JP6478168B2 - Substrate transfer device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a structure technology of a substrate transfer device.

  The substrate transport device is a device for transporting a substrate between vacuum chambers in various manufacturing processes such as a semiconductor manufacturing process or a liquid crystal display manufacturing process. The substrate transport device transports a substrate by moving a hand on which the substrate is placed by extending or contracting or turning an arm.

  Some arms of the substrate transfer apparatus are configured by a parallel link mechanism in order to improve rigidity. The parallel link mechanism is a mechanism in which two link arms are arranged in parallel on the same plane, and are refracted or swiveled while maintaining parallel on the same plane. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate transfer device including two parallel link mechanisms arranged in parallel on a horizontal plane.

  In the substrate transfer apparatus including the parallel link mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1, the two link arms are arranged in parallel by stacking processing errors or assembly errors of the parts constituting the parallel link mechanism. The hand may tilt at Further, the link arm may be deformed due to thermal expansion under the influence of heat from the substrate or heat from the heat source in the vacuum chamber chamber, and the hand may be similarly tilted.

JP 2011-189422 A

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a substrate transfer device capable of correcting the tilt of the hand.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is as described above. Next, means for solving the problem will be described.

That is, in claim 1, a hand for placing a workpiece, a first arm for pivotally supporting the hand on a first tip side pivot, and the hand on a second tip side pivot. A second arm that pivotally supports the second arm and faces the first arm, and a third tip side support shaft that rotates in synchronization with the first base end side support shaft of the first arm, and a base end side. A third arm whose third base end support shaft is rotationally driven with respect to the base by a rotational drive mechanism, and a fourth tip end support shaft that rotates in synchronization with the second base end support shaft of the second arm. A fourth arm on the base end side is pivotally supported with respect to the base, and a fourth arm facing the third arm. The third arm and The fourth arm is swung, or the angle between the first arm and the third arm, and the second arm and the fourth arm. A substrate transfer device for moving the hand and transferring a workpiece by changing an angle between the first tip side support shaft and the first base end side support shaft; The distance between the second tip side support shaft and the second base end side support shaft is substantially the same, and the distance between the third tip side support shaft and the third base end side support shaft is The distance between the fourth front end side support shaft and the fourth base end side support shaft is substantially the same, and the distance between the first front end side support shaft and the second front end side support shaft is The distance between the first base end support shaft and the second base end support shaft is substantially the same, and the distance between the third tip end support shaft and the fourth tip end support shaft And the distance between the third base end support shaft and the fourth base end support shaft is substantially the same, and the fourth base end support shaft and the third base end support shaft By changing the distance between , Further comprising a tilt correction means for correcting the inclination on the horizontal plane of the hand, the first base end pivot, the third distal side shaft, the second base end side shaft and the fourth distal end The support shaft is arranged on a straight line in a plan view, and the tilt correction means includes the fourth base end support shaft in a direction perpendicular to the axial center direction of the fourth base end support shaft. And a mechanism for moving the first base end side support shaft and a fourth base end side support shaft so as to approach or separate on a straight line connecting the shaft centers of the fourth base end support shaft and the fourth base end support shaft .

  In Claim 2, while acquiring the present position information of the mark from the camera which recognizes the information of two or more marks written in the predetermined position of the hand, and the information of the mark recognized by the camera, Inclination calculating means for calculating the inclination of the hand on the horizontal plane based on the current position information of the mark and the pre-stored teaching position information of the mark, and the inclination correction means includes the inclination calculation When the inclination calculated by the means is not within the reference value range, the fourth base end side support shaft and the third base end are set so that the inclination calculated by the inclination calculating means is within the reference value range. The distance between the side support shafts is changed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the tilt correcting means includes a mechanism for extending or contracting the length in the longitudinal direction of the first arm, the second arm, the third arm, or the fourth arm. is there.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the tilt correcting means includes an electric motor and a ball screw, and includes a moving mechanism that moves the base end side of the fourth arm in the horizontal direction.

