Transfer robot, method of operating transfer robot, and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

Abstract

A transfer robot is provided in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus including a first transfer module and a second transfer module detachably coupled to the first transfer module. The transfer robot transfers the substrate while moving along the first transfer module and the second transfer module. The transfer robot includes: a moving body moving along a first track and a second track respectively mounted on the first transfer module and the second transfer module; an encoder module detecting a first scale mounted along the first track and a second scale mounted along the second track to generate a position signal; a controller detecting a position of the transfer robot based on the position signal; and a servo system that controls the driving of the moving body in accordance with the detected position. The encoder module includes a first encoder and a second encoder mounted at a distance from each other in a longitudinal direction of the first track and the second track.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a transfer robot, a method of operating the transfer robot, and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus including the transfer robot. Background Art

[0002] The semiconductor (or display) manufacturing process is a process for manufacturing semiconductor devices on a substrate (e.g., a wafer), and includes, for example, exposure, deposition, etching, ion implantation, and cleaning. In order to perform each manufacturing process, semiconductor manufacturing equipment that performs the corresponding process is provided in a clean room of a semiconductor manufacturing plant, and a substrate introduced into the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is processed.

[0003] Generally, semiconductor manufacturing equipment includes a processing module configured to process a substrate and a conveying module configured to transfer a substrate to the processing module and remove the processed substrate from the processing module. A plurality of processing modules are provided, and the plurality of processing modules are arranged along the periphery of the conveying module. The processing capacity (the amount of processing per unit time) of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is determined by the number of processing modules.

[0004] In order to variably adjust the processing capacity of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, a platform type device is proposed that allows some processing modules to be detachably installed in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment. For example, there is a "6+4" type platform device that allows four additional processing modules to be installed in a semiconductor manufacturing equipment having six processing modules, and a "4+4" type platform device that allows four additional processing modules to be installed in a semiconductor manufacturing equipment having four processing modules.

[0005] In such a platform-type semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a transfer module is additionally installed so as to transfer a substrate to an additionally installed processing module, and a transfer robot configured to transfer the substrate moves to the additionally installed transfer module. When the additional transfer module is installed, a disconnection section appears on the transfer route, and the detection of the position of the transfer robot may be blocked at the disconnection section. Since the position of the transfer robot needs to be detected to drive the transfer robot, a method is needed to detect the position of the transfer robot also at the disconnection section in the platform-type semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. Summary of the invention

[0006] Therefore, the present invention is made to address the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transfer robot capable of detecting its own position at the disconnection interval between transfer modules in a platform-type semiconductor manufacturing equipment, a method for operating the transfer robot, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment including the transfer robot.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, the above and other purposes can be achieved by providing a transfer robot, which is arranged in a semiconductor manufacturing device, the semiconductor manufacturing device includes a first transfer module and a second transfer module detachably coupled to the first transfer module, and the transfer robot is configured to transfer the substrate while moving along the first transfer module and the second transfer module. The transfer robot includes: a moving body, which is configured to move along a first track mounted on the first transfer module and a second track mounted on the second transfer module; an encoder module, which is configured to detect a first scale mounted along the first track and a second scale mounted along the second track to generate a position signal; a controller, which is configured to detect the position of the transfer robot based on the position signal; and a servo system, which is configured to control the driving of the moving body according to the detected position. The encoder module includes a first encoder and a second encoder, and the first encoder and the second encoder are installed to have a gap between each other along the longitudinal direction of the first track and the second track.

[0008] In the embodiment of the present invention, the interval between the first encoder and the second encoder may be greater than the interval between the first scale and the second scale.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present invention, the controller can determine the position of the moving body based on the first position signal received from the first encoder and the second position signal received from the second encoder, and the servo system can generate a driving signal according to the difference between the position of the moving body and the target position of the moving body.

[0010] In the embodiment of the present invention, the controller may determine the position of the moving object using one of the first position signal and the second position signal.

[0011] In the embodiment of the present invention, the controller can detect whether the moving body passes through the section between the first track and the second track, and when detecting that the moving body passes through the section between the first track and the second track, the position signal for determining the position of the moving body can be switched.

