robot

Abstract

This invention provides a robot for transporting a substrate, the robot comprising an arm, a hand, and a tilting mechanism. The arm is movable. The hand is configured to protrude from the arm, holding and transporting the substrate. The tilting mechanism enables the hand to tilt. The hand includes a holding portion. The holding portion is capable of contacting the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate. Through the tilting mechanism, the holding portion holds the substrate in a state where it contacts the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate in such a manner that force is applied only to one of the two parts dividing the substrate into two equal parts.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a robot used for transporting substrates such as semiconductor wafers and printed circuit boards. Background Technology

[0002] To date, transport robots for transporting substrates are well known. Patent Document 1 discloses a transport device including such a transport robot.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a transport robot comprising a torso and an arm. The arm is positioned on the upper part of the torso. The transport robot transports substrates (workpieces) between boxes (storage devices) and various processing devices by extending and retracting the arm. An end effector for holding the substrate is provided at the end of the arm.

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-120861 Summary of the Invention

[0005] In the structure of Patent Document 1, when the substrate is removed from the box for transport, the end effector must be inserted into the innermost part of the box from below the substrate. Therefore, a structure that can transport the substrate in a simpler way is desired.

[0006] In view of the above, the object of the present invention is to provide a robot capable of efficiently transporting substrates.

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention has been described above. The means used to solve the problem and its effects will be described below.

[0008] According to the present invention, a robot with the following structure is provided. That is, the robot is used to transport a substrate. The robot includes an arm, a hand, and a tilting mechanism. The arm is movable. The hand is configured to protrude from the arm, hold and transport the substrate. The tilting mechanism enables the hand to tilt. The hand includes a holding portion. The holding portion is capable of contacting the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate. Through the tilting mechanism, the holding portion holds the substrate in a state where it contacts the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate in such a way that force is applied only to one of the two parts that divide the substrate into two equal parts. Here, the two equal parts refer to the substrate being virtually divided into two equal parts by a plane parallel to the thickness direction of the substrate.

[0009] Therefore, the substrate can be held by the holding part of the hand without the hand moving a large distance relative to the substrate. Furthermore, hand tremors caused by arm movement can be suppressed. Thus, the substrate can be held quickly.

[0010] (The effect of the invention)

[0011] According to the present invention, a robot capable of efficiently transporting substrates can be provided. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a robot according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a perspective view showing an example of a tilting mechanism.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a tilting mechanism.

[0015] Figure 4 This diagram shows the posture of a robot acquiring a pre-determined substrate.

[0016] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view showing the robotic arm beginning its actions to hold the substrate as it is being removed from transport.

[0017] Figure 6 This diagram shows the appearance of the substrate contacting the guide portion, which includes the holding portion.

[0018] Figure 7 This diagram shows the shape of the groove for inserting and retaining the peripheral portion of the substrate.

[0019] Figure 8 It is a cross-sectional view showing how a substrate is held in place by a robotic arm that is tilted.

[0020] Figure 9 This is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the described embodiment.

[0021] Figure 10 The diagram shows how a modified robotic hand is tilted to hold a substrate in place.

[0022] Figure 11 This shows a cross-sectional view of other variations.

[0023] Figure 12 This is a cross-sectional view showing a deformed example of a robot hand holding a substrate in a horizontal position.

[0024] Figure 13 This is a perspective view showing a modified example of the configuration of the retaining part.

[0025] Figure 14 This is a perspective view showing other variations in the configuration of the retaining part. Detailed Implementation

[0026] Next, the disclosed embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a robot 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 1 The robot 100 shown is, for example, installed in a manufacturing plant or warehouse for substrates W such as semiconductor wafers and printed circuit boards. The robot 100 is used to transport substrates W between multiple locations. The substrate W can also be any of the following: raw material, semi-finished product in process, or finished product. The substrate W is circular in this embodiment, but is not limited to this.

[0028] The robot 100 mainly includes a base 1, a robot arm (arm part) 2, a robot hand (hand part) 3, a tilting mechanism 4, and a robot control unit 9.

[0029] The base 1 is fixed to the factory floor or the like. However, it is not limited to this; the base 1 can also be fixed to suitable processing equipment, for example. Furthermore, the base 1 can also be mounted on a component that can move in the horizontal direction.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, the robot arm 2 is mounted on the base 1 via a lifting shaft 11 that is capable of moving in the vertical direction. The robot arm 2 is capable of rotating relative to the lifting shaft 11.

