JP5563271B2 - Substrate transfer robot - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transfer robot for transferring a substrate such as a liquid crystal glass substrate, and more particularly to a substrate transfer robot suitable for use in a vacuum environment.

  Conventionally, various substrate transfer robots have been used to load a substrate to be processed into a substrate processing apparatus such as an etching apparatus or a chemical vapor deposition apparatus (CVD apparatus) and to carry out a processed substrate. Yes.

  In order to reliably prevent chemical reaction and contamination of the substrate during substrate transfer, the substrate transfer robot itself may be installed in a vacuum chamber to transfer the substrate in a vacuum environment. By setting the transfer space to a vacuum environment, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or the like does not exist, thereby reliably preventing chemical reaction or contamination of the substrate during transfer.

  The substrate transfer robot installed in the vacuum chamber must not adversely affect the vacuum environment (for example, air leakage, generation of chemical contamination, etc.). For this reason, the robot is composed of parts suitable for use in a vacuum environment, and a magnetic fluid seal or the like is used to prevent air leakage.

  In recent years, liquid crystal glass substrates have become larger and heavier, and substrate transfer robots have become larger in accordance with this, but various problems have arisen in connection with this. In particular, there are problems associated with using large robots in a vacuum environment.

  For example, some conventional robots have a structure in which a single substrate is supported by a single arm, but such robots tend to oscillate in the left-right direction during substrate transport. In particular, as the weight of the substrate is increased, the left and right shaking is likely to occur, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to ensure sufficient operation reliability of the robot.

  In addition, the price of vacuum parts is significantly increased as the size of the parts is increased as compared with normal parts used in the atmospheric environment. In the conventional substrate transfer robot, as the size of the robot increases, the components thereof increase in size as well, which greatly increases the cost of vacuum components.

  Also, some conventional substrate transfer robots can be used in a vacuum environment by using many linear guides and other mechanisms that can be driven in a vacuum. In this type of robot, it is necessary to maintain the lubricant properly during the operation period in order to increase the driving speed of the linear guide, etc., but the lubricant is easily depleted under vacuum and ensures the reliability of operation. It is difficult.

  Also, in a conventional substrate transfer robot, a metal (stainless steel) bellows is arranged around one robot spindle (Z axis) and the robot spindle is isolated from the atmosphere by this bellows. There is something.

  However, the metal bellows is extremely expensive, and is easily damaged along with its contraction operation (elastic deformation of the metal). If the Z-axis stroke becomes longer as the robot becomes larger, the bellows also becomes longer, resulting in further increase in cost and possibility of breakage.

  Further, in the substrate transfer robot having one spindle (Z axis), it is necessary to pull the robot body upward when repairing or inspecting a failure. Need to be high.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-129418 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-188669 JP 2006-224297 A JP 2001-358196 A JP 2001-217298 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transport robot that can transport a heavy substrate with high reliability. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate transfer robot that can ensure high reliability even under vacuum and can reduce manufacturing costs and repair costs.

  In order to solve the above problems, a substrate transfer robot according to the present invention includes a substrate holding unit for holding a substrate, and an arm mechanism that is mounted with the substrate holding unit and is rotatable about a main turning axis. The substrate holding unit includes a first substrate holding unit and a second substrate holding unit, each holding a substrate, and the arm mechanism includes a first arm mechanism and the second substrate mounted with the first substrate holding unit. The first arm mechanism includes a pair of first arms arranged symmetrically with respect to a plane including the main pivot axis, and each of the first arms includes a second arm mechanism to which a holding unit is attached. The second arm mechanism has a pair of second arms arranged symmetrically with respect to the plane including the main pivot axis, and is configured to be bent inward at an intermediate portion thereof. Each of the second arms As at an intermediate portion is configured to be bent outwardly, and wherein the.

  Preferably, each base end portion of the pair of first arms is disposed on an inner side than each base end portion of the pair of second arms.

  Preferably, the base end portions of the pair of first arms and the base end portions of the pair of second arms are arranged on the same straight line.

  Preferably, the first arm mechanism and the second arm mechanism are constituted by parts common to each other.

  Preferably, the first substrate holding part and the second substrate holding part are arranged so as to be shifted in the vertical direction so that the positions in the front-rear direction can be interchanged without interfering with each other.

