KR20140144322A - Method for transferring substrates and substrate process apparatus - Google Patents

Method for transferring substrates and substrate process apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
KR20140144322A
KR20140144322A KR1020130066073A KR20130066073A KR20140144322A KR 20140144322 A KR20140144322 A KR 20140144322A KR 1020130066073 A KR1020130066073 A KR 1020130066073A KR 20130066073 A KR20130066073 A KR 20130066073A KR 20140144322 A KR20140144322 A KR 20140144322A
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South Korea
Prior art keywords
arm
substrate
chamber
load lock
process chamber
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KR1020130066073A
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Korean (ko)
Inventor
전경희
고동선
전용백
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주식회사 원익아이피에스
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Priority to KR1020130066073A priority Critical patent/KR20140144322A/en
Publication of KR20140144322A publication Critical patent/KR20140144322A/en

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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J11/00—Manipulators not otherwise provided for
    • B25J11/0095—Manipulators transporting wafers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J9/00—Programme-controlled manipulators
    • B25J9/02—Programme-controlled manipulators characterised by movement of the arms, e.g. cartesian coordinate type
    • B25J9/04—Programme-controlled manipulators characterised by movement of the arms, e.g. cartesian coordinate type by rotating at least one arm, excluding the head movement itself, e.g. cylindrical coordinate type or polar coordinate type
    • B25J9/041—Cylindrical coordinate type
    • B25J9/042—Cylindrical coordinate type comprising an articulated arm
    • B25J9/043—Cylindrical coordinate type comprising an articulated arm double selective compliance articulated robot arms [SCARA]
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J9/00—Programme-controlled manipulators
    • B25J9/10—Programme-controlled manipulators characterised by positioning means for manipulator elements
    • B25J9/106—Programme-controlled manipulators characterised by positioning means for manipulator elements with articulated links
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G49/00—Conveying systems characterised by their application for specified purposes not otherwise provided for
    • B65G49/05—Conveying systems characterised by their application for specified purposes not otherwise provided for for fragile or damageable materials or articles
    • B65G49/06—Conveying systems characterised by their application for specified purposes not otherwise provided for for fragile or damageable materials or articles for fragile sheets, e.g. glass
    • B65G49/061—Lifting, gripping, or carrying means, for one or more sheets forming independent means of transport, e.g. suction cups, transport frames
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67739—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations into and out of processing chamber
    • H01L21/67742—Mechanical parts of transfer devices
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67739—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations into and out of processing chamber
    • H01L21/67745—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations into and out of processing chamber characterized by movements or sequence of movements of transfer devices

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Robotics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Container, Conveyance, Adherence, Positioning, Of Wafer (AREA)

Abstract

    The present invention relates to a substrate transferring method and a substrate processing apparatus, which comprises a load lock chamber, a transfer chamber disposed at one side of the load lock chamber, and a second process chamber disposed at one side of the transfer chamber to face the load lock chamber A plurality of second process chambers, which are opposed to each other with the transfer chamber therebetween, between at least two of the load lock chambers and the first process chambers, and a plurality of second process chambers, The substrate transfer robot includes a main rotary shaft for rotating the robot body, a first arm having one end connected to the upper portion of the main rotary shaft, a second arm having one end connected to the other end of the first arm, And a lower hand part and an upper hand part which are stacked and connected to each other at the other end of the second arm, Wherein the lower hand portion and the upper hand portion of the substrate transfer robot are individually rotated around a connection portion between the second arm and the processing arm to transfer the processed substrate and the unprocessed substrate to each other using a single substrate transfer robot The substrate can be loaded / unloaded into a plurality of chambers.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a substrate transfer method,

The present invention relates to a substrate transfer method and a substrate processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a substrate transfer method and a substrate processing apparatus capable of loading / unloading a substrate into / from a plurality of chambers by using a single substrate transfer robot.

Generally, a cluster system refers to a multi-chamber device comprising a substrate transfer robot (or handler) and a plurality of processing modules provided therearound. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a demand for a cluster system capable of executing a plurality of processes in a liquid crystal monitor device (LCD), a plasma display device, a semiconductor manufacturing device, and the like is increasing.

Such a multi-chamber device includes a load lock chamber for bringing in / out a substrate to the outside, a transfer chamber which is a space communicating with the load lock chamber and through which the substrate is transferred, a process chamber communicating with the transfer chamber, . Further, the transfer chamber is provided with a substrate transfer robot for transferring the substrate.

