TRANSFER EQUIPMENT, POLISHING FACILITY, AND TRANSFER PROCEDURES

Abstract

A transfer device configured to transfer a carrier having a flat shape and formed with a plurality of tooth sections provided on an outer circumferential edge and fitable into both an internal gear and a sun gear rotating on a support surface of a plate, and having a through-hole accommodating a substrate, to a planetary gear-type polishing unit containing the internal gear and the sun gear and polishing a surface of the substrate facing a thickness direction, comprising: a transfer unit configured to transfer the carrier, an imaging unit configured to capture an image of at least a portion of a plurality of tooth sections of the internal gear and an image of at least a portion of a plurality of tooth sections of the sun gear, and a control unit configured to control the transfer unit.

Description

Transfer device, polishing equipment, and transfer method

[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-027114, filed on February 24, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Conventionally, a transfer device is known that transports a combined carrier and workpiece (substrate) onto a rotating surface plate of a polishing unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this transfer device, the carrier is a circular external gear. The workpiece is combined with the carrier by being accommodated in an accommodation hole (through hole) of the carrier. In the polishing unit, a sun gear is provided at the center of the rotating surface plate and an internal gear is provided on the outer periphery. These mesh with multiple carriers arranged on the rotating surface plate, and the rotational and revolution speeds of the carriers are determined by the rotational speeds of each. The combined carrier and workpiece are transported by a second work transport unit (transfer unit).

[0003] Japanese Patent No. 4235313

[0004] In recent years, the increase in size of the polishing unit has led to an increase in the stopping error, which is the difference between the target stopping position and the actual stopping position of the moving sun gear and internal gear. Furthermore, this stopping error also occurs in the transfer unit. When the stopping error increases, it becomes difficult to fit the carrier to the internal gear and sun gear, respectively, and to transfer the carrier from its fitted state to outside the polishing unit.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide a transfer device that can easily fit a carrier into the internal gear and sun gear, respectively, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer section, or that can easily transfer the carrier from a state in which the carrier is fitted into the internal gear and sun gear, respectively, to outside the polishing section, as well as polishing equipment equipped with this transfer device, and a transfer method.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means: (1) A first aspect of the present invention is a transfer device that transfers a flat carrier having a plurality of teeth on its outer periphery that can be fitted onto the internal gear and the sun gear, and a through hole that accommodates the substrate, to a planetary gear-type polishing unit that has an internal gear and a sun gear that rotate on the support surface of a surface plate and polishes the surface facing in the thickness direction of a substrate, the transfer device comprising: a transfer unit that transfers the carrier; an imaging unit that captures images of at least some of the teeth of the internal gear and at least some of the teeth of the sun gear; and a control unit that controls the transfer unit, wherein the control unit adjusts, based on the images, the position of the carrier in a surface direction along the support surface relative to the internal gear and the sun gear, and the orientation of the carrier around an axis perpendicular to the support surface, and the transfer unit engages the teeth of the carrier with the teeth of the internal gear and the teeth of the sun gear, respectively.

[0007] In this invention, the image captured by the imaging unit includes images of at least a portion of the teeth of the actual internal gear and at least a portion of the teeth of the actual sun gear at the polishing unit. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer unit, the control unit can use the image to adjust the position of the carrier in the surface direction and the orientation of the carrier around the axis relative to the internal gear and sun gear, making it easier to fit the teeth of the carrier onto the teeth of the internal gear and the teeth of the sun gear, respectively. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer unit, it is easy to fit the carrier onto the internal gear and the sun gear, respectively.

[0008] (2) In the transfer device described in (1), the transfer unit may include a plurality of links arranged along a connecting shaft, a joint rotatably connecting adjacent links along the connecting shaft, and a holding unit provided on a distal link that is the first link among the plurality of links along the connecting shaft and detachably holding the carrier, wherein the second link among the plurality of links along the connecting shaft is supported by a mounting surface, and the joint allows the holding unit to be moved relative to the internal gear and the sun gear in the surface direction and around the axis. In this invention, the joint can be driven to move the plurality of links to transfer the carrier held by the holding unit to the mounting surface. The joint allows the carrier held by the holding unit to be moved relative to the internal gear and the sun gear in the surface direction and around the axis.

[0009] (3) In the transfer device described in (2), the imaging unit may include a first imaging unit that captures the image of at least a portion of the plurality of teeth of the sun gear and a second imaging unit that captures the image of at least a portion of the plurality of teeth of the internal gear, and the first imaging unit and the second imaging unit may be provided on the tip link. In this invention, the first imaging unit and the second imaging unit can capture the image of at least a portion of the plurality of teeth of the sun gear and the image of at least a portion of the plurality of teeth of the internal gear separately. Then, by driving the joints of the transfer unit to move the plurality of links, the first imaging unit and the second imaging unit can be moved, and the object captured in the images captured by the first imaging unit and the second imaging unit can be changed.

[0010] (4) In the transfer device described in (3) above, when the image of at least a portion of the plurality of teeth of the sun gear acquired by the first imaging unit when the plurality of teeth of the carrier are fitted with the plurality of teeth of the internal gear and the plurality of teeth of the sun gear is defined as a first reference image, and the image of at least a portion of the plurality of teeth of the internal gear acquired by the second imaging unit is defined as a second reference image, the control unit determines the amount of movement of the carrier along the surface direction relative to the internal gear and the sun gear, and a first movement amount including a movement amount of the carrier along the surface direction relative to the internal gear and the sun gear and a rotation amount of the carrier about the axis based on a difference between the image of at least some of the plurality of tooth portions of the internal gear acquired by the second imaging unit when the carrier has moved and rotated by the first movement amount and the second reference image; and a second movement amount including a movement amount of the carrier along the surface direction relative to the internal gear and the sun gear and a rotation amount of the carrier about the axis based on a difference between the image of at least some of the plurality of tooth portions of the internal gear acquired by the second imaging unit when the carrier has moved and rotated by the first movement amount and the second movement amount, and after the carrier has moved and rotated by the transfer unit, the plurality of tooth portions of the carrier are fitted with the plurality of tooth portions of the internal gear and the plurality of tooth portions of the sun gear, respectively.

[0011] In this invention, the transfer unit moves the carrier a first movement amount calculated by the control unit, thereby transferring the carrier to a position where the plurality of teeth of the carrier engage with the plurality of teeth of the sun gear. Furthermore, the transfer unit moves the carrier a second movement amount calculated by the control unit, thereby transferring the carrier to a position where the plurality of teeth of the carrier engage with the plurality of teeth of the internal gear. In this way, after moving and rotating the carrier the first movement amount and the second movement amount, the plurality of teeth of the carrier are engaged with the plurality of teeth of the internal gear and the plurality of teeth of the sun gear, respectively. This makes it easier to engage the carrier with the internal gear and the sun gear, respectively, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, the sun gear, and the transfer unit.

[0012] (5) A second aspect of the present invention is a transfer device that transfers a flat carrier having a plurality of teeth on an outer periphery that fit with the internal gear and the sun gear, respectively, and a through hole for accommodating the substrate, from a planetary gear type polishing unit that has an internal gear and a sun gear that rotate on a support surface of a surface plate and polishes a surface facing in the thickness direction of a substrate, to the outside of the polishing unit, the transfer device having a holding unit that detachably holds the carrier, and a transfer unit that transfers the carrier, and at least some of the teeth of the internal gear and at least some of the teeth of the sun gear. and a control unit that controls the transfer unit, and the control unit detects, based on the image, the position of the carrier in the surface direction along the support surface relative to the internal gear and the sun gear, and the orientation of the carrier around an axis perpendicular to the support surface, when the multiple teeth of the carrier are engaged with the multiple teeth of the internal gear and the multiple teeth of the sun gear, respectively, and holds the carrier using the holding unit that has adjusted the position and orientation, and transfers the carrier to outside the polishing unit using the transfer unit.

[0013] In this invention, the image captured by the imaging unit includes images of at least a portion of the teeth of the actual internal gear and at least a portion of the teeth of the actual sun gear in the polishing unit. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer unit, the control unit can detect the in-plane position and axial orientation of the carrier, which fits with the internal gear and sun gear, relative to the internal gear and sun gear, based on this image. Furthermore, the control unit adjusts the in-plane position and axial orientation of the holding unit based on these positions and orientations, making it easier for the holding unit to hold the carrier. The transfer unit, which has the holding unit, can then transfer the carrier to outside the polishing unit. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer unit, the carrier can be easily transferred from its state of being fitted with the internal gear and sun gear to outside the polishing unit. The carrier transferred to outside the polishing unit is then accurately placed on a table, such as a set table, by the transfer unit.

[0014] (6) A third aspect of the present invention is a polishing facility including the transfer device according to any one of (1) to (5) above and the polishing unit. In this invention, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, the sun gear, and the transfer device, the polishing facility can be configured using a transfer device that can easily fit the carrier to the internal gear and the sun gear, respectively, or can easily transfer the carrier from a state in which the carrier is fitted to the internal gear and the sun gear, respectively, to outside of the polishing unit.

