Substrate transfer apparatus, substrate processing apparatus, and substrate processing system

Abstract

To provide a substrate transport device capable of appropriately setting a substrate transport method for each substrate when transporting substrates on a single carrier.SOLUTION: A substrate transport device receives substrate information corresponding to each substrate held on a carrier C. The substrate information includes information for each substrate. The substrate transport device then changes the transport operation of the hand for each substrate on the basis of the substrate information. With this configuration, even when different types of substrates are stored in the carrier C, the hand can be appropriately controlled on the basis of the substrate information. As a result, the substrate can be transported with a transport operation appropriate for the substrate on the basis of the substrate information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate transport device, a substrate processing device, and a substrate processing system that transport various substrates such as semiconductor substrates, substrates for FPDs (Flat Panel Displays) such as liquid crystal displays and organic EL (Electroluminescence) display devices, glass substrates for photomasks, and substrates for optical disks. [Background technology]

[0002] The substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a barcode reader. The barcode reader reads the barcode attached to the carrier and outputs the detection result to a control unit. The control unit determines the shape of the substrate based on the detection result of the barcode reader. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-48359 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional substrate transport devices are only capable of changing the control method for each carrier, and have the disadvantage that appropriate transport cannot be performed when different types of substrates are stored in the carriers.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transport device, a substrate processing apparatus, and a substrate processing system that can appropriately set the substrate transport method for each substrate when transporting substrates on a single carrier. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration. That is, the present invention is a substrate transport device, comprising: a hand that holds and transports a substrate one by one from a carrier that stores a plurality of substrates in a horizontal position at a predetermined interval in a vertical direction; a receiving unit that receives substrate information corresponding to each of the substrates held by the carrier; A control unit for controlling the hand is provided, The control unit is capable of changing the transport operation of the hand for each substrate based on the substrate information. The substrate transport device is characterized in that

[0007] [Actions and Effects] The above-mentioned substrate transport device receives substrate information corresponding to each substrate held in the carrier. The substrate information includes information on a substrate-by-substrate basis. The above-mentioned substrate transport device then changes the transport operation of the hand for each substrate based on the substrate information. With this configuration, even if different types of substrates are stored in the carrier, the hand can be appropriately controlled based on the substrate information. As a result, substrates can be transported with a transport operation appropriate for the substrate based on the substrate information.

[0008] In the above-mentioned substrate transport device, a storage unit that stores a reference transport operation of the hand; It is preferable that the control unit changes the transport motion of the hand by changing a movement amount of the hand that determines a reference transport motion of the hand.

[0009] [Functions and Effects] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate transport device stores the transport motion of the reference hand. Then, the transport motion of the reference hand is edited to make the hand transport motion appropriate. With this configuration, the hand transport motion can be changed reliably and easily.

[0010] In the above-mentioned substrate transport device, It is preferable that the substrate information is different for each substrate held by the carrier.

[0011] [Functions and Effects] According to the above-mentioned configuration, for example, the substrate information is different for each substrate held in the carrier. With this configuration, even if different types of substrates are stored in the carrier, each substrate can be transported reliably.

[0012] In the above-mentioned substrate transport device, the substrate information includes information regarding a substrate diameter; the hand has a guide member that contacts a peripheral edge of the substrate, It is preferable that the control unit changes the transport operation of the hand so that the position of the guide member coincides with the position of a peripheral edge of the substrate to be transported.

[0013] [Functions and Effects] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate information includes, for example, information regarding the substrate diameter. The hand transports the substrate by a transport operation in which the position of the guide member coincides with the position of the peripheral edge of the substrate to be transported. With this configuration, even if substrates of different diameters are stored in a single carrier, each substrate can be transported reliably.

[0014] In the above-mentioned substrate transport device, The substrate information includes information regarding a substrate thickness, It is preferable that the control unit sets, for each substrate, an entry position of the hand in the vertical direction relative to the carrier based on the substrate information.

[0015] [Functions and Effects] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate information includes, for example, information regarding the substrate thickness. The vertical entry position of the hand relative to the carrier is set for each substrate based on the substrate information. With this configuration, even if a thick substrate is held by the carrier, the hand will not come into contact with the substrate and damage the substrate.

[0016] In the above-mentioned substrate transport device, a mapping unit that maps the substrate of the carrier, The substrate information includes information regarding a substrate thickness, It is preferable that the mapping unit sets a detection threshold based on the substrate information.

[0017] [Functions and Effects] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate information includes, for example, information regarding the substrate thickness. The mapping unit has an appropriate detection threshold according to the substrate thickness. According to the above-mentioned configuration, the detection threshold is set based on the substrate information, so that mapping of the substrate can be performed based on the detection threshold suitable for mapping.

[0018] In the above-mentioned substrate transport device, The substrate information includes information regarding a substrate shape, It is preferable that the control unit sets, for each substrate, an entry position of the hand in the vertical direction relative to the carrier based on the substrate information.

[0019] [Functions and Effects] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate information includes, for example, information regarding the substrate shape. The vertical entry position of the hand relative to the carrier is set for each substrate based on the substrate information. With this configuration, even if substrates of different shapes are held by the carrier, the hand will not come into contact with the substrate and damage the substrate.

[0020] In the above-mentioned substrate transport device, The information regarding the substrate shape is preferably an evaluation value indicating the amount of distortion of the substrate and the direction of the distortion of the substrate.

[0021] [Functions and Effects] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate information includes evaluation values ​​indicating the amount of distortion of the substrate and the direction of distortion of the substrate. With this configuration, even if a warped substrate is held by the carrier, the hand will not come into contact with the substrate and cause damage to the substrate.

[0022] In the above-mentioned substrate transport device, It is preferable that the control unit sets a transport order of the substrates in the carrier based on the substrate information.

[0023] [Functions and Effects] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate information includes, for example, information regarding the substrate shape. The substrate transport order in the carrier is set based on the substrate information. This allows substrates that cannot be transported depending on the substrate transport order to be transported reliably.

[0024] In the above-mentioned substrate transport device, It is preferable that the control unit sets a transport speed of the hand based on the board information.

[0025] [Functions and Effects] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the transport speed of the hand is set based on the board information. With this configuration, the board can be transported at an appropriate transport speed depending on the board.

[0026] In the above-mentioned substrate transport device, the substrate information includes information regarding an arrangement pitch of the substrates stored in the carrier; It is preferable that the control unit sets an entry position of the hand in a vertical direction relative to the carrier based on the substrate information.

[0027] [Functions and Effects] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate information includes information regarding the arrangement pitch of the substrates stored in the carrier. The vertical entry position of the hand relative to the carrier is set based on the substrate information. With this configuration, the transport operation of the hand is changed based on information other than the substrate itself, making it possible to transport substrates appropriately based on more information.

[0028] In the above-mentioned substrate transport device, The receiving unit receives carrier information corresponding to the carrier, It is preferable that the control unit changes the transport operation of the hand for each carrier based on the carrier information received by the receiving unit.

[0029] [Functions and Effects] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate transport device receives carrier information corresponding to the carrier. Then, the transport operation of the hand is changed for each carrier based on the carrier information. With this configuration, it becomes possible to change the transport operation of the hand collectively on a carrier-by-carrier basis.

[0030] In the above-mentioned substrate transport device, The carrier has a plurality of protrusions arranged in a vertical direction, the protrusions being capable of holding a substrate; the carrier information includes information regarding an arrangement pitch of the protrusions, It is preferable that the control unit sets an entry position of the hand in a vertical direction relative to the carrier based on the carrier information.

[0031] [Functions and Effects] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the carrier information includes information regarding the arrangement pitch of the protrusions of the carrier. With this configuration, the vertical entry position of the hand can be set based on the arrangement pitch of the protrusions.

[0032] In the above-mentioned substrate transport device, a mapping unit that maps the substrate of the carrier, the substrate information includes information regarding an arrangement pitch of the substrates stored in the carrier; The control unit is configured to determine at least an arrangement pitch of the protrusions in the carrier information. When the arrangement pitch of the substrates stored in the carrier in the substrate information does not match, the mapping unit executes a mapping operation; It is preferable to change the transport operation of the hand based on the result of the mapping operation.

[0033] [Function and Effect] According to the above-mentioned configuration, if the arrangement pitch of the protrusions in the carrier information does not match the arrangement pitch of the substrates stored in the carrier in the substrate information, the mapping unit executes a mapping operation. This allows the distribution of substrates in the carrier to be measured. By configuring in this way, even if there is an error in either the carrier information or the substrate information, the error is corrected and the substrates are transported.

[0034] In the above-mentioned substrate transport device, a mapping unit that maps the substrate of the carrier, the control unit causes the mapping unit to perform a mapping operation at least when an arrangement pitch of the protrusions in the carrier information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; It is preferable to change the transport operation of the hand based on the result of the mapping operation.

[0035] [Function and Effect] According to the above-mentioned configuration, when the arrangement pitch of the protrusions in the carrier information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the mapping unit executes a mapping operation. This allows the distribution of the substrates in the carrier to be measured. By configuring in this way, even if there is an error in the carrier information, the error is corrected and the substrates are transported.

[0036] This specification also discloses an invention relating to a substrate processing apparatus including the above-mentioned substrate transport apparatus and a substrate processing section that performs a predetermined process on the substrate transported by the substrate transport apparatus.

[0037] [Operation and Effect] According to the above-mentioned configuration, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of processing substrates by appropriately setting a substrate transport method for each substrate.

[0038] This specification also discloses an invention relating to a substrate processing system comprising: a host computer that transmits substrate information corresponding to each of the substrates held in the carrier to the substrate processing apparatus.

[0039] [Operation and Effect] According to the above-mentioned configuration, it is possible to provide a substrate processing system capable of processing substrates by appropriately setting a substrate transport method for each substrate.

[0040] In addition to the above-mentioned invention, this specification also discloses the following invention.

[0041] That is, the present invention is a substrate transport device, a first hand that transports a substrate one by one from a carrier that stores multiple substrates in a horizontal position and with wide intervals between them in a vertical direction; a second hand that transports the substrates one by one from a carrier that stores multiple substrates in a horizontal position with narrow intervals in a vertical direction; A control unit that controls the first hand or the second hand to move toward or away from a substrate. A substrate transport device comprising:

[0042] [Actions and Effects] The above-mentioned substrate transport device has two types of hands, a first hand and a second hand, and is equipped with a control unit that transports substrates by selectively using the first hand and the second hand. With this configuration, when the arrangement intervals of the substrates are wide, the substrates can be transported using the first hand, and when the arrangement intervals of the substrates are narrow, the substrates can be transported using the second hand. In other words, the substrate transport device according to the present invention can transport substrates in a manner that is more suited to the actual conditions of the substrates stored in the carrier.

