Substrate transfer robot

Abstract

To provide a substrate transfer robot in which the hand operation range can be enlarged while suppressing the enlargement of a region of a space occupied by the substrate transfer robot.SOLUTION: This substrate transfer robot 100 includes an upper arm 30 with horizontal multiple joints that moves a hand 11 horizontally, and an upper arm 40 with horizontal multiple joints that moves a hand 12 horizontally. The upper arm 30 includes an upper base end link part and an upper tip end link part that rotate along a horizontal plane. The lower arm 40 includes a lower base end link part and a lower tip end link part that rotate along the horizontal plane. The substrate transfer robot 100 includes an arm support part 50, and a lift part 60 that lifts the arm support part 50 so as to lift the hand 11 and the hand 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to a substrate transfer robot. [Background technology]

[0002] Substrate transport robots have been disclosed in the past. Patent Document 1 discloses a robot for transporting substrates. This robot has a first hand and a second hand on which a wafer as a substrate is placed. The first hand is connected to the tip of a first arm. The second hand is connected to the tip of a second arm. The base end of the first arm and the base end of the second arm are rotatably connected to an arm support part. The arm support part is held by a pillar part so as to be movable in the vertical direction. Furthermore, each of the first arm and the second arm is formed by a single link member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-33737 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when an arm formed by a single link member is connected to an arm support that moves vertically, as in the robot described in Patent Document 1, the size of the link member must be increased to increase the operating range of the hand. Therefore, in order to increase the operating range of the hand, the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot increases. Furthermore, when transporting a substrate held by a hand using an arm formed by a single link member, the operating range of positions accessible by the hand is limited. Therefore, it is desirable to increase the operating range of the hand while preventing the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot from increasing.

[0005] This disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one purpose of this disclosure is to provide a substrate transport robot that can increase the operating range of the hand while preventing the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot from increasing in size. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A substrate transport robot according to a first aspect of this disclosure comprises an upper hand and a lower hand each holding a substrate, a horizontally articulated upper arm including an upper base end link portion and an upper tip end link portion that rotate along a horizontal plane relative to each other and that moves the upper hand along the horizontal direction, a horizontally articulated lower arm arranged separately from the upper arm and including a lower base end link portion and a lower tip end link portion that rotate along a horizontal plane relative to each other and that moves the lower hand along the horizontal direction, an arm support portion to which the upper arm is connected above and to which the lower arm is connected below, and a lifting portion that lifts and lowers the upper hand and lower hand by moving the arm support portion up and down.

[0007] As described above, a substrate transport robot according to a first aspect of this disclosure includes a horizontally articulated upper arm including an upper base end link portion and an upper tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane and that moves the upper hand horizontally, and a horizontally articulated lower arm disposed separately from the upper arm and including a lower base end link portion and a lower tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane and that moves the lower hand horizontally. As a result, since the upper arm is formed by two link members, the upper base end link portion and the upper tip end link portion, and the lower arm is formed by two link members, the lower base end link portion and the lower tip end link portion, folding the two link members together can increase the operating ranges of the upper hand and the lower hand while preventing the spatial area occupied by the upper arm and the lower arm from increasing in size. As a result, the operating ranges of the hands can be increased while preventing the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot from increasing in size.

[0008] A substrate transport robot according to a second aspect of this disclosure includes a hand that holds a substrate, a horizontally articulated arm that includes a base link portion and a tip link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane and moves the hand along a horizontal direction, an arm support portion to which the arm is connected below, and an elevator portion that raises and lowers the hand by raising and lowering the arm support portion.

[0009] As described above, the substrate transport robot according to a second aspect of this disclosure includes a horizontally articulated arm that includes a base link portion and a tip link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane and moves the hand along the horizontal direction. Because the arm is thus composed of two link members, the base link portion and the tip link portion, folding the two link members together can increase the operating range of each hand while preventing the spatial area occupied by the arm from increasing in size. Furthermore, because the arm is connected below the arm support portion, the hand can access positions further below the arm support portion. As a result, the operating range of the hand can be increased while preventing the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot from increasing in size. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to increase the operating range of the hand while suppressing an increase in the size of the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a substrate processing system including a substrate transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of a substrate transport robot. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of a hand in the substrate transport robot. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating the configuration of the upper arm and the lower arm. [Figure 5]FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating the arrangement of the upper arm, the lower arm, and the hand. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the configuration of a link portion. [Figure 7] 10 is a plan view for explaining the arrangement of the hand rotation unit when performing lifting and lowering operations and hand rotation operations. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a side view showing the lifting movement by the lifting unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a liquid receiving portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] A substrate transport robot 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0014] (Substrate processing system) As shown in FIG. 1, a substrate transfer robot 100 is disposed in a substrate processing system 102. The substrate processing system 102 includes the substrate transfer robot 100 and a processing device 103. The substrate transfer robot 100 performs a transfer operation that includes both loading and unloading a substrate 101 onto and from a substrate placement unit 104 of the processing device 103. The processing device 103 includes a plurality of substrate placement units 104. The substrate transfer robot 100 includes hands 11 and 12 that are spaced apart from each other in the vertical Z direction and each hold a substrate 101. The substrate 101 is, for example, a wafer for producing a semiconductor. The substrate 101 has a disk shape. The substrate 101 includes, for example, a silicon wafer, a gallium nitride wafer, a sapphire wafer, etc. The processing device 103 is, for example, a polishing device that polishes the substrate 101. The processing device 103 may also be a device that performs processing such as etching or baking on the substrate 101. The hand 11 is an example of an upper hand. Hand 12 is an example of a lower hand and hand.

[0015] The substrate transport robot 100 includes a hand rotation unit 21 and a hand rotation unit 22, an upper arm 30 and a lower arm 40, an arm support unit 50, an elevation unit 60, and a control unit 70. The hand rotation unit 21 and the hand rotation unit 22 are examples of an upper hand rotation unit and a lower hand rotation unit, respectively. The lower arm 40 is an example of a lower arm and an arm.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the hand 11 has a holding mechanism 11a. As shown in FIG. 3, the hand 11 has a bifurcated shape with a tip that is split into two. The holding mechanism 11a moves from the base end of the hand 11 to the tip, thereby contacting the peripheral edge of the substrate 101 held by the hand 11. The hand 11 has claws 11b disposed at each of the two tips. As the holding mechanism 11a moves from the base end of the hand 11 to the tip, the peripheral edge of the substrate 101 is held by the holding mechanism 11a and the two claws 11b. In other words, the hand 11 is an active-type substrate holding hand that securely holds the substrate 101 by edge gripping. While FIG. 3 shows only the hand 11, the hand 12 has a similar structure. As shown in FIG. 2, the hand 12, like the hand 11, has a holding mechanism 12a that moves from the base end of the hand 12 to the tip. The holding mechanism parts 11a and 12a have, for example, an air cylinder as a drive source. The hands 11 and 12 hold the substrates 101 one by one, separately from each other.