[0031] Robotic arm 2 is composed of a horizontal multi-joint robotic arm. Robotic arm 2 includes a first arm 21 and a second arm 22.

[0032] The first arm 21 is constructed as a slender, horizontally extending straight section. One end of the first arm 21 along its length is mounted on the upper end of the lifting shaft 11. The first arm 21 is rotatably supported about the axis (vertical axis) of the lifting shaft 11. A second arm 22 is mounted on the other end of the first arm 21 along its length.

[0033] The second arm 22 is constructed as a slender, horizontally extending straight section. One end of the second arm 22 is mounted to the front end of the first arm 21 along its length. The second arm 22 is rotatably supported about an axis (vertical axis) parallel to the lifting shaft 11. A robotic hand 3 is mounted at the other end of the second arm 22 along its length.

[0034] Each of the lifting shaft 11, the first arm 21, and the second arm 22 is driven by a suitable actuator (not shown). This actuator can be, for example, an electric motor.

[0035] An encoder (not shown) is installed at the arm joints located between the lifting shaft 11 and the first arm 21, between the first arm 21 and the second arm 22, and between the second arm 22 and the robot hand 3 to detect the rotational position of each of the first arm 21, the second arm 22, and the robot hand 3. Furthermore, an encoder is also provided at an appropriate position on the robot 100 to detect the positional change of the first arm 21 in the height direction (i.e., the amount of lifting of the lifting shaft 11).

[0036] The robot control unit 9 controls the operation of the electric motors that drive each of the lifting shaft 11, the first arm 21, the second arm 22, and the robot hand 3 based on position information including the rotational or height positions of the first arm 21, the second arm 22, or the robot hand 3 detected by each encoder.

[0037] The robotic hand 3 is configured to protrude from the other end (front end) of the second arm 22 along its length. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the robot hand 3 includes a wrist portion 31, a hand body portion 32, and a retaining portion 35. In the robot hand 3, the wrist portion 31 is disposed on the base end side (second arm 22 side), and the hand body portion 32 is disposed on the front end (protruding end) 3a side.

[0038] The wrist 31 is mounted on the front end of the second arm 22 via a tilting mechanism 4. The wrist 31 is rotatably supported about an axis (vertical axis) parallel to the lifting shaft 11. However, the tilting mechanism 4 can tilt the axis of rotation of the wrist 31 relative to a straight line parallel to the lifting shaft 11. The wrist 31 is driven to rotate by a suitable actuator (not shown). This actuator can be, for example, an electric motor.

[0039] The hand body 32 is connected to the front end of the wrist 31. The hand body 32 is composed of a plate-like component. The wrist 31 and the hand body 32 may also be integrally formed.

[0040] The retaining part 35 is a part that functions to retain the substrate W. The retaining part 35 is provided in the hand body part 32. The retaining part 35 is located at the front end 3a of the robot hand 3 by being provided in the hand body part 32. The retaining part 35 protrudes upward from the hand body part 32.

[0041] The retaining part 35 is made of resins such as PP (polypropylene) or PEEK (polyether ether ketone). It should be noted that in this embodiment, the retaining part 35 is included in one portion of the hand body 32, but multiple portions may also be included.

[0042] The robot arm 3 moves to an appropriate position via the robot arm 2, bringing the holding part 35 into contact with a portion of the peripheral portion of the substrate W and its vicinity. At this point, the robot arm 3 holds the substrate W using the holding part 35. The structure of the robot arm 3 holding the substrate W will be described later.

[0043] The tilting mechanism 4 is installed on the front end side of the second arm 22 (opposite to the side connected to the first arm 21).

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, the tilting mechanism 4 includes a lower plate portion 41 and an upper plate portion 42. The lower plate portion 41 is fixed to the upper surface of the second arm 22. The wrist portion 31 of the robot hand 3 is rotatably supported by the upper plate portion 42. A height adjustment mechanism 5 is disposed between the lower plate portion 41 and the upper plate portion 42. The tilting mechanism 4 uses the height adjustment mechanism 5 to adjust the tilt angle and tilt direction of the upper plate portion 42 relative to the lower plate portion 41.

[0045] like Figure 2 As shown, the height adjustment mechanism 5 includes, for example, three support parts 51, 52, and 53, which are disposed at different positions between the lower plate part 41 and the upper plate part 42. For ease of explanation, in... Figure 3 The central support sections 51, 52, and 53 are depicted as arranged in a straight line; in reality, as shown... Figure 2 As shown, from a plan view, the support parts 51, 52, and 53 are configured to form a triangle.

