JP2010287745A - Transfer module - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transfer module capable of making compact a transfer chamber in which a robot is housed. <P>SOLUTION: The robot 12 which transfers a body W to be transferred is housed inside the transfer chamber 14. The robot 12 is equipped with arms 33 and 34 which are coupled to drive shafts 31 and 32 and rotate in the horizontal plane; an arm support 42 which supports the arms 33 and 34 at the positions remote from the drive shafts 31 and 32 and transmits the weight of the arms 33 and 34 to the bottom face 14a of the transfer chamber 14; and a holder 39 which holds the body W to be transferred and moves in the horizontal plane by having the arms 33 and 34 rotate. Since the need for the joints of the robot 12 are no longer required to support the arms 33 and 34, as in a cantilever, rigidity at the joints of the robot 12 and the arms 33 and 34 can be lowered. Since the dimensions of the robot 12 in the height direction depends on the rigidity at the joints of the robot 12 and the arms 33 and 34, the dimensions of the robot 12 in the height direction can be set limited. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer module for transferring a transfer target such as a semiconductor wafer, a liquid crystal substrate, and an organic EL element.

  In manufacturing semiconductor devices and FPDs (Flat Panel Displays), various processes such as film formation, etching, oxidation, and diffusion are performed on semiconductor substrates and liquid crystal substrates. These processes are performed in the process chamber of the process module. In order to stabilize the process, the inside of the processing chamber is kept in a vacuum. The transfer chamber connected to the processing chamber is also evacuated so that the substrate can be replaced while the inside of the processing chamber is maintained at a vacuum. A robot for delivering a substrate between the processing chamber and the transfer chamber is mounted in the transfer chamber.

  In a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus called a cluster type platform, a transfer module on which a robot is mounted is arranged at the center of the apparatus, and a plurality of process modules (Process Modules: PM) are arranged radially around the transfer module. The process module performs various processes on the substrate in a processing chamber that is evacuated. The transfer module is called a transfer module (TM) and transfers a substrate to and from the process module. The transfer module is further connected to a load lock chamber that delivers the substrate to the outside under atmospheric pressure. The load lock chamber is a small chamber that can be easily evacuated or returned to atmospheric pressure.

  Delivery of the substrate among the load lock chamber, the transfer module, and the process module is as follows. First, an external robot arranged under atmospheric pressure transfers the wafer to the load lock chamber. After the load lock chamber is evacuated, the transfer module robot holds the substrate in the load lock chamber, pulls it into the transfer chamber, and passes it to the process chamber of the process module. The transfer module robot transfers the substrate to the process modules at all sites arranged in a radial pattern until all processing is completed. When the processing in the process module is completed, the robot of the transfer module receives the wafer from the processing chamber of the process module and passes it to the load lock chamber. The load lock chamber is returned to atmospheric pressure, and an external robot placed under atmospheric pressure carries the wafer out of the load lock chamber.

  Further, one process module that performs processing on the liquid crystal substrate is connected to one transport module on which a robot for transporting the substrate is mounted. In this case, the transfer chamber also serves as a load lock chamber, and the inside of the transfer chamber is evacuated or returned to atmospheric pressure.

  The robot in the transfer chamber of the transfer module is required to have a function of turning the object to be processed in a horizontal plane and a function of moving the object to be processed in the radial direction. As a conventional robot having a turning function and an expansion / contraction function, a legged type robot (see Patent Document 1) having an arm and a link like a leg of a leg, and a scalar in which a plurality of connected arms operate in a horizontal direction. A type robot (see Patent Document 2) and a cylindrical coordinate system robot (see Patent Document 3) in which an arm rotates in a horizontal plane and a slider attached to the arm slides in a radial direction with respect to the arm are known.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-13679 JP-A-8-274140 JP 2004-165579 A

  However, since the conventional robot has a structure that supports the arm and the link that rotate in a horizontal plane in a cantilevered manner, the joint, arm, and link of the robot need high rigidity in spite of carrying a lightweight wafer. . Since the dimension in the height direction of the robot is determined by the rigidity of the joints, arms, and links of the robot, the height of the transfer chamber in which the robot is transferred tends to increase. Since the transfer chamber is a container with a depth that matches the dimensions of the robot on which it is mounted, increasing the height in the height direction of the robot increases the amount of cutting at the groove bottom of the transfer chamber or increases the thickness of the transfer chamber. It is necessary to thicken. For this reason, it has been difficult to reduce the cost of the transfer chamber.

