JP2013048178A - Substrate posture changing device and substrate processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce manufacturing costs of a substrate posture changing device.SOLUTION: A substrate posture changing device 5 includes: a holding unit 6 that can rotate around a rotation axis L1 while holding a substrate W, and in which a position of a center of gravity GC while holding the substrate W is displaced from the rotation axis L1; a rotation stop unit 17 that can stop rotation of the holding unit 6 at plural positions at which rotation angles around the rotation axis L1 are different, and that can hold the holding unit 6 at the plural positions; and a traveling unit 9 that moves the holding unit 6 in a crossing direction D1 crossing with the rotation axis L1 and accelerates or decelerates the holding unit 6 in the crossing direction D1.

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate attitude changing device that changes the attitude of a substrate, and a substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate. Examples of substrates include semiconductor wafers, liquid crystal display substrates, plasma display substrates, FED (Field Emission Display) substrates, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, magneto-optical disk substrates, photomask substrates, and ceramics. Substrate, solar cell substrate and the like are included.

  In the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal display device, a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device is used. For example, the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes two robots that transfer a substrate, and a substrate reversal moving device that transfers the substrate between the two robots and reverses the substrate. The substrate reversal moving device includes a reversing mechanism that holds a substrate and a moving mechanism that moves the reversing mechanism between two robots. The reversing mechanism includes first and second support members that hold the substrate horizontally while holding the substrate up and down, and a rotation mechanism that rotates the first and second support members around a horizontal axis.

JP 2008-172160 A

In the substrate reversing and moving apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a rotating mechanism incorporating a motor or the like reverses the substrate. Therefore, the cost (manufacturing cost) of the substrate reversing and moving apparatus and the substrate processing apparatus cannot be reduced by omitting the rotation mechanism.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate posture changing device that can reduce the cost.

  Furthermore, the other object of this invention is to provide the substrate processing apparatus which can reduce cost.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is capable of rotating around the rotation axis (L1) while holding the substrate (W), and the center of gravity (GC) while holding the substrate. ) And the holding unit (6) whose position is deviated with respect to the rotation axis, and the rotation of the holding unit can be stopped at a plurality of positions having different rotation angles around the rotation axis. The rotation stop unit (17, 17A, 17B) capable of holding the holding unit and the holding unit are moved in the intersecting direction (D1, D201) intersecting the rotation axis, and the holding unit is accelerated or decelerated in the intersecting direction. Board posture changing device (5, 205) including a traveling unit (9) to be operated.

  According to this configuration, since the position of the center of gravity of the holding unit in the state where the substrate is held is deviated from the rotation axis, the rotation stop unit can be operated in a state where the rotation stop of the holding unit is released. When the holding unit is accelerated or decelerated in the crossing direction in which the unit intersects the rotation axis, the holding unit rotates around the rotation axis by inertial force. The rotation stop unit stops the rotation of the holding unit and holds the holding unit at the rotation angle after the rotation. Thereby, the attitude | position of the board | substrate currently hold | maintained at the holding | maintenance unit is changed. As described above, since the substrate posture changing device rotates the holding unit by using the inertial force, a rotation mechanism for rotating the holding unit around the rotation axis is unnecessary. Therefore, the cost of the substrate posture changing device can be reduced.

The holding unit may be rotatable around a vertical axis as the rotation axis. According to a second aspect of the present invention, the holding unit may be rotatable around a horizontal axis as the rotation axis.
When the holding unit can rotate around the horizontal axis, when the rotation stop unit releases the rotation stop of the holding unit, the holding unit rotates around the rotation axis by gravity, and the center of gravity of the holding unit moves downward. In other words, the substrate posture changing device can rotate the holding unit around the rotation axis not only by inertial force but also by gravity. Therefore, the substrate posture changing device can quickly change the posture of the holding unit.

  The substrate attitude changing device may be a device that reverses the substrate by rotating the substrate by 180 degrees around the rotation axis (substrate reversing apparatus), or rotates the substrate within a range of less than 360 degrees excluding 180 degrees. A device that changes the posture of the substrate by rotating around the axis may be used. For example, the substrate posture changing device may be a device that changes the posture of the substrate between a horizontal posture and a vertical posture.

  When the substrate posture changing device is a substrate reversing device, as in the invention according to claim 3, the rotation stop unit has a rotation angle different by 180 degrees around the rotation axis, and the substrate held by the holding unit is It may be possible to hold the holding unit at two positions arranged horizontally. In this case, the substrate posture changing device can change the posture of the substrate between the upward posture in which the surface of the substrate, which is the device formation surface, is upward and the downward posture in which the surface of the substrate is downward.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the traveling unit may move the holding unit in a horizontal direction as the intersecting direction. Further, as in the invention described in claim 5, the traveling unit may move the holding unit in a vertical direction as the intersecting direction.
When the crossing direction is the vertical direction and the traveling unit lowers the holding unit, the holding unit is accelerated not only by the power from the traveling unit but also by gravity. Therefore, the substrate posture changing device can quickly rotate the holding unit. When the crossing direction is the vertical direction and the traveling unit raises the holding unit, when the transmission of power from the traveling unit to the holding unit is stopped, the holding unit is decelerated by gravity. Therefore, the inertial force can be reliably applied to the holding unit, and the holding unit can be rotated around the rotation axis.

  On the other hand, when the crossing direction is the horizontal direction, the traveling unit crosses due to gravity even when the traveling unit moves the holding unit in one of the horizontal direction and the other direction (the direction opposite to the one direction). There is no change in the speed of the holding unit in the direction. That is, the holding unit travels in the cross direction at a speed corresponding to the magnitude of power transmitted from the traveling unit to the holding unit. Therefore, the substrate posture changing device can accurately control the rotation speed of the holding unit around the rotation axis.

The invention according to claim 6 further includes a rotation auxiliary unit (340) for applying an auxiliary force to at least one of the holding unit and the substrate held by the holding unit at a position away from the rotation axis. It is a board | substrate attitude | position change apparatus as described in any one of 1-5.
According to this configuration, the auxiliary force from the rotation auxiliary unit is applied to at least one of the holding unit and the substrate held by the holding unit. Since the position where the auxiliary force is applied is away from the rotation axis, when the auxiliary force is applied to at least one of the holding unit and the substrate, a moment around the rotation axis is generated, and the holding unit and the substrate rotate around the rotation axis. As described above, the substrate posture changing device can rotate the holding unit around the rotation axis not only by the inertia force but also by the auxiliary force from the rotation auxiliary unit. Therefore, the substrate posture changing device can quickly change the posture of the holding unit.