[0012] In the embodiment of the present invention, the controller may monitor the first position signal and the second position signal, and when a discontinuous section is detected in one of the first position signal and the second position signal, it may be determined that the moving body passes through the section between the first track and the second track.

[0013] In the embodiment of the present invention, when it is detected that one of the first position signal and the second position signal is restored from a discontinuous section to a continuous section, the controller may switch the position signal used to determine the position of the moving object.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating the above transfer robot, the method comprising: determining a position of a moving body based on a position signal received from an encoder module; and controlling driving of the moving body according to the position of the moving body.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor manufacturing device, comprising: a loading module configured to accommodate a cassette for receiving substrates; a load lock chamber configured to temporarily store substrates; a transfer module configured to provide a space to allow a transfer robot that transfers substrates to travel through the space; and a plurality of processing modules arranged on opposite sides of the transfer module and configured to process the substrates.

[0016] The transfer module includes a first transfer module coupled to the load lock chamber and a second transfer module detachably coupled to the first transfer module.

[0017] The first transfer module includes: a first track configured to provide a moving path for a transfer robot; and a first ruler installed along the first track, including markings arranged for determining a position of the transfer robot.

[0018] The second transport module includes: a second track configured to be connected to the first track; and a second ruler configured to be connected to the first ruler.

[0019] The transfer robot includes: a moving body configured to move along a first track and a second track; an encoder module configured to detect a first scale installed along the first track and a second scale installed along the second track to generate a position signal; a controller configured to detect the position of the transfer robot based on the position signal; and a servo system configured to control the driving of the moving body according to the detected position. The encoder module includes a first encoder and a second encoder, which are installed to have a gap between each other along the first track and in the longitudinal direction of the second track. The gap between the first encoder and the second encoder is larger than the gap between the first scale and the second scale. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood through the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0021] Figure 1 and Figure 2 is a view showing the layout of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 and 4 is a view for explaining a transfer robot according to the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5is a block diagram showing a configuration of a driving unit of a transfer robot; and

[0024] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating a transfer robot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement these embodiments. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0026] In order to clearly describe the present invention, parts irrelevant to the description of the present invention will be omitted, and the same or similar constituent elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the specification.

[0027] Furthermore, constituent elements having the same configuration in a plurality of embodiments will be assigned the same reference numerals and described only in a representative embodiment, and only constituent elements different from the representative embodiment will be described in other embodiments.

[0028] Throughout the specification, when a component is described as being “connected,” “coupled,” or “combined” to another component, the component and the other component may be “directly connected,” “directly coupled,” or “directly combined,” or may be “indirectly connected,” “indirectly coupled,” or “indirectly combined” with one or more intermediate elements therebetween. In addition, throughout the specification, when a component is described as “including,” “comprising,” or “having” another component, as long as there is no special conflicting description, the component should not be understood as excluding other elements, and the component may include at least one other element.

[0029] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical or scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Terms (such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries) should be interpreted as having the same meaning as those in the relevant technical context, and should not be interpreted as having an ideal or overly formal meaning unless clearly defined in the specification.

[0030] Figure 1 and Figure 2 is a view showing the layout of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present invention. Figure 1 The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 is shown in a state where the second transfer module 40 and the second process module 50 are separated, and Figure 2The semiconductor manufacturing equipment 1 is shown in a state where the second transfer module 40 and the second processing module 50 are coupled. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment 1 to which the present invention is applicable is an equipment configured to perform semiconductor processing processes such as etching, cleaning, coating, developing, and deposition. The present invention is not limited to equipment configured to perform a specific process and can be applied to any type of equipment.

[0031] The semiconductor manufacturing equipment 1 of the present invention includes: a loading module 10 configured to unload a substrate from a cassette F or load a substrate into a cassette F; a load lock chamber 15 configured to temporarily store a substrate; a transfer module 2 configured to provide a space for a transfer robot 100 to move to transfer a substrate; and a plurality of processing modules 3 arranged on opposite sides of the transfer module 2 and configured to process the substrate. The transfer module 2 includes a first transfer module 20 connected adjacent to the loading module 10 and a second transfer module 40 detachably coupled to the first transfer module 20. The processing module 3 includes a first processing module 30 coupled to opposite sides of the first transfer module 20 and a second processing module 50 coupled to opposite sides of the second transfer module 40.

