Robot tracking control system in chamber and substrate processing device including the same

Abstract

The present invention relates to an intra-chamber robot tracking and control system that utilizes multiple ultra-wideband (UWB) radars to detect the position of a robot within a chamber. To this end, the present invention provides an intra-chamber robot tracking and control system comprising: an ultra-wideband radar disposed within the chamber; a position detection unit that detects the position of a robot moving within the chamber using data from the ultra-wideband radar; and a robot control unit that controls the movement of the robot by comparing the position of the robot detected by the position detection unit with the positions of obstacles. Therefore, the present invention offers the advantage of being able to determine the position of the robot within the chamber in real time, thereby determining whether the robot's movement path is appropriate and preventing critical accidents.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an intra-chamber robot tracking control system and a substrate processing apparatus, and more particularly to an intra-chamber robot tracking control system and a substrate processing apparatus capable of detecting the position of a robot in a chamber by using multiple ultra-wideband (UWB) radars. Background Art

[0002] Semiconductor manufacturing processes include various steps such as etching, thin film deposition, and cleaning. These processes are primarily performed in process chambers, with robots used to transfer wafers or components into the chambers.

[0003] That is, the robot is used to transfer a substrate into a chamber or to return a substrate having completed a process out of a chamber.

[0004] according to Figure 1 Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0029367, a prior art publication, describes a method for monitoring a transfer robot. The transfer robot includes a support member 11, a handle 12 located on the support member 11, and a controller 20 for controlling the handle 12. If an abnormality is detected during the monitoring of the handle's status during actuation of the handle, the controller is activated again to reduce the handle's driving speed, thereby re-detecting the abnormality.

[0005] However, this transfer robot is only used to monitor information such as the driving position, speed, and torque of the handle, and is unable to grasp the position of the transfer robot.

[0006] When manually operating a robot, operations are performed using coordinates such as travel distance, rotation angle, and height, based on the robot.

[0007] However, when the robot enters the chamber, the current position of the robot cannot be known from the outside. When the robot collides with an obstacle such as a wall, it is impossible to know how the robot actually moves, and an accident may occur. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and specifically to appropriately control a robot moving in a chamber by grasping the position of the robot in real time.

[0009] Furthermore, data related to the robot's movement path is accumulated to provide an optimized robot control method.

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides an intra-cavity robot tracking and control system, comprising: an ultra-wideband radar, arranged in the cavity; a position detection unit, detecting the position of a robot moving in the cavity by utilizing data from the ultra-wideband radar; and a robot control unit, controlling the movement of the robot by comparing the position of the robot detected by the position detection unit with the position of an obstacle.

[0011] The robot control unit may calculate a measured distance between the coordinates of the robot and the coordinates of the obstacle, and may compare the measured distance with a safety distance.

[0012] Preferably, the storage unit sets an independent safety distance for each obstacle to store, and the above-mentioned robot control unit extracts the shortest distance obstacle from the coordinates of the robot detected by the above-mentioned position detection unit, thereby judging whether the measured distance between the coordinates of the above-mentioned robot and the coordinates of the above-mentioned shortest distance obstacle reaches or exceeds the detected safety distance.

[0013] The above-mentioned ultra-wideband radars are set to three or more, and the above-mentioned position detection unit forms a virtual circle with the distance between the robot and the position detection unit detected by each ultra-wideband radar as the radius, and the maximum intersection point of the above-mentioned circle can be set as the coordinates of the above-mentioned robot.

[0014] Preferably, the robot is provided with a detection dielectric having a dielectric constant different from that of other obstacles.

[0015] The robot control unit calculates the measured distance between the coordinates of the obstacle inside the chamber and the coordinates of the robot during repeated identical operations, and compares the distance with the measured distance of the previous operation to correct the movement of the robot.

[0016] Preferably, the robot control unit converts obstacles and non-obstacles into each other using a storage unit storing an obstacle map based on the task content.

