JP2003188238A - Substrate detector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate detector capable of precisely detecting the state of a substrate that is stored in a cassette. <P>SOLUTION: This device is provided with (1) a transmitter 2, projecting to an opening 52c and transmitting signals S to a substrate W that is stored in each groove 52d of a cassette 52, (2) a receiver 3 projecting to face the transmitter 2 with the substrate W inbetween and capable of receiving the signals S, (3) a pair of arms 4 and 5 provided with the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3, respectively at one end side, (4) a drive means 6 for turning one of a pair of arms 4 and 5 at the other end side 4a, to project the transmitter 2 or the receiver 3, (5) an interlocking means 10 allowing the other 5 of a pair of arms 4 and 5 to follow one arm 4 and to turn, and (6) a stopping means 9 for stopping the turning of the other arm 5 by contacting the other arm 5 at the time, when a pair of arms 4 and 5 are rotated to detect the substrate W, so as to reduce rattlings such as backlashes. <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 substrate detection device for detecting the state of substrates stored in a substrate storage container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is transferred in a semiconductor product manufacturing process, a plurality of substrates are usually stored in a substrate storage container and transferred between each process, and the substrates are stored in a substrate processing apparatus. Required processing is applied to each container. In this case, it is necessary to first grasp the storage state of the substrate for each substrate storage container before processing with the substrate processing apparatus. Therefore, in the substrate processing apparatus that processes the substrate stored in the substrate storage container, the substrate detection device that detects the presence or absence of the substrate is provided. An example of this substrate detection device is that disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-297156.

In the substrate processing apparatus described in the above publication, what is called an open cassette is used as a substrate storage container for storing a plurality of substrates. An opening for inserting and removing a substrate is provided on the front side of the open cassette (hereinafter, simply referred to as “cassette”), and further, an opening smaller than the opening is provided on the back side of the cassette. There is. Further, a plurality of grooves for holding the substrate substantially horizontally are formed in the cassette. A substrate detection device is provided in the cassette mounting portion in order to grasp the substrate storage state in the cassette before the substrate processing. This substrate detection device is a transmissive sensor composed of a light projecting element and a light receiving element that are arranged so as to face each other so as to sandwich the cassette from the front and back, and this transmissive sensor is arranged from the groove on the uppermost stage to the lowermost stage in the cassette. By moving up and down to the groove, the presence / absence of the substrates accommodated in each groove in the cassette is detected.

However, with the recent increase in size of substrates,
A new standard has been established for the cassette that houses this substrate. Cassettes conforming to this standard are FOU
P (Front Opening Unified P)
od) It is called a cassette. This FOUP cassette is provided with only one opening for inserting and removing a substrate, and a detachable lid is attached to this opening.

Since the FOUP cassette described above has only one opening, it is housed in each groove of the cassette by a transmissive sensor that sandwiches the cassette from the front and back as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-297156. The presence or absence of the substrate cannot be detected. Therefore, in order to detect the substrate, there are various restrictions such as the operation of once opening the lid attached to the opening, which complicates the operation for detecting the substrate and accurately detects the substrate. Difficult to do.

To alleviate such a restriction, for example, in US Pat. No. 6,188,323, after opening the lid of the FOUP cassette, the sensor consisting of a pair of light emitter and light receiver is lowered. There is disclosed a device that sequentially detects the presence or absence of a substrate from the top of the cassette by shielding the light.

[0007]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention US Pat. No. 6,18
In the apparatus described in No. 8,323, a pair of fingers to which a light emitter and a light receiver are attached are driven by a gear mechanism, a belt and a roller, or a rack and a pinion, which are interlocked with each other.

