Substrate transfer robot

Abstract

To provide a substrate transfer robot capable of improving positional accuracy during transfer operations when transferring substrates by moving two hands, a first hand and a second hand, in the horizontal direction.SOLUTION: A substrate transfer robot 100 includes a hand 11 and a hand 12, a slide movement unit 41 that slides the hand 11 in a horizontal direction, a slide movement unit 42 that is arranged separately from the slide movement unit 41 and slides the hand 12 in a horizontal direction, and a lifting unit that lifts and lowers the hands 11, 12 by lifting and lowering the slide movement units 41, 42.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 loaded. The first hand is connected to the tip of the first arm. The second hand is connected to the tip of the second arm. The first arm and the second arm are attached to an arm support part and rotate around a vertical axis relative to the arm support part. In the substrate transport robot described in Patent Document 1, the first hand and the second hand move horizontally by the first arm and the second arm. Furthermore, the arm support part is held by a pillar part so as to be vertically movable. [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, in the robot described in Patent Document 1, the first hand and the second hand are moved by the first arm and the second arm, respectively, which rotate about a rotation axis in the vertical direction. Therefore, when the first hand and the second hand are moved linearly, the first hand and the second hand are moved linearly by combining the rotational movements of the first arm and the second arm, which may reduce the accuracy of their positioning after movement. In this case, the accuracy of the position of the substrate after it is transported by the first hand and the second hand is reduced. Therefore, it is desirable to improve the accuracy of the positioning during the transport operation when transporting a substrate by moving the first hand and the second hand horizontally.

[0005] This disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one object of this disclosure is to provide a substrate transport robot that can improve the positional accuracy in the transport operation when transporting a substrate by moving two hands, a first hand and a second hand, horizontally. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A substrate transport robot according to one aspect of this disclosure includes a first hand and a second hand, each of which holds a substrate, a first sliding movement unit that slides the first hand along a horizontal direction, a second sliding movement unit that is arranged separately from the first sliding movement unit and slides the second hand along the horizontal direction, and a lifting unit that raises and lowers the first hand and the second hand by raising and lowering the first sliding movement unit and the second sliding movement unit.

[0007] As described above, a substrate transfer robot according to one aspect of this disclosure includes a first sliding unit that slides the first hand along the horizontal direction, and a second sliding unit that is disposed separately from the first sliding unit and slides the second hand along the horizontal direction. This allows the first and second sliding units to linearly move the first and second hands without requiring rotation, thereby improving positional accuracy in linear movement compared to when the hands are moved using a robot arm that rotates along the horizontal direction. As a result, when substrates are transferred by moving the first and second hands in the horizontal direction, the positional accuracy in the transfer operation can be improved. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, when a substrate is transported by moving two hands, a first hand and a second hand, in the horizontal direction, it is possible to improve the positional accuracy in the transport operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [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. 10 is a side view showing the lifting movement by the lifting unit. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a front view illustrating the configuration of the support portion. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating the configuration of a liquid receiving portion and a shielding plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] A substrate transport robot 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0012] (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 and the hand 12 are examples of a first hand and a second hand, respectively.

[0013] The substrate transport robot 100 includes hand rotation units 21 and 22, support units 31 and 32, slide movement units 41 and 42, a horizontal rotation mechanism unit 50, an elevation unit 60, and a control unit 70. Note that support units 31 and 32 are examples of a first support unit and a second support unit, respectively. Slide movement units 41 and 42 are examples of a first slide movement unit and a second slide movement unit, respectively.

[0014] 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.

[0015] 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. 4, an example of substrate 101 rotated 90 degrees around rotation axis A10 and an example of substrate 101 rotated 90 degrees around rotation axis A20 are shown by two-dot chain lines. Here, the rotation axis extending horizontally 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. For example, "tilt from the horizontal" includes tilt from the horizontal due to the weight of the substrate, tilt due to the weight of the hand itself, tilt of the substrate transfer robot itself, or tilt of the device in which the substrate transfer 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 placed, a direction parallel to the installation surface of the substrate installation section 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.

[0016] 2, hand rotation unit 21 has a rotation mechanism 21a that rotates hand 11. Similarly, hand rotation unit 22 has a 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.