[0015] (7) A fourth aspect of the present invention is a method for transferring a flat carrier having a plurality of teeth on its outer periphery that can be fitted onto the internal gear and the sun gear, respectively, and a through hole for accommodating the substrate, to a planetary gear type polishing unit that has an internal gear and a sun gear that rotate on the support surface of a surface plate and polishes the surface facing the thickness direction of the substrate, and based on images of at least some of the teeth of the internal gear and at least some of the teeth of the sun gear, the position of the carrier in the surface direction along the support surface relative to the internal gear and the sun gear and the orientation of the carrier around an axis perpendicular to the support surface are adjusted, and the teeth of the carrier are fitted onto the teeth of the internal gear and the teeth of the sun gear, respectively.

[0016] In this invention, the image includes images of at least a portion of the teeth of the actual internal gear and at least a portion of the teeth of the actual sun gear at the polishing section. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer section, for example, by adjusting the position of the carrier in the surface direction and the orientation of the carrier around the axis relative to the internal gear and sun gear based on this image, it is easy to fit the teeth of the carrier onto the teeth of the internal gear and the teeth of the sun gear, respectively. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer section, it is easy to fit the carrier onto the internal gear and sun gear, respectively.

[0017] (8) A fifth aspect of the present invention is a method for transferring a flat carrier having an internal gear and a sun gear that rotate on the support surface of a surface plate and that polishes the surface facing the thickness direction of a substrate, from a planetary gear type polishing unit that polishes the surface facing the thickness direction of the substrate to the outside of the polishing unit, the method comprising: detecting the position of the carrier in the surface direction along the support surface relative to the internal gear and the sun gear and the orientation of the carrier around an axis perpendicular to the support surface based on images of at least some of the multiple teeth of the internal gear and at least some of the multiple teeth of the sun gear in a state in which the multiple teeth of the carrier are engaged with the multiple teeth of the internal gear and the multiple teeth of the sun gear, and holding the carrier using a holding unit that adjusts the position and orientation, and transferring the carrier to the outside of the polishing unit.

[0018] In this invention, the image includes images of at least a portion of the teeth of the actual internal gear and at least a portion of the teeth of the actual sun gear in the polishing unit. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer unit, for example, the image can be used to detect the surface position and axial orientation of the carrier that fits with the internal gear and sun gear relative to the internal gear and sun gear. Furthermore, by adjusting the surface position and axial orientation of the holding unit based on these positions and orientations, the carrier can be more easily held by the holding unit. Then, by transferring the holding unit, the carrier can be transferred outside the polishing unit. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer unit, the carrier can be easily transferred outside the polishing unit from a state in which it is fitted with the internal gear and sun gear, respectively.

[0019] According to the transfer device, polishing equipment, and transfer method of the present invention, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer section, the carrier can be easily fitted into the internal gear and sun gear, respectively, or the carrier can be easily transferred to the outside of the polishing section from a state in which the carrier is fitted into the internal gear and sun gear, respectively.

[0020] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a polishing equipment according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a polishing unit in the polishing equipment; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second transport device in the polishing equipment; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a holding unit in the polishing equipment; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part in FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is a diagram explaining the states before and after a suction pad is crushed; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a carrier and a substrate are arranged on a set table; FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a carrier and a substrate are held by the holding unit; FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a polishing method using a transfer method according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a diagram explaining a preparation step in the polishing method; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a first reference image; FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a second reference image; FIG. 13 is a diagram explaining a transfer step in the polishing method; FIG. 14 is a diagram explaining a first movement amount calculation step in the first transfer method of the polishing method; FIG. 15 is a diagram explaining a fitting step in the first transfer method; FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the positions of an internal gear, a sun gear, and a carrier at a reference position; FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of displacement of the internal gear and sun gear from the reference position; FIG. 18 is a diagram explaining the revolution of the carrier when the sun gear is fixed; FIG. 19 is a diagram explaining the rotation of the carrier when the sun gear is fixed; FIG. 20 is a diagram explaining coordinates, etc., set for each tooth portion. 10 is a diagram for explaining the distance from the center of the holder to each tooth portion in the reference image, etc. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the image of the first tooth portion 37 in the first reference image is matched with the image of the actual first tooth portion. ｅ T ｅ’ 10 is a diagram illustrating the positions of the teeth in the first reference image and the actual positions of the teeth before the transformation is performed. ｅ T ｅ’ 10 is a diagram illustrating the position of the tooth portion in the first reference image and the actual position of the tooth portion after performing the distance (d ｓ１ｘ -d ｉ１ｘ , d ｓ１ｙ -d ｉ１ｙ ) is a diagram illustrating the angle (△ψ ｉ -△ψ ｓ ) is a diagram illustrating the

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a polishing apparatus and a transfer method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0022] (1. Polishing Equipment) The polishing equipment 1 shown in FIG. 1 is equipment for polishing the surface of a substrate 200 facing the thickness direction. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate 200 is formed in a flat plate shape that has a circular shape when viewed in the thickness direction of the substrate 200. For example, the substrate 200 is made of silicon. Note that FIG. 2 shows a first holding unit 52 and a second holding unit 53 that hold the substrate 200 and a carrier 205 (described later). The substrate may be made of glass, etc. Hereinafter, the substrate 200 before being polished by the polishing equipment 1 will also be referred to as substrate 200A. The substrate 200 after being polished by the polishing equipment 1 will also be referred to as substrate 200B. For example, the thickness of the substrate 200A is 780 μm (micrometers). The thickness of the substrate 200B is 770 μm.

[0023] The carrier 205 is formed in a flat plate shape that has a circular shape when viewed in the thickness direction of the carrier 205. The carrier 205 has a plurality of through holes 206 (three in this embodiment). The through holes 206 are formed at equal angular intervals around the central axis of the carrier 205. The through holes 206 penetrate the carrier 205 in the thickness direction. The diameters of the through holes 206 and the diameter of the substrate 200 are equal to each other. The substrate 200 is accommodated in the through holes 206. At this time, the thickness direction of the carrier 205 and the thickness direction of the substrate 200 coincide with each other. As shown in FIG. 2 , a plurality of teeth 207 are provided on the outer periphery of the carrier 205. The teeth 207 are external teeth. A semicircular depression 208 is formed between adjacent teeth 207 in the circumferential direction of the carrier 205.

[0024] For example, the carrier 205 has an outer diameter of 720 mm and a thickness of 770 μm. The carrier 205 is made of stainless steel or the like. When the substrate 200 is placed in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205 on a flat support surface or the like, the carrier 205 and the substrate 200 are not bent. At this time, the lower surface of the carrier 205 and the lower surface of the substrate 200 are substantially flush with each other, and the upper surface of the carrier 205 and the upper surface of the substrate 200 are substantially flush with each other. There is no limit to the number of through-holes 206 provided in the carrier 205, and the number of through-holes 206 may be one.

[0025] 1, the polishing equipment 1 includes an input basket 10, an output basket 15, a set table 20, a first transport device 25, a polishing device 30, and a main control unit 80. The input basket 10, containing a substrate 200A, is carried into the polishing equipment 1 by a not-shown input device. The output basket 15, containing a substrate 200B, is carried out of the polishing equipment 1 by a not-shown output device.

[0026] The set table 20 is a platform on which the substrate 200 and the carrier 205 are placed. As shown in FIG. 7 , the upper surface 21 of the set table 20 is along a horizontal plane. The upper surface 21 is flat. As shown in FIG. 1 , for example, the first transfer device 25 is a manipulator. The first transfer device 25 transfers the substrate 200 between the baskets 10 and 15 and the set table 20.

[0027] The polishing apparatus 30 includes a polishing unit 31 and a second conveying device (transfer device) 46 according to the present embodiment. The polishing unit 31 according to the present embodiment is a planetary gear system. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the polishing unit 31 includes a first base plate (base plate) 32, a sun gear 33, an internal gear 34, and a second base plate (not shown). For example, a first support surface (support surface) 32a of the first base plate 32 is disposed along a horizontal plane. The first support surface 32a is flat. Hereinafter, the direction along the first support surface 32a will be referred to as the "surface direction." The surface direction includes a first surface direction, which is a direction along the first support surface 32a, and a second surface direction, which is along the first support surface 32a and perpendicular to the first surface direction. The first base plate 32 rotates in a first direction about a first axis O1 perpendicular to the first support surface 32a along the vertical direction.

[0028] The sun gear 33 is disposed coaxially with the first axis O1 on the first support surface 32a. As shown in FIG. 2 , a plurality of teeth 37 are provided on the outer peripheral edge of the sun gear 33. For example, the plurality of teeth 37 are cylindrical external teeth. The plurality of teeth 37 are disposed at intervals from one another in the circumferential direction of the sun gear 33. The sun gear 33 rotates on the first support surface 32a. The plurality of teeth 37 are engaged with the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205. The sun gear 33 is inscribed in the carrier 205. A plurality of teeth 39 are provided on the inner peripheral edge of the internal gear 34. The plurality of teeth 39 are cylindrical internal teeth. The plurality of teeth 39 are disposed at intervals from one another in the circumferential direction of the internal gear 34. The internal gear 34 rotates on the first support surface 32a. The plurality of teeth 39 are engaged with the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205. The internal gear 34 is externally circumscribed on the carrier 205 .