  The substrate posture changing device includes a rotation angle sensor (34) that detects a rotation angle of the holding unit around the rotation axis, and a position of the center of gravity of the holding unit around the rotation axis based on an output of the rotation angle sensor ( And a control device (4) for detecting the rotation angle of the center of gravity. In this case, the control device controls the traveling of the holding unit by controlling the traveling unit based on the traveling direction of the holding unit (direction parallel to the intersecting direction) and the rotation angle of the center of gravity. Also good. The control of the travel of the holding unit includes, for example, selection of whether to perform acceleration or deceleration, the start timing of acceleration or deceleration, and the like.

The invention according to claim 7 is the substrate posture changing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a processing unit (3) for processing a substrate, and between the substrate posture changing apparatus and the processing unit. The substrate processing apparatus (1, 201) includes a first transfer robot (CR) for transferring the substrate.
According to this structure, the board | substrate currently hold | maintained at the board | substrate attitude | position change apparatus is conveyed to the processing unit by the 1st conveyance robot, and is processed by the processing unit. Then, the substrate processed by the processing unit is transferred from the processing unit to the substrate posture changing device by the first transfer robot. The posture of the substrate is changed by the substrate posture changing device before the substrate is transferred to the processing unit or after the substrate is processed by the processing unit. As described above, since the substrate posture changing device changes the posture of the substrate, it is not necessary to provide a unit for changing the posture of the substrate in the first transfer robot. Therefore, the configuration of the first transfer robot can be simplified. Further, as described above, since the rotation mechanism that only rotates the holding unit is not necessary for the substrate posture changing device, the cost of the substrate posture changing device can be reduced. Therefore, the cost of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced.

The invention according to claim 8 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a second transfer robot (IR) for transferring the substrate to the substrate posture changing apparatus.
According to this configuration, the substrate is carried into the substrate posture changing device by the second transfer robot. The substrate transferred to the substrate posture changing device is transferred from the substrate posture changing device to the processing unit by the first transfer robot and processed by the processing unit. Then, the substrate processed by the processing unit is transferred from the processing unit to the substrate posture changing device by the first transfer robot, and is unloaded from the substrate posture changing device by the second transfer robot. The posture of the substrate is changed by the substrate posture changing device before the first and second transfer robots unload the substrate from the substrate posture changing device. As described above, since the substrate posture changing device changes the posture of the substrate, it is not necessary to provide a unit for changing the posture of the substrate in the second transfer robot. Therefore, the configuration of the second transfer robot can be simplified.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the intersecting direction is a direction in which the holding unit faces the first transfer robot or the second transfer robot, and the traveling unit is connected to the first transfer robot or the second transfer robot. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the holding unit is moved toward the substrate processing apparatus.
According to this configuration, the traveling unit moves the holding unit toward the first transfer robot or the second transfer robot while the holding unit holds the substrate. Thereby, a board | substrate is conveyed. Therefore, the substrate posture changing device can simultaneously carry the substrate and change the posture of the substrate. Thereby, since the operation of the substrate processing apparatus can be made efficient, the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus (the number of substrates processed per unit time) can be increased.

  In this section, alphanumeric characters in parentheses represent reference numerals of corresponding components in the embodiments described later, but the scope of the claims is not limited by these reference numerals.

1 is a schematic side view showing a layout of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a typical side view of the shuttle which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a typical top view of a shuttle concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic diagram which looked at the shuttle from the direction of arrow IV shown in FIG. It is the schematic diagram which looked at the holding unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention from the conveyance direction. It is a typical top view of the holding unit concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic diagram which looked at the holding | maintenance unit from the direction of arrow VII shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the rotation stop unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other example of the rotation stop unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of operation | movement when the shuttle which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention reverses a board | substrate. It is a typical side view which shows the layout of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a typical side view of the rotation auxiliary unit concerning a 3rd embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a layout of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a single-wafer type substrate processing apparatus that processes a disk-shaped substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer one by one. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a carrier holding unit 2 that holds a plurality of carriers C that accommodate a substrate W, a processing unit 3 that processes the substrate W, and the operation of the apparatus provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1 and the opening and closing of valves. And a control device 4 for controlling. Further, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is configured such that the shuttle 5 (substrate attitude changing device) disposed between the carrier holding unit 2 and the processing unit 3 and the substrate W is positioned horizontally between the carrier holding unit 2 and the shuttle 5. An indexer robot IR (second transport robot) that transports the substrate W and a center robot CR (first transport robot) that transports the substrate W in a horizontal posture between the processing unit 3 and the shuttle 5. The shuttle 5 is a substrate inversion device that changes the posture of the substrate W between an upward posture in which the surface of the substrate W is upward and a downward posture in which the surface of the substrate W is downward. The shuttle 5 reverses the substrate W and transports the substrate W in the transport direction D1 (crossing direction) extending horizontally.

  The indexer robot IR is disposed between the carrier holding unit 2 and the shuttle 5. The center robot CR is disposed between the processing unit 3 and the shuttle 5. The indexer robot IR and the center robot CR are opposed to the shuttle 5 in the transport direction D1. The indexer robot IR performs a loading operation for loading the substrate W into the carrier C and the shuttle 5 and a loading operation for unloading the substrate W from the carrier C and the shuttle 5. The center robot CR performs a loading operation for loading the substrate W into the processing unit 3 and the shuttle 5 and a loading operation for unloading the substrate W from the processing unit 3 and the shuttle 5.

  The indexer robot IR includes two hands H that horizontally support the substrate W at different heights. The indexer robot IR moves the two hands H horizontally independently of each other. Further, the indexer robot IR moves the two hands H up and down and rotates the two hands H around the vertical axis. Similarly, the center robot CR includes two hands H that horizontally support the substrate W at different heights. The center robot CR moves the two hands H horizontally independently of each other. Further, the center robot CR raises and lowers the two hands H and rotates the two hands H around the vertical axis.

