JP2003243479A - Halt position adjusting mechanism of conveying means - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately and promptly adjust a halt position as a conveying destination of a conveying arm. <P>SOLUTION: A trajectory detecting wafer K which can be held by a conveying arm 51 and on which a CCD camera 70 is mounted, and a scene member 73 which is provided at an accessible position of the conveying arm 51 and indicates a grid figure A are prepared. The trajectory detecting wafer K is held by the conveying arm 51, and then moved on the grid figure A, for imaging a motion trajectory in a predetermined motion section of the conveying arm 51 by the CCD camera 70. The setting of a halt position as a conveying destination of the conveying arm 51 in the predetermined motion section is corrected based on the imaged motion trajectory. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stop position adjusting mechanism for a substrate transfer means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A series of processes in the manufacture of semiconductor devices are carried out in a coating and developing system in which a plurality of processing units such as a resist coating unit, a developing unit and a heat treatment unit are integrated and mounted. A transfer device is provided at the center of the coating and developing processing system, and the transfer of the substrate between the processing devices is performed by this transfer device.

The transfer device usually has a transfer arm for holding a substrate in its case, and the transfer arm can move back and forth in the horizontal direction (X direction) from inside the case along the rail. Further, the transfer arm can move in the vertical direction (Z direction). Further, the case of the transfer device itself is rotatable about the central axis in the vertical direction (θ direction), which allows the transfer arm to rotate in the θ direction. Therefore, when the transfer device transfers the substrate, the case itself first rotates in the θ direction to direct the transfer arm toward the processing device which is the transfer destination, and then the transfer arm moves in the Z direction to transfer the substrate. The height of the arm is adjusted. After that, the transfer arm moves linearly in the X direction from the inside of the case, and stops at the stop position which is the transfer destination in the processing device. In this way, the substrate is transported to the delivery position of each processing apparatus.

By the way, unless the substrate is conveyed to a predetermined transfer position of each processing apparatus, the processing position of the substrate is displaced and the substrate cannot be processed properly. For this reason, the stop position of the transfer arm in each processing device must be strictly adjusted. Therefore, for example, when the coating and developing system is started up, a position adjusting work for adjusting the stop position of the transfer destination of the transfer arm is performed. This position adjustment work has heretofore been performed by moving the transfer arm into a predetermined processing device and manually adjusting the transfer arm to the transfer position by an operator. Further, since the positional relationship between the processing device for which the alignment has been performed and the other processing device is determined in advance, the position adjustment of the other processing device is performed by, for example, the correction value used in the position adjustment of the processing device. It was done by reflecting as it is.

[0005]

However, although the transfer arm should move linearly along the rail in the X direction, strictly speaking, the transfer arm has a certain "habit". It is moving meandering slightly to the left and right. This is considered to be due to, for example, rail machining accuracy and mounting accuracy. Therefore, when the correction value in one processing apparatus is reflected in the position adjustment in another processing apparatus as described above, for example, when the position of the transfer arm in the X direction is different, for example, the correction value in the θ direction is changed. In some cases, the actual position adjustment may not be accurate unlike the actual one. Further, if the position adjustment work of the stop position of the transfer arm is performed in each processing device in order to eliminate such an adverse effect, it will take time and the operating rate of the coating and developing processing system will be reduced accordingly, which is not preferable. Furthermore, if the position adjustment work is manually performed as in the conventional case, the accuracy depends on the skill level of the worker, so that it is difficult to always secure a highly accurate stop position.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a stop position mechanism of a transfer means capable of accurately and quickly adjusting the position of the stop position, which is the transfer destination of the transfer means such as the transfer arm. Its purpose is to provide.

[0007]

According to the invention of claim 1, there is provided an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the stop position of the transfer destination in the transfer means for transferring the substrate by moving in at least a predetermined direction from the home position. A moving locus detecting means for detecting a moving locus of the conveying means in a predetermined direction, and a control means for correcting the stop position of the conveying destination of the conveying means based on the moving locus detected by the moving locus detecting means, There is provided a stop position adjusting mechanism for a transporting means. The predetermined direction may be the horizontal direction or the vertical direction.