[0017] 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.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 4, support unit 31 and support unit 32 support hand 11 and hand 12, respectively, at positions spaced apart in the Z direction, which is the up-down direction, from sliding units 41 and 42. Specifically, support unit 31 is connected to sliding unit 41 and supports hand 11 at a position spaced apart in the Z1 direction, which is the upward direction, from sliding unit 41. Support unit 31 supports hand 11 by supporting hand rotation unit 21. Support unit 32 is connected to sliding unit 42 and supports hand 12 at a position spaced apart in the Z2 direction, which is the downward direction, from sliding unit 42. Support unit 32 supports hand 12 by supporting hand rotation unit 22. As shown in FIG. 5, each of support units 31 and 32 has an L-shape that includes a portion extending in the up-down direction and a portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the movement direction of hands 11 and 12 in a horizontal plane. Support unit 31 supports hand 11 at a position spaced above slide movement unit 41 by a distance greater than the amount of rotation of substrate 101 caused by hand rotation unit 21. Support unit 32 supports hand 12 at a position spaced below slide movement unit 42 by a distance greater than the amount of rotation of substrate 101 caused by hand rotation unit 22. Note that in Figure 5, the area through which substrate 101 held by each of hands 11 and 12 passes when it rotates is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The radius of substrate 101 is, for example, 150 mm.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2 , the sliding unit 41 and the sliding unit 42 include a linear movement mechanism 41a and a linear movement mechanism 42a, respectively, that linearly slide the hand 11 and the hand 12 along the horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the sliding unit 41 slides the hand 11 by sliding the hand rotation unit 21. The sliding unit 42 slides the hand 12 by sliding the hand rotation unit 22. Each of the linear movement mechanisms 41a and 42a includes, for example, a servo motor as a drive source. Each of the linear movement mechanisms 41a and 42a also includes, for example, a timing belt that transmits the driving force of the motor and a linear guide that guides the linear movement. Note that the term "sliding movement" used here does not refer to linear movement of the hands 11 and 12 by the operation of link members that rotate relative to each other, but rather refers to linear movement of the support units 31 and 32 that support the hands 11 and 12 by sliding them along the housings of the sliding units 41 and 42. That is, the sliding movement means the linear movement of sliding portions 41 and 42 along the housing.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 4 , the sliding unit 41 moves the support unit 31 that supports the hand 11, thereby moving the hand 11 in the horizontal direction. The sliding unit 42 moves the support unit 32 that supports the hand 12, thereby moving the hand 12 in the horizontal direction. The sliding units 41 and 42 are disposed separately from each other and operate independently. The sliding units 41 and 42 move the supports 31 and 32 in the direction from the base end to the tip end of the hands 11 and 12, respectively, thereby moving the hands 11 and 12. The sliding unit 41 has an opening 41b to which the support unit 31 is connected. The opening 41b is disposed on a side surface of the sliding unit 41 so as to extend in the movement direction of the hand 11. The sliding unit 42 has an opening 42b to which the support unit 32 is connected. The opening 42b is disposed on a side surface of the sliding unit 42 so as to extend in the movement direction of the hand 12. The side surface on which opening 41b is located and the side surface on which opening 42b is located are aligned along the movement direction of hands 11 and 12 and face each other. That is, opening 41b, to which support unit 31 is connected, is located on one side surface in the left-right direction of sliding unit 41. And opening 42b, to which support unit 32 is connected, is located on the other side surface in the left-right direction of sliding unit 42. The left-right direction here refers to the direction orthogonal to the up-down direction of sliding units 41 and 42 when viewed from the movement direction of hands 11 and 12. Sliding units 41 and 42 have the same shape and are arranged upside down.

[0021] The horizontal rotation mechanism 50 is connected to the slide movement unit 41 and the slide movement unit 42. The slide movement unit 41 is connected to the upper side of the horizontal rotation mechanism 50, i.e., the Z1 direction side, and the slide movement unit 42 is connected to the lower side of the horizontal rotation mechanism 50. That is, in the substrate transfer robot 100, the slide movement unit 41, the support unit 31, and the hand rotation unit 21 are arranged in this order above the horizontal rotation mechanism 50, facing upward in the Z1 direction. Also, below the horizontal rotation mechanism 50, the slide movement unit 42, the support unit 32, and the hand rotation unit 22 are arranged in this order facing downward in the Z2 direction. The slide movement unit 41 and the slide movement unit 42 rotate independently relative to the horizontal rotation mechanism 50 along a horizontal plane, which is the XY plane. As shown in FIG. 2, the horizontal rotation mechanism 50 includes a drive unit 50a. The drive unit 50a includes, for example, a servo motor. The horizontal rotation mechanism 50 rotates the sliding portion 41 and the sliding portion 42 individually by driving the driving portion 50a. The horizontal rotation mechanism 50 rotates the sliding portion 41 and the sliding portion 42 about a common rotation axis A1 shown in Fig. 4. The rotation axis A1 is disposed so as to extend along the Z direction, which is the up-down direction.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1 , the lifting unit 60 moves the sliding units 41 and 42 up and down, thereby moving the hands 11 and 12 up and down along the Z direction. Specifically, the lifting unit 60 is connected to the sliding units 41 and 42 via the horizontal rotation mechanism 50. The lifting unit 60 moves the hands 11 and 12 up and down in unison by moving the horizontal rotation mechanism 50 up and down. The lifting unit 60 has a columnar housing extending along the Z direction. 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 also includes, for example, a ball screw mechanism and a linear guide. The horizontal rotation mechanism 50 is connected to the lifting unit 60 on the Y1 side, and the drive force of the drive unit 60a moves the horizontal rotation mechanism 50 up and down along the Z direction. The lifting unit 60 has an opening 60b to which the horizontal rotation mechanism 50 is connected. The opening 60b is arranged on the side surface of the columnar housing of the lifting unit 60 so as to extend in the vertical direction, which is the direction in which the horizontal rotation mechanism 50 moves.