[0029] The second base plate can be switched between a sandwiched state in which it sandwiches the sun gear 33 and the internal gear 34 together with the first base plate 32, and a retracted state in which it is separated from the sun gear 33 and the internal gear 34. In the sandwiched state, the second base plate is disposed coaxially with the first axis O1, and rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction around the first axis O1.

[0030] The second transfer device 46 transfers the carrier 205 to the polishing unit 31. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the second transfer device 46 includes a manipulator (transfer unit) 47, an imaging unit 54, and a first control unit 81 (see FIG. 1 ), which will be described later. The manipulator 47 transfers the carrier 205 and the plurality of substrates 200. The manipulator 47 is a so-called articulated robot having a plurality of links 48, a plurality of joints 49, and a holding unit 50. As shown in FIG. 3 , the plurality of links 48 are arranged side by side along the connecting axis O3. Hereinafter, the link 48 closest to the first side along the connecting axis O3 will also be referred to as the distal link 48A. The link 48 closest to the second side along the connecting axis O3, which is closest to the first side, will also be referred to as the proximal link 48B. Each joint 49 rotatably connects the ends of the plurality of links 48 adjacent to each other along the connecting axis O3. The tip link 48A is provided with a holding unit 50. The base link 48B is supported by the installation surface F. By using the multiple joints 49, the holding unit 50 can transfer the carrier 205 and multiple substrates 200 in the surface direction and around a second axis O5 (described later) relative to the internal gear 34 and sun gear 33 of the polishing unit 31. There is no limit to the number of joints 49 that the second transport device may have.

[0031] The holding unit 50 detachably holds the carrier 205 and the plurality of substrates 200. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the holding unit 50 includes a frame 51, a first holding unit 52, a second holding unit 53, and a suction unit (not shown). The frame 51 is formed with multiple rotational symmetry (three-fold symmetry in this embodiment) about a second axis (axis) O5. Note that the first holding unit 52 and the plurality of second holding units 53 are not arranged on the same line along the radial direction of the frame 51, but in FIG. 5 , the first holding unit 52 and the plurality of second holding units 53 are shown at different positions in the circumferential direction of the holding unit 50. As shown in FIG. 5 , the frame 51 includes a top plate 57, a first peripheral wall 58, a second peripheral wall 59, a first bottom plate 60, and a second bottom plate 61. The top plate 57 is formed in a circular plate shape. The top plate 57 is supported by a plurality of links 48 and a plurality of joints 49 so as to be aligned along a horizontal plane.

[0032] The first peripheral wall 58 is cylindrical and arranged coaxially with the second axis O5. The first peripheral wall 58 is fixed to the lower surface of the top plate 57. The second peripheral wall 59 is cylindrical and arranged coaxially with the second axis O5. The second peripheral wall 59 surrounds the first peripheral wall 58 from the outside and is fixed to the lower surface of the outer periphery of the top plate 57. The lower end of the first peripheral wall 58 protrudes downward beyond the lower end of the second peripheral wall 59. The first bottom plate 60 is circular and arranged within the first peripheral wall 58. The first bottom plate 60 is fixed to a middle portion of the first peripheral wall 58 in the up-down direction. The second bottom plate 61 is annular and arranged between the first peripheral wall 58 and the second peripheral wall 59. The second bottom plate 61 is fixed to the lower end of the first peripheral wall 58 and the lower end of the second peripheral wall 59, respectively. A plurality of communication holes 61a are formed in the second bottom plate 61.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4 , the holding unit 50 has a plurality of first holding units 52. The first holding units 52 are spaced apart from one another around the second axis O5. The first holding units 52 hold the outer periphery of the carrier 205 in the thickness direction. Here, the outer periphery refers to the range (0.4r) from the outer edge of the circular object to the center, where r is the radius of the circular object. At this time, the carrier 205 is held by the first holding units 52 so that the central axis of the carrier 205 coincides with the second axis O5 of the frame 51. As shown in FIG. 5 , each first holding unit 52 has a first main body 64 and a first moving unit 65. The first moving unit 65 has a suction pad 67 and a movable tube 68. The suction pad 67 is formed in a cone shape (with a conical surface) from an elastic material such as synthetic rubber. The suction pad 67 is arranged so that its outer diameter gradually increases downward. The movable tube 68 extends upward (toward the other side in the thickness direction) from the suction pad 67. The space inside the movable tube 68 is connected to the recess of the suction pad 67. For example, a first engagement portion 68a is fixed to the outer circumferential surface at the upper end of the movable tube 68. The portion of the movable tube 68 below the first engagement portion 68a is disposed within the communication hole 61a of the second bottom plate 61.

[0034] The first body 64 is tubular, with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the movable tube 68. The first body 64 is bent in an L-shape. The first end 64a of the first body 64 extends vertically. For example, a second engagement portion 64b is fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the lower end of the first end 64a. The second engagement portion 64b is formed around the entire circumference of the first end 64a of the first body 64. The second engagement portion 64b supports the first engagement portion 68a from below the first engagement portion 68a. The space between the second engagement portion 64b and the movable tube 68 is airtightly sealed. The movable tube 68 can move vertically relative to the second engagement portion 64b (the first end 64a of the first body 64). The first body 64 is fixed to the second bottom plate 61 of the frame 51, etc. From the state shown in FIG. 5 , the movable tube 68 cannot move downward relative to the first body 64. On the other hand, the movable tube 68 can move upward relative to the first body 64 from the state shown in FIG.

[0035] 6 , the lower end of the suction pad 67 of the first holding portion 52 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the outer periphery of the carrier 205. When air is sucked from the recess of the suction pad 67, the suction pad 67 is deformed and crushed as shown by the two-dot chain line L1, and the carrier 205 that was in contact with the suction pad 67 is held by the suction pad 67.

[0036] 7 shows a state in which the carrier 205 and the substrate 200 are placed on the upper surface 21 of the set table 20. The substrate 200 is accommodated in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205. The holder 50 is brought close to the carrier 205 and the substrate 200 in this state from above, and the suction pad 67 of the first holder 52 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the outer periphery of the carrier 205. When the air in the recess of the suction pad 67 is sucked out, the crushed suction pad 67 of the first holder 52 holds the outer periphery of the carrier 205. At this time, the first engaging portion 68a of the movable tube 68 moves upward away from the second engaging portion 64b of the first main body 64. The position of the lower end of the crushed suction pad 67 relative to the frame 51 at this time is referred to as the reference position P ５２１ The reference position P ５２１ is preferably the average position in the circumferential direction of the suction pad 67 at the lower end of the crushed suction pad 67 relative to the frame 51.

[0037] When the holding unit 50 is moved upward by the manipulator 47 from this state, the carrier 205 held by the first holding unit 52 moves upward away from the upper surface 21 of the set table 20, as shown in Fig. 8. Gravity acting on the carrier 205, suction pad 67, etc. causes the carrier 205, suction pad 67, etc. to move downward relative to the first main body 64 of the first holding unit 52. When the first engaging portion 68a of the movable tube 68 engages with the second engaging portion 64b of the first main body 64 from above the second engaging portion 64b, the carrier 205, suction pad 67, etc. cannot move further downward relative to the first main body 64 (frame 51). The position of the lower end of the suction pad 67 relative to the frame 51 when it is crushed while holding the carrier 205 and can no longer move downward relative to the frame 51 is referred to as the lower end position P ５２２ The bottom position P ５２２ is the lower end position of the suction pad 67 of the first holding part 52 in the range of movement. ５２１ is indicated by a two-dot chain line L4. In the following, the reference position P ５２１ and the bottom position P ５２２ The vertical distance between the ５２ The extension distance M ５２ is the length by which the first holding portion 52 extends downward (to one side in the thickness direction) from the state in which the first holding portion 52 holds the carrier 205. In this way, the first holding portion 52 can extend downward from the state in which it holds the carrier 205.

[0038] The second holding portion 53 holds the substrate 200 in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205 from above and below. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the holding portion 50 has, as the second holding portion 53, second holding portions 53A, 53B, and 53C. The second holding portions 53A and 53B have an extension distance M ５２5, the second holding part 53A has a second main body 71A, a second moving part 72A, a suction pad 74A, and a movable tube 75A, which are configured substantially the same as the first main body 64, the first moving part 65, the suction pad 67, and the movable tube 68 of the first holding part 52. The second moving part 72A can move in the vertical direction relative to the second main body 71A. The suction pad 74A of the second moving part 72A holds the substrate 200. The suction pad 74A of the second holding part 53A also has a reference position P ５２１ , lower end position P ５２２ , extension distance M ５２ Similarly, the reference position P ５３Ａ１ , lower end position P ５３Ａ２ , extension distance M ５３Ａ are defined (see FIGS. 7 and 8). ５３Ａ is the length that the second holding portion 53A extends downward from the state in which the second holding portion 53A holds the substrate 200.