  Particularly in recent years, in order to reduce the cost per chip, the size of the wafer has increased from, for example, a diameter of 300 mm to 450 mm. As the wafer size increases, the robot is required to increase the substrate transfer stroke and increase the transfer speed. Since the robot needs higher rigidity, the height of the transfer chamber in which the robot is mounted tends to be higher.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a transfer module that can reduce the size of a transfer chamber in which a robot is accommodated.

  In order to solve the above problems, an embodiment of the present invention is a transfer module in which at least a part of a robot that moves a transfer target is housed in a transfer chamber, and the robot is rotationally driven by a drive source. A drive shaft, at least one arm coupled to the drive shaft and rotating in a horizontal plane, and a position of the arm away from the drive shaft are supported, and the weight of the arm is transmitted to the bottom surface of the transfer chamber. It is a conveyance module provided with an arm support part and the holding body which hold | maintains the said to-be-conveyed body, and moves in the horizontal surface by the said arm rotating.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a transfer module in which at least a part of a robot that moves a transfer target is housed in a transfer chamber, the robot being configured to rotate by a drive source, the drive shaft, and the drive shaft At least one arm coupled to the horizontal plane, at least one link rotatably coupled to the arm within the horizontal plane, and coupled to the link so as to rotate within the horizontal plane, the arm rotating. This moves in a horizontal plane, supports the holding body that holds the transported body and the position of the link away from the connecting portion of the arm, and transmits the weight of the link to the bottom surface of the transport chamber. And a link support unit.

  According to the present invention, since the weight of the robot arm or link is supported using the bottom surface of the transfer chamber, it is not necessary to support the robot by cantilevering only with the robot joint, and the rigidity of the joint, arm, or link is eliminated. Can be lowered. Since the dimension of the robot in the height direction can be suppressed, the height of the transfer chamber can be reduced, and the cost of the transfer chamber can be reduced.

Plan view of semiconductor device manufacturing equipment called cluster type platform The perspective view of the conveyance module (transfer module) of one Embodiment of this invention Perspective view of saddle-type transport mechanism The figure which shows the example comprised by the ball caster which attached the arm support part and the link support part to the lower surface of an arm and a link Detailed view of ball caster The figure which shows the other example of an arm support part and a link support part The figure which compared the height of the conveyance chamber with a prior art example and this invention example ((a) in a figure shows a prior art example, (b) in a figure shows this invention example) Perspective view of SCARA robot Side view of robot in cylindrical coordinate system Plan view of in-line type semiconductor device manufacturing equipment

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a transfer module of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the transfer module of the present invention is applied to a transfer module of a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus called a cluster type platform. This semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus is mainly classified into an inlet transport system 1 and a processing system system 2.

  The inlet transfer system 1 is provided with an inlet transfer chamber 3 formed in a vertically long shape. In the inlet port 4 on the side surface of the inlet transfer chamber 3, a cassette container for storing a plurality of wafers as processing objects is installed. At the end of the entrance transfer chamber 3 in the longitudinal direction, a positioning device 5 for recognizing a notch of the wafer and positioning the wafer is provided. In the entrance transfer chamber 3, an articulated robot 7 that carries a wafer between the entrance port 4 and the load lock chamber 6 is mounted. The articulated robot 7 has a slide shaft 8 so that it can slide in the longitudinal direction of the entrance transfer chamber 3. The pickup for holding the wafer of the articulated robot 7 can move in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction so that the wafer can be delivered.