As described above, the transfer means moves while shaking with a certain habit (moving characteristic). According to the present invention, it is possible to detect the movement locus of the transporting means and detect the habit when the transporting means moves. If the habit of the transport means in the predetermined direction is known in this way, it is possible to adjust a plurality of stop positions of the transport means from this habit. Therefore, since a plurality of stop positions can be adjusted by detecting the movement locus once, it is possible to quickly adjust a plurality of stop positions of the conveying means. Further, since the position adjustment of the present invention is based on the actual movement locus, accurate position adjustment can be realized. Furthermore, since the stop position adjustment can be automated,
The accuracy of the stop position adjustment can be kept constant.

The moving locus detecting means is movable together with the conveying means, and an image pick-up means for picking up the moving locus and a grid diagram are shown. The background member imaged as a background may be provided.

According to the present invention, it is possible to capture an image of the movement trajectory of the transport means with the grid diagram as the background while the image pickup means moves integrally with the transport means. As a result, for example, it is possible to accurately read the variation amount of the movement locus, and based on this, the stop position of the conveying means can be corrected.

The image pickup means may be attached to a jig having the same shape as the substrate. In this case, by moving the jig to the conveying means, the movement trajectory of the conveying means can be imaged. Therefore, the image pickup means can be easily installed on the transport means, and the movement locus can be picked up appropriately.

The control means calculates a deviation between the movement locus and a reference line of the grid figure from a movement locus imaged with the grid diagram as a background, and based on the deviation, determines a stop position of the conveying means. You may make it correct the set coordinate set. In such a case, since the accurate deviation of the movement locus can be grasped by using the grid diagram, the stop position can be adjusted more strictly. It should be noted that symbols that are regularly arranged may be written on the background member instead of the grid diagram.

The transfer destination of the transfer means is a substrate processing apparatus, and the background member may be arranged in a processing system in which the processing apparatus is mounted and within a moving range of the transfer means. Well, the background member may be removable. In such a case, the background member can be removed as necessary, and can also be used for adjusting the position of other conveying means.

The transfer means is rotatable about a vertical axis of the home position and can transfer the substrate to a plurality of processing devices arranged around the transfer means. The stop position of the transport means in each of the processing devices may be corrected based on the detected movement trajectory. Even when the transport means rotates about the vertical axis of the home position, the transport means always moves back and forth in the predetermined direction along the same movement locus. Therefore, by detecting one movement locus in the predetermined direction as in the present invention,
It is possible to adjust the stop position in a plurality of processing devices arranged around the transport means. It should be noted that a plurality of the transport means may be provided, and the stop position may be corrected for each of the transport means.

The transfer means may be one that moves in the predetermined direction along a guide member. In such cases,
In particular, since the blurring during movement is remarkable, the merit of adjusting the positions of the plurality of conveying means by detecting the movement locus is great. Further, the movement locus of the conveying means may be a movement locus of a part of the conveying means. It should be noted that the "part of the transporting means" includes the one attached to or supported by the transporting means.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of a configuration of a coating and developing treatment system 1 as a processing system including a stop position adjusting mechanism of a conveying means according to the present embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view, and FIG. 3 is a rear view of the coating and developing treatment system 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the coating / development processing system 1 carries in and out, for example, 25 wafers W from / to the coating / development processing system 1 in cassette units, and carries in / out the wafers W from / to the cassette C. A cassette station 2, a processing station 3 in which various processing devices for performing a predetermined process in a single-wafer process in a coating and developing process are arranged in multiple stages, and an exposure device (not shown) adjacent to the processing station 3. And an interface section 4 for transferring the wafer W between the two.