[0017] The hand rotation unit 21 and the hand rotation unit 22 rotate the hands 11 and 12, respectively, around a rotation axis extending horizontally. The hand rotation unit 21 and the hand rotation unit 22 rotate the hands 11 and 12, respectively, on a flip axis that rotates the held substrate 101 so as to tilt it. The hand rotation unit 21 and the hand rotation unit 22 rotate the hands 11 and 12 relative to a horizontal plane, with the horizontal direction as the rotation axis. Specifically, the hand rotation unit 21 is connected to the base end of the hand 11 and rotates the hand 11 around the rotation axis extending from the base end to the tip of the hand 11. The hand rotation unit 22 is connected to the base end of the hand 12 and rotates the hand 12 around the rotation axis extending from the base end to the tip of the hand 12. Specifically, the hand rotators 21 and 22 rotate the hands 11 and 12 around a rotation axis that passes through the center of the substrate 101 and extends from the base end to the tip end of the hands 11 and 12. By rotating the hands 11 and 12, the hand rotators 21 and 22 tilt the substrate 101 held by the hands 11 and 12 so that the back and front sides are swapped. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the hand rotator 21 rotates the hand 11 180 degrees around the rotation axis A10. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the hand rotator 22 rotates the hand 12 180 degrees around the rotation axis A20. The rotation axis A10 and the rotation axis A20 each extend horizontally. That is, the rotation axes A10 and A20 extend along the XY plane. Here, the term "axis of rotation extending along the horizontal direction" is a broad concept that includes not only a rotation axis extending horizontally but also a rotation axis that is slightly tilted from the horizontal direction. For example, "tilt from the horizontal direction" includes tilt from the horizontal direction due to tilt due to the weight of the substrate, tilt due to the weight of the hand itself, tilt of the substrate transport robot itself, or tilt of the device itself in which the substrate transport robot is installed. Furthermore, the term "horizontal direction" is used as a broad concept that includes a direction parallel to the installation surface on which the substrate transport robot is installed, a direction parallel to the mounting surface of the substrate mounting unit on which the substrate is placed, or a direction parallel to a horizontal plane that is perpendicular to the vertical direction, which is the direction of gravity.

[0018] 2, hand rotation unit 21 has rotation mechanism 21a that rotates hand 11. Similarly, hand rotation unit 22 has rotation mechanism 22a that rotates hand 12. Rotation mechanisms 21a and 22a have drive sources for rotating hands 11 and 12. Rotation mechanisms 21a and 22a have, for example, servo motors as drive sources. Rotation mechanisms 21a and 22a also have encoders and reducers.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, hand rotation unit 21 includes sealing member 21b that seals rotation mechanism unit 21a from the outside. Sealing member 21b has an annular shape so as to seal any gap between rotation mechanism unit 21a and the outside. Sealing member 21b is, for example, an elastic member such as flexible rubber. One example of sealing member 21b is an O-ring. Although FIG. 3 shows only hand rotation unit 21, hand rotation unit 22 also includes a sealing member that seals rotation mechanism unit 22a from the outside, similar to hand rotation unit 21.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the upper arm 30 is a horizontally articulated robot arm that moves the hand 11 horizontally. The lower arm 40 is a horizontally articulated robot arm that is disposed separately from the upper arm 30 and moves the hand 12 horizontally. The upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 operate independently of each other. A hand rotation unit 21 is connected to the tip of the upper arm 30. A hand rotation unit 22 is connected to the tip of the lower arm 40. The upper arm 30 is connected to the Z1 side, which is above the arm support unit 50. The lower arm 40 is connected to the Z2 side, which is below the arm support unit 50. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 each have a drive unit 30a and a drive unit 40a that rotate each of the multiple joints. Each of the drive units 30a and 40a includes, for example, a servo motor. Each of the drive units 30a and 40a has a transmission mechanism, such as a timing belt or gear, that transmits the driving force of the motor. Each of the driving units 30a and 40a includes an encoder and a reducer. The driving unit 30a is disposed, for example, inside the housing of the upper arm 30 or inside the arm support unit 50. The driving unit 40a is disposed inside the housing of the lower arm 40 or inside the arm support unit 50.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the lifting unit 60 moves the arm support unit 50 up and down, thereby moving the hand 11 and the hand 12 up and down in the Z direction. Specifically, the lifting unit 60 is connected to the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 via the arm support unit 50. The lifting unit 60 moves the arm support unit 50 up and down, thereby moving the upper arm 30 connected to the hand 11 and the lower arm 40 connected to the hand 12 up and down in unison. The lifting unit 60 has a columnar portion 61 extending along the Z direction, which is the up and down direction. The lifting unit 60 moves the arm support unit 50 up and down along the columnar portion 61. As shown in FIG. 2, the lifting unit 60 includes a drive unit 60a. The drive unit 60a includes, for example, a servo motor as a drive source. The drive unit 60a includes, for example, a ball screw mechanism and a linear guide. The lifting section 60 is connected to the arm support section 50 on the Y1 side surface thereof, and moves the arm support section 50 up and down along the Z direction by the driving force of the driving section 60a.

[0022] The control unit 70 is a robot controller that controls the operation of each unit of the substrate transfer robot 100. The control unit 70 includes, for example, a calculation device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 70 also includes memories such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), and a storage device such as a hard disk. The control unit 70 executes control processing using the calculation device based on programs and parameters stored in the storage device. Specifically, the control unit 70 controls the operation of the holding mechanism units 11a and 12a of the hands 11 and 12, respectively. The control unit 70 also controls the operation of the rotation mechanism units 21a and 22a of the hand rotation units 21 and 22, the operation of the drive unit 30a of the upper arm 30 and the drive unit 40a of the lower arm 40, and the operation of the drive unit 60a of the lifting / lowering unit 60. For example, the control unit 70 has a main CPU that performs overall control of the substrate transfer robot 100, and a servo CPU that controls the power supplied to the servo motors of the rotation mechanisms 21a and 22a and the drive units 30a, 40a, and 60a. As shown in Fig. 1, the control unit 70 is disposed separately from the hands 11 and 12, the hand rotation units 21 and 22, the upper arm 30, the lower arm 40, and the lifting unit 60, and is connected to the columnar unit 61 of the lifting unit 60 via a cable member. The control unit 70 outputs signals for controlling the operation of each unit via the cable member connected to the lifting unit 60.

[0023] (Upper and lower arm details) As shown in FIG. 4 , the upper arm 30 includes a link portion 31 and a link portion 32 that rotate relative to each other along the XY plane, which is a horizontal plane. The lower arm 40 similarly includes a link portion 41 and a link portion 42 that rotate relative to each other along the XY plane, which is a horizontal plane. The link portions 31 and 32 of the upper arm 30 and the link portions 41 and 42 of the lower arm 40 are arm members of a robot arm that are arranged to extend horizontally. In the upper arm 30, the link portion 31 is arranged on the base end side, and the link portion 32 is arranged on the tip end side. The link portions 31 and 32 are connected to each other so as to rotate via a joint portion. In the lower arm 40, the link portion 41 is arranged on the base end side, and the link portion 42 is arranged on the tip end side. The link portions 41 and 42 are connected to each other so as to rotate via a joint portion. The link portions 31 and 41 have the same shape, and the link portions 32 and 42 have the same shape. Link portion 31 and link portion 32 are examples of an upper base end link portion and an upper tip end link portion, respectively. Link portion 41 is an example of a lower base end link portion and a base end link portion. Link portion 42 is an example of a lower tip end link portion and a tip end link portion.

[0024] The upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 rotate independently relative to the arm support unit 50 along a horizontal plane, which is the XY plane. The upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 rotate relative to the arm support unit 50 around a common rotation axis A1 shown in FIG. 4. The rotation axis A1 is disposed to extend along the Z direction, which is the up-down direction. Specifically, in the upper arm 30, the link unit 31 is connected to a surface of the arm support unit 50 on the Z2 direction side, which is the lower side of the base end, via a first joint unit so as to rotate around the rotation axis A1. The link unit 32 is connected to a surface of the link unit 31 on the Z1 direction side, which is the upper side of the tip end, via a second joint unit so as to rotate around the rotation axis A12. The hand rotation unit 21 is connected to a surface of the link unit 32 on the Z1 direction side, which is the upper side of the tip end, via a third joint unit so as to rotate around the rotation axis A13. Similarly, in the lower arm 40, the link unit 41 is connected on the Z1 side, or upper side of the base end, to a surface on the Z2 side, or lower side, of the arm support unit 50 via a first joint unit so as to rotate about the rotation axis A1. The link unit 42 is connected on the Z1 side, or upper side of the base end, to a surface on the Z2 side, or lower side of the tip end of the link unit 41, via a second joint unit so as to rotate about the rotation axis A22. The hand rotation unit 22 is connected on the Z2 side, or lower side of the tip end of the link unit 42, via a third joint unit so as to rotate about the rotation axis A23.

