JP2006073834A - Substrate transport device and substrate treatment equipment employing it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate transport device capable of attaining space saving easily, and to provide a substrate treatment equipment employing it. <P>SOLUTION: An indexer robot 13 is provided with a first robot arm 16 and a second robot arm 17 employing a so-called 3-link system. Consequently, a required reach length can be secured in a state that the first robot arm 16 and the second robot arm 17 are extended. An occupation area of the indexer robot 13 can thereby be reduced in a folded state. Since a turning diameter L1 and a moving range P1 of the indexer robot 13 can be reduced when a rotary elevating and lowering table is rotated, space saving can be attained easily by reducing the footprint of the substrate transport device 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transport apparatus having a configuration for transferring a substrate to and from a carrier that accommodates a substrate, and a substrate processing apparatus using the same. Examples of substrates to be transported or processed include semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices, glass substrates for plasma displays, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, magneto-optical disk substrates, and photomask substrates. .

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal display device, a substrate processing apparatus that performs various processes such as a resist coating process and a cleaning process on a substrate (semiconductor wafer or glass substrate) has been used.
Such a substrate processing apparatus includes, for example, an indexer robot that accesses a plurality of cassettes containing substrates and delivers the substrates to and from the cassettes, a processing unit for performing predetermined processing on the substrates, and an indexer. A main transfer robot is provided for transferring a substrate to and from the robot and performing a substrate transfer operation with respect to the processing unit. Each cassette is arranged at a plurality of cassette holding positions, and the indexer robot can reciprocate along each cassette.

For example, when an unprocessed substrate is stored in a cassette, first, the indexer robot travels to a position facing the target cassette and stops. Then, the substrate is taken out from the cassette by the indexer robot and transferred to the main transfer robot. The delivered substrate is carried into the processing unit by the main transfer robot and subjected to predetermined processing in the processing unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-247664

An example of a substrate processing apparatus of the type described in Patent Document 1 is shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view with a part omitted. Further, in FIG. 4, the right side is described as the front, the left side as the rear, the back side as the left side, and the near side as the right side.
The substrate processing apparatus 2 includes four cassettes 21 provided at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction, and an indexer unit 22 provided along the front end of each cassette 21 and extending in the left-right direction.

The cassette 21 is for accommodating a substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate, and accommodates an unprocessed substrate W or a processed substrate W.
The indexer unit 22 is provided with an indexer robot 23 that can take in and out the substrates accommodated in the cassette 21.
The indexer robot 23 includes a base portion 24 that can move along each cassette 21 and can turn around a vertical axis, and a first robot arm 25 and a first robot arm 25 provided on the base portion 24. Two robot arms 26 are provided. The first robot arm 25 includes a first link member 25a that is rotatably connected to the base portion 24, and a second link member 25b that is rotatably connected to the first link member 25a. , A hand attaching part 25c rotatably connected to the second link member 25b, and a substrate holding hand 25d attached to the hand attaching part 25c.

The second robot arm 26 has a first link member 26a rotatably connected to the base portion 24, and a second link member 26b rotatably connected to the first link member 26a. A hand attaching portion 26c that is rotatably connected to the second link member 26b, and a substrate holding hand 26d attached to the hand attaching portion 26c are provided.
The first robot arm 25 and the second robot arm 26 are so-called scalar arm mechanisms. When a rotational force is applied to the first link members 25a and 26a from a driving source (not shown), the rotational force is applied to the second link. The signals are sequentially transmitted to the members 25b and 26b and the hand mounting portions 25c and 26c, and the substrate holding hands 25d and 26d advance and retreat while maintaining their postures.

  For example, when an unprocessed substrate W is stored in the cassette 21 and the substrate W is taken out, the indexer robot 23 first folds the first robot arm 25 and the second robot arm 26 to minimize reach. In this state, the base unit 24 is moved to a position facing the cassette 21 by the operation of the base unit 24, and further, the substrate holding hands 25d and 26d are rotated by a predetermined angle around the vertical axis so as to face the cassette 21, and then stopped.

  Then, the first robot arm 25 or the second robot arm 26 is extended to the cassette 21 by a predetermined length, the substrate W in the cassette 21 is taken out, folded while holding the substrate W, the reach is minimized, and the indexer It moves to the center position of the part 22. Further, after rotating by a predetermined angle around the vertical axis, the folded first robot arm 25 or second robot arm 26 is extended, and the substrate W taken out from the cassette 21 is pushed forward. The delivered substrate W is transferred to, for example, a main transfer robot, and the main transfer robot carries the substrate W into the processing unit, and a predetermined process is performed (not shown).