In the cassette station 2, a plurality of cassettes C can be placed in a line in the R direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) at a predetermined position on the cassette placing table 5 serving as a placing portion. Then, this cassette arrangement direction (R direction) and the wafer arrangement direction of the wafers W accommodated in the cassette C (Z
Direction; vertical direction), a wafer carrier 6 is provided so as to be movable along a carrier path 7 so that each cassette C can be selectively accessed.

The wafer carrier 6 has an alignment function for aligning the wafer W. The wafer carrier 6 can also access the extension device 33 belonging to the third processing device group G3 on the processing station 3 side as described later.

The processing station 3 is provided with a main transfer device 10 at the center thereof, and various processing devices are arranged in multiple stages around the main transfer device 10 to form a processing device group. In the coating and developing treatment system 1,
Four processing unit groups G1, G2, G3, G4 are arranged, the first and second processing unit groups G1, G2 are arranged on the front side of the coating and developing treatment system 1, and the third processing unit group G3. Are arranged adjacent to the cassette station 2, and the fourth processing unit group G4 is arranged adjacent to the interface unit 4. The number and arrangement of the processing device groups differ depending on the type of processing performed on the wafer W, and the number of processing device groups can be arbitrarily selected as long as it is one or more.

In the first processing unit group G1, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, a resist coating unit 20 for coating a resist solution on the wafer W and a developing unit 21 for developing the wafer W after exposure are sequentially arranged from the bottom. It is arranged in two stages. Similarly, in the second processing device group G2, the resist coating device 22 and the developing processing device 23 are arranged in two stages in order from the bottom.

In the third processing unit group G3, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a cooling unit 30 for cooling the wafer W,
An adhesion device 31 for improving the fixability of the resist liquid and the wafer W, an alignment device 32 for aligning a stop position of a transfer arm 51 of the main transfer device 10 described later, and an extension for transferring the wafer W. A device 33, pre-baking devices 34 and 35 for evaporating the solvent in the resist solution, and a post-baking device 36 for performing a heating process after the development process are stacked in order from the bottom, for example, in seven stages.

In the fourth processing unit group G4, for example, a cooling unit 40, an extension / cooling unit 41 for naturally cooling the mounted wafer W, an extension unit 42, a cooling unit 43, and a post-exposure baking for carrying out a heat treatment after exposure are carried out. The devices 44 and 45 and the post-baking device 46 are stacked in order from the bottom, for example, in seven stages.

Each of the processing devices of the processing device groups G1 to G4 has a casing S, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, and a loading / unloading port E for the wafer W is provided on the side surface of the casing S. A transfer member J such as a lifting pin and a chuck is provided in the casing S.
At the predetermined transfer position P above, the wafer W can be transferred between the transfer member J and the transfer arms 51 to 53 of the main transfer device 10, which will be described later. The stop positions of the transfer arms 51 to 53 described later correspond to this transfer position P.

The main transfer device 10 has a case 50 having a substantially cylindrical shape, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, and an opening 50a is formed on the side surface of the case 50. In the case 50, a plurality of, for example, three transfer arms 51, 52, 53 are provided.
Are provided so as to face the direction of the opening 50a (X direction). Each of the transfer arms 51 to 53 has, for example, a front end portion 51a to 51c formed in a substantially C-shape having a substantially 3/4 annular shape, and the C-shaped portion can support the outer edge portion of the wafer W.

The transfer arms 51 to 53 are arranged on a flat plate-shaped transfer base 54 in the case 50, and support members 5 are provided.
5, 56 and 57 are supported on the transport base 54, respectively. The supporting members 55 to 57 are attached to rails 58 as guide members of three (two of which are not shown) extending in the X direction on the side surface of the transport base 54, and the transport arms 51 to 53 are A drive unit 59 such as a motor can individually move on the rail 58. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the transfer arms 51 to 53 move to the home position H.
Can move in the X direction, which is a predetermined direction, to access each processing device of the adjacent processing device groups G1 to G4.
The home position H is, for example, the position when the transfer arms 51 to 53 are on the transfer base 54 in the case 50.