[0017] According to the present invention, the present invention includes: a chamber; a robot that enters the interior of the above-mentioned chamber; an ultra-wideband radar that is arranged in the above-mentioned chamber; a position detection unit that detects the position of the above-mentioned robot moving in the above-mentioned chamber by utilizing data from the above-mentioned ultra-wideband radar; and a storage unit that stores the coordinates of the above-mentioned robot detected by the above-mentioned position detection unit.

[0018] Furthermore, the present invention further includes a robot control unit for controlling the movement of the robot, and the storage unit may further store positions of obstacles in the chamber.

[0019] The robot control unit may calculate a measured distance between the coordinates of the robot and the coordinates of the obstacle, and may compare the measured distance with a safety distance.

[0020] The storage unit further stores a safety distance associated with the obstacle. The robot control unit extracts the shortest distance obstacle from the coordinates of the robot and determines whether the measured distance between the coordinates of the robot and the coordinates of the shortest distance obstacle is greater than the safety distance.

[0021] The above-mentioned ultra-wideband radars are set to more than three, and the above-mentioned position detection unit forms a virtual circle with the distance between the above-mentioned ultra-wideband radars and the above-mentioned robot as the radius, and the maximum intersection points of the above-mentioned virtual circle can be set as the above-mentioned coordinates of the above-mentioned robot.

[0022] The robot may be provided with a detection dielectric having a dielectric constant different from that of the obstacle in the chamber.

[0023] Furthermore, according to the present invention, a method for tracking and controlling a robot in a chamber is provided, comprising: a step of measuring the position of a robot moving in the chamber by using an ultra-wideband radar arranged in the chamber in a position detection unit; and a step of controlling the movement of the robot by comparing the position of the robot with the position of an obstacle in a robot control unit.

[0024] Preferably, the present invention also includes: a step of configuring more than three of the above-mentioned ultra-wideband radars and measuring the distance between the robot and the position detection unit; a step of forming a virtual circle with the distance between the robot and the position detection unit detected in each ultra-wideband radar as a radius; and a step of setting the maximum number of intersections between the position detection unit and the circle as the coordinates of the above-mentioned robot.

[0025] Preferably, the robot control unit receives the real-time coordinates of the robot from the position detection unit and stores them in a storage unit, compares the real-time coordinates of the robot with the set coordinates stored in the storage unit, and issues an alarm when the real-time coordinates of the robot exceed a threshold range.

[0026] According to the present invention, there is an advantage in that the position of the robot can be grasped in real time in the chamber, and therefore whether the movement path of the robot is appropriate can be grasped, thereby preventing dangerous accidents in advance.

[0027] Furthermore, data related to the movement path of the robot can be accumulated, and the optimal movement path of the robot can be designed later. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 The diagram is a structural diagram showing a conventional method for monitoring a transfer robot.

[0029] Figure 2 It is a structural diagram showing the structure of the intra-chamber robot tracking control system of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 3 Schematic diagram for explaining the measurement method of the ultra-wideband radar in a chamber according to the present invention.

[0031] Figures 4a to 4d This is a diagram showing an example of a reception waveform using an ultra-wideband radar.

[0032] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating the intra-chamber robot tracking control method of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The structure and function of the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] Reference Figure 2 The robot tracking control system in a chamber of the present invention includes an ultra-wideband radar 100, a position detection unit 200, a robot control unit 300, and a storage unit 400. For example, the robot tracking control system can be embodied in a substrate processing apparatus including a chamber.

[0035] The ultra-wideband radar 100 utilizes ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless technology and has the following advantages: it does not use a wireless carrier and can share frequencies using a very wide frequency band of several GHz at the baseband. This also simplifies the transmitter and receiver structure, reduces power consumption, and reduces costs.

[0036] Reference Figure 3 In this embodiment, three ultra-wideband radars 100 are positioned within a chamber 500. These ultra-wideband radars 100 emit electromagnetic waves toward the chamber walls or structures such as lift pins, and receive return electromagnetic waves to measure the distance between the ultra-wideband radars 100 and the structures. In particular, the chamber 500 may be a vacuum chamber.