[0039] The second holding part 53B has a second main body 71B, a second moving part 72B, a suction pad 74B, and a movable tube 75B, which have substantially the same configurations as the first main body 64, the first moving part 65, the suction pad 67, and the movable tube 68 of the first holding part 52. The second moving part 72B can move in the vertical direction relative to the second main body 71B. The suction pad 74B of the second moving part 72B holds the substrate 200. The suction pad 74B of the second holding part 53B also has a reference position P ５２１ , lower end position P ５２２ , extension distance M ５２ Similarly, the reference position P ５３Ｂ１ , lower end position P ５３Ｂ２ , extension distance M ５３Ｂ are defined (see FIGS. 7 and 8). ５３Ｂ is the length that the second holding portion 53B extends downward from the state in which the second holding portion 53B holds the substrate 200.

[0040] The second holding portion 53C is formed by adjusting the shape of the first body 64 and the extension distance M ５２5, the second holding part 53C has a second moving part 72C, a suction pad 74C, and a movable tube 75C, which are configured substantially the same as the first moving part 65, the suction pad 67, and the movable tube 68 of the first holding part 52. The second main body 78C of the second holding part 53C has a straight tubular shape. The second main body 78C extends in the vertical direction and is fixed to the first bottom plate 60 of the frame 51. As described above, the frame 51 connects the first main body 64 and the second main bodies 71A, 71B, and 78C to one another. The reference position P ５２１ , lower end position P ５２２ , extension distance M ５２ Similarly, the reference position P ５３Ｃ１ , lower end position P ５３Ｃ２ , extension distance M ５３Ｃ are defined (see FIGS. 7 and 8). ５３Ｃ is the length that the second holding portion 53C extends downward from the state in which the second holding portion 53C holds the substrate 200.

[0041] In this way, the second holding portions 53A, 53B, and 53C can extend downward from the state in which they hold the substrate 200. A reference position P ５３Ａ１ , P ５３Ｂ１ , P ５３Ｃ１ As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the second holding portions 53A, 53B, and 53C are arranged at equal angles around the axis of each substrate 200. In this embodiment, the extension distance M ５３Ａ , M ５３Ｂ , M ５３Ｃ are equivalent to each other. ５２ is the extension distance M ５３Ａ , M ５３Ｂ , M ５３Ｃ The extension distance M ５２ is the extension distance M ５３Ａ , M ５３Ｂ , M ５３Ｃ Preferably, the length is more than twice the thickness of the carrier 205 .

[0042] The suction unit includes a suction pump and multiple on-off valves (not shown). The suction pump is connected to the first body 64 and the second bodies 71A, 71B, and 71C via tubes (not shown). The suction pump can suck air from the recesses of the suction pads 67, 74A, 74B, and 74C through the tubes, the first body 64, the second bodies 71A, 71B, and 71C, and the movable tubes 68, 75A, 75B, and 75C. The multiple on-off valves can independently open and close the multiple tubes.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 4 , the second conveying device 46 includes an imaging unit 54, which includes a first imaging unit 54A and a second imaging unit 54B. The imaging units 54A and 54B are fixed to the second peripheral wall 59 of the frame 51. That is, the imaging units 54A and 54B are provided on the distal link 48A of the manipulator 47. The imaging units 54A and 54B are disposed so as to sandwich the frame 51 in the radial direction of the frame 51. The imaging units 54A and 54B each include an imaging element (not shown). The imaging units 54A and 54B use the imaging element to capture images of objects located below the imaging units 54A and 54B. Specifically, the imaging units 54A and 54B capture images of at least some of the teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and at least some of the teeth 37 of the sun gear 33. Details of the images captured by the imaging units 54A and 54B will be described in detail in the polishing method described below. The imaging units 54A and 54B send the acquired images to the main control unit 80.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 1 , a stocker 85 containing a plurality of stacked carriers 205 is located near the second transport device 46 and the set table 20. The carriers 205 in the stocker 85 do not contain substrates 200. The main controller 80 includes a central processing unit (CPU), memory, and other components (not shown). The memory stores control programs for operating the CPU. The main controller 80 is connected to the first transport device 25 and the polishing device 30 and controls the first transport device 25 and the polishing device 30. The main controller 80 functionally includes a first controller (controller) 81 and a second controller 82. The first controller 81 controls the second transport device 46 of the polishing device 30. The second controller 82 controls the first transport device 25 and the polishing unit 31 of the polishing device 30.

[0045] (2. Polishing Method) Next, a polishing method using the polishing equipment 1 configured as described above will be described. In this polishing method, the first transfer method (transfer method) of this embodiment is used. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the polishing method S. A preparation process (step S1 shown in FIG. 9) is performed in advance. In the preparation process S1, as shown in FIG. 10, the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205 are fitted with the plurality of teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the plurality of teeth 37 of the sun gear 33. Note that FIG. 10 and FIGS. 13 to 15 described below do not show the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205, but only show a portion of the plurality of teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and a portion of the plurality of teeth 37 of the sun gear 33. The pitch of the plurality of teeth 37 of the sun gear 33 is defined as PS. The pitch of the plurality of teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 is defined as PI. The pitch PS and the pitch PI are equal to each other. When the carrier 205 is positioned in this orientation around the second axis O5 relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, it is easy to fit the carrier 205 to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, and it is also easy to transfer the carrier 205 to the outside of the polishing section 31 from a state in which the carrier 205 is fitted to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33.

[0046] In this embodiment, among the multiple teeth 37 of the sun gear 33, two circumferentially adjacent teeth 37A (at least some of the multiple teeth 37 of the sun gear 33) are used in the polishing control. Among the multiple teeth 39 of the internal gear 34, one tooth 39A (at least some of the multiple teeth 39 of the internal gear 34) is used in the polishing control. The imaging range RA of the first imaging unit 54A on the first support surface 32a includes the two teeth 37A. That is, the first imaging unit 54A acquires images of the two teeth 37A of the sun gear 33. The image of the two teeth 37A of the sun gear 33 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A is defined as a first reference image IS. An example of the first reference image IS is shown in FIG. 11 . As shown in FIG. 10 , the imaging range RB of the second imaging unit 54B on the first support surface 32a includes one tooth 39A. That is, the second imaging unit 54B acquires an image of one tooth portion 39A of the internal gear 34. The image of one tooth portion 39A of the internal gear 34 acquired by the second imaging unit 54B is defined as a second reference image II. An example of the second reference image II is shown in FIG. 12. Hereinafter, the positions of the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 in the surface direction when the reference images IS and II are acquired will be referred to as the reference position. The orientation of the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 around the second axis O5 when the reference images IS and II are acquired will be referred to as the reference orientation.

[0047] At least some of the plurality of toothed portions 37 of the sun gear 33 used in the control of the polishing method may be one toothed portion 37 or three or more toothed portions 37. Similarly, at least some of the plurality of toothed portions 39 of the internal gear 34 used in the control of the polishing method may be two or more toothed portions 39.

[0048] Hereinafter, the positions of the internal gear 34, sun gear 33, and carrier 205 that fit together, and the position of the imaging units 54A and 54B where two toothed portions 37A are included in the imaging range RA of the first imaging unit 54A and one toothed portion 39A is included in the imaging range RB of the second imaging unit 54B, are referred to as the reference positions. When the imaging units 54A and 54B are in the reference positions, the imaging units 54A and 54B are disposed so as to face the two toothed portions 37A and one toothed portion 39A. In FIG. 10, the reference position P corresponding to the two toothed portions 37A and one toothed portion 39A is shown. ３７Ａ１ , P ３９Ａ１The reference position P corresponding to the imaging units 54A and 54B is shown. ５４Ａ１ , P ５４Ｂ１ Shows.

[0049] After the reference images IS and II are acquired, the polishing apparatus 30 is used as appropriate. The internal gear 34 and sun gear 33 of the polishing unit 31 and the imaging unit 54 of the second transport device 46 are placed at the reference position when the carrier 205 is placed in the polishing unit 31 or when the carrier 205 is transferred to the outside of the polishing unit 31. At this time, a stopping error may occur in the internal gear 34, sun gear 33, and manipulator 47 relative to the positions at which the reference images IS and II were acquired. However, the sum of these stopping errors is smaller than, for example, half the pitch PS of the toothed portion 37. In other words, the two toothed portions 37A and one toothed portion 39A to be controlled do not deviate by more than half the pitch PS within the imaging ranges RA and RB.

[0050] The loading basket 10 containing the substrate 200A is transported by the loading device. The second base plate of the polishing unit 31 is in a retracted state. The first control unit 81 drives the suction unit of the manipulator 47 and closes the multiple on-off valves.

[0051] Next, the first transfer method (step S5) is performed. In the first transfer method S5, the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A accommodated in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205 are transferred from the set table 20 to the polishing unit 31. First, in a first accommodation step (step S6), the second control unit 82 causes the first transport device 25 to accommodate the substrate 200A in the input basket 10 into the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205 on the set table 20. When the first accommodation step S6 is completed, the process proceeds to step S7.