[0032] The first transfer module 20 includes a first track 210 configured to provide a moving path for the transfer robot 100 and a first ruler 220 installed along the first track 210 and including a mark 220M arranged for determining the position of the transfer robot 100. The second transfer module 40 includes a second track 410 and a second ruler 420, the second track 410 configured to be coupled to the first track 210 at an interval d2, and the second ruler 420 configured to be coupled to the first ruler 220 at an interval d2.

[0033] The loading module 10 includes a loading port 12, on which a cassette F configured to receive a substrate is placed, and an indexing unit 14, which is configured to unload a substrate from the cassette F placed on the loading port 12 or load a processed substrate into the cassette F. A plurality of loading ports 12 may be provided, and the plurality of loading ports 12 may be arranged outside the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 1 along a predetermined direction (e.g., a Y-axis direction). After a cassette F transferred by an overhead crane transporter (OHT) is placed on each loading port 12, a door of the cassette F may be opened. The indexing unit 14 may be provided adjacent to the loading port 12. The indexing unit 14 may include an indexing guide 142 arranged along the arrangement direction (Y-axis direction) of the loading port 12 and an indexing robot 144 configured to move along the indexing guide 142 to transfer the substrate. The transfer robot 144 can receive a substrate from the cassette F and then transfer the received substrate to the load lock chamber 15 so that the substrate is temporarily stored in the load lock chamber 15, or can receive a substrate temporarily stored in the load lock chamber 15 and then transfer the received substrate to the inside of the cassette F.

[0034] The first conveyor module 20 may receive a substrate from the load lock chamber 15 and then transfer the received substrate to the first processing module 30, or may transfer a substrate processed in the first processing module 30 to the load lock chamber 15. The first conveyor module 20 includes a housing, an internal space is defined in the housing, and a first track 210 and a first scale 220 installed along the first track 210 are provided on the bottom surface of the housing. A door for transferring the substrate to the first processing module 30 may be provided on the side wall of the first conveyor module 20. The first track 210 is arranged on the inner bottom surface of the first conveyor module 20 along the arrangement direction (X-axis direction) of the first processing module 30. The conveying robot 100 may transfer the substrate to the first processing module 30 while moving along the first track 210. A structure for coupling with the second conveyor module 40 may be provided on the wall of the first conveyor module 20 opposite to the load lock chamber 15 (the wall at the end of the first conveyor module 20 in the X-axis direction). An opening and a shielding mechanism configured to selectively open the opening may be provided on a wall of the first transfer module 20 that is opposite to the load lock chamber 15 (a wall at an end of the first transfer module 20 in the X-axis direction).

[0035] The first processing module 30, as a device configured to process a substrate, may include one or more processing chambers. A plurality of first processing modules 30 may be provided, and the plurality of first processing modules 30 may be arranged on opposite sides of the first conveying module 20 along a predetermined direction (e.g., an X-axis direction). The first processing modules 30 may perform the same process or different processes. For example, some first processing modules 30 may perform an etching process on the substrate, and the remaining first processing modules 30 may perform a cleaning process on the substrate that has been etched.

[0036] As expandable modules that can be selectively separated from or installed in the platform type semiconductor manufacturing equipment 1, the second conveying module 40 and the second processing module 50 may be included in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 1. The second conveying module 40 may be coupled to the first conveying module 20 in an expanded form. Alternatively, the second conveying module 40 may be separated from the first conveying module 20.

[0037] The second conveyor module 40 may have the same structure as the first conveyor module 20. The second conveyor module 40 includes: a housing, an internal space is defined inside thereof; a second track 410, which is provided on the bottom surface of the housing; and a second scale 420, which is installed along the second track 410. A door for conveying a substrate to the second processing module 50 may be provided on the side wall of the second conveyor module 40. The second track 410 is arranged on the inner bottom surface of the second conveyor module 40 along the arrangement direction (X-axis direction) of the second processing module 50. The conveying robot 100 may move along the second track 410 via the first track 210 and convey the substrate to the second processing module 50. A structure for coupling with the first conveyor module 20 may be provided on the wall of the second conveyor module 40 facing the first conveyor module 20 (the wall at the end of the second conveyor module 40 in the -X-axis direction). An opening and a shielding mechanism for selectively opening the opening may be located on the wall of the second conveyor module 40 facing the first conveyor module 20 (the wall at the end of the second conveyor module 40 in the -X-axis direction). A wall of the second conveyor module 40 opposite to the first conveyor module 20 (a wall at an end of the second conveyor module 40 in the +X-axis direction) may be closed or may be configured to allow an additional conveyor module to be coupled thereto.