[0043] In the above-mentioned substrate transport device, a first guide member that is provided at a tip end of the first hand and that abuts against an end of the substrate; a second guide member at a tip end of the second hand for contacting an end of the substrate; The thickness of the tip of the second hand in the height direction is smaller than the thickness of the tip of the first hand in the height direction. A substrate transport device comprising:

[0044] [Functions and Effects] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the thickness in the height direction at the tip of the second hand is smaller than the thickness in the height direction at the tip of the first hand. With this configuration, even if the distance between the substrates is short, the substrates to be transported can be transported more reliably by using the second hand.

[0045] In the above-mentioned substrate transport device, the first hand includes a first holder extending in a first direction and holding one end of the substrate, and a second holder extending in the first direction and holding the other end of the substrate, the second hand includes a first blade extending in the first direction and holding one end of the substrate, and a second blade extending in the first direction and holding the other end of the substrate, A space between the first holder and the second holder is smaller than a space between the first blade and the second blade. A substrate transport device comprising:

[0046] [Functions and Effects] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the space between the first holder and the second holder in the first hand is smaller than the space between the first blade and the second blade in the second hand. With this configuration, the first hand can hold the substrate more reliably. Meanwhile, the second hand can hold the warped substrate reliably between the first blade and the second blade.

[0047] In the above-mentioned substrate transport device, the first hand has a pusher that grips a substrate; The second hand does not have the pusher. A substrate transport device comprising:

[0048] [Actions and Effects] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the first hand has a pusher that grips the substrate. This allows the first hand to securely grip the substrate and transport it at high speed. Furthermore, the second hand does not have a pusher. This simplifies the device configuration and reduces the thickness of the second hand in the height direction. Effect of the Invention

[0049] The substrate transport device of the present invention can appropriately set the substrate transport method for each substrate. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0050] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating an overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating a configuration of a carrier according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating a configuration of a carrier according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a mapping device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an indexer robot according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a taking hand and a returning hand according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating a transport operation of the obtaining hand according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating a transport operation of the obtaining hand according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating a configuration of a carrier according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating a transport operation of the obtaining hand according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining the operation of the substrate processing apparatus in accordance with the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an indexer robot according to a second embodiment. [Figure 14] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating a sensor holding member and a hand according to a second embodiment. [Figure 15]FIG. 11 is a plan view illustrating a first obtaining hand and a first returning hand according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a plan view illustrating a second obtaining hand and a second returning hand according to the second embodiment. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration according to one modified example of the present invention. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration according to one modified example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0051] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiment is a substrate processing apparatus equipped with a substrate transport apparatus of the present invention. The substrate transport apparatus of the present invention corresponds to an indexer block in the substrate processing apparatus of the embodiment. The indexer block has an indexer robot equipped with a hand for transporting a substrate. EXAMPLES

[0052] 1. Overall structure 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this example has a load port 10, an indexer block 3, and a processing block 5. The substrate processing apparatus 1 of this example is for single-wafer substrate processing, and is configured to retrieve horizontally oriented substrates W one by one from a carrier C, process the substrates, and then return the substrates W one by one to the carrier.

[0053] In this specification, for convenience, the direction in which the indexer block 3 and the processing block 5 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 are arranged is called the "front-rear direction X". The front-rear direction X extends horizontally. In the front-rear direction X, the direction from the processing block 5 to the indexer block 3 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 is called the "front". The direction opposite to the front is called the "rear". The direction extending horizontally perpendicular to the front-rear direction X is called the "width direction Y". One direction of the "width direction Y" is called the "right" for convenience, and the other direction is called the "left" for convenience. The direction (height direction) perpendicular to the front-rear direction X and the width direction Y is called the "vertical direction Z" for convenience. In each figure, for reference, front, back, right, left, top, and bottom are appropriately indicated.

[0054] The load port 10 is a carrier mounting shelf on which the carriers C are mounted. A plurality of load ports 10 are arranged in the width direction Y, and each of the load ports 10 can mount one carrier C thereon.

[0055] The carrier C stores a plurality of substrates W in a horizontal position at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction Z. A plurality of substrates W (e.g., 25 substrates) are stored in a single carrier C in a stacked manner at a certain interval in a horizontal position. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the carrier C. The carrier C has comb-shaped members 7 having a plurality of protrusions 7a for mounting the substrates W at both ends of the carrier housing. The protrusions 7a of the comb-shaped members 7 are configured to mount the ends of the substrates W. The protrusions 7a extend in the front-rear direction X. The protrusions 7a are arranged at intervals of 10 mm. Therefore, the arrangement pitch Da of the protrusions 7a is 10 mm. For example, a sealed FOUP (Front Opening Unify Pod) is available as the carrier C. In the present invention, an open container may be adopted as the carrier C.

[0056] Fig. 3 shows another configuration of the carrier C. As shown in Fig. 3, there is a carrier C in which the arrangement pitch Db of the protrusions 7a is 20 mm. Such a carrier C can store, for example, 13 stacked substrates W. The carrier as shown in Fig. 3 is useful for storing heavy substrates W, substrates W that are significantly warped, etc.

[0057] The indexer block 3 corresponds to the substrate transport device of the present invention. The indexer block 3 is a rectangle extending in the width direction Y. The indexer block 3 is provided with a mapping device 8. As shown in FIG. 4, the mapping device 8 includes a rod 80 extending in the width direction Y. The rod 80 includes protrusions at the base and tip. The protrusions extend in the front-rear direction X. The protrusions are provided with a mapping section 84. That is, a light emitting device 81 is provided on one side of the protrusions, and a light receiving device 82 is provided on the other side of the protrusions. The light emitting device 81 and the light receiving device 82 correspond to the mapping section of the present invention. The rod 80 is movable in the vertical direction Z. The rod lifting mechanism 83 is configured to lift and lower the rod 80.

[0058] The mapping unit 84 maps the substrate W of the carrier C. The mapping unit 84 detects the presence or absence of the substrate W by emitting measurement light from the light emitting device 81 and detecting the measurement light with the light receiving device 82. For example, infrared light may be used as the measurement light. When the mapping unit 84 detects the substrate W, the light emitting device 81 is positioned to the right of the substrate, and the light receiving device 82 is positioned to the left of the substrate. When the substrate W is located between the light emitting device 81 and the light receiving device 82, the measurement light emitted from the light emitting device 81 is blocked by the substrate W and does not enter the light receiving device 82, or the amount of light entering the light receiving device 82 is reduced. If such a measurement is performed while moving the rod 80 in the vertical direction Z, it is possible to know which part of the carrier C the substrate W is located. The mapping operation of this example is performed as described above. When the substrate W of the carrier C is transported, the rod 80 is moved to the lower part of the carrier C, so that the rod 80 does not interfere with the indexer robot IR.

[0059] The indexer block 3 is equipped with an indexer robot IR. The indexer robot IR has a hand capable of holding and transporting a substrate W. The indexer robot IR can access the carrier C on the load port 10 and a path 24 provided in front of the processing block 5. The indexer robot IR can perform two operations: an operation of acquiring horizontally oriented substrates W one by one from the carrier C and placing them on the path 24, and an operation of acquiring horizontally oriented substrates W placed on the path 24 one by one and returning them to the carrier C. An unprocessed substrate W held in the carrier C is transported to the path 24 by the indexer robot IR. Then, a processed substrate W is placed on the path 24 and returned to the carrier C by the indexer robot IR.

[0060] The processing block 5 corresponds to the substrate processing section of the present invention. The processing block 5 is configured to perform a predetermined process on the substrate W transported by the indexer block 3. The processing block 5 has a plurality of single wafer processing chambers 5a arranged therein. That is, three single wafer processing chambers 5a are arranged in each of the middle layer area, upper layer area, and lower layer area to form a stack. Two stacks are arranged in front and rear on the right side of the processing block 5. Similarly, two stacks are arranged in front and rear on the left side of the processing block 5. Therefore, twelve single wafer processing chambers 5a are mounted on the processing block 5. A substrate transport area extending in the front and rear direction X is provided in the center of the processing block 5. The center robot CR can move back and forth in the substrate transport area, and can retrieve the substrates W in a horizontal position one by one from the path 24 and transport them to one of the single wafer processing chambers 5a. The center robot CR can retrieve the substrates W in a horizontal position held by the single wafer processing chambers 5a one by one and return them to the path 24. In this manner, the center robot CR can access each of the single wafer processing chambers 5a and the path 24.

[0061] The substrate processing performed by the single wafer processing chamber 5a includes, for example, a substrate cleaning process. The substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment may be configured to perform various substrate processing operations using chemicals in addition to the substrate cleaning process.

[0062] 2. Configuring the Indexer Robot FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the tip of the indexer robot IR for holding substrates. The indexer robot IR is equipped with an acquiring hand 11a and a returning hand 11b. The returning hand 11b and the acquiring hand 11a are held by an arm 12 in a stacked state in the vertical direction Z. The arm 12 can move the returning hand 11b and the acquiring hand 11a individually forward and backward in the forward and backward direction X. Before being inserted between the substrates W, the acquiring hand 11a and the returning hand 11b are in the same position in the forward and backward direction X. In the configuration of FIG. 5, the returning hand 11b and the acquiring hand 11a are arranged from top to bottom in this order, but the order in which the respective members are arranged can be changed as appropriate.

[0063] The acquisition hand 11a corresponds to the hand of the present invention. The acquisition hand 11a holds the unprocessed substrates W one by one from the carrier C and transports them to the path 24. The acquisition hand 11a has a hand body 31. The hand body 31 has a flat shape so that it can enter between the substrates. The acquisition hand 11a is provided with a guide member 32 that contacts the peripheral portion of the substrate W. The guide member 32 is at the tip of the acquisition hand 11a and is configured to abut the end of the substrate W. That is, the guide member 32 is a tab provided at the tip of the hand body 31 and is a member that contacts the substrate W. The guide member 32 is provided on the upper surface of the hand body 31. Therefore, the guide member 32 is configured to hold the upper substrate W from below. The guide member 32 has a thick portion and a thin portion. Therefore, the guide member 32 has a thickness that differs in parts in the height direction. The wall portion of the thick portion of the guide member 32 facing the base end of the acquisition hand 11a can come into contact with the edge (bevel portion) of the substrate W. The flat portion facing upwards in the thin portion of the guide member 32 can come into contact with the peripheral portion of the underside of the substrate. A guide member is also provided at the base end of the hand body 31 (not shown in FIG. 3). The guide member constitutes a contact portion of the acquisition hand 11a that comes into contact with the substrate W.