[0052] Next, in the transfer process (step S7), the second transport device 46 holds the outer periphery of the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A so that the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A are spaced apart from each other. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7 , the first control unit 81 uses the manipulator 47 to move the holder 50 from above toward the carrier 205 and the substrate 200 on the set table 20, bringing the suction pad 67 of the first holder 52 into contact with the upper surface of the outer periphery of the carrier 205. The suction pads 74A, 74B, and 74C of the second holders 53A, 53B, and 53C into contact with the upper surface of the substrate 200A. When the multiple on-off valves are opened, air is sucked from the recesses of the suction pads 67, 74A, 74B, and 74C, respectively, causing the suction pads 67, 74A, 74B, and 74C to deform. The outer periphery of the carrier 205 is held from above by the crushed suction pad 67 of the first holding portion 52, and the outer periphery of the substrate 200A is held from above by the crushed suction pads 74A, 74B, 74C of the second holding portions 53A, 53B, 53C.

[0053] Then, when the manipulator 47 moves the holding unit 50 upward, as shown in FIG. 8, the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A held by the holding units 52, 53A, 53B, and 53C move upward from the upper surface 21 of the set table 20. At this time, the extension distance M ５２ is the extension distance M ５３Ａ , M ５３Ｂ , M ５３Ｃ The carrier 205 held by the first holding unit 52 is longer than the substrate 200A by a distance greater than the thickness of the carrier 205. Therefore, even if the carrier 205 held by the first holding unit 52 is not curved, the carrier 205 moves downward by a distance greater than the thickness of the carrier 205 than the substrate 200A, and the upper surface of the carrier 205 is positioned at the position indicated by the two-dot chain line L5. The carrier 205 held by the first holding unit 52 and the substrate 200A held by the second holding units 53A, 53B, 53C are separated from each other.

[0054] Furthermore, the center portion of the carrier 205 (the center portion when viewed in the thickness direction of the carrier 205) is curved downwardly convexly due to gravity acting on the carrier 205. In this case, the maximum value of the displacement of the curved carrier 205 (maximum deflection amount M１ ) has been found to be approximately 2 mm through simulation. By curving the carrier 205 so that it is convex downward, the carrier 205 held by the first holding unit 52 and the substrate 200A held by the second holding units 53A, 53B, and 53C are further spaced apart from each other. Thus, in this embodiment, in the transfer step S7, the substrate 200A is held so as to be positioned higher than the carrier 205. As shown in FIG. 13 , the imaging units 54A and 54B are arranged to face two toothed portions 37A and one toothed portion 39A, respectively, and the internal gear 34, sun gear 33, carrier 205, and imaging units 54A and 54B are arranged at reference positions. At this time, it is assumed that a stopping error occurs in the internal gear 34, sun gear 33, and manipulator 47. The positions corresponding to the imaging units 54A and 54B when a stopping error occurs are referred to as the initial positions P ５４Ａ２ , P ５４Ｂ２ When the transfer step S7 is completed, the process proceeds to step S10.

[0055] Next, an adjustment / fitting step (step S10) is performed. In the adjustment / fitting step S10, the first control unit 81 adjusts the position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, and the orientation of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5, using the manipulator 47, based on the images acquired by the imaging units 54A and 54B. Then, using the manipulator 47, the multiple teeth 207 of the carrier 205 are fitted onto the multiple teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the multiple teeth 37 of the sun gear 33, respectively. Specifically, in a first movement amount calculation step (step S11), the first imaging unit 54A first acquires images of the two teeth 37A of the sun gear 33. Then, the second imaging unit 54B acquires an image of one tooth 39A of the internal gear 34. The first control unit 81 calculates a first movement amount including the movement amount of the carrier 205 along the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 and the rotation amount of the carrier 205 about the second axis O5 so that the images of the two teeth 37A of the sun gear 33 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A coincide with the first reference image IS. Details of the first movement amount and the formulas for calculating the second movement amount (described later) will be explained in (5) below.

[0056] In the first transfer method S5 of this embodiment, the carrier 205 is not actually moved or rotated in the first movement amount calculation step S11, but is moved all together in the fitting step S13 described below. If the carrier 205 is moved by the first movement amount in the first movement amount calculation step S11, the carrier 205 moves in the surface direction and around the second axis O5 relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, as shown in Fig. 14. The position corresponding to the imaging units 54A and 54B after the carrier 205 has been moved by the first movement amount is referred to as the first transfer position P ５４Ａ３ , P ５４Ｂ３ The details of the adjusting / fitting step S10 will be explained in (5) below. Note that in the first movement amount calculation step S11, the carrier 205 may be moved by the first movement amount. In the second movement amount calculation step S12, the second imaging unit 54B may acquire an image of one tooth portion 39A of the internal gear 34. When the first movement amount calculation step S11 is completed, the process proceeds to step S12.

[0057] Next, in a second movement amount calculation process (step S12), a second movement amount including the movement amount of the carrier 205 along the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 and the rotation amount of the carrier 205 about the second axis O5 is calculated based on the difference between the image of one tooth portion 39A of the internal gear 34 acquired by the second imaging unit 54B when moved by the first movement amount and the second reference image II. Note that in the second movement amount calculation process S12, only the second movement amount is calculated without actually moving the carrier 205. When the second movement amount calculation process S12 is completed, the process proceeds to step S13.

[0058] Next, in the fitting process (step S13), the manipulator 47 moves the carrier 205 by a first movement amount and a second movement amount. At this time, as shown in Fig. 15, the carrier 205 moves in the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 and rotates around the second axis O5. The position corresponding to the imaging units 54A and 54B after the carrier 205 has been moved by the first movement amount and the second movement amount is referred to as the second transfer position P ５４Ａ４ , P ５４Ｂ４ Then, after that, the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205 are fitted onto the plurality of teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the plurality of teeth 39 of the sun gear 33, respectively.

[0059] At this time, the carrier 205 is placed on the first support surface 32a of the first base plate 32 and flattened. Then, when the carrier 205 is flattened, the substrate 200A is spaced above the carrier 205. Specifically, the first control unit 81 causes the manipulator 47 to move the holding unit 50 above the first support surface 32a. Then, by moving the holding unit 50 downward, the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A held by the holding units 52, 53A, 53B, and 53C of the holding unit 50 are lowered onto the first support surface 32a. When the carrier 205 is placed on the first support surface 32a, the carrier 205 is flattened as shown by the two-dot chain line L5 in FIG. 8 , and therefore the substrate 200A is spaced above the carrier 205.

[0060] Next, on the first support surface 32a, the substrate 200A is placed from above into the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205. Specifically, the first control unit 81 uses the manipulator 47 to move the holding unit 50 downward to place the substrate 200A into the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205. The multiple on-off valves of the second transport device 46 are closed, and the holding of the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A by the holding units 52, 53A, 53B, and 53C is released. The manipulator 47 retracts the holding unit 50 from the first support surface 32a. When the fitting step S13 is completed, all steps of the adjustment / fitting step S10 are completed, and further, all steps of the first transfer method S5 are completed. The first control unit 81 proceeds to step S15.

[0061] When the first transfer method S5 is completed, the second control unit 82 clamps the second base plate of the polishing unit 31, rotates the first and second base plates 32 and 34 in a predetermined direction about the first axis O1, and rotates at least one of the sun gear 33 and the internal gear 34 about the first axis O1. By rotating the first and second base plates 32 and 34 for a predetermined time, the first and second base plates 32 and 34 polish the surface of the substrate 200A facing the thickness direction, and the substrate 200A becomes the polished substrate 200B. The second control unit 82 retracts the second base plate of the polishing unit 31. The first control unit 81 performs a second transfer method (transfer method, step S15), which is substantially the reverse of the first transfer method S5, to transfer the carrier 205 from the polishing unit 31 to the outside of the polishing unit 31. The first control unit 81 uses the manipulator 47 to position the imaging units 54A and 54B in advance so that they face the two toothed portions 37A and one toothed portion 39A, respectively.

[0062] In the second transfer method S15, the first control unit 81 adjusts the position and orientation (posture) of the holding unit 50 of the manipulator 47 based on the position and orientation of the carrier 205 on the first support surface 32a of the polishing unit 31. Then, from a state in which the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205 are respectively engaged with the plurality of teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the plurality of teeth 37 of the sun gear 33, the manipulator 47 transfers the carrier 205 to the outside of the polishing unit 31.

[0063] Specifically, first, in a first movement amount calculation step (step S17) and a second movement amount calculation step (step S18), steps similar to the first movement amount calculation step S11 and the second movement amount calculation step S12 are performed to calculate the first movement amount and the second movement amount. That is, in the first movement amount calculation step S17 and the second movement amount calculation step S18, the first movement amount and the second movement amount are calculated using the formulas described in (5.) below. Next, in a removal step (step S19), the first control unit 81 detects, based on the first reference image IS and the second reference image II, the position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, and the orientation of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5, when the multiple teeth 207 of the carrier 205 are engaged with the multiple teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the multiple teeth 37 of the sun gear 33, respectively. The position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction referred to here can also be considered as a deviation of the position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction from the position of the carrier 205 that fits into the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, which are the reference position and reference orientation. The orientation of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5 referred to here can also be considered as a deviation of the orientation of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5 from the orientation of the carrier 205 that fits into the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, which are the reference position and reference orientation.