[0046] Two of the three support portions 51 and 52 include an external thread 56, an internal thread 57, and a spherical bearing 58. The threaded shaft of the external thread 56 is rotatably supported by the lower plate portion 41 with its axis pointing vertically. This threaded shaft can be independently rotated in the two support portions 51 and 52 by an actuator (e.g., an electric motor) omitted from the illustration. The internal thread 57 is screwed onto the threaded shaft of the external thread 56. When the threaded shaft is rotated, the internal thread 57 moves vertically. By this threaded feed, the height at which the support portions 51 and 52 support the upper plate portion 42 can be changed. A spherical bearing 58 is disposed between the internal thread 57 and the upper plate portion 42.

[0047] The remaining support portion 53 is equipped with a spherical bearing 58. This support portion 53 does not have the function of changing the support height due to threaded feed.

[0048] By driving actuators (not shown in the diagram), the height of the upper plate 42 relative to the lower plate 41 can be independently changed at multiple support sections 51 and 52, thereby changing the tilt angle and tilt direction of the upper plate 42 relative to the lower plate 41. As a result, the posture (tilt angle and tilt direction) of the robot hand 3 relative to the second arm 22 can be adjusted. It should be noted that the height adjustment mechanism 5 (and even the tilting mechanism 4) is not limited to this structure.

[0049] like Figure 1 As shown, the robot control unit 9 and the base 1 are respectively provided. However, the robot control unit 9 can also be arranged inside the base 1.

[0050] The robot control unit 9, as a well-known computer component, includes a processing unit such as a microcontroller, CPU, MPU, PLC, DSP, ASIC, or FPGA; a storage unit such as ROM, RAM, or HDD; and a communication unit capable of communicating with external devices. The storage unit stores programs executed by the processing unit, various set thresholds, information related to the holding unit 35, and information related to the storage device 7. The communication unit is configured to receive information related to the board W from external devices.

[0051] The robot control unit 9 can control the lifting shaft 11, the robot arm 2, and the robot hand 3. For example, the robot control unit 9 stores the detection results of the encoder corresponding to the posture of the robot hand 3 as the posture information of the robot hand 3. Therefore, the robot control unit 9 can control the electric motors of the various parts driving the robot 100 (lifting shaft 11, first arm 21, second arm 22, robot hand 3, etc.) to make the detection results of the encoder that detects the posture of the robot hand 3 consistent with the stored posture information, so as to reproduce the posture of the robot hand 3.

[0052] Furthermore, the robot control unit 9 can control the tilting mechanism 4. For example, when the robot hand 3 takes the substrate W from the storage device 7 for transport, the robot control unit 9 can appropriately change the posture of the robot hand 3 by means of the tilting mechanism 4, so that the robot hand 3 holds the substrate W of the storage device 7 with the holding part 35, as described later.

[0053] like Figure 4 As shown, the storage device 7 is used to store the substrate W. In the storage device 7, multiple (e.g., more than 100) substrates W are stored at equal intervals in the vertical direction (the height direction of the storage device 7). Typically, the substrates W are stored in a horizontal position in the storage device 7. The storage device 7 is positioned at a predetermined distance from the robot 100.

[0054] Next, the structure of the robot hand 3 holding the base plate W will be described in detail. Hereinafter, the direction in which the robot hand 3 protrudes from the front end of the robot arm 2 (in other words, the tilting mechanism 4) will sometimes be referred to simply as the protrusion direction.

[0055] like Figure 1 As shown, the robot arm 3 holds the substrate W via the holding part 35. At this time, the substrate W is located on the upper surface side of the robot arm 3. The robot arm 3 performs transport while holding the substrate W. Figures 5 to 7As shown, the holding part 35 has a holding part body 35a and a groove part 35b.

[0056] The retaining part body 35a is provided on the upper surface of the hand body part 32. For example... Figure 1 as well as Figure 4 As shown, when the robot hand 3 is in a horizontal position, the holding part body 35a is formed into a block shape that is elongated in the width direction of the robot hand 3.