[0064] The returning hand 11b has the same configuration as the above-mentioned acquiring hand 11a. That is, the returning hand 11b has a hand body 31 and a guide member 32. The returning hand 11b has the guide member 32 at the tip and base of the hand body 31 and the guide member 32 has a thick portion and a thin portion, which are the same as the acquiring hand 11a. The returning hand 11b in this example is provided to transport a clean substrate W that has been cleaned. By using different hands on the outward and return routes in the reciprocating motion of the substrate W, it becomes unnecessary to hold the substrate W after cleaning with the hand that holds the substrate W before cleaning. Therefore, by providing the returning hand 11b, the cleanliness of the substrate W after cleaning is maintained.

[0065] 6 is a plan view illustrating the acquiring hand 11a and the returning hand 11b. The acquiring hand 11a and the returning hand 11b each include a base 36 and a first holder 33a and a second holder 33b formed by branching off the base 36. The first holder 33a is a member extending in the front-rear direction X and holding one end of the substrate W, and the second holder 33b is a member extending in the front-rear direction X and holding the other end of the substrate W. The guide member 32 is provided at the tip of the first holder 33a and the second holder 33b.

[0066] Guide members 34 are provided at the bases of the first holding body 33a and the second holding body 33b. Like the above-mentioned guide member 32, the guide member 34 has a thick portion constituting a wall portion with which the end (bevel portion) of the substrate W can come into contact, and a thin portion constituting a flat portion with which the peripheral portion of the lower portion of the substrate can come into contact. The thickness of the thick portion of the guide member 34 is the same as that of the thick portion of the guide member 32. The thickness of the thin portion of the guide member 34 is the same as that of the thin portion of the guide member 32. The walls of the guide members 32 and 34 are arranged to belong to an imaginary circle that is slightly larger than the substrate W. This allows the substrate W to fit into the receiving area for the substrate W that is constituted by the thin portions of the guide members 32 and 34.

[0067] The pusher 35 is provided at the tip of the base 36, and can push the substrate W held by the guide members 32 and 34 forward. The pusher 35 can move backward to an open state, and can move forward to a closed state. In order for the first holder 33a and the second holder 33b to hold the substrate W, first, the pusher 35 is placed in an open state so that the substrate W is held by the guide members 32 and 34. Then, the pusher 35 is placed in a closed state so that the substrate W is sandwiched between the guide members 32 and the pusher 35. In this manner, the substrate W is held.

[0068] 3. Basic operation of the indexer robot The operation of the indexer robot IR will now be described. The indexer robot IR has defined transport operations for the reference acquiring hand 11a and returning hand 11b. The indexer robot IR can change the transport operation of the hands by changing the amount of hand movement that defines the transport operation of the reference hand. In other words, the indexer robot IR can appropriately transport various substrates W by making fine adjustments to the basic operation.

[0069] First, the standard operation of the indexer robot IR will be described. FIG. 7(a) shows a state in which the acquiring hand 11a rises to the vicinity of the first substrate W1 to be transported when the first substrate W1 to be transported is transported. That is, the indexer robot IR moves the arm 12 in the vertical direction Z to position the acquiring hand 11a at a height intermediate between the first substrate W1 to be transported and the lower substrate W2. The first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 in FIG. 7(a) are not warped but flat. Therefore, the distance between the substrates is the same regardless of the position in the front-rear direction X. The distance D1 is the ideal distance between the substrates determined by the comb-shaped member 7 of the carrier C. Specifically, the distance D1 is the distance between the projections 7a of the comb-shaped member 7 minus the thickness of the substrate W, which is determined by the standard. The distance between the projections 7a of the comb-shaped member 7a is equal to the distance from the lower surface of the first substrate W1 to the lower surface of the second substrate W2. The distance required to transport the first substrate W1 using the acquisition hand 11a is the distance from the lower surface of the first substrate W1 to the upper surface of the second substrate W2. Therefore, the distance between the substrates is shorter than the distance between the protrusions 7a of the comb-shaped member 7 by the thickness of the second substrate W2. The position of the acquisition hand 11a in FIG. 7(a) is higher than the second substrate W2 by a distance d1, which is half the distance D1. Therefore, the acquisition hand 11a is lower than the first substrate W1 by the distance d1. In this way, the acquisition hand 11a passes exactly halfway between the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2, and is unlikely to collide with either the first substrate W1 or the second substrate W2.

[0070] FIG. 7(a) shows the transport operation of the reference acquisition hand 11a. The distance between the substrates is D1. The arm 12 moves the acquisition hand 11a in the vertical direction Z so that the distance from the lower surface of the acquisition hand 11a to the upper surface of the second substrate W2 is the same as the distance from the upper surface of the thick part of the guide member 32 of the acquisition hand 11a to the lower surface of the first substrate W1. When the distance between the substrates is D1 as shown in FIG. 7(a), the reference position of the acquisition hand 11a only needs to be d1 above the second substrate W2. Therefore, the reference position of the acquisition hand 11a is matched with a position (reference height h1) that is d1 above the surface (upper surface) of the second substrate W2. d1 is half the distance D1. The reference position of the acquisition hand 11a in the vertical direction Z is the middle position of the acquisition hand 11a having a predetermined thickness. The length from the reference position to the upper end of the thick portion of the guide member 32 is equal to the length from the reference position to the lower end of the hand body 31. Therefore, the reference position corresponds to the midpoint between the upper end of the thick portion of the guide member 32 and the lower end of the hand body 31.

[0071] 7(b), the acquiring hand 11a advances. The acquiring hand 11a stops when the thick portion of the guide 32 protrudes from the first substrate W1 in the front-rear direction X. At this time, the tip of the acquiring hand 11a moves from position p0 to position p1. Then, the walls of the guide members 32 and 34 are arranged to belong to an imaginary circle slightly larger than the substrate W.

[0072] Thereafter, the acquiring hand 11a rises. Then, the peripheral portion of the first substrate W1 comes into contact with the upper end of the thin portion of the guide 32. When the acquiring hand 11a rises further, the first substrate W1 separates from the protrusions 7a of the comb-shaped member 7 and rises up while being supported by the acquiring hand 11a. In this state, the pusher 35 is in a closed state, and the first substrate W1 is gripped by the acquiring hand 11a. Thereafter, when the acquiring hand 11a retreats, the first substrate W1 to be transported is transported from the carrier C.

[0073] The above is the basic operation of the acquisition hand 11a. The operation of the return hand 11b is also set to a reference transport operation. The basic operation of the return hand 11b is the reverse of the basic operation of the acquisition hand 11a over time. The return hand 11b gripping the substrate W advances, and the pusher 35 opens. At this time, the grip of the substrate W by the return hand 11b is released. If the return hand 11b then descends, the substrate W is supported by the protrusion 7a of the comb-shaped member 7 and leaves the return hand 11b. Then, the return hand 11b stops when the reference position reaches the reference height h1. If the return hand 11b retreats in this state, the return hand 11b retracts from the carrier C. The reference position of the return hand 11b is the same as the reference position of the acquisition hand 11a. That is, the reference position corresponds to the midpoint between the upper end of the thick part of the guide member 32 and the lower end of the hand body 31.

[0074] 4. Board Information The substrate transport device of this embodiment is characterized in that the operations of the acquiring hand 11a and the returning hand 11b are finely adjusted based on the substrate information. That is, the substrate transport device of this embodiment changes the transport operations of the acquiring hand 11a and the returning hand 11b for each substrate based on the substrate information. Specifically, the transport operations of the acquiring hand 11a and the returning hand 11b are changed by changing the movement amount of the acquiring hand 11a and the returning hand 11b in the transport operation that is the reference for the acquiring hand 11a and the returning hand 11b described above. Before describing this configuration, the substrate information in this embodiment will be described. The substrate information is unique information for each substrate stored in the carrier C, and may be different for each substrate held in the carrier C.

[0075] The substrate information in this example includes, for example, information regarding the arrangement pitch of the substrates W stored in the carrier C. A maximum of 25 substrates W can be stored in a carrier C having an arrangement pitch of the protrusions 7a of 10 mm. However, in order to allow room for storage in the carrier C, the substrates W may be arranged in the carrier C at a pitch of, for example, 20 mm. The substrate information in this example includes information indicating whether or not substrates W are stored in each of the areas in the carrier C that can store substrates W. By reading the substrate information, the arrangement pitch of the substrates W in the carrier C can be obtained.

[0076] Furthermore, the substrate information includes, for example, information regarding the substrate diameter. The carrier C can store substrates W of different diameters. The substrates W include, for example, substrates with a diameter of 300 mm and substrates with a diameter of 301 mm. All of these types of substrates W can be stored in the same carrier C. The substrate information in this example includes information regarding the substrate diameter for each of the substrates W stored in the carrier C. By reading the substrate information, it is possible to know in which position in the carrier C the substrate W with a diameter of 300 mm is stored. Similarly, by reading the substrate information, it is possible to know in which position in the carrier C the substrate W with a diameter of 301 mm is stored.

[0077] The substrate information also includes, for example, information regarding the thickness of the substrate. The carrier C can store substrates W of different thicknesses. Substrates W include, for example, those that maintain the thickness when cut from a single crystal ingot, and those that are twice as thick as the original thickness due to two substrates being bonded together. All of these types of substrates W can be stored in the same carrier C. The substrate information in this example includes information regarding the substrate thickness for each of the substrates W stored in the carrier C. By reading the substrate information, it is possible to know at which position in the carrier C a substrate W of what thickness is stored.

[0078] The substrate information also includes, for example, information regarding the substrate shape. The carrier C can store substrates W of different shapes. The substrates W include, for example, a flat substrate, a substrate with a center bulging upward (umbrella-shaped substrate), and a substrate with a center depressed downward (ball-shaped substrate). All of these types of substrates W can be stored in the same carrier C. The substrate information in this example includes an evaluation value indicating the amount and direction of distortion of the substrate for each substrate W stored in the carrier C. An evaluation value of 0 indicates a flat substrate, a positive evaluation value indicates an umbrella-shaped substrate, and a negative evaluation value indicates a ball-shaped substrate. By reading the substrate information, it is possible to know at what position in the carrier C the substrate W is stored and to what extent it is distorted in what direction.