The substrate transfer robot can be variously changed in structure and number depending on the type, number and arrangement of the load lock chamber, the transfer chamber, and the process chamber. In particular, when the number of process chambers increases, The number is increased. As a result, the time required for processing the substrate is increased due to a longer transfer path of the substrate, and the substrate is damaged due to the contact between the substrate transfer robot generated while transferring the substrate, which causes a problem in that the process yield is lowered. In addition, there is a problem in that the cost for constructing the facility increases because the scale of the facility is increased.

KR 2008-0015476 A KR 2008-0071680 A

The present invention provides a substrate transfer method and a substrate processing apparatus capable of efficiently transferring a substrate to a plurality of process chambers by using a single substrate transfer robot.

The present invention provides a substrate transfer method and a substrate processing apparatus capable of improving the process yield.

The present invention provides a substrate transfer method and a substrate processing apparatus that can simplify the entire structure of the apparatus and reduce the maintenance cost.

A substrate transfer method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a transfer method of a substrate including a load lock chamber, a transfer chamber disposed at one side of the load lock chamber, a first process chamber disposed at one side of the transfer chamber so as to face the load lock chamber, A plurality of second process chambers, which are opposed to each other with the transfer chamber therebetween, between the load lock chamber and the first process chamber, wherein at least two or more of the second process chamber and the substrate transfer robot are disposed in the transfer chamber The substrate transfer robot includes a main rotary shaft for rotating the robot body, a first arm having one end connected to the upper portion of the main rotary shaft, a second arm having one end connected to the other end of the first arm, 2 A method of transferring a substrate using a substrate transfer robot including a lower hand portion and an upper hand portion which are stacked and connected at the other end of the arm in the vertical direction Wherein the lower hand portion and the upper hand portion of the substrate transfer robot rotate individually around a connection portion between the processing arm and the unprocessed substrate.

The substrate transfer robot includes a first joint portion to which the main shaft and the first arm are connected, a second joint portion to which the first arm and the second arm are connected, and a second joint portion to which the second arm, And a third joint unit connected to the hand unit. The third joint unit may include a first rotation axis for rotating the upper hand unit and a second rotation axis for rotating the lower hand unit, and may be individually rotated.

When the substrates are carried out or brought into the load lock chamber, the first process chamber and the second process chamber, the pair of substrates may be brought into or out of the corresponding chambers by using the upper and lower hands.

Wherein the lower hand portion and the upper hand portion are aligned to the load lock chamber or the first process chamber side when the substrate is carried out or carried into the load lock chamber or the first process chamber, And the second arm rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the first arm with respect to the second joint portion so that any one of the lower hand portion and the upper hand portion is rotated in the clockwise or counter- The lock chamber or the first process chamber, and the remaining hand portion can be rotated to be disposed in the direction opposite to the load lock chamber or the first process chamber in which the substrate is loaded or unloaded with reference to the third joint portion.

Wherein the lower hand portion and the upper hand portion are aligned to the second process chamber side when the substrate is taken out or carried into the second process chamber, and the first arm is moved clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to the first joint portion And the second arm rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the first arm with respect to the second joint portion to move any one of the lower hand portion and the upper hand portion to the second process chamber, The hand portion can be rotated in the direction opposite to the second process chamber in which the substrate is taken out or carried on the basis of the third joint portion.

When the substrate is taken out or carried into the second process chamber, the angle between the upper hand portion and the lower hand portion may be in the range of 110 to 170 degrees.

A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a load lock chamber; A transfer chamber disposed at one side of the load lock chamber and including a substrate transfer robot therein; A first process chamber disposed on one side of the transfer chamber so as to face the load lock chamber; A plurality of second process chambers, which are opposed to each other with the transfer chamber interposed therebetween, between the load lock chamber and the first process chamber, and at least two are continuously disposed; And the substrate transfer robot includes a main rotary shaft for rotating the robot body, a first arm having one end connected to the upper portion of the main rotary shaft, a second arm having one end connected to the other end of the first arm, The lower hand part and the upper hand part are separately rotatable. The lower hand part and the upper hand part are connected to each other.

The substrate transfer robot includes a first joint portion to which the main shaft and the first arm are connected, a second joint portion to which the first arm and the second arm are connected, and a second joint portion to which the second arm, And a third joint unit to which the hand unit is connected. The third joint unit may include a first rotation shaft for rotating the upper hand unit and a second rotation shaft for rotating the lower hand unit.