  The carrier C accommodates the substrate W in a state where the surface of the substrate W, which is a device formation surface, is directed upward (upward posture). The controller 4 causes the indexer robot IR to transfer the substrate W from the carrier C to the shuttle 5 with the surface facing upward. Then, the control device 4 causes the shuttle 5 to transport the substrate W in the transport direction D1 and to reverse the substrate W. Thereby, the back surface of the substrate W is directed upward. Thereafter, the control device 4 causes the center robot CR to transfer the substrate W from the shuttle 5 to the processing unit 3 with the back surface facing upward (downward posture). Then, the control device 4 causes the processing unit 3 to process the back surface of the substrate W.

  After the back surface of the substrate W is processed, the control device 4 causes the center robot CR to transport the substrate W from the processing unit 3 to the shuttle 5 with the back surface facing upward. Then, the control device 4 causes the shuttle 5 to transport the substrate W in the transport direction D1 and to reverse the substrate W. Thereby, the surface of the substrate W is directed upward. Thereafter, the control device 4 causes the indexer robot IR to transfer the substrate W from the shuttle 5 to the carrier C with the surface facing upward. Thereby, the processed substrate W is accommodated in the carrier C. The control device 4 causes the indexer robot IR or the like to repeatedly execute this series of operations, thereby processing a plurality of substrates W one by one.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the shuttle 5. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the shuttle 5. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the shuttle 5 viewed from the direction of the arrow IV shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the shuttle 5 includes a holding unit 6 that holds the substrate W, two support plates 7 that support the holding unit 6, a slide plate 8 that is connected to the two support plates 7, and a base B1. And a traveling unit 9 that slides the slide plate 8 in the transport direction D1.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the support plate 7 is connected to the slide plate 8 in a vertical posture. The two support plates 7 face each other in the facing direction D2 (a horizontal direction orthogonal to the transport direction D1). The holding unit 6 is disposed between the two support plates 7. The support plate 7 is disposed above the slide plate 8. The support plate 7 moves together with the slide plate 8 in the transport direction D1.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the slide plate 8 is supported by the base B1 through a plurality of slide blocks 10 attached to the slide plate 8 and a plurality of linear guides 11 attached to the base B1. As shown in FIG. 2, the linear guide 11 extends in the transport direction D1. The slide block 10 slides along the linear guide 11 in the transport direction D1. Therefore, the slide plate 8 is supported by the base B1 so as to be movable in the transport direction D1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the traveling unit 9 includes an electric motor 12 as a power source, and a belt transmission unit 13 that transmits the power of the electric motor 12 to the slide plate 8. The electric motor 12 is attached to the base B1. The electric motor 12 includes an output shaft 12a that is driven to rotate about a vertical axis. The belt transmission unit 13 is wound around a drive pulley 14 connected to the output shaft 12a of the electric motor 12, a driven pulley 15 connected to the base B1 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis, and the drive pulley 14 and the driven pulley 15. And an endless belt 16 that is hung. As shown in FIG. 3, the slide plate 8 is attached to the endless belt 16. When the electric motor 12 rotates the drive pulley 14, the endless belt 16 is driven, and the slide plate 8 moves in the transport direction D1 with respect to the base B1. Thereby, the holding unit 6 travels in the transport direction D1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 4 controls the electric motor 12 to transfer the substrate W between the indexer robot IR and the holding unit 6 (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 2). Between the center robot CR and the holding unit 6 and a CR delivery position (a position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2; a first delivery position). The holding unit 6 is moved in the transport direction D1. Accordingly, the substrate W held by the holding unit 6 is transferred in the transfer direction D1. The moving speed of the holding unit 6 in the transport direction D1 is controlled by the control device 4.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the holding unit 6 viewed from the transport direction D1. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the holding unit 6. FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the holding unit 6 seen from the direction of the arrow VII shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the side wall 28 is removed.
The holding unit 6 is supported by a support plate 7 so as to be rotatable about a reversing axis L1 (rotating axis) extending horizontally. The shuttle 5 further includes a rotation stop unit 17 that can stop the rotation of the holding unit 6 around the reversal axis L1. The rotation stop unit 17 switches between a rotation stop state in which the holding unit 6 is held at the rotation angle and a rotation stop release state in which the rotation stop of the holding unit 6 is released by stopping the rotation of the holding unit 6. . The rotation stopping unit 17 holds the holding unit 6 at two horizontal positions where the substrate W held by the holding unit 6 is horizontally arranged. The two horizontal positions are positions where the rotation angles around the inversion axis L1 are different by 180 degrees. The rotation angle at one horizontal position is 0 degree (360 degrees), and the rotation angle at the other horizontal position is 180 degrees.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the holding unit 6 holds the substrate W in a horizontal posture by sandwiching the substrate W from the periphery. The holding unit 6 includes a chuck 20 including two upper guides 18 and two lower guides 19, a plurality of cylinders 21 that move the upper guide 18 and the lower guide 19 horizontally, and two holdings that hold the plurality of cylinders 21. A box 22 and two rotating shafts 23 respectively connected to the two holding boxes 22 are included. The two rotary shafts 23 are supported by the two support plates 7 so as to be rotatable around the reversal axis L1.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the two holding boxes 22 are arranged inside the two support plates 7 (between the two support plates 7). The chuck 20 is disposed between the two holding boxes 22. Each of the two rotation shafts 23 extends outward from the two holding boxes 22. The rotating shaft 23 is supported by the support plate 7 via a bearing 24. The two rotation shafts 23 are disposed on the reversal axis L1. The inversion axis L1 is a horizontal axis that passes through the center C1 of the substrate W held by the chuck 20 and extends in the facing direction D2.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the upper guide 18 and the lower guide 19 are arranged along the peripheral edge of the substrate W. The two upper guides 18 are opposed to the facing direction D2, and the two lower guides 19 are opposed to the facing direction D2 below the upper guide 18. The two upper guides 18 are respectively disposed above the two lower guides 19. The upper guide 18 and the lower guide 19 have a wedge-shaped front surface and a rear surface, and the first upper guide 187 and the lower guide 19 arranged vertically are V-shaped holding grooves opened toward the center C1 of the substrate W. Is forming. The peripheral edge of the substrate W is disposed in the holding groove. Thus, one of the upper guide 18 and the lower guide 19 has a shape in which the other is inverted up and down. The upper guide 18 and the lower guide 19 are disposed symmetrically with respect to the reverse axis L1.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the upper guide 18 includes an upper inclined portion 25 that is inclined obliquely upward toward a vertical reference line L <b> 2 passing through the center C <b> 1 of the substrate W. The lower guide 19 includes a lower inclined portion 26 that is inclined obliquely downward toward the reference line L2. As shown in FIG. 7, when the upper inclined portion 25 and the lower inclined portion 26 are viewed from the substrate W side in the facing direction D2, the upper inclined portion 25 has an inverted trapezoidal shape, and the lower inclined portion 26 has a trapezoidal shape. . As shown in FIG. 5, the upper inclined portion 25 and the lower inclined portion 26 are in contact with the peripheral edge portion of the substrate W. The substrate W is supported in a horizontal posture by point contact between each lower inclined portion 26 and the peripheral portion of the substrate W. Further, the substrate W is guided by the inclination of the plurality of lower inclined portions 26 so that the center C <b> 1 of the substrate W is positioned between the two lower guides 19. Furthermore, the substrate W is moved in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction by the point contact between each lower inclined portion 26 and the peripheral portion of the substrate W and the point contact between each upper inclined portion 25 and the peripheral portion of the substrate W. It is regulated. Thereby, the board | substrate W is clamped.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the upper guide 18 and the lower guide 19 are biased to the same side with respect to the reversal axis L1, and have an asymmetric shape with respect to the reversal axis L1. Therefore, the holding unit 6 has an asymmetric shape with respect to the reverse axis L1. The center of gravity GC of the holding unit 6 while holding the substrate W is separated from the center C1 of the substrate W in the transport direction D1 in plan view. The inversion axis L1 is a horizontal axis that passes through the center C1 of the substrate W and is orthogonal to the transport direction D1. Therefore, the center of gravity GC of the holding unit 6 is shifted in the transport direction D1 with respect to the reverse axis L1 in plan view. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, in a state where the holding unit 6 is held in the horizontal position, the center of gravity GC of the holding unit 6 is arranged at the same height as the reversal axis L1. The center of gravity of the substrate W alone substantially coincides with the center C1 of the substrate W. Therefore, the center of gravity of the entire rotating body including the substrate W held by the holding unit 6 and the holding unit 6 is substantially coincident with the center of gravity GC of the holding unit 6 alone, and in plan view, with respect to the reverse axis L1. It is shifted in the transport direction D1.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the upper guide 18 and the lower guide 19 are connected to one of the cylinders 21 via a support bracket 27. The cylinder 21 is provided for each of the upper guide 18 and the lower guide 19. The cylinder 21 is held in one of the holding boxes 22. Therefore, the upper guide 18 and the lower guide 19 are held by any one of the holding boxes 22 via the support bracket 27 and the cylinder 21. The upper guide 18, the lower guide 19, the support bracket 27, and the cylinder 21 held in the common holding box 22 rotate together with the holding box 22 around the reverse axis L <b> 1.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the holding box 22 accommodates two cylinders 21. The two cylinders 21 are disposed between the two side walls 28. The cylinder 21 connected to the upper guide 18 is attached to the upper wall 30 of the holding box 22 on one side of the partition wall 29 that partitions the inside of the holding box 22 (on the right side of the partition wall 29 in FIG. 7). The cylinder 21 connected to the lower guide 19 is attached to the lower wall 31 of the holding box 22 on the other side of the partition wall 29 (left side of the partition wall 29 in FIG. 7). The two cylinders 21 accommodated in the common holding box 22 are arranged at symmetrical positions with respect to the reverse axis L1.