  According to the substrate transfer robot of the present invention, the tilt of the hand can be corrected.

The schematic diagram which showed the whole structure of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus. The schematic diagram which showed the structure of the moving mechanism. The schematic diagram which showed the effect | action of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus. The flowchart which showed the flow of board | substrate conveyance control. The schematic diagram which showed the effect | action of board | substrate conveyance control.

  The configuration of the substrate transfer apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, the configuration of the substrate transfer apparatus 100 is schematically shown in plan view. In FIG. 1, the electric signal lines are indicated by broken lines. Further, the following description will be made according to the X direction, the Y direction, or the Z direction shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

  The substrate transport apparatus 100 transports the work W by moving the hand 10 on which the work W (not shown) is placed by extending or contracting or turning the arm 20. In addition, the workpiece | work W of this embodiment is taken as the board | substrate used for a liquid crystal display.

  The substrate transfer apparatus 100 is disposed in a transport chamber (not shown) in a vacuum environment. The substrate transfer apparatus 100 is assumed to transfer the workpiece W to a process chamber (not shown) or a load lock chamber (not shown) in the same vacuum environment arranged on the + side in the X direction. The X direction is a direction from the transport chamber toward the process chamber, for example, and a side toward the process chamber is a + side.

  The substrate transfer apparatus 100 generally includes a hand 10, an arm 20, a base 30, and a controller 50.

  The hand 10 is for placing the workpiece W thereon. The hand 10 includes a main body 11 and claws 12 and 12.

  A main upper link arm 21 and a sub-upper link arm 22 are pivotally supported at a substantially central portion of the main body 11 by a later-described support shaft 21A and support shaft 22A. A mark M is marked at a predetermined position of the main body 11. The mark M can be recognized by a CCD camera 80 described later. The claws 12 and 12 are formed in a long shape, and each of them is extended in parallel from the main body 11.

  The arm 20 moves the hand 10 by extending or contracting or turning. The arm 20 is configured by a parallel link mechanism. The arm 20 includes a main upper link arm 21 as a first arm, a sub upper link arm 22 as a second arm, a main lower link arm 23 as a third arm, and a sub lower link arm 24 as a fourth arm. And.

  The main upper link arm 21 is formed in a rod shape, and includes a support shaft 21A as a first distal end side support shaft and a support shaft 21B as a first proximal end support shaft on each end side. The sub-upper link arm 22 is formed in a rod shape, and includes a support shaft 22A as a second distal end side support shaft and a support shaft 22B as a second proximal end support shaft on each end side. The main upper link arm 21 and the sub upper link arm 22 are configured to have substantially the same length, and are arranged in parallel in a plan view.

  The support shaft 21B is housed in the gear case 25, and is configured to rotate in synchronization with a support shaft 23C described later. The support shaft 22B is similarly housed in the gear case 25, and is configured to rotate in synchronization with a support shaft 24C described later.

  The main lower link arm 23 is formed in a rod shape, and includes a support shaft 23C as a third distal end side support shaft and a support shaft 23D as a third proximal end support shaft on each end side. The sub-lower link arm 24 is formed in a rod shape, and includes a support shaft 24C as a fourth distal end side support shaft and a support shaft 24D as a fourth base end support shaft on each end side. The main lower link arm 23 and the sub lower link arm 24 are configured to have substantially the same length, and are arranged in parallel in a plan view.

  The support shaft 23C is housed in the gear case 25, and is configured to rotate in synchronization with the support shaft 21B. The support shaft 24C is similarly housed in the gear case 25, and is configured to rotate in synchronization with the support shaft 22B.

  The gear case 25 is configured as a box, and the support shaft 21B and the support shaft 23C are meshed with each other so that the support shaft 21B and the support shaft 23C rotate in synchronization. Similarly, the support shaft 22B and the support shaft 24C are meshed with each other so that the support shaft 22B and the support shaft 24C rotate in synchronization.