The carrier base 54 is supported by a horizontal support member 60 as shown in FIG. 6, for example. The horizontal support member 60 is fixed to a slider 62 which is movable on a guide rail 61 formed on the side wall portion 50b of the case 50 along the vertical direction. The slider 62 is attached to, for example, a belt (not shown) provided in the side wall portion 50b of the case 50, and the slider 62 can be moved by a driving unit 63 such as a motor that moves the belt. Therefore, when the slider 62 moves along the guide rail 61 by the driving force of the driving unit 63, the carrier base 5 is moved.
4 can move up and down in the Z direction.

Further, the case 50 is provided at the bottom of the case 50.
A drive unit 64 including a servomotor or the like for rotating the entire device around the vertical axis of the home position H (θ direction) is provided. As a result, the transfer arms 51 to 53 can be turned to a predetermined angle.

With the above configuration, the transfer arms 51 to 53
Is movable in three dimensions, and the transfer arms 51 to 53 are
The wafer W can be transferred between the processing devices by accessing the processing devices of the adjacent processing device groups G1 to G4.

The operations of the drive units 59, 63 and 64 described above are controlled by, for example, the main controller 65. The main controller 65 includes, for example, the main transfer device 10 and the processing device group G1.
Understanding the three-dimensional coordinate system including each processing unit of G4 to G4. In the main controller 65, the coordinates of the stop position, which is the transfer destination of the transfer arms 51 to 53 on the three-dimensional coordinate system, that is, the wafer transfer position P in each processing device of the processing device groups G1 to G4 are set coordinates. Is remembered as The set coordinates are defined as coordinates (X, Z, θ) corresponding to the moving directions of the transfer arms 51 to 53, and the home position H is the origin. And the main controller 65
Can control the operation of the drive units 59, 63, 64 according to the set coordinates to move the respective transfer arms 51 to 53 to the respective predetermined transfer positions P.

Transfer positions P of the transfer arms 51 to 53
In order to adjust the position, the wafer for trajectory detection as a jig and the background member are used.

As shown in FIG. 6, the trajectory detection wafer K is
For example, the transfer arms 51 to 51 are formed in the same shape as the wafer W.
It can be supported by 53. On the trajectory detection wafer K,
A CCD camera 70 as an image pickup means is provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a hole 71 for photographing is provided at the center of the wafer K for detecting the locus, and the CCD camera 70 is arranged so that the position of the photographing lens (not shown) coincides with the hole 71. It is provided facing downward. As a result, when the trajectory detection wafer K is held by the transfer arms 51 to 53,
The CCD camera 70 includes a tip portion 5 of the transfer arms 51 to 53.
It is possible to capture a downward image from the center of 1a to 53a. The CCD camera 70 captures a lower image in a narrow range, for example, the CCD camera 7
A field of view of 0 is about 10 to 20 mm.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the background member 73 is
It is a flat plate formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and a grid diagram A is written on the surface thereof. The grid interval in the grid diagram A is set to, for example, ½ or less of the field of view of the CCD camera 70, for example, 10 mm or less. Background member 7
3 can be installed at any place, and in the present embodiment, it is attached to the alignment device 32 of the third processing device group G3 as shown in FIG. 9, for example. In the grid diagram A of the background member 73, the reference line B is shown, and the background member 73 is arranged so that the reference line B and the center line T of the transfer arms 51 to 53 in the X direction coincide with each other when seen from a plane. Is installed.
With the above configuration, the CCD camera 70 captures an image of the background member 73 while moving the transfer arms 51 to 53 holding the trajectory detection wafer K on the background member 73 in the alignment apparatus 32. 51a to 53a of the transfer arms 51 to 53 against the background
The movement locus of the central portion Q of can be imaged. At this time,
If there is no movement blur of the transfer arms 51 to 53, the reference line B
A moving path passing above will be detected.