  The cylinder 21 has a contact position (a position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6) where the upper guide 18 and the lower guide 19 are in contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate W, and a retreat where the upper guide 18 and the lower guide 19 are separated from the peripheral edge of the substrate W. The corresponding upper guide 18 and lower guide 19 are moved horizontally in the facing direction D2 between the positions. The contact position is a position where the inner ends (ends on the reference line L2 side) of the upper guide 18 and the lower guide 19 are arranged on the inner side (reference line L2 side) than the peripheral end surface of the substrate W. The retracted position is a position where the inner ends of the upper guide 18 and the lower guide 19 are arranged outside the peripheral end surface of the substrate W. As shown in FIG. 5, a positioning block 32 that moves together with the support bracket 27 is attached to each support bracket 27. The holding box 22 is provided with a stopper 33 that faces the positioning block 32 in the facing direction D2. The upper guide 18 and the lower guide 19 are accurately positioned at the contact position by the contact between the positioning block 32 and the stopper 33.

  The control device 4 uses the plurality of cylinders 21 to change the distance between the two guides facing in the facing direction D2 independently of the distance between the other guides. In the control device 4, the upper guide 18 is disposed at the retracted position, and the lower guide 19 is disposed at the contact position. The substrate W is placed on the inclined portion 26. As a result, the substrate W is transferred to the two lower guides 19. Further, the control device 4 is supported by the two lower guides 19 by one of the hands H in a state where the upper guide 18 is disposed at the retracted position and the lower guide 19 is disposed at the contact position. The substrate W is scooped up. As a result, the substrate W is received from the two lower guides 19. Further, the control device 4 moves the two upper guides 18 to the contact position in a state where the substrate W is supported by the two lower guides 19, thereby bringing the upper guides 18 into contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate W. Thereby, the board | substrate W is clamped.

  As will be described later, the shuttle 5 rotates the holding unit 6 by 180 degrees around the reverse axis L1 by running the holding unit 6 in the transport direction D1 while the holding unit 6 holds the substrate W. The substrate W is inverted. When the holding unit 6 rotates 180 degrees around the reversal axis L1, the upper inclined portion 25 faces upward and the lower inclined portion 26 faces downward. When the two upper guides 18 face upward, the control device 4 carries the substrate W into the two upper guides 18 in the same manner as the transfer of the substrate W between the two lower guides 19 and the hand H described above. And unloading the substrate W from the two upper guides 18. Further, the control device 4 moves the two lower guides 19 to the contact position in a state where the substrate W is supported by the two upper guides 18, thereby bringing the respective lower guides 19 into contact with the peripheral portion of the substrate W. Thereby, the board | substrate W is clamped.