  The support shaft 23 </ b> D and the support shaft 24 </ b> D are support shafts at the turning center of the arm 20. The support shaft 23 </ b> D is rotationally driven by the rotational drive mechanism 70. The support shaft 24 </ b> D is configured to be movable in the transport direction by the moving mechanism 60.

  In the present embodiment, detailed description of the rotation drive mechanism 70 is omitted. A detailed description of the moving mechanism 60 will be given later.

  The base 30 is configured in a substantially cylindrical shape, and the arm 20 is placed on the upper surface of the base 30. The base 30 is provided with a turning drive mechanism (not shown), and the upper surface of the base 30 and the arm 20 turn around the Z-axis direction axis. This is the pivot center of the arm 20. A main lower link arm 23 and a sub-lower link arm 24 are pivotally supported at a substantially central portion of the base 30 by a support shaft 23D and a support shaft 24D. In addition, a moving mechanism 60 and a rotation driving mechanism 70 are provided at the center of the base 30.

  The controller 50 is connected to the moving mechanism 60, the rotation driving mechanism 70, and the CCD camera 80. The controller 50 controls the expansion / contraction or turning amount of the arm 20 so that the hand 10 moves to the teaching position P. The teaching position P is a movement target position of the hand 10 that is recognized by the controller 50 in advance or is given from the outside by the controller 50.

  The CCD camera 80 recognizes the mark M marked on the hand 10. The CCD camera 80 is provided at a predetermined position in the movement range of the hand 10. The CCD camera 80 is connected to the controller 50.

The configuration of the moving mechanism 60 will be described with reference to FIG.
In addition, in FIG. 2, the structure of the moving mechanism 60 is typically represented by the side view. In FIG. 2, the electric signal lines are indicated by broken lines.

  The moving mechanism 60 moves the support shaft 24D of the sub-lower link arm 24 in the X direction. The moving mechanism 60 is roughly divided into an inside of a case 61 that is in an atmospheric environment and a periphery of a slide table 68 that is in a vacuum environment.

  In the case 61, an electric motor 62, a reduction gear 63, a ball screw 64, a slide block 65, and a bellows 66 are housed.

  The electric motor 62 is connected to the controller 50. The speed reducer 63 is connected to the electric motor 62 and decelerates the rotational drive of the electric motor 62. The ball screw 64 is disposed in parallel with the X direction and is connected to the speed reducer 63. The slide block 65 is screwed with the ball screw 64 at a substantially support shaft core portion. The bellows 66 is provided between the opening of the case 61 and the slide block 65 and blocks the atmospheric environment inside the case 61 and the vacuum environment outside the case 61.

  A connection shaft 69 and a link arm column 71 are disposed around the slide table 68.

  The slide table 68 includes a guide 68A that engages with a rail disposed along the X direction, and slides in the X direction. The connecting shaft 69 is arranged in parallel with the X direction, fixed to the slide block 65 on the − side, and fixed to the slide table 68 on the + side. The link arm support 71 is disposed in parallel with the Z direction, fixed to the slide table 68 on the + side in the Z direction, and fixed to the support shaft 24D of the sub-lower link arm 24 on the − side in the Z direction.

  With this configuration, in the moving mechanism 60, the rotational drive of the electric motor 62 is transmitted to the ball screw 64 via the speed reducer 63. As the ball screw 64 rotates, the slide block 65 is moved in the X direction. As the slide block 65 moves in the transport direction, the slide table 68 moves in the X direction via the connecting shaft 69. As the slide table 68 moves in the X direction, the support shaft 24D of the sub-lower link arm 24 is moved in the X direction via the link arm column 71. As the support shaft 24D of the link arm 24 moves in the X direction, the distance between the support shaft 23C of the link arm 23 and the support shaft 24D of the link arm 24 can be changed.