[0023] 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 linear movement mechanisms 41a and 42a of the slide movement units 41 and 42, the operation of the drive unit 50a of the horizontal rotation mechanism unit 50, and the operation of the drive unit 60a of the lifting 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 each servo motor of the rotation mechanisms 21a and 22a, the linear movement mechanisms 41a and 42a, the drive unit 50a, and the drive unit 60a. The control unit 70 is disposed separately from, for example, the hands 11 and 12, the hand rotation units 21 and 22, the slide movement units 41 and 42, the horizontal rotation mechanism 50, and the lifting unit 60, and is connected to the columnar housing of the lifting unit 60 via a cable member. The control unit 70 outputs signals for controlling the operation of each unit via a cable member connected to the lifting unit 60.

[0024] 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.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4 , the control unit 70 causes the sliding units 41 and 42 to move the hands 11 and 12, each holding the substrate 101, to a position where they overlap the sliding units 41 and 42 when viewed from the vertical Z direction, and then causes the lifting unit 60 to lift and lower the hands 11 and 12. That is, the control unit 70 causes the sliding units 41 and 42 to move the hands 11 and 12 toward the lifting unit 60, and then performs the lifting operation using the lifting unit 60. In the example shown in FIG. 4 , the sliding units 41 and 42 are both arranged to move the hands 11 and 12 parallel to the X direction. In this case, the control unit 70 causes the sliding units 41 and 42 to move the hands 11 and 12 toward the lifting unit 60 in the X2 direction, and then causes the lifting unit 60 to lift and lower the hands 11 and 12 along the Z direction.

[0026] The control unit 70 also controls the operation of the hand rotation units 21 and 22 to invert the front and back surfaces of the substrate 101 held by the hands 11 and 12. In this case, the control unit 70 rotates the hands 11 and 12 using the hand rotation units 21 and 22 while the slide movement units 41 and 42 move the hands 11 and 12 to positions overlapping the slide movement units 41 and 42, respectively, as viewed in the Z direction, which is the up-down direction. That is, in this embodiment, the control unit 70 rotates the hand 11 using the hand rotation unit 21 around a rotation axis A10 extending along the horizontal direction while the hand 11 is positioned so as to overlap the slide movement unit 41 in a plan view. The control unit 70 rotates the hand 12 using the hand rotation unit 22 around a rotation axis A10 extending along the horizontal direction while the hand 12 is positioned so as to overlap the slide movement unit 42 in a plan view. The control unit 70 controls the hand rotation units 21 and 22 to rotate the hands 11 and 12 and the slide movement units 41 and 42 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 slide movement units 41 and 42 have moved the hands 11 and 12 to a relatively large space. Therefore, when the hands 11 and 12 are rotated around a rotation axis extending horizontally, it is possible to prevent the hands 11 and 12 themselves or the substrate 101 held by the hands 11 and 12 from physically interfering with surrounding components. 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.

[0027] 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 slide moving unit 41. Then, the control unit 70 rotates the hand 11 180 degrees by the hand rotation unit 21 in a state in which the hand 11 is positioned so as to overlap the slide moving unit 41 when viewed from the Z direction, which is the up-down direction. With the substrate 101 held 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 hand 11 toward the lifting unit 60 using the slide movement unit 41, rotates the hand 11 using the hand rotation unit 21, and then moves the hand 11 to the position of the substrate placement unit 104 using the slide movement unit 41. 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 with its main surface tilted 90 degrees so as to be perpendicular to the horizontal plane. Note that in FIG. 4, an example of the substrate 101 held by each of the hands 11 and 12 in a tilted 90-degree state is shown by two-dot chain lines.

[0028] 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.

[0029] (liquid receiving part) As shown in FIG. 6 , the substrate transfer robot 100 of this embodiment includes a liquid receiving unit 81 and a liquid receiving unit 91. The liquid receiving unit 81 is a plate-shaped member arranged along a horizontal plane on the Z2 side below the hand 11. The liquid receiving unit 91 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 81 and 91 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 81 and 91 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 81 and 91 are examples of a first liquid receiving unit and a second liquid receiving unit, respectively.

