SUBSTRATE TRANSPORT APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE TRANSPORT METHOD

• US 20160189390A1
• Filed: 12/15/2015
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: HAYASHI, Tokutaro
• Granted Patent: US 9,960,063 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67259 Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67766 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67781 Batch transfer of wafers

Abstract

An apparatus for transporting a substrate includes a base, a holding device which retracts relative to the base and holds multiple substrates in multiple stages, respectively, a detection device including three detection components such that the three detection components are positioned to detect peripheries of the substrates held by the holding device from different positions, respectively, and a control device including circuitry which estimates a position of the substrates based on detection result of the detection device, calculates an amount of shifting between a base position and an estimated position of the substrates, determines whether a calculated amount of shifting is within a threshold value, and executes transport of the substrates held by the holding device when the calculated amount of shifting is determined to be within the threshold value.

Claims

1. An apparatus for transporting a substrate, comprising:

a base;

a holding device configured to retract relative to the base and hold a plurality of substrates in a plurality of stages, respectively;

a detection device comprising three detection components such that the three detection components are positioned to detect peripheries of the substrates held by the holding device from different positions, respectively; and

a control device comprising circuitry configured to estimate a position of the substrates based on detection result of the detection device, calculate an amount of shifting between a base position and an estimated position of the substrates, determine whether a calculated amount of shifting is within a threshold value, and execute transport of the substrates held by the holding device when the calculated amount of shifting is determined to be within the threshold value.

2. An apparatus for transporting a substrate according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry of the control device is configured to estimate a center position of the substrates for the position of the substrate based on detection result of two adjacent detection components of the detection device, calculate an amount of shifting between a center position set as the base position and an estimated center position of the substrates, estimate a center position of the substrates for the position of the substrates based on detection result of different two adjacent detection components of the detection device, calculate an amount of shifting between the center position set as the base position and an estimated center position of the substrates by the different two adjacent detection components, and determine whether calculated amounts of shifting are within the threshold value.

3. An apparatus for transporting a substrate according to claim 1, further comprising:

a temporary loading device configured to store the plurality of substrates held by the holding device,

wherein the circuitry of the control device is configured to control the holding device such that when the calculated amount of shifting exceeds the threshold value, the holding device holds one of the substrates and the temporary loading device stores the other substrates and that the detecting device detects the periphery of the one of the substrates held by the holding device, calculate an amount of shifting of the one of the substrates from the base position based on detection result of the detecting device, and control the holding device such that the holding device changes a position based on a calculated amount of shift to match a position of the one of the substrates with the base position.

4. An apparatus for transporting a substrate according to claim 3, wherein the circuitry of the control device is configured to control the holding device such that after changing the position based on the calculated amount of shift to match the position of the one of the substrate with the base position, the holding device stores the one of the substrates in the temporary loading device and takes another one of the substrates from the temporary loading device, calculate an amount of shifting of the other one of the substrates from the base position based on detection result of the detecting device, control the holding device such that the holding device changes a position based on a calculated amount of shift to match a position of the other one of the substrates with the base position, and control the holding device such that the holding device holds the substrates stored in the temporary loading device after matching positions of all of the substrates with the base position through repetitions.

5. An apparatus for transporting a substrate according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry of the control device is configured to determine whether the calculated amount of shifting is within the threshold value after determining a position of the peripheries of the substrates is within detection ranges of the detection components.

6. An apparatus for transporting a substrate according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry of the control device is configured to determine whether the calculated amount of shifting is within the threshold value after determining a position of the peripheries of the substrates is within detection ranges of the detection components and determining the position of the peripheries of the substrates is within a predetermined range in the detection ranges of the detection components.

7. An apparatus for transporting a substrate according to claim 1, wherein each of the detection components comprises a linear image sensor.

8. An apparatus for transporting a substrate according to claim 7, wherein the linear image sensor comprises a plurality of light receiving elements and is positioned such that the plurality of light receiving elements is arrayed on an imaginary straight line extending through the base position.

9. An apparatus for transporting a substrate according to claim 7, wherein the linear image sensor of each of the detection components is positioned on the base.