[0037] like Figures 4a to 4d , the waveform received from the ultra-wideband radar 100 exhibits different characteristics depending on the structure.

[0038] This characteristic is primarily due to the dielectric constant of the structure. The chamber is primarily made of stainless steel or aluminum, while the robot handle is made of ceramic. The characteristics of the received waveform are differentiated based on the properties of these materials.

[0039] Meanwhile, a detection dielectric 650 having a dielectric constant different from that of the structures within the chamber is installed in the robot 600 that enters the chamber 500. The detection dielectric 650 can be located below the robot 600 or inserted into the chamber. Furthermore, the detection dielectric 650 is preferably designed to be as small as possible to allow for easy detection by the ultra-wideband radar 100.

[0040] If the robot 600 enters the chamber, the ultra-wideband radar 100 measures the distance to the detection dielectric 650. In this case, if there are one or two ultra-wideband radars 100, the distance to the dielectric 650 can be detected, but the exact direction cannot be determined, making it difficult to determine the exact location of the detection dielectric 650.

[0041] In this embodiment, three ultra-wideband radars 100 are deployed to accurately determine the position of the detection dielectric 650 .

[0042] Specifically, the position detection unit 200 uses the distance to the detection dielectric 65 detected by the ultra-wideband radar 100 as a radius to form a virtual circle centered on the corresponding ultra-wideband radar 100. In this embodiment, three ultra-wideband radars 100 are deployed, and thus a total of three virtual circles are formed.

[0043] Then, the position detection unit 200 detects the positions of the intersection points (A, B, C) where the virtual circles intersect, and counts the number of circles intersecting at each intersection point. Figure 3 In the figure, the intersection point A is 2, the intersection point B is 3, and the intersection point C is 2. In the position detection unit 200, B, which has the most intersection points, is determined to be the coordinates of the robot.

[0044] The storage unit 400 stores received waveforms related to chamber structures such as the wall and lift pins, as well as received waveforms of the wafer or the detection dielectric 650. The dielectric constant of the detection dielectric 650 differs significantly from that of other structures, resulting in significantly different received waveforms. The position detection unit 200 can use this stored data to easily identify the detection dielectric 650. For example, the detection dielectric 650 can be made of one of silver, gold, and platinum.

[0045] On the other hand, the storage unit 400 stores an obstacle map that represents the shapes of structures that the robot 600 in the chamber should not contact. The obstacle map may store the position coordinates of structures such as walls, lift pins, and chucks.

[0046] Furthermore, in the obstacle map, a unique safety distance can be set and stored according to the type of obstacle. The safety distance is the minimum distance that must be maintained between the robot and the corresponding obstacle, and the safety distance can vary depending on the type of obstacle.

[0047] For example, the safety distance of the lifting pins may be less than the safety distance of the wall, and the movement path of the robot is a distance above this safety distance.

[0048] The obstacles and safety distances for navigating the obstacle map are not always fixed. For example, depending on the process, obstacles can become non-obstacles, and vice versa. The safety distance for the chuck can also vary depending on the baking process or the ring kit replacement process.

[0049] Furthermore, the safety distance from obstacles can be changed based on whether the wafer is detected by the ultra-wideband radar. That is, if the wafer is detected by the ultra-wideband radar, it is determined that the robot 600 is transferring the wafer, and the safety distance can be changed.

[0050] The robot control unit 300 can control the movement of the robot of the substrate processing device embodying the robot tracking control system. In the robot control unit 300, the coordinates of the robot detected by the position detection unit and the coordinates of the obstacles stored in the obstacle map of the storage unit are used to calculate the measured distance between the two. The above-mentioned measured distance can be calculated by the conventional Euclidean distance calculation method. In the robot control unit, the calculated measured distance is compared with the safety distance of the corresponding obstacle stored in the obstacle map. If the above-mentioned measured distance is greater than the safety distance, it is judged to be normal and the operation continues. On the contrary, if the measured distance is less than the safety distance or is the same as the safety distance, it is judged to be abnormal and an alarm is issued. In addition, if the time for which the above-mentioned abnormality is judged is longer than the specified time, an interlock signal is sent to stop the operation of the robot.

