Substrate transfer robot

Abstract

To provide a substrate transfer robot capable of suppressing the ingress and leakage of foreign matter through a housing opening when performing linear sliding motion during transfer of a substrate.SOLUTION: A substrate transfer robot 100 includes an upper arm 30, a lower arm 40, and an arm support section 50 that support hands 11, 12 holding a substrate 101, and a housing 61 having a groove-shaped opening 61a in which the linearly sliding arm support section 50 is positioned. The substrate transfer robot 100 also includes a belt-shaped sealing member 80 that seals the groove-shaped opening 61a of a housing 61, and an opposing portion 62 that positions the peripheral edge of the opening 61a and the sealing member 80 to face each other with a labyrinth structure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, substrate transport robots have been disclosed. Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate transport robot that includes a substrate holding hand that holds a substrate and an arm that moves the substrate holding hand. This substrate transport robot includes a columnar housing that covers an arm lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the arm. The housing has an opening in which the arm that moves up and down is disposed. A transport belt is disposed in the opening. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2022 / 049789 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, when a linear sliding movement, such as an up-and-down movement, is performed during substrate transport, as in the substrate transport robot described in Patent Document 1, a groove-shaped opening is arranged in the housing. In this case, a belt-shaped member may be arranged to cover the opening, as in the substrate transport robot described in Patent Document 1. However, even when a belt-shaped member is arranged to cover the opening, a gap between the opening and the belt-shaped member may allow foreign matter such as liquid to enter the interior of the housing in which the opening is located. Furthermore, particles generated from inside the housing may leak through the gap between the opening and the belt-shaped member. Therefore, when a linear sliding movement is performed during substrate transport, it is desirable to suppress the intrusion and leakage of foreign matter through the opening of the housing.

[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 prevent foreign matter from entering and leaking out from an opening in the housing when a linear sliding movement is performed to transport a substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A substrate transport robot according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a support part that supports a hand that holds a substrate, a housing having a groove-shaped opening in which the support part that slides linearly is arranged, a belt-shaped sealing member that seals the groove-shaped opening, and an opposing part that makes the periphery of the opening and the sealing member face each other while having a labyrinth structure.

[0007] As described above, a substrate transport robot according to one aspect of this disclosure includes a belt-shaped seal member that seals the groove-shaped opening, and a facing portion that positions the periphery of the opening and the seal member facing each other while forming a labyrinth structure. Thus, by positioning the facing portion so that the periphery of the opening of the groove-shaped opening of the housing faces the seal member that seals the opening, a labyrinth structure is formed between the periphery of the opening and the seal member, thereby preventing the intrusion and leakage of foreign matter through a gap between the seal member and the periphery of the opening. As a result, when a substrate is transported by linearly sliding, the intrusion and leakage of foreign matter through the opening of the housing can be prevented. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, when a linear sliding movement is performed during transportation of a substrate, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering or leaking out through an opening in a housing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a substrate processing system including a substrate transfer robot according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a substrate transport robot. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the substrate transport robot as seen from the side. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the opposing portion. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a substrate transport robot according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of an opposing portion and a sealing member in a sliding portion. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a seal member and an opposing portion according to a first modified example of the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a seal member and an opposing portion according to a second modified example of the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] [First embodiment] A first embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] A substrate transport robot 100 according to a first 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 transfer robot 100 includes an upper arm 30, a lower arm 40, an arm support unit 50, a lifting unit 60, and a control unit 70. In the substrate transfer robot 100 according to the first embodiment, the hand 11 is supported by the upper arm 30 and the arm support unit 50, and the hand 12 is supported by the lower arm 40 and the arm support unit 50. That is, the upper arm 30, the lower arm 40, and the arm support unit 50 are an example of a support unit. The upper arm 30 is an example of a horizontal movement unit and a robot arm unit. Similarly, the lower arm 40 is an example of a horizontal movement unit and a robot arm unit. The lifting unit 60 is an example of a lifting movement unit.

[0014] Hands 11 and 12 hold substrates 101 one by one, separately. Hands 11 and 12 have a bifurcated shape with two tips. Hands 11 and 12 are, for example, active-type substrate holding hands that securely hold substrate 101 using edge grips that grip the peripheral edge of substrate 101. Hands 11 and 12 have a holding mechanism that moves from the base end to the tip to contact substrate 101. The holding mechanism has, for example, an air cylinder as a drive source. Furthermore, a hand rotation unit that rotates each of hands 11 and 12 about a horizontal axis of rotation may be disposed at the base end of each of hands 11 and 12.

[0015] The upper arm 30 is a horizontally articulated robot arm that moves the hand 11 horizontally. The lower arm 40 is disposed separately from the upper arm 30 and is a horizontally articulated robot arm that moves the hand 12 horizontally. The upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 operate independently of each other. The hand 11 is disposed at the tip of the upper arm 30. The hand 11 rotates horizontally relative to the upper arm 30. The hand 12 is disposed at the tip of the lower arm 40. The hand 12 rotates horizontally relative to 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 driving units 30a and 40a has a transmission mechanism, such as a timing belt or gears, that transmits the driving force of the motor. Each of the driving units 30a and 40a also 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 housing of the arm support unit 50, or both. The driving unit 40a is disposed inside the housing of the lower arm 40 or inside the housing of the arm support unit 50, or both.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 3 , the upper arm 30 includes a link member 31 and a link member 32 that rotate relative to each other along the XY plane, which is a horizontal plane. The lower arm 40 similarly includes a link member 41 and a link member 42 that rotate relative to each other along the XY plane, which is a horizontal plane. The link members 31 and 32 of the upper arm 30 and the link members 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 member 31 is arranged on the base end side, and the link member 32 is arranged on the tip end side. The link members 31 and 32 are connected to each other so as to rotate via a joint. In the lower arm 40, the link member 41 is arranged on the base end side, and the link member 42 is arranged on the tip end side. The link members 41 and 42 are connected to each other so as to rotate via a joint. The link members 31 and 41 have the same shape, and the link members 32 and 42 have the same shape.