However, in the case of the gear mechanism, backlash is present in the gears attached to the light-emitting side and the light-receiving side, respectively, so that there is rattling at the positions of both sensors.
Further, also in the case of the belt and the roller, there is a possibility that the belt expands and contracts or slips between the belt and the roller, and as with the case of the gear mechanism, accurate positioning of both sensors is difficult. Further, also in the case of the rack and the pinion, as in the case of the gear mechanism, the presence of backlash causes backlash in the positions of both sensors. Therefore, in either case, it is difficult to accurately position the light emitter and the light receiver, and the line light emitted from the light emitter side may not be reliably received on the light receiver side.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate detection device capable of accurately detecting the state of a substrate stored in a substrate storage container.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a substrate detection device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a receiver and a receiver in a position where the presence or absence of a substrate in a substrate storage container faces the substrate. In a substrate detection device that detects by arranging a transmitter, a pair of arms respectively including either the receiver or the transmitter, an interlocking unit that interlocks the pair of arms, and a drive that drives the interlocking unit. Means and a stop means for stopping the interlocking of the pair of arms when the transmitter and the receiver are arranged at a position where the substrate is detected by the interlocking of the pair of arms. It is characterized in that the driving means is continuously driven even after the driving is stopped.

According to this structure, the pair of arms are driven through the interlocking means, and the interlocking of the both arms is stopped by the stop means, so that both arms are stopped. Then, even after the interlocking of both arms is stopped, by continuing to drive the driving means, a force that prevents both arms from swinging is applied. That is, even after being stopped by the stop means, both arms are positioned together because they are urged by the drive means so as not to swing. Therefore, the positioning of both arms does not shift due to a gap or the like existing between the components, and the transmitter and the receiver can be accurately positioned. Therefore, it is possible to provide the detection device capable of accurately detecting the state of the substrate stored in the substrate storage container.

A substrate detecting device according to a second aspect of the present invention is a substrate detecting device for detecting the presence / absence of a substrate in a substrate storage container by disposing a receiver and a transmitter at positions facing each other with the substrate sandwiched therebetween. One of the transmitter or receiver,
A drive-side arm arranged near one end thereof, a drive-side gear arranged near the other end of the drive-side arm, and a driven-side arm arranged on the other side of the transmitter or the receiver near one end thereof, The driven gear includes a driven gear arranged near the other end of the driven arm and a drive unit for rotating the driving arm, and the driving gear and the driven gear are arranged at positions meshed with each other. At the same time, a stop means for contacting the driven side arm to stop the rotation at a position where the transmitter and the receiver face each other with the substrate sandwiched between the drive side arm and the passive side arm. Is provided, and the force for rotating the drive side arm in the direction of the stop means is exerted even after the drive side arm is rotated in the direction of the stop means and the driven side arm is stopped by the stop means. Drive above Characterized in that engage the gear and the driven gear.

According to this structure, since the pair of arms are interlocked and rotated by the meshing of the drive side gear and the driven side gear, high synchronism is obtained. Then, the driven side arm comes into contact with the stopping means, so that the driving side arm also stops rotating, and further, even after the driven side arm is stopped by the stopping means, the driving side arm is rotated toward the stopping means. Both arms are positioned together by exerting a moving force. As a result, the transmitter and the receiver can be accurately positioned without the positioning of both arms being displaced due to the influence of the backlash existing in the meshing portion of the gear.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the substrate detection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is attached to an elevating device 51 installed in a substrate processing apparatus 50, and FIG. FIG. 1 (b) is a front view. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a substrate detection device 50 in which the substrate detection device 1 is used.

First, referring to FIG. 2, an outline of a substrate processing apparatus 50 in which the substrate detection apparatus 1 is used will be described. In FIG. 2, the substrate processing apparatus 50 is illustrated as a side view including a partial cross section. The substrate processing apparatus 50 is
FOUP (Front Open Unified P)
od) A cassette called a cassette, which is a substrate processing apparatus corresponding to a substrate storage container having a lid attached to an opening for inserting and removing a substrate.

The substrate processing apparatus 50 takes out a substrate W from a FOUP cassette 52 (hereinafter referred to as "cassette 52") and performs a predetermined process on the substrate W, and a cassette 52 and a processing unit 53 (not shown in detail). And a mounting portion 54 on which is mounted is separated by a partition wall 55. The mounting portion 54 is provided with a plurality of cassette stages 56 on which the cassettes 52 are mounted (only one is shown in FIG. 1).
A shutter driving device 57 having a shutter 57a that is provided with a passage opening 55a at a position corresponding to each of these cassette stages 56 of the partition wall 55 and that opens and closes by advancing and retracting toward the passage opening 55a, and this embodiment example. The elevating device 51 in which the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the above is installed is provided between the partition wall 55 and the processing unit 53.