[0051] In this case, in the above-mentioned robot control unit 300, the coordinates of the robot are obtained through the position detection unit 200, and the measured distances between the coordinates of each obstacle and the coordinates of the robot are calculated respectively to extract the shortest distance obstacle with the smallest measured distance, and it is determined whether the measured distance between the coordinates of the above-mentioned robot and the shortest distance obstacle reaches above the safe distance.

[0052] On the other hand, in the chamber process, the robot 600 often performs repetitive motions, which can cause errors caused by motors and the like to accumulate, leading to a problem in which the robot gradually deviates from a set path.

[0053] The robot control unit 300 of this embodiment calculates the measured distance between the coordinates of the obstacle inside the chamber and the coordinates of the robot during repeated identical operations, and compares the calculated distance with the measured distance of the previous operation.

[0054] The positions of the robot detected by the position detection unit 200 are stored in the storage unit in real time and accumulated, and the movement of the robot in previous operations can be searched.

[0055] The robot control unit detects the movement history of the robot and compares it with the current movement. If it is determined that the robot has deviated from the set path within the allowable error range, the robot movement is corrected.

[0056] For example, in the robot's movement history detection results, when it is judged that the robot's position is gradually moving in an inclined manner toward the x direction and the current measured position of the robot is 2.3 times greater than the allowable error range 2, the robot control unit can correct the robot's movement by 2.3 times toward the -x direction for control.

[0057] In the robot control unit, the robot is controlled by comparing the set path with the current measured coordinates of the robot, regardless of obstacles.

[0058] Specifically, the robot control unit calculates a measured distance using the set coordinates of the preset path and the robot's measured coordinates, as determined by ultra-wideband radar. If the measured distance exceeds a threshold, an alarm is issued or the robot's movement is stopped. Preferably, if the measured distance significantly exceeds the threshold, an interlock signal is generated, causing the robot to stop.

[0059] In the intra-chamber robot tracking control system of the present invention, data related to the movement of the robot in the chamber is accumulated, and an optimal movement path of the robot is generated.

[0060] That is, it avoids locations where accidents frequently occur and creates an optimal path with the shortest distance while maximizing the safety distance from each obstacle. This optimal path can also be generated through machine learning using accumulated data.

[0061] Next, the in-chamber robot tracking control method of the present invention will be described.

[0062] First, when a process type is input, an obstacle map corresponding to the process type is detected in the storage unit. In this case, the obstacle map stores the obstacle type and the safety distance of the corresponding obstacle.

[0063] If the robot enters the chamber, the position of the robot is measured by an ultra-wideband radar disposed in the chamber. Preferably, the ultra-wideband radar is disposed on the bottom side of the chamber, and at least three of them are disposed.

[0064] The position detection unit detects the coordinates of the robot using the data transmitted from the ultra-wideband radar, and the robot control unit calculates the measured distance using the detected coordinates of the robot and the coordinates of the obstacle.

[0065] The calculated measured distance is then compared with the safe distance of each obstacle. If the measured distance exceeds the safe distance, the robot continues to move. Conversely, if the measured distance falls below the safe distance, an alarm is issued. In this case, the alarm is issued and the position of the robot at the time of the alarm is stored in the storage unit.

[0066] If the alarm is issued for a short time and the measured distance is greater than the safety distance again, the robot continues to move. If the alarm is issued for a short time and reaches the stop time, the robot control unit stops the movement of the robot.

[0067] In this embodiment, a robot is described, which can be used to move objects in a chamber.

[0068] The above description refers to the embodiments of the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes to the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention and the scope of the invention as described in the scope of protection claimed.