10. An apparatus for transporting a substrate according to claim 8, wherein the linear image sensor of each of the detection components is positioned on the base.

11. An apparatus for transporting a substrate according to claim 2, further comprising:

a temporary loading device configured to store the plurality of substrates held by the holding device,

wherein the circuitry of the control device is configured to control the holding device such that when the calculated amount of shifting exceeds the threshold value, the holding device holds one of the substrates and the temporary loading device stores the other substrates and that the detecting device detects the periphery of the one of the substrates held by the holding device, calculate an amount of shifting of the one of the substrates from the base position based on detection result of the detecting device, and control the holding device such that the holding device changes a position based on a calculated amount of shift to match a position of the one of the substrates with the base position.

12. An apparatus for transporting a substrate according to claim 11, wherein the circuitry of the control device is configured to control the holding device such that after changing the position based on the calculated amount of shift to match the position of the one of the substrate with the base position, the holding device stores the one of the substrates in the temporary loading device and takes another one of the substrates from the temporary loading device, calculate an amount of shifting of the other one of the substrates from the base position based on detection result of the detecting device, control the holding device such that the holding device changes a position based on a calculated amount of shift to match a position of the other one of the substrates with the base position, and control the holding device such that the holding device holds the substrates stored in the temporary loading device after matching positions of all of the substrates with the base position through repetitions.

13. An apparatus for transporting a substrate according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry of the control device is configured to determine whether the calculated amount of shifting is within the threshold value after determining a position of the peripheries of the substrates is within detection ranges of the detection components.

14. An apparatus for transporting a substrate according to claim 13, wherein the circuitry of the control device is configured to determine whether the calculated amount of shifting is within the threshold value after determining a position of the peripheries of the substrates is within detection ranges of the detection components and determining the position of the peripheries of the substrates is within a predetermined range in the detection ranges of the detection components.

15. An apparatus for transporting a substrate according to claim 2, wherein each of the detection components comprises a linear image sensor.

16. An apparatus for transporting a substrate according to claim 15, wherein the linear image sensor comprises a plurality of light receiving elements and is positioned such that the plurality of light receiving elements is arrayed on an imaginary straight line extending through the predetermined base position.

17. An apparatus for transporting a substrate according to claim 15, wherein the linear image sensor of each of the detection components is positioned on the base.

18. A substrate processing system, comprising:

a substrate transport apparatus comprising a base, a holding device configured to retract relative to the base and hold a plurality of substrates in a plurality of stages, respectively, a detection device comprising three detection components such that the three detection components are positioned to detect peripheries of the substrates held by the holding device from different positions, respectively; and

a control device comprising circuitry configured to estimate a position of the substrates based on detection result of the detection device, calculate an amount of shifting between a base position and an estimated position of the substrates, determine whether a calculated amount of shifting is within a threshold value, and execute transport of the substrates held by the holding device when the calculated amount of shifting is determined to be within the threshold value.

19. A method for transporting a substrate, comprising:

holding a plurality of substrates such that a holding device configured to retract relative to the base holds the plurality of substrates in a plurality of stages, respectively;

detecting peripheries of the substrates held by the holding device such that a detection device comprising three detection components detects the peripheries of the substrates from different positions, respectively;

estimating a position of the substrates based on detection result of the detection device;

calculating an amount of shifting between a base position and an estimated position of the substrates;

determining whether a calculated amount of shifting is within a threshold value; and

executing transport of the substrates held by the holding device when the calculated amount of shifting is determined to be within the threshold value.

20. A method for transporting a substrate according to claim 19, wherein the estimating of the positions of the substrates comprises estimating a center position of the substrates for the position of the substrates based on detection result of two adjacent detection components of the detection device, and estimating a center position of the substrates for the position of the substrates based on detection result of different two adjacent detection components of the detection device, the calculating of the amount of shifting comprises calculating amounts of shifting between a center position set as the base position and an estimated center position of the substrates, and calculating an amount of shifting between the center position set as the base position and an estimated center position of the substrates by the different two adjacent detection components, and the determining comprises determining whether calculated amounts of shifting are within the threshold value.