[0064] The first control unit 81 holds the carrier 205 using the holding unit 50, the position and orientation of which have been adjusted. Specifically, the holding units 52, 53A, 53B, and 53C of the holding unit 50 hold the carrier 205 and the substrate 200B. By adjusting the position and orientation of the holding unit 50, the carrier 205 can be securely held by the first holding unit 52, and the substrate 200B can be securely held by the second holding units 53A, 53B, and 53C. The manipulator 47 moves the holding unit 50 by a first movement amount and a second movement amount, and the carrier 205 and the substrate 200B are transferred onto the upper surface 21 of the set table 20, which is outside the polishing unit 31. When the removing step S19 is completed, all steps of the second transfer method S15 are completed. The second control unit 8 proceeds to step S25.

[0065] Next, in a second accommodation step (step S25), the second control unit 82 causes the first transport device 25 to accommodate the substrate 200B on the set table 20 into the output basket 15. The output basket 15 accommodating the substrate 200B is then transported out of the polishing equipment 1 by an appropriate transport device.

[0066] By repeating the first transfer method S5 and the second transfer method S15, the substrates 200A are continuously polished by the polishing equipment 1.

[0067] As described above, in the second conveyance device 46 of this embodiment, the image acquired by the imaging unit 54 includes images of one tooth portion 39A of the actual internal gear 34 and two tooth portions 37A of the actual sun gear 33 in the polishing unit 31. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, the first control unit 81 can use the manipulator 47 to adjust the position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 and the orientation of the carrier 205 about the second axis O5 based on this image, thereby making it easier to fit the multiple tooth portions 207 of the carrier 205 onto the multiple tooth portions 39 of the internal gear 34 and the multiple tooth portions 37 of the sun gear 33, respectively. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, it is possible to easily fit the carrier 205 onto the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, respectively.

[0068] The manipulator 47 has multiple links 48, multiple joints 49, and multiple holders 50. Therefore, by driving the multiple joints 49 to move the multiple links 48, the carrier 205 held by the holders 50 can be moved onto the installation surface F. The multiple joints 49 allow the carrier 205 held by the holders 50 to be moved in the surface direction and around the second axis O5 relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33. The first and second image capturing units 54A and 54B of the imaging unit 54 are provided on the tip link 48A. Therefore, images of the two tooth portions 37A of the sun gear 33 and the one tooth portion 39A of the internal gear 34 can be acquired separately by the first and second image capturing units 54A and 54B. Then, by driving the multiple joints 49 of the manipulator 47 and moving the multiple links 48, the first imaging unit 54A and the second imaging unit 54B can be moved, and the object captured in the images acquired by the first imaging unit 54A and the second imaging unit 54B can be changed.

[0069] The first control unit 81 calculates a first movement amount and a second movement amount. Then, after the manipulator 47 moves and rotates the carrier 205 by the first movement amount and the second movement amount, the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205 are fitted with the plurality of teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the plurality of teeth 37 of the sun gear 33, respectively. By moving the carrier 205 by the first movement amount calculated by the first control unit 81 using the manipulator 47, the carrier 205 can be transferred to a position where the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205 are fitted with the plurality of teeth 37 of the sun gear 33. Furthermore, by moving the carrier 205 by the manipulator 47 by the second movement amount calculated by the first control unit 81, the carrier 205 can be transferred to a position where the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205 are fitted with the plurality of teeth 39 of the internal gear 34. In this way, after moving the carrier 205 by the first movement amount and the second movement amount, the multiple tooth portions 207 of the carrier 205 are engaged with the multiple tooth portions 39 of the internal gear 34 and the multiple tooth portions 37 of the sun gear 33, respectively, so that even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, the carrier 205 can be more easily engaged with the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, respectively.

[0070] The second transport device 46 also transfers the carrier 205 from the polishing unit 31 to the outside of the polishing unit 31. The image acquired by the imaging unit 54 includes images of one tooth portion 39A of the actual internal gear 34 and two teeth portions 37A of the actual sun gear 33 in the polishing unit 31. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, the first control unit 81 can detect the surface position of the carrier 205, which fits with the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, and its orientation about the second axis O5 based on this image. Furthermore, the first control unit 81 adjusts the surface position of the holding unit 50 and its orientation about the second axis O5 based on these positions and orientations, thereby making it easier for the holding unit 50 to hold the carrier 205. The manipulator 47 having the holding unit 50 can then transfer the carrier 205 to the outside of the polishing unit 31. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, the carrier 205 can be easily transferred to the outside of the polishing unit 31 from a state in which the carrier 205 is fitted to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33. The carrier 205 transferred to the outside of the polishing unit 31 is then precisely positioned on the set table 20 by the manipulator 47.

[0071] In addition, in the polishing equipment 1 of this embodiment, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, the polishing equipment 1 can be configured using a second conveying device 46 that can easily fit the carrier 205 to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, respectively.

[0072] Furthermore, in the first transfer method S5 of this embodiment, the image includes images of one tooth portion 39A of the actual internal gear 34 and two tooth portions 37A of the actual sun gear 33 in the polishing unit 31. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, for example, by adjusting the position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 and the orientation of the carrier 205 about the second axis O5 based on this image, it becomes easier to fit the multiple tooth portions 207 of the carrier 205 with the multiple tooth portions 39 of the internal gear 34 and the multiple tooth portions 37 of the sun gear 33, respectively. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, it is possible to easily fit the carrier 205 with the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, respectively.

[0073] Furthermore, in the second transfer method S15 of this embodiment, the image includes images of one tooth portion 39A of the actual internal gear 34 and two tooth portions 37A of the actual sun gear 33 in the polishing unit 31. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, the position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 and its orientation about the second axis O5 are detected based on this image. Furthermore, by adjusting the position of the holding unit 50 in the surface direction and its orientation about the second axis O5 based on these positions and orientations, the carrier 205 can be more easily held by the holding unit 50. Then, by transferring the holding unit 50, the carrier 205 can be transferred to the outside of the polishing unit 31. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, the carrier 205 can be easily transferred to the outside of the polishing section 31 from a state in which the carrier 205 is engaged with the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, respectively.

[0074] The second transport device 46 may be any device capable of fitting the carrier 205 to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 or transferring the carrier 205 from the polishing section 31 to the outside of the polishing section 31 .

[0075] In the adjusting / fitting process, first, a second movement amount including the movement amount of the carrier 205 along the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 and the movement amount of the carrier 205 about the second axis O5 may be calculated so that the image of at least a portion of the plurality of teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 acquired by the second imaging unit 54B coincides with the second reference image II. Then, a first movement amount including the movement amount of the carrier 205 along the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 and the rotation amount of the carrier 205 about the second axis O5 may be calculated based on the difference between the first reference image and an image of at least a portion of the plurality of teeth 37 of the sun gear 33 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A when moved by the second movement amount. Then, after moving the carrier 205 by the second movement amount and the first movement amount using the manipulator 47, the multiple tooth portions 207 of the carrier 205 may be fitted into the multiple tooth portions 39 of the internal gear 34 and the multiple tooth portions 37 of the sun gear 33, respectively.

[0076] The outer edge of the cross section of the plurality of teeth of the sun gear 33 that is perpendicular to the first axis O1 may be an involute curve. The same applies to the plurality of teeth of the internal gear 34, and the plurality of teeth of the carrier 205 are formed to fit with the plurality of teeth of the sun gear 33 and the internal gear 34, respectively. The second conveyance device 46 has two imaging units 54A, 54B. However, the number of imaging units that the second conveyance device has is not limited to this and may be one, or three or more.

[0077] (3. Response to Stopping Error of Internal Gear and Sun Gear by Adjusting Position and Orientation of Carrier) For example, a case where there is no stopping error of the manipulator 47 will be described. Assume that the positions of the internal gear 34, sun gear 33, and carrier 205 at the reference position are as shown in FIG. 16. The orientation of the carrier 205 is represented by the orientation of the letter "C." Assume that, relative to the reference position shown in FIG. 16, the internal gear 34 has a stopping error in the clockwise direction with respect to the first axis O1, and the sun gear 33 has a stopping error in the clockwise direction, as shown in FIG. 17, for example. The carrier 205 revolves clockwise with respect to the first axis O1, but the orientation of the carrier 205 about the second axis O5 remains almost unchanged (the carrier 205 hardly rotates on its axis). In this case, the first control unit 81 adjusts the position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction using the manipulator 47.

[0078] On the other hand, suppose that, relative to the reference position shown in Fig. 16, the internal gear 34 has a counterclockwise stopping error and the sun gear 33 has a clockwise stopping error with respect to the first axis O1, as shown in Fig. 18. The carrier 205 hardly revolves around the first axis O1, but the orientation of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5 changes (the carrier 205 rotates). In this case, the first control unit 81 adjusts the orientation of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5 using the manipulator 47.

[0079] A general stopping error of the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 is a stopping error that is a combination of the stopping error shown in Fig. 17 and the stopping error shown in Fig. 18. The first control unit 81 adjusts the position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction using the manipulator 47, and further adjusts the orientation of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5, thereby making it possible to deal with the general stopping error of the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33.