  Preferably, it further has an elevating drive mechanism for elevating and driving the arm mechanism.

  Preferably, it further has a hollow link mechanism that can expand and contract in the vertical direction as the arm mechanism moves up and down, and cables connected to the arm mechanism are housed inside the hollow link mechanism.

  Preferably, the elevating drive mechanism is constituted by a parallel link mechanism.

  Preferably, the parallel link mechanism is composed of a plurality of link units having the same structure.

  Preferably, the number of the plurality of link units is greater than the number required for substrate transfer.

  Preferably, a vacuum seal is provided at the required location to allow use under vacuum.

  In order to solve the above problems, a substrate transport robot according to the present invention includes a substrate holding unit for holding a substrate, an arm mechanism to which the substrate holding unit is mounted, and a parallel link for driving the arm mechanism up and down. And the parallel link mechanism is composed of a plurality of link units having the same structure.

  Preferably, the number of the plurality of link units is greater than the number required for substrate transfer.

  Preferably, a vacuum seal is provided at the required location to allow use under vacuum.

  The substrate transport robot according to the present invention can transport a heavy substrate with high reliability. In particular, high reliability can be ensured even under vacuum, and the manufacturing cost and repair cost of the robot can be reduced.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a substrate transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a lift drive mechanism is contracted. The perspective view which showed the state which the raising / lowering drive mechanism expanded in the board | substrate conveyance robot shown in FIG. The top view which showed the state which the 1st hand was located ahead and the 2nd hand was located back in the board | substrate conveyance robot shown in FIG. The top view which showed the state which the 2nd hand was located ahead and the 1st hand located back in the board | substrate conveyance robot shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view of the substrate transfer robot shown in FIG. 4, showing a state in which the lift drive mechanism is contracted. The top view which showed the raising / lowering drive mechanism of the board | substrate conveyance robot shown in FIG. The top view which showed the raising / lowering drive mechanism shown in FIG. 6 with the raising / lowering stand. Fig.8 (a) is the side view which showed the raising / lowering drive mechanism shown in FIG. 6 with the raising / lowering stand, Comprising: The figure which showed the state which the raising / lowering drive mechanism expanded. FIG.8 (b) is the front view which showed the part of the hollow link mechanism of the raising / lowering drive mechanism shown to Fig.8 (a). The top view which showed the example of installation of the board | substrate conveyance robot shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, a substrate transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The substrate transport robot 10 according to the present embodiment is a robot suitable for transporting a large and heavy substrate (work) 1 such as a liquid crystal glass substrate, and is particularly suitable for use in a vacuum environment.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate transport robot 10 has, as its main structure, an arm mechanism 13, mounted with hands (substrate holding portions) 11, 12 for holding the substrate 1 as an end effector, 14 and an elevation drive mechanism 15 for raising and lowering the arm mechanisms 13 and 14. The elevating drive mechanism 15 is installed on a disk-shaped base member 16. Further, the substrate transport robot 10 is configured to be rotatable around the main turning shaft 17 in the vertical direction.

  Each of the hands 11 and 12 includes a first hand 11 and a second hand 12 that hold a substrate, and each of the arm mechanisms 13 and 14 has a first arm mechanism 13 and a second hand to which the first hand is attached. And a second arm mechanism 14.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first arm mechanism 13 has a pair of left and right first arms 19 arranged symmetrically with respect to a vertical plane 18 including the main pivot shaft 17. Similarly, the second arm mechanism 14 also has a pair of left and right second arms 20 that are arranged symmetrically with respect to the same vertical symmetry plane 18.

  The base end portions 19A of the pair of left and right first arms 19 of the first arm mechanism 13 and the base end portions 20A of the pair of left and right second arms 20 of the second arm mechanism 14 are mainly connected to the arm support member 21. It is mounted so as to be rotatable around each rotation axis parallel to the turning shaft 17.