Here, the cassette 52 is illustrated in FIG. 5, and a container 52a for accommodating the substrate W and the container 5 are provided.
A lid 5 detachably fitted in an opening 52c provided in 2a.
2b and. On the inner wall of the container 52a, a multi-stage groove 52d is provided so as to face each other, and the substrate W is accommodated in each groove 52d while being held substantially horizontally. Lid 5
2b includes a fixing mechanism 52e for fixing this to the container 52a.
This fixing mechanism 52e is composed of two lock members 52f in which a rack is cut and a rotatable pinion 52g that meshes with the rack. Due to the rotation of the pinion 52g, the lock member 52f projects from the lid 52b, and the container 52a and the lid 52b are fixed.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the cassette stage 5
6 is configured so as to be movable back and forth in the partition wall 55 direction (Y direction) by a cassette drive mechanism 58 provided therebelow. Then, the cassette drive mechanism 58 is configured to drive a screw shaft 58b, which is screwed to the convex portion 56a provided on the lower surface of the cassette stage 56, by the electric motor 58a. When the cassette 52 is placed on the cassette stage 56, the electric motor 58a rotates the screw shaft 58b in the forward direction to move the cassette stage 56 forward toward the partition wall 55. In addition,
When the processing of all the substrates W in the cassette 52 is completed, the electric motor 58a rotates the screw shaft 58b in the reverse direction and the cassette stage 5
Move back 6

The partition 55 has the above-mentioned passage port 55a.
It is formed at a position facing the cassette 52 so as to have substantially the same size as the cassette 52. This passage 55
a is for taking out and storing the substrate W from the cassette 52, and when the cassette 52 is not placed, the shutter 57a is provided to shut off the atmosphere between the processing section 53 and the placing section 56. Is closed by.

The shutter 57 of the shutter driving device 57
"a" is attached to the lifting mechanism 57c by a support member 57b. The support member 57b is formed in the shape of an L-shaped arm extending downward, and is vertically driven in the Z direction by an elevating mechanism 57c to which the base end of the supporting member 57b is attached to further support the elevating mechanism 57c. It is driven back and forth in the Y direction by the back and forth mechanism 57d.

The elevating mechanism 57c is constituted by a so-called screw feeding mechanism in which a screw shaft screwed to the base end of the support member 57b is driven by an electric motor. Advance mechanism 57d
Also, the shutter 57a can be moved forward and backward and moved up and down by a screw feeding mechanism that moves the lifting mechanism 57c forward and backward in the Y direction. In FIG. 2, the state of the shutter 57a before and after the raising / lowering after removing the lid 52b of the cassette 52 is illustrated.

An elevating device 51 is provided between the shutter driving device 57 and the partition wall 55. Lifting device 51
Includes a base portion 51a and an elevating / lowering portion 51b.
The elevating part 51b is moved up and down with respect to 1a by a screw feeding mechanism or the like (not shown). The substrate detection device 1 described later is installed in the elevating part 51b.

The processing section 53 takes out the substrate W from the cassette 52 after the substrate detection device 1 detects the storage state of the substrate W in the cassette 52, and transfers the substrate W to be stored again in the cassette 52 after the processing. A device (not shown) is provided.

The above is the description of the substrate processing apparatus 50 in which the substrate detection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is used.
The substrate W in the cassette 52 by the substrate detection device 1
Is stored, and the substrates W are processed in cassette 52 units based on the substrate detection information.

The substrate detecting device 1 will be described below.
In FIG. 1, the substrate detection device 1 includes a transmitter 2 (a luminescence sensor) that emits a beam (line light) that is a signal, and a transmitter 2
Receiver 3 (light receiving sensor) that receives the signal emitted from
It has and. Then, as shown in FIG.
The receiver 3 is attached to one end side (4a, 5a) of the pair of arms (4, 5). The pair of arms (4, 5) are rotatably attached to the upper part of the elevating part 51a of the elevating device 51 at the other ends (4b, 5b). The rotating operation of the pair of arms (4, 5) is performed by the driving means 6 via the interlocking means 10 and the swing shafts (7, 8) and stopped by the stopping means 9. The substrate detection device 1 includes these components, that is, the transmitter 2, the receiver 3, the pair of arms (4,5), the driving means 6, the swing shafts (7, 8), the interlocking means 10, the stopping means 9. Is equipped with. Hereinafter, these structures will be described in detail.