[0025] That is, in the substrate transfer robot 100, above the arm support 50, the link portion 31, the link portion 32, and the hand rotation portion 21 of the upper arm 30 are arranged in this order facing upward in the Z1 direction. Also, below the arm support 50, the link portion 41, the link portion 42, and the hand rotation portion 22 of the lower arm 40 are arranged in this order facing downward in the Z2 direction. Furthermore, the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 have multiple joints arranged so that the rotation axes A1, A12, A13, A22, and A23 are parallel to each other and aligned along the Z direction, which is the up-down direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane. A drive unit 30a is arranged at each joint of the rotation axes A1, A12, and A13 of the upper arm 30. Similarly, a drive unit 40a is arranged at each joint of the rotation axes A1, A22, and A23 of the lower arm 40.

[0026] 5, in this embodiment, the hand rotation unit 21 supports the hand 11 at a position spaced apart from the upper arm 30 in the vertical Z direction by a distance smaller than the radius R1 of the substrate 101 held by the hand 11. The hand rotation unit 22 supports the hand 12 at a position spaced apart from the lower arm 40 in the vertical Z direction by a distance smaller than the radius R2 of the substrate 101 held by the hand 12. Here, the position at which the hand 11 is supported in the vertical direction is, for example, the position of the rotation axis A10 of the hand rotation unit 21. Similarly, the position at which the hand 12 is supported in the vertical direction is, for example, the position of the rotation axis A20 of the hand rotation unit 22. Note that the positions of the hands 11 and 12 may also be the upper or lower surfaces of the hands 11 and 12.

[0027] Let L11 be the distance from the top surface of the link portion 31 of the upper arm 30 to the rotation axis A10, and L12 be the distance from the top surface of the link portion 32 of the upper arm 30 to the rotation axis A10. L12 is smaller than the radius R1 of the substrate 101, and L11 is also smaller than the radius R1 of the substrate 101. That is, when the hand 11 holding the substrate 101 is rotated by the hand rotation unit 21, the lower end of the substrate 101 is positioned below the top surface of the link portion 31 with the main surfaces of the substrate 101 aligned in the vertical direction. Note that in FIG. 5, the state in which the main surfaces of the substrate 101 are aligned in the vertical direction is indicated by a dotted line. Therefore, the hand rotation unit 21 holds the hand 11 at a position spaced upward from the link portion 31 in the vertical direction by L11, which is a distance smaller than the radius R1 of the substrate 101. Similarly, if the distance from the lower surface of the link portion 41 of the lower arm 40 to the rotation axis A20 is L21 and the distance from the lower surface of the link portion 42 of the lower arm 40 to the rotation axis A20 is L22, L22 is smaller than the radius R2 of the substrate 101, and L21 is also smaller than the radius R2 of the substrate 101. In this embodiment, the radii R1 and R2 of the substrate 101 held by each of the hands 11 and 12 are equal to each other. The radii R1 and R2 of the substrate 101 are, for example, 150 mm. Similarly, when the hand 12 holding the substrate 101 is rotated by the hand rotation unit 22, the upper end of the substrate 101 is positioned above the lower surface of the link portion 41 with the main surface of the substrate 101 aligned in the vertical direction. Therefore, the hand rotation part 22 holds the hand 12 at a position spaced downward from the link part 41 in the vertical direction by a distance L21 that is smaller than the radius R2 of the substrate 101.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 6 , in this embodiment, the arm support unit 50 is disposed, in a plan view, extending along the X direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the X1-side side surface of the columnar portion 61 of the lifting / lowering unit 60. The upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 are each connected to the arm support unit 50 at a position spaced a predetermined distance L50 from the columnar portion 61 of the lifting / lowering unit 60 along the X direction, which is a horizontal direction. Here, the position at which the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 are connected to the arm support unit 50 is defined as the position of the rotation axis A1. In the arm support unit 50, the rotation axis A1 is disposed at a position spaced a predetermined distance L50 from the lifting / lowering unit 60 along the X direction. In addition, FIG. 6 illustrates a plan view as viewed from the Z direction, which is the vertical direction.

[0029] In this embodiment, the link portion 31 of the upper arm 30 is connected to the Z1 side, which is above the arm support portion 50, and a length L31 from the position where the link portion 31 is connected to the arm support portion 50 to the tip thereof is shorter than a predetermined distance L50. Here, the length L31 of the link portion 31 is the length from the position of the rotation axis A1 to the tip of the link portion 31 along the extension direction of the link portion 31, with the position where the link portion 31 is connected to the arm support portion 50 being the position of the rotation axis A1. Therefore, when the link portion 31 is rotated around the rotation axis A1, the length L31 is shorter than the predetermined distance L50, and therefore the link portion 31 does not come into contact with the columnar portion 61 of the lifting unit 60. Similarly, in this embodiment, the link portion 41 of the lower arm 40 is connected to the Z2 side, which is below the arm support portion 50, and a length L41 from the position where the link portion 41 is connected to the arm support portion 50 to the tip thereof is shorter than the predetermined distance L50. The length L41 of the link part 41 is the length from the position of the rotation axis A1 to the tip of the link part 41 along the extension direction of the link part 41, with the position where the link part 41 is connected to the arm support part 50 being the position of the rotation axis A1. Even when the link part 41 is rotated around the rotation axis A1, the link part 41 does not come into contact with the columnar part 61 of the lifting part 60.

[0030] (Operation by the control unit) The control unit 70 executes a transport operation of the substrate 101 based on a control amount that is taught and set in advance. For example, the control unit 70 performs a transport operation of transporting the substrate 101 supplied to a supply position of the substrate processing system 102 from the supply position to the substrate placement unit 104 by having the hand 11 or the hand 12 hold the substrate 101. The control unit 70 also performs a transport operation of transporting the substrate 101 placed on the substrate placement unit 104 of the processing device 103 to an unloading position for unloading the substrate 101 from the substrate placement unit 104 by having the hand 11 or the hand 12 hold the substrate 101. The supply position and the unloading position may be the same position or may be different positions. In addition, the control unit 70 causes the hand 11 or the hand 12 to hold the substrate 101 placed on one of the multiple substrate placing units 104 of the processing device 103, and performs a transport operation to transport the held substrate 101 again to the same substrate placing unit 104 or to another substrate placing unit 104 different from the one substrate placing unit 104.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 7 , the control unit 70 moves the hands 11 and 12 up and down using the elevator unit 60 as shown in FIG. 8 , with the hand rotation unit 21 and the hand rotation unit 22 positioned overlapping the arm support unit 50 in a plan view. Note that while FIG. 7 illustrates the hand rotation unit 21, the hand 11, and the upper arm 30, the hand rotation unit 22, the hand 12, and the lower arm 40 are also positioned in the same manner as the hand rotation unit 21, the hand 11, and the upper arm 30, respectively. That is, the control unit 70 moves the hand rotation unit 21, to which the base end of the hand 11 is connected, and the hand rotation unit 22, to which the base end of the hand 12 is connected, toward the X2 side, which is the elevator unit 60 side, using the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40, and then performs the elevator unit 60's elevator operation. When performing the elevator operation, the control unit 70 positions the link units 32 and 42 closer to the elevator unit 60 than the link units 31 and 41, respectively, in a plan view. Furthermore, when performing a lifting operation, the control unit 70 rotates the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 about the rotation axis A1 so that the direction from the base end to the tip end of each of the hands 11 and 12 is aligned along the X direction. At this time, the control unit 70 positions the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 so that they overlap each other. When performing a lifting operation, the control unit 70 operates each of the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 so that the hands 11 and 12 overlap each other in a plan view. This makes it possible to compact the spatial area in which the hands 11 and upper arm 30 and the hands 12 and lower arm 40 are arranged when performing a lifting operation along the Z direction, which is the up-down direction.