As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 2 processes the substrate W. The indexer robot 23 reaches the substrate transfer position in order to transfer the substrate W to and from the main transfer robot. It is necessary to ensure.
However, since the first robot arm 25 and the second robot arm 26 have a two-link configuration, the length of one link member has to be increased. The occupied area of the indexer robot 23 with the robot arm 26 folded is increased, and the turning diameter L2 thereof is increased. Furthermore, the movement range P2 of the indexer robot 23 is increased. As a result, the width and length of the indexer unit 22 are increased, and the footprint of the substrate processing apparatus 2 is increased.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transport apparatus that can easily realize space saving of the apparatus and a substrate processing apparatus using the same.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is held by the carrier holding portion (11) having a plurality of carrier holding positions capable of holding the carriers (111 to 114) for accommodating the substrate (W). A substrate transfer device for accessing a carrier and transferring a substrate to and from the carrier, wherein the base portion is placed in a base portion (15) and a transfer path (131) along the plurality of carrier holding positions. A base part moving mechanism (19, 155) to be moved, a substrate holding hand (165, 175) for holding a substrate, and a first link member (161) attached to the base part and connected to the base part 171), second link members (162, 172) connected to the first link member, and third link members (163, 173) connected to the second link member, The connecting portion with the first link member is a first joint, the connecting portion between the first link member and the second link member is a second joint, and the connecting portion between the second link member and the third link member is A robot arm (16, 17) having a third joint and a hand attaching portion (164, 174) to which the substrate holding hand is attached at the tip, and the first, second and The substrate transport apparatus includes an arm drive mechanism (158, 159) that provides a drive force for bending and extending the third link member at the first, second, and third joints.

The alphanumeric characters in parentheses represent corresponding components in the embodiments described later. The same applies hereinafter.
According to this configuration, the substrate transfer apparatus includes the first link member, the second link member, the third link member, and the hand attachment unit as the robot arm, and the robot arm has at least a three-link configuration. is doing. Thereby, even if the length of each link member is shortened, in the state where the first link member, the second link member, the third link member, and the hand attaching portion are extended, the robot arm has the necessary reach length. It can be secured. Therefore, when these are folded, the occupied area of the robot arm can be reduced, and the space of the movement range of the robot arm can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to easily realize space saving by reducing the footprint of the substrate transfer apparatus.

In addition, it is preferable that the base part (15) of the robot arm (16, 17) is provided with a lifting drive mechanism (156). If it does in this way, a robot arm can be raised / lowered as needed, and a board | substrate can be exchanged in a predetermined height position.
The substrate transfer device may be an indexer robot (13) having both a function of unloading the substrate (W) from the carrier (111 to 114) and a function of storing the substrate with respect to the carrier. It may be a loader robot that unloads a substrate, or may be an unloader robot that exclusively stores a substrate with respect to a carrier.

  Further, as in the invention described in claim 2, the robot arm (16, 17) further includes a turning drive mechanism (157) for turning the base portion (15) about a predetermined turning axis (θ10). However, even when the hand mounting portion (164, 174) is moved forward and backward along a direction substantially perpendicular to the turning axis, the space for turning the robot arm can be reduced, and the footprint of the substrate transfer device can be reduced. Can be small.

Further, by turning the base portion, the substrate holding hand can be opposed to the carrier or can be opposed to the direction other than the carrier.
In addition, when a conveyance path (131) follows a horizontal surface, it is preferable that a turning axis line ((theta) 10) follows a perpendicular direction.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the substrate (W) can be exchanged with the substrate holding hand (165, 175) at a predetermined substrate transfer position (S), and the position is fixed with respect to the substrate transfer position. A pedestal portion (37), a base portion (38) attached to the pedestal portion, and a substrate holding hand (39, 40) attached to the base portion and capable of moving forward and backward with respect to the substrate delivery position. 3. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate transfer robot (36) provided with an advance / retreat drive mechanism (385, 386) for moving the substrate holding hand back and forth.