[0057] In the holding body 35a, a groove 35b is formed on the side farther from the tilting mechanism 4. The groove 35b opens the side farther from the tilting mechanism 4. When the robot hand 3 is in a horizontal position, the groove 35b is formed to be elongated in the horizontal direction and penetrates the holding body 35a in the horizontal direction. The groove 35b can be formed as a straight line or as an arc along the circle of the substrate W when viewed from a planar perspective. A portion of the peripheral portion of the substrate W can be inserted into the groove 35b. Therefore, the holding part 35 is able to hold the substrate W.

[0058] When the robot hand 3 is in a horizontal position, the distance between the bottom surface of the groove 35b and the ceiling surface is approximately equal to the thickness of the substrate W. Therefore, the groove 35b can contact both the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W. When the holding part body 35a is cut with a plane that divides the width of the robot hand 3 into two equal parts, Figure 5 The length (depth) L1 from the opening to the innermost part in the cross-section of the groove 35b shown is set to an appropriate size. Therefore, the groove 35b can be embedded into a portion of the peripheral portion of the substrate W and remain embedded in that portion.

[0059] In the retaining part 35, a tapered guide part 35c is formed near the opening of the groove part 35b on the side farther from the front end of the robot arm 2. The guide part 35c has two guide surfaces, which are configured to form a transverse V-shape. The guide surfaces of the guide part 35c are positioned on the side closer to the hand body part 32 than the groove part 35b and on the side farther away from the hand body part 32 than the groove part 35b. Therefore, the vertical distance of the guide part 35c decreases as it gets closer to the tilting mechanism 4. In the guide part 35c, the end closest to the tilting mechanism 4 is connected to the groove part 35b.

[0060] In such a structure, for example, when the robot arm 3 takes out the transportable substrate W stored in the storage device 7 for transport, the robot control unit 9 controls the robot arm 3 and the like based on the information stored in the storage unit.

[0061] That is, firstly, such as Figure 5As shown, when the robot arm 3 leaves the storage device 7, its vertical position is adjusted so that it corresponds to the vertical position of the substrate W to be transported. Here, the posture of the robot arm 3 is horizontal, depending on the posture of the substrate W stored in the storage device 7.

[0062] Secondly, such as Figure 6 As shown, the front end 3a side of the robot hand 3 is inserted into the storage device 7, and the guide part 35c of the holding part 35 in the robot hand 3 rests on a part of the periphery of the substrate W located at the front side of the storage device 7.

[0063] Next, the front end 3a of the robotic arm 3 is further inserted into the storage device 7. However, it is not necessary for the robotic arm 3 to advance too far into the storage device 7. As the robotic arm 3 moves, the guide portion 35c guides a portion of the peripheral portion of the substrate W into the groove portion 35b, such as... Figure 7 As shown, a portion of the peripheral portion of the substrate W enters the groove 35b.

[0064] When the insertion of the robotic arm 3 into the storage device 7 is complete, the posture of the robotic arm 3 is tilted by the tilting mechanism 4. Figure 8 As shown, the robot arm 3 is tilted such that its front end 3a side (the opening side of the groove 35b) is positioned higher than its base end side (the bottom side of the groove 35b). Therefore, a portion of the weight of the substrate W acts in the direction that inserts the substrate W into the inside of the groove 35b. The result of the robot arm 3 being tilted in this way is that the substrate W is held in a state where the force of the holding part 35 (in other words, by the robot arm 3) is applied only to a portion of the substrate W (the half after dividing the substrate W into two equal parts).

[0065] When considering dividing the substrate W into a portion close to the robot arm 3 and a portion far from the robot arm 3, with the center of the substrate W as the boundary, the holding part 35 does not contact both sides of the substrate W, but only one side of the substrate W (the side close to the robot arm 3), through which the force of the robot arm 3 is applied. As a result, the entire weight of the substrate W is supported by the robot arm 3. Therefore, this holding can be called cantilever holding. In this state, the robot arm 3 is removed from the storage device 7 for transporting the substrate W.

[0066] The orientation of the robot hand 3 protruding from the tilting mechanism 4 varies from a planar perspective. However, because the tilting mechanism 4 enables the robot hand 3 to tilt in three dimensions, it is possible to raise its front end even if the robot hand 3 is facing any direction from a planar perspective. Figure 8 The state.

[0067] To release the robot arm 3 from holding the substrate W, simply perform the opposite action described above.