[0038] The second processing module 50, as a device for processing a substrate, may include one or more processing chambers. A plurality of second processing modules 50 may be provided, and the plurality of second processing modules 50 may be arranged on opposite sides of the second conveying module 40 along a predetermined direction (e.g., an X-axis direction). The second processing modules 50 may perform the same process or may perform different processes. For example, some second processing modules 50 may perform an etching process on a substrate, and the remaining second processing modules 50 may perform a cleaning process on a substrate that has undergone an etching process.

[0039] Figure 3 and Figure 4 1 is a view for explaining a transfer robot 100 according to the present invention. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the driving unit 105 of the transfer robot 100 .

[0040] The transfer robot 100 transfers the substrate stored in the load lock chamber 15 to the first process module 30 or the second process module 50. In addition, the transfer robot 100 transfers the substrate processed in the first process module 30 or the second process module 50 to the load lock chamber 15. The transfer robot 100 generally includes a moving body 110 configured to move along the first track 210 and the second track 410 and a driving unit 105 configured to generate power for the movement of the moving body 110. The driving unit 105 includes a variety of driving devices installed inside or outside the moving body 110.

[0041] The transfer robot 100 includes: a moving body 110 configured to move along a first track 210 mounted on a first transfer module 20 and a second track 410 mounted on a second transfer module 40; an encoder module 120 configured to detect a first scale 220 mounted along the first track 210 and a second scale 420 mounted along the second track 410 to generate a position signal; a controller 130 configured to detect a position of the transfer robot 100 based on the position signal; and a servo system 140 configured to control driving of the moving body 110 according to the detected position. The encoder module 120 includes a first encoder 120A and a second encoder 120B, which are installed to have a spacing d1 between each other along the longitudinal direction X of the first track 210 and the second track 410.

[0042] The moving body 110 is a structure configured to move along the first rail 210 and the second rail 410 by a driving unit (e.g., a linear motor) of the servo system 140. A robot arm and a robot hand are installed on the moving body 110 so as to process the substrate. Figure 3 As shown, the encoder module 120 may be installed on one side of the moving body 110. The encoder module 120 detects the mark 220M or 420M engraved on the first scale 220 or the second scale 420 and generates a position signal for position determination. Figure 5 The first position signal generated by the first encoder 120A and the second position signal generated by the second encoder 120B may be provided to the controller 130 .

[0043] The controller 130 is a circuit for controlling the overall operation of the transfer robot 100. The controller 130 determines the current position of the transfer robot 100 based on the position signal provided from the sensor or encoder module 120 installed on the transfer robot 100, and provides the position information to the servo system 140. The servo system 140 can use the position information to generate a drive signal and transmit the drive signal to a drive device (e.g., a linear motor). The servo system 140 performs an operation for moving the transfer robot 100 to a target position provided by a processor (not shown), which is configured to control the operation of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 1. The servo system 140 may include a drive controller configured to generate a drive signal and a drive device (e.g., a linear motor) configured to operate in response to the drive signal. For example, the servo system 140 may generate a drive signal (e.g., accelerate or decelerate) according to the difference between the target position provided by the superior control system and the position information (current position) provided by the controller 130. The motor controlled by the servo system 140 is configured to be driven in response to the drive signal and generate power to allow the moving body 110 to move along the first track 210 or the second track 410.