The second process chamber may have a dual structure in which a pair of substrates are arranged side by side, and each of the lower hand portion and the upper hand portion may include a pair of blades to support a pair of substrates.

At least four or more of the second process chambers may be provided, and the substrate transfer robot may be provided alone in the transfer chamber.

The second process chamber may be symmetrically disposed along the transfer chamber.

The substrate transfer method and the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention can efficiently load / unload a substrate into a plurality of chambers by using one substrate transfer robot. In addition, the number of movements for loading and unloading the substrate can be reduced by constructing hand portions for supporting the substrates on different planes in the substrate transfer robot, thereby shortening the time required for transferring the substrates.

Since the substrate is transferred by using one substrate transfer robot, it is possible to improve or improve the quality of the substrate by suppressing or preventing defects such as foot print or the like occurring during the transfer of the substrate. In addition, since the transfer distance and the transfer time of the substrate can be shortened, the process yield and productivity can be improved.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can reduce the overall size of the substrate processing apparatus, simplify the structure, and reduce the cost of installing and maintaining the substrate processing apparatus.

1 is a plan view schematically showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a perspective view of the substrate transfer robot shown in Fig.
3 is a side view of the substrate transfer robot shown in Fig.
FIG. 4 through FIG. 6 illustrate a process of removing a substrate from a load lock chamber using a substrate transfer method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 to 11 are schematic diagrams of a substrate transfer method according to an embodiment of the present invention . A process of loading and unloading a substrate into a chamber.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. It is provided to let you know.

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the substrate transfer robot shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the substrate transfer robot shown in FIG.

1, the substrate processing apparatus includes a cassette module (not shown), an atmospheric pressure module 110, a load lock chamber 120, a transfer chamber 140, and a plurality of process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, and 130E. The cassette module is loaded with a cassette containing a substrate to be processed, or the cassette for receiving a processed substrate is unloaded. The atmospheric pressure module 110 is provided at the rear of the cassette module, and a transportation robot (not shown) capable of operating under an atmospheric pressure is installed therein. The carrying robot carries the substrate accommodated in the cassette to the load lock chamber 120 or the substrate in the load lock chamber 120 to the cassette. Further, the load lock chamber 120 is provided between the atmospheric pressure module 110 and the transfer chamber 140, and is a buffer space in which substrates transferred from the outside or carried out to the outside temporarily stay. The load lock chamber 120 maintains the atmospheric pressure state and is switched to a vacuum state when the substrate is carried in from the outside, and is changed from a vacuum state to an atmospheric state when the substrate is taken out. The transfer chamber 140 is provided between the load lock chamber 120 and the plurality of process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D and 130E, and the substrate transfer robot 200, which is operable in a vacuum state, Respectively. The substrate transfer robot 200 transfers the substrates S1 and S2 to the load lock chamber 120 and the process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D and 130E. In the process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, and 130E, various processes such as deposition, etching, and the like are performed on the untreated substrate S1 transferred into the process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, and 130E.

Typically, the process chambers are disposed radially with a transfer chamber therebetween, or are disposed symmetrically with the transfer chamber 140 therebetween. When the number of process chambers is increased, the number of transfer chambers and the number of substrate transfer robots disposed in the transfer chambers are increased. However, according to the present invention, even if the number of the process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, and 130E increases, the substrate can be transferred without increasing the number of transfer chambers and substrate transfer robots.

The process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D and 130E include a first process chamber 130A disposed to face the load lock chamber 120 and a second process chamber 130B disposed between the load lock chamber 120 and the first process chamber 130A. And a plurality of second process chambers 130B, 130C, 130D, and 130E disposed so as to face each other with the transfer chamber 140 interposed therebetween.

Here, the first process chamber 130A is disposed alone, and the second process chambers 130B, 130C, 130D, and 130E are disposed so that at least four of them are opposed to each other. Two transfer chambers 140 may be disposed adjacent to each other, for example, two transfer chambers 130B, 130C, 130D and 130E. By thus arranging the second process chambers 130B, 130C, 130D and 130E adjacent to each other, the size of the transfer chamber 140 can be reduced. Here, the first process chamber 130A and the second process chamber 130B, 130C, 130D, and 130E may be a dual chamber structure capable of processing two substrates.