First, in FIG. 1, the transmitter 2 including a light emitting sensor is connected to a light emitting source (not shown) by, for example, an optical fiber, and further, one end 4a of one arm 4 is connected.
It is attached (near one end). The transmitter 2 projects a signal toward the substrate W housed in each groove 52d of the cassette 52 by protruding the opening 52c of the cassette 52 when the arm 4 is rotationally driven as described later. Emit.

The receiver 3 including a light receiving element and the like is also attached to one end 5a (near one end) of the other arm 5, similarly to the transmitter 2. Then, when the arm 5 is rotationally driven, the substrate W housed in each groove 52d of the cassette 52 is sandwiched and protrudes so as to face the transmitter 2.
As a result, the positional relationship is such that the signal emitted from the transmitter 2 can be received. In addition, in FIG. 1A, a state before both arms (4, 5) are rotated (before the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3 are projected to the opening 52c) is shown by a solid line, and the rotation is performed. The latter state (the state in which the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3 project with respect to the opening 52c) is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

The pair of arms (4, 5) are rotationally driven so that the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3 are connected to the opening 5 of the cassette 52.
After protruding into 2c, a signal is emitted from the transmitter 2 towards the opposing receiver 3. At this time, if the substrate W is present in the signal path S from the transmitter 2 to the receiver 3, the signal path S is blocked by the substrate W (FIG. 1).
(See (a)). As a result, by the substrate detection device 1,
It becomes possible to detect the presence or absence and the state of the substrate W.

Since the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3 are attached to the elevating device 51 via a pair of arms (4, 5), the plurality of substrates W accommodated in the cassette 52 are accommodated. It will be installed so as to be movable along the direction (vertical direction). That is, the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3 descend together with the elevating part 51b of the elevating device 51 while projecting into the opening 52c of the cassette 52 and being able to detect the substrate W. The storage state of the substrate W can be sequentially and efficiently detected from to the bottommost groove (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

Each position of the substrate W detected by the substrate detection device 1 is detected by a position detection means (not shown) provided in the elevating device 51 and detecting the position of the elevating part 51b in the Z-axis direction (see FIG. 2). To be grasped. Therefore, the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3 descend together with the elevating part 51b, so that it is possible to detect whether or not the substrate W is stored in each groove 52d of the cassette 52. In addition, in a signal processing unit (not shown), a plurality of substrates W are placed in each groove 52d based on the information on the length and position of the section where the signal path is blocked.
It is also possible to detect an abnormal storage state such as a stacked state in which a plurality of substrates are stored, or a diagonal insertion state in which the substrates W are stored so as to straddle different grooves 52d.

Next, a structure for rotationally driving the pair of arms (4, 5) to which the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3 are attached will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the other ends (4a, 5a) of the arms (4, 5) that are the center of rotation are attached to swing shafts (7, 8) that are rotatably supported. The oscillating shafts 7 and 8 are mounted on the elevating part 51b by means of a mounting member 11 which allows a plurality of bearings 12 to be formed.
It is rotatably supported via.

The swing shaft 8 is supported by bearings 12,
On the upper end side, the other arm 5 is connected to the other end side 5b (near the other end).
It is rotatably supported by. The swing shaft 7 is also supported by the bearing 12, and one arm 4 is rotatably supported on the upper end side by the other end side 4b (near the other end) and further driven by the lower end side. It is connected to the means 6.

The driving means 6 is equipped with an air cylinder 6a, a rod 6b, and link members 6c and 6d. When the rod 6b moves back and forth with respect to the air cylinder 6a, the swing means is connected to the link member 6d. The shaft 7 is rotated. That is, the lower end side of the swing shaft 7 is fixed to the link member 6d, and the other end side of the link member 6d is swingably attached to the link member 6c.
The other end of the link member 6c is swingably attached to the tip portion of a rod 6b provided on the air cylinder 6a. With these configurations, the compressed air supplied to the air cylinder 6a is switched to change the rod 6b.
By moving back and forth (arrow α in the figure), the swing shaft 7 is rotationally driven via the link members 6c and 6d. Further, with the rotation of the swing shaft 7, the arm 4 also rotates. That is, the rod 6b is the air cylinder 6
By projecting from a, the transmitter 2 projects into the cassette 52 through the opening 52c as the arm 4 rotates. In addition, in FIG. 1A, the state of the rod 6b that moves back and forth with respect to the air cylinder 6a is illustrated at two positions, a forward limit and a backward limit.