[0030] The liquid receiving portion 81 moves integrally with the sliding portion 41, which rotates relative to the horizontal rotation mechanism 50. The liquid receiving portion 81 is disposed below the hand 11 on the upper surface of the sliding portion 41 on the Z1 side. Specifically, the liquid receiving portion 81 is a rectangular plate extending along the horizontal XY plane and recessed in the center. The liquid receiving portion 81 is inclined toward the center so that it becomes lower from each side of the rectangle toward the center. A hole 81a for discharging the received liquid is disposed in the center of the liquid receiving portion 81. For example, a tubular hose extending from the interior of the sliding portion 41 via the lifting portion 60 is connected to the hole 81a. This hose is disposed inside the sliding portion 41 and the lifting portion 60, along with, for example, a signal line for a control signal and a power line for supplying power. A plate-shaped shielding plate 82 is disposed along the vertical direction on one side of the rectangular liquid receiving portion 81. The shielding plate 82 is arranged so as to overlap the hand 11 when viewed from the direction of movement of the hand 11 relative to the sliding movement of the hand 11 by the sliding movement unit 41. The shielding plate 82 shields the base end of the hand 11. Specifically, the shielding plate 82 is arranged on the upper surface of the sliding movement unit 41 so as to extend upward at the end of the base end side of the hand 11 that moves from the base end to the tip end. The shielding plate 82 is arranged, for example, from the upper surface of the sliding movement unit 41 to a position higher than the hand 11. The shielding plate 82 is an example of a first shielding plate.

[0031] The liquid receiving portion 91 moves integrally with the sliding portion 42, which rotates relative to the horizontal rotation mechanism 50. The liquid receiving portion 91 is fixed below the hand 12 on the Z2 side of the sliding portion 42 via a shielding plate 92 and a side wall portion 93. Like the shielding plate 82, the shielding plate 92 is arranged to overlap the hand 12 when viewed from the direction of movement of the hand 12 relative to the sliding movement of the hand 12 by the sliding portion 42. That is, the shielding plate 92 is arranged on the underside of the sliding portion 42 so as to extend downward at the end of the base end of the hand 12 that moves from the base end to the tip end. The shielding plate 92 is arranged, for example, from the underside of the sliding portion 42 to the position of the liquid receiving portion 91. The side wall portion 93 is also a plate-shaped member that is arranged from the underside of the sliding portion 42 to the liquid receiving portion 91. The upper ends of the shielding plate 92 and the side wall portion 93 are fixed to the sliding portion 42. The side wall 93 is a rectangular plate extending in the movement direction of the hand 12. The side wall 93 is connected to the sliding movement unit 42 on the side opposite to the side to which the support unit 32 is connected in a direction intersecting the movement direction of the hand 12. The liquid receiving unit 91 is fixed to the sliding movement unit 42 by being connected to and supported by the shielding plate 92 and the side wall 93. Like the liquid receiving unit 81, the liquid receiving unit 91 is a rectangular plate extending along the horizontal XY plane and having a recessed central portion. The liquid receiving unit 91 is inclined toward the central portion so that it becomes lower from each side of the rectangle toward the central portion. Also, like the liquid receiving unit 81, a hole 91a for discharging the received liquid is disposed in the central portion of the liquid receiving unit 91. A hose for discharging the liquid is connected to the hole 91a, similar to the hole 81a. The shielding plate 92 is an example of a second shielding plate. The shielding plate 92 and the side wall portion 93 are an example of a support member.

[0032] [Effects of this embodiment] As described above, the substrate transfer robot 100 includes the sliding unit 41 as a first sliding unit that slides the hand 11 (the first hand) along the horizontal direction, and the sliding unit 42 as a second sliding unit that is disposed separately from the sliding unit 41 and slides the hand 12 (the second hand) along the horizontal direction. This allows the sliding units 41 and 42 to linearly move the hands 11 and 12 without any rotation, thereby improving the positional accuracy of the linear movement compared to moving the hands using a robot arm that rotates along the horizontal direction. As a result, when the substrate 101 is transferred by moving the two hands, the hands 11 and 12, in the horizontal direction, the positional accuracy of the transfer operation can be improved. Furthermore, moving the hands 11 and 12 by sliding movement reduces the number of components required for moving the hands 11 and 12 compared to moving the hands 11 and 12 in the horizontal direction using a robot arm that connects the hands 11 and 12 with a link member. Furthermore, unlike when a rotational movement is combined, the hands 11 and 12 can be moved linearly by a simple sliding movement alone, so that the movement time required to move the hands 11 and 12 linearly can be shortened.

[0033] The hand 11 as the first hand and the hand 12 as the second hand are arranged spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction. As a result, since the hands 11 and 12 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, the hands 11 and 12 can easily access a common position simply by moving them up and down in the vertical direction using the lifting unit 60.

[0034] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes a horizontal rotation mechanism 50 to which a first sliding unit 41 and a second sliding unit 42 are connected. The horizontal rotation mechanism 50 rotates the sliding units 41 and 42 independently along a horizontal plane. This reduces the size of the device configuration compared to when the sliding units 41 and 42 are connected to different components. Furthermore, by rotating the sliding units 41 and 42 using the horizontal rotation mechanism 50, the direction of sliding movement of the sliding units 41 and 42 can be easily changed, thereby easily expanding the accessible area of ​​the hands 11 and 12.

