Substrate detecting apparatus and method, substrate transporting apparatus and method, and substrate processing apparatus and method

• US 20040261550A1
• Filed: 06/02/2004
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Asa, Fuminori
• Granted Patent: US 7,596,425 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/865.9
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67259 Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/681 using optical controlling means

Abstract

A substrate is supported by planes of four substrate supporters arranged on the top surface of a transport arm. Three ultrasonic distance measuring sensors are fixed on a fixing base arranged above the substrate. The three ultrasonic distance measuring sensors are arranged to measure the distances to the top surface of the substrate in the vicinity of its periphery. In this case, the ultrasonic distance measuring sensors are positioned so that measurement values of the ultrasonic distance measuring sensors may become equal to each other with the substrate being normally supported. The ultrasonic distance measuring sensors each measure the distances to the top surface of the substrate to supply the measurement values to a controller.

Claims

1. A substrate detecting apparatus for detecting an inclined state of a substrate with respect to a horizontal plane, comprising:

a supporting device that supports a substrate; and

a detector that detects said inclined state of the substrate by measuring a distance to the surface of the substrate supported by said supporting device.

2. The substrate detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detector includes an ultrasonic distance measuring sensor.

3. The substrate detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detector includes a laser distance measuring sensor.

4. The substrate detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detector includes a microwave distance measuring sensor.

5. The substrate detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detector measures distances to at least three measurement points on the substrate supported by said supporting device to calculate spacial coordinates of said at least three measurement points, thereby detecting the inclined state of the substrate based on the calculated spacial coordinates.

6. The substrate detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said detector includes:

a distance measuring sensor that measures as a reference value a distance to the surface of the substrate substantially horizontally supported by said supporting device, and subsequently measures as a measurement value a distance to the surface of the substrate supported by said supporting device; and

a determiner that determines the inclined state of the substrate based on a difference between the reference value obtained from said distance measuring sensor and the measurement value obtained from said distance measuring sensor.

7. The substrate detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detector includes three or more distance measuring sensors that measure the distances to the surface of the substrate supported by said supporting device.

8. The substrate detecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said detector includes:

a distance measuring sensor that measures the distance to the surface of the substrate supported by said supporting device; and

a moving device that moves said distance measuring sensor relative to the substrate supported by said supporting device.

9. The substrate detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detector detects the presence/absence of an inclination of the substrate as the inclined state of the substrate supported by said supporting device.

10. The substrate detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detector detects a direction of inclination of the substrate as the inclined state of the substrate supported by said supporting device.

11. The substrate detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detector detects an angle of inclination of the substrate as the inclined state of the substrate supported by said supporting device.

12. The substrate detecting apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a determiner that determines that the inclined state of the substrate is abnormal when the angle detected by said detector is not less than a predetermined value.

13. The substrate detecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a correction mechanism that corrects a state of the substrate supported by said supporting device based on the inclined state of the substrate detected by said detector.

14. The substrate detecting apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

said correction mechanism includes:

an abutting member; and

a controller that corrects the inclined state of the substrate supported by said supporting device by allowing the substrate supported by said supporting device to abut said abutting member.

15. A substrate transporting apparatus for transporting a substrate comprising:

a supporting device that supports a substrate;

a transport mechanism that transports the substrate supported by said supporting device; and

a detector that detects said inclined state of the substrate by measuring the distance to the surface of the substrate supported by said supporting device.

16. A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising:

a processing unit that processes a substrate while supporting the substrate;

a transport device that transports the substrate between said processing unit and a predetermined position while supporting the substrate; and

a detector that detects an inclined state of the substrate with respect to a horizontal plane by measuring a distance to the surface of the substrate supported by said processing unit or said transport device.

17. A substrate detecting method for detecting an inclined state of a substrate with respect to a horizontal plane, comprising the steps of:

supporting a substrate; and

detecting an inclined state of the substrate by measuring a distance to the surface of said supported substrate.

18. A substrate transporting method for transporting a substrate, comprising the steps of:

transporting a substrate; and

detecting an inclined state of the substrate with respect to a horizontal plane by measuring a distance to the surface of the substrate when transporting the substrate.

19. A substrate processing method for processing a substrate, comprising the steps of:

processing a substrate supported in a processing unit;

transporting the substrate between said processing unit and a predetermined position with the substrate being supported by a transport device; and

detecting an inclined state of the substrate with respect to a horizontal plane by measuring a distance to the surface of the substrate supported by said transport device or in said processing unit.

20. A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising:

a plurality of processing units that process a substrate;

a transfer position for transferring the substrate;

a first transport device that transports the substrate between said transfer portion and a predetermined position while supporting the substrate;

a second transport device that transports the substrate between said transfer position and any of said plurality of processing units while supporting the substrate; and

a detector provided in said transfer position that detects an inclined state of the substrate supported by said first or second transport device with respect to a horizontal plane.

21. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said detector detects the presence/absence of an inclination of the substrate as the inclined state of the substrate supported by said first or second transport device.

22. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said detector detects a direction of inclination of the substrate as the inclined state of the substrate supported by said first or second transport device.

23. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said detector detects an angle of inclination of the substrate as the inclined state of the substrate supported by said first or second transport device.

24. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising a determiner that determines that the inclined state of the substrate is abnormal when the angle detected by said detector is not less than a predetermined value.

25. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said detector detects the inclined state of the substrate by measuring a distance to the surface of the substrate supported by said first or second supporting device.

26. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said detector includes an ultrasonic distance measuring sensor that measures the distance to the surface of the substrate.

27. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said detector includes a laser distance measuring sensor that measures the distance to the surface of the substrate.

28. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said detector includes a microwave distance measuring sensor that measures the distance to the surface of the substrate.

29. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said detector includes three or more distance measuring sensors that measure distances to the surface of the substrate.

30. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said detector includes:

a distance measuring sensor that measures the distance to the surface of the substrate; and

a moving device that moves said distance measuring sensor relative to the substrate.

31. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said detector includes:

a light emitter that emits a light of predetermined width from one end of the substrate supported by said first or second transport device in said transfer position to another end thereof along a direction of the surface of the substrate; and

a light receiver that receives the light emitted by said light emitter at said another end side,

said detector detecting the inclined state of the substrate supported by said first or second transport device based on a width of the light received by said light receiver.

32. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising a correction mechanism that corrects the inclined state of the substrate supported by said first or second transport device based on the inclined state of the substrate detected by said detector.

33. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 32, wherein

said correction mechanism includes:

an abutting member; and

a controller that corrects the inclined state of the substrate supported by said first or second transport device by allowing the substrate supported by said first or second transport device to abut said abutting member.

34. A substrate processing method comprising the steps of:

processing a substrate in each of a plurality of processing units;

transporting the substrate between a transfer position and a predetermined position with the substrate being supported by a first transport device;

transporting the substrate between said transfer position and any of said plurality of processing units with the substrate being supported by a second transport device; and

detecting in said transfer position an inclined state of the substrate supported by said first or second transport device with respect to a horizontal plane.