  According to this configuration, since the position of the pedestal portion is fixed, dust generation can be suppressed even when the substrate transport robot is operated. Also, since the robot arm that accesses the carrier has at least a three-link configuration, for example, when compared to a two-link configuration, there are many link members even when the folded occupied area is the same. Since it has, the reach of the extended state becomes long. Therefore, since the substrate delivery position can be closer to the substrate transfer robot, the movement distance of the substrate holding hand on the substrate transfer robot side can be shortened. Therefore, the substrate transport robot can advance the substrate holding hand to the substrate delivery position in a short time, and can retract the substrate holding hand from the substrate delivery position in a short time. As a result, the substrate transfer robot can transfer the substrate to and from the robot arm in a short time.

The substrate delivery position (S) may be determined on the opposite side of the carrier holding position with the conveyance path (131) interposed therebetween, for example.
The substrate transfer robot (36) preferably further includes a turning drive mechanism (384) for turning the base (38) about a predetermined turning axis (θ11). In this way, for example, the substrate holding hand can be made to face the robot arm by turning the base part, or can be made to face in a direction other than the robot arm.

Invention of Claim 4 contains the board | substrate conveyance apparatus of Claim 3, and the substrate processing unit (311 to 318) which processes with respect to a board | substrate (W), The said board | substrate conveyance robot (36) A substrate processing apparatus (1), which performs a substrate transfer operation with respect to a substrate processing unit.
According to this configuration, the substrate can be transferred to the substrate processing unit by the substrate transfer robot.

  A plurality of substrate processing units (311 to 318) may be arranged surrounding the substrate transfer robot (36). In this case, the substrate transfer robot preferably includes a turning drive mechanism (384) for turning the base portion (38) around a predetermined axis (θ11). For example, if a plurality of substrate processing units are arranged so as to surround the substrate transport robot along a horizontal plane, it is preferable that the turning drive mechanism turns the base portion around a vertical turning axis. Accordingly, the substrate holding hand can be advanced and retracted with respect to any substrate processing unit, and the substrate can be exchanged with these substrate processing units.

A plurality of substrate processing units (311 to 318) may be stacked on the first floor and the second floor. In this case, it is preferable that the substrate transport robot (36) further includes an elevating drive mechanism (383) that moves the base portion (38) in the vertical direction. Thereby, a board | substrate can be conveyed with respect to both the substrate processing unit of a 1st floor part and a 2nd floor part.
Further, for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate processing unit and / or draining the used processing liquid from the substrate processing unit between the transfer path (131) and the arrangement area of the substrate processing units (311 to 318). An arrangement region of the treatment liquid control unit (14) may be provided. In this case, for example, when the substrate processing unit has a two-story structure as described above, the arrangement area of the processing liquid control unit becomes large, and it is necessary to make the robot arm long reach. However, since the robot arm has a configuration of at least a three-link system, it is possible to reduce the turning space of the robot arm while ensuring sufficient reach of the robot arm.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view for explaining the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus using a substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the right side in FIG. 1 is the front side, the left side is the rear side, the back side is the left side, and the front side is the right side.
The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a carrier holding part 11, an indexer part 12 provided in front of the carrier holding part 11, a fluid box 14 provided on the opposite side of the carrier holding part 11 with the indexer part 12 interposed therebetween, A processing unit 31 having a plurality of substrate processing units is provided on the opposite side of the carrier holding unit 11 with the indexer unit 12 and the fluid box 14 interposed therebetween.

The carrier holding unit 11 is provided with carriers 111, 112, 113, and 114 arranged at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction. Each of the carriers 111 to 114 is for accommodating a plurality of substrates W therein, and an unprocessed substrate W or a processed substrate W is accommodated therein.
In this embodiment, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) that accommodates the substrate W in a sealed state is used as the carriers 111 to 114. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and SMIF (Standard Mechanical Inter Face) is used. ) A pod, OC (Open Cassette) or the like may be used.

The indexer unit 12 includes an indexer robot 13 that can take in and out the substrates W accommodated in the carriers 111 to 114, and a transport path 131 that extends in the left-right direction and that transports the indexer robot 13.
FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing a state where the indexer robot 13 in the state shown in FIG. 1 is viewed from the right side.

The indexer robot 13 includes a base portion 15 and a first robot arm 16 and a second robot arm 17 provided on the base portion 15.
The base unit 15 includes a first base 151, a second base 152 provided on the first base 151, and a second base 152, which is perpendicular to the second base 152. A rotary elevator 153 capable of rotating and raising and lowering around an axis, a pair of sliding blocks 154 provided on the lower surface of the first base 151 at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction, and the first base 151 A traveling block 155 provided on the lower surface so as to be positioned between the pair of sliding blocks 154 is provided.