For example, the line in the direction perpendicular to the X direction closest to the main carrier 10 of the grid diagram A in the alignment device 32 is located on the coordinate X _n , and the farthest line is located on the coordinate X _e . Thus, moving track grid view A and background can be obtained between the coordinate X _n to X _e. In the present embodiment, X-coordinate of each delivery position P of the processing unit group G1~G4 above are intended to be within the scope of the X _n to X _e. The movement loci of the transfer arms 51 to 53 in the X direction are the same even if the orientation in the θ direction and the height in the Z direction are different. Therefore, by detecting the movement trajectory in the X direction in the alignment device 32, the X coordinate of each transfer position P in another processing device can be adjusted.

The video data acquired by the CCD camera 70 can be output to the main control device 65 as a control means through a communication cable, for example. The main controller 65 can perform image processing on the video data and calculate the positional deviation between the reference line B and the actual movement trajectory. Further, main controller 65 can calculate the correction value of the existing setting coordinate based on the position shift and correct each setting coordinate based on the correction value. In addition, the stop position adjusting mechanism in the present embodiment includes the trajectory detecting wafer K, the background member 73, the CCD camera 70, and the main controller 6.
It is composed of 5. The movement locus detecting means is composed of the locus detecting wafer K, the CCD camera 70, and the background member 73. The video data may be transmitted from the trajectory detection wafer K to the main control unit 65 by radio, for example, by attaching a wireless transmitter to the trajectory detection wafer K.

On the other hand, a wafer carrier 80, for example, is provided at the center of the interface section 4 as shown in FIG. The wafer carrier 80 is movable in the R direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1), the Z direction (vertical direction), and θ.
It is rotatable in the direction (rotational direction around the Z axis).
Therefore, the wafer carrier 80 accesses the extension / cooling device 41, the extension device 42, the peripheral exposure device 81, and the exposure device (not shown) belonging to the fourth processing device group G4, and accesses the wafer W for each. Can be transported.

In the coating and developing treatment performed in the coating and developing treatment system 1 described above, for example, first, one unprocessed wafer W is taken out from the cassette C by the wafer carrier 6 and is transferred to the third treatment device group G3. It is conveyed to the extension device 33 to which it belongs. Next, the wafer W is transferred to the main carrier 1
0 is conveyed to the adhesion device 31 and, for example,
After the treatment liquid such as HMDS is applied, it is conveyed to the cooling device 30 and cooled to a predetermined temperature. The wafer W cooled to a predetermined temperature is transferred to the resist coating device 20 by the main transfer device 10 and subjected to resist coating processing, and then sequentially transferred to the pre-baking device 34 and the extension cooling device 41. Thereafter, the wafer carrier 80 is used to perform a peripheral exposure device 81, an exposure device (not shown)
The wafer W that has been sequentially transferred to the wafer W and has undergone the exposure process is returned to the extension device 42. After that, the main exposure device 10 is used to post-exposure baking device 4
4, the cooling device 43, the development processing device 21, the post-baking device 46, and the cooling device 30 are sequentially conveyed, and a predetermined process is performed in each device. After that, the wafer W is returned to the cassette C via the extension device 33, and a series of coating and developing processes is completed.

Next, the position adjustment work of the transfer arms 51 to 53, that is, the transfer position P, which is performed in the coating and developing system 1, will be described by taking the transfer arm 51 as an example. This position adjustment work is performed, for example, when the coating and developing treatment system 1 is started up. FIG. 10 shows a flow of this position adjustment work.