In the substrate processing apparatus having such a configuration, the substrate transfer robot 200 is manufactured in a multi-joint structure, and the substrates S1 and S2 can be stably transferred in the relatively narrow transfer chamber 140. [

2 and 3, the substrate transfer robot 200 includes a driving unit (not shown) for providing rotational force, a main rotating shaft (not shown) connected to the driving unit for rotating the body of the substrate transfer robot 200 A second arm 230 having one end connected to the other end of the first arm 220 and a second arm 230 having one end connected to the other end of the first arm 220; The upper hand part 240 and the driving part connected to the upper part of the lower hand part 250 and the first arm 220, the second arm 230, the lower hand part 250, And a control unit (not shown) for controlling the operation of the unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240. The connection portion between the main shaft 210 and the first arm 220 is referred to as a first joint portion a and the connection portion between the first arm 220 and the second arm 230 is referred to as a second joint portion a connecting portion between the second arm 230 and the lower hand portion 250 and the upper hand portion 240 is referred to as a third joint portion c and the first joint portion a, The portion (b) and the third joint portion (c) are formed so as to be rotatable in a range of 360 degrees or less, respectively.

The main rotating shaft 210 rotates the first arm 220 and the second arm 230, the lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240 according to the operation of the driving unit and moves in the z axis, .

The first arm 220 and the second arm 230 may rotate through the connection portions to adjust the direction and length. At this time, the first arm 220 performs linear motion in the y-axis by rotating in the transfer chamber 140 with reference to the first joint part (a), and the second arm 230 moves in the y- (b), thereby performing linear motion in the x-axis.

The lower hand part 250 and the upper hand part 240 support the substrates S1 and S2 and are connected to the ends of the second arm 230 through the third joint part c, (c). The lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240 are stacked in the vertical direction on the second arm 230 as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the lower hand part 250 and the upper hand part 240 have the same radius and rotate individually with the third joint part (c) as a concentric point. The third joint part c may include a first rotation axis c1 for rotating the upper hand part 240 and a second rotation axis c2 for rotating the lower hand part 250, The first rotation axis c1 and the second rotation axis c2 have the same rotation center and are formed so as to be individually rotatable.

The lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240 can be moved to the load lock chamber 120 or the first process chamber 130A through the load lock chamber 120 or the first process chamber 130A, The first arm 220 rotates in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction with respect to the first joint part a and the second arm 230 rotates in the second joint part b One of the lower hand portion 250 and the upper hand portion 240 is rotated in the direction opposite to the rotating direction of the first arm 220 to the load lock chamber 120 or the first process chamber 130A, And the other hand part is disposed to rotate in the direction opposite to the load lock chamber 120 or the first process chamber 130A with reference to the third joint part (c).

The lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240 may be connected to the second process chambers 130B, 130C, 130D, 130E, and 130D when the substrates are taken out or carried into the second process chambers 130B, 130C, , And the first arm rotates clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to the first joint part (a), and the second arm rotates with respect to the second joint part (b) in the rotational direction of the first arm 130C, 130D, and 130E, and the remaining hand portion is moved to the third joint portion (c) by rotating one of the lower hand portion 250 and the upper hand portion 240 to the second process chamber 130B, 130C, 130D, and 130E, on which the substrates are loaded or unloaded, with respect to the first process chambers 130B, 130C, 130D, and 130E.

Therefore, the lower hand portion and the upper hand portion can carry the substrate in or out without affecting the adjacent chamber.

Each of the lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240 is divided into two halves and blades 242 and 252 for supporting a pair of substrates S1 and S2 are respectively formed at the ends thereof. The lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240 may be connected to the lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240 while supporting the substrates S1 and S2 on different planes, One for loading a pair of unprocessed substrates S1 into the load lock chamber 120 and the process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D and 130E, and the other for loading the unprocessed substrates S1 into the load lock chamber 120, Can be used to unload a pair of processed substrates S2 from the substrates 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, and 130E.

The lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240 are connected to the process chamber 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, and 130D when the unprocessed substrate S1 is unloaded from the load lock chamber 120, The substrates 241 and 242 are maintained in a state in which they are overlapped with each other in a state other than when loading or unloading the substrates S 1 and S 2 to the respective blades 242 and 252, It does not settle. Since the first arm 220, the second arm 230, the lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240 rotate together when the main rotation axis 210 is rotated as described above, And the upper hand portion 240 are not overlapped with each other, the turning radius increases when the lower hand portion 250 and the upper hand portion 240 are oriented in opposite directions. Accordingly, when the main rotation shaft 210 rotates, the lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240 are overlapped with each other to reduce the turning radius, thereby facilitating the substrate transfer in a relatively narrow space.

In the case of entering or withdrawing into the process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, and 130E for loading or unloading the substrates S1 and S2, or when the substrates are taken out or brought into the load lock chamber 120 The lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240 are rotated at a predetermined angle such as the process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, and 130E through the rotation of the lower hand unit 250 or the upper hand unit 240 And maintains such an angle as not to interfere with the forward and backward movement to the load lock chamber 120. This will be described in a method of transferring a substrate.

The substrate transfer robot 200 is provided in the transfer chamber 140 to transfer the substrates S1 and S2 to the first arm 220, the second arm 230, and the lower hand unit 250 The lengths of the blades 242 and 252 may enter the load lock chamber 120 or the first process chamber 130A to load or unload the substrates S1 and S2 Of the total length. The lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240 may be configured to simultaneously rotate when the first arm 220 and the second arm 230 rotate and adjust the direction and length. Hereinafter, when the first arm 220 and the second arm 230 are rotated in one direction, they are referred to as forward. When the first arm 220 and the second arm 230 are rotated in opposite directions to return to their original lengths, do.

The driving unit independently rotates the main rotation axis 210, the first arm 220, the second arm 230, the lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240 to perform linear motion. The driving unit may be installed inside the transfer chamber 140 or may be installed outside.

The control unit controls operations of the driving unit, the main rotation shaft 210, the first arm 220, the second arm 230, the lower hand unit 250, and the upper hand unit 240. The control unit controls the operation of the driving unit according to a predetermined manual to control the rotation directions of the first arm 220, the second arm 230, the lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > S2. ≪ / RTI >

The lower hand part 250 and the upper hand part 240 are stacked in the vertical direction so that any one of the lower hand part 250 and the upper hand part 240 can be used to process the untreated substrate S1 for processing And the other is used to transfer the processed substrate S2 processed in the process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, and 130E. At this time, the lower hand part 250 and the upper hand part 240 are connected to the second arm 230 through the third joint part c with the upper hand part 240 stacked in the vertical direction, The portion 240 has a step and is disposed on different planes. The degree of overlap between the lower hand part 250 and the upper hand part 240 can be adjusted through the rotation of the lower hand part 250 and the upper hand part 240. [ This configuration can thus facilitate rotation of the substrate transfer robot 200 within the relatively narrow transfer chamber 140. [ This is because when the blades 242 and 252 of the lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240 face each other in the opposite direction, the blades 242 and 252 of the lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240, respectively, There is a problem in that the size of the transfer chamber 140 is increased because the rotation radius is formed from the center of the main rotation axis 210 to the edge of the substrate when the main rotation axis 210 is rotated by the operation of the driving unit . However, if the lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240 are rotated in a superimposed state, the rotation radius required for rotating the substrate transfer robot 200 is reduced, thereby reducing the size of the transfer chamber 140 .

Since the pair of blades 242 and 252 are provided to each of the lower hand unit 250 and the upper hand unit 240, the pair of substrates can be loaded or unloaded at one time, have.

In the following, a method of transferring a substrate using the above-described substrate processing apparatus will be described.

FIGS. 4 to 6 are views showing a process of transferring a substrate from a load lock chamber by a substrate transferring method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 7 to 11 are views showing a process of transferring a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention. And loading and unloading the substrate into the chamber.

The substrate transfer method of the present invention includes the steps of transferring the unprocessed substrate S1 from the load lock chamber 120 using the lower hand unit 250 of the substrate transfer robot 200, (S1) accommodated in the load lock chamber 120 by using the lower hand unit 250 when the process substrate S2 is completed, and a process of loading the unprocessed substrate S1 (S1) into the process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, Removing the processed substrate S2 from the process chamber 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, and 130E; unloading the processed substrate S2 using the upper hand unit 240; Loading the unprocessed substrate S1 into the process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D and 130E using the unit 250 and transferring the processed substrate S2 of the upper hand unit 240 to the load lock chamber 120 ). ≪ / RTI > The substrate transfer robot 200 may be installed in a process chamber of the plurality of process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, and 130E during substrate processing in the process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, The time required for the substrate processing can be effectively shortened by selectively loading or unloading the substrate. Here, a process of loading and unloading a substrate into one of the plurality of process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D, and 130E (B chamber) will be described. The lower hand unit 250 is used to load the unprocessed substrate S1 into the process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D and 130E and the upper hand unit 240 is used to unload the process substrate S2 The lower hand unit 250 may be used to unload the process substrate S2 and the upper hand unit 240 may be used to load the unprocessed substrate S1.