[0079] The actual format of the substrate information is, for example, character string information. The substrate information is aggregated for each carrier C and treated as a set of character string information. The character string information includes a value with "WS" attached. This value means the arrangement pitch of the substrate W on the carrier C. The character string information includes a value with "WD" attached. This value represents the diameter of the substrate W on the carrier C. The character string information includes a value with "WT" attached. This value represents the thickness of the substrate W on the carrier C. The character string information includes a value with "WH" attached. This value represents the shape of the substrate W on the carrier C. Among them, the substrate information related to "WS" is a value determined for each carrier C. On the other hand, "WD", "WT", and "WH" are unique values ​​for each substrate W. Therefore, for example, for "WD", specifically, 25 variables such as "WDa", "WDb", ..., "WDx", and "WDy" are prepared for each of the 25 substrates W on the carrier C. The same situation applies to "WT" and "WH". If "WDa" to "WDy" have common values ​​in carrier C, the diameter of the substrate may be indicated by "WD" alone. The same applies to "WT" and "WH". If the character string information corresponding to a certain carrier C is "WS20, WD300, WT1.5, WH-0.8", this indicates that substrates W are arranged at a pitch of 20 mm in carrier C, that the diameter of the substrate W is 300 mm, that the thickness of the substrate W is 1.5 mm, and that the shape of the substrate W is a ball recessed by 0.8 mm in the center. In this case, the substrates W stored in carrier C are all common in terms of diameter, thickness, and shape.

[0080] 5. Fine-tuning of transport operation Hereinafter, a description will be given of how the transport operations of the acquiring hand 11a and the returning hand 11b are finely adjusted based on the substrate information. As described above, a reference transport operation is set for the acquiring hand 11a. This transport operation is suitable for transporting a thin and flat substrate W with a diameter of 300 mm. If the substrate W to be transported does not meet the above conditions as a result of reading the substrate information, the indexer robot IR fine-tunes the transport operation. The transport operation after the fine adjustment is suitable for transporting the substrate W to be transported. The fine adjustment of the transport operation is also performed by referring to substrate information on the substrate W located below the substrate W to be transported.

[0081] FIG. 7(c) shows how the transport operation is finely adjusted when the diameter of the substrate W to be transported is greater than 300 mm. When transporting a first substrate W1 with a large diameter, the acquisition hand 11a advances a longer distance than the reference transport operation. The tip of the acquisition hand 11a moves from position p0 to position p2. As can be seen from FIG. 7(c), position p2 is farther than position p1 from position p0 (initial position of the acquisition hand 11a) as the reference. Therefore, when transporting a first substrate W1 with a large diameter, the tip of the acquisition hand 11a that was at position p0 passes position p1 and stops at position p2. Then, the walls of the guide members 32 and 34 are arranged to belong to a virtual circle that is slightly larger than the first substrate W1. The first substrate W1 to be transported has a large diameter, and the edge (bevel portion) of the first substrate W1 protrudes forward more than the reference operation of the acquisition hand 11a assumes. Therefore, unless the transport operation is finely adjusted, there is a possibility that the edge (bevel portion) of the first substrate W1 may collide with the thick portion of the guide member 32. In this example, in order to avoid such a situation, the movement amount in the forward direction of the acquisition hand 11a is made longer than the standard. As a result, the thick portion of the guide member 32 protrudes forward from the first substrate W1 to be transported, so that even if the acquisition hand 11a is raised, the edge (bevel portion) of the first substrate W1 will not collide with the thick portion of the guide member 32. The peripheral portion of the first substrate W1 is held by the thin portion of the guide member 32, and can be transported in the same way as a substrate W of a normal diameter. In this way, the transport operation of the acquisition hand 11a is changed so that the position of the guide member 32 is located at the peripheral portion of the substrate to be transported.

[0082] The above is the operation of the acquiring hand 11a. The operation of the returning hand 11b is similarly fine-tuned. The operation of the returning hand 11b is the reverse of the operation of the acquiring hand 11a over time. The returning hand 11b gripping the substrate W advances. At this time, the tip of the returning hand 11b stops at position p2. The subsequent operation is the same as that of the returning hand 11b described above.

[0083] FIG. 8(a) shows a state where fine adjustment of the transport operation is performed when the second substrate W2 below the first substrate W1 to be transported is a thick substrate. When the first substrate W1 located on the thick second substrate W2 is transported, the distance between the substrates is D2. The distance D2 is shorter than the above-mentioned distance D1. This is because the second substrate W2 is thicker than the case of FIG. 7(a). The arm 12 moves the acquisition hand 11a in the vertical direction Z so that the distance from the lower surface of the acquisition hand 11a to the upper surface of the second substrate W2 is the same as the distance from the upper surface of the thick part of the guide member 32 of the acquisition hand 11a to the lower surface of the first substrate W1. In other words, the acquisition hand 11a stops at a position h2 higher than the reference height h1. When the distance between the substrates is D2 as in FIG. 8(a), the reference position of the acquisition hand 11a only needs to be d2 above the second substrate W2. Therefore, the reference position of the acquisition hand 11a is set to coincide with a position (position h2) that is d2 above the surface (upper surface) of the second substrate W2. d2 is half of the distance D2. In this way, the acquisition hand 11a passes exactly halfway between the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2, and is therefore unlikely to collide with either the first substrate W1 or the second substrate W2. In this way, the entry position of the acquisition hand 11a in the vertical direction Z relative to the carrier C is set for each substrate W based on the substrate information.

[0084] The above is the operation of the acquiring hand 11a. The operation of the returning hand 11b is similarly fine-tuned. The operation of the returning hand 11b is the reverse of the operation of the acquiring hand 11a over time. After placing the substrate W on the protrusion 7a, the returning hand 11b descends and stops. At this time, the reference position of the returning hand 11b coincides with the reference height h2, not h1. The subsequent operations are the same as those of the returning hand 11b described above.

[0085] FIG. 8(b) shows how the transport operation is finely adjusted when the first substrate W1 to be transported is a warped substrate. When transporting the first substrate W1 having a ball shape, the shortest distance between the substrates is D3. The distance D3 is shorter than the above-mentioned distance D1. This is because the first substrate W1 is recessed with respect to the second substrate W2 more than in the case of FIG. 7(a). The arm 12 moves the acquisition hand 11a in the vertical direction Z so that the distance from the lower surface of the acquisition hand 11a to the upper surface of the second substrate W2 is the same as the distance from the upper surface of the thick part of the guide member 32 of the acquisition hand 11a to the lower surface of the first substrate W1. In other words, the acquisition hand 11a stops at a position h3 lower than the reference height h1. When the distance between the substrates is D3 as in FIG. 8(b), the reference position of the acquisition hand 11a only needs to be d3 above the second substrate W2. Therefore, the reference position of the acquisition hand 11a is set to a position h3, which is d3 above the surface (top surface) of the second substrate W2. d3 is half of the distance D3. In this way, the acquisition hand 11a passes exactly halfway between the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2, and is unlikely to collide with either the first substrate W1 or the second substrate W2. In this way, the entry position of the acquisition hand 11a in the vertical direction Z relative to the carrier C is set for each substrate W based on the substrate information.

[0086] The above is the operation of the acquiring hand 11a. The operation of the returning hand 11b is similarly fine-tuned. The operation of the returning hand 11b is the reverse of the operation of the acquiring hand 11a over time. After placing the substrate W on the protrusion 7a, the returning hand 11b descends and stops. At this time, the reference position of the returning hand 11b coincides with the reference height h3, not h1. The subsequent operations are the same as those of the returning hand 11b described above.

[0087] FIG. 8(c) shows a state where the transport operation is finely adjusted when the second substrate W2 below the first substrate W1 is a warped substrate. When the umbrella-shaped second substrate W2 is located below the first substrate W1 to be transported, the shortest distance between the substrates is D4. The distance D4 is shorter than the above-mentioned distance D1. This is because the second substrate W2 bulges out from the first substrate W1 more than in the case of FIG. 7(a). The arm 12 moves the acquisition hand 11a in the vertical direction Z so that the distance from the lower surface of the acquisition hand 11a to the upper surface of the second substrate W2 is the same as the distance from the upper surface of the thick part of the guide member 32 of the acquisition hand 11a to the lower surface of the first substrate W1. In other words, the acquisition hand 11a stops at a position h4 higher than the reference height h1. When the distance between the substrates is D4 as in FIG. 8(b), the reference position of the acquisition hand 11a only needs to be d4 above the second substrate W2. Therefore, the reference position of the acquisition hand 11a is set to a position h4, which is d4 above the surface (top surface) of the second substrate W2. d4 is half of the distance D4. In this way, the acquisition hand 11a passes exactly halfway between the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2, and is unlikely to collide with either the first substrate W1 or the second substrate W2. In this way, the entry position of the acquisition hand 11a in the vertical direction Z relative to the carrier C is set for each substrate W based on the substrate information.

[0088] The above is the operation of the acquiring hand 11a. The operation of the returning hand 11b is similarly fine-tuned. The operation of the returning hand 11b is the reverse of the operation of the acquiring hand 11a over time. After placing the substrate W on the protrusion 7a, the returning hand 11b descends and stops. At this time, the reference position of the returning hand 11b coincides with the reference height h4, not h1. The subsequent operations are the same as those of the returning hand 11b described above.

[0089] Next, the use of the arrangement pitch of substrates W in the substrate information will be described. The arrangement pitch of substrates W is indicated by the symbol "WS" in the substrate information. That is, the symbol "WS10" in the substrate information means that substrates W are arranged on carrier C at a pitch of 10 mm, as shown in Fig. 2. On the other hand, the symbol "WS20" in the substrate information means that substrates W are arranged on carrier C at a pitch of 20 mm, as shown in Fig. 9.