First, an operator holds the trajectory detection wafer K on the transfer arm 51. Next, the main transfer device 10 is operated, the direction (θ direction) and height (Z direction) of the transfer arm 51 are adjusted, and further the transfer arm 51 is moved in the X direction. As shown in FIG. The alignment device 32 is stopped before the loading / unloading port E. CCD here
The imaging of the camera 70 is started, and in this state, the transfer arm 51
Is further moved in the X direction. Then, the transfer arm 51 is moved into the alignment device 32 and moved on the grid diagram A. By doing this, the CCD camera 70
By the tip portion 5 of the transfer arm 51 as shown in FIG.
An image of the movement locus R within the predetermined movement range L about the central portion Q of 1a is imaged.

The video data acquired by the CCD camera 70 is output to the main controller 65 and image-processed. By this image processing, for example, X at the transfer position P of each processing device
The positional deviation between the reference line B and the movement locus R in coordinates is calculated. For example, the setting coordinate P1 of the cooling device 30
(X ₁ , Y ₁ , θ ₁ ), if there is the setting coordinate P2 (X ₂ , Y ₂ , θ ₂ ) of the post-baking device 46, the reference line B and movement locus R at each X coordinate X ₁ , X ₂ The positional deviations E ₁ and E ₂ (shown in FIG. 11) from and are calculated. Then, a correction value corresponding to the position shift is calculated, and the set coordinates are changed based on this correction value. For example, the correction values α ₁ and α ₂ in the θ direction corresponding to the positional deviations E ₁ and E ₂ described above.
Is calculated respectively, and the set coordinate P of the cooling device 30 is calculated.
1 is the setting coordinate P1 ′ (X ₁ , Y ₁ , θ ′ ₁ ) (θ ′ ₁ =
θ ₁ + α ₁ ), the set coordinate P2 of the post-baking device 46 is set coordinate P2 ′ (X ₂ , Y ₂ , θ ′ ₂ ) (θ ′ ₂
= Θ ₂ + α ₂ ) is changed.

As described above, all of the accessible processing devices of the main carrier 10, that is, the processing devices 20 to 23 of the first processing device groups G1 and G2, and the processing devices 30, 31 of the third processing device group G3, 33 to 36, fourth processing unit group G4
The set coordinates of the processing devices 40 to 46 are adjusted based on the movement trajectory R. When the correction of the set coordinates, which are the transfer positions P of all the processing devices, is completed, the position adjustment work is completed. In the position adjustment work of the transfer arms 52 and 53, similarly to the position adjustment work of the transfer arm 51 described above, the movement loci in the X direction at the central portions Q of the tip ends 52a and 53a of the transfer arms 52 and 53 are detected, It is performed based on the movement locus.

According to the above embodiment, the transfer arm 5
The movement locus R in the X direction in the central portion Q of 1 to 53 can be detected. By detecting the movement locus R, the transfer arms 51 to
You can see the so-called habit when moving 53. Therefore, since the actual stop positions at a plurality of locations can be known by detecting one movement trajectory R, the delivery positions at a plurality of locations can be adjusted at once. Therefore, the position adjustment work of the transfer position P can be speeded up. Further, instead of aligning the position of one processing device and adjusting the positions of all the processing devices according to the positional relationship between the one processing device and another processing device as in the conventional case, the measured value of the movement locus R is calculated. Since the position is adjusted based on this, more accurate adjustment is performed.

Grid image A when the movement trajectory R is imaged
Since the image of the background member 73 marked with is taken as the background, the fluctuation of the movement locus R becomes clear, and the positional deviation of the movement locus R can be calculated more accurately and easily.

Since the CCD camera 70 is attached to the trajectory detection wafer K having the same shape as the wafer W, the CCD camera 70 can be easily attached to the transfer arms 51 to 53. Since the trajectory detection wafer K can be held and moved by the tip portions 51a to 53a of the transfer arms 51 to 53, the movement trajectory of the central portion Q of the tip portions 51a to 53a can be suitably detected.

Since the background member 73 is mounted on the third processing unit group G3, it is not necessary to separately provide a space for installing the background member 73, and the large scale of the coating and developing system 1 having the background member 73 is provided. Can be avoided.