First, the process of removing the unprocessed substrate S1 for processing in the load lock chamber 120 will be described.

4, the substrate transfer robot 200 moves the blades 242 and 252 toward the load lock chamber 120 side with the lower hand part 250 and the upper hand part 240 superimposed on each other The first arm 220 and the second arm 230 are folded such that the lower hand portion 250 and the upper hand portion 240 are disposed in the central region of the main rotation axis 210. [ Such a state is referred to as a home position.

5, the substrate transfer robot 200 moves the second rotation axis c2 to the center of the substrate transfer robot 200 from the center of the substrate transfer robot 200, The blade 252 of the lower hand unit 250 is rotated in the opposite direction of the load lock chamber 120, that is, the lower hand unit 250 is rotated by 180 °, To the chamber 130A side.

The first arm 220 and the second arm 230 are rotated in opposite directions to advance the upper hand unit 240 toward the load lock chamber 120 to enter the load lock chamber 120, (S2) accommodated in the upper hand portion (120) is placed on the blade (242) of the upper hand portion (240). At this time, the rotation of the lower hand unit 250 and the advancement of the first arm 220 and the second arm 230 can be performed simultaneously.

6, the first arm 220 and the second arm 230 are rotated in a direction opposite to the previous step so that the upper hand unit 240 is retracted from the load lock chamber 120, And the lower hand unit 250 which has been avoided from the load lock chamber 120 is rotated 180 degrees about the second rotation axis c2 to form the home position. At this time, the retraction of the upper hand unit 240 and the rotation of the lower hand unit 250 through the rotational movement of the first arm 220 and the second arm 230 can be performed simultaneously.

When the unprocessed substrate S1 in the load lock chamber 120 is unloaded, the unprocessed substrate S1 is loaded into the process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D and 130E for processing the substrate. When the substrate is not loaded in the process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D and 130E or the processed substrate S2 is loaded, the process of loading the substrates is the same. Herein, the process chambers 130A and 130B 130B, 130C, 130D and 130E, the unloading of the processed substrates S2 in the process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D and 130E, A process of loading a new untreated substrate S1 carried out from the chamber 120 will be described.

For example, when the process of the process substrate S2 loaded in the B chamber 130B is completed, the control unit operates the substrate transfer robot 200 to perform the processes of FIGS. 4 to 6, The unprocessed substrate S1 for processing is taken out.

The substrate transfer robot 200 operates the driving unit as shown in FIG. 7 to rotate the main rotation axis 210 to position the substrate carried out from the load lock chamber 120 in front of the B chamber 130B.

8, the lower hand unit 250 on which the unprocessed substrate S1 carried out from the load lock chamber 120 is mounted is rotated with respect to the second rotation axis c2 to move the B chamber 130B, The first arm 220 and the second arm 230 are rotated in opposite directions to advance the upper hand unit 240 in which the substrate is not placed and enter the inside of the B chamber 130B. Here, it is preferable that the lower hand unit 250 is rotated so as not to be disturbed when the upper hand unit 240 enters the inside of the B chamber 130B. In other words, the lower hand unit 250 rotates to have a certain angle with respect to the moving direction of the lower hand unit 250 that moves to the process chamber during the process of loading or unloading the substrate good. A virtual center line is formed on the upper hand portion 240 and the lower hand portion 250 so that the blades 242 and 252 formed on the upper hand portion 240 and the lower hand portion 250 are symmetrically disposed, When the upper hand unit 240 enters the inside of the B chamber 130B to load the substrate, the angle? Formed by the center line of each of the upper hand unit 240 and the lower hand unit 250 is about 100 to 170 degrees As shown in FIG. In this case, when the upper hand portion 240 and the lower hand portion 250 are at the maximum angle, for example, 170 °, the untreated substrate S1, which is seated on the blade 252 of the lower hand portion 250, So as not to collide with the C chamber 130C adjacent to the B chamber 130B and the E chamber 130E opposite to the B chamber 130B.