  In the center of the processing system system 2, a transfer module 10 formed in a polygonal shape is arranged. A plurality of process modules 11 are arranged radially around the transfer module 10. Each process module 11 performs various processes such as film formation, etching, oxidation, and diffusion on a wafer in a vacuumed processing chamber. A load lock chamber 6 is connected to the transfer module 10. The load lock chamber 6 is a small chamber in which evacuation and return to atmospheric pressure are repeatedly performed. The transfer module 10 and the process module 11, and the transfer module 10 and the load lock chamber 6 are connected via gate valves 13 and 16. The load lock chamber 6 and the entrance transfer chamber 3 are connected via a gate valve 15.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer module 10 includes a transfer chamber 14 formed in a plane polygon and a robot 12 mounted in the transfer chamber 14. The robot 12 receives an unprocessed wafer transferred to the load lock chamber 6, draws it into the transfer module 10, and passes it to the process module 11. In addition, the processed wafer in the process module 11 is received, drawn into the transfer module 10, and then transferred to the load lock chamber 6. The robot 12 has both a function of turning the wafer in a horizontal plane in the transfer chamber and a function of moving the wafer in the radial direction. The robot 12 first turns the wafer W in a horizontal plane and directs it toward the process modules 11 or the load lock chambers 6 arranged radially. Then, the wafer W is moved in the radial direction, and the wafer W is moved from the transfer chamber 14 into the process module 11 or the load lock chamber 6.

  The overall movement of the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus is as follows. As shown in FIG. 1, first, the articulated robot 7 holds the wafer accommodated in the cassette container of the inlet port 4 and conveys it to the positioning device 5. After the positioning device 5 positions the wafer, the articulated robot 7 transports the wafer to the load lock chamber 6. At this time, the inside of the load lock chamber 6 is at atmospheric pressure.

  Next, the gate valve 15 on the inlet transfer chamber 3 side of the load lock chamber 6 is closed, and the load lock chamber 6 is evacuated. Thereafter, the gate valve 13 is opened, and the load lock chamber 6 and the transfer module 10 are communicated. The transfer module 10 is evacuated in advance. The robot 12 mounted on the transfer module 10 holds the wafer in the load lock chamber 6 and takes it into the transfer chamber 14. Thereafter, the robot 12 delivers the wafer to the process module 11. When the process in the process module 11 is completed, the robot 12 takes out the wafer from the process module 11 and passes the wafer to the process module 11 (at the next site) that performs the next process. When the entire process in the process module 11 is completed, the robot 12 transports the wafer in the process module 11 to the load lock chamber 6.

  Next, the gate valve 13 of the load lock chamber 6 is closed, the gate valve 15 is opened, and the load lock chamber 6 is returned to atmospheric pressure. The articulated robot 7 carries out the processed wafer from the load lock chamber 6 to the outside.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer chamber 14 of the transfer module 10 is formed in a polygonal box shape corresponding to the number and arrangement of process modules, such as a quadrangle, a hexagon, and an octagon. The length of one side of the process module 11 is about 800 to 900 mm. When one process module 11 is connected to one side of the polygon of the transfer chamber 14, the length of one side of the polygon of the transfer chamber 14 is set to about 1000 mm, for example, and when two process modules 11 are connected, For example, it is set to about 1800 mm.

  The transfer chamber 14 includes a main body 21 in which the robot 12 is accommodated, and a lid 22 that can be opened and closed with respect to the main body 21. The main body portion 21 includes a bottom wall portion 21a formed in a polygonal shape and a side wall portion 21b surrounding the bottom wall portion 21a. The upper surface of the bottom wall portion 21a is formed in a plane and is disposed in a horizontal plane. A slit 23 for taking in and out the wafer is opened in the side wall portion 21b. A lid 22 is attached to the side wall portion 21b so as to be openable and closable. The opening / closing operation of the lid 22 is guided by a hinge attached to the side wall portion 21b. A large-diameter O-ring (not shown) for sealing the inside of the transfer chamber 14 is disposed between the lid 22 and the side wall portion 21b. The material of the main body 21 and the lid 22 is aluminum or stainless steel, and a protective film such as alumina may be formed.

  The lid 22 is formed in a polygonal shape corresponding to the polygonal main body 21. A window or a sensor for visually recognizing or measuring the wafer W is attached to the lid 22. While processing the wafer W, the lid 22 of the transfer chamber 14 is closed and the inside of the transfer chamber 14 is evacuated. The lid 22 is opened when cleaning the inside of the transfer chamber 14 or inspecting the robot 12.