The second base 152 is connected to the rotary elevator 153 and connected to the rotary elevator 153 for raising and lowering the rotary elevator 153. The rotary elevator 153 is turned along the vertical direction. A turning drive mechanism 157 for turning around the axis θ10 is incorporated.
In the rotary platform 153, the first robot arm 16 is connected to the first robot arm 16, and the first robot drive mechanism 158 for bending and extending the first robot arm 16 is connected to the second robot arm 17. A second arm drive mechanism 159 for bending and stretching is incorporated.

  A groove extending in the left-right direction (perpendicular to the paper surface) is formed on the lower surface of the sliding block 154, and the conveyance path 131 is disposed in the left-right direction (perpendicular to the paper surface) as the arrangement direction of the carriers 111 to 114. A pair of extending guide rails 18 are arranged in parallel to each other at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction. Each sliding block 154 is slidable with respect to each guide rail 18 by fitting the groove of each sliding block 154 into the upper portion of each guide rail 18.

The travel block 155 incorporates a ball nut (not shown) therein, and the ball nut is screwed with a ball screw 19 extending in the left-right direction (perpendicular to the paper surface). Further, the ball screw 19 is connected to the motor 20 and is rotated around its axis when the driving force of the motor 20 is transmitted.
The first robot arm 16 includes a first link member 161 that is rotatably connected to the rotary elevator 153, and a second link member 162 that is rotatably connected to the first link member 161. A third link member 163 rotatably connected to the second link member 162, a hand attachment portion 164 rotatably connected to the third link member 163, and an attachment to the hand attachment portion 164 The substrate holding hand 165 is provided.

The first link member 161 is connected at the base end portion thereof to the rotary elevator 153 so as to be rotatable about the first rotation axis θ <b> 1, and the connecting portion (coupling portion) is connected to the first robot arm 16. The first joint. The first link member 161 is connected to the first arm drive mechanism 158.
The second link member 162 is connected at its proximal end portion so as to be rotatable around a second rotation axis θ2 parallel to the first rotation axis θ1 with respect to the free end portion (tip portion) of the first link member 161. The connecting portion (joining portion) is the second joint of the first robot arm 16.

The third link member 163 is connected at its proximal end portion so as to be rotatable around a third rotation axis θ3 parallel to the first rotation axis θ1 with respect to the free end portion (tip portion) of the second link member 162. The connecting portion (coupling portion) is the third joint of the first robot arm 16.
The hand attachment portion 164 is connected at its proximal end portion so as to be rotatable around a fourth rotation axis θ4 parallel to the first rotation axis θ1 with respect to the free end portion (tip portion) of the third link member 163. The connecting portion (joining portion) is the fourth joint of the first robot arm 16.

The first rotation axis θ1 is along the vertical direction. That is, the first rotation axis θ1, the second rotation axis θ2, the third rotation axis θ3, and the fourth rotation axis θ4 are all along the vertical direction. Therefore, the 1st link member 161, the 2nd link member 162, the 3rd link member 163, and the hand attaching part 164 are each rotatable along a horizontal surface.
The substrate holding hand 165 is attached so as to be fixed to the free end portion (front end portion) of the hand attachment portion 164, and the shape in plan view changes from the base end portion fixed to the hand attachment portion 164 to the free end portion. It is made into the substantially V shape which spreads over (tip part).

  The first robot arm 16 forms a so-called scalar arm mechanism. When a rotational force is applied from the first arm drive mechanism 158 to the first link member 161, the rotational force is applied to the second link member 162, The information is sequentially transmitted to the third link member 163 and the hand attaching portion 164, and the substrate holding hand 165 moves forward and backward while maintaining its posture. Therefore, the first robot arm 16 moves the hand attachment portion 164 forward and backward along a direction substantially orthogonal to the first turning axis θ10.

  The second robot arm 17 includes a first link member 171 rotatably connected to the rotary elevator 153, and a second link member 172 rotatably connected to the first link member 171. A third link member 173 rotatably connected to the second link member 172, a hand attachment portion 174 rotatably connected to the third link member 173, and a hand attachment portion 174 The substrate holding hand 175 is provided.