  Each of the left and right first arms 19 of the first arm mechanism 13 is configured to be able to bend inward in the horizontal direction (a direction approaching the vertical symmetry plane 18) at an intermediate portion thereof. On the other hand, each of the left and right second arms 20 of the second arm mechanism 14 is configured to be bent outward in the horizontal direction (a direction away from the vertical symmetry plane 18) at an intermediate portion thereof. That is, the arm bending direction is reversed between the first arm 19 of the first arm mechanism 13 and the second arm 20 of the second arm mechanism 14.

  The arm support member 21 extends in the horizontal direction on both the left and right sides with the main pivot shaft 17 as the center, and the base end portions 19A of the pair of left and right first arms 19 with respect to the elongated arm support member 21. Are mounted so as to be positioned inside the respective base end portions 20A of the pair of left and right second arms 20. The base end portion 19A of the first arm 19 and the base end portion 20A of the second arm 20 are arranged on the same straight line.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the arm support member 21 has a hollow structure, and four arm drive motors 22 for independently driving the four first and second arms 19 and 20 are provided to the arm support member 21. Is placed inside. Thus, in the present embodiment, a dedicated drive motor is provided for each of the left and right arms 19 (or 20) (dual servo system).

  The first arm 19 includes a proximal end arm portion 23 connected to each arm drive motor 22 and a distal end arm portion 24 rotatably connected to the distal end portion of the proximal end arm portion 23.

  Similarly, the second arm 20 includes a base end side arm portion 25 connected to each arm drive motor 22 and a front end side arm portion 26 rotatably connected to the tip end portion of the base end side arm portion 25. Become.

  The proximal end arm portions 23 and 25 are rotationally driven by an arm drive motor 22. On the other hand, the distal arm portions 24 and 26 are rotationally driven with respect to the proximal arm portions 23 and 25 by the timing belt.

  In the present embodiment, the base end portions 19A (or 20A) of the left and right arms 19 (or 20) are arranged apart from each other, not coaxially, and the left and right arms 19 (or 20) are vertically symmetric. Since the structure is symmetric with respect to 18, the left and right moments are canceled with respect to the left and right direction shaking.

  In the substrate transfer robot according to the present embodiment, the first hand 11 and the second hand 12 are configured so that their positions in the front-rear direction can be interchanged. Here, the hands 11 and 12 are shifted in the vertical direction so that the first hand 11 and the second hand 12 do not interfere with each other when the front and rear positions are switched.

  Specifically, the first hand 11 has a first hand base portion 27 spanned between the distal end portions 19B of the left and right first arms 19, and the second hand 12 is a distal end of the left and right second arms 20. It has the 2nd hand base 28 spanned between the parts 20B.

  As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the second hand base 28 has a concave vertical cross section so that the first hand 11 and the first hand base 27 can pass therethrough. As shown in FIG. 5, the second hand 12 is attached to the second hand base 28 at a position higher than the first hand 11.

  Here, in this embodiment, the left and right first arms 19 are configured to be bent inward, and the left and right second arms 20 are configured to be bent outward (see FIGS. 3 and 4). As a result, the base end portions 19A of the left and right first arms 19 and the base end portions 20A of the left and right second arms 20 are placed on the same straight line extending to the left and right through the main turning shaft 17 and at the same height position. Even when arranged, it is possible to prevent the first arm 19 and the second arm 20 from interfering during turning.

  As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, the turning range of the first and second arms 19 and 20 when the first and second hands 11 and 12 move back and forth (particularly the turning range 29 of the second arm 20). Is within the turning range 30 of the substrate 1 when the hands 11 and 12 holding the substrate 1 are rotated around the main turning shaft 17 in the retracted state.

  In the substrate transfer robot 10 according to the present embodiment, the first arm mechanism 13 and the second arm mechanism 14 are configured with the same structure by common parts.

  Next, the elevation drive mechanism 15 for raising and lowering the first and second arm mechanisms 13 and 14 will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the elevating drive mechanism 15 is composed of a parallel link mechanism installed on the base member 16, and this parallel link mechanism is of the same structure composed of common parts. Six link units 31 are included. Thus, in this embodiment, the raising / lowering drive mechanism 15 is modularized by the some common unit. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the six link units 31 are arranged at equiangular intervals around the main turning shaft 17.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, the elevating drive motor 32 of the elevating drive mechanism 15 is disposed inside a box member 33 provided on the base member 16, and the inside of the box member 33 is an atmospheric environment. is there. Each of the six link units 31 is provided with a lift drive motor 32. By independently controlling these lift drive motors 32, tilt control for tilting the arm mechanisms 13, 14 with respect to the horizontal plane can be performed. . This is particularly effective as correction control when the hands 11 and 12 are tilted by a heavy object such as the liquid crystal glass substrate 1.