  In the transfer chamber 14, a robot 12 that transfers the wafer W is accommodated. The robot 12 includes a foot-type transport mechanism 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the foot-operated transport mechanism 30 includes first and second drive shafts 31 and 32, and first and second drive shafts 31 and 32 coupled to the first and second drive shafts 31 and 32. Arms 33, 34, first and second links 35, 36 rotatably connected to distal ends of first and second arms 33, 34 via pins and bearings 37, and first and second A holding plate 39 as a holding body that is rotatably connected to the links 35 and 36 via pins and bearings 38. The first and second drive shafts 31 and 32 are rotationally driven by a motor as a drive source. The first and second drive shafts 31 and 32 extend in the vertical direction, and their center lines coincide with each other. The first and second arms 33 and 34 coupled to the first and second drive shafts 31 and 32 rotate in a horizontal plane. The length of the first arm 33 and the length of the second arm 34 are the same. The first and second links 35 and 36 connected to the first and second arms 33 and 34 also rotate in the horizontal plane. The length of the first link 35 and the length of the second link 36 are the same.

  When the first and second drive shafts 31 and 32 are rotated in opposite directions in the foot-carrying transport mechanism 30, the entire transport mechanism 30 expands and contracts, and the holding plate 39 moves in the radial direction in the horizontal plane. To do. As shown in FIG. 2, when the transfer mechanism 30 is extended most, the wafer W jumps out from the slit 23 of the transfer chamber 14. When the first and second drive shafts 31 and 32 are rotated in the same direction, the contracted transport mechanism 30 turns in the horizontal plane, and the holding plate 39 moves in the circumferential direction. The transport mechanism 30 may be moved in the vertical direction by a lifting mechanism (not shown). This is because the holding plate 39 supports the wafer W.

  The motor for rotating the first and second drive shafts is accommodated in a housing 41 fixed to the bottom wall portion 21a of the transfer chamber 14 (see FIG. 7B). The first and second drive shafts 31 and 32 are rotatably supported by bearings fixed to the housing, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an arm support portion 42 that transmits the weight of the arms 33, 34 to the bottom wall portion 21 a of the transfer chamber 14 is attached to the distal ends of the first and second arms 33, 34. The arm support portion 42 supports the weight of the arms 33 and 34 while allowing the arms 33 and 34 to rotate. In this example, the arm support portion 42 is disposed below the joint that becomes the connection portion between the arms 33 and 34 and the links 35 and 36. Since the links 35 and 36 are also connected to the arms 33 and 34, the arm support portion 42 also supports the weight of the link 35 or the link 36. In addition, a link support portion 44 that transmits the weight of the links 35 and 36 to the bottom wall portion 21 a of the transfer chamber 14 is attached to the distal end portion of the links 35 and 36 on the holding plate 39 side. The link support portion 44 is disposed on the distal end side of the links 35 and 36 within a range that does not protrude from the transfer chamber 14 when the transfer mechanism 30 is extended. The link support portion 44 supports the weight of the links 35 and 36 while allowing the planar free movement (for example, rotational movement) of the links 35 and 36. In order to prevent particles (particles) from adhering to the wafer W, the arm support portion 42 and the link support portion 44 are disposed below the wafer W.

  4 and 5 show a ball caster 51 which is an example of an arm support portion and a link support portion. The ball caster 51 includes a ball holding frame 52 as a rolling element holding frame coupled to the lower surfaces of the arms 33 and 34 or the links 35 and 36, and a ball 53 that is rotatably held by the ball holding frame 52. The ball 53 can rotate in any direction around its center, and rolls on the bottom surface (the top surface of the bottom wall portion 21a) of the transfer chamber 14 while applying the weight of the arms 33, 34 or the links 35, 36. The ball holding frame 52 and the ball 53 are made of metal or resin. The bottom surface 14 a of the transfer chamber 14 is covered with a lubricating film 54 that reduces friction with the ball 53 like a skate rink. The lubricating film 54 is made of a fluororesin (Teflon (registered trademark)), a solid lubricant of tungsten disulfide, or the like. The lubricating film may be formed on the entire bottom surface 14a of the transfer chamber 14, or may be formed along the tracks of the arms 33 and 34 or the links 35 and 36 that move sequentially. The bottom surface 14a of the transfer chamber 14 is not coated with lubricating oil such as grease. This is to prevent the lubricating oil from evaporating in a vacuum.