[0080] (4. Calculation Method When the Sun Gear is Fixed) In the first transfer method S5 of this embodiment, the carrier 205 is moved by a first movement amount so that the images of the two tooth portions 37A of the sun gear 33 coincide with the first reference image IS, and then a second movement amount is calculated. Here, the number of teeth of the internal gear 34 (the total number of the multiple tooth portions 39) is calculated as z i The number of teeth of the sun gear 33 is defined as zｓ The number of teeth of the carrier 205 is defined as z ｃ For example, the number of teeth z i is 360. Number of teeth z ｓ is 120, and the number of teeth z ｃ Let's say that is 120.

[0081] As shown in Figure 19, the case will be described where the sun gear 33 is fixed and the internal gear 34 rotates counterclockwise around the first axis O1. In this case, the number of revolutions of the carrier 205 is 3 / 4 rotations according to equation (1). i / (z ｓ +z i ) = 360 / (120 + 360) = 3 / 4 (1)

[0082] At this time, the direction (rotation angle) of the carrier 205 is 1.5 (3 / 2) rotations in the forward direction (counterclockwise direction) as shown in FIG. Ｉ When rotated, the carrier 205 rotates at a rate of (3 / 4)θ Ｉ It revolves around (3 / 2)θ Ｉ Rotate.

[0083] (5. Details of Adjustment and Fitting Process) The following description will be given in terms of the state when viewed from the first axis O1, without taking into consideration the distance in the direction along the first axis O1.

[0084] (5.1. Summary of Control Formula) As shown in FIG. 21, of the two toothed portions 37A of the sun gear 33, the toothed portion 37A on the counterclockwise side (inner side) is hereinafter referred to as the first toothed portion 37A1. Of the two toothed portions 37A of the sun gear 33, the toothed portion 37A on the clockwise side (outer side) is hereinafter referred to as the second toothed portion 37A2. In the following example, one toothed portion 39A1 is the toothed portion 39A of the internal gear 34, and is the object of control. Axes that run along the first support surface 32a and are perpendicular to each other are referred to as the x-axis and y-axis. The coordinates of the center of the holding portion 50 of the manipulator 47 are (x ｅ , y ｅ ), and the rotation angle around the second axis O5 is ψ ｅ It is defined as follows. ｅ axis and y ｅ The axis is along the first support surface 32a (along the surface direction).

[0085] As shown in Tables 1 and 2, the symbols, set values, and number of teeth for each item are specified.

[0086]

[0087]

[0088] As shown in Table 1, the symbol for the radius of the revolution circle of the carrier 205 is r ｉ－ｃ For example, the design value of the radius of the revolution circle of the carrier 205 is set to 720 mm. The coordinates of the first tooth portion 37A1 in the first reference image IS are defined as (x ｓ１ , y ｓ１ The coordinates of the first tooth portion 39A1 in the second reference image II are defined as (x ｉ１ , y ｉ１ As shown in Table 2, for example, the number of teeth z of the carrier 205 is ｃ Let's set it to 120.

[0089] Coordinates (x ｅ , y ｅ ) and the rotation angle ψ ｅ The control of (x) is performed based on the formula (4). ｅ , y ｅ , ψ ｅ ) is the combined movement amount of the first movement amount and the second movement amount.

[0090]

[0091] However, r ｃ is the radius of the pitch circle of the carrier 205. ｅ is x ｅ is the amount of movement of the carrier 205 in the axial direction, and Δy ｅ is y ｅ is the amount of movement of the carrier 205 in the axial direction. ｅ is the rotation amount of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5. ｅ ,△y ｅ ,△ψ ｅ Including the amount of movement △x ｓ１ is the distance in the x-axis direction between the actual image of the first tooth portion 37A1 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A and the image of the first tooth portion 37A1 in the first reference image IS. ｓ１is the distance in the y-axis direction between the actual image of the first tooth portion 37A1 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A and the image of the first tooth portion 37A1 in the first reference image IS.

[0092] △x ｓ２ is the distance in the x-axis direction between the actual image of the second tooth portion 37A2 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A and the image of the second tooth portion 37A2 in the first reference image IS. ｓ２ is the distance in the y-axis direction between the actual image of the second tooth portion 37A2 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A and the image of the second tooth portion 37A2 in the first reference image IS. ｉ１ is the distance in the x-axis direction between the actual image of the first tooth portion 39A1 acquired by the second imaging unit 54B and the image of the first tooth portion 39A1 in the second reference image II. ｉ１ is the distance in the y-axis direction between the actual image of the first tooth portion 39A1 acquired by the second imaging unit 54B and the image of the first tooth portion 39A1 in the second reference image II.

[0093] The distances (vectors) from the center of the holding unit 50 (the first side end of the manipulator 47) to each tooth portion in the reference images IS and II are constants as follows: The distance from the center of the holding unit 50 to the first tooth portion 37A1 in the first reference image IS is expressed by equation (7). The distance from the center of the holding unit 50 to the second tooth portion 37A2 in the first reference image IS is expressed by equation (8). The distance from the center of the holding unit 50 to the first tooth portion 39A1 in the second reference image II is expressed by equation (9).

[0094]

[0095] The phase difference α (rad) between the actual image of the first tooth portion 37A1 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A and the image of the first tooth portion 37A1 in the first reference image IS is expressed by equation (12).

[0096]

[0097] Note that atan2(x, y) is the inverse function of tan, defined as a value greater than or equal to 0 and less than 2π. When the images of the two tooth portions 37A of the sun gear 33 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A coincide with the images of the two tooth portions 37A in the first reference image IS, the distance between the image of the first tooth portion 39A1 acquired by the second imaging unit 54B and the image of the first tooth portion 39A1 in the second reference image II is expressed by equation (15).

[0098]

[0099] In the above case, the phase difference (rad) between the image of the first tooth portion 39A1 acquired by the second imaging unit 54B and the image of the first tooth portion 39A1 in the second reference image II is expressed by equation (16).

[0100]

[0101] However, (△ψ ｉ , △ψ ｓ ) is the phase difference between the carrier 205 and the internal gear 34 after the first movement amount. ｉｙ When is positive, (△ψ ｉ -△ψ ｓ ) is positive, and p ｉｙ When is negative, (△ψ ｉ -△ψ ｓ ) is negative. ｅ ,△y ｅ ,△ψ ｅ is expressed by equations (17) and (18).

[0102]

[0103] The error in the distance from the center of the retaining portion 50 to each tooth portion is expressed by the following equations: The error in the distance from the center of the retaining portion 50 to the first tooth portion 37A1 is expressed by equation (26). The error in the distance from the center of the retaining portion 50 to the second tooth portion 37A2 is expressed by equation (27). The error in the distance from the center of the retaining portion 50 to the first tooth portion 39A1 is expressed by equation (28).

[0104]

[0105] After the holding part 50 of the manipulator 47 moves to the position where the carrier 205 is carried in and out of the polishing part 31, the errors according to the formulas (26) to (28) are first detected.

[0106] (5.2. Details of Control) The transformation for matching the image of the first tooth portion 37A1 of the sun gear 33 in the first reference image IS with the actual image of the first tooth portion 37A1 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A is expressed by equation (31). The transformation according to equation (31) is performed as control for the manipulator 47.

[0107]

[0108] After the alignment is achieved, the distance between the image of the second tooth portion 37A2 in the first reference image IS and the actual image of the second tooth portion 37A2 acquired by the second imaging unit 54B is expressed by equation (32).

[0109]

[0110] The distance from the first tooth portion 37A1 to the second tooth portion 37A2 is expressed by equation (33).

[0111]

[0112] At this point, as shown in FIG. 23, the actual image of the first tooth portion 37A1 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A and the image of the first tooth portion 37A1 in the first reference image IS are different in coordinates (x ｓ１ , y ｓ１ The coordinates of the image of the second tooth portion 37A2 in the first reference image IS are (x ｓ２ , y ｓ２ The actual coordinates of the second tooth portion 37A2 are (x ｓ２ + (△x ｓ２ -△x ｓ１ ), y ｓ２ + (△y ｓ２ -△y ｓ１ )).

[0113] The angle α formed by the line connecting the images of the tooth portions 37A1 and 37A2 in the first reference image IS and the line connecting the images of the actual tooth portions 37A1 and 37A2 shown in FIG. 23 is expressed by the above-mentioned formula (12).

[0114] The transformation for controlling the manipulator 47 to match the image of the teeth 37A1 and 37A2 in the first reference image IS with the image of the actual teeth 37A1 and 37A2 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A is expressed by equation (37). ｅ , y ｅ ) is used as a reference. Note that equation (37) represents the first movement amount.

[0115]

[0116] conversion ｅ T ｅ’ Before this is performed, as shown in FIG. 24, the positions P ３７Ａ１１ , P ３７Ａ２１ and the actual position P of the tooth portions 37A1 and 37A2. ３７Ａ１２ , P ３７Ａ２２ From the state shown in FIG. ｅ T ｅ’ 25, the positions P ３７Ａ１１ , P ３７Ａ２１ and the actual position P of the tooth portions 37A1 and 37A2. ３７Ａ１２ , P ３７Ａ２２ and match each other.