[0090] FIG. 10 shows how the conveying operation is finely adjusted when the separation distance between the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 is 20 mm. In this case, the distance between the substrates is D5. The distance D5 is longer than the above-mentioned distance D1. The arm 12 moves the acquisition hand 11a in the vertical direction Z so that the distance from the lower surface of the acquisition hand 11a to the upper surface of the second substrate W2 is the same as the distance from the upper surface of the thick part of the guide member 32 of the acquisition hand 11a to the lower surface of the first substrate W1. That is, the acquisition hand 11a stops at a position h5 lower than the reference height h1. When the distance between the substrates is D5 as shown in FIG. 10, it is sufficient that the reference position of the acquisition hand 11a is d5 above the second substrate W2. Therefore, the reference position of the acquisition hand 11a is aligned with the position h5 above the surface (upper surface) of the second substrate W2 by d5. d5 is half the distance D5. In this way, the obtaining hand 11a passes exactly halfway between the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2, and is therefore unlikely to collide with either the first substrate W1 or the second substrate W2.

[0091] The above is the operation of the acquiring hand 11a. The operation of the returning hand 11b is similarly fine-tuned. The operation of the returning hand 11b is the reverse of the operation of the acquiring hand 11a over time. After placing the substrate W on the protrusion 7a, the returning hand 11b descends and stops. At this time, the reference position of the returning hand 11b coincides with the reference height h5, not h1. The subsequent operations are the same as those of the returning hand 11b described above.

[0092] 6.Other configurations As can be seen by referring to Fig. 1, the substrate transport device of this example includes a control unit 100. The control unit 100 is configured, for example, by a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The specific configuration of the control unit 100 is not limited, and for example, the control unit 100 may be configured by a single processor, or the control unit 100 may be configured by individual processors.

[0093] The control related to the control unit 100 includes, for example, control related to the indexer robot IR. That is, the control unit 100 controls the forward and backward movements of the acquiring hand 11a and the returning hand 11b, the opening and closing movement of the pusher 35, the movement of the arm 12 in the vertical direction Z, the mapping device 8, and the mapping unit 84. In particular, the control unit 100 changes the transport operation of the acquiring hand 11a for each substrate based on the substrate information. Specifically, the control unit 100 changes the amount of movement of the acquiring hand 11a in the transport operation of the acquiring hand 11a that serves as the reference.

[0094] The storage unit 101 is a storage device that is accessed when the control unit 100 operates. The storage unit 101 stores programs and parameters related to control, substrate information constituting character string information, and the like. In particular, the storage unit 101 stores the transport operation of the reference obtaining hand 11a. The storage unit 101 may be configured as a single device, or may be configured as individual devices corresponding to each control unit. In addition, the substrate transport apparatus of this example has no particular limitations on the configuration of the device that realizes the storage unit 101.

[0095] The input / output device 102 corresponds to a receiving unit of the present invention. The input / output device 102 is accessible when the control unit 100 is operating. The input / output device 102 is connected to a host computer 200 of the plant based on a predetermined protocol. The host computer 200 transmits substrate information corresponding to each substrate W held on a carrier C to the substrate processing apparatus 1. The input / output device 102 can acquire substrate information and carrier information, which will be described later, from the host computer 200. The input / output device 102 receives substrate information corresponding to each substrate held on a carrier C. The substrate processing apparatus 1 and the host computer 200 constitute a substrate processing system of the present invention.

[0096] 7. Circuit board transport flow Fig. 11 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention. Hereinafter, the operation of the substrate transfer apparatus when a substrate cleaning process is performed by the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present invention will be described. Fig. 12 shows the state in which a substrate W is transferred inside the substrate processing apparatus 1. In the following description, Fig. 12 will also be referred to as appropriate.

[0097] Step S1: When a carrier C to be processed is placed on the load port 10, the substrate transport device acquires substrate information of the substrate W stored in the carrier C from the host computer 200. In the host computer 200, a plurality of substrate information items are organized for each carrier C. The input / output device 102 accesses the host computer 200 to acquire character string information corresponding to the carrier C placed on the load port 10. As described above, the character string information is configured by aggregating substrate information for each carrier C. The character string information can be created by actually measuring the substrate on the carrier C with a three-dimensional measuring device before placing the carrier C on the load port 10. The character string information can also be created manually by a user. The host computer 200 stores character string information corresponding to a plurality of carriers C. To associate the character string information stored in the host computer 200 with the carrier C placed on the load port 10, a tag (such as a barcode) unique to the carrier C can be referenced.

[0098] Step S2: The substrate transport device starts a mapping operation of the substrate W. Specifically, the mapping operation is performed by moving the mapping unit 84 in the vertical direction Z relative to the carrier C. This makes it possible to know on which part of the comb member 7 of the carrier C the substrate W is placed. The mapping operation is an operation for acquiring the distribution of the substrate W in the carrier C.

[0099] Step S3: Based on the substrate information, the height of the reference position of the acquiring hand 11a and the depth of the acquiring hand 11a entering the carrier C are determined. Then, parameters related to the control of the acquiring hand 11a are changed so that the acquiring hand 11a performs the determined operation. Specifically, this step is achieved by fine-tuning the transport operation that is the reference for the acquiring hand 11a.

[0100] Step S4: The arm 12 of the indexer robot IR moves vertically to position the acquiring hand 11a at the height of the substrate W to be transported. The height of the acquiring hand 11a at this time is a height suitable for transporting the substrate W to be transported. The arm 12 of the indexer robot IR advances the acquiring hand 11a to enter the carrier C. The amount of movement of the acquiring hand 11a at this time is suitable depending on the diameter of the substrate to be transported. The acquiring hand 11a grips the substrate W to be transported and delivers it to the path 24 (see arrow a in FIG. 12).

[0101] Step S5: The unprocessed substrate W held on the path 24 is transported by the center robot CR to the single-wafer processing chamber 5a (see arrow b in FIG. 12). The single-wafer processing chamber 5a performs a cleaning process on the substrate W. The processed substrate W is transported by the center robot CR to the path 24 (see arrow c in FIG. 12).

[0102] Step S6: The clean substrate W after cleaning is transported by the returning hand 11b. First, the height of the reference position of the returning hand 11b and the depth of the returning hand 11b entering the carrier C are determined based on the substrate information. That is, parameters related to the control of the returning hand 11b are changed so that the returning hand 11b performs the determined operation. Specifically, this step is achieved by fine-tuning the transport operation that is the reference for the returning hand 11b.

[0103] The same substrate information for fine adjustment of the returning hand 11b can be used as the substrate information for fine adjustment of the acquiring hand 11a. After the substrate processing, each of the substrates W held in the carrier C is returned to the carrier C in the order of arrangement. Therefore, the height and the penetration depth of the returning hand 11b when returning the substrate W to the carrier C are the same as the height and the penetration depth of the acquiring hand 11a when acquiring the substrate W from the carrier C. The height and the penetration depth of the acquiring hand 11a are unique values ​​for each substrate W held in the carrier C. When returning the substrate W to the carrier C, the operation of the acquiring hand 11a is reproduced by the returning hand 11b based on these unique values. In this way, the tip of the returning hand 11b does not collide with the substrate W when the substrate W is returned.

[0104] Step S7: The returning hand 11b acquires the substrate W to be transported from the path 24. The arm 12 of the indexer robot IR moves vertically to position the returning hand 11b at the height determined in step S6. The amount of movement of the returning hand 11b moving forward when the substrate W is carried into the carrier C is the same as that of the acquiring hand 11a when acquiring the substrate W from the carrier C. The height of the returning hand 11b when returning to the substrate transport device after placing the substrate W on the carrier C is the same as that of the acquiring hand 11a when acquiring the substrate W from the carrier C. This is because the acquiring hand 11a and the returning hand 11b operate based on a common fine adjustment. The returning hand 11b transports the substrate W to be transported from the path 24 to the carrier C (see arrow d in FIG. 12). The substrate W held on a certain protrusion on the comb member 7 of the carrier C is returned to the same protrusion after the substrate acquisition operation and the substrate return operation.

[0105] Step S8: When the substrate W has been returned to the carrier C, the mapping operation of the substrate W is performed again in the same manner as in step S1. This completes the operation of the substrate transport apparatus of this example.

[0106] Note that the above description of the operations from step S1 to step S8 focuses on one substrate W. Therefore, when multiple substrates W are transported from the carrier C to perform cleaning processing on the substrates W, steps S3 and S4 may be repeated before proceeding to step S5. Similarly, steps S6 and S7 may be repeated before proceeding to step S9.

[0107] 8. Effects of Example 1 As described above, the above-mentioned substrate transport device receives substrate information corresponding to each substrate W held in the carrier C. The substrate information includes information on a substrate-by-substrate basis. The above-mentioned substrate transport device then changes the transport operation of the acquiring hand 11a for each substrate W based on the substrate information. By configuring in this manner, even if different types of substrates W are stored in the carrier C, the acquiring hand 11a can be appropriately controlled based on the substrate information. As a result, the substrate W can be transported with a transport operation appropriate for the substrate W based on the substrate information.

[0108] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate transport device stores the transport operation of the reference acquisition hand 11a. Then, the transport operation of the reference acquisition hand 11a is edited to make the transport operation of the acquisition hand 11a appropriate. With this configuration, the transport operation of the acquisition hand 11a can be reliably and easily changed.

[0109] According to the above-described configuration, the substrate information is different for each substrate W held in the carrier C. With this configuration, even if different types of substrates W are stored in the carrier C, each of the substrates W can be transported reliably.

[0110] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate information includes, for example, information regarding the substrate diameter. The acquiring hand 11a transports the substrate W by a transport operation in which the position of the guide member 32 coincides with the position of the peripheral portion of the substrate W to be transported. With this configuration, even if substrates W with different diameters are stored in a single carrier C, each substrate W can be transported reliably.

[0111] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate information includes, for example, information regarding the substrate thickness. The vertical entry position of the acquisition hand 11a with respect to the carrier C is set for each substrate W based on the substrate information. With this configuration, even if a thick substrate W is held by the carrier C, the acquisition hand 11a will not come into contact with the substrate W and will not damage the substrate W.

[0112] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate information includes, for example, information regarding the substrate shape. The vertical entry position of the acquisition hand 11a into the carrier C is set for each substrate W based on the substrate information. With this configuration, even if substrates W of different shapes are held in the carrier C, the acquisition hand 11a will not come into contact with the substrate W and damage the substrate W.

[0113] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate information includes evaluation values ​​indicating the amount of distortion and the direction of distortion of the substrate W. With this configuration, even if a warped substrate W is held by the carrier C, the obtaining hand 11a will not come into contact with the substrate W and will not damage the substrate W.

