Substrate transporting apparatus, substrate platform shelf and substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

In a substrate processing apparatus consisting of an indexer block and a processing block, a substrate is transported between the indexer block and the processing block by an indexer robot. The indexer robot includes two hands that are provided one above the other on a rotating stage. The other hand moves in a vertical direction to one hand. A difference in height between the one hand and the other hand can be adjusted so as to be equal to spacing between substrate storing grooves of a carrier where the substrate that is to be carried into the indexer block is stored. In addition, the difference in height between the one hand and the other hand can be adjusted so as to be equal to spacing between support plates of a substrate platform provided between the indexer block and the processing block.

1 . A substrate transporting apparatus that transports a substrate between a storing container having a plurality of stages of storing grooves where the substrate is stored in a substantially horizontal posture and a substrate platform shelf having a plurality of stages of storing shelves where the substrate is placed in the substantially horizontal posture, comprising:
 first and second substrate holders that are provided one above the other and hold the substrate in the substantially horizontal posture;   a driving mechanism that advances and withdraws said first and second substrate holders in a substantially horizontal direction while moving said first and second substrate holders for transferring and receiving the substrate to and from said storing container and transferring and receiving the substrate to and from said substrate platform shelf; and   an adjusting mechanism that adjusts a difference in height between said first substrate holder and said second substrate holder, wherein   said adjusting mechanism adjusts the difference in height between said first and second substrate holders to be the same as a difference in height between said storing grooves of said storing container when the substrate is transferred and received between said storing container and said first and second substrate holders and adjusts the difference in height between said first and second substrate holders to be the same as a difference in height between the storing shelves of said substrate platform shelf when the substrate is transferred and received between said substrate platform shelf and said first and second substrate holders.   
   
   
       2 . The substrate transporting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said driving mechanism individually advances and withdraws said first and second substrate holders in the substantially horizontal direction for transferring and receiving the substrate to and from said storing container and for transferring and receiving the substrate to and from said substrate platform shelf. 
   
   
       3 . A substrate platform shelf for transferring and receiving a substrate between a first substrate transporting apparatus having first and second substrate holders that are provided one above the other and a second substrate transporting apparatus having third and fourth substrate holders that are provided one above the other, comprising:
 a plurality of stages of storing shelves that support the substrates in substantially horizontal postures, respectively; and   an adjusting mechanism that adjusts a difference in height between the storing shelves, wherein   said adjusting mechanism adjusts the difference in height between said storing shelves to be the same as a difference in height between said first and second substrate holders when the substrate is transferred and received to and from said first substrate transporting apparatus and adjusts the difference in height between said storing shelves to be the same as a difference in height between said third and fourth substrate holders when the substrate is transferred and received to and from said second substrate transporting apparatus.   
   
   
       4 . The substrate platform shelf according to  claim 3 , wherein each stage of the storing shelves includes a set of shelves arranged at a predetermined spacing within a substantially horizontal plane and a plurality of support members that are provided in said set of shelves and support a lower surface of the substrate. 
   
   
       5 . A substrate processing apparatus that performs processing on a substrate, comprising:
 a processing region for processing the substrate;   a carrying in and out region for carrying the substrate into and out of said processing region; and   an interface that transfers and receives the substrate between said processing region and said carrying in and out region, wherein   said carrying in and out region includes   a container platform where a storing container having a plurality of stages of storing grooves for storing the substrate in a substantially horizontal posture is placed, and   a first substrate transporting apparatus that transports the substrate between the storing container placed in said container platform and said interface,   said processing region includes   a processing unit that performs processing on the substrate and   a second substrate transporting apparatus that transports the substrate between said interface and said processing unit,   said interface includes   a substrate platform shelf having a plurality of stages of storing shelves where the substrate is placed in the substantially horizontal posture,   said first substrate transporting apparatus includes   first and second substrate holders that are provided on above the other and hold the substrate in the substantially horizontal posture,   a driving mechanism that advances and withdraws said first and second substrate holders in a substantially horizontal direction while moving said first and second substrate holders for transferring and receiving the substrate to and from said storing container and for transferring and receiving the substrate to and from said substrate platform shelf, and   an adjusting mechanism that adjusts a difference in height between said first substrate holder and said second substrate holder, and   said adjusting mechanism adjusts the difference in height between said first and second substrate holders to be the same as a difference in height between said storing grooves of said storing container when the substrate is transferred and received between said storing container and said first and second substrate holders, and adjusts the difference in height between said first and second substrate holders to be the same as a difference in height between the storing shelves of said substrate platform shelf when the substrate is transferred and received between said substrate platform shelf and said first and second substrate holders.   
   
   
       6 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein said processing unit includes a cleaning processing unit that cleans the substrate. 
   
   
       7 . A substrate processing apparatus that performs processing on a substrate, comprising:
 a processing region for processing a substrate;   a carrying in and out region for carrying the substrate into and out of said processing region; and   an interface that transfers and receives the substrate between said processing region and said carrying in and out region, wherein   said carrying in and out region includes   a container platform where a storing container having a plurality of stages of storing grooves for storing the substrate in a substantially horizontal posture is placed,   a first substrate transporting apparatus having first and second substrate holders that are provided one above the other and transports the substrate between the storing container placed in said container platform and said interface,   said processing region includes   a processing unit that performs processing on the substrate and   a second substrate transporting apparatus having third and fourth substrate holders that are provided one above the other and transports the substrate between said interface and said processing unit,   said interface includes   a substrate platform shelf having a plurality of stages of storing shelves where the substrate is placed in the substantially horizontal posture,   said substrate platform shelf includes   a plurality of stages of storing shelves that support the substrates in the substantially horizontal postures, respectively, and   an adjusting mechanism that adjust a difference in height between the storing shelves, and   said adjusting mechanism adjusts the difference in height between said storing shelves to be the same as a difference in height between said first and second substrate holders when the substrate is transferred and received to and from said first substrate transporting apparatus, and adjusts the difference in height between said storing shelves to be the same as a difference in height between said third and fourth substrate holders when the substrate is transferred and received to and from said second substrate transporting apparatus.   
   
   
       8 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein said processing unit includes a cleaning processing unit that cleans the substrate.