Claims

1. A robot tracking control system in a chamber, characterized in that: include: an ultra-wideband radar, housed within the chamber; a position detection unit for detecting the position of the robot moving in the chamber by using data obtained by the ultra-wideband radar; as well as The robot control unit controls the movement of the robot by comparing the position of the robot detected by the position detection unit with the position of the obstacle. The robot is provided with a detection dielectric having a dielectric constant different from that of the structure in the chamber.

2. The indoor robot tracking control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robot control unit calculates a measured distance between the coordinates of the robot and the coordinates of the obstacle, and compares the measured distance with a safety distance.

3. The indoor robot tracking control system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The storage unit sets an independent safety distance for each obstacle to store. The above-mentioned robot control unit extracts the shortest distance obstacle from the coordinates of the robot detected by the above-mentioned position detection unit, thereby judging whether the measured distance between the coordinates of the above-mentioned robot and the coordinates of the above-mentioned shortest distance obstacle reaches or exceeds the detected safety distance.

4. The indoor robot tracking control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The above-mentioned ultra-wideband radar is set up in three or more units. The position detection unit forms a virtual circle having a radius of the distance to the robot detected by each ultra-wideband radar, and sets the most intersection points of the circle as the coordinates of the robot.

5. The indoor robot tracking control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robot control unit calculates the measured distance between the coordinates of the obstacle inside the chamber and the coordinates of the robot during repeated identical operations, and compares the distance with the measured distance of the previous operation to correct the movement of the robot.

6. The indoor robot tracking control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robot control unit converts obstacles and non-obstacles into each other using a storage unit storing an obstacle map based on the work content.

7. A substrate processing device, characterized in that: include: chamber; The robot enters the interior of the chamber; an ultra-wideband radar, disposed in the chamber; a position detection unit that detects the position of the robot moving within the chamber by using data measured by the ultra-wideband radar; and a storage unit for storing the coordinates of the robot detected by the position detection unit; The robot is provided with a detection dielectric having a dielectric constant different from that of the structure in the chamber.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: It also includes a robot control unit for controlling the movement of the robot. The storage unit further stores coordinates of obstacles in the chamber.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein: The robot control unit calculates a measured distance between the coordinates of the robot and the coordinates of the obstacle, and compares the measured distance with a safety distance.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: The storage unit also stores the safety distances associated with the obstacles. The robot control unit extracts a shortest distance obstacle from the coordinates of the robot and determines whether a measured distance between the coordinates of the robot and the coordinates of the shortest distance obstacle is greater than the safety distance.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: The above-mentioned ultra-wideband radar is set up in three or more units. The position detection unit forms a virtual circle having a radius of the distance to the robot detected by each of the ultra-wideband radars, and sets the most intersection points of the virtual circle as the coordinates of the robot.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein: The robot control unit calculates a measured distance between the coordinates of the obstacle in the chamber and the coordinates of the robot during repeated identical operations, and compares the distance with the measured distance of the previous operation to correct movement of the robot.

13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein The robot control unit converts obstacles and non-obstacles into each other using the storage unit storing an obstacle map based on the work content.

14. A method for tracking and controlling a robot in a chamber, characterized in that: include: a step of measuring, in a position detection unit, the position of the robot moving in the chamber using an ultra-wideband radar installed in the chamber; as well as The robot control unit controls the movement of the robot by comparing the position of the robot with the position of an obstacle. The robot is provided with a detection dielectric having a dielectric constant different from that of the structure in the chamber.

15. The method for tracking and controlling a robot in a chamber according to claim 14, wherein: The steps of determining the position of the robot include: The step of configuring three or more ultra-wideband radars and measuring the distance between the robot and the ultra-wideband radar; The position detection unit forms a virtual circle using the distance to the robot detected by each ultra-wideband radar as a radius; and The position detecting unit sets the maximum number of intersections between each of the points and the circle as coordinates of the robot.

16. The method for tracking and controlling a robot in a chamber according to claim 14, wherein: The robot control unit receives the real-time coordinates of the robot from the position detection unit and stores them in the storage unit. The real-time coordinates of the robot are compared with the set coordinates stored in the storage unit, and an alarm is issued when the coordinates exceed a threshold range.

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