Substrate conveyance method and substrate conveyance system

• US 8,717,737 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2011
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ulvac Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ulvac Incorporated
• Inventors: Minami, Hirofumi, Musha, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Leja, Ronald W
• Application Number:
  US13/812,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20130129462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: 361/234
• US Class Current: 361/234
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/92 incorporating electrostatic or magnetic grippers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67748 horizontal transfer of a single workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6831 using electrostatic chucks

Abstract

Disclosed are a substrate conveyance method and substrate conveyance system that are able to quickly transfer a substrate without losing positional accuracy. Using an electrostatic chuck mechanism in the holding of a wafer (W) by the holding surface (210) of a conveyance robot, the wafer (W) is transferred from a supporting surface (303) to the holding surface (210) in the state where an electrostatic attraction force is generated at the holding surface (210). As a result, since it is possible to hold the wafer by means of the electrostatic attraction force starting immediately after the wafer (W) has been transferred to the holding surface (210), it is possible to rapidly execute a wafer (W) conveying operation and thus it is possible to reduce the conveying time of the wafer between processing chambers.

Claims

1. A wafer conveyance method, comprising:

moving a holding surface of a conveyance robot having an electrode for electrostatic attraction to the vicinity of a wafer supported by a supporting surface of a support member;

raising at least a portion of the supporting surface to elevate the wafer above a stage of the support member; and

transferring the wafer from the raised supporting surface to the holding surface while applying a voltage to the electrode.

2. The wafer conveyance method according to claim 1, further comprising

transferring the wafer back to the supporting surface while the holding surface electrostatically attracts the wafer.

3. The wafer conveyance method according to claim 2, wherein

a polarity of a voltage applied to the electrode is changed after transferring the wafer from the holding surface to the supporting surface and before transferring the wafer from the supporting surface to the holding surface.

4. The wafer conveyance method according to claim 1, wherein the applied voltage is not cut off while the wafer is transferred from the supporting surface to the holding surface.

5. The wafer conveyance method according to claim 1, wherein the support member further comprises hoist pins, wherein at least a portion of the support surface is disposed on tips of the hoist pins, and wherein raising at least a portion of the supporting surface to elevate the wafer above a stage of the support member comprises protruding the hoist pins upward from the stage.

6. A wafer conveyance system, comprising:

a conveyance robot including a holding surface having an electrode for electrostatic attraction;

a support member comprising a stage and a supporting surface for supporting a wafer; and

a controller configured to carry out an operation control for moving the holding surface relative to the supporting surface, an operation control for raising at least a portion of the supporting surface to elevate the wafer above the stage of the support member, and an operation control for supplying a voltage to the electrode, and configured to cause the conveyance robot to transfer the wafer from the raised supporting surface to the holding surface while a voltage is applied to the electrode.

7. The wafer conveyance system according to claim 6, wherein

the controller the conveyance robot to transfer the wafer back to the supporting surface while the holding surface electrostatically attracts the wafer.

8. The wafer conveyance system according to claim 7, wherein

the controller changes a polarity of a voltage applied to the electrode after the conveyance robot transfers the wafer from the holding surface to the supporting surface and before the conveyance robot transfers the wafer from the supporting surface to the holding surface.

9. The wafer conveyance system according to claim 6, wherein

the conveyance robot includes

a main unit, and

a plurality of support pins arranged so as to be capable of elastically moving up and down from the main unit, and configured to be capable of supporting a rim of the wafer.

10. The wafer conveyance system according to claim 6, wherein the controller is configured such that the applied voltage is not cut off while the wafer is transferred from the raised supporting surface to the holding surface.

11. The wafer conveyance system according to claim 6, wherein the support member further comprises hoist pins, wherein at least a portion of the support surface is disposed on tips of the hoist pins, and wherein the control for raising at least a portion of the supporting surface to elevate the wafer above a stage of the support member is a control for protruding the hoist pins upward from the stage.