[0032] Furthermore, the control unit 70 controls the operation of the hand rotators 21 and 22 to invert the front and back sides of the substrate 101 held by the hands 11 and 12. In this case, the control unit 70 also moves the hand rotator 21 and the hand rotator 22 toward the lifting unit 60, similar to the lifting operation. That is, in this embodiment, the control unit 70 rotates the hand 11 by the hand rotator 21 around the rotation axis A10 extending along the horizontal direction with the hand rotator 21 positioned overlapping the arm support unit 50 in a plan view. The control unit 70 also rotates the hand 12 by the hand rotator 22 around the rotation axis A20 extending along the horizontal direction with the hand rotator 22 positioned overlapping the arm support unit 50 in a plan view. In this embodiment, the control unit 70 causes the hand rotation unit 21 to rotate the hand 11 about the rotation axis A10 extending along the horizontal direction, with the link unit 32 positioned closer to the lifting unit 60 than the link unit 31 in a plan view. Then, the control unit 70 causes the hand rotation unit 22 to rotate the hand 12 about the rotation axis A20 extending along the horizontal direction, with the link unit 42 positioned closer to the lifting unit 60 than the link unit 41 in a plan view. As with the lifting operation, when rotating the substrate 101 about the rotation axis A10 or A20, the control unit 70 positions the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 so that they overlap each other, and operates the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 so that the hands 11 and 12 overlap each other in a plan view. This makes it possible to compact the spatial area in which the hand 11 and upper arm 30 and the hand 12 and lower arm 40 are disposed, even when the substrate 101 is rotated about the rotation axis A10 or A20. Furthermore, by disposing the hand rotation unit 21 and the hand rotation unit 22 on the lifting / lowering unit 60 side, the control unit 70 performs the lifting / lowering operation by the lifting / lowering unit 60 and the rotation of the hand 11 about the rotation axis A10 or the rotation of the hand 12 about the rotation axis A20, with the peripheral portions of the substrate 101 held by each of the hands 11 and 12 overlapping with the arm support unit 50.

[0033] The control unit 70 controls the hand rotation units 21 and 22 to rotate the hands 11 and 12 and the upper arm 30 and lower arm 40 to move the hands 11 and 12 at separate timings. This allows the hand rotation units 21 and 22 to rotate the hands 11 and 12 after the hands 11 and 12 have been moved to a relatively large space by the upper arm 30 and lower arm 40. This prevents the hands 11 and 12 or the substrate 101 held by the hands 11 and 12 from physically interfering with surrounding components when the hands 11 and 12 are rotated about a rotation axis extending horizontally. Furthermore, simultaneous rotation and movement of the hands 11 and 12 may cause vibrations in the hands 11 and 12. Therefore, by controlling the rotation and movement of the hands 11 and 12 at separate timings, it is possible to prevent abnormal operation of the hands 11 and 12 due to vibrations. Similarly, the control unit 70 controls the hand rotation units 21 and 22 to rotate the hands 11 and 12 and the lift unit 60 to move the hands 11 and 12 up and down at different times.

[0034] For example, the control unit 70 holds the substrate 101 placed on one substrate placement unit 104 of the processing device 103 by the surface of the hand 11 on the Z1 direction side. The control unit 70 operates the holding mechanism unit 11a of the hand 11 to hold the substrate 101 in a fixed state on the surface of the hand 11 on the Z1 direction side. The control unit 70 moves the hand 11 holding the substrate 101 toward the lifting unit 60 by the upper arm 30. Then, the control unit 70 rotates the hand 11 by 180 degrees by the hand rotation unit 21 while the hand rotation unit 21 is positioned so as to overlap the arm support unit 50. While holding the substrate 101 on the Z2 direction side of the inverted hand 11, the control unit 70 places the substrate 101, with its front and back surfaces inverted, on another substrate placement unit 104 different from the one substrate placement unit 104 on which the substrate 101 was placed, or on the same one substrate placement unit 104 of the processing device 103. That is, the control unit 70 moves the base end of the hand 11 toward the lifting unit 60 using the upper arm 30, rotates the hand using the hand rotation unit 21, and then moves the hand 11 to the position of the substrate placement unit 104 using the upper arm 30. Alternatively, the control unit 70 may operate the hand rotation unit 21 to tilt the substrate 101 by 90 degrees, thereby placing the substrate 101 on the substrate placement unit 104 in a state where the substrate 101 is tilted by 90 degrees so that its main surface is perpendicular to the horizontal plane. In FIG. 8, an example of the substrate 101 held by each of the hands 11 and 12 in a state where it is tilted by 90 degrees is shown by two-dot chain lines.

[0035] The control unit 70 controls each of the operation of transporting the substrate 101 by the hand 11 and the operation of transporting the substrate 101 by the hand 12. The operation of holding and transporting the substrate 101 by the hand 11 and the operation of transporting the substrate 101 by the hand 12 may be performed independently at different times, or may be performed in combination with one of the hands 11 and 12 performing a transport operation while the other hand performs a transport operation. For example, the control unit 70 performs an operation of holding the substrate 101 in each of the hands 11 and 12, and then sequentially performs an operation of placing the substrate 101 held by the hand 11 on the substrate placement unit 104 and an operation of placing the substrate 101 held by the hand 12 on the substrate placement unit 104. For example, the control unit 70 causes the hand 11 to hold the substrate 101 before processing and the hand 12 to hold the substrate 101 after processing in the processing device 103, which is a polishing device. The processing in the processing device 103 referred to here may be a polishing process of the substrate 101 or a cleaning process of the polished substrate 101. Alternatively, the hand 12 may hold the substrate 101 before processing, and the hand 11 may hold the substrate 101 after processing. In a polishing device that polishes the substrate 101, a liquid such as a chemical for polishing the substrate 101 or a cleaning liquid for cleaning the substrate 101 adheres to the substrate 101. By using the hand 11 and the hand 12 separately before and after processing, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from adhering to the substrate 101 before the polishing process or after the cleaning process.

[0036] (liquid receiving part) As shown in FIG. 1 , the substrate transfer robot 100 of this embodiment includes a liquid receiving unit 80 and a liquid receiving unit 90. The liquid receiving unit 80 is a plate-shaped member arranged along a horizontal plane on the Z2 side below the hand 11. The liquid receiving unit 90 is a plate-shaped member arranged along a horizontal plane on the Z2 side below the hand 12. As described above, in the processing device 103 of the substrate processing system 102, liquid may adhere to the substrates 101 held by the hands 11 and 12. The liquid receiving units 80 and 90 receive the liquid from the substrates 101 held by the hands 11 and 12, respectively. Note that the "liquid" received by the liquid receiving units 80 and 90 is a broad concept that includes not only liquid but also a mixture of liquid and solid, such as a suspension containing solid particles in a liquid. The liquid receiving units 80 and 90 are examples of an upper liquid receiving unit and a lower liquid receiving unit, respectively.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 9 , the liquid receiving portion 80 is connected to the Z1 side of the arm support portion 50, which is above the arm support portion 50. The liquid receiving portion 80 includes an inclined surface 81 that slopes downward toward the lifting / lowering portion 60 along the horizontal XY plane. Specifically, the liquid receiving portion 80 is fixed to the Z1-side surface of the arm support portion 50. The inclined surface 81 of the liquid receiving portion 80 is a rectangular plate that slopes along the XY plane and slopes downward toward the X2 side, which is the lifting / lowering portion 60 side. The liquid receiving portion 80 also has a sidewall portion 82 that surrounds the rectangular inclined surface 81. The sidewall portion 82 has an opening 82a in its central portion on the X2 side, which is the lifting / lowering portion 60 side. The X2-side sidewall portion 82 is inclined toward the X2 side from the Y direction from both ends in the Y direction toward the opening 82a in the central portion. A shielding plate 83 is also provided above the end of the inclined surface 81 on the X2 side, which is the lifting / lowering portion 60 side. The shielding plate 83 is a plate-like member arranged above the opening 82a of the side wall 82, along the side surface on the X1 side of the columnar portion 61 of the lifting unit 60. The shielding plate 83 is a rectangular plate-like member that extends along the YZ plane. The shielding plate 83 is arranged, for example, from the upper end of the side wall 82 to the height of the upper surface of the hand rotation unit 21.