  FIG. 6 shows another example of the arm support portion and the link support portion. In this example, the arm support portion and the link support portion are configured by a magnetized layer 56 attached to the bottom wall portion 21 a of the transfer chamber 14 and a magnet 57 that repels the magnetized layer 56. The magnetized layer 56 is made of, for example, a magnetic material obtained by imparting magnetism to ferritic stainless steel. The magnetic layer 56 is magnetized with N and S poles in the vertical direction. The magnet 57 is also magnetized with N and S poles in the vertical direction. By facing the N pole of the magnetized layer 56 and the N pole of the magnet 57, the magnetized layer 56 and the magnet 57 can be repelled, and the magnet 57 can be levitated from the magnetized layer 56. In this example, since the magnet 57 can be moved without contact with the bottom surface 14a of the transfer chamber, the magnet 57 moves smoothly.

  FIG. 7 compares the heights of the transfer chambers when the conventional robot is accommodated in the transfer chamber and when the robot according to the present embodiment is accommodated in the transfer chamber. As shown in the conventional example of FIG. 7A, in the conventional robot, the cantilevered arm 61 and the link 62 extend radially from these rotation centers. The bearing 63 that guides the rotation of the arm 61 loads a moment acting from the arm 61, and the bearing 64 that guides the rotation of the link 62 loads a moment acting from the link 62. In particular, when the arm 61 and the link 62 are extended, the largest moment is applied to the bearings 63 and 64. For this reason, it is necessary to increase the size of the bearings 63 and 64 so that a large moment can be applied, and it is also necessary to increase the thickness of the arm 61 itself and the link 62 itself. As a result, the height dimension h <b> 1 of the transfer chamber 14 is large although the wafer W having a thickness of several mm is transferred.

  On the other hand, as shown in the example of the present invention in FIG. 7B, by providing the arm support portion 42 that supports the load of the arms 33 and 34 and the link support portion 44 that supports the load of the links 35 and 36, Both ends of the arms 33 and 34 and the links 35 and 36 in the longitudinal direction can be supported, and a bearing 65 for guiding the rotation of the arms 33 and 34 and a bearing 66 for guiding the rotation of the links 35 and 36 are provided. Such moment can be reduced, and the moment applied to the arms 33 and 34 and the links 35 and 36 themselves can be reduced. Since the bearings 65 and 66, the arms 33 and 34, and the links 35 and 36 can be thinned, the height of the robot 12 can be reduced. Since the transfer chamber 14 is evacuated, the height h <b> 2 of the transfer chamber 14 is set as low as possible without interfering with the robot 12. By reducing the height of the robot 12, the height h2 of the transfer chamber 14 can be minimized.

  According to this embodiment, since the height of the transfer chamber 14 can be suppressed to the limit, the cost and weight of the transfer chamber 14 can be reduced. Moreover, it can cope with a large substrate (for example, a 450 mm wafer, a glass substrate, etc.) whose conveyance distance is large. Furthermore, since the arms 33 and 34 and the links 35 and 36 can be reduced in weight, they can be operated at high speed, and high throughput, energy saving, and downsizing of the motor can be realized. Since the damage at the time of occurrence of a collision accident (object, person) can be reduced, the robot 12 is safe.

  The present invention is not limited to the robot having the above-described saddle-type transfer mechanism 30, and can be applied to a SCARA robot or a cylindrical coordinate system robot as long as it has an arm that turns in a horizontal plane. .

  FIG. 8 shows a SCARA robot. The SCARA robot has first and second arms 71 and 72 that turn in a horizontal plane. First and second arm support portions 73, which support the weight of the first and second arms 71, 72 and transmit the weight to the bottom surface of the transfer chamber 14, are provided on the lower surfaces of the first and second arms 71, 72. 74 is provided. By rotating the first arm 71, the wafer W rotates in a horizontal plane. By rotating the first arm 71 and the second arm 72 in opposite directions, the wafer W moves in the radial direction.

  FIG. 9 shows a cylindrical coordinate system robot. This robot includes an arm (θ axis) 81 that rotates the wafer W and an R axis 82 that slides the wafer W in the radial direction. The R-axis 82 is provided with a linear guide for guiding the wafer W to move in the radial direction. An arm support portion 83 that supports the weight of the arm 81 and transmits it to the bottom surface 14 a of the transfer chamber 14 is provided on the lower surface of the arm 81. By rotating the arm 81, the wafer W rotates in a horizontal plane. The wafer W moves in the radial direction by linearly driving the linear guide of the R axis 82 by the belt 85 or the like.

