US 7,069,099 B2Granted

Method of transporting and processing substrates in substrate processing apparatus

AssigneeDainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.

InventorsKenji Hashinoki, Yasufumi Koyama, Takaharu Yamada

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Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of cells each including a predetermined processing unit, a transport mechanism, and a cell controller. The cell controller independently controls operations in each cell in accordance with transport setting and processing condition setting for each cell described in recipe data determined for each substrate unit to be processed. Because the processing and transport are performed independently of the operations of adjacent cells, substrates belonging to different substrate units are received through a feed inlet or the same substrate inlet, are processed while being present in the same cell, and are transported to a feed outlet and a return outlet which are different substrate outlets. This allows the presence of different process flows in parallel.

Claims6

Dependent claims

An apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a group of substrates, the processing procedure of said group of substrates being determined for each substrate unit to be processed including at least one substrate, said apparatus comprising:

a plurality of cells each including:
at least one processing unit;
at least one substrate inlet;
a plurality of substrate outlets;
a transport element for transporting a substrate between said at least one processing unit, said at least one substrate inlet and said plurality of substrate outlets;
and
a controller for controlling said at least one processing unit and said transport element,
wherein said controller in each of said plurality of cells controls said transport element so that a first substrate received into each cell by way of said at least one substrate inlet is transferred outwardly of each cell by way of one of said plurality of substrate outlets which is determined by a first transport setting established for each cell and for a first substrate unit to which said first substrate belongs, so that a second substrate received into each cell by way of said at least one substrate inlet is transferred outwardly of each cell by way of another one of said plurality of substrate outlets which is determined by a second transport setting established for each cell and for a second substrate unit to which said second substrate belongs, and so that said first and second substrates determined to be transferred outwardly by way of said one and said another one of said plurality of substrate outlets by said first and second transport settings are transferred outwardly in the order in which said first and second substrates are ready for outward transfer;
and
a plurality of substrate rest parts provided between adjacent two of said plurality of cells,
one of said plurality of substrate rest parts serving as said at least one substrate inlet of one of said two adjacent cells, and as one or another one of said plurality of substrate outlets of the other of said two adjacent cells,
the remainder of said plurality of substrate rest parts serving as one or another one of said plurality of substrate outlets of said one of said two adjacent cells, and as said at least one substrate inlet of said other of said two adjacent cells,
wherein said controller in each of said plurality of cells determines the order in which substrates are to be transferred outwardly by way of said one of said substrate outlets of each cell by referencing a substrate placement state signal and said transport setting, said substrate placement state signal being applied from a predetermined sensor and indicating whether or not a substrate is placed on a corresponding one of said substrate rest parts.

10 more elements

A method of transporting substrates in a substrate processing apparatus, said substrate processing apparatus processing and transporting substrates belonging to a plurality of substrate units to be processed, each of said substrate units including at least one substrate, said substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of cells, each of said plurality of cells including at least one processing unit, at least one substrate inlet, a plurality of substrate outlets, and a transport element for transporting a substrate between said at least one processing unit, said at least one substrate inlet and said plurality of substrate outlets, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a substrate into each cell by way of said at least one substrate inlet;
and
(b) transferring said substrate outwardly of each cell by way of any of said plurality of substrate outlets,
wherein, in said step (b), a first substrate is transferred outwardly by way of one of said plurality of substrate outlets determined by a first transport setting established for each cell and for a first substrate unit to which said first substrate belongs,
wherein in said step (b), a second substrate is transferred outwardly by way of another one of said plurality of substrate outlets determined by a second transport setting established for each cell and for a second substrate unit to which said second substrate belongs, and
wherein, in said step (b), said first and second substrates determined to be transferred outwardly by way of said one and another one of said plurality of substrate outlets by said first and second transport settings are transferred outwardly in the order in which said first and second substrates are made ready for outward transfer, wherein:
said substrate processing apparatus further includes a plurality of substrate rest parts between adjacent two of said plurality of cells,
one of said plurality of substrate rest parts serving as said at least one substrate inlet of one of said two adjacent cells, and as one or another one of said plurality of substrate outlets of the other of said two adjacent cells,
the remainder of said plurality of substrate rest parts serving as one or another one of said plurality of substrate outlets of said one of said two adjacent cells, and as said at least one substrate inlet of said other of said two adjacent cells:
and
the order in which substrates are to be transferred outwardly by way of said one of said substrate outlets of each cell is determined by referencing a substrate placement state signal and said transport setting, said substrate placement state signal indicating whether or not a substrate is placed on a corresponding one of said substrate rest parts.

8 more elements

a plurality of cells each including;
at least one processing unit;
at least one substrate inlet;
a plurality of substrate outlets;
a transport element for transporting a substrate between said at least one processing unit, said at least one substrate inlet and said plurality of substrate outlets;
and
a controller for controlling said at least one processing unit and said transport element,
wherein said controller in each of said plurality of cells controls said transport element so that a substrate received into each cell by way of said at least one substrate inlet is transferred outwardly of each cell by way of one of said plurality of substrate outlets which is determined by transport setting established for each cell and for a substrate unit to which said substrate belongs, and so that substrates determined to be transferred outwardly by way of said one of said plurality of substrate outlets by said transport setting are transferred outwardly in the order in which said substrates are made ready for outward transfer;
a plurality of substrate rest parts provided between adjacent two of said plurality of cells,
one of said plurality of substrate rest parts serving as said at least one substrate inlet of one of said two adjacent cells and as one of said plurality of substrate outlets of the other of said two adjacent cells,
the remainder of said plurality of substrate rest parts serving as one of said plurality of substrate outlets of said one of said two adjacent cells and as said at least one substrate inlet of said other of said two adjacent cells,
wherein said controller in each of said plurality of cells determines the order in which substrates are to be transferred outwardly by way of said one of said substrate outlets of each cell by referencing a substrate placement state signal and said transport setting, said substrate placement state signal being applied from a predetermined sensor and indicating whether or not a substrate is placed on a corresponding one of said substrate rest parts.

9 more elements

(a) receiving a substrate into each cell by way of said at least one substrate inlet;
and
(b) transferring said substrate outwardly of each cell by way of any of said plurality of substrate outlets,
wherein, in said step (b), said substrate is transferred outwardly by way of one of said plurality of substrate outlets determined by transport setting established for each cell and for one of said substrate units to which said substrate said substrate belongs, and
wherein, in said step (b), substrates determined to be transferred outwardly by way of said one of said plurality of substrate outlets by said transport setting are transferred outwardly in the order in which said substrates are made ready for outward transfer, wherein:
said substrate processing apparatus further includes a plurality of substrate rest parts between adjacent two of said plurality of cells,
one of said plurality of substrate rest parts serving as said at least one substrate inlet of one of said two adjacent cells and as one of said plurality of substrate outlets of the other of said two adjacent cells,
the remainder of said plurality of substrate rest parts serving as one of said plurality of substrate outlets of said one of said two adjacent cells and as said at least one substrate inlet of said other of said two adjacent cells:
and
the order in which substrates are to be transferred outwardly by way of said one of said substrate outlets of each cell is determined by referencing a substrate placement state signal and said transport setting, said substrate placement state signal indicating whether or not a substrate is placed on a corresponding one of said substrate rest parts.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.