FIG. 8A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the rotation stop unit 17, and FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of the rotation stop unit 17.
As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the shuttle 5 further includes a rotation angle sensor 34 that detects the rotation angle of the holding unit 6. The rotation angle sensor 34 is attached to the support plate 7. The rotation angle sensor 34 detects the rotation angle of the holding unit 6 around the inversion axis L <b> 1 with respect to the support plate 7. The control device 4 detects the position of the center of gravity GC around the inversion axis L1 (the rotation angle of the center of gravity GC) based on the output of the rotation angle sensor 34. Furthermore, the control device 4 stops the rotation of the holding unit 6 at the horizontal position by controlling the rotation stop unit 17 based on the output of the rotation angle sensor 34. The rotation stop unit 17 may be a mechanical rotation stop unit 17A as shown in FIG. 8A or an electric rotation stop unit 17B as shown in FIG. 8B.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the mechanical rotation stopping unit 17A includes a plurality of (for example, two) rotating members 35 that rotate around the reversing axis L1 together with the holding unit 6, and a stopper 36 that stops the rotation of the rotating member 35. And an actuator 37 that moves the stopper 36. The actuator 37 may be a pneumatic actuator driven by air pressure such as an air cylinder, or may be a solenoid actuator driven by magnetic force such as an electromagnetic plunger.

  The two rotation members 35 are connected to the common rotation shaft 23 at a position where the rotation angles around the reversal axis L1 are 180 degrees different. The two rotating members 35 extend from the rotating shaft 23 in directions opposite to each other. The rotating member 35 includes a tapered tip portion 35a. In a state where the holding unit 6 is positioned at the horizontal position, the stopper 36 faces the one rotating member 35. The stopper 36 is connected to an actuator 37, and the actuator 37 is connected to the support plate 7. Therefore, the stopper 36 is connected to the support plate 7 via the actuator 37. The stopper 36 forms a groove that opens toward the rotary shaft 23.

  The actuator 37 moves the stopper 36 between a rotation stop position (a position shown in FIG. 8A) where the rotation of the holding unit 6 is stopped and a rotation stop release position where the rotation stop of the holding unit 6 is released. The rotation stop position is a position where the distal end portion 35a of the rotation member 35 is disposed in the inside (groove) of the stopper 36 in a state where the holding unit 6 is positioned at the horizontal position. When the distal end portion 35 a of the rotating member 35 is disposed inside the stopper 36, the rotation of the holding unit 6 is restricted by the contact between the rotating member 35 and the stopper 36. Thereby, the rotation of the holding unit 6 is stopped. Further, the rotation stop release position is a position where the stopper 36 is separated from the rotation member 35. When the actuator 37 moves the stopper 36 from the rotation stop position to the rotation stop release position in a state where the rotation of the holding unit 6 is stopped, the rotating member 35 escapes from the inside of the stopper 36. Thereby, the rotation stop of the holding unit 6 is cancelled | released.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8B, the electric rotation stop unit 17B stops the rotation of the rotation members 38 and a plurality of (for example, two) rotation members 38 that rotate around the reverse axis L1 together with the holding unit 6. A plurality of (for example, two) electromagnets 39. The two rotating members 38 are connected to the common rotating shaft 23 at positions where the rotation angles around the reversing axis L1 are 180 degrees different. The two rotating members 38 extend from the rotating shaft 23 in directions opposite to each other. The rotating member 38 includes a tip portion 38a formed of a permanent magnet or a soft magnetic material (for example, iron). In the state where the holding unit 6 is positioned at the horizontal position, the two electromagnets 39 face the two rotating members 38, respectively. The electromagnet 39 is connected to the support plate 7.

  In a state where the electromagnet 39 is energized (rotation stopped state), the holding unit 6 is held in the horizontal position by the attractive force (magnetic force) acting between the electromagnet 39 and the rotating member 38. Thereby, the rotation of the holding unit 6 is stopped. If the energization of the electromagnet 39 is stopped while the rotation of the holding unit 6 is stopped, the attractive force acting between the electromagnet 39 and the rotating member 38 is weakened, so the rotation stop of the holding unit 6 is released. Is done. That is, in a state where the electromagnet 39 is not energized (rotation stop release state), the rotation of the holding unit 6 is not stopped, and the holding unit 6 can rotate around the reverse axis L1.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an operation when the shuttle 5 reverses the substrate W.
In the following, while the holding unit 6 is holding the substrate W, the shuttle 5 moves the holding unit 6 from the IR transfer position to the CR transfer position and reverses the substrate W held by the holding unit 6. An example of the operation will be described. In the following description, the traveling direction of the holding unit 6 (one direction of the transport direction D1) is a direction toward the CR delivery position (right direction in FIG. 9). The operation when the shuttle 5 moves the holding unit 6 from the CR delivery position to the IR delivery position and reverses the substrate W held by the holding unit 6 is different from the following operation only in the traveling direction. Since it is the same, the description is omitted.

[Reversal by acceleration]
First, as shown in FIG. 9, the case where the position of the center of gravity GC of the holding unit 6 is shifted in the traveling direction (rightward in FIG. 9) with respect to the reverse axis L1 will be described.
In the control device 4, the holding unit 6 is positioned at the IR delivery position (indicated by a solid line), and the holding unit 6 is moved in the traveling direction by the traveling unit 9 while the holding unit 6 holds the substrate W horizontally. The holding unit 6 is moved from the IR transfer position to the CR transfer position (position indicated by a two-dot chain line). The control device 4 causes the rotation stop unit 17 to release the rotation stop of the holding unit 6 before the holding unit 6 reaches the CR delivery position. Further, after at least the rotation stop of the holding unit 6 is released, the control device 4 accelerates the holding unit 6 in the traveling direction by the traveling unit 9 and increases the speed of the holding unit 6 in the traveling direction. That is, if the holding unit 6 is accelerated after the rotation stop of the holding unit 6 is released, the acceleration start time of the holding unit 6 may be before the rotation stop of the holding unit 6 is released. .