[0117] In reality, the holder 50 (carrier 205) is not moved, but after the images of the teeth 37A1 and 37A2 in the first reference image IS are aligned with the actual teeth 37A1 and 37A2, respectively, the distance p between the image of the first teeth 39A1 in the second reference image II and the actual first teeth 39A1 is ｉ The movement of the coordinates of the second imaging unit 54B (the movement of the coordinates of the first tooth portion 39A1) is expressed by equation (40). ｓ１ｘ -d ｉ１ｘ , d ｓ１ｙ -d ｉ１ｙ ) is the distance from the first tooth portion 39A1 to the first tooth portion 37A1, as shown in FIG.

[0118]

[0119] Therefore, the distance p ｉThe distance in the x and y coordinates (p ｉｘ , p ｉｙ ) is expressed by the above formula (15).

[0120] Here, as shown in FIG. 27, the position of the first tooth portion 39A1 in the second reference image II is P ３９Ａ１１ The actual position of the first tooth portion 39A1 is defined as P ３９Ａ１２ At this time, the center of the sun gear 33 (second axis O5) and the position P ３９Ａ１１ and the line connecting the center of the sun gear 33 and position P ３９Ａ１２ The angle between the line connecting the points (△ψ ｉ -△ψ ｓ ) is expressed by the above formula (16). At this point, the two teeth 37A of the sun gear 33 are in a state where the positions of the actual object and the first reference image IS coincide with each other. Therefore, the state where there is an error in the position of the actual object of the teeth 39A1 of the internal gear 34 and the second reference image II is the case when the solar type planetary gear (sun gear fixed, internal gear is (△ψ ｉ -△ψ ｓ ) rotation). Therefore, the rotation and revolution angles of the carrier 205 can be obtained from the rotation ratio of the solar type planetary gear. The manipulator 47 can be controlled accordingly.

[0121] The ratio of the rotation angles of the internal gear 34 and the like in the solar type where the sun gear 33 is fixed is as shown in Table 3.

[0122]

[0123] For example, when the internal gear 34 is i When rotated, the carrier 205 moves ((z i z ｃ +z ｓ ) / (z ｃ z i +z ｓ ))θ i Rotate, (z i / (z i +z ｓ ))θ i To revolve.

[0124] As described above, the transformation matrix (the sum of the first movement amount and the second movement amount) for the manipulator 47, which is performed after the positions of the tooth portions 37A1, 37A2, and 39A1 are first detected by the imaging units 54A and 54B, is expressed by equation (44). Note that in equation (44), "C" represents "cos" and "S" represents "sin."

[0125]

[0126] The coordinates (x ｅ , y ｅ ), the rotation angle ψ ｅ is expressed by the above formula (4).

[0127] The transfer device, polishing equipment, and transfer method can easily fit the carrier to the internal gear and sun gear, respectively, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer section, or can easily transfer the carrier to the outside of the polishing section from a state in which the carrier is fitted to the internal gear and sun gear, respectively, and therefore have great industrial applicability.

[0128] 1 Polishing equipment 31 Polishing unit 32 First surface plate (surface plate) 32a First support surface (support surface) 33 Sun gear 34 Internal gear 37, 39, 207 Tooth portion 46 Second transport device (transfer device) 47 Manipulator (transfer unit) 48 Link 49 Joint 50 Holding unit 54 Imaging unit 54A First imaging unit 54B Second imaging unit 200 Substrate 205 Carrier 206 Through hole F Installation surface II Second reference image IS First reference image O5 Second axis (axis) S5 First transfer method (transfer method) S15 Second transfer method (transfer method)

Claims

1. A transfer device that transfers a flat carrier having a plurality of teeth on its outer periphery that can be fitted onto the internal gear and sun gear, respectively, and through holes for accommodating the substrate, to a planetary gear type polishing unit that has an internal gear and a sun gear that rotate on the support surface of a surface plate and polishes the surface facing the thickness direction of a substrate, the transfer device comprising: a transfer unit that transfers the carrier; an imaging unit that captures images of at least some of the teeth of the internal gear and at least some of the teeth of the sun gear; and a control unit that controls the transfer unit, wherein the control unit, based on the images, adjusts the position of the carrier in the surface direction along the support surface relative to the internal gear and the sun gear, and the orientation of the carrier around an axis perpendicular to the support surface, and the transfer unit engages the teeth of the carrier with the teeth of the internal gear and the teeth of the sun gear, respectively.

2. The transfer device described in claim 1, wherein the transfer unit comprises: a plurality of links arranged in a line along a connecting axis; a joint that rotatably connects adjacent links along the connecting axis; and a holding unit provided on a tip link that is the link furthest to the first side along the connecting axis among the plurality of links and that detachably holds the carrier; the link furthest to the second side along the connecting axis among the plurality of links is supported by an installation surface; and the joint allows the holding unit to be transferred in the surface direction and around the axis relative to the internal gear and the sun gear.

3. A transfer device as described in claim 2, wherein the imaging unit has a first imaging unit that acquires an image of at least a portion of the plurality of tooth portions of the sun gear, and a second imaging unit that acquires an image of at least a portion of the plurality of tooth portions of the internal gear, and the first imaging unit and the second imaging unit are provided on the tip link.

4. When the image of at least a portion of the multiple teeth of the sun gear acquired by the first imaging unit when the multiple teeth of the carrier are engaged with the multiple teeth of the internal gear and the multiple teeth of the sun gear is defined as a first reference image, and the image of at least a portion of the multiple teeth of the internal gear acquired by the second imaging unit is defined as a second reference image, the control unit calculates a first movement amount including the amount of movement of the carrier along the surface direction and the amount of rotation of the carrier about the axis relative to the internal gear and the sun gear so that the image of at least a portion of the multiple teeth of the sun gear acquired by the first imaging unit coincides with the first reference image, and calculates a second movement amount including the amount of movement of the carrier along the surface direction and the amount of rotation of the carrier about the axis relative to the internal gear and the sun gear based on the difference between the image of at least a portion of the multiple teeth of the internal gear acquired by the second imaging unit when it has moved and rotated by the first movement amount and the second reference image, 4. The transfer device according to claim 3, wherein after the transfer unit moves and rotates the carrier by the first movement amount and the second movement amount, the plurality of teeth of the carrier are fitted with the plurality of teeth of the internal gear and the plurality of teeth of the sun gear, respectively.

5. A transfer device for transferring a flat carrier having an internal gear and a sun gear that rotate on the support surface of a surface plate and having a plurality of teeth on its outer periphery that fit into the internal gear and the sun gear, and having through holes for accommodating the substrate, from a planetary gear type polishing unit that polishes the surface facing the thickness direction of a substrate to the outside of the polishing unit, the transfer device comprising: a transfer unit that has a holding unit that detachably holds the carrier and transfers the carrier; an imaging unit that captures images of at least some of the plurality of teeth of the internal gear and at least some of the plurality of teeth of the sun gear; and a control unit that controls the transfer unit, wherein the control unit detects, based on the images, the position of the carrier in the surface direction along the support surface relative to the internal gear and the sun gear, and the orientation of the carrier around an axis perpendicular to the support surface, when the plurality of teeth of the carrier are fitted into the plurality of teeth of the internal gear and the plurality of teeth of the sun gear, respectively; and holds the carrier using the holding unit that has adjusted the position and orientation. a transfer device for transferring the carrier to the outside of the polishing unit by the transfer unit; 6. A polishing facility comprising: a transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; and the polishing unit.

7. A method for transferring a flat carrier having a plurality of teeth on its outer periphery that can be fitted onto the internal gear and sun gear, respectively, and a through hole for accommodating the substrate, to a planetary gear type polishing unit that has an internal gear and a sun gear that rotate on the support surface of a surface plate and polishes the surface facing the thickness direction of a substrate, the method comprising: adjusting the position of the carrier in the surface direction along the support surface relative to the internal gear and the sun gear, and the orientation of the carrier around an axis perpendicular to the support surface, based on images of at least some of the teeth of the internal gear and at least some of the teeth of the sun gear; and fitting the teeth of the carrier into the teeth of the internal gear and the teeth of the sun gear, respectively.

8. A method for transferring a flat carrier having an internal gear and a sun gear that rotate on the support surface of a surface plate and that polishes the surface facing the thickness direction of a substrate, from a planetary gear type polishing unit that has an internal gear and a sun gear that rotate on the support surface of the surface plate and that polishes the surface facing the thickness direction of the substrate, to the outside of the polishing unit, the method comprising: detecting the position of the carrier in the surface direction along the support surface relative to the internal gear and the sun gear, and the orientation of the carrier around an axis perpendicular to the support surface, based on images of at least some of the multiple teeth of the internal gear and at least some of the multiple teeth of the sun gear, with the multiple teeth of the carrier respectively mated with the multiple teeth of the internal gear and the multiple teeth of the sun gear; holding the carrier using a holding unit that adjusts the position and orientation; and transferring the carrier to the outside of the polishing unit.

Images