[0114] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate information includes information related to the arrangement pitch of the substrates W stored in the carrier C. The entry position of the acquiring hand 11a in the vertical direction Z with respect to the carrier C is set based on the substrate information. With this configuration, the transport operation of the acquiring hand 11a is changed based on information other than the substrate W itself, making it possible to transport the substrate W appropriately based on more information. EXAMPLES

[0115] 9. Overview of Example 2 The second embodiment relates to a substrate transport apparatus, and will be described by taking as an example a substrate processing apparatus 1 incorporating the substrate transport apparatus, as in the first embodiment. As described with reference to Fig. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the second embodiment has a load port 10, an indexer block 3, and a processing block 5. The substrate transport apparatus of this embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in the configuration of the indexer robot IR in the indexer block 3.

[0116] 10. Configuring the Indexer Robot FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the tip of the indexer robot IR for holding a substrate. The indexer robot IR includes a first acquisition hand 51a, a first return hand 51b, a second acquisition hand 61a, and a second return hand 61b. The first acquisition hand 51a, the first return hand 51b, the second acquisition hand 61a, and the second return hand 61b are held by the arm 13 in a stacked state in the vertical direction Z. The arm 13 can move the first acquisition hand 51a, the first return hand 51b, the second acquisition hand 61a, and the second return hand 61b individually forward and backward in the forward and backward directions X. In the configuration of FIG. 13, the second return hand 61b, the second acquisition hand 61a, the first return hand 51b, and the first acquisition hand 51a are arranged from top to bottom in this order, but the order in which the members are arranged can be changed as appropriate.

[0117] The first acquisition hand 51a corresponds to the first hand of the present invention and corresponds to the acquisition hand 11a of the first embodiment. Therefore, the first acquisition hand 51a holds the unprocessed substrates W one by one from the carrier C and transports them to the path 24. The first acquisition hand 51a has a hand body 53 and a first guide member 52. The tip of the first acquisition hand 51a is provided with the first guide member 52 that abuts the end of the substrate W. The hand body 53 has a similar configuration to the hand body 31 of the first embodiment. The first guide member 52 has a similar configuration to the guide member 32 of the first embodiment. Therefore, the first guide member 52 has a thick portion and a thin portion. The first guide member 52 has a thickness that differs in parts in the height direction. The first acquisition hand 51a is a hand that transports the substrates W one by one from the carrier C that stores a plurality of substrates W in a horizontal posture with a wide gap in the vertical direction Z. Specifically, the wide spacing is 20 mm.

[0118] The first returning hand 51b corresponds to the returning hand 11b in the first embodiment and has a similar configuration to the above-mentioned first acquiring hand 51a. The first acquiring hand 51a is a hand for acquiring an unprocessed substrate W from a carrier C, and the first returning hand 51b is a hand for returning a clean substrate W that has been subjected to a cleaning process to the carrier C.

[0119] The second acquisition hand 61a corresponds to the second hand of the present invention. The second acquisition hand 61a holds unprocessed substrates W one by one from the carrier C and transports them to the path 24. The first acquisition hand 51a and the second acquisition hand 61a have similar functions, but have different hand shapes (see Figs. 15 and 16). The second acquisition hand 61a has a hand body 63 and a second guide member 62. The hand body 63 has a flat shape so that it can enter between substrates. The tip of the second acquisition hand 61a is provided with a second guide member 62 that abuts against the end of the substrate W. The second guide member 62 is a tab provided at the tip of the hand body 63 and is a member that contacts the substrate W. The second guide member 62 is provided on the upper surface of the hand body 63. The second guide member 62 has a thick portion and a thin portion like the first guide member 52 described above. Therefore, the second guide member 62 has a thickness in the height direction that differs in parts. The wall portion of the thick portion of the second guide member 62 facing the base end of the second acquisition hand 61a can come into contact with the edge (bevel portion) of the substrate W. The flat portion facing upwards of the thin portion of the second guide member 62 can come into contact with the peripheral portion of the underside of the substrate. A guide member is also provided at the base end of the hand body 63 (not shown in FIG. 13). The guide member constitutes a contact portion that comes into contact with the substrate W in the second acquisition hand 61a. The second acquisition hand 61a is a hand that transports substrates W one by one from a carrier C that stores multiple substrates W in a horizontal position with a narrow gap in the vertical direction Z. The narrow gap is specifically 10 mm.

[0120] The second returning hand 61b has the same configuration as the above-mentioned second obtaining hand 61a. That is, the second returning hand 61b has a hand body 63 and a second guide member 62. In the second returning hand 61b, the configuration in which the second guide member 62 is provided at the tip and base of the hand body 63, and the configuration in which the second guide member 62 has a thick part and a thin part are the same as the configuration of the second obtaining hand 61a. The second returning hand 61b of this example is provided to transport a clean substrate W that has been cleaned. By using different hands on the outward and return routes in the reciprocating motion of the substrate W, it becomes unnecessary to hold the substrate W after the cleaning process with the hand that holds the substrate W before the cleaning process. By providing the second returning hand 61b, the cleanliness of the substrate W after the cleaning process is maintained.

[0121] 14(a) shows the tip of the first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b, and FIG. 14(b) shows the tip of the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b. The thickness A11 in the vertical direction Z at the tip of the first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b is the distance from the upper end of the thick part of the first guide member 52 to the lower end of the hand body 53. Similarly, the thickness A12 in the vertical direction Z at the tip of the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b is the distance from the upper end of the thick part of the second guide member 62 to the lower end of the hand body 63. The thickness A12 in the height direction at the tip of the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b is smaller than the thickness A11 in the height direction at the tip of the first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b. Therefore, the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b can enter narrower gaps than the first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b. Such a configuration is advantageous when the arrangement pitch of the substrates W is small and the substrates are close to each other. On the other hand, the first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b can transport heavier substrates than the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b. This point will be described later.

[0122] 15 is a plan view for explaining the first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b. The first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b have the same configuration as the acquisition hand 11a and the return hand 11b according to the first embodiment. That is, the first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b have a base 56, and a first holding body 53a and a second holding body 53b formed by branching the base 56. The first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b have a first holding body 53a extending in the front-rear direction X to hold one end of the substrate W, and a second holding body 53b extending in the front-rear direction X to hold the other end of the substrate W. The first guide member 52 is provided at the tip of the first holding body 53a and the second holding body 53b.

[0123] Guide members 54 are provided at the bases of the first holding body 53a and the second holding body 53b. Like the above-mentioned first guide member 52, the guide member 54 has a thick portion constituting a wall portion with which the end (bevel portion) of the substrate W can come into contact, and a thin portion constituting a flat portion with which the peripheral portion of the lower portion of the substrate can come into contact. The thickness of the thick portion of the guide member 54 is the same as that of the thick portion of the first guide member 52. The thickness of the thin portion of the guide member 54 is the same as that of the thin portion of the first guide member 52. The walls of the first guide member 52 and the guide member 54 are arranged to belong to an imaginary circle slightly larger than the substrate W. This allows the substrate W to fit into the receiving area for the substrate W formed by the thin portions of the first guide member 52 and the guide member 54.

[0124] The first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b have a pusher 55. The pusher 55 is provided at the tip of the base 56 and can push the substrate W held by the first guide member 52 and the guide member 54 forward. The pusher 55 can move backward to an open state, and can move forward to a closed state. In order for the first holder 53a and the second holder 53b to hold the substrate W, the pusher 55 is first opened to hold the substrate W by the first guide member 52 and the guide member 54. Then, the pusher 55 is closed to sandwich the substrate W between the first guide member 52 and the pusher 55. In this manner, the substrate W is held. On the other hand, the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b do not have a pusher. Therefore, there is a clearance between the second guide member 62 of the second acquisition hand 61a and the substrate W held by the second guide member 62, which will be described later, and a guide member 64. The second obtaining hand 61a transports the substrate W while maintaining a clearance. The same applies to the second returning hand 61b.

[0125] 16 is a plan view for explaining the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b. The second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b are provided with a base 66 and a first blade 63a and a second blade 63b formed by branching off the base 66. The second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b are provided with the first blade 63a extending in the front-rear direction X to hold one end of the substrate W, and the second blade 63b extending in the front-rear direction X to hold the other end of the substrate W. The second guide member 62 is provided at the tip of the first blade 63a and the second blade 63b.

[0126] A guide member 64 is provided at the base of each of the first blade 63a and the second blade 63b. Like the above-mentioned guide member 54, the guide member 64 has a thick portion constituting a wall portion with which the end (bevel portion) of the substrate W can come into contact, and a thin portion constituting a flat portion with which the peripheral portion of the lower portion of the substrate can come into contact. The thickness of the thick portion of the guide member 64 is the same as that of the thick portion of the second guide member 62. The thickness of the thin portion of the guide member 64 is the same as that of the thin portion of the second guide member 62. The walls of the second guide member 62 and the guide member 64 are arranged to belong to an imaginary circle slightly larger than the substrate W. This allows the substrate W to fit into the receiving area for the substrate W formed by the thin portions of the second guide member 62 and the guide member 64.

[0127] The first acquisition hand 51a and the second acquisition hand 61a have different shapes. That is, as can be seen from FIG. 15, the first holding body 53a and the second holding body 53b of the first acquisition hand 51a are tapered so that the thickness in the width direction Y increases from the tip to the base. With such a configuration, the rigidity of the first acquisition hand 51a is increased, and it is possible to realize the transportation of a heavier substrate. The heavy substrate W is, for example, a thick substrate formed by bonding two substrates together. The same effect is achieved by the first return hand 51b. The thick substrate W can be stored in the carrier C at an arrangement pitch of 20 mm.

[0128] On the other hand, as can be seen from FIG. 16, the first blade 63a and the second blade 63b of the second acquisition hand 61a do not change in thickness in the width direction Y from the tip to the base. With such a configuration, the space R2 between the first blade 63a and the second blade 63b can be increased. Although the space R1 exists between the first holding body 53a and the second holding body 53b in the first acquisition hand 51a shown in FIG. 15, it is smaller than the space R2 because the first holding body 53a and the second holding body 53b are tapered. The space between the first holding body 53a and the second holding body 53b is smaller than the space between the first blade 63a and the second blade 63b.