[0035] The sliding movement unit 41 serving as the first sliding movement unit is connected above the horizontal rotation mechanism unit 50. The sliding movement unit 42 serving as the second sliding movement unit is connected below the horizontal rotation mechanism unit 50. As a result, the sliding movement unit 41 and the sliding movement unit 42 are arranged above and below the horizontal rotation mechanism unit 50, so that the area in which the substrate transport robot 100 is arranged can be made compact in plan view. Furthermore, unlike when both the sliding movement unit 41 and the sliding movement unit 42 are arranged in the same vertical direction relative to the horizontal rotation mechanism unit 50, interference between the operations of the sliding movement unit 41 and the sliding movement unit 42 can be easily prevented.

[0036] The horizontal rotation mechanism 50 is connected to the lifting unit 60. The lifting unit 60 moves the horizontal rotation mechanism 50 up and down, thereby moving the hand 11 as a first hand and the hand 12 as a second hand up and down in unison. As a result, by moving the horizontal rotation mechanism 50 up and down using the lifting unit 60, the hands 11 and 12 move up and down in unison, which makes it possible to prevent the device configuration from becoming larger than when the hands 11 and 12 are each moved up and down individually.

[0037] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes a hand rotation unit 21 serving as a first hand rotation unit connected to a base end of a hand 11 serving as a first hand and rotating the hand 11 about a rotation axis A10 extending along the horizontal direction, and a hand rotation unit 22 serving as a second hand rotation unit connected to a base end of a hand 12 serving as a second hand and rotating the hand 12 about a rotation axis A20 extending along the horizontal direction. The slide movement unit 41 serving as a first slide movement unit slides the hand 11 by sliding the hand rotation unit 21. The slide movement unit 42 serving as a second slide movement unit slides the hand 12 by sliding the hand rotation unit 22. 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.

[0038] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes a control unit 70 that controls the operation of a sliding unit 41 serving as a first sliding unit and a sliding unit 42 serving as a second sliding unit. When the hand 11 serving as a first hand is positioned so as to overlap the sliding unit 41 in a plan view, the control unit 70 rotates the hand 11 around a rotation axis A10 extending along the horizontal direction by a hand rotation unit 21 serving as a first hand rotation unit, and when the hand 12 serving as a second hand is positioned so as to overlap the sliding unit 42 in a plan view, the control unit 70 rotates the hand 12 around a rotation axis A20 extending along the horizontal direction by a hand rotation unit 22 serving as a second hand rotation unit. As a result, the hands 11 and 12 rotate while overlapping the sliding units 41 and 42, respectively, 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.

[0039] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes a plate-shaped liquid receiving portion 81 serving as a first liquid receiving portion arranged along a horizontal plane below the hand 11 serving as a first hand, and a plate-shaped liquid receiving portion 91 serving as a second liquid receiving portion arranged along a horizontal plane below the hand 12 serving as a second hand. This allows the plate-shaped liquid receiving portion 81 and the liquid receiving portion 91 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 81 is arranged below the hand 11 and the liquid receiving portion 91 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.

[0040] Liquid receiving portion 81 as the first liquid receiving portion moves integrally with sliding portion 41 as the first sliding portion. Liquid receiving portion 91 as the second liquid receiving portion moves integrally with sliding portion 42 as the second sliding portion. As a result, liquid receiving portion 81 and liquid receiving portion 91 move integrally with sliding portion 41 and sliding portion 42, respectively, and therefore, even when sliding portion 41 and sliding portion 42 rotate and move along the horizontal direction, liquid receiving portion 81 and liquid receiving portion 91 can be prevented from interfering with the movement of sliding portion 41 and sliding portion 42. Therefore, even when sliding portion 41 and sliding portion 42 are moved, liquid adhering to substrate 101 can be effectively received by each of liquid receiving portion 81 and liquid receiving portion 91.

[0041] Hand 11 as a first hand is disposed above sliding movement section 41 as a first sliding movement section. Liquid receiving section 81 as a first liquid receiving section is disposed below hand 11 on the upper surface of sliding movement section 41. Hand 12 as a second hand is disposed below sliding movement section 42 as a second sliding movement section. Liquid receiving section 91 as a second liquid receiving section is fixed to sliding movement section 42 below hand 12 via a shielding plate 92 and a side wall section 93 as support members. This allows liquid receiving section 81 to receive liquid from a substrate 101 held by hand 11 disposed above sliding movement section 41, and liquid receiving section 91 to receive liquid from a substrate 101 held by hand 12 disposed below sliding movement section 42. Therefore, by placing hand 11 above slide moving section 41 and hand 12 below slide moving section 42, the area in which substrate transport robot 100 is placed can be made compact when viewed in a plane, and liquid from substrates 101 held by each of hands 11 and 12 can be effectively received.

[0042] Each of liquid receiving portion 81 as the first liquid receiving portion and liquid receiving portion 91 as the second liquid receiving portion is a rectangular plate with a recessed center, which makes it possible to easily collect liquid from substrate 101 received by liquid receiving portion 81 and liquid receiving portion 91.