  Since the center of gravity GC of the holding unit 6 is shifted in the traveling direction with respect to the reversal axis L1, when the rotation stop of the holding unit 6 is released, the holding unit 6 starts to rotate around the reversal axis L1 due to gravity ( (See the substrate W indicated by a one-dot chain line). Thereby, the center of gravity GC of the holding unit 6 is lowered while moving in the direction opposite to the traveling direction. Furthermore, since the holding unit 6 is accelerated in the traveling direction, an inertia force in a direction opposite to the traveling direction is applied to the holding unit 6. The rotation of the holding unit 6 around the reversal axis L1 is accelerated by this inertial force. As a result, the holding unit 6 rotates 180 degrees around the inversion axis L1, and the substrate W held by the holding unit 6 is inverted (see the substrate W indicated by the two-dot chain line).

  The control device 4 controls the speed of the holding unit 6 to rotate the holding unit 6 180 degrees around the reverse axis L1 until the holding unit 6 reaches the CR delivery position. Then, after the holding unit 6 has rotated 180 degrees around the reverse axis L1, the control device 4 stops the rotation of the holding unit 6 by the rotation stop unit 17, and holds the holding unit 6 in the horizontal position. In this way, the substrate W is transported from the IR delivery position to the CR delivery position, and the substrate W is inverted.

[Reversal by deceleration]
Next, a case where the position of the center of gravity GC of the holding unit 6 is shifted in the direction opposite to the traveling direction (leftward in FIG. 9) with respect to the inversion axis L1 will be described.
When the rotation stop of the holding unit 6 is released, the holding unit 6 starts to rotate around the reversal axis L1 due to gravity. Since the center of gravity GC of the holding unit 6 is shifted in the direction opposite to the traveling direction with respect to the inversion axis L1, the center of gravity GC of the holding unit 6 is lowered while moving in the traveling direction. Furthermore, since the holding unit 6 is decelerated in the traveling direction, inertia force in the traveling direction is applied to the holding unit 6. The rotation of the holding unit 6 around the reversal axis L1 is accelerated by this inertial force. As a result, the holding unit 6 rotates 180 degrees around the inversion axis L1, and the substrate W held by the holding unit 6 is inverted. After the holding unit 6 rotates 180 degrees around the reverse axis L1, the control device 4 stops the rotation of the holding unit 6 by the rotation stop unit 17, and holds the holding unit 6 in the horizontal position. In this way, the substrate W is transported from the IR delivery position to the CR delivery position, and the substrate W is inverted.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the traveling unit 9 moves the holding unit 6 in the transport direction D1 while the holding unit 6 holds the substrate W, so that the indexer robot IR, the center robot CR, The substrate W is transferred between the two. Further, the traveling unit 9 reverses the substrate W by moving the holding unit 6 in the transport direction D1 in a state where the holding unit 6 holds the substrate W. That is, the traveling unit 9 not only rotates the holding unit 6 around the reverse axis L1 by accelerating or decelerating the holding unit 6, but also transports the substrate W held by the holding unit 6. Thereby, the conveyance of the substrate W and the reversal of the substrate W are performed simultaneously. Therefore, the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be increased as compared with the case where the transfer of the substrate W and the reversal of the substrate W are performed separately. Furthermore, since the shuttle 5 reverses the substrate W using gravity and inertial force, a dedicated rotation mechanism for rotating the holding unit 6 around the reverse axis L1 is unnecessary. Therefore, the cost of the shuttle 5 can be reduced, and thereby the cost of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be reduced.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 10 is a schematic side view showing a layout of the substrate processing apparatus 201 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 10, the same components as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 9 are given the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 and the description thereof is omitted.
The main difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment described above is that the substrate inversion changes the posture of the substrate between the upward posture and the downward posture by accelerating or decelerating the holding unit in the vertical direction. A reversing unit as a device is further provided.

  Specifically, the substrate processing apparatus 201 further includes a reversing unit 205 (substrate attitude changing device). The reversing unit 205 has the same configuration as the shuttle 5 and is arranged so that the holding unit 6 moves in the vertical direction D201 (crossing direction). The reversing unit 205 may be disposed above or below the shuttle 5, or may be disposed such that a part of the reversing unit 205 and the shuttle 5 are located at the same height. Further, the reversing unit 205 may be disposed between the indexer robot IR and the center robot CR with respect to the transport direction D1, or is disposed at a position other than between the indexer robot IR and the center robot CR with respect to the transport direction D1. It may be. FIG. 10 shows a state where the reversing unit 205 is disposed between the indexer robot IR and the center robot CR with respect to the transport direction D1 and is positioned above the shuttle 5.

  The traveling unit 9 of the reversing unit 205 vertically holds the holding unit 6 between an upper position (position indicated by a solid line) corresponding to the IR delivery position and a lower position (position indicated by a two-dot chain line) corresponding to the CR delivery position. Move in direction D201. The rotation stopping unit 17 of the reversing unit 205 holds the holding unit 6 at two horizontal positions where the substrate W held by the holding unit 6 is horizontally arranged. The holding unit 6 of the reversing unit 205 is disposed on the center robot CR side with respect to the slide plate 8 of the reversing unit 205. The reversing unit 205 is disposed at a position where the center robot CR can access the holding unit 6. The center robot CR can transfer the substrate W to and from the holding unit 6 even when the holding unit 6 of the reversing unit 205 is located at either the upper position or the lower position.

  The reversing unit 205 reverses the substrate W by moving the holding unit 6 in the vertical direction D201 between the upper position and the lower position. When the reversing unit 205 reverses the substrate W by moving the holding unit 6 from the upper position to the lower position, the control device 4 determines that the rotation stopping unit 17 before the holding unit 6 reaches the lower position. Thus, the rotation stop of the holding unit 6 is released. Since the center of gravity GC of the holding unit 6 is deviated in the transport direction D1 with respect to the reversing axis L1, when the rotation of the holding unit 6 is released, the holding unit 6 of the reversing unit 205 moves the center of gravity GC downward. Start rotating in the direction you want. The control device 4 accelerates the holding unit 6 in the traveling direction (downward) by the traveling unit 9 of the reversing unit 205 after the holding unit 6 has rotated 90 degrees or more around the reversing axis L1. As a result, the rotation of the holding unit 6 around the reversing axis L1 is accelerated, and the holding unit 6 of the reversing unit 205 rotates 180 degrees. Then, when the holding unit 6 rotates 180 degrees around the reversing axis L1, the control device 4 stops the rotation of the holding unit 6 by the rotation stopping unit 17, and holds the holding unit 6 of the reversing unit 205 at the horizontal position. In this way, the substrate W is transferred from the upper position to the lower position, and the substrate W is reversed.