As described above, one arm 4 (hereinafter, also referred to as "driving side arm 4") is rotationally driven by the driving means 6, and the transmitter 2 projects into the cassette 52.
On the other hand, the other arm 5 (hereinafter, also referred to as “driven arm 5”) is rotationally driven via the interlocking device 10 described below, and the receiver 3 is projected into the cassette 52. become.

In FIG. 1, the interlocking means 10 is a pair of gears 1.
It is configured using 0. The pair of gears 10 is composed of a drive side gear 10a and a driven side gear 10b, and the drive side gear 10a is attached to the upper end side of the swing shaft 7, while the driven side gear 10b is mounted on the swing shaft 8a. It is attached to the upper end side of. These pair of gears 10 (10a, 10b)
Are arranged so that they are in a mutually meshing positional relationship.
As a result, when the swing shaft 7 is rotationally driven, the drive gear 10a rotates together with the swing shaft 7, and the driven gear 10b meshing with this also rotates. And the driven gear 10b
At the same time, the swing shaft 8 is rotated, and as a result, the driven arm 5 is rotated by being driven by the drive arm 4. In this way, by using the pair of gears 10 as the interlocking means, the pair of arms (4, 4,
Since 5) is interlocked and rotated, high synchronism is obtained.

Next, the stop means 9 for accurately positioning the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3 by stopping the interlocking movement of the arms (4, 5) described above will be explained. As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the stopping means 9 includes a lifting unit 5
When both arms (4, 5) are attached to the upper part of 1b and rotate (positions indicated by chain double-dashed lines in the figure), both arms (4, 5)
It is arranged at a position sandwiched between them. The stopping means 9 is provided with a slope 9 that can come into contact with the side portion 5c of the driven arm 5.
a, and is formed in a flat plate shape having a thickness that allows the driven side arm 5 to abut and stop.

By providing the stopping means 9 as described above, the driven arm 5 is rotated via the interlocking means 10 in conjunction with the driving arm 4, but the slope 9 of the stopping means 9 is rotated.
It will be stopped at the position where it comes into contact with a. Then, the driven side arm 5 comes into contact with the stopping means 9 to stop,
The drive side arm 4 also stops its rotation through the meshing between the gears 10a and 10b which are the interlocking means. At this time, both arms (4, 5) are stopped by being pressed against the stop means 9 while the force in the direction of rotation from the drive means 6 is still applied to the drive side arm 4. Will be done. That is, the interlocking of both arms (4, 5) is stopped by the stop means 9, and both arms (4, 5) are stopped together. And
Even after the interlocking of both arms (4, 5) is stopped, the driving means 6
By continuing to drive, both arms (4, 5) can be positioned while being biased so as not to swing.

FIG. 3 shows the drive side gear 10a and the driven side gear 10
The state of meshing with b is schematically shown, but the backlash (formed between the contact surfaces is formed so that the contact surfaces (A and B in the figure) smoothly contact the gear to transmit the rotation. Gap) is provided. However, as described above, since both arms (4, 5) are stopped by being pressed against the stopping means 9 by the force applied from the driving means 6, there is no influence of backlash,
Both arms (4, 5) are accurately stopped after rotating by a predetermined angle. Therefore, both the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3 are accurately positioned, and the state of the substrate W stored in the cassette 52 can be accurately detected.

The stopping means 9 shown in FIG. 1 is also provided with a slope on the side facing the drive side arm 4, but when both arms (4, 5) stop as described above, this slope A slight gap is formed between the side portion of the driving side arm 4.

The above is the description of the structure of the substrate detection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the operation of the substrate detection apparatus 1 will be described together with the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 50 in which the present apparatus 1 is used, while omitting the portions already described.

