# US 2017/0287760 A1 · Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0287760 A1 - Document ID: US20170287760A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/471,393 - Filed: 2017-03-28 - Published: 2017-10-05 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-30 - Assignees: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd. - Applicants: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Masahiro YAMAMOTO - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170287760A1 ## CPC - H10P 72/0412: {using mainly scrubbing means, e.g. brushes} - B08B 1/10: characterised by the type of cleaning tool - B08B 1/20: Cleaning of moving articles, e.g. of moving webs or of objects on a conveyor - B08B 3/041: {Cleaning travelling work} - B08B 3/08: the liquid having chemical or dissolving effect - H10P 72/0402: {Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence)} - H10P 72/0414: {using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles} - H10P 72/0454: {surrounding a central transfer chamber} - H10P 72/0456: {in-line arrangement} - H10P 72/0458: {vertical arrangement} - H10P 72/0468: {comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process} - H10P 72/0612: {Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput} - H10P 72/3302: {Mechanical parts of transfer devices} - H10P 72/3304: {characterised by movements or sequence of movements of transfer devices} - H10P 72/3311: {Horizontal transfer of a batch of workpieces} - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL ## Abstract A substrate processing apparatus includes a carrier holding unit which holds a carrier that contains substrates, a plurality of processing units, each of which processes a substrate, a substrate transfer unit which transfers substrates between the carrier and the processing units, and a controller. The controller classifies the plurality of processing units into a plurality of groups and is programmed, when determining a processing unit that is to process a substrate, to select one of the plurality of groups, to select one processing unit belonging to the selected group, and to control the substrate transfer unit to carry a substrate into the selected processing unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a carrier holding unit which holds a carrier that contains substrates; a plurality of processing units, each of which processes a substrate; a substrate transfer unit which transfers substrates between the carrier held by the carrier holding unit and the plurality of processing units; and a controller which controls the plurality of processing units and the substrate transfer unit; and wherein the controller classifies the plurality of processing units into a plurality of groups in advance and is programmed to execute, when determining a processing unit that is to process a substrate, a group selection step of selecting one of the plurality of groups, a unit selection step of selecting one processing unit which belongs to the one group selected in the group selection step, and a step of controlling the substrate transfer unit to carry a substrate to be processed into the processing unit selected in the unit selection step. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of processing units are classified into the plurality of groups based on transfer path lengths or transfer times between the carrier holding unit and the respective processing units. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate transfer unit includes a first transfer robot and a second transfer robot that receives and passes a substrate from and to the first transfer robot, the plurality of groups include a first group, constituted of processing units accessed directly by the first transfer robot, and a second group, constituted of processing units accessed directly by the second transfer robot, and substrate transfer between the carrier held by the carrier holding unit and a processing unit of the second group is performed by both the first transfer robot and the second transfer robot. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of processing units are arranged to process substrates by a processing fluid, and the plurality of processing units are classified into the plurality of groups according to each plurality of processing units which share a processing fluid supply source that supplies the processing fluid. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein uniform selection among the plurality of groups is performed in the group selection step. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the group selection step includes a step of recording a group final usage time, which is the time at which each group was used last for substrate processing, and a step of selecting a group based on the group final usage time. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the group selection step includes a step of computing a group usage rate, which is a rate of use for substrate processing of processing units which belong to each group, and a step of selecting a group based on the group usage rate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein uniform selection among the processing units in each group is performed in the unit selection step. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unit selection step includes a step of recording a unit final usage time, which is the time at which each processing unit was used last for substrate processing, and a step of selecting the processing unit of the oldest unit final usage time. ### Claim 10 A substrate processing method comprising: a step of classifying a plurality of processing units, each of which processes a substrate, into a plurality of groups in advance; a group selection step of selecting one of the plurality of groups; a unit selection step of selecting one processing unit which belongs to the one group selected in the group selection step; and a step of carrying, by means of a substrate transfer unit, a substrate to be processed into the processing unit selected in the unit selection step. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The substrate processing method according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of processing units are classified into the plurality of groups based on transfer path lengths or transfer times between a carrier holding unit, which holds a carrier that contains substrates, and the respective processing units, and the substrate transfer unit transfers a substrate from the carrier to the processing unit selected in the unit selection step. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The substrate processing method according to claim 11, wherein the substrate transfer unit includes a first transfer robot and a second transfer robot that receives and passes a substrate from and to the first transfer robot, the plurality of groups include a first group, constituted of processing units accessed directly by the first transfer robot, and a second group, constituted of processing units accessed directly by the second transfer robot, and substrate transfer between the carrier held by the carrier holding unit and a processing unit of the second group is performed by both the first transfer robot and the second transfer robot. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The substrate processing method according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of processing units are arranged to process substrates by a processing fluid, and the plurality of processing units are classified into the plurality of groups according to each plurality of processing units which share a processing fluid supply source that supplies the processing fluid. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The substrate processing method according to claim 10, wherein uniform selection among the plurality of groups is performed in the group selection step. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The substrate processing method according to claim 10, wherein the group selection step includes a step of recording a group final usage time, which is the time at which each group was used last for substrate processing, and a step of selecting a group based on the group final usage time. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The substrate processing method according to claim 10, wherein the group selection step includes a step of computing a group usage rate, which is a rate of use for substrate processing of processing units which belong to each group, and a step of selecting a group based on the group usage rate. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The substrate processing method according to claim 10, wherein uniform selection among the processing units in each group is performed in the unit selection step. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The substrate processing method according to claim 10, wherein the unit selection step includes a step of recording a unit final usage time, which is the time at which each processing unit was used last for substrate processing, and a step of selecting the processing unit of the oldest unit final usage time.