[0068] According to the structure of this embodiment, the hand body 32 can be miniaturized, achieving a simple structure. Since the protruding length of the hand body 32 is small, the shaking of the hand body 32 during movement is also reduced. Therefore, the possibility of the hand body 32 colliding with the substrate W can be decreased. Furthermore, the robot hand 3 can shorten the forward distance to the substrate W while either holding the substrate W or releasing it. Therefore, the robot hand 3 can efficiently transport the substrate W.

[0069] As described above, the robot 100 of this embodiment is used to transport a substrate W. The robot 100 includes a robot arm 2, a robot hand 3, and a tilting mechanism 4. The robot arm 2 is movable. The robot hand 3 is configured to protrude from the robot arm 2, hold, and transport the substrate W. The tilting mechanism 4 enables the robot hand 3 to tilt. The robot hand 3 includes a holding portion 35. The holding portion 35 is capable of contacting the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W. Through the tilting mechanism 4, such as... Figure 8 As shown, the holding part 35 holds the substrate W in a state where it contacts the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W in such a way that force is applied only to one of the two parts that divide the substrate W into two equal parts.

[0070] Until now, when removing a substrate from its storage device, it was necessary to insert the robotic arm 3 to the innermost part of the storage device. However, with the above structure, it is not necessary to move the robotic arm 3 to the innermost part of the storage device 7 to hold the substrate W cantileveredly. That is, the robotic arm 3 can be made shorter in its protruding direction, reducing the amount of insertion required when removing the substrate W. Furthermore, the shaking of the hand body 32 accompanying the movement of the robotic arm 2 can be suppressed. Therefore, the substrate W can be removed from the storage device 7 quickly. As a result, the substrate W removal operation can be performed with high efficiency.

[0071] Furthermore, in the robot 100 of this embodiment, the retaining part 35 is disposed on the front end side of the robot hand 3.

[0072] Therefore, miniaturization of the robotic hand 3 can be easily achieved.

[0073] Furthermore, the robot 100 of this embodiment includes a conical guide portion 35c, which can contact the periphery of the substrate W when the robot hand 3 moves forward relative to the substrate W.

[0074] Therefore, the robot arm 3 is able to hold the substrate W smoothly.

[0075] Next, variations of the above embodiments will be described. It should be noted that in the description of these variations, components that are the same or similar to those in the described embodiments are labeled with the same symbols in the accompanying drawings, and sometimes descriptions are omitted.

[0076] exist Figure 9 In the robot hand 3 of this modified example shown, the holding portion 35x includes a holding portion body 35a and a support portion 37. The groove 35b formed in the holding portion body 35a is shallower than the groove 35b in the above embodiment. That is, the length L2 of the groove 35b in the depth direction (hand protrusion direction) is shallower than... Figure 5 The length L1 of the groove portion 35b in the depth direction in the above embodiment is relatively short.

[0077] The support portion 37 is made of a component such as elastic rubber. The support portion 37 is positioned between the front end 3a of the robot hand 3 and the holding portion 35x. The support portion 37 is configured to protrude upwards from the hand body portion 32. The support portion 37 can contact the lower surface of the peripheral portion of the substrate W.

[0078] In this variation, as Figure 10 With the robot arm 3 tilted, the upper surface of the peripheral portion of the substrate W is contacted by the ceiling surface of the groove 35b of the holding body 35a, and the lower surface is mainly contacted by the support 37. In this state, the substrate W can be cantilevered and transported.

[0079] In this structure, the support portion 37 supports the lower surface of the substrate W on a side closer to the center of the substrate W, compared to the holding portion body 35a. Therefore, it is possible to use... Figure 10 The substrate W is held stably in the state of the robot arm 3. Furthermore, since the substrate W is inserted shallowly into the groove 35b, the substrate W temporarily held in the robot arm 3 can be easily removed by the action of the tilting mechanism 4.

[0080] As described above, in the robot 100 of this modified example, the holding part 35x has a support part 37. Compared with the portion that contacts the upper surface of the substrate W, i.e., the ceiling surface of the groove 35b, the support part 37 contacts the lower surface of the substrate W on the side closer to the center of the substrate W.

[0081] Therefore, it is possible to stably hold the substrate W. Furthermore, the holding / holding release of the robot arm 3 on the substrate W can be easily switched by the action of the tilting mechanism 4.

[0082] The preferred embodiments and variations of the present invention have been described above. The above structure can also be modified as follows.

[0083] The holding part 35 may also have multiple parts. The size of the holding part 35 and the support part 37 can be arbitrarily set according to the shape and / or size of the substrate W.

