# US 5,701,627 A · Substrate processing apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,701,627 A - Document ID: US5701627A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/720,317 - Filed: 1996-09-27 - Granted: 1997-12-30 - Earliest claimed: 1994-03-03 - Assignees: Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Yoshio Matsumura; Katsumi Shimaji - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5701627A ## CPC - B08B 11/00: Cleaning flexible or delicate articles by methods or apparatus specially adapted thereto - H10P 72/0456: {in-line arrangement} - H10P 72/0461: {characterised by the presence of two or more transfer chambers} - H10P 72/3304: {characterised by movements or sequence of movements of transfer devices} - H10P 72/3402: {Mechanical parts of transfer devices} - Y10S 134/902: Semiconductor wafer - B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS ## Abstract A single transport path for transporting a substrate between the cassettes and a plurality of processing units, is arranged between the cassette storing means and the processing means. Hence, it is possible to skip some processing units or to change the order of the processing units easily, with simplifying the construction of the apparatus. Furthermore, the single transport path causes to reduce the space for transporting the substrate. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A substrate processing apparatus for transporting a plurality of substrates, which are stored in a cassette serially one by one, to a plurality of processing units in which each of a substrate set therein is processed in a respective manner, comprising: cassette storing means for storing a plurality of cassettes, each of which is capable of storing a plurality of substrates, said plurality of cassettes being arranged in a predetermined direction; processing means, including a plurality of processing units, for processing the substrate in a predetermined manner, said plurality of processing units being arranged parallel to said predetermined direction; and transporting means, disposed between said cassette storing means and said processing means, said transporting means including a holding member which transports the substrate stored in said cassette in said cassette storing means to one of the processing units in the processing means and transports the substrate processed by said processing means to the cassette, said holding member being capable of moving along said predetermined direction holding the substrate to be transported and capable of stopping in front of said one of the processing units and in front of said cassette. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The substrates processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of processing units include spin cleaning means for cleaning the substrate while rotating it. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein said plurality of processing units include brush cleaning means for cleaning the substrate with using a cleaning brush which cleans a surface of said substrate. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein said brush cleaning means can operate prior to said spin cleaning means, with respect to a substrate. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4, further comprising second means for transporting the substrate processed by said brush cleaning means to said spin cleaning means. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said transporting means includes means for moving said holding member and stopping it in front of one of said plurality of cassettes to take out a substrate stored in said cassette, and means for moving said holding member with holding said substrate to a position in front of one of said plurality of processing units to set said substrate to said processing unit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said holding member is capable of moving along said predetermined direction within a predetermined range, and further comprising an additional processing unit disposed to face said holding member when said holding member is located at either end of its predetermined range. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said holding member is capable of moving along said predetermined direction and of stopping in front of one of the plurality of processing units to take out a substrate processed by said processing unit, is capable of moving along said predetermined direction with holding said substrate and of stopping in front of another one of the plurality of processing units to set said substrate to said other processing unit. ### Claim 9 A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a transporting robot movable along a linear path; a plurality of cassettes, each of said cassettes capable of holding a respective plurality of substrates, said plurality of cassettes being arranged along a first linear line, generally parallel to said linear path; a plurality of processing units, each said processing unit capable of performing a respective process on a substrate brought into operational engagement therewith, said processing units being arranged along a second linear line, generally parallel to said linear path; said linear path being located between said first and second linear lines. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said transporting robot can retrieve substrates from and insert substrates into said cassettes one by one. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein each of said cassettes has an opening through which said transporting robot can retrieve substrates from and insert substrates into said cassette, each of said openings facing said linear path. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said transporting robot can transport substrates from any one of said processing units to each of the other of said processing units. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein at least one of said processing units comprises a spin cleaning processing unit for cleaning a substrate while spinning it. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein at least one of said processing units is a brush cleaning processing unit for cleaning a substrate with a cleaning brush which cleans a surface of said substrate. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said transporting robot brings each substrate to said brush cleaning apparatus before said substrate is brought to said spin cleaning apparatus. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a transport mechanism for transporting each substrate processed by said brush cleaning apparatus to said spin cleaning apparatus. ### Claim 17 A substrate processing apparatus for transporting a plurality of substrates, which are stored in a cassette serially one by one, to a plurality of processing units in which each of a substrate set therein is processed in a respective manner, comprising: a cassette storing system for storing a plurality of cassettes, each of which is capable of storing a plurality of substrates, said plurality of cassettes being arranged in a predetermined direction; a processing system, including a plurality of processing units, for processing the substrate in a predetermined manner, said plurality of processing units being arranged parallel to said predetermined direction; and a transporting system, disposed between said cassette storing system and said processing system, said transporting system including a holder member which transports the substrate stored in said cassette in said cassette storing system to one of the processing units in the processing system and transports the substrate processed by said processing system to the cassette, said holding member being capable of moving along said predetermined direction holding the substrate to be transported and capable of stopping in front of said one of the processing units and in front of said cassette.