The first link member 171 is connected at the base end portion thereof to the rotary elevator 153 so as to be rotatable about the fifth rotation axis θ <b> 5, and the connecting portion (coupling portion) thereof is connected to the second robot arm 17. The first joint. The first link member 171 is connected to the second arm drive mechanism 159.
The second link member 172 is connected at its base end portion so as to be rotatable around a sixth rotation axis θ6 parallel to the fifth rotation axis θ5 with respect to the free end portion (tip portion) of the first link member 171. The connecting portion (joining portion) is the second joint of the second robot arm 17.

The third link member 173 is connected at its base end portion so as to be rotatable around a seventh rotation axis θ7 parallel to the fifth rotation axis θ5 with respect to the free end portion (tip end portion) of the second link member 172. The connecting portion (connecting portion) is the third joint of the second robot arm 17.
The hand attachment portion 174 is connected at its base end portion so as to be rotatable around an eighth rotation axis θ8 parallel to the fifth rotation axis θ5 with respect to the free end portion (tip portion) of the third link member 173. The connecting portion (joining portion) is the fourth joint of the second robot arm 17.

The fifth rotation axis θ5 is along the vertical direction. That is, the fifth rotation axis θ5, the sixth rotation axis θ6, the seventh rotation axis θ7, and the eighth rotation axis θ8 are all along the vertical direction. Therefore, the first link member 171, the second link member 172, the third link member 173, and the hand attachment portion 174 are each rotatable along a horizontal plane.
The substrate holding hand 175 is attached so as to be fixed to the free end portion (front end portion) of the hand attaching portion 174, and the shape in plan view changes from the base end portion fixed to the hand attaching portion 174 to the free end portion. It is made into the substantially V shape which spreads over.

  The second robot arm 17 forms a so-called scalar arm mechanism. When a rotational force is applied to the first link member 171 from the second arm drive mechanism 159, the rotational force is applied to the second link member 172, The information is sequentially transmitted to the third link member 173 and the hand attaching portion 174, and the substrate holding hand 175 advances and retreats while maintaining its posture. Therefore, the second robot arm 17 moves the hand mounting portion 174 forward and backward along a direction substantially orthogonal to the first turning axis θ10.

Further, the height positions of the substrate holding hand 165 and the hand 175 are shifted in a side view so that they do not interfere with each other when they are advanced and retracted.
Thereby, the indexer robot 13 can fold the first robot arm 16 and the second robot arm 17 by the operation of the first arm driving mechanism 158 and the second arm driving mechanism 159 to reduce the occupied area. When the turning drive mechanism 157 operates, the rotary elevator 153, the first robot arm 16, and the second robot arm 17 turn around the first turning axis θ10. The turning diameter L1 is as shown in FIG. Further, the indexer robot 13 is driven in a state where the ball screw 19 is rotated by driving the motor 20 with the first robot arm 16 and the second robot arm 17 folded. The conveying path 131 is moved via the block 155. The movement range P1 is as shown in FIG.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the fluid box 14 collects a supply mechanism for supplying a processing liquid used in the processing step of the substrate W in each substrate processing unit of the processing unit 31 and a used processing liquid. A recovery mechanism (not shown) is provided.
The processing unit 31 receives a plurality (eight in this embodiment) of substrate processing units 311 to 318 and an unprocessed substrate W from the indexer robot 13 and carries them into one of the substrate processing units 311 to 318. And a center robot 36 that carries out the processed substrate W from the substrate processing units 311 to 318 and delivers it to the indexer robot 13. Specifically, the center robot 36 is disposed at the center of the processing unit 31, and the substrate processing units 311 to 318 are disposed so as to surround the center robot 36.

In FIG. 1, for convenience, the substrate processing units 311 to 318 are represented as if they are juxtaposed in the horizontal direction, but in actuality, these are arranged so as to form a two-story structure.
In other words, the substrate processing units 311 and 312 are arranged on the left rear side of the center robot 36, and are stacked so that the substrate processing unit 311 is on the first floor and the substrate processing unit 312 is on the second floor.

Similarly, the substrate processing units 313 and 314 are arranged on the left front side of the center robot 36, and are stacked with the substrate processing unit 313 as the first floor and the substrate processing unit 314 as the second floor.
The substrate processing units 315 and 316 are disposed on the right rear side of the center robot 36, and are stacked with the substrate processing unit 315 as the first floor and the substrate processing unit 316 as the second floor.