Although the background member 73 is installed in the alignment device 32 in this embodiment, it may be installed in another part of the coating and developing system 1 because it is removable. For example, the background member 73 may be installed on the upper surface of the casing S of the processing apparatus. The graphic written on the background member 73 may be a graphic other than the grid diagram A, for example, a regularly arranged symbol as shown in FIG. 12, for example, a graphic D made up of dots. Further, these figures such as the grid diagram A may be directly painted or engraved in the alignment device 32. Further, the painting and marking of the figure such as the grid diagram A is not limited to the alignment device 32, and may be performed on other members and devices such as the extension device and the floor of the coating and developing treatment system 1.

In the above embodiment, the worker supported the locus detection wafer K on the transfer arm 51 or the like. However, for example, a standby unit for the locus detection wafer K is provided in the coating / development processing system 1 to position the wafer. Alternatively, the carrier arm may be automatically supported during the adjustment work.

FIG. 13 shows such an example.
A standby unit 100 is provided on the back side of the cassette station 2. The standby unit 100 is arranged, for example, at a position accessible by the wafer carrier 6. During the position adjustment work, the wafer carrier 6 receives the trajectory detection wafer K in the standby unit 100 and carries it to the extension device 33. When the trajectory detection wafer K is transferred to the extension device 33, the trajectory detection wafer K is held by the transfer arm 51, for example, and is moved to the alignment device 32.
The position of the transfer arm 51 that has moved to the alignment device 32 is adjusted by detecting the above-described movement path. The positions of the other transfer arms 52 and 53 are adjusted in the same manner. In this example, since the standby unit 100 is provided at a position where the wafer carrier 6 can be accessed, the position adjustment work using the trajectory detection wafer K can be completely automated. As a result, the position of the transfer position P of the transfer arms 51 to 53 can be quickly adjusted. Further, it is possible to prevent the trajectory detection wafer K from being dropped and damaged during the transportation of the worker. The standby unit 100 may be provided in the processing station 3 at a position where the transfer arms 51 to 53 can directly access, for example, in the processing device groups G1 to G4.

In the above embodiment, the transfer arms 51 to 51 are used.
The position adjustment is performed by detecting the movement trajectory of the X-direction of 53, but the movement position of the transport arms 51 to 53 is adjusted by detecting the movement trajectory of the other direction, for example, the vertical direction (Z direction). You can go. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, the background member 110 is arranged so that the reference line B of the grid diagram A is in the vertical direction, and the CCD camera 111 of the trajectory detection wafer K is directed in the horizontal direction of the grid diagram A. Can be installed. Then, for example, while moving the transfer arm 51 in the Z direction, the grid diagram A is imaged and the movement trajectory in the Z direction is detected. The detected movement locus is output to the main controller 65 as in the above-described embodiment, and after the position deviation of the delivery position and the correction value are calculated based on the movement locus, the set coordinates are corrected. In this case, since the movement shake when the transfer arm 51 moves in the Z direction can be detected and the set coordinates of the transfer position can be corrected based on the movement shake, the wafer W can be transferred to a more accurate position.

The CCD cameras 70 and 111 may be attached to the trajectory detecting wafer K, but the transfer arm 51 may be used.
It may be directly attached to ~ 53. In such a case, the CCD cameras 70 and 111 are attached to the transfer arms 51 to 53.
Since it can be completely fixed to the transfer arm 51-
The movement locus of 53 can be detected.

In the above embodiments, the transfer arms 51 to 51 are used.
There were three 53, but the number can be arbitrarily selected. Further, in the above embodiments, the present invention is applied to the transfer arms 51 to 51.
Although the present invention is applied to the position adjusting mechanism 53, the present invention may be applied to other transfer means, for example, the wafer transfer bodies 6 and 80. Further, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the position adjusting mechanism of the transfer means for transferring the wafer W. However, the present invention is applicable to substrates other than the wafer W, such as an LCD.
It can also be applied to a position adjusting mechanism for a transfer means such as a substrate, a mask substrate, and a reticle substrate.