[0129] Also, as can be seen by referring to FIG. 16, the separation distance A22 between the first blade 63a and the second blade 63b in the second acquisition hand 61a is set as large as possible. The second acquisition hand 61a can reliably transport a substrate W that is difficult to transport by providing a wide space R2. Specifically, a substrate W that is difficult to transport is a warped substrate W. A warped substrate W may be deformed into a concave shape toward the center of the substrate W, and is therefore more likely to come into contact with the hand during transportation. In this regard, the second acquisition hand 61a is not configured to provide the first blade 63a and the second blade 63b at a portion where the warped substrate is likely to come into contact with the hand. Therefore, the second acquisition hand 61a of this example can reliably transport even a substrate W that is more difficult to transport.

[0130] The separation distance A21 is the distance from the first guide member 52 provided on the first holding body 53a to the first guide member 52 provided on the second holding body 53b. The separation distance A22 is the distance from the second guide member 62 provided on the first blade 63a to the second guide member 62 provided on the second blade 63b.

[0131] On the other hand, as can be seen by referring to FIG. 14(a), the first guide member 52 in the first acquisition hand 51a has a thick portion and a thin portion. Similarly, as can be seen by referring to FIG. 14(b), the second guide member 62 in the second acquisition hand 61a has a thick portion and a thin portion. The thickness of the thin portion of the first guide member 52 is greater than the thickness of the thin portion of the second guide member 62. By configuring in this manner, the substrate W to be transported can be separated from the hand body 53. Suppose that the substrate W held by the first acquisition hand 51a is warped and the center of the substrate W is depressed. Even in such a case, the thin portion of the first guide member 52 has a sufficient thickness, so that the center of the substrate W does not come into contact with the hand body 53 of the first acquisition hand 51a. The first acquisition hand 51a can transport a substrate W that is warped to such an extent that it cannot be transported by the second acquisition hand 61a. Substrates W with large warpage can be stored in carriers C at an array pitch of 20 mm.

[0132] Increasing the thickness of the first guide member 52 increases the thickness of the first acquisition hand 51a accordingly. Since the first acquisition hand 51a is used for a carrier C in which the arrangement pitch of the substrates W is wide, there are few restrictions on the thickness of the first acquisition hand 51a. Therefore, even if the first acquisition hand 51a has a sufficient thickness, the first acquisition hand 51a will not come into contact with the substrate W to be transported and the substrate W thereunder. A similar effect is achieved for the second return hand 61b.

[0133] When the indexer robot IR transports the substrate W from the carrier C to the path 24, the first acquisition hand 51a or the second acquisition hand 61a is used. The first acquisition hand 51a or the second acquisition hand 61a enters between the first substrate W1 to be transported, which is held by the carrier C, and the second substrate W2 located below it, and then rises to acquire the first substrate W1. The acquired first substrate W1 is transported to the path 24.

[0134] When the indexer robot IR transports the substrate W from the path 24 to the carrier C, the first returning hand 51b or the second returning hand 61b is used. The first returning hand 51b or the second returning hand 61b acquires the substrate W to be transported that is held in the path 24, and enters the carrier C. The first returning hand 51b or the second returning hand 61b then descends to place the substrate W to be transported on the carrier C. The first returning hand 51b or the second returning hand 61b moves between the transported substrate W and the substrate W located below it, and retreats to leave the carrier C.

[0135] 11.Other configurations 1 includes, for example, control of the indexer robot IR. That is, the control unit 100 controls the forward and backward movements of the first acquiring hand 51a, the first returning hand 51b, the second acquiring hand 61a, and the second returning hand 61b, the opening and closing movement of the pusher 55, the movement of the arm 13 in the vertical direction Z, the mapping sensor described below, and the movement mechanism of the mapping sensor. The control unit 100 also selects which of the four types of hands is to be used for transportation. The memory unit 101 and the input / output device 102 are configured similarly to those in the first embodiment.

[0136] 12. Circuit board transport flow Fig. 17 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention. Hereinafter, the manner in which the substrate transfer apparatus operates when a substrate cleaning process is performed by the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present invention will be explained. Fig. 12 shows the manner in which a substrate W is transferred within the substrate processing apparatus 1. Fig. 12 will also be referred to as appropriate in the following explanation.

[0137] Step S11: When the carrier C to be processed is placed on the load port 10, the substrate transport device starts a mapping operation for the substrate W. This step is similar to step S1 in the first embodiment, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0138] This step makes it possible to know how the comb member 7 of the carrier C holds the substrates W. The comb member 7 is provided with 25 protrusions, each of which is capable of holding a substrate W. For example, 13 substrates W may be stored in the carrier C at a pitch of 20 mm. Or, for example, 25 substrates W may be stored in the carrier C at a pitch of 10 mm. To know which arrangement pitch the substrates W are at, a mapping operation may be performed. The substrate transport device can also know the arrangement pitch of the substrates W based on the substrate information obtained from the host computer 200. For details on obtaining the substrate information through the host computer 200, see step S1 described above.

[0139] 17, when the hand is inserted between the substrates, if the distance between the substrates is 20 mm and there is sufficient space, the substrates are transported using the first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b. On the other hand, when the hand is inserted between the substrates, if the distance between the substrates is 10 mm and there is not sufficient space, the substrates are transported using the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b.

[0140] Step S12: The indexer robot IR is moved to the rear of the carrier C. Then, the arm 13 of the indexer robot IR moves vertically. When the arrangement pitch of the substrates W is 20 mm, the first acquisition hand 51a is positioned at the height of the substrate W to be transported. The first acquisition hand 51a grasps the substrate W to be transported and delivers it to the path 24 (see arrow a in FIG. 12). On the other hand, when the arrangement pitch of the substrates W is 10 mm, the second acquisition hand 61a is positioned at the height of the substrate W to be transported. The second acquisition hand 61a holds the substrate W to be transported and delivers it to the path 24.

[0141] Step S13: The unprocessed substrate W held on the path 24 is transported by the center robot CR to the single-wafer processing chamber 5a (see arrow b in FIG. 12). The single-wafer processing chamber 5a performs a cleaning process on the substrate W. The processed substrate W is transported by the center robot CR to the path 24 (see arrow c in FIG. 12).

[0142] Step S14: The clean substrate W after cleaning is transported by either the first returning hand 51b or the second returning hand 61b. The substrate W transported to the path 24 by the first acquiring hand 51a in step S12 is returned from the path 24 to the carrier C by the first returning hand 51b. The substrate W is transported at high speed at this time. Also, the substrate W transported to the path 24 by the second acquiring hand 61a in step S12 is returned from the path 24 to the carrier C by the second returning hand 61b (see arrow d in FIG. 12). The substrate W held by a certain protrusion on the comb member 7 of the carrier C is returned to the same protrusion after the substrate acquiring operation and the substrate returning operation.

[0143] Step S15: When the substrate W has been returned to the carrier C, the mapping operation of the substrate W is performed again in the same manner as in step S11. This completes the operation of the substrate transport apparatus of this example.

[0144] Note that the above description of the operations from step S1 to step S15 focuses on one substrate W. Therefore, when multiple substrates W are transported from the carrier C to perform cleaning processing on the substrates W, step S12 may be repeated before proceeding to step S13. Similarly, step S14 may also be repeated before proceeding to step S15.

[0145] 13. Effects of Example 2 The substrate transport device of this embodiment has two types of hands, a first acquisition hand 51a and a first return hand 51b, and a second acquisition hand 61a and a second return hand 61b, and is equipped with a control unit 100 that transports the substrate W by selectively using the first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b and the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b. With this configuration, when the arrangement pitch of the substrate W is wide, the substrate W can be transported by using the first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b, and when the arrangement pitch of the substrate W is narrow, the substrate W can be transported by using the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b. In other words, according to the substrate transport device of the present invention, the substrate W can be transported by a method that is more suited to the actual state of the substrate W stored in the carrier C.

[0146] Furthermore, according to this example, the thickness A12 in the height direction at the tip of the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b is smaller than the thickness A11 in the height direction at the tip of the first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b. With this configuration, even if the substrate W is significantly warped and the distance between the substrates is short, the substrate W to be transported can be transported more reliably by using the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b.

[0147] According to this example, the space R1 between the first holder 53a and the second holder 53b in the first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b is smaller than the space R2 between the first blade 63a and the second blade 63b in the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b. With this configuration, the first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b can hold the substrate W more reliably. On the other hand, the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b can hold the substrate W reliably between the first blade 63a and the second blade 63b.

[0148] According to this example, the first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b have pushers 55 that grip the substrate W. This allows the first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b to reliably grip and transport the substrate W. Furthermore, the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b do not have pushers. This simplifies the device configuration and reduces the thickness in the height direction of the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b.

[0149] 14. Modifications of the present invention The present invention is not limited to the above configuration, and can be modified as follows.

[0150] <Variation 1> The mapping unit 84 of the first embodiment may set the detection threshold based on substrate information related to the substrate thickness. That is, when a thin substrate W is stored in the carrier C, the mapping unit 84 may be operated with a lowered detection threshold. In this way, the thin substrate W is not overlooked and the mapping operation is not performed. In addition, when a thick substrate W is stored in the carrier C, the mapping unit 84 may be operated with a higher detection threshold. In this way, it is possible to suppress malfunction of the mapping unit 84 due to noise.

[0151] According to this modification, the substrate information includes, for example, information on the substrate thickness. The mapping unit 84 has an appropriate detection threshold according to the thickness of the substrate. According to the above-described configuration, the detection threshold is set based on the substrate information, so that mapping of the substrate W can be performed based on the detection threshold suitable for mapping.

[0152] <Variation 2> The transport order of the substrates W in the carrier C may be set based on the substrate information of the first embodiment. FIG. 18 shows a state in which the first substrate W1 warped downward and the second substrate W2 below it are placed on the comb-shaped member 7 of the carrier C. The third substrate W3 is located further below the second substrate W2 on the comb-shaped member 7. The first substrate W1, the second substrate W2, and the third substrate W3 are arranged at a pitch of 10 mm. Therefore, the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b are used to transport the substrate W. In the case of this modification, the separation distance D5 between the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 is short for the second acquisition hand 61a. Therefore, the second substrate W2 becomes an obstacle to transporting the first substrate W1. The warped state of the first substrate W1 can be known by referring to the substrate information.

[0153] On the other hand, the distance between the second substrate W2 and the third substrate W3 is assumed to be D1. The distance D1 is sufficient when the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b enter between the second substrate W2 and the third substrate W3. Therefore, the second substrate W2 can be transported from the carrier C regardless of the presence of the third substrate W3.