Then, the treated substrate S2 on which the treatment is completed is placed on the blade 242 of the upper hand portion 240. [

When the processing substrate S2 is placed on the blade 242 of the upper hand unit 240, the first arm 220 and the second arm 230 are rotated to rotate the upper hand unit 240 The processing board S2 is unloaded by retracting from the B chamber 130B and the lower hand unit 250 is rotated to overlap the upper hand unit 240. [

When the processing substrate S2 processed in the process chambers 130A, 130B, 130C, 130D and 130E is unloaded, the first rotation axis c1 and the second rotation axis c2 are individually driven as shown in Fig. 10 The upper hand unit 240 and the lower hand unit 250 are rotated so that the positions of the upper hand unit 240 and the lower hand unit 250 are reversed to avoid the upper hand unit 240 on which the processed substrate S2 is placed from the B chamber 130B, The first arm 220 and the second arm 230 are rotated to move the lower hand unit 250 on which the untreated substrate S1 taken out from the load lock chamber 120 is placed to enter the B chamber 130B .

When the substrate is placed in the B chamber 130B, i.e., the process chamber, the first arm 220 and the second arm 230 are moved in a direction opposite to the approaching direction as shown in FIG. 11, B chamber 130B, and the upper hand part 240 is rotated to overlap with the lower hand part 250. [

Thereafter, the driving unit is operated to rotate the main rotating shaft 210 to move to the home position. Then, the upper hand unit 240 on which the processed substrate S2 is placed enters the load lock chamber 120, Thereby bringing the substrate into the load lock chamber 120. At this time, when the upper hand unit 240 is moved into the load lock chamber 120, the lower hand unit 250 rotates toward the first process chamber 130A side, The upper hand 240 can be moved simultaneously with the movement of the upper hand 240.

Next, the driving unit rotates the main rotary shaft 210 to position the substrate transfer robot 200 at the home position.

As described above, the substrate transfer method according to the embodiment of the present invention can continuously perform the loading and unloading of the substrate into the process chamber. Particularly, since the loading and unloading of the substrate are performed through the rotation of the hand at the position where the arm of the substrate transfer robot 200 moves, the time required for transferring the substrate can be shortened. Particularly, even if the size of the substrate processing apparatus, for example, the transfer chamber is increased, the substrate can be effectively transferred without having a plurality of substrate transfer robots. It is possible to suppress or prevent the occurrence of defects such as a footprint caused by transferring the substrate.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with certain exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited by the described embodiments, but should be defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

110: atmospheric pressure module 120: load lock chamber
130A, 130, 130C, 130D, and 130E:
140: transfer chamber 200: substrate transfer robot
210: main rotating shaft 220: first arm
230: second arm 240: upper hand part
250: lower hand part

Claims (11)