[0038] The liquid receiving unit 90 is connected to the Z2 side, which is the lower side of the arm support unit 50. The liquid receiving unit 90 is fixed to the Z2 side of the arm support unit 50 via a connecting member 51. The connecting member 51 is made up of three plate-like members combined together to form an H-shape when viewed from the Z direction, which is the vertical direction: a rectangular plate-like member arranged along the YZ plane so as to fit along the X1-side side surface of the columnar portion 61 of the lifting unit 60, and a pair of plate-like members arranged along the XZ plane on each side in the Y direction of the rectangular member arranged along the YZ plane. Each of the pair of plate-like members arranged along the XZ plane has a notch 51a on the X1 side of its center in the Z direction. The position of the notch 51a in the vertical direction corresponds to the position of the substrate 101 held by the hand 12. By providing the cutout portion 51a, it is possible to increase the operating range of the hand 12 while suppressing contact between the connection member 51 and the substrate 101 held by the hand 12. Similarly to the liquid receiving portion 80, the liquid receiving portion 90 has a rectangular plate-shaped inclined surface 91 that slopes downward toward the lifting / lowering portion 60 while extending along the XY plane, which is a horizontal plane, and a side wall portion 92 that surrounds the inclined surface 91. Similar to the side wall portion 82 of the liquid receiving portion 80, the side wall portion 92 has an opening 92a in the center on the X2 side, which is the lifting / lowering portion 60 side.

[0039] In this embodiment, the lifting unit 60 includes a liquid guide 62 that is disposed along the columnar portion 61 and guides the liquid from the liquid receiving portion 80 and the liquid receiving portion 90 downward. The liquid guide 62 is a groove-shaped member that is disposed on the X1-side side surface of the columnar portion 61 and extends in the Z direction, which is the up-down direction. The liquid received by the liquid receiving portion 80 flows into the liquid guide 62 through an opening 82a. The liquid received by the liquid receiving portion 90 flows into the liquid guide 62 through an opening 92a. The liquid that flows into the liquid guide 62 flows downward along the side surface of the columnar portion 61 of the lifting unit 60 toward the Z2 side.

[0040] [Effects of this embodiment] As described above, the substrate transfer robot 100 includes the horizontally articulated upper arm 30, which includes link portion 31 as an upper base end link portion and link portion 32 as an upper tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane and moves the hand 11 as an upper hand along the horizontal direction, and the horizontally articulated lower arm 40, which is disposed separately from the upper arm 30 and includes link portion 41 as a lower base end link portion and link portion 42 as a lower tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along the horizontal plane and moves the hand 12 as a lower hand along the horizontal direction. As a result, the upper arm 30 is composed of two link members, link portion 31 and link portion 32, and the lower arm 40 is composed of two link members, link portion 41 and link portion 42, so that by folding the two link members together, the operating ranges of the hands 11 and 12 can be increased while preventing the spatial areas occupied by the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 from becoming larger. As a result, the operating range of the hands 11 and 12 can be increased while preventing the space occupied by the substrate transport robot 100 from becoming too large.

[0041] As described above, the substrate transfer robot 100 is equipped with the lower arm 40, which is a horizontally articulated arm including the link portion 41 as a base end link portion and the link portion 42 as a tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and which moves the hand 12 along the horizontal direction. As a result, since the lower arm 40 is composed of two link members, the link portion 41 and the link portion 42, folding the two link members together can increase the operating range of each hand 12 while preventing the spatial area occupied by the lower arm 40 from increasing in size. Furthermore, since the lower arm 40 is connected below the arm support portion 50, the hand 12 can access a position further below the arm support portion 50. As a result, the operating range of the hand 12 can be increased while preventing the spatial area occupied by the substrate transfer robot 100 from increasing in size.

[0042] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes a hand rotation unit 21 serving as an upper hand rotation unit that is connected to the base end of the hand 11 serving as an upper hand and rotates the hand 11 serving as the upper hand about a rotation axis A10 extending along the horizontal direction, and a hand rotation unit 22 serving as a lower hand rotation unit that is connected to the base end of the hand 12 serving as a lower hand and rotates the hand 12 serving as the lower hand about a rotation axis A20 extending along the horizontal direction. As a result, the substrate 101 held by each of the hands 11 and 12 can be rotated by the hand rotation unit 21 and the hand rotation unit 22, respectively, so that the front and back sides of the substrate 101 can be swapped and positioned. Furthermore, because the hand 11 moves horizontally by the upper arm 30 including the link portion 31 as an upper base end link portion and the link portion 32 as an upper tip end link portion, the two link members, the link portion 31 and the link portion 32, are folded and arranged to secure space for rotating the hand 11 about the rotation axis A10, compared to when the hand 11 is moved by an arm formed of a single link member. Similarly, because the lower arm 40 that moves the hand 12 includes the link portion 41 as a lower base end link portion and the link portion 42 as a lower tip end link portion, the space for rotating the hand 12 about the rotation axis A20 can be secured. Therefore, when the hands 11 and 12 are rotated about the rotation axes A10 and A20 extending horizontally, the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot 100 can be effectively prevented from increasing in size. Furthermore, by arranging link portions 31 and 32 in a folded manner, space can be secured for rotating hand 11 about rotation axis A10 extending along the horizontal direction, and by arranging link portions 41 and 42 in a folded manner, space can be secured for rotating hand 12 about rotation axis A20 extending along the horizontal direction, so that hands 11 and 12 can be arranged close to each other. Therefore, compared to when the distance between hands 11 and 12 is relatively large, the range of positions that can only be accessed by either hand 11 or hand 12 can be made smaller, and the range of positions that can be accessed by both hands 11 and 12 can be made larger.

[0043] Hand rotation unit 21, which serves as the upper hand rotation unit, is connected above upper arm 30 and supports hand 11 at a position spaced apart from upper arm 30 in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than radius R1 of substrate 101 held by hand 11 as the upper hand. Hand rotation unit 22, which serves as the lower hand rotation unit, is connected below lower arm 40 and supports hand 12 at a position spaced apart from lower arm 40 in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than radius R2 of substrate 101 held by hand 12 as the lower hand. This makes the distance between hand 11 and upper arm 30 smaller than radius R1 of substrate 101, and the distance between hand 12 and lower arm 40 smaller than radius R2 of substrate 101, thereby reducing the distance between hand 11 and hand 12 in the vertical direction. This increases the range accessible by both hand 11 and hand 12.

[0044] The hand rotation unit 21, which serves as the upper hand rotation unit, supports the hand 11 at a position spaced apart in the vertical direction from the link unit 31, which serves as the upper base end link unit of the upper arm 30, by a distance smaller than the radius R1 of the substrate 101 held by the hand 11, which serves as the upper hand. The hand rotation unit 22, which serves as the lower hand rotation unit, supports the hand 12 at a position spaced apart in the vertical direction from the link unit 41, which serves as the lower base end link unit of the lower arm 40, by a distance smaller than the radius R2 of the substrate 101 held by the hand 12, which serves as the lower hand. As a result, the distance between the link unit 31 on the base end side of the upper arm 30 and the hand 11 is smaller than the radius R1 of the substrate 101, and the distance between the link unit 42 on the base end side of the lower arm 40 and the hand 12 is smaller than the radius R2 of the substrate 101. This further reduces the distance between the hands 11 and 12 in the vertical direction. This further increases the range accessible by both the hands 11 and 12.