[0043] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes a shielding plate 82 as a first shielding plate that is arranged to overlap the hand 11 as viewed from the direction of movement of the hand 11 when the hand 11, serving as a first hand, is slid by the sliding unit 41, serving as a first sliding unit, and that shields the base end of the hand 11. The substrate transfer robot 100 also includes a second shielding plate that is arranged to overlap the hand 12 as viewed from the direction of movement of the hand 12 when the hand 12, serving as a second hand, is slid by the sliding unit 42, serving as a second sliding unit, and that shields the base end of the hand 12. As a result, the shielding plate 82 and the shielding plate 92 are arranged on the base end sides of the hands 11 and 12, respectively, and therefore, when the hands 11 and 12 are moved toward the base end sides, the shielding plate 82 and the shielding plate 92 can receive liquid from the substrates 101 held by the hands 11 and 12, respectively. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the liquid from scattering from the substrate 101 to the surroundings, and therefore to prevent abnormalities in the processing of the substrate 101 or the operation of the substrate transport robot 100 caused by the scattering of the liquid.

[0044] Each of hand 11 as a first hand and hand 12 as a second hand holds substrate 101 in a polishing apparatus that polishes substrate 101. This improves the positional accuracy of the transfer operation when substrate 101 is transferred by hand 11 and hand 12 in the polishing apparatus that polishes substrate 101. Furthermore, in the polishing apparatus that polishes substrate 101, liquids such as chemicals for polishing substrate 101 or cleaning liquids for cleaning substrate 101 adhere to substrate 101. Therefore, by disposing two hands, hand 11 and hand 12, as in this embodiment, substrate 101 before and after processing can be held by different hands, hand 11 and hand 12. This prevents abnormalities in the processing of substrate 101 caused by chemicals for polishing substrate 101 or liquids such as cleaning liquids for cleaning substrate 101.

[0045] The sliding unit 41 as a first sliding unit moves the hand 11 as a first hand that holds one substrate 101. The sliding unit 42 as a second sliding unit moves the hand 12 as a second 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 complicated compared to when multiple substrates 101 are transported by each of the sliding unit 41 and the sliding unit 42.

[0046] [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.

[0047] For example, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the hand 11 as the first hand and the hand 12 as the second hand were arranged in a state spaced apart in the vertical direction, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the first hand and the second hand may be arranged spaced apart in a horizontal plane. Also, the first hand and the second hand may be arranged spaced apart in the vertical direction and offset in the horizontal direction.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the sliding unit 41 as the first sliding unit is connected above the horizontal rotation mechanism 50, the sliding unit 42 as the second sliding unit is connected below the horizontal rotation mechanism 50, and the sliding units 41 and 42 are rotated individually by the horizontal rotation mechanism 50. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, both the first sliding unit and the second sliding unit may be disposed above or below the horizontal rotation mechanism. The first sliding unit and the second sliding unit may be disposed side by side. A configuration for rotating the first sliding unit and a configuration for rotating the second sliding unit may be disposed separately from each other. The horizontal rotation mechanism may rotate both the first sliding unit and the second sliding unit.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the lifting unit 60 lifts and lowers the horizontal rotation mechanism 50, thereby causing the hand 11 as the first hand and the hand 12 as the second hand to lift and lower in unison. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the first hand and the second hand may be lifted and lowered individually. In this case, the first sliding unit that moves the first hand and the second sliding unit that moves the second hand may be lifted and lowered individually.

[0050] In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which hand rotation unit 21 serving as a first hand rotation unit that rotates hand 11 serving as a first hand and hand rotation unit 22 serving as a second hand are provided, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, at least one of the first hand rotation unit that rotates the first hand and the second hand rotation unit that rotates the second hand may not be provided.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the hand 11 as the first hand and the hand 12 as the second 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 first hand and the second hand may include actuators other than air cylinders, such as solenoid coils or motors. The first hand and the second hand may be active hands other than edge grips, such as vacuum-type hands. The first hand and the second hand may also be passive hands that do not have a structure for fixing a substrate.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the hand 11 as the first hand and the hand 12 as the second hand each hold one substrate 101, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, at least one of the first hand and the second hand may hold multiple substrates.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the sliding portion 41 as the first sliding portion and the sliding portion 42 as the second sliding portion have the same shape, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the first sliding portion and the second sliding portion may have different shapes.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the hand 11 as the first hand is positioned to overlap with the sliding section 41 as the first sliding section in a plan view, and the hand 11 is rotated around the rotation axis A10 extending along the horizontal direction by the hand rotation section 21 as the first hand rotation section, and the hand 12 as the second hand is positioned to overlap with the sliding section 42 as the second sliding section in a plan view, and the hand 12 is rotated around the rotation axis A20 extending along the horizontal direction by the hand rotation section 22 as the second hand rotation section. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the first hand may be rotated in a state where the first hand does not overlap with the first sliding section, or the second hand may be rotated in a state where the second hand does not overlap with the second sliding section.