The substrate processing units 317 and 318 are arranged on the right front side of the center robot 36, and are stacked so that the substrate processing unit 317 is the first floor and the substrate processing unit 318 is the second floor.
Specifically, the substrate processing units 311 to 318 may be substrate cleaning units that clean the substrate W, for example. More specifically, the substrate processing units 311 to 318 include a spin chuck that rotates while holding the substrate W, and a processing liquid nozzle that supplies a processing liquid for cleaning to the substrate W held by the spin chuck. You may have. The treatment liquid nozzle may include a chemical liquid nozzle that supplies a chemical liquid (such as an etching liquid) and a pure water nozzle that supplies pure water (deionized water). Such a substrate processing unit rotates an unprocessed substrate W delivered from the central robot 36 while holding it on a spin chuck, and supplies a chemical solution from a chemical solution nozzle to the surface of the substrate W, thereby etching the substrate W. A chemical treatment for removing foreign substances on the surface is performed by the above, and thereafter, the supply of the chemical solution is stopped. Instead, pure water is supplied from the pure water nozzle to the substrate surface, and the rinse treatment is performed to replace the chemical solution on the substrate W with pure water. I do. Thereafter, the supply of pure water is stopped, the spin chuck is rotated at a high speed, and a drying process is performed to remove moisture from the surface of the substrate W by centrifugal force. As a result, the series of processes is completed, and the processed substrate W is unloaded by the center robot 36.

FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing the center robot 36 as viewed from the right side.
The center robot 36 includes a pedestal portion 37 fixed in position within the substrate processing apparatus 1, a base portion 38 provided on the pedestal portion 37, and a base portion 38. A first substrate holding hand 39 and a second substrate holding hand 40 that are movably connected to each other are provided.

As will be described later, the relative position of the pedestal 37 is fixed so as to be aligned in the front-rear direction with respect to the transfer position S of the substrate W with the indexer robot 13.
The base unit 38 includes a base 381 and a rotary lift 382 that is provided on the base 381 and that can rotate and move up and down around the vertical axis with respect to the base 381.
Inside the base 381, it is connected to a rotary elevator 382, and an elevator drive mechanism 383 for raising and lowering the rotary elevator 382, and a turning drive connected to the rotary elevator 382 for rotating the rotary elevator 382. A mechanism 384 is incorporated.

The rotary platform 382 is connected to the first substrate holding hand 39 and is connected to the first substrate moving hand 385 for moving the first substrate holding hand 39 back and forth, and the second substrate holding hand 40. A second advancing / retracting drive mechanism 386 is incorporated to advance and retract the holding hand 40.
The first substrate holding hand 39 has a substantially U-shape in a plan view at its distal end portion, and is connected to the rotary lifting platform 382 so that the base end portion can be advanced and retracted from the rotary lifting platform 382. ing.

The second substrate holding hand 40 has a substantially U-shaped plan view at the distal end portion thereof, and is connected to the rotary lift table 382 so that the base end portion can be advanced and retracted from the rotary lift table 382. ing.
In addition, the first substrate holding hand 39 and the second substrate holding hand 40 are shifted in height from each tip portion in a side view so that they do not interfere with each other when they are advanced and retracted.

  As a result, in the state in which the first substrate holding hand 39 and the second substrate holding hand 40 are retracted by the operations of the first advance / retreat drive mechanism 385 and the second advance / retreat drive mechanism 386, the rotation lift mechanism 382 is operated by the operation of the turning drive mechanism 384. The first substrate holding hand 39 and the second substrate holding hand 40 can be turned around the second turning axis θ11 (see FIG. 1). The turning diameter at this time is indicated by a symbol L3.

  For example, when an unprocessed substrate W is accommodated in the carrier 111 and the substrate W is taken out and subjected to a predetermined process, the indexer robot 13 first moves the first robot arm 16 and the second robot arm 17. By driving the motor 20 with the reach being minimized, the transport path 131 is moved to a position facing the carrier 111, and the substrate holding hands 165 and 175 are further opposed to the carrier 111. It stops after rotating a predetermined angle around the turning axis θ10.

  Then, the indexer robot 13 raises and lowers the rotary elevator 153 to a height sufficient for taking out the substrate W in the carrier 111 by the operation of the elevation drive mechanism 156. Further, for example, by the operation of the first arm driving mechanism 158, the first robot arm 16 is extended with respect to the carrier 111 by a predetermined length, and the substrate W in the carrier 111 is scooped up by a minute height by the substrate holding hand 165. In the state where the substrate holding hand 165 holds the substrate W, the first robot arm 16 is folded to reach the minimum position and move to the center position of the transport path 131. Further, the substrate holding hands 165 and 175 are rotated by a predetermined angle around the first turning axis θ10 so that the substrate holding hands 165 and 175 are opposed to the center robot 36, and then the first robot arm 16 is extended and the taken out substrate W is pushed forward. . Then, the substrate W is delivered to the substrate delivery position S.