  Each link unit 31 has a base end side link portion 34 whose base end portion is connected to the lifting drive motor 32, and a front end side link portion 35 rotatably connected to the tip end portion of the base end side link portion 34. Consists of. The base end side link portion 34 is rotationally driven by the lift drive motor 32, and the front end side link portion 35 moves following the rotation operation of the base end side link portion 34.

  The distal end portion 35A of the distal end side link portion 35 of each link unit 31 is connected to the lifting platform 36 via a universal mechanism (universal joint). The arm mechanisms 13 and 14 are supported by the lifting platform 36, and the arm mechanisms 13 and 14 are configured to move up and down integrally with the lifting platform 36.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the elevating drive mechanism 15 is configured by the six link units 31, but is determined by the number of link units 31 (the weight of the substrate 1 and the like) necessary for performing the substrate transfer operation. ) Is actually less than six. In other words, in the present embodiment, the ascending / descending drive mechanism 15 is provided with redundancy by installing more link units 31 than necessary.

  As well shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, the substrate transfer robot 10 according to the present embodiment further includes a hollow link mechanism 37 that can expand and contract in the vertical direction in conjunction with the lifting operation of the lifting drive mechanism 15. . As shown in FIG. 6, the hollow link mechanism 37 is disposed at the center of the robot (position corresponding to the main turning shaft 17).

  The hollow link mechanism 37 includes a base end side link portion 38 whose base end portion is pivotally attached to the base member 16, and a front end side whose base end portion is pivotally attached to the tip end portion of the base end side link portion 38. The link part 39 is comprised.

  The hollow link mechanism 37 itself does not include a drive source, and expands and contracts as the base member 16 moves up and down. The hollow link mechanism 37 does not constitute a part of the elevating drive mechanism 15 and does not function as a structural member for supporting the substrate weight or the robot weight.

  As shown in FIG. 2, cables connected to the drive motor 22 of the arm mechanisms 13 and 14 are routed from the inside of the base member 16 to the inside of the arm support member 21 through the inside of the hollow link mechanism 37. Has been.

  As a modification, one of the six link units 31 constituting the elevating drive mechanism 15 can also be used as this hollow link mechanism.

  FIG. 9 shows an installation example of the substrate transfer robot 10 according to the present embodiment. A substrate transfer robot 10 is disposed in the center of a vacuum chamber 4 surrounded by a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 2 and a load lock chamber 3.

  In order to enable use in a vacuum environment, the substrate transport robot 10 according to the present embodiment is provided with a magnetic fluid seal at a required location.

  The substrate 1 held by the hands 11, 12 is moved by extending / lowering / rotating the arm mechanisms 13, 14 and the lifting / lowering driving mechanism 15 of the substrate transfer robot 10 disposed in the center of the vacuum chamber 4. And carry it in and out of the load lock chamber 3.

  As a modification of the above-described embodiment, the drive system of the left and right arms 19 and 20 may be synchronously controlled by providing the drive motor 22 independently on the left and right as in this embodiment, or reversely rotated at the same rotation angle. You may make it restrain mechanically so that it may become.

  Further, when the drive system (drive motor 22) is provided independently on the left and right as in this embodiment, the orientation of the substrate 1 may be controlled by further asynchronously controlling the left and right drive systems.

  In addition, as to how to attach the hands 11 and 12, the first hand 11 and the second hand 12 may be attached in opposite directions in the front-rear direction, or the first arm mechanism 13 and the second arm mechanism 14 respectively. A hand may be attached in the front-rear direction (a configuration having four hands as a whole robot).

  It is also possible to change the type of the hand between the first hand 11 and the second hand 12, so that, for example, it is possible to deal with different types of substrates, or differently use the hand for high temperature / normal temperature. May be.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the parallel link mechanism that constitutes the lifting drive mechanism 15 is configured such that the link protrudes radially outward (in a direction away from the main turning shaft 17) when folded, but conversely You may make it enter into radial inside (direction approaching the main turning axis | shaft 17), or you may make it a link protrude in a tangential direction.