  On the other hand, when the reversing unit 205 reverses the substrate W by moving the holding unit 6 from the lower position to the upper position, the control device 4 stops the rotation before the holding unit 6 reaches the upper position. The unit 17 releases the rotation stop of the holding unit 6. Thereby, the reversing unit 205 starts to rotate in the direction in which the center of gravity GC moves downward. Then, the control device 4 rotates the holding unit 6 of the reversing unit 205 by 180 degrees around the reversing axis L1 by accelerating or decelerating the holding unit 6 in the traveling direction (upward) by the traveling unit 9 of the reversing unit 205. .

  In the case of acceleration, at least after the rotation stop of the holding unit 6 is released (before the holding unit 6 rotates 90 degrees or more), the control unit 4 accelerates the holding unit 6 by the traveling unit 9 and proceeds. Increase the speed of the holding unit 6 in the direction. On the other hand, in the case of deceleration, the control device 4 reduces the speed of the holding unit 6 in the traveling direction by decelerating the holding unit 6 by the traveling unit 9 after the holding unit 6 has rotated 90 degrees or more around the reverse axis L1. Decrease. The rotation of the holding unit 6 around the reversing axis L1 is accelerated by the acceleration or deceleration of the holding unit 6, whereby the holding unit 6 of the reversing unit 205 rotates 180 degrees. Thereafter, the control device 4 stops the rotation of the holding unit 6 by the rotation stop unit 17.

  The control device 4 loads the substrate W unloaded from the processing unit 3 or the shuttle 5 into the reversing unit 205 by the center robot CR. As a result, the substrate W is held horizontally by the holding unit 6 of the reversing unit 205. When the substrate W is carried into the reversing unit 205 by the center robot CR, the holding unit 6 may be disposed at any position of the upper position and the lower position. After the substrate W is carried into the reversing unit 205, the control device 4 moves the holding unit 6 of the reversing unit 205 in the vertical direction D201, thereby reversing the substrate W. And the control apparatus 4 carries out the board | substrate W from the holding | maintenance unit 6 located in an upper position or a lower position with the center robot CR. Thereafter, the control device 4 causes the substrate W carried out from the reversing unit 205 to be carried into the processing unit 3 or the shuttle 5 by the center robot CR.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, the reversing unit 205 that reverses the substrate W is provided separately from the shuttle 5. The reversing unit 205 reverses the substrate W held by the holding unit 6 by moving the holding unit 6 in the vertical direction D201. When the traveling unit 9 of the reversing unit 205 lowers the holding unit 6, the holding unit 6 of the reversing unit 205 is accelerated not only by the power from the traveling unit 9 but also by gravity. Therefore, the reversing unit 205 can quickly rotate the holding unit 6. When the traveling unit 9 of the reversing unit 205 raises the holding unit 6 and the transmission of power from the traveling unit 9 to the holding unit 6 is stopped, the holding unit 6 of the reversing unit 205 is moved by gravity. Slow down. Therefore, it is possible to rotate the holding unit 6 of the reversing unit 205 around the reversing axis L <b> 1 while the inertial force is reliably applied to the holding unit 6.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of a rotation auxiliary unit 340 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 11, the same components as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 10 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 and the description thereof is omitted.
The main difference between the third embodiment and the first embodiment described above is that a rotation auxiliary unit is provided that applies a force (auxiliary force) around the reverse axis to the substrate held by the holding unit. is there.

  Specifically, the shuttle 5 further includes a rotation auxiliary unit 340. The rotation assist unit 340 includes two nozzles 341. The nozzle 341 applies a force (auxiliary force) to the holding unit 6 and at least one of the substrates W held by the holding unit 6 at a position away from the reversal axis L1 by discharging or sucking gas. An opening (corresponding to a discharge port and a suction port) of the nozzle 341 faces at least one of the holding unit 6 and the substrate W held by the holding unit 6 at a position away from the reversal axis L1. FIG. 11 shows a state in which two nozzles 341 are arranged at the same height with an interval in the transport direction D1. The nozzle 341 is disposed above the peripheral edge of the substrate W. The opening of the nozzle 341 faces the peripheral edge of the substrate W vertically. The nozzle 341 is connected to the support plate 7 by an arm 342.

  The nozzle 341 is connected to a gas pipe 344 in which a gas valve 343 is interposed. The nozzle 341 is connected to a gas supply source via a gas pipe 344. When the gas valve 343 is opened, gas is discharged from the opening of the nozzle 341 toward the peripheral edge of the substrate W. As a result, gas is blown to the peripheral edge of the substrate W, and an auxiliary force is applied to the substrate W. Since the position where the gas is blown is away from the reversal axis L1, when the gas discharged from the nozzle 341 is blown onto the substrate W, a moment around the reversal axis L1 is generated.

  The nozzle 341 is connected to a suction device 346 via a suction pipe 345. When the suction device 346 is driven, gas is sucked from the opening of the nozzle 341. Thereby, the suction force (auxiliary force) of the suction device 346 acts on the peripheral edge of the substrate W. Since the position where the suction force acts is away from the reversal axis L1, when a gas is sucked from the nozzle 341, a moment around the reversal axis L1 is generated.

When the control device 4 reverses the substrate W held by the holding unit 6, the control device 4 moves the holding unit 6 in the transport direction D1 in a state where the rotation stop of the holding unit 6 by the rotation stopping unit 17 is released. And an auxiliary force from the rotation auxiliary unit 340 is applied to the substrate W.
Specifically, for example, when the control device 4 rotates the substrate W clockwise in FIG. 11, the control device 4 opens the gas valve 343 corresponding to the right nozzle 341, thereby causing the right nozzle 341 to open. The gas is discharged from. Thereby, in addition to gravity and inertial force, auxiliary force from the right nozzle 341 is applied to the substrate W, and the substrate W held by the holding unit 6 is inverted.