[0055] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which liquid receiving portion 81 as the first liquid receiving portion is disposed on the upper surface of sliding portion 41 as the first sliding portion, and liquid receiving portion 91 as the second liquid receiving portion is connected to sliding portion 42 as the second sliding portion via shielding plate 92 and side wall portion 93 as support members, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the first liquid receiving portion may be attached to the horizontal rotation mechanism, or the second liquid receiving portion may be attached to the horizontal rotation mechanism. Furthermore, the first liquid receiving portion may be disposed on the first hand or the first hand rotation portion, or the first liquid receiving portion may be disposed on the second hand or the second hand rotation portion. In other words, the first liquid receiving portion may not move when the first sliding portion moves, or the second liquid receiving portion may not move when the second sliding portion moves.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the liquid receiving portion 81 as the first liquid receiving portion and the liquid receiving portion 91 as the second liquid receiving portion are each a rectangular plate with a recessed center, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the first liquid receiving portion and the second liquid receiving portion may each be a plate-like member with an inclined surface that slopes in one direction, or may be tapered toward the periphery. Furthermore, the first liquid receiving portion and the second liquid receiving portion may each have a groove-shaped guide portion that guides the received liquid.

[0057] In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which shielding plate 82 as a first shielding plate that shields the base end of hand 11 as a first hand is arranged on slide moving section 41 as a first slide moving section, and shielding plate 92 as a second shielding plate that shields the base end of hand 12 as a second hand is arranged on slide moving section 42 as a second slide moving section, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the first shielding plate and the second shielding plate may be arranged on the horizontal rotation mechanism section or the lifting section. Furthermore, the first shielding plate may be arranged on a first hand rotation section that is arranged on the base end side of the first hand. The second shielding plate may be arranged on a second hand rotation section that is arranged on the base end side of the second hand.

[0058] 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 holding mechanism for the first hand and the second hand, the rotation mechanism for the first hand rotation unit and the second hand rotation unit, the first slide movement unit and the second slide movement unit, the drive unit for the horizontal rotation mechanism, and the drive unit for the lifting unit may be performed by control units arranged as different pieces of hardware, or any of these may be controlled by a common control unit.

[0059] 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.

[0060] [Aspect] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments described above are examples of the following aspects.

[0061] (Aspect 1) a first hand and a second hand each holding a substrate; a first sliding unit that slides the first hand along a horizontal direction; a second sliding unit that is arranged separately from the first sliding unit and slides the second hand along a horizontal direction; a lifting unit that moves the first slide moving unit and the second slide moving unit up and down, thereby moving the first hand and the second hand up and down.

[0062] (Aspect 2) 2. The substrate transfer robot according to aspect 1, wherein the first hand and the second hand are arranged spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction.

[0063] (Aspect 3) further comprising a horizontal rotation mechanism to which the first sliding movement unit and the second sliding movement unit are connected, 3. The substrate transfer robot according to aspect 1 or 2, wherein the horizontal rotation mechanism rotates the first slide moving part and the second slide moving part individually along a horizontal plane.

[0064] (Aspect 4) the first slide moving unit is connected to an upper portion of the horizontal rotation mechanism unit, 4. The substrate transfer robot according to aspect 3, wherein the second slide moving unit is connected below the horizontal rotation mechanism unit.

[0065] (Aspect 5) the horizontal rotation mechanism is connected to the lifting unit, 5. The substrate transfer robot according to aspect 3 or aspect 4, wherein the lifting unit lifts and lowers the first hand and the second hand in conjunction with each other by lifting and lowering the horizontal rotation mechanism.

[0066] (Aspect 6) a first hand rotation unit connected to a base end of the first hand and rotating the first hand around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction; a second hand rotation unit connected to a base end of the second hand and rotating the second hand around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction, the first sliding movement unit slidingly moves the first hand by slidingly moving the first hand rotation unit, The substrate transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the second sliding unit slides the second hand by sliding the second hand rotation unit.

[0067] (Aspect 7) Further, a control unit is provided to control the operation of the first sliding movement unit and the second sliding movement unit, The control unit In a plan view, the first hand is disposed at a position where the first hand overlaps the first slide moving unit, and the first hand is rotated by the first hand rotating unit around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction; A substrate transport robot as described in aspect 6, wherein, when viewed in a plane, the second hand is positioned in a position overlapping with the second slide movement part, and the second hand rotation part rotates the second hand around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction.

[0068] (Aspect 8) a plate-shaped first liquid receiving portion disposed along a horizontal plane below the first hand; The substrate transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, further comprising a plate-shaped second liquid receiving portion disposed along a horizontal plane below the second hand.

[0069] (Aspect 9) the first liquid receiving portion moves integrally with the first sliding portion, 9. The substrate transfer robot according to aspect 8, wherein the second liquid receiving unit moves integrally with the second slide moving unit.