  The substrate transfer robot according to the present embodiment can provide various excellent effects as described below.

  In the present embodiment, by configuring the left and right first arms 19 to bend inward and the left and right second arms 20 to be bent outward, the base end portions 19A of the left and right first arms 19 and the left and right Even when the base end portions 20A of the second arm 20 are arranged on the same straight line extending in the left and right directions through the main turning shaft 17 and at the same height position, the first arm 19 and the second arm 20 are turned when turning. The degree of freedom of arm operation can be expanded without interference.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the base end portions 19A (or 20A) of the left and right arms 19 (or 20) are arranged not apart from each other but coaxially, and the left and right arms 19 (or 20) are vertically symmetric. Since the structure is symmetric with respect to the surface 18, the left and right moments are canceled with respect to the left and right direction shaking.

  Therefore, despite the fact that the arms 19 and 20 are formed of relatively small parts, the structure is strong against left and right shaking, and is particularly suitable for transporting heavy objects such as the large liquid crystal glass substrate 1. ing.

  In addition, although the cost of components used under vacuum increases significantly as the size thereof increases, in this embodiment, the arms 19 and 20 can be configured by relatively small components, which increases the weight of the substrate. An increase in manufacturing cost can be suppressed at the time of handling.

  In addition, since the first arm mechanism 13 and the second arm mechanism 14 are configured with the same structure by common parts, the part cost can be reduced and the replacement of the failed part is facilitated.

  In addition, since the elevating drive mechanism 15 is constituted by a parallel link mechanism composed of a plurality of link units 31 having the same structure and is modularized, the number of link units 31 can be changed as appropriate so as to correspond to the weight of the substrate 10. Optimal design specifications can be easily achieved. That is, the substrate transfer robot according to the present embodiment is extremely excellent in the expandability of the robot specification.

  In general, the cost of parts used under vacuum increases significantly due to the increase in size. In relation to this point, in the substrate transfer robot according to the present embodiment, the elevation drive mechanism (parallel link mechanism) 15 is configured by a plurality of link units 31, so that a load to be borne per link unit is not required. Get smaller. For this reason, each link unit 31 can be reduced in size, and the cost of vacuum components can be kept low.

  In addition, since it is possible to cope with the weight increase of the substrate 1 by increasing the number of installed link units 31, it is possible to prevent an increase in manufacturing cost without increasing the size of components used in association with the weight increase.

  In addition, since the component size is small, the required magnetic fluid seal is small, improving reliability (reducing the possibility of seal breakage during baking) and reducing costs.

  As described above, in the substrate transfer robot 10 according to the present embodiment, generally conflicting problems (requirements) such as improvement in reliability and reduction in cost can be achieved at the same time.

  Moreover, since the raising / lowering drive mechanism (parallel link mechanism) 15 is configured with more link units 31 than the number of units originally required and has redundancy, for example, even when one link unit 31 fails, It is possible to continue the operation with the remaining link units 31, and it is possible to prevent the operating rate from being lowered due to the stop of the production line.

  Further, in the substrate transfer robot 10 according to the present embodiment, the drive system (particularly bearings) can be arranged on the atmosphere side, so there is no need to use a lubricant under vacuum, and the transfer speed can be increased. It can respond without any problem. In conventional robots that had to use linear guides and bearings in a vacuum environment, it is necessary to use a lubricant such as a linear guide under vacuum in order to increase the transport speed. Although there is a problem that it is easily depleted, this problem does not occur in this embodiment.

  Further, since the substrate transport robot according to the present embodiment employs a rotational drive system (parallel link mechanism) instead of a linear drive system in the elevation drive mechanism 15, the moving speed of the link is higher than that of the linear drive system even during high-speed transport. It's slow.

  Thus, it can be said that the substrate transfer robot 10 according to the present embodiment is extremely excellent in total balance as compared with the conventional robot.