[0045] The lifting unit 60 includes a pillar-shaped portion 61 extending in the up-down direction, and moves the arm support unit 50 up and down along the pillar-shaped portion 61. In a plan view, the arm support unit 50 is disposed extending in a direction perpendicular to the side surface of the pillar-shaped portion 61 of the lifting unit 60. The upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 are each connected to the arm support unit 50 at a position separated by a predetermined distance L50 from the pillar-shaped portion 61 of the lifting unit 60 in the horizontal direction. As a result, since the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 are connected to the arm support unit 50 at a position separated by the predetermined distance L50 from the pillar-shaped portion 61 of the lifting unit 60, the base ends of the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 and the pillar-shaped portion 61 of the lifting unit 60 can be disposed separated by the predetermined distance L50 from each other. Therefore, when the base ends of the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 are disposed in the center of the area where the substrate transfer robot 100 is disposed, the pillar-shaped portion 61 of the lifting / lowering unit 60 can be disposed close to the edge of the area, which prevents the pillar-shaped portion 61 of the lifting / lowering unit 60 from interfering with the movement of the hands 11 and 12. Furthermore, by disposing the pillar-shaped portion 61 close to the edge of the arrangement area, the hands 11 and 12 can be moved to the center of the area where the substrate transfer robot 100 is disposed. This allows the spatial area occupied by the substrate transfer robot 100 to be made more compact.

[0046] Link portion 31 serving as the upper base end link portion is connected above arm support portion 50, and length L31 from the position where link portion 31 is connected to arm support portion 50 to its tip is shorter than predetermined distance L50. Link portion 41 serving as the lower base end link portion is connected below arm support portion 50, and length L41 from the position where link portion 41 is connected to arm support portion 50 to its tip is shorter than predetermined distance L50. This allows link portion 31 and link portion 41 to rotate to a position where they overlap with arm support portion 50 in a plan view. This increases the operating range of link portion 31 and link portion 41, and therefore the movement range of hands 11 and 12.

[0047] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes a control unit 70 that controls the operation of the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40. The control unit 70 rotates the hand 11 serving as the upper hand, by using the hand rotation unit 21, about a rotation axis A10 extending horizontally, with the hand rotation unit 21 serving as the upper hand rotation unit positioned overlapping the arm support unit 50 in a plan view. The control unit 70 also rotates the hand 12 serving as the lower hand, by using the hand rotation unit 22, about a rotation axis A20 extending horizontally, with the hand rotation unit 22 serving as the lower hand rotation unit positioned overlapping the arm support unit 50 in a plan view. As a result, the hands 11 and 12 rotate with the hand rotation units 21 and 22 overlapping the arm support unit 50 in a plan view, thereby making it possible to compact the area required to rotate the hands 11 and 12 in a plan view. Therefore, the arrangement area of ​​the substrate transport robot 100 in a plan view can be prevented from becoming large, and the hands 11 and 12 can be easily rotated about the rotation axes A10 and A20 extending along the horizontal direction.

[0048] The control unit 70 rotates the hand 11 as the upper hand by the hand rotation unit 21 as the upper hand rotation unit about the rotation axis A10 extending along the horizontal direction, with the link unit 32 as the upper tip link unit being positioned closer to the lifting unit 60 than the link unit 31 as the upper base link unit in a plan view. Then, the control unit 70 rotates the hand 12 as the lower hand by the hand rotation unit 22 as the lower hand rotation unit about the rotation axis A20 extending along the horizontal direction, with the link unit 42 as the lower tip link unit being positioned closer to the lifting unit 60 than the link unit 41 as the lower base link unit in a plan view. This allows the hands 11 and 12 to rotate about the rotation axes A10 and A20 extending along the horizontal direction while being closer to the lifting unit 60, thereby making it possible to make the area required to rotate the hands 11 and 12 more compact in a plan view. Therefore, the arrangement area of ​​the substrate transport robot 100 in a plan view is prevented from becoming large, and the hands 11 and 12 can be easily rotated about the rotation axes A10 and A20 extending along the horizontal direction.

[0049] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes a liquid receiving portion 80 serving as an upper liquid receiving portion, which is a plate-shaped portion arranged along a horizontal plane below the hand 11 serving as an upper hand, and a liquid receiving portion 90 serving as a lower liquid receiving portion, which is a plate-shaped portion arranged along a horizontal plane below the hand 12 serving as a lower hand. This allows the plate-shaped liquid receiving portion 80 and the liquid receiving portion 90 to receive liquid adhering to the substrate 101, thereby preventing the liquid adhering to the substrate 101 from scattering around. This prevents abnormalities in the processing of the substrate 101 or the operation of the substrate transfer robot 100 caused by the scattering of liquid. Furthermore, because the liquid receiving portion 80 is arranged below the hand 11 and the liquid receiving portion 90 is arranged below the hand 12, the liquid adhering to the substrate 101 can be effectively received even when the hands 11 and 12 are operated independently.

[0050] Liquid receiving portion 80, which serves as the upper liquid receiving portion, is connected above arm support portion 50. Liquid receiving portion 90, which serves as the lower liquid receiving portion, is connected below arm support portion 50. As a result, liquid receiving portion 80 and liquid receiving portion 90 are connected to arm support portion 50, and therefore liquid receiving portion 80 and liquid receiving portion 90 can be fixed and positioned relative to arm support portion 50 even when upper arm 30 and lower arm 40 move. Therefore, liquid receiving portion 80 and liquid receiving portion 90 can be prevented from moving in the horizontal plane, and liquid adhering to substrate 101 can be effectively received.

[0051] Liquid receiving portion 80 as the upper liquid receiving portion and liquid receiving portion 90 as the lower liquid receiving portion each have inclined surfaces 81 and 91 that slope downward toward lifting / lowering portion 60 while remaining horizontal. This allows liquid receiving portion 80 and liquid receiving portion 90 to guide liquid from substrate 101 toward lifting / lowering portion 60. This makes it possible to easily collect liquid from substrate 101.

[0052] The lifting unit 60 includes a columnar portion 61 extending in the vertical direction. The substrate transport robot 100 is provided with a liquid guide portion 62 that is arranged along the columnar portion 61 and that guides liquid downward from liquid receiving portion 80 as an upper liquid receiving portion and liquid receiving portion 90 as a lower liquid receiving portion. This allows the liquid from the substrate 101 that is received by liquid receiving portion 80 and liquid receiving portion 90 to be easily guided downward by the liquid guide portion 62. This makes it easier to collect the liquid from the substrate 101.

[0053] Each of hand 11 as an upper hand and hand 12 as a lower hand holds substrate 101 in a polishing apparatus that polishes substrate 101. This allows the operating range of hands 11 and 12 to be increased while preventing the spatial area occupied by substrate transport robot 100 in the polishing apparatus that polishes substrate 101 from becoming larger. Furthermore, in the polishing apparatus that polishes substrate 101, liquids such as chemicals used to polish substrate 101 or cleaning liquids used to clean substrate 101 adhere to substrate 101. Therefore, by providing liquid receiving unit 80 as an upper liquid receiving unit and liquid receiving unit 90 as a lower liquid receiving unit as in this embodiment, splashing of liquid used in the polishing apparatus can be effectively prevented.

[0054] The upper arm 30 moves the hand 11 as one upper hand that holds one substrate 101. The lower arm 40 moves the hand 12 as one lower hand that holds one substrate 101 separately from the hand 11. This makes it possible to prevent the configurations of the hands 11 and 12 from becoming more complex than when the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 each transport a plurality of substrates 101.