First, in FIG. 2, the cassette 52, which has been transported by a transport facility (not shown), is placed on the mounting portion 54.
It is placed on the cassette stage 56 of. After being placed, the cassette 52 is driven forward by the cassette drive mechanism 58. At this time, the shutter 57a closes the passage port 55a. Then, when the cassette 52 moves to a position close to the shutter 57a, a lock mechanism (not shown) provided on the shutter 57a
By connecting with the pinion 52g of the fixing mechanism 52e provided on the lid 52b of the cassette 52, the fixing mechanism 52e is released (see FIG. 5), the lid 52b becomes removable from the container 52a, and the lid 52b closes the shutter 57a. Held in.

Next, the shutter 57a is retracted by the shutter advancing / retreating mechanism 57d. By retracting, the opening 52c of the cassette 52 is in an open state,
A space is created between the shutter 57a holding the lid 52b.

The partition wall 55 and the shutter driving device 5
Elevating part 51b of the elevating device 51 installed between the
Are driven so as to rise with respect to the base portion 51a (the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 2). When the elevating part 51b reaches the ascending limit, both arms (4, 5) installed on the upper part of the elevating part 51b face the opening 52c of the cassette 52, and are located above the uppermost groove 52d. It has been adjusted to be slightly above.

Here, referring to FIG. 1, the elevating part 51b.
Shows the state of both arms (4, 5) in a state in which they have reached the upper limit and are capable of protruding with respect to the opening 52c of the cassette 52 by a solid line. From this state, the forward movement is performed so that the rod 6b projects with respect to the air cylinder 6a, whereby the drive side arm 4 rotates via the link members (6c, 6d) and the swing shaft 7, and The transmitter 2 attached to the one end side 4 a projects into the cassette 52.

At this time, the driven side arm 5 rotates through the meshing of the drive side gear 10a attached to the swing shaft 7 and the driven side gear 10b attached to the swing shaft 8, The receiver 3 attached to the one end 5a thereof projects into the cassette 52 like the transmitter 2.

The driving side arm 4 and the driven side arm 5 are rotated by gears 10a and 10b in conjunction with each other, but when the slope 9a of the stopping means 9 and the side portion 4a of the driven side arm 4 contact each other, Both arms (4, 5) stop. At this time,
As described above, both arms (4,
By stopping 5) so that it is pressed against the stop means 9, the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3 are accurately positioned without being affected by backlash.

After the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3 are accurately positioned, a signal is emitted from the transmitter 2 to the receiver 3. Then, as the elevating unit 51b descends, the signal path S formed between the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3 becomes
The storage state of the substrate W is sequentially detected by reaching the receiver 3 without being shielded where the substrate W is present and without being shielded where the substrate W is not present.

Thus, all the grooves 52 in the cassette 52 are
With respect to d, information regarding the storage state of the substrate W will be obtained. Then, for example, when the processing unit 53 of the substrate processing apparatus 50 processes the cassette 52, the substrate W is taken out from the specific groove 52d of the cassette 52 based on the substrate detection information, and after the processing, Further, it is used when the substrate W is returned and stored in the groove 52d taken out.

When the signal transmission for detecting the substrate W is completed in the cassette 52, the rod 6b retracts with respect to the air cylinder 6a so that the link members (6c, 6d) are retracted. ), The swing shafts (7, 8), and the interlocking means (10a, 10b), both arms (4,
5) again, from the state of protruding to the passage port 55a, FIG.
It retreats to the state shown by the solid line in (a).

The above is the description of the substrate detection device 1 according to the present embodiment. According to the substrate detection device 1, the signal emitted from the transmitter 2 can be reliably received by the receiver 3. The substrate W that can be stored in the cassette 52
The state of can be detected accurately.

Further, the embodiment is not limited to the above, and for example, the following modifications may be carried out. (1) In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the arm attached with the transmitter is directly driven by the driving means and the arm attached with the receiver is driven through the interlocking means. The present invention can be applied even in the above relationship. That is, the arm to which the receiver is attached may be directly driven by the driving means, and the arm to which the transmitter is attached may be driven via the interlocking means.

(2) In the present embodiment, the interlocking means is composed of a pair of gears, but this need not always be the case. For example, the present invention can be applied to various types such as a combination of a rack and a pinion.

(3) In the present embodiment, the stop means is exemplified to include a sloped surface that comes into contact with the other arm, but the present invention can be applied even if this is not the case. For example, it may be a pin member that comes into contact with the other arm.