  The operation of the substrate transfer apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, in FIG. 3, the effect | action of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus 100 is typically represented by planar view.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, first, consider a normal state in which the hand 10 has no inclination. At this time, for example, the support mechanism 24D of the sub-lower link arm 24 is moved to the-side in the X direction by the moving mechanism 60.

  By moving the support shaft 24D of the sub-lower link arm 24 to the-side in the X direction, the sub-lower link arm 24 and the gear case 25 are substantially L-shaped. It works to widen the inner angle between.

  At this time, the posture of the gear case 25 changes from the state parallel to the X direction so that the + side end portion in the X direction is inclined toward the − side in the Y direction. As the gear case 25 operates to tilt toward the negative side in the Y direction, the hand 10 similarly operates to tilt toward the negative side in the Y direction. In the substrate transport apparatus 100, when the support shaft 24D of the sub-lower link arm 24 is thus moved to the − side in the X direction, the hand 10 operates so as to tilt toward the − side in the Y direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, consider a case where the main upper link arm 21 is thermally expanded and the hand 10 is inclined to the + side in the Y direction. In this case, the hand 10 is inclined to the + side in the Y direction. At this time, the moving mechanism 60 moves the support shaft 24D of the sub-lower link arm 24 to the-side in the X direction.

  By moving the support shaft 24D of the sub-lower link arm 24 to the-side in the X direction, the sub-lower link arm 24 and the gear case 25 are substantially L-shaped. It changes so that the inner angle between and further expands.

  At this time, the posture of the gear case 25 operates so that the + side end in the X direction is tilted toward the − side in the Y direction from a state parallel to the X direction. As the gear case 25 is tilted to the-side in the Y direction, the hand 10 is similarly tilted to the-side in the Y direction, and the hand 10 is corrected for tilt to the + side in the Y direction. .

  The effect of the substrate transfer apparatus 100 will be described. According to the substrate transport apparatus 100, the tilt of the hand 10 can be corrected. That is, the tilt of the hand 10 can be corrected by moving the support shaft 24D of the sub-lower link arm 24 in the X direction by the moving mechanism 60.

  In the substrate transport apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the moving mechanism 60 is configured to move the support shaft 24D of the sub-lower link arm 24 in the X direction, but is not limited thereto. For example, the same effect can be obtained even if the moving mechanism 60 moves the support shaft 24D of the sub-lower link arm 24 in the Y direction.

  In the substrate transport apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the support shaft 24D of the sub-lower link arm 24 is moved in the X direction by the moving mechanism 60, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, even when the support shaft 23D of the main lower link arm 23 is moved in the X direction by the moving mechanism 60, the same effect can be obtained.

  In the substrate transport apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the support shaft 24D of the sub-lower link arm 24 is moved in the X direction by the moving mechanism 60, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the same effect can be obtained even when the longitudinal length of any of the first arm 21, the second arm 22, the third arm 23, or the fourth arm 24 is extended or contracted. Alternatively, the same effect can be obtained even when the support shaft 24D is rotated around the eccentric shaft center that is offset from the support shaft 24D.

  The flow of the substrate transfer control S100 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, in FIG. 4, the flow of board | substrate conveyance control S100 is represented with the flowchart.

  The substrate transfer control S100 is a control for correcting a positional deviation including the tilt of the hand 10 of the substrate transfer apparatus 100. The positional deviation of the hand 10 is determined by the positional deviation at the teaching position P that can be measured by the CCD camera 80 (XY plane inclination (θ), X-direction positional deviation (Xd), Y-direction positional deviation (Yd)). The

  In step S110, the controller 50 moves the hand 10 to the teaching position P, causes the CCD camera 80 to recognize the mark M, and acquires position information of the current position P ′. It is assumed that the position information of the teaching position P is stored in the controller 50 in advance.

  In step S120, the controller 50 calculates the difference between the current position P ′ and the teaching position P as an inclination (θ) on the XY plane, a positional deviation in the X direction (Xd), and a positional deviation in the Y direction (Yd). To do. Note that θ is calculated by recognizing two or more marks M. At this time, one mark M may be a square, for example, and any two vertices of the square may be recognized as coordinates for two θ calculation points.