[0044] See also Figure 3 , the first track 210 is installed on the bottom surface of the first conveying module 20 along the horizontal direction (X-axis direction), and the first ruler 220 is installed along the first track 210. The first ruler 220 is a structure engraved with a mark 220M for determining the position of the conveying robot 100. In the first ruler 220, the mark 220M for determining the position can be an optical mark or a magnet arranged to induce an electromagnetic signal of a specific pattern. Similarly, the second track 410 is installed on the bottom surface of the second conveying module 40 along the horizontal direction (X-axis direction), and the second ruler 420 is installed along the second track 410. The second track 410 and the second ruler 420 can be configured the same as the first track 210 and the first ruler 220, respectively.

[0045] like Figure 2 As shown, when the second conveying module 40 is coupled with the first conveying module 20, a gap d2 is formed between the first track 210 and the second track 410, and the position detection of the conveying robot 100 is interrupted in the interval where the gap d2 is formed. The conveying robot 100 of the present invention includes a first encoder 120A and a second encoder 120B arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the first track 210 and the second track 410, and a first position signal from the first encoder 120A and a second position signal from the second encoder 120B are combined with each other or one of the first and second position signals is selectively used, so that the position of the conveying robot 100 can be continuously detected.

[0046] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the interval d1 between the first encoder 120A and the second encoder 120B may be formed to be larger than the interval d2 between the first scale 220 and the second scale 420. Figure 4 As shown, a gap d2 is formed between the first scale 220 and the second scale 420 , and a gap d1 between the first encoder 120A and the second encoder 120B mounted on the transfer robot 100 is greater than the gap d2 .

[0047] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 130 determines the position of the moving body 110 based on the first position signal received from the first encoder 120A and the second position signal received from the second encoder 120B. The servo system 140 generates a driving signal according to the difference between the position of the moving body 110 and the target position of the moving body 110.

[0048] The controller 130 uses one of the first position signal and the second position signal to determine the position of the moving body 110. For example, when the moving body 110 is located in the first transmission module 20, the controller 130 uses the first position signal to determine the position of the moving body 110. When the moving body 110 is located in the second transmission module 40, the controller 130 uses the second position signal to determine the position of the moving body 110.

[0049] The controller 130 switches the position signal used for position determination when detecting that the moving body 110 passes through the section between the first track 210 and the second track 410. When detecting that the moving body 110 reaches the second track 410 of the second conveying module 40 from the first track 210 of the first conveying module 20, the controller 130 may determine the position of the moving body 110 using the second position signal provided by the second encoder 120B. Conversely, when detecting that the moving body 110 reaches the first track 210 of the first conveying module 20 from the second track 410 of the second conveying module 40, the controller 130 may determine the position of the moving body 110 using the first position signal provided by the first encoder 120A.

[0050] The controller 130 can monitor the first position signal and the second position signal. When it is detected that one of the first position signal and the second position signal has a discontinuous section, the controller 130 can determine that the moving body 110 passes through the interval between the first track and the second track. The controller 130 monitors the first position signal and the second position signal input through two ports. The first position signal and the second position signal are signals (constant analog signals) corresponding to the continuous section when the first encoder 120A and the second encoder 120B detect the first scale 220 or the second scale 420. When the moving body 110 passes through the discontinuous section between the first track 210 and the second track 410, the first position signal or the second position signal has a discontinuous section. The discontinuous section is a signal section where the signal is cut off or a predetermined level or greater signal distortion occurs. When the moving body 110 moves from the first conveying module 20 to the second conveying module 40, the second position signal generated by the second encoder 120B has a discontinuous section, and the controller 130 can determine that the moving body 110 enters the disconnection section between the first conveying module 20 and the second conveying module 40 from the first conveying module 20. When the moving body 110 moves from the second conveying module 40 to the first conveying module 20 , the first position signal generated by the first encoder 120A has a discontinuous section. At this time, the controller 130 can determine that the moving body 110 enters the disconnection section between the first conveying module 20 and the second conveying module 40 from the second conveying module 40 .

[0051] When it is detected that one of the first position signal and the second position signal is restored from a discontinuous section to a continuous section, the controller 130 may switch the position signal used to determine the position of the moving body 110. For example, when a discontinuous section is detected in the second position signal and then a continuous section is detected in the second position signal, the controller 130 may switch the position signal used to determine the position of the moving body 110 from the first position signal to the second position signal. Conversely, when a discontinuous section is detected in the first position signal and then a continuous section is detected in the first position signal, the controller 130 may switch the position signal used to determine the position of the moving body 110 from the second position signal to the first position signal.