(4) Further, in the substrate detecting apparatus 1 of the present embodiment example, instead of the stopping means 9, a stopping means 91 as shown in FIG. 4 may be provided. That is,
The effect of the present invention can be obtained as long as it has the inclined surface 91a that comes into contact with at least the side portion 5c of the other arm 5 like the stopping means 91.

(5) In the present embodiment, the substrate detection device is attached to the elevating device 51 installed between the partition wall 55 and the shutter drive device 57. 57 shutter 57a
The same effect as that of the present invention can be obtained by attaching the same to the.

(6) In the present embodiment, the signal path formed between the transmitter and the receiver is blocked by the presence of the board to detect the housed state of the board. However, this is not always the case.
For example, the presence of the substrate may be detected by receiving a signal reflected by the peripheral side surface of the substrate with a receiver.

[0057]

As described above, according to the substrate detecting device of the first aspect, the pair of arms are driven through the interlocking means, and the interlocking of the both arms is stopped by the stopping means. Both arms will stop. Then, even after the interlocking of both arms is stopped, by continuing to drive the driving means, a force that prevents both arms from swinging is applied. That is, even after being stopped by the stop means, both arms are positioned together because they are urged by the drive means so as not to swing. Therefore, due to the gaps that exist between the components,
It is possible to accurately position the transmitter and the receiver without shifting the positioning of both arms. Therefore, it is possible to provide the detection device capable of accurately detecting the state of the substrate stored in the substrate storage container.

According to the substrate detecting device of the second aspect, since the pair of arms are interlocked and rotated by the meshing of the driving side gear and the driven side gear, a high synchronism is obtained. Then, the driven side arm comes into contact with the stopping means, so that the driving side arm also stops rotating, and further, even after the driven side arm is stopped by the stopping means, the driving side arm is rotated toward the stopping means. Both arms are positioned together by exerting a moving force. As a result, the transmitter and the receiver can be accurately positioned without the positioning of both arms being displaced due to the influence of the backlash existing in the meshing portion of the gear.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a substrate detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to a lifting device, and FIG.
Shows a top view and FIG. 1 (b) shows a front view.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus to which the substrate detection apparatus according to the present embodiment is attached.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing meshing of a pair of gears in the substrate detection device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a substrate detection device according to a modification is attached to a lifting device.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state where substrates are stored in a FOUP cassette.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Substrate detection device 2 transmitter 3 receiver 4 One arm 4a One end side 4b The other end side 5 The other arm 5a One end side 5b The other end side 6 Drive means 9 Stopping means 10 interlocking means 10a Drive side gear 10b Driven gear 51 Lifting device 52 cassettes 52c opening 52d groove S signal path W board

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A substrate detection device for detecting the presence or absence of a substrate in a substrate storage container by arranging a receiver and a transmitter at positions facing each other with the substrate sandwiched, wherein either the receiver or the transmitter is provided. A pair of arms respectively, interlocking means for interlocking the pair of arms with each other, driving means for driving the interlocking means, and a position where the transmitter and the receiver detect the substrate by interlocking the pair of arms. A substrate detection apparatus comprising: a stop unit that stops the interlocking of the pair of arms when arranged, and continues driving the drive unit even after the interlocking of the pair of arms is stopped. 2. A substrate detection device for detecting the presence or absence of a substrate in a substrate storage container by disposing a receiver and a transmitter at positions facing each other with the substrate sandwiched, wherein one of the transmitter and the receiver is provided. A driving arm arranged near one end thereof, a driving gear arranged near the other end of the driving arm, and a driven arm arranged near the other end of the transmitter or the receiver. A driven gear is provided near the other end of the driven arm, and drive means for rotating the driving arm is provided, and the driving gear and the driven gear are arranged at positions meshed with each other. A stop for stopping the rotation by contacting the driven side arm at a position where the transmitter and the receiver face each other with the substrate sandwiched between the driving side arm and the passive side arm. Means The force for rotating the drive side arm in the direction of the stop means is exerted even after the drive side arm is rotated in the direction of the stop means and the driven side arm is stopped by the stop means. A substrate detection device characterized in that a drive side gear and a driven side gear are meshed with each other.