Further, the center robot 36 sets the position where the first substrate holding hand 39 is retracted and faces the indexer robot 13 as the home position of the first substrate holding hand 39. Similarly, a position where the second substrate holding hand 40 is retracted and is opposed to the indexer robot 13 is set as a home position of the second substrate holding hand 40.
Then, the center robot 36 advances the first substrate holding hand 39 from the home position until the tip portion reaches the delivery position S by the operation of the first advance / retreat drive mechanism 385, for example.

Then, the substrate W taken out from the carrier 111 by the first robot arm 16 is delivered to the first substrate holding hand 39 at the substrate delivery position S. The first substrate holding hand 39 that has received the substrate W is retracted to the home position by the operation of the first advance / retreat driving mechanism 385.
Then, for example, by the operation of the turning drive mechanism 384, the rotary elevator 382 is rotated to an angular position where the first substrate holding hand 39 and the second substrate holding hand 40 face the substrate processing unit 311. Further, the first and second substrate holding hands 39 and 40 are moved up and down to a height facing the substrate processing unit 311 by the operation of the lifting drive mechanism 383.

If the processed substrate W is accommodated in the substrate processing unit 311, the second substrate holding hand 40 advances to the substrate processing unit 311 by the operation of the second advance / retreat driving mechanism 386, so that the processed substrate W has been processed. The substrate W is unloaded from the substrate processing unit 311 by the second substrate holding hand 40.
Subsequently, the first substrate holding hand 39 advances into the substrate processing unit 311 by the operation of the first advance / retreat driving mechanism 385, whereby the substrate W is carried into the substrate processing unit 311 and predetermined processing is performed. Is done.

  The substrate processing units 311 to 318 may perform the same type of processing, or may include those that perform different types of processing. When performing the same type of processing, the center robot 36 carries the unprocessed substrate W received from the indexer robot 13 into one of the substrate processing units 311 to 318 and also processes the processed substrate received from the substrate processing unit. It operates to deliver W to the indexer robot 13. When a substrate processing unit that performs different types of processing is included, the center robot 36 may operate to transport a substrate from one substrate processing unit to another substrate processing unit.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the indexer robot 13 includes the first robot arm 16 and the second robot arm 17, and the first robot arm 16 and the second robot arm 17 have a three-link system. It has a configuration. As a result, even if the individual link members are shortened, the necessary reach length can be secured in the state where the first robot arm 16 and the second robot arm 17 are extended. Therefore, the area occupied by the indexer robot 13 can be reduced in the folded state.

  Specifically, the indexer robot 13 has a turning diameter L1 when the rotary elevator 153 is rotated as shown in the figure, and further, a range when the transport path 131 is moved is a movement range P1. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, in the case of the indexer robot 23 using the conventional two-link type first robot arm 25 and second robot arm 26, the turning diameter L2 and the movement range P2 are as shown in the figure. L1 <L2 and P1 <P2.

That is, the turning diameter L1 and the movement range P1 of the indexer robot 13 can be reduced, and the footprint of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 can be reduced, and space saving can be easily realized.
Further, the center robot 36 delivers the substrate W to and from the indexer robot 13 and appropriately accesses any one of the eight substrate processing units 311 to 318 arranged around the one substrate. The processed substrate W is unloaded with the holding hand. Subsequently, an unprocessed substrate W is carried in with the other substrate holding hand. Further, since the substrate processing units 311 to 318 perform a plurality of processes such as a chemical process, a rinse process, and a drying process, the time required to process one substrate (hereinafter referred to as a “substrate processing time”) is inevitably increased. End up. Therefore, when processing a single substrate, the time required for the process in the processing unit 31 (substrate processing time + the substrate transport time of the center robot 36) is longer than the time required for the process in the indexer unit 12. Thus, the time required for the process in the processing unit 31 determines the substrate processing speed of the entire substrate processing apparatus 1.