[0052] According to the present invention, the transfer robot 100 includes a first encoder 120A and a second encoder 120B mounted thereon with a gap d1 therebetween, and selectively uses position signals provided by the first encoder 120A and the second encoder 120B, thereby determining the position of the moving body 110. Therefore, even when there is a disconnection section between the first track 210 and the second track 410, the position of the moving body 110 can be continuously detected. Therefore, in the expandable semiconductor manufacturing equipment 1 in which the second transfer module 40 can be detachably coupled to the first transfer module 20, it is possible to reduce the inconvenience of having to reset the transfer robot 100 relative to the second scale 420 whenever the second transfer module 40 is coupled to the first transfer module 20, and quickly drive the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 1.

[0053] The present invention can provide a method for operating the above-mentioned reference Figures 1 to 5 The method of transferring the robot 100. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing a method S600 of operating the transfer robot 100. The method S600 of operating the transfer robot 100 according to the present invention includes a step S610 of determining a position of the moving body 110 based on a position signal received from the encoder module 120 and a step S620 of controlling driving of the moving body 110 according to the position of the moving body 110.

[0054] In step S610, the encoder module 120 sends a position signal for determining the position of the moving body 110 to the controller 130 using the first scale 220 or the second scale 420, and the controller 130 determines the position of the moving body 110 based on the position signal. In step S620, the controller 130 provides the position information to the servo system 140, and the servo system 140 controls the driving of the moving body 110 according to the position information. For example, the servo system 140 can control acceleration or deceleration according to the position of the moving body 110.

[0055] The step S610 of determining the position of the moving body 110 includes the step of determining the position of the moving body 110 based on the first position signal received from the first encoder 120A and the second position signal received from the second encoder 120B. The step S620 of controlling the driving of the moving body 110 includes the step of generating a driving signal according to the difference between the position of the moving body 110 and the target position of the moving body 110.

[0056] The step S610 of determining the position of the moving body 110 includes the step of determining the position of the moving body 110 using one of the first position signal and the second position signal. The step S610 of determining the position of the moving body 110 includes: the step of detecting whether the moving body 110 passes through the section between the first track 210 and the second track 410; and the step of switching the position signal for determining the position of the moving body 110 when it is detected that the moving body 110 passes through the section between the first track 210 and the second track 410. The step of detecting whether the moving body 110 passes through the section between the first track 210 and the second track 410 includes: the step of monitoring the first position signal and the second position signal; and the step of determining that the moving body 110 passes through the section between the first track 210 and the second track 410 when it is detected that a discontinuous section appears in one of the first position signal and the second position signal. The step of switching the position signal includes the step of switching the position signal for determining the position of the moving body 110 when it is detected that one of the first position signal and the second position signal recovers from a discontinuous section to a continuous section.

[0057] As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, since the first encoder and the second encoder are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the rail, the position of the transfer robot can be detected even in a disconnected section between transfer modules.

[0058] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

[0059] The scope of the present invention should be limited only by the accompanying claims, and all technical concepts within the equivalent scope of the claims should be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A transfer robot, provided in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus including a first transfer module and a second transfer module detachably coupled to the first transfer module, the transfer robot being configured to transfer a substrate while moving along the first transfer module and the second transfer module, the transfer robot comprising: a moving body configured to move along a first track mounted on the first conveying module and a second track mounted on the second conveying module; an encoder module configured to detect a first scale mounted along the first track and a second scale mounted along the second track to generate a position signal; a controller configured to detect a position of the transfer robot based on the position signal; as well as a servo system configured to control driving of the moving body according to the detected position, The encoder module includes a first encoder and a second encoder, and the first encoder and the second encoder are installed with a gap between them along the longitudinal direction of the first track and the second track. 2 . The transfer robot according to claim 1 , wherein an interval between the first encoder and the second encoder is larger than an interval between the first scale and the second scale.

3. The transfer robot according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines the position of the moving body based on a first position signal received from the first encoder and a second position signal received from the second encoder, The servo system generates a drive signal according to a difference between the position of the moving body and a target position of the moving body. 4 . The transfer robot according to claim 3 , wherein the controller determines the position of the moving body using one of the first position signal and the second position signal.