[0052]

According to the present invention, a substrate can be accurately conveyed to a predetermined position and desired substrate processing can be performed. Therefore, the yield can be improved. Moreover, the position of the transfer means can be quickly adjusted, and the substrate processing can be started early. As a result, the operating rate of the substrate processing apparatus is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the outline of the configuration of a coating and developing treatment system in the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating and developing treatment system of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the coating and developing treatment system of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the outline of a processing apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an outline of a main transport means.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a trajectory detection wafer.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the trajectory detection wafer when viewed from diagonally below.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a background member.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the main transport device and the alignment device showing the installation position of the background member.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of a position adjusting operation.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of detection of a movement trajectory of a transfer arm.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the graphic written on the background member.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a coating and developing treatment system including a standby unit.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a background member and a transfer arm for detecting a movement trajectory in the Z direction.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Coating and developing system 10 Main transport device 32 Alignment device 51-53 Transfer Arm 65 Main controller 70 CCD camera 73 background material Wafer for K trajectory detection W wafer

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Seiji Ozawa             TBS release, 5-3-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo             Sending Center Tokyo Electron Limited F-term (reference) 5F031 CA02 CA05 CA07 DA01 FA01                       FA02 FA04 FA07 FA11 FA12                       FA15 GA04 GA38 GA47 GA48                       GA49 JA04 JA28 JA30 JA32                       JA51 KA20 LA08 MA24 MA26                       MA27 MA30                 5F046 CD01 CD04 CD05 CD10

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An adjusting mechanism for adjusting a stop position of a transfer destination in a transfer unit that transfers a substrate by moving in at least a predetermined direction from a home position, and detects a movement trajectory of the transfer unit in a predetermined direction. Stop position of the transfer means, which comprises: a transfer path detection means for controlling the transfer path, and a control means for correcting the stop position of the transfer destination of the transfer means based on the transfer path detected by the transfer path detection means. Adjustment mechanism. 2. The moving locus detecting means is movable together with the conveying means, and an image pick-up means for picking up the moving locus and a grid diagram are shown. The stop position adjusting mechanism of the transporting unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a background member that is imaged as a background of the trajectory. 3. The stop position adjusting mechanism for the conveying means according to claim 2, wherein the image pickup means is attached to a jig having the same shape as the substrate. 4. The control means calculates a deviation between the movement locus and a reference line of the grid figure from a movement locus imaged with the grid figure as a background, and based on the deviation,
4. The stop position adjusting mechanism for a transfer unit according to claim 2, wherein a set coordinate set as a stop position of the transfer unit is corrected. 5. The conveying means according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the background member has symbols arranged regularly instead of the grid diagram. Stop position adjustment mechanism. 6. The transfer destination of the transfer means is a substrate processing apparatus, and the background member is disposed within a processing system in which the processing apparatus is mounted and within a movement range of the transfer means. 6. The stop position adjusting mechanism for a conveying means according to claim 2, 3, 4, or 5. 7. The stop position adjusting mechanism for a conveying means according to claim 6, wherein the background member is removable. 8. The transfer means is rotatable about a vertical axis at a home position, and is capable of transferring a substrate to a plurality of processing devices arranged around the transfer means, and the control means comprises: 8. The transporting means according to claim 1, wherein the stop position of the transporting means in each of the processing devices can be corrected based on the detected movement locus. Stop position adjustment mechanism. 9. A plurality of the transporting means are provided, and the stop position can be corrected for each of the transporting means.
9. A stop position adjusting mechanism for a conveying means according to any one of 6, 7, and 8. 10. The transporting means moves in the predetermined direction along a guide member,
A stop position adjusting mechanism for a conveying means according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. 11. The movement locus of the conveying means is a movement locus of a part of the conveying means, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10. The stop position adjusting mechanism for the transporting device according to any one of 10.