  In this embodiment, since the first robot arm 16 and the second robot arm 17 have a three-link system, for example, when compared with a two-link system, even if the occupied area in the folded state is the same, the link Since there are many members, the reach of the extended state becomes longer. That is, by increasing the reach of the first robot arm 16 and the second robot arm 17 of the indexer robot 13, the substrate delivery position S between the indexer robot 13 and the center robot 36 can be arranged closer to the center robot 36. . As a result, the stroke when the first substrate holding hand 39 and the second substrate holding hand 40 of the center robot 36 access the substrate transfer position S with the indexer robot 13 is shortened. As a result, the stroke with the indexer robot 13 is reduced. The time required for delivery of the substrate W can be shortened. As a result, the substrate transfer time (cycle time) of the center robot 36 can be shortened, so that the time required for the process in the processing unit 31 that is rate-limiting is shortened. Processing speed can be increased.

Further, since the pedestal 37 of the center robot 36 is fixed in position, dust generation can be suppressed even if the center robot 36 is operated.
Further, since the substrate processing units 311 to 318 have a two-story structure, the arrangement area of the fluid box 14 becomes large, and it is necessary to make the first robot arm 16 and the second robot arm 17 long reach. Even in such a case, since the first robot arm 16 and the second robot arm 17 are of the three-link system, their reach can be sufficiently secured and the turning space can be reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.
For example, in the above description, the first robot arm 16 and the second robot arm 17 of the indexer robot 13 have a three-link configuration, but the first robot arm 16 and the second robot arm 17 are at least Any device having a three-link configuration may be used. That is, the indexer robot 13 may have, for example, a 4-link configuration.

  Further, although the indexer robot 13 is used in the substrate processing apparatus 1, it may be a loader robot that carries out the substrate W exclusively from the carriers 111 to 114, and is an unloader that exclusively stores the substrate W in the carriers 111 to 114. It may be a robot.

It is an illustrative top view for demonstrating the structure of the substrate processing apparatus with which the substrate conveying apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention was used. It is a side view which shows the state which looked at the indexer robot from the right side. It is a side view which shows the state which looked at the center robot from the right side. It is an illustrative top view for demonstrating the structure of the substrate processing apparatus with which the conventional substrate conveyance apparatus was used.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 11 Carrier holding part 13 Indexer robot 14 Fluid box 15 Base part 16 First robot arm 17 Second robot arm 19 Ball screw 37 Base part 38 Base part 39 First substrate holding hand 40 Second substrate holding hand 111 to 114 Carrier 131 Transport path 155 Traveling block 157 Rotation drive mechanism 158 First arm drive mechanism 159 Second arm drive mechanism 161 First link member 162 Second link member 163 Third link member 164 Hand attachment portion 165 Substrate holding hand 171 First link member 172 Second link member 173 Third link member 174 Hand mounting portion 175 Substrate holding hands 311 to 318 Substrate processing unit 385 First advance / retreat drive mechanism 386 Second advance / retreat drive mechanism W Substrate S Substrate delivery position θ10 First turn Axis θ1 The second pivot axis

Claims (4)

A substrate transfer device for accessing a carrier held by a carrier holding portion having a plurality of carrier holding positions capable of holding carriers for accommodating substrates and transferring the substrate to and from the carrier,
A base,
A base part moving mechanism for moving the base part in a transport path along the plurality of carrier holding positions;
A substrate holding hand for holding a substrate;
A first link member attached to the base portion and connected to the base portion, a second link member connected to the first link member, and a third link member connected to the second link member A joint portion between the base portion and the first link member is a first joint, a joint portion between the first link member and the second link member is a second joint, and the second link member and the third link A robot arm provided with a hand attachment portion to which the substrate holding hand is attached to the tip portion, with the joint portion with the link member as a third joint;
An arm drive mechanism for providing a driving force for bending and extending the first, second, and third link members at the first, second, and third joints to the robot arm. Conveying device. A turning drive mechanism for turning the base portion around a predetermined turning axis;
The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the robot arm is configured to advance and retract the hand attachment unit along a direction substantially orthogonal to the turning axis.   A substrate can be transferred to and from the substrate holding hand at a predetermined substrate transfer position, a pedestal fixed to the substrate transfer position, a base attached to the pedestal, and The substrate transport robot further comprising: a substrate holding hand attached to a base portion and capable of moving back and forth with respect to the substrate transfer position; and an advance / retreat driving mechanism for moving the substrate holding hand back and forth. 2. The substrate transfer apparatus according to 2. A substrate transfer device according to claim 3;
A substrate processing unit for processing the substrate,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the substrate transfer robot performs a substrate transfer operation on the substrate processing unit.

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