[0055] [Variations] It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not by the description of the above embodiments, and further includes all modifications (variations) within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0056] For example, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the hand rotation unit 21 serving as the upper hand rotation unit that rotates the hand 11 serving as the upper hand and the hand rotation unit 22 serving as the lower hand are provided, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, at least one of the upper hand rotation unit that rotates the upper hand and the lower hand rotation unit that rotates the lower hand may not be provided.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the hand 11 as the upper hand and the hand 12 as the lower hand include holding mechanisms 11a and 12a having air cylinders, respectively. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the holding mechanisms in the upper and lower hands may include actuators such as solenoid coils or motors other than air cylinders. The upper and lower hands may also be active hands other than edge grips, such as vacuum-type hands. The upper and lower hands may also be passive hands that do not have a structure for fixing a substrate.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the vertical distance between the hand 11 as the upper hand and the link portion 31 as the upper base end link portion is smaller than the radius R1 of the substrate 101, and the vertical distance between the hand 12 as the lower hand and the link portion 41 as the lower base end link portion is smaller than the radius R2 of the substrate 101. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the vertical distance between the upper base end link portion and the upper hand may be larger than the radius of the substrate. In this case, the vertical distance between the upper tip link portion and the upper hand may be smaller or larger than the radius of the substrate. Similarly, the vertical distance between the lower base end link portion and the lower hand may be larger than the radius of the substrate. In this case, the vertical distance between the lower tip link portion and the lower hand may be smaller or larger than the radius of the substrate. Furthermore, each of the vertical distances from the arm support portion to the upper hand and the lower hand may be smaller than the radius of the substrate.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the length L31 from the position of the rotation axis A1 to the tip of the link portion 31 serving as the upper base end link portion and the length L41 from the position of the rotation axis A1 to the tip of the link portion 41 serving as the lower base end link portion are each smaller than the predetermined distance L50, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, at least one of the length of the upper base end link portion and the length of the lower base end link portion may be larger than the length from the position where the upper base end link portion and the lower base end link portion are connected to the lifting portion.

[0060] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the liquid receiving portion 80 serving as the upper liquid receiving portion was connected above the arm support portion 50, and the liquid receiving portion 90 serving as the lower liquid receiving portion was connected below the arm support portion 50, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the upper liquid receiving portion may be connected to the upper arm. Also, the lower liquid receiving portion may be connected to the lower arm.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the liquid receiving portion 80 as the upper liquid receiving portion and the liquid receiving portion 90 as the lower liquid receiving portion have inclined surfaces 81 and 91, respectively, that slope downward toward the lifting / lowering portion 60 while following a horizontal plane, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the upper liquid receiving portion and the lower liquid receiving portion may each have an inclined surface that slopes downward in a direction different from the direction in which the lifting / lowering portion is disposed. Furthermore, the upper liquid receiving portion and the lower liquid receiving portion may have a mortar shape with a lower center.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the liquid guide 62 that guides liquid downward from the liquid receiving portion 80 as the upper liquid receiving portion and the liquid receiving portion 90 as the lower liquid receiving portion is disposed along the columnar portion 61 of the lifting / lowering portion 60, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, a tubular liquid guide may be disposed inside the columnar portion.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the hand 11 as the upper hand and the hand 12 as the lower hand each hold one substrate 101, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, at least one of the upper hand and the lower hand may hold multiple substrates.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the link portion 31 serving as the upper base end link portion and the link portion 41 serving as the lower base end link portion of the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 have the same shape, and the link portion 32 serving as the upper tip link portion and the link portion 42 serving as the lower tip link portion have the same shape, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the upper arm and the lower arm may have different shapes.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the hand rotation unit 21, which serves as the upper hand rotation unit, is positioned overlapping the arm support unit 50 in a plan view, and the hand rotation unit 21 rotates the hand 11, which serves as the upper hand, around the rotation axis A10 extending horizontally. Furthermore, the hand rotation unit 22, which serves as the lower hand rotation unit, is positioned overlapping the arm support unit 50 in a plan view, and the hand rotation unit 22 rotates the hand 12, which serves as the lower hand, around the rotation axis A20 extending horizontally. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the upper hand may be rotated when the upper hand rotation unit is not overlapping the arm support unit, or the lower hand may be rotated when the lower hand rotation unit is not overlapping the arm support unit. For example, the upper hand may be rotated when the upper arm is rotated 90 degrees along the horizontal plane from the state shown in FIG. 7 . That is, the upper hand and the lower hand may be rotated when they are overlapping at positions where the base ends of the upper arm and the lower arm are connected.

[0066] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the arm support section 50 moved up and down along the side surface of the pillar section 61 of the lifting section 60, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the arm support section may be moved up and down by driving a pillar member that supports the arm support section from below up and down.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the control unit 70 includes a main CPU that performs overall control of the substrate transfer robot 100 and a servo CPU that controls the power supplied to the servo motors. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the control unit may include a single computing device such as a CPU. Furthermore, the operations of the upper hand and lower hand holding mechanisms, the upper hand rotation mechanism and the lower hand rotation mechanism, the upper arm and lower arm drive mechanism, and the lifting unit drive mechanism may be performed by control units arranged as different pieces of hardware, or any of these may be controlled by a common control unit.

[0068] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the upper arm 30 including the link portion 31 as the upper base end link portion and the link portion 32 as the upper tip end link portion is connected above the arm support portion 50, and the lower arm 40 including the link portion 41 as the lower base end link portion and the link portion 42 as the lower tip end link portion is connected below the arm support portion 50, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the substrate transport robot may be configured such that a horizontally articulated arm is connected at least below the arm support portion, the horizontally articulated arm including a base end link portion and a tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and that moves a hand that holds a substrate along the horizontal direction.

[0069] The functions of the elements disclosed herein can be performed using circuits or processing circuits, including general-purpose processors, special-purpose processors, integrated circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof, configured or programmed to perform the disclosed functions. A processor is considered a processing circuit or circuit because it includes transistors and other circuitry. In this disclosure, a circuit, unit, or means is hardware that performs the recited functions or hardware that is programmed to perform the recited functions. The hardware may be hardware disclosed herein or other known hardware that is programmed or configured to perform the recited functions. Where the hardware is a processor, which is considered a type of circuit, the circuit, means, or unit is a combination of hardware and software, and the software is used to configure the hardware and / or processor.

[0070] [Aspect] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments described above are examples of the following aspects.

[0071] (Aspect 1) upper and lower hands each holding a substrate; an upper arm having a horizontal articulation, the upper arm including an upper base end link portion and an upper tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and that moves the upper hand along a horizontal direction; a horizontally articulated lower arm that is arranged separately from the upper arm, includes a lower base end link portion and a lower tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and moves the lower hand along a horizontal direction; an arm support portion to which the upper arm is connected above and the lower arm is connected below; a lifting unit that moves the arm support unit up and down to thereby move the upper hand and the lower hand up and down.

[0072] (Aspect 2) an upper hand rotation unit connected to a base end of the upper hand and rotating the upper hand around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction; The substrate transfer robot according to aspect 1, further comprising: a lower hand rotation unit connected to a base end of the lower hand and rotating the lower hand about a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction.

[0073] (Aspect 3) the upper hand rotation unit is connected to an upper portion of the upper arm and supports the upper hand at a position spaced apart from the upper arm in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than a radius of the substrate held by the upper hand; A substrate transport robot as described in aspect 2, wherein the lower hand rotation unit is connected below the lower arm and supports the lower hand at a position spaced apart from the lower arm in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than the radius of the substrate held by the lower hand.

[0074] (Aspect 4) the upper hand rotation unit supports the upper hand at a position spaced apart from the upper base end link unit of the upper arm in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than a radius of the substrate held by the upper hand, A substrate transport robot as described in aspect 3, wherein the lower hand rotation unit supports the lower hand at a position spaced apart from the lower base end link unit of the lower arm in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than the radius of the substrate held by the lower hand.

[0075] (Aspect 5) the lifting unit includes a columnar portion extending in a vertical direction, and moves the arm support unit up and down along the columnar portion; the arm support portion is disposed to extend along a direction perpendicular to a side surface of the columnar portion of the lifting portion in a plan view, A substrate transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein each of the upper arm and the lower arm is connected to the arm support portion at a position separated by a predetermined distance horizontally from the columnar portion of the lifting portion.