  In addition, this invention is not restricted to the said embodiment, A various change is possible in the range which does not change the summary of this invention. For example, it is possible to omit either the arm support portion or the link support portion. Preferably, one or more support portions may be provided on the wafer support plate side.

  The transfer module of the present invention is not limited to a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus, but can also be applied to an FPD manufacturing apparatus. In this case, one process module for processing is connected to one transfer module on which a robot for transferring a liquid crystal substrate is mounted. The transfer chamber also serves as a load lock chamber, and the inside of the transfer chamber is evacuated or returned to atmospheric pressure.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the transfer module of the present invention can also be applied to an in-line type semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus having different wafer inlets and outlets. The entrance-side transfer module 91 only puts the wafer into the process module 93, and the exit-side transfer module 92 only takes out the wafer from the process module 93.

  The robot of the transfer module may include not only one anchor-type transfer mechanism but also two anchor-type transfer mechanisms formed symmetrically about the drive shaft. By providing two transport mechanisms, the idle time of the process module can be eliminated.

10. Transfer module (conveyance module)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Process module 12 ... Robot 14 ... Transfer chamber 14a ... Bottom surface 30 of transfer chamber ... Transfer mechanism 33 ... First arm 34 ... Second arm 35 ... First link 36 ... Second link 39 ... Holding plate ( Holding body)
42 ... arm support 44 ... link support 51 ... ball caster (arm support, link support)
52 ... Ball holding frame (rolling element holding frame)
53 ... Ball rolling element 56 ... Magnetized layer 57 ... Magnet 71 ... First arm 72 ... Second arm 73, 74 ... Arm support part 81 ... Arm 83 ... Arm support part

Claims (7)

A transfer module in which at least a part of the robot that moves the transfer target is accommodated in the transfer chamber,
The robot is
A drive shaft that is rotationally driven by a drive source;
At least one arm coupled to the drive shaft and rotating in a horizontal plane;
An arm support that supports a position of the arm away from the drive shaft and transmits the weight of the arm to the bottom surface of the transfer chamber;
A holding body that holds the transported body and moves in a horizontal plane when the arm rotates;
A transport module comprising: The robot further includes:
At least one link rotatably connected in a horizontal plane to the arm and the holding body;
A link support part for supporting a position of the link away from the connection part with the arm, and transmitting a weight of the link to a bottom surface of the transfer chamber;
The transport module according to claim 1, further comprising: A transfer module in which at least a part of the robot that moves the transfer target is accommodated in the transfer chamber,
The robot is
A drive shaft that is rotationally driven by a drive source;
At least one arm coupled to the drive shaft and rotating in a horizontal plane;
At least one link rotatably connected to the arm in a horizontal plane;
A holding body that is rotatably connected to the link in a horizontal plane, moves in a horizontal plane by the rotation of the arm, and holds the transported body;
A link support part for supporting a position of the link away from the connection part with the arm, and transmitting a weight of the link to a bottom surface of the transfer chamber;
A transport module comprising: At least one of the arm support part and the link support part is:
A rolling element that rolls on the bottom surface of the transfer chamber;
The conveyance module according to claim 1, further comprising: a rolling element holding frame fixed to the arm or the link and rotatably holding the rolling element. At least one of the arm support part and the link support part is:
A magnetized layer provided on the bottom surface of the transfer chamber;
The transport module according to claim 1, further comprising: a magnet fixed to the arm or the link and repelling the magnetized layer. The drive shaft has first and second drive shafts,
The at least one arm has a first arm coupled to the first drive shaft and a second arm coupled to the second drive shaft;
The at least one link has a first link rotatably connected to the first arm and a second link rotatably connected to the second arm;
The holding body is rotatably connected to the first and second links,
The first and second arms, the first and second arms, the first and second links, and the holding body constitute an extendable and retractable transport mechanism. The transfer module according to claim 2, wherein: The transfer chamber is connected to a processing chamber that processes the transferred object,
7. The transfer module according to claim 1, wherein the robot delivers the object to be transferred between the transfer chamber whose inside is evacuated and the processing chamber. 8.

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