  Further, when the control device 4 rotates the substrate W clockwise in FIG. 11, the control device 4 drives the suction device 346 corresponding to the left nozzle 341, thereby sucking gas from the left nozzle 341. Let Thereby, in addition to gravity and inertial force, auxiliary force from the left nozzle 341 is applied to the substrate W, and the substrate W held by the holding unit 6 is inverted.

In addition, when the control device 4 rotates the substrate W clockwise in FIG. 11, the control device 4 discharges gas from the right nozzle 341 and sucks gas from the left nozzle 341. Thereby, in addition to gravity and inertial force, auxiliary force from the two nozzles 341 is applied to the substrate W, and the substrate W held by the holding unit 6 is inverted.
As described above, in the third embodiment, the auxiliary force from the rotation auxiliary unit 340 is applied to the substrate W held by the holding unit 6. Since the position where the auxiliary force is applied is away from the reversing axis L1, when the assisting force is applied to the substrate W, a moment around the reversing axis L1 is generated, and the holding unit 6 and the substrate W rotate about the reversing axis L1. Thus, the shuttle 5 can rotate the holding unit 6 around the reversal axis L1 not only by the inertial force and gravity but also by the auxiliary force from the rotation auxiliary unit 340. Therefore, the shuttle 5 can quickly change the posture of the holding unit 6.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the contents of the first to third embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. is there.
For example, in the first embodiment described above, the case where the shuttle 5 includes one holding unit 6 and the holding unit 6 includes one chuck 20 has been described. However, a plurality of holding units 6 may be provided on the shuttle 5, and a plurality of chucks 20 may be provided on the holding unit 6.

  In the first embodiment described above, the case where the chuck 20 holds a single substrate W in a horizontal posture by sandwiching the substrate W from the periphery has been described. However, the chuck 20 may be a chuck that holds the substrate W in a horizontal posture by sandwiching the substrate W up and down. The chuck 20 may be a chuck that holds the substrate W in a vertical posture by supporting the substrate W in a vertical posture. Further, the chuck 20 may be a chuck that holds a plurality of substrates W.

Further, in the first embodiment described above, the case where the rotation stopping unit 17 stops the rotation of the holding unit 6 at two horizontal positions where the substrate W held by the holding unit 6 is horizontally arranged has been described. However, the rotation stopping unit 17 may stop the rotation of the holding unit 6 at a vertical position where the substrate W held by the holding unit 6 is vertically arranged.
In the first embodiment described above, the case where the center of gravity GC of the holding unit 6 is shifted with respect to the reversing axis L1 by making the shape of the holding unit 6 asymmetric with respect to the reversing axis L1 has been described. However, the gravity center GC of the holding unit 6 may be shifted with respect to the reversal axis L1 by attaching a weight to the holding unit 6. In this case, the shape of the holding unit 6 may be symmetric with respect to the inversion axis L1.

  In the first embodiment described above, the case where the power of the electric motor 12 as a power source is transmitted to the holding unit 6 by the belt transmission unit 13 has been described. However, the transmission unit that transmits the power of the power source to the holding unit 6 may be a transmission unit other than the belt transmission unit 13. For example, the transmission unit may be a ball screw transmission unit including a ball screw driven by a power source and a ball nut attached to the ball screw and moving together with the holding unit 6.

  In the first embodiment, the case where the shuttle 5 changes the posture of the substrate W by moving the holding unit 6 in the horizontal direction has been described. In the second embodiment, the case where the reversing unit 205 changes the posture of the substrate W by moving the holding unit 6 in the vertical direction has been described. However, the shuttle 5 and the reversing unit 205 may change the posture of the substrate W by moving the holding unit 6 in an oblique direction inclined with respect to the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the case where the substrate processing apparatuses 1 and 201 are apparatuses for processing a circular substrate has been described. However, the substrate processing apparatuses 1 and 201 may be apparatuses that process polygonal substrates such as substrates for liquid crystal display devices. Further, the substrate processing apparatuses 1 and 201 are not limited to a single wafer type substrate processing apparatus, but may be a batch type substrate processing apparatus that collectively processes a plurality of substrates W.

  In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of matters described in the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 3 Processing unit 4 Control apparatus 5 Shuttle (Substrate posture changing apparatus)
6 Holding Unit 9 Traveling Unit 17 Rotation Stop Unit 17A Rotation Stop Unit 17B Rotation Stop Unit 34 Rotation Angle Sensor 201 Substrate Processing Device 205 Inversion Unit (Substrate Attitude Change Device)
340 Rotation auxiliary unit CR Center robot (first transfer robot)
D1 Transport direction (cross direction)
D201 Vertical direction (crossing direction)
GC Center of gravity IR Indexer robot (second transfer robot)
L1 Reverse axis (rotation axis)
W substrate

Claims (9)

A holding unit that is rotatable around a rotation axis while holding the substrate, and whose center of gravity is shifted with respect to the rotation axis while holding the substrate;
A rotation stop unit capable of stopping the rotation of the holding unit at a plurality of positions having different rotation angles around the rotation axis, and capable of holding the holding unit at the plurality of positions;
A substrate posture changing apparatus, comprising: a traveling unit that moves the holding unit in a crossing direction intersecting the rotation axis and accelerates or decelerates the holding unit in the crossing direction.   The substrate holding position changing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding unit is rotatable around a horizontal axis as the rotation axis.   The rotation stop unit has a rotation angle of about 180 degrees around the rotation axis, and can hold the holding unit at two positions where the substrate held by the holding unit is horizontally arranged. Board posture change device.   The board | substrate attitude | position change apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3 which moves the said holding | maintenance unit to the horizontal direction as the said crossing direction.   The board | substrate attitude | position change apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3 which moves the said holding | maintenance unit to the perpendicular direction as said crossing direction.   The rotation auxiliary unit which applies auxiliary force to the at least one of the holding unit and the substrate held by the holding unit at a position away from the rotation axis is further included. Substrate posture change device. The substrate attitude changing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A processing unit for processing a substrate;
A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a first transfer robot that transfers a substrate between the substrate attitude changing device and the processing unit.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a second transfer robot that transfers the substrate to the substrate attitude changing device. The crossing direction is a direction in which the holding unit faces the first transfer robot or the second transfer robot,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the traveling unit moves the holding unit toward the first transfer robot or the second transfer robot.

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