A transfer chamber disposed at one side of the load lock chamber; a first process chamber disposed on one side of the transfer chamber so as to face the load lock chamber; and a second process chamber disposed between the load lock chamber and the first process chamber, A plurality of second process chambers which are opposed to each other with the transfer chamber interposed therebetween and in which at least two are continuously arranged; and a substrate transfer robot disposed in the transfer chamber, wherein the substrate transfer robot rotates the robot body A first arm whose one end is connected to the upper portion of the main rotation shaft, a second arm whose one end is connected to the other end of the first arm, and a second arm which is vertically stacked and connected to the other end of the second arm A method of transferring a substrate using a substrate transfer robot having a lower hand portion and an upper hand portion,
Wherein the lower hand portion and the upper hand portion of the substrate transfer robot rotate individually around a connection portion between the processing arm and the unprocessed substrate. The method according to claim 1,
The substrate transfer robot includes a first joint portion to which the main shaft and the first arm are connected, a second joint portion to which the first arm and the second arm are connected, and a second joint portion to which the second arm, And a third joint part to which the hand part is connected,
Wherein the third joint comprises a first rotation axis for rotating the upper hand part and a second rotation axis for rotating the lower hand part, and the third joint part rotates separately. The method according to claim 1,
A substrate transferring method for transferring a pair of substrates into or out of the corresponding chambers by using the upper hand portion and the lower hand portion when the substrate is carried out or carried into the load lock chamber, the first process chamber and the second process chamber, . The method of claim 2,
Wherein the lower hand portion and the upper hand portion are aligned to the load lock chamber or the first process chamber side when the substrate is carried out or carried into the load lock chamber or the first process chamber, And the second arm rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the first arm with respect to the second joint portion so that any one of the lower hand portion and the upper hand portion is rotated in the clockwise or counter- Lock chamber or the first process chamber, and the remaining hand portion rotates so as to be disposed in the direction opposite to the load lock chamber or the first process chamber in which the substrate is loaded or unloaded based on the third joint portion. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the lower hand portion and the upper hand portion are aligned to the second process chamber side when the substrate is taken out or carried into the second process chamber, and the first arm is moved clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to the first joint portion And the second arm rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the first arm with respect to the second joint portion to move any one of the lower hand portion and the upper hand portion to the second process chamber, Wherein the hand portion rotates in a direction opposite to the second process chamber in which the substrate is taken out or carried on the basis of the third joint portion. The method of claim 5,
Wherein an angle between the upper hand portion and the lower hand portion is in the range of 110 to 170 when the substrate is carried out or carried into the second process chamber. A load lock chamber;
A transfer chamber disposed at one side of the load lock chamber and including a substrate transfer robot therein;
A first process chamber disposed on one side of the transfer chamber so as to face the load lock chamber;
A plurality of second process chambers, which are opposed to each other with the transfer chamber interposed therebetween, between the load lock chamber and the first process chamber, and at least two are continuously disposed; And
The substrate transfer robot includes a main rotary shaft for rotating the robot body, a first arm having one end connected to the upper portion of the main rotary shaft, a second arm having one end connected to the other end of the first arm, And a lower hand part and an upper hand part which are stacked and connected to each other at the other end of the arm, wherein the lower hand part and the upper hand part are separately rotatable. Claim 7
The substrate transfer robot includes a first joint portion to which the main shaft and the first arm are connected, a second joint portion to which the first arm and the second arm are connected, and a second joint portion to which the second arm, And a third joint unit connected to the hand unit, wherein the third joint unit includes a first rotation axis for rotating the upper hand unit and a second rotation axis for rotating the lower hand unit. The method of claim 7,
The second process chamber is a dual structure in which a pair of substrates are arranged side by side,
Wherein each of the lower hand portion and the upper hand portion includes a pair of blades for supporting a pair of substrates. The method of claim 9,
Wherein at least four of the second process chambers are provided, and the substrate transfer robot is provided solely in the transfer chamber. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the second process chamber is symmetrically disposed along the transfer chamber.
KR1020130066073A 2013-06-10 2013-06-10 Method for transferring substrates and substrate process apparatus KR20140144322A (en)

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Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR20180021337A (en) * 2016-08-19 2018-03-02 피에스케이 주식회사 Substrate treating apparatus and substrate treating method
CN112828871A (en) * 2021-01-18 2021-05-25 玉林师范学院 Multi-station logistics manipulator device
US20210407837A1 (en) * 2020-06-30 2021-12-30 Applied Materials, Inc. Robot apparatus and systems, and methods for transporting substrates in electronic device manufacturing
WO2022006174A1 (en) * 2020-07-02 2022-01-06 Applied Materials, Inc. Robot apparatus and systems, and methods for transporting substrates in electronic device manufacturing
US11387127B2 (en) 2019-07-17 2022-07-12 Semes Co., Ltd. Substrate treating apparatus and substrate transfer apparatus

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR20180021337A (en) * 2016-08-19 2018-03-02 피에스케이 주식회사 Substrate treating apparatus and substrate treating method
US11387127B2 (en) 2019-07-17 2022-07-12 Semes Co., Ltd. Substrate treating apparatus and substrate transfer apparatus
US20210407837A1 (en) * 2020-06-30 2021-12-30 Applied Materials, Inc. Robot apparatus and systems, and methods for transporting substrates in electronic device manufacturing
WO2022006003A1 (en) * 2020-06-30 2022-01-06 Applied Materials, Inc. Robot apparatus and systems, and methods for transporting substrates in electronic device manufacturing
WO2022006174A1 (en) * 2020-07-02 2022-01-06 Applied Materials, Inc. Robot apparatus and systems, and methods for transporting substrates in electronic device manufacturing
CN112828871A (en) * 2021-01-18 2021-05-25 玉林师范学院 Multi-station logistics manipulator device

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