[0154] Therefore, this modification is configured to set the transport order of the substrates W based on substrate information relating to the substrate shapes. That is, the control unit 100 sets the transport order of the substrates W such that the second substrate W2 is transported before the first substrate W1.

[0155] FIG. 19 shows the state of the carrier C after the second substrate W2 is transported from the carrier C. After the second substrate W2 is transported, the first substrate W1 and the third substrate W3 remain on the carrier C. Between the first substrate W1 and the third substrate W3, there is an empty protrusion of the comb-shaped member 7. Therefore, the distance D6 between the first substrate W1 and the third substrate W3 is at least greater than the distance D1. That is, the acquisition hand 11a and the return hand 11b can be inserted between the first substrate W1 and the third substrate W3. Therefore, even if the carrier C is in the state shown in FIG. 18, the first substrate W1 can be reliably transported from the carrier C by transporting the second substrate W2 and the first substrate W1 in that order. When returning the substrate W to the carrier C, the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 may be transported in that order.

[0156] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate information includes, for example, information on the substrate shape. The transport sequence of the substrates W in the carrier C is set based on the substrate information. This allows the substrates W that cannot be transported depending on the transport sequence of the substrates W to be transported reliably.

[0157] <Modification 3> The transport speeds of the acquiring hand 11a and the returning hand 11b may be set based on the substrate information of the first embodiment. For example, the substrate transport device of this modified example transports a flat substrate W at high speed and a warped substrate W at low speed based on substrate information relating to the substrate shape. According to the above-described configuration, the transport speeds of the acquiring hand 11a and the returning hand 11b are set based on the substrate information. With this configuration, the substrate can be transported at an appropriate transport speed depending on the substrate W. This modified example can also be applied to the second embodiment.

[0158] <Variation 4> In addition to the substrate information of the first embodiment, carrier information related to the type of carrier C may be provided. The input / output device 102 of this modification receives carrier information corresponding to the carrier from the host computer 200. The carrier information includes, for example, information related to the arrangement pitch of the protrusions 7a of the comb-shaped member 7. The substrate transport device of this modification can operate using carrier information instead of substrate information related to the arrangement pitch of the substrate W. That is, the substrate transport device of this modification changes the transport operation of the acquisition hand 11a and the return hand 11b for each carrier C based on the carrier information. Specifically, the vertical entry position of the acquisition hand 11a with respect to the carrier C is set based on the carrier information. According to the above-mentioned configuration, the substrate transport device receives carrier information corresponding to the carrier C. Then, the transport operation of the acquisition hand 11a and the return hand 11b is changed for each carrier C based on the carrier information. With this configuration, it becomes possible to change the transport operation of the acquisition hand 11a and the return hand 11b collectively on a carrier basis. The carrier information can be information other than information related to the carrier type, such as the substrate diameter. This modified example can also be applied to the second embodiment. Specifically, the type of hand used for transport is determined based on the carrier information. When the arrangement pitch of the protrusions 7a is 20 mm, the first acquisition hand 51a and the first return hand 51b are used for substrate transport. When the arrangement pitch of the protrusions 7a is 10 mm, the second acquisition hand 61a and the second return hand 61b are used for substrate transport.

[0159] <Variation 5> In the substrate transport device of the first embodiment, the mapping operation described in step S1 can be omitted because the substrate transport device can know how the substrates W are stored in the carrier C from the substrate information related to the arrangement pitch of the substrates W.

[0160] <Variation 6> In the configuration of the modified example 5, a mapping operation may be performed when a predetermined condition is satisfied. That is, the substrate transport device of this modified example may cause the mapping unit 84 to perform a mapping operation when at least the arrangement pitch of the protrusions 7a in the carrier information described in the modified example 4 does not match the arrangement pitch of the substrates W stored in the carrier C in the substrate information. According to this modified example, the arrangement pitch of the substrates W in the carrier C is actually measured by the mapping operation. The substrate transport device operates by prioritizing the result of the actual measurement over the carrier information and substrate information. That is, the transport operation of the acquiring hand 11a and the returning hand 11b is changed based on the result of the mapping operation. According to this modified example, even if there is an error in either the carrier information or the substrate information, the error is corrected and the substrate W is transported.

[0161] <Variation 7> In the configuration of the modified example 5, a mapping operation may be performed when a predetermined condition is satisfied. That is, the substrate transport device of this modified example may cause the mapping unit 84 to perform a mapping operation when the arrangement pitch of the protrusions 7a in the carrier information described in the modified example 4 is at least 20 mm. According to this modified example, the arrangement pitch of the substrates W in the carrier C is actually measured by the mapping operation. The substrate transport device operates by prioritizing the result of the actual measurement over the carrier information. That is, the transport operation of the acquiring hand 11a and the returning hand 11b is changed based on the result of the mapping operation. According to this modified example, even if there is an error in the carrier information, the error is corrected and the substrates W are transported. The arrangement pitch for performing the mapping operation is not limited to 20 mm, and may be, for example, 20 mm or more.

[0162] <Variation 8> In the substrate transport device of the second embodiment, the hand body 53 of the first obtaining hand 51a can be configured to be thicker than the hand body 63 of the second obtaining hand 61a. In this manner, the rigidity of the first obtaining hand 51a is increased, and the substrate W can be transported more reliably. The same applies to the first returning hand 51b.

[0163] <Variation 9> In the substrate transport device of the second embodiment, the substrate may be transported using the second acquisition hand 61a instead of the first acquisition hand 51a. By configuring in this way, even if the first acquisition hand 51a breaks down, the substrate transport device can be operated. The same phenomenon applies to the second return hand 61b. [Explanation of symbols]

[0164] 1. Substrate Processing Equipment 3. Indexer Blocks 5 Processing Blocks 5a Single wafer processing chamber 7 Comb-shaped member 7a protrusion 8 Mapping Equipment 10 Loading Port 11a Acquiring Hand 11b Return Hand 12 Arm 13 Arm 24 Pass 26 Base 31 Hand body 32 Guide member 33a 1st holding body 33b Second holding body 34 Guide member 35 Pusher 36 Base 51a First Acquisition Hand 51b 1st Return Hand 52 First guide member 53 Hand body 53a 1st holding body 53b Second holding body 54 Guide member 55 Pusher 56 Base 61a Second Acquisition Hand 61b Second Return Hand 62 Second guide member 63 Hand body 63a 1st Blade 63b 2nd Blade 64 Guide member 66 base 71 Sensor holding member 80 Rod 81 Light-emitting device 82 Light receiving device 83 Rod lifting mechanism 84 Mapping section 100 Control section 101 Storage section 102 I / O Devices 200 host computers A11 Thickness A12 Thickness A21 Separation distance A22 Separation distance C Career CR Center Robot Da array pitch Db arrangement pitch IR Indexer Robot R1 space R2 space W substrate W1 First board W2 Second board W3 3rd board X Anteroposterior direction Y Width direction Z vertical direction

Claims

1. a hand that holds and transports a substrate one by one from a carrier that stores a plurality of substrates in a horizontal position at a predetermined interval in a vertical direction; a receiving unit that receives substrate information corresponding to each of the substrates held by the carrier; A control unit for controlling the hand is provided, The control unit is capable of changing the transport operation of the hand for each substrate based on the substrate information. A substrate transport device comprising:

2. 2. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, a storage unit that stores a reference transport operation of the hand; The control unit changes a moving amount of the hand that determines a reference transport motion of the hand, thereby changing the transport motion of the hand. A substrate transport device comprising:

3. 2. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, The substrate information is different for each substrate held by the carrier. A substrate transport device comprising:

4. 2. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, the substrate information includes information regarding a substrate diameter; the hand has a guide member that contacts a peripheral edge of the substrate, The control unit changes a transport operation of the hand so that a position of the guide member coincides with a position of a peripheral portion of a substrate to be transported. A substrate transport device comprising:

5. 2. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, The substrate information includes information regarding a substrate thickness, The control unit sets an entry position of the hand in a vertical direction relative to the carrier for each substrate based on the substrate information. A substrate transport device comprising:

6. 2. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, a mapping unit that maps the substrate of the carrier, The substrate information includes information regarding a substrate thickness, The mapping unit sets a detection threshold based on the substrate information. A substrate transport device comprising:

7. 2. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, The substrate information includes information regarding a substrate shape, The control unit sets an entry position of the hand in a vertical direction relative to the carrier for each substrate based on the substrate information. A substrate transport device comprising:

8. 8. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 7, The information on the substrate shape is an evaluation value indicating the amount of distortion of the substrate and the direction of distortion of the substrate. A substrate transport device comprising:

9. 8. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 7, The control unit sets a transport order of the substrates in the carrier based on the substrate information. A substrate transport device comprising:

10. 2. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, The control unit sets a transport speed of the hand based on the board information. A substrate transport device comprising:

11. 2. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, the substrate information includes information regarding an arrangement pitch of the substrates stored in the carrier; The control unit sets an entry position of the hand in a vertical direction relative to the carrier based on the substrate information. A substrate transport device comprising:

12. 2. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, The receiving unit receives carrier information corresponding to the carrier, The control unit changes a transport operation of the hand for each carrier based on the carrier information received by the receiving unit. A substrate transport device comprising:

13. 13. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 12, The carrier has a plurality of protrusions arranged in a vertical direction, the protrusions being capable of holding a substrate; the carrier information includes information regarding an arrangement pitch of the protrusions, The control unit sets an entry position of the hand in a vertical direction relative to the carrier based on the carrier information. A substrate transport device comprising:

14. 14. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 13, a mapping unit that maps the substrate of the carrier, the substrate information includes information regarding an arrangement pitch of the substrates stored in the carrier; the control unit causes the mapping unit to perform a mapping operation when at least an arrangement pitch of the protrusions in the carrier information does not match an arrangement pitch of the substrates stored in the carrier in the substrate information; The transport operation of the hand is changed based on the result of the mapping operation. A substrate transport device comprising:

15. 14. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 13, a mapping unit that maps the substrate of the carrier, the control unit causes the mapping unit to perform a mapping operation at least when an arrangement pitch of the protrusions in the carrier information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; The transport operation of the hand is changed based on the result of the mapping operation. A substrate transport device comprising:

16. The substrate transport device according to claim 1 ; a substrate processing section that performs a predetermined process on the substrate transported by the substrate transport device; A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

17. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 16 ; a host computer that transmits substrate information corresponding to each of the substrates held in the carrier to the substrate processing apparatus; A substrate processing system comprising:

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