[0070] (Aspect 10) the first hand is disposed above the first sliding portion, the first liquid receiving portion is disposed below the first hand on an upper surface of the first sliding portion, the second hand is disposed below the second sliding portion, 10. The substrate transport robot according to aspect 9, wherein the second liquid receiving section is fixed to the second slide moving section via a support member below the second hand.

[0071] (Aspect 11) A substrate transfer robot according to any one of aspects 8 to 10, wherein each of the first liquid receiving section and the second liquid receiving section is a rectangular plate having a recessed central portion.

[0072] (Aspect 12) a first shielding plate that is arranged to overlap the first hand when viewed from the movement direction of the first hand with respect to the sliding movement of the first hand by the first sliding unit and that shields the base end of the first hand; A substrate transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 11, further comprising a second shielding plate that is positioned to overlap the second hand when viewed from the direction of movement of the second hand relative to the sliding movement of the second hand by the second sliding movement part, and that shields the base end of the second hand.

[0073] (Aspect 13) The substrate transfer robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 12, wherein each of the first hand and the second hand holds the substrate in a polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate.

[0074] (Aspect 14) the first slide moving unit moves one of the first hands that holds one of the substrates; A substrate transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 13, wherein the second slide moving unit moves one of the second hands that holds one of the substrates separately from the first hand. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 11th hand (1st hand) 12th hand (2nd hand) 21 Hand rotation unit (first hand rotation unit) 22 Hand rotation unit (second hand rotation unit) 41 slide moving part (first slide moving part) 42 slide moving part (second slide moving part) 50 Horizontal rotation mechanism 60 Lifting section 70 Control Unit 81 Liquid receiving portion (first liquid receiving portion) 82 Shielding plate (1st shielding plate) 91 Liquid receiving part (second liquid receiving part) 92 Shielding plate (second shielding plate, support member) 93 Side wall portion (support member) 100 Substrate transport robot 101 Substrate 102 Substrate Processing System 103 Processing equipment 104 Substrate placement section

Claims

1. a first hand and a second hand each holding a substrate; a first sliding unit that slides the first hand along a horizontal direction; a second sliding unit that is arranged separately from the first sliding unit and slides the second hand along a horizontal direction; a lifting unit that moves the first hand and the second hand up and down by moving the first sliding unit and the second sliding unit up and down.

2. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1 , wherein the first hand and the second hand are arranged spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction.

3. a horizontal rotation mechanism to which the first sliding unit and the second sliding unit are connected, 3. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal rotation mechanism rotates the first slide moving part and the second slide moving part individually along a horizontal plane.

4. the first slide moving unit is connected to an upper portion of the horizontal rotation mechanism unit, The substrate transport robot according to claim 3 , wherein the second sliding unit is connected below the horizontal rotation mechanism.

5. the horizontal rotation mechanism is connected to the lifting unit, The substrate transport robot according to claim 3 , wherein the lifting unit lifts and lowers the first hand and the second hand in conjunction with each other by lifting and lowering the horizontal rotation mechanism.

6. a first hand rotation unit connected to a base end of the first hand and configured to rotate the first hand around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction; a second hand rotation unit connected to a base end of the second hand and rotating the second hand around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction, the first sliding movement unit slidingly moves the first hand by slidingly moving the first hand rotation unit, The substrate transport robot according to claim 1 , wherein the second sliding unit slides the second hand by sliding the second hand rotation unit.

7. Further, a control unit is provided to control the operation of the first sliding unit and the second sliding unit, The control unit In a state where the first hand is disposed at a position overlapping the first slide moving unit in a plan view, the first hand is rotated by the first hand rotating unit around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction, 7. The substrate transport robot according to claim 6, wherein, in a plan view, the second hand is positioned so as to overlap the second slide moving part, and the second hand rotation part rotates the second hand around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction.

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

9. the first liquid receiving portion moves integrally with the first sliding portion, The substrate transport robot according to claim 8 , wherein the second liquid receiving portion moves integrally with the second slide moving portion.

10. the first hand is disposed above the first sliding portion, the first liquid receiving portion is disposed below the first hand on an upper surface of the first sliding portion, the second hand is disposed below the second sliding portion, The substrate transport robot according to claim 9 , wherein the second liquid receiving portion is fixed to the second sliding portion via a support member below the second hand.

11. The substrate transfer robot according to claim 8 , wherein each of the first liquid receiving portion and the second liquid receiving portion is a rectangular plate having a recessed central portion.

12. a first shielding plate that is disposed to overlap the first hand when viewed from the movement direction of the first hand in response to the sliding movement of the first hand by the first sliding unit and that shields a base end of the first hand; 3. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, further comprising: a second shielding plate that is positioned to overlap the second hand when viewed from the direction of movement of the second hand, and that shields the base end of the second hand, relative to the sliding movement of the second hand by the second sliding movement part.

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

14. the first slide moving unit moves one of the first hands that holds one of the substrates, The substrate transport robot according to claim 1 , wherein the second slide moving part moves one of the second hands that holds one of the substrates separately from the first hand.

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