  In step S130, the controller 50 confirms whether or not the positional deviations (θ, Xd, Yd) calculated in step S120 are all within the reference range. Here, the reference range is a range of positional deviation (θ, Xd, Yd) that does not require correction.

  In step S130, if all the positional deviations (θ, Xd, Yd) are within the reference range, the substrate transport control S100 is terminated. On the other hand, if any one of the positional deviations (θ, Xd, Yd) is not within the reference range, the process proceeds to step S140.

  In step S140, the controller 50 first confirms whether θ is within the reference range. If θ is within the reference range, the process proceeds to step S160. On the other hand, if θ is not within the reference range, the process proceeds to step S150.

  In step S150, the controller 50 moves the support shaft 24D of the sub-lower link arm 24 in the Y direction by the moving mechanism 60, causes the hand 10 to rotate, and corrects the inclination θ of the hand 10 to be zero. More specifically, correction is performed so that the positional deviation θ of the hand 10 converges within an allowable range. The allowable range is a range smaller than a reference range centered on 0.

  In step S160, the controller 50 next checks whether Yd is within the reference range. If Yd is within the reference range, the process proceeds to step S180. On the other hand, if Yd is not within the reference range, the process proceeds to step S170.

  In step S170, the controller 50 rotates the arm 20 by the turning movement of the base 30, and corrects the positional deviation Yd of the hand 10 to be zero. More specifically, correction is performed so that the positional deviation Yd of the hand 10 converges within an allowable range. The allowable range is a range smaller than a reference range centered on 0.

  In step S180, the controller 50 once again confirms whether θ and Yd are both within the reference range. If θ and Yd are within the reference range, the process proceeds to step S140. On the other hand, if neither θ nor Yd is within the reference range, the process proceeds to step S190.

  In step S190, the controller 50 finally checks whether Xd is within the reference range. If Xd is within the reference range, the substrate transfer control S100 is terminated. On the other hand, if Xd is not within the reference range, the process proceeds to step S200.

  In step S <b> 200, the controller 50 rotates the arm 20 by the rotation drive mechanism 70 and corrects the positional deviation Xd of the hand 10 to be zero. More specifically, correction is performed so that the positional deviation Xd of the hand 10 converges within an allowable range. The allowable range is a range smaller than a reference range centered on 0.

  The operation of the substrate transfer control S100 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, the operation of the substrate transfer control S100 is schematically shown in plan view.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, it is assumed that the current position P ′ of the hand 10 is deviated from the teaching position P (broken line) due to, for example, thermal expansion. In step S110, the controller 50 calculates the current position P ′. In step S120, the controller 50 calculates a positional deviation (θ, Xd, Yd) from the difference between the current position P ′ and the teaching position P.

  In step S130, the controller 50 determines that one of the positional deviations (θ, Xd, Yd) is not within the reference range, and the process proceeds to step S140. In step S140, the controller 50 determines that θ is not within the reference range, and proceeds to step S150.

  In step S150, the support mechanism 24D of the sub-lower link arm 24 is moved to the-side in the X direction by the moving mechanism 60, the hand 10 is tilted to the-side in the Y direction, and the tilt θ of the hand 10 is 0. It is corrected so that

  In step S160, the controller 50 determines that Yd is not within the reference range, and the process proceeds to step S170.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, in step S170, the arm 20 is rotated by the turning movement of the base 30, and the positional deviation Yd of the hand 10 is corrected to zero. At this time, since Yd was tried to be 0, the hand 10 is inclined again on the + side in the Y direction.

  In step S180, the controller 50 determines that both θ and Yd are not within the reference range, and the process proceeds to step S140 again. In step S140, the controller 50 determines that θ is not within the reference range, and proceeds to step S150.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, in step S150, the support mechanism 24D of the auxiliary lower link arm 24 is moved again to the + side in the Y direction by the moving mechanism 60, and the hand 10 is tilted to the-side in the Y direction. Is corrected so that the inclination θ of the hand 10 becomes zero.

