 ... Development processing unit (liquid Processing unit) 26 first thermal processing unit section 27 second thermal processing unit section 28 third thermal processing unit section 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39 ... Thermal processing unit block 33... First transfer device 37... Second transfer device 40... Third transfer device 100... Resist coating and developing processing device (processing device) G... LCD glass substrate

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G03F 7/16 501 G03F 7/30 501 7/30 501 H01L 21/68 A H01L 21/68 21/30 562 F-term (reference) 2H025 AA00 AB17 EA04 FA14 2H096 AA00 CA12 DA01 FA01 GA21 GB00 HA01 4F042 AA07 CC04 DA01 DA08 DB01 DB17 DF15 DF25 DF26 DF29 ED05 5F031 CA05 MA06 MA09 MA26 5F046 AA28 JA22 KA07 LA11

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A processing apparatus for performing a series of processes including a plurality of liquid processes on a substrate to be processed, wherein the plurality of liquid processing units perform a predetermined liquid process while the substrate to be processed is transported substantially horizontally. And a plurality of thermal processing unit sections provided correspondingly to each of the plurality of liquid processing units, and a plurality of thermal processing units that perform a predetermined thermal processing after the corresponding liquid processing are collectively provided. A plurality of transfer devices for transferring the substrate to be processed carried out from each of the liquid processing units to a corresponding thermal processing unit section, wherein the plurality of liquid processing units and the plurality of thermal processing unit sections are substantially The thermal processing units are arranged substantially in two rows in the order of processing and at predetermined intervals, and at least a part of the plurality of thermal processing units are arranged between these two rows. Processing apparatus. 2. A processing apparatus for performing a series of processes including a plurality of liquid processes on a substrate to be processed, comprising: a plurality of processing units each performing a predetermined process on the substrate to be processed corresponding to the series of processes. A processing unit having a processing unit and a storage container for storing a substrate to be processed before processing and / or a substrate to be processed after processing are loaded and unloaded to and from the processing unit. A plurality of liquid processing units for performing a predetermined liquid processing while the substrate to be processed is transported substantially horizontally, and provided in correspondence with each of the plurality of liquid processing units, A plurality of thermal processing unit sections in which a plurality of thermal processing units that perform a predetermined thermal processing after the corresponding liquid processing are collectively provided; and a corresponding heat treatment is performed on the substrate to be processed unloaded from each of the liquid processing units. Processing unit section And a plurality of transport units for transporting the liquid processing units and the plurality of thermal processing unit sections, which are arranged in substantially two rows at a predetermined interval in a substantially processing order. At least a part of the plurality of thermal processing units is disposed between the two rows, and the substrate to be processed is carried into the processing section from the loading / unloading section, and then transported along one of the two rows. A processing apparatus, wherein after being turned, it is conveyed along the other of the two rows and carried out to the carry-in / out section. 3. The thermal processing unit block, wherein the plurality of thermal processing unit sections are provided adjacent to the respective corresponding transport devices, and are configured by vertically stacking a plurality of thermal processing units. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: 4. A processing apparatus for performing a series of processes including cleaning, resist coating, and development after exposure to a substrate to be processed, wherein a predetermined number of processes are performed on each of the substrates to be processed corresponding to the series of processes. A processing section having a plurality of processing units for performing processing, and a storage container for storing a substrate to be processed before processing and / or a substrate to be processed after processing are placed, and the substrate to be processed is loaded into the processing section. A loading / unloading unit for unloading, and an interface unit for transferring a substrate to be processed between the processing unit and the exposure apparatus, wherein the processing unit performs a cleaning process using a cleaning liquid while the substrate to be processed is transported substantially horizontally. A cleaning processing unit for performing a drying process; a resist processing unit for performing a resist process including application of a resist liquid while the substrate to be processed is transported substantially horizontally; A development processing unit that performs liquid coating, developer removal after development, and drying processing, and a plurality of thermal processing units that perform predetermined thermal processing on a substrate to be processed that is unloaded from the cleaning processing unit are integrated. A first thermal processing unit section, and a second thermal processing unit section in which a plurality of thermal processing units for performing predetermined thermal processing on the substrate to be processed carried out from the resist processing unit are integrated. A third thermal processing unit section in which a plurality of thermal processing units for performing predetermined thermal processing on the substrate to be processed carried out of the development processing unit are integrated; and a third thermal processing unit section carried out of the cleaning processing unit. Transporting the processed substrate to the first thermal processing unit section, and transferring the processed substrate from the first thermal processing unit section to the register. A first transport device for transporting the substrate to be processed to the second thermal processing unit section, and a first transport device for transporting the substrate to be transported from the resist processing unit to the second thermal processing unit section. A second transport device for transporting the substrate to be processed to the interface unit; and a third thermal processing unit for transporting the substrate to be transported out of the development processing unit to the third thermal processing unit section. And a third transfer device for transferring the substrate to be processed from the unit section to the loading / unloading section, wherein the cleaning processing unit, the resist processing unit, the developing processing unit, and the plurality of thermal processing units in the processing unit are provided. The processing unit sections are arranged substantially in two rows at a predetermined interval substantially in the order of processing, and At least a part of the processing unit is disposed between these two rows, and the substrate to be processed is loaded into the processing section from the loading / unloading section, and then, along one of the rows, the cleaning processing unit and the resist. A processing apparatus, wherein the processing unit reaches the interface unit via a processing unit, and after exposure by an exposure device, reaches the loading / unloading unit via the development processing unit along the other side of the row from the interface unit. 5. The first, second and third thermal processing unit sections respectively include first, second and third thermal processing unit sections.
5. The processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a thermal processing unit block provided adjacent to the transfer device and configured by vertically stacking a plurality of thermal processing units. 6. 6. The processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transfer between the loading / unloading section and the processing section is performed by the third transport apparatus.