  Further, in a robot generally used in a vacuum environment, a baking process is performed in which the robot is heated in a vacuum chamber to remove deposits (moisture, etc.) on the surface. For this reason, the heat resistance of the devices constituting the robot (particularly the drive system) is required. However, in this embodiment, since many devices including the drive system are arranged on the atmosphere side, these devices are not cooled by air. It can be said that it is extremely excellent in heat resistance.

  Further, since the cables connected to the arm mechanisms 13 and 14 are accommodated in the hollow link mechanism 37, conventional flexible tubes and bellows (because they are used under vacuum, they are made of metal and are easily damaged). Compared with the case of using a long stroke, the reliability with respect to the long stroke can be easily ensured. In addition, since the flexible tube easily swings, there is often a need for some support structure. However, in the present embodiment employing the hollow link mechanism 37, such a support structure is not necessary.

  Further, in the present embodiment, tilt correction can be performed on the arm mechanisms 13 and 14 by configuring the elevating drive mechanism 15 with a parallel link mechanism. For this reason, it is possible to alleviate the demand for the rigidity of the robot (to prevent the occurrence of tilt itself), and thus the manufacturing cost can be reduced. This is particularly advantageous in vacuum robots that use expensive parts for vacuum.

1 Substrate (liquid crystal glass substrate)
10 Substrate Transfer Robot 11 First Hand (First Substrate Holding Unit)
12 Second hand (second substrate holder)
13 First arm mechanism 14 Second arm mechanism 15 Elevating drive mechanism (parallel link mechanism)
16 Base member 17 Main rotation axis 18 Vertical plane (symmetric plane)
19 1st arm 19A 1st arm proximal end 19B 1st arm distal end 20 2nd arm 20A 2nd arm proximal end 20B 2nd arm distal end 21 arm support member 22 arm drive motor 23 1st arm The proximal arm portion of the first arm 24 The distal arm portion of the first arm 25 The proximal arm portion of the second arm 26 The distal arm portion of the second arm 27 The first hand base 28 The second hand base 29 The second arm pivoting Range 30 Substrate turning range 31 Link unit 32 Lifting drive motor 33 Box member 34 Link unit proximal end side link portion 35 Link unit distal end side link portion 36 Lift platform 37 Hollow link mechanism 38 Base end side link portion of hollow link mechanism 39 End link part of hollow link mechanism

Claims (10)

A substrate holder for holding the substrate;
An arm mechanism that is mounted with the substrate holder and is rotatable about a main pivot axis;
The substrate holding unit includes a first substrate holding unit and a second substrate holding unit each holding a substrate,
The arm mechanism includes a first arm mechanism to which the first substrate holding part is attached and a second arm mechanism to which the second substrate holding part is attached.
The first arm mechanism has a pair of first arms arranged symmetrically with respect to a plane including the main pivot axis, and each of the first arms can be bent inward at an intermediate portion thereof. Configured,
The second arm mechanism has a pair of second arms arranged symmetrically with respect to the plane including the main pivot axis, and each of the second arms can be bent outward at an intermediate portion thereof. A substrate transfer robot that is configured as follows.   2. The substrate transfer robot according to claim 1, wherein the base end portions of the pair of first arms are disposed inside the base end portions of the pair of second arms.   3. The substrate transfer robot according to claim 1, wherein the base end portions of the pair of first arms and the base end portions of the pair of second arms are arranged on the same straight line.   The substrate transfer robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first arm mechanism and the second arm mechanism are configured by parts common to each other.   The first substrate holding part and the second substrate holding part are arranged so as to be shifted in the vertical direction so that the positions in the front-rear direction can be interchanged without interfering with each other. The substrate transfer robot according to the item.   The substrate transfer robot according to claim 1, further comprising an elevating drive mechanism for elevating and driving the arm mechanism.   The hollow link mechanism that further expands and contracts in the vertical direction as the arm mechanism moves up and down, and cables connected to the arm mechanism are housed inside the hollow link mechanism. Substrate transfer robot.   8. The substrate transport robot according to claim 6, wherein the elevating drive mechanism is configured by a parallel link mechanism.   The substrate transport robot according to claim 8, wherein the parallel link mechanism includes a plurality of link units having the same structure.   The substrate transport robot according to claim 9, wherein a number of the plurality of link units is greater than a number required for substrate transport.

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