Substrate treating apparatus and substrate transporting method
View Patent ↗Disclosed are a substrate treating apparatus and a substrate transporting method. A first ID block takes a substrate from a carrier placed on a carrier platform and sends the taken substrate to one of six treatment layers. Moreover, a second ID block returns the substrate, sent from the treatment layer, for example, to a carrier placed on a platform. This allows the first ID block to transport many substrates to the six treatment layers arranged in an upward/downward direction more rapidly. Moreover, this simultaneously allows the second ID block to transport many substrates, having been sent from the six treatment layers arranged in the upward/downward direction, to the carrier more rapidly. As a result, a throughput of a substrate treating apparatus can be enhanced.
1. A substrate treating apparatus for treating a substrate of a plurality of substrates, comprising:
a first indexer block on which a first carrier platform for placing a carrier capable of accommodating a portion of said plurality of substrates thereon is disposed;
a single treating block connected to the first indexer block and in which a plurality of treatment layers is arranged in an upward/downward direction;
a second indexer block connected to the single treating block and on which a second carrier platform for placing a carrier thereon is disposed;
a carrier transport mechanism configured to transport the carrier between the first carrier platform and the second carrier platform; wherein
the first indexer block takes a substrate from the carrier placed on the first carrier platform and transports the taken substrate to one of the treatment layers,
the treatment layers each perform a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transport the substrate to the second indexer block,
the second indexer block returns back the substrate treated in the treatment layer to the carrier placed on the second carrier platform, and
the carrier transport mechanism is mounted on the single treating block.
2. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first indexer block takes a substrate from the carrier placed on the first carrier platform and transports the substrate to a first treatment layer of the treatment layers,
the first treatment layer performs a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transports the substrate to the second indexer block,
the second indexer block transports the transported substrate to a second treatment layer of the treatment layers,
the second treatment layer performs a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transports the substrate to the first indexer block,
the first indexer block transports the transported substrate to a third treatment layer of the treatment layers,
the third treatment layer performs a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transports the substrate to the second indexer block, and
the second indexer block returns back the substrate treated in the third treatment layer to the carrier placed on the second carrier platform.
3. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first indexer block takes a substrate from the carrier placed on the first carrier platform and transports the substrate to a first treatment layer of the treatment layers,
the first treatment layer performs a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transports the substrate to the second indexer block,
the second indexer block transports the transported substrate to a second treatment layer of the treatment layers,
the second treatment layer performs a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transports the substrate to the second indexer block, and
the second indexer block returns back the substrate treated in the second treatment layer to the carrier placed on the second carrier platform.
4. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the second indexer block transports the substrate, treated and transported in the second treatment layer, to a third treatment layer of the treatment layers,
the third treatment layer performs a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transports the substrate to the second indexer block, and
the second indexer block returns back the substrate treated in the third treatment layer to the carrier placed on the second carrier platform.
5. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the second indexer block is further configured to load and unload the substrate with respect to an external device,
the second indexer block unloads the substrate, treated in the second treatment layer, to the external device, and
the second indexer block loads the substrate, subjected to a predetermined treatment by the external device, from the external device and transports the loaded substrate to the third treatment layer of the treatment layers.
6. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the second indexer block is further configured to load and unload the substrate with respect to an external device,
the second indexer block unloads the substrate, treated in the first treatment layer, to the external device, and
the second indexer block loads the substrate, subjected to a predetermined treatment by the external device, from the external device and transports the loaded substrate to the second treatment layer of the treatment layers.
7. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first indexer block takes a substrate from the carrier placed on the first carrier platform and transports the substrate to a first treatment layer of the treatment layers,
the first treatment layer performs a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transports the substrate to the first indexer block,
the first indexer block transports the transported substrate to a second treatment layer of the treatment layers,
the second treatment layer performs a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transports the substrate to the second indexer block, and
the second indexer block returns back the substrate treated in the second treatment layer to the carrier placed on the second carrier platform.
8. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
the second indexer block transports the substrate, treated and transported in the second treatment layer, to a third treatment layer of the treatment layers,
the third treatment layer performs a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transports the substrate to the second indexer block, and
the second indexer block returns back the substrate treated in the third treatment layer to the carrier placed on the second carrier platform.
9. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the second indexer block is further configured to load and unload the substrate with respect to an external device,
the second indexer block unloads the substrate, treated in the second treatment layer, to the external device, and
the second indexer block loads the substrate, subjected to a predetermined treatment by the external device, from the external device and transports the loaded substrate to the third treatment layer of the treatment layers.
10. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first indexer block takes a substrate from the carrier placed on the first carrier platform and transports the substrate to a first treatment layer of the treatment layers,
the first treatment layer performs a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transports the substrate to the first indexer block,
the first indexer block transports the transported substrate to a second treatment layer of the treatment layers,
the second treatment layer performs a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transports the substrate to the first indexer block,
the first indexer block transports the transported substrate to a third treatment layer of the treatment layers,
the third treatment layer performs a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transports the substrate to the second indexer block, and
the second indexer block returns back the substrate treated in the third treatment layer to the carrier placed on the second carrier platform.
11. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the second indexer block is further configured to load and unload the substrate with respect to an external device,
the second indexer block takes a substrate from the carrier placed on the second carrier platform and transports the substrate to a first treatment layer of the treatment layers,
the first treatment layer performs a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transports the substrate to the second indexer block,
the second indexer block unloads the substrate, treated in the first treatment layer, to the external device,
the second indexer block loads the substrate, subjected to a predetermined treatment by the external device, from the external device and transports the loaded substrate to a second treatment layer of the treatment layers, and
the second treatment layer performs a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transports the substrate to the first indexer block, and
the first indexer block returns back the substrate treated in the second treatment layer to the carrier placed on the first carrier platform.
12. The substrate treating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the second indexer block is further configured to load and unload the substrate with respect to an external device,
the second indexer block takes a substrate from the carrier placed on the second carrier platform and transports the substrate to a first treatment layer of the treatment layers,
the first treatment layer performs a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transports the substrate to the first indexer block,
the first indexer block transports the transported substrate to a second treatment layer of the treatment layers,
the second treatment layer performs a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transports the substrate to the second indexer block,
the second indexer block unloads the substrate, treated in the second treatment layer, to the external device,
the second indexer block loads the substrate, subjected to a predetermined treatment by the external device, from the external device and transports the loaded substrate to a third treatment layer of the treatment layers,
the third treatment layer performs a predetermined treatment to the transported substrate, and transports the substrate to the first indexer block, and
the first indexer block returns back the substrate treated in the third treatment layer to the carrier placed on the first carrier platform.