[0076] (Aspect 6) the upper base end link portion is connected to an upper portion of the arm support portion, and a length from a position where the upper base end link portion is connected to the arm support portion to a tip end thereof is shorter than the predetermined distance; A substrate transport robot as described in aspect 5, wherein the lower base end link portion is connected below the arm support portion, and the length from the position where the lower base end link portion is connected to the arm support portion to its tip is shorter than the specified distance.

[0077] (Aspect 7) a control unit for controlling the operation of the upper arm and the lower arm, The control unit The upper hand is rotated by the upper hand rotation unit around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction in a state where the upper hand rotation unit is disposed at a position overlapping the arm support unit in a plan view, and A substrate transport robot according to aspect 2, wherein the lower hand rotation unit rotates the lower hand around a rotation axis extending horizontally while the lower hand rotation unit is positioned in a position overlapping the arm support unit in a planar view.

[0078] (Aspect 8) The control unit In a state where the upper tip link portion is disposed at a position closer to the lifting unit than the upper base end link portion in a plan view, the upper hand is rotated by the upper hand rotation portion around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction, A substrate transport robot as described in aspect 7, wherein the lower hand rotation unit rotates the lower hand around a rotation axis extending horizontally while the lower tip link unit is positioned closer to the lifting unit than the lower base end link unit in a planar view.

[0079] (Aspect 9) a plate-shaped upper liquid receiving portion disposed along a horizontal plane below the upper hand; The substrate transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 8, further comprising a plate-shaped lower liquid receiving portion disposed along a horizontal plane below the lower hand.

[0080] (Aspect 10) the upper liquid receiving portion is connected to an upper portion of the arm support portion, 10. The substrate transport robot according to aspect 9, wherein the lower liquid receiving portion is connected below the arm support portion.

[0081] (Aspect 11) 11. The substrate transport robot according to aspect 9 or 10, wherein each of the upper liquid receiving section and the lower liquid receiving section has an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the lifting section while extending along a horizontal plane.

[0082] (Aspect 12) the lifting unit includes a columnar portion extending in the up-down direction, 12. The substrate transport robot according to claim 11, further comprising a liquid guide portion disposed along the columnar portion and guiding liquid downward from the upper liquid receiving portion and the lower liquid receiving portion.

[0083] (Aspect 13) The substrate transfer robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 12, wherein each of the upper hand and the lower hand holds the substrate in a polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate.

[0084] (Aspect 14) the upper arm moves one of the upper hands that holds one of the substrates; The substrate transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 13, wherein the lower arm moves one of the lower hands that holds one of the substrates separately from the upper hand.

[0085] (Aspect 15) a hand for holding the substrate; a horizontally articulated arm including a base end link portion and a tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and that moves the hand along a horizontal direction; an arm support portion to which the arm is connected downward; a lifting unit that moves the arm support unit up and down to thereby move the hand up and down. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 11 Hand (Top Hand) 12 Hand (lower hand, hand) 21 Hand rotation unit (upper hand rotation unit) 22 Hand rotation unit (lower hand rotation unit) 30 Upper Arm 31 Link part (upper base end link part) 32 Link part (upper tip link part) 40 Lower Arm (Lower Arm, Arm) 41 Link part (lower base end link part, base end link part) 42 Link section (lower tip link section, tip link section) 50 Arm support 60 Lifting section 61 Columnar part 62 Liquid guide part 70 Control Unit 80 Liquid receiving part (upper liquid receiving part) 81, 91 Slope 90 Liquid receiving section (lower liquid receiving section) 100 Substrate transport robot 101 Substrate 102 Substrate Processing System 103 Processing equipment 104 Substrate placement section

Claims

1. upper and lower hands each holding a substrate; an upper arm having a horizontal articulation, the upper arm including an upper base end link portion and an upper tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and that moves the upper hand along a horizontal direction; a horizontally articulated lower arm that is arranged separately from the upper arm, includes a lower base end link portion and a lower tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and moves the lower hand along a horizontal direction; an arm support portion to which the upper arm is connected above and the lower arm is connected below; a lifting unit that moves the arm support unit up and down to thereby move the upper hand and the lower hand up and down.

2. an upper hand rotation unit connected to a base end of the upper hand and rotating the upper hand around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction; 2. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, further comprising: a lower hand rotation unit connected to a base end of the lower hand and rotating the lower hand about a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction.

3. the upper hand rotation unit is connected to an upper portion of the upper arm and supports the upper hand at a position spaced apart from the upper arm in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than a radius of the substrate held by the upper hand; 3. The substrate transport robot of claim 2, wherein the lower hand rotation unit is connected to a lower portion of the lower arm and supports the lower hand at a position spaced apart from the lower arm in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than a radius of the substrate held by the lower hand.

4. the upper hand rotation unit supports the upper hand at a position spaced apart from the upper base end link unit of the upper arm in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than a radius of the substrate held by the upper hand, 4. The substrate transport robot according to claim 3, wherein the lower hand rotation unit supports the lower hand at a position spaced apart from the lower base end link unit of the lower arm in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than the radius of the substrate held by the lower hand.

5. the lifting unit includes a columnar portion extending in a vertical direction, and moves the arm support unit up and down along the columnar portion; the arm support portion is disposed to extend along a direction perpendicular to a side surface of the columnar portion of the lifting portion in a plan view, 2. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, wherein each of the upper arm and the lower arm is connected to the arm support portion at a position separated by a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction from the columnar portion of the lifting portion.

6. the upper base end link portion is connected to an upper portion of the arm support portion, and a length from a position where the upper base end link portion is connected to the arm support portion to a tip end thereof is shorter than the predetermined distance; 6. The substrate transport robot according to claim 5, wherein the lower base end link portion is connected below the arm support portion, and the length from the position where the lower base end link portion is connected to the arm support portion to its tip is shorter than the predetermined distance.

7. a control unit for controlling the operation of the upper arm and the lower arm, The control unit The upper hand is rotated by the upper hand rotation unit around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction in a state where the upper hand rotation unit is disposed at a position overlapping the arm support unit in a plan view, and 3. The substrate transport robot according to claim 2, wherein the lower hand rotation unit rotates the lower hand about a rotation axis extending horizontally while the lower hand rotation unit is positioned in a position overlapping the arm support unit in a plan view.

8. The control unit In a state where the upper tip link portion is disposed at a position closer to the lifting unit than the upper base end link portion in a plan view, the upper hand is rotated by the upper hand rotation portion around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction, 8. The substrate transport robot of claim 7, wherein the lower hand is rotated by the lower hand rotation unit around a rotation axis extending horizontally while the lower tip link unit is positioned closer to the lifting unit than the lower base link unit in a planar view.

9. a plate-shaped upper liquid receiving portion disposed along a horizontal plane below the upper hand; The substrate transport robot according to claim 1 , further comprising: a plate-shaped lower liquid receiving portion disposed along a horizontal plane below the lower hand.

10. the upper liquid receiving portion is connected to an upper portion of the arm support portion, The substrate transport robot according to claim 9 , wherein the lower liquid receiving portion is connected below the arm support portion.

11. 10. The substrate transport robot according to claim 9, wherein each of the upper liquid receiving portion and the lower liquid receiving portion has an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the lifting portion while extending along a horizontal plane.

12. the lifting unit includes a columnar portion extending in the up-down direction, The substrate transport robot according to claim 11 , further comprising a liquid guide portion arranged along the columnar portion and guiding the liquid from the upper liquid receiving portion and the lower liquid receiving portion downward.

13. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1 , wherein each of the upper hand and the lower hand holds the substrate in a polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate.

14. the upper arm moves one of the upper hands that holds one of the substrates; The substrate transport robot according to claim 1 , wherein the lower arm moves one of the lower hands that holds one of the substrates separately from the upper hand.

15. a hand for holding the substrate; a horizontally articulated arm including a base end link portion and a tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and that moves the hand along a horizontal direction; an arm support portion to which the arm is connected downward; a lifting unit that moves the arm support unit up and down to thereby move the hand up and down.

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