5. The transfer robot according to claim 3, wherein the controller detects whether the moving body passes through the section between the first track and the second track, and switches a position signal for determining the position of the moving body when detecting that the moving body passes through the section between the first track and the second track.

6. The transfer robot according to claim 5, wherein the controller monitors the first position signal and the second position signal, and upon detecting a discontinuous section in one of the first position signal and the second position signal, determines that the moving body passes through the interval between the first track and the second track. 7 . The transfer robot according to claim 6 , wherein the controller switches the position signal for determining the position of the moving body when detecting that one of the first position signal and the second position signal is restored from the discontinuous section to the continuous section.

8. A method of operating the transfer robot according to claim 1, the method comprising: determining the position of the moving body based on the position signal received from the encoder module; as well as The driving of the moving body is controlled according to the position of the moving body.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a spacing between the first encoder and the second encoder is greater than a spacing between the first scale and the second scale.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the position of the moving object comprises: determining a position of the moving body based on a first position signal received from the first encoder and a second position signal received from the second encoder, and Controlling the driving of the moving body includes generating a driving signal according to a difference between the position of the moving body and a target position of the moving body.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the position of the moving object comprises: The position of the mobile object is determined using one of the first position signal and the second position signal.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein determining the position of the moving object further comprises: detecting whether the moving body passes through a section between the first track and the second track; as well as When it is detected that the moving object passes through the section between the first track and the second track, a position signal for determining the position of the moving object is switched.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein detecting whether the moving object passes through the section between the first track and the second track comprises: monitoring the first position signal and the second position signal; as well as When a discontinuous section is detected in one of the first position signal and the second position signal, it is determined that the moving body passes through a discontinuous section between the first track and the second track.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein switching the position signal comprises: When it is detected that one of the first position signal and the second position signal is restored from a discontinuous section to a continuous section, the position signal used to determine the position of the moving object is switched.

15. A semiconductor manufacturing device comprising: a loading module configured to receive a cassette for receiving a substrate; a load lock chamber configured to temporarily store the substrate; a transfer module configured to provide a space to allow a transfer robot that transfers the substrate to travel through the space; as well as a plurality of processing modules arranged on opposite sides of the transfer module, the plurality of processing modules being configured to process the substrate, wherein the transfer module comprises a first transfer module coupled to the load lock chamber and a second transfer module configured to be detachably coupled to the first transfer module, The first transmission module comprises: a first track configured to provide a moving path for the transfer robot; and a first scale mounted along the first track, the first scale comprising markings arranged for determining the position of the transfer robot, The second transmission module comprises: a second track configured to connect to the first track; and a second scale configured to be connected to said first scale, The transfer robot comprises: a moving body configured to move along the first track and the second track; an encoder module configured to detect the first scale mounted along the first track and the second scale mounted along the second track to generate a position signal; a controller configured to detect a position of the transfer robot based on the position signal; and a servo system configured to control the driving of the moving body according to the detected position, The encoder module includes a first encoder and a second encoder, the first encoder and the second encoder are installed with a gap between them along the longitudinal direction of the first track and the second track, and The interval between the first encoder and the second encoder is greater than the interval between the first scale and the second scale.

16. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 15, wherein the controller determines the position of the moving body based on a first position signal received from the first encoder and a second position signal received from the second encoder, and The servo system generates a drive signal according to a difference between the position of the moving body and a target position of the moving body. 17 . The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 16 , wherein the controller determines the position of the moving body using one of the first position signal and the second position signal.

18. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 17, wherein the controller detects whether the moving body passes through the section between the first track and the second track, and switches the position signal for determining the position of the moving body when detecting that the moving body passes through the section between the first track and the second track.

19. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 18, wherein the controller monitors the first position signal and the second position signal, and determines that the moving body passes through the section between the first track and the second track when a discontinuous section appears in one of the first position signal and the second position signal. 20 . The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 19 , wherein the controller switches the position signal for determining the position of the moving body when detecting that one of the first position signal and the second position signal is restored from a discontinuous section to a continuous section.

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