  In step S160, the controller 50 determines that Yd is not within the reference range, and the process proceeds to step S180. In step S180, the controller 50 determines that both θ and Yd are within the reference range, and the process proceeds to step S190. In step S190, the controller 50 determines that Xd is not within the reference range, and proceeds to step S200.

  As shown in FIG. 5D, in step S200, the arm 20 is expanded and contracted by the rotation drive mechanism 70, and the positional deviation Xd of the hand 10 is corrected to zero.

  The effect of the substrate transfer control S100 will be described. According to the substrate transport control S100, it is possible to correct the positional deviation including the tilt of the hand 10 of the substrate transport apparatus 100.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Hand 20 Arm 24 Sub-lower link arm 24D Support shaft 25 Gear case 30 Base 50 Controller 60 Movement mechanism 70 Rotation drive mechanism 80 CCD camera 100 Substrate conveyance device S100 Substrate conveyance control

Claims (4)

A hand for placing a workpiece;
A first arm that pivotally supports the hand by a first tip side pivot, and
A second arm that pivotally supports the hand on a second tip side support shaft and faces the first arm;
The third tip side support shaft rotates in synchronization with the first base end side support shaft of the first arm, and the base end side third base end support shaft is rotationally driven with respect to the base by the rotation drive mechanism. A third arm,
The fourth tip side support shaft rotates in synchronization with the second base end side support shaft of the second arm, and the base end side fourth base end support shaft is rotatably supported with respect to the base. And a fourth arm facing the third arm,
Move the hand by turning the third arm and the fourth arm, or changing the angle between the first arm and the third arm and the angle between the second arm and the fourth arm. A substrate transfer device for transferring a workpiece,
The distance between the first distal support shaft and the first proximal support shaft and the distance between the second distal support shaft and the second proximal support shaft are substantially the same. ,
The distance between the third distal support shaft and the third proximal support shaft and the distance between the fourth distal support shaft and the fourth proximal support shaft are substantially the same. ,
The distance between the first distal support shaft and the second distal support shaft and the distance between the first proximal support shaft and the second proximal support shaft are substantially the same. ,
The distance between the third distal support shaft and the fourth distal support shaft and the distance between the third proximal support shaft and the fourth proximal support shaft are configured to be substantially the same. ,
An inclination correction means for correcting an inclination of the hand on a horizontal plane by changing a distance between the fourth base end side support shaft and the third base end side support shaft;
The first base end side support shaft, the third tip end side support shaft, the second base end side support shaft and the fourth tip end side support shaft are arranged on a straight line in plan view,
In the inclination correcting means, the fourth base end support shaft is perpendicular to the axial direction of the fourth base end support shaft, and the third base end support shaft is aligned with the first center support shaft. A substrate transfer apparatus including a mechanism for moving the object so as to approach or separate on a straight line connecting the axes of the four base end support shafts . A camera for recognizing information of two or more marks written at predetermined positions of the hand;
While acquiring the current position information of the mark from the information of the mark recognized by the camera, based on the current position information of the mark and the pre-stored teaching position information of the mark,
An inclination calculating means for calculating an inclination of the hand on a horizontal plane;
The inclination correction means includes
When the inclination calculated by the inclination calculating means is not within the reference value range, the fourth base end side support shaft and the first support shaft are adjusted so that the inclination calculated by the inclination calculating means is within the reference value range. changing the distance between the three proximal side shaft, the substrate transport apparatus of claim 1. 3. The mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the tilt correction unit includes a mechanism that expands or contracts a longitudinal length of any of the first arm, the second arm, the third arm, and the fourth arm. Substrate transfer device. 3. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tilt correction unit includes an electric motor and a ball screw, and includes a moving mechanism that moves a base end side of the fourth arm in a horizontal direction.

Images