[0084] Even when the holding portion 35 has a deeper groove 35b as in the above embodiment, the robot arm 3 can still have a support portion 37. In this case, as in the above variation, the robot arm 3 can use the holding portion 35 and the support portion 37 to hold the substrate W and transport it in this held state.

[0085] You can also Figure 5 The retaining part 35 of the structure is disposed on the lower surface of the hand body part 32 instead of being disposed on the upper surface of the hand body part 32.

[0086] The conical guide portion 35c may also be provided on either the upper or lower side of the groove portion 35b. Alternatively, the guide portion 35c may be omitted.

[0087] like Figure 11 As shown in the modified example, instead of the groove 35b, a wider recess 35d can be formed in the retaining body 35a. In this case, the retaining body 35a does not contact the lower surface of the peripheral portion of the substrate W into which it is inserted.

[0088] The hand body 32 of the robot hand 3 can also be integrated with the upper plate 42 of the tilting mechanism 4.

[0089] The tilting mechanism 4 can be configured between the base 1 and the lifting shaft 11, between the lifting shaft 11 and the first arm 21, or between the first arm 21 and the second arm 22.

[0090] The groove 35b can also be configured such that, when the robot hand 3 is in a horizontal position, the opening of the groove 35b of the part 35 faces diagonally upward. At this time, as... Figure 12 As shown, the robot arm 3 can hold the substrate W in a horizontal cantilever position.

[0091] It can also include two spaced apart from each other. Figure 11 The retaining body 35a includes a support portion 37 at a position corresponding to the interval. Figure 13 This example is shown. Figure 13 In this structure, the support portion 37 is positioned at the center of the hand body portion 32 in the width direction. Two retaining portions 35a are arranged symmetrically around the center of the hand body portion 32 in the width direction. The retaining portion 35 is constituted by the two retaining portions 35a and the support portion 37.

[0092] exist Figure 13In the structure, the retaining part 35 is formed by two components (the retaining part body 35a) that contact the substrate W from the top and one component (the supporting part 37) that contacts the substrate W from the bottom. Alternatively, it can be replaced by, for example... Figure 14 As shown, the holding part 35 is formed by one component that contacts the substrate W from the top and two components that contact the substrate W from the bottom. Figure 14 In this example, stop members 38 are provided on both sides of the hand body portion 32 in the width direction. These stop members 38 can limit the sliding of the substrate W by contacting the edge of the substrate W when the robot hand 3 holds it. The stop members 38 can also be applied to… Figure 13 Structure Figure 4 The structure, etc. The shape of the stop 38 is arbitrary.

[0093] The functions of the elements disclosed in this specification can be executed using circuitry or processing circuitry, which includes general-purpose processors, special-purpose processors, integrated circuits, ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof configured or programmed to perform the disclosed functions. A processor, because it contains transistors and other circuitry, is considered a processing circuit or circuit. In this invention, a circuit, unit, or component is hardware that performs the listed functions or hardware programmed to perform the listed functions. The hardware can be either the hardware disclosed in this specification or other known hardware programmed or configured to perform the listed functions. When the hardware is a processor considered a type of circuit, the circuit, component, or unit is a combination of hardware and software, with the software used in the structure of the hardware and / or processor.

[0094] Taking the foregoing instructions into account, it is clear that the present invention can be implemented in many ways and variations. Therefore, it should be understood that the present invention, within the scope of the appended claims, can be practiced using methods other than those described in this specification.

Claims

1. A robot for transporting substrates, characterized in that: The robot includes an arm, a hand, and a tilting mechanism. The arm is movable, the hand is configured to protrude from the arm to hold and transport the substrate, and the tilting mechanism enables the hand to tilt. The hand includes a holding portion that can contact the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate. The holding part holds the substrate in a state where the force is applied only to one of the two parts that divide the substrate into two equal parts, by means of the tilting mechanism, and the hand transports the substrate while the holding part is in contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate.

2. The robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The retaining part is disposed on the front end side of the hand.

3. The robot according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The retaining portion has a portion that contacts the lower surface of the substrate on a side that is closer to the center of the substrate than the portion that contacts the upper surface of the substrate.

4. The robot according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The robot includes a conical guide that can contact the periphery of the substrate as the hand moves forward relative to the substrate.

5. The robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The robot includes a conical guide that can contact the periphery of the substrate as the hand moves forward relative to the substrate.

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