[0017] 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. 3 . 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 member 31 is connected to a surface of the arm support unit 50 on the Z1 direction side, which is the upper side, via a first joint, on the Z2 direction side, which is the lower side of the base end, so as to rotate around the rotation axis A1. The link member 32 is connected to a surface of the link member 31 on the Z1 direction side, which is the upper side of the tip end, on the Z2 direction side, which is the lower side of the base end, so as to rotate around the rotation axis A12, via a second joint. The hand 11 is connected to the link member 32 on the Z1 direction side, which is the upper side of the tip end, via a third joint, so as to rotate around the rotation axis A13. Similarly, in the lower arm 40, the link member 41 is connected on the Z1 side, i.e., above the base end, to a surface on the Z2 side, i.e., below the arm support part 50, via a first joint, so as to rotate about a rotation axis A1. The link member 42 is connected on the Z1 side, i.e., above the base end, to a surface on the Z2 side, i.e., below the tip end of the link member 41, via a second joint, so as to rotate about a rotation axis A22. The hand 12 is connected on the Z2 side, i.e., below the tip end of the link member 42, via a third joint, so as to rotate about a rotation axis A23.

[0018] In the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40, multiple joints are arranged so that rotation axes A1, A12, A13, A22, and A23 are parallel to one another 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.

[0019] 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. The lifting unit 60 linearly slides the arm support unit 50 along the Z direction. Note that the term "sliding movement" used here does not refer to linear movement of the arm support unit 50 by the operation of link members that rotate relative to each other, but rather to linear movement of the arm support unit 50, such that the arm support unit 50 slides along the housing 61, which is a linearly extending columnar member. In other words, the sliding movement refers to linear movement of the lifting unit 60, which is a linearly arranged member, along the housing 61. 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, to which the hand 11 is connected, and the lower arm 40, to which the hand 12 is connected, up and down in conjunction with each other. The lifting unit 60 has a columnar housing 61 extending in the Z direction, which is the up-down direction. The lifting unit 60 moves the arm support unit 50 up and down along the housing 61. As shown in FIG. 2, the lifting unit 60 also has a drive unit 60a. The drive unit 60a includes, for example, a servo motor as a drive source. The drive unit 60a also has, for example, a ball screw mechanism and a linear guide. The arm support unit 50 is connected to the X1-side side of the lifting unit 60, and the drive force of the drive unit 60a moves the arm support unit 50 up and down in the Z direction.

[0020] 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 each holding mechanism of the hand 11 and the hand 12. The control unit 70 also controls the operation of the drive unit 30a of the upper arm 30, the drive unit 40a of the lower arm 40, and the drive unit 60a of the lifting unit 60. For example, 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 of the drive units 30a, 40a, and 60a. 1, the control unit 70 is disposed separately from, for example, the hands 11 and 12, the upper arm 30, the lower arm 40, and the lifting unit 60, and is connected to a housing 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.

[0021] 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. Furthermore, the control unit 70 causes the hand 11 or the hand 12 to hold the substrate 101 placed on one of the substrate placement units 104 of the processing apparatus 103, and performs a transport operation to transport the held substrate 101 again to the same substrate placement unit 104 or to another substrate placement unit 104 different from the first substrate placement unit 104. For example, the control unit 70 holds the substrate 101 placed on the first substrate placement unit 104 of the processing apparatus 103 with the hand 11. The control unit 70 operates the upper arm 30 and the lifting unit 60 to place the substrate 101 on another substrate placement unit 104 different from the first substrate placement unit 104 of the processing apparatus 103 on the same substrate placement unit 104 or on the same substrate placement unit 104.

[0022] 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.

[0023] (Details of the lifting unit and sealing member) As shown in FIG. 1 , the housing 61 of the lifting unit 60 has a groove-shaped opening 61a. The opening 61a accommodates an arm support unit 50 that is linearly slid and raised by the lifting unit 60. That is, the arm support unit 50 is connected to a drive unit 60a disposed inside the lifting unit 60 via the opening 61a. The opening 61a is disposed on the X1-side side surface of the housing 61 of the lifting unit 60 so as to extend along the Z direction, which is the up-down direction. The substrate transport robot 100 according to the first embodiment includes a belt-shaped seal member 80 that is disposed so as to extend along the groove-shaped opening 61a. The seal member 80 seals the groove-shaped opening 61a of the housing 61. The seal member 80 may be formed of a resin sheet or a metal sheet.

[0024] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 , the ball screw mechanism of the drive unit 60a is disposed inside the housing 61 of the lifting unit 60 so as to extend along the Z direction, which is the vertical direction. The servo motor of the drive unit 60a is disposed, for example, on the Z1 side, which is above the ball screw mechanism. The threaded portion 51 of the arm support unit 50 is disposed in a state where it is threadedly engaged with the ball screw mechanism of the drive unit 60a. The lifting unit 60 moves the threaded portion 51, which is threadedly engaged with the ball screw mechanism of the drive unit 60a, up and down in the Z direction, thereby moving the arm support unit 50, which moves integrally with the threaded portion 51, up and down. The arm support unit 50 is disposed inside the housing 61 so that the threaded portion 51 is threadedly engaged with the drive unit 60a, and extends from the threaded portion 51 toward the outside of the housing 61 in the X1 direction through an opening 61a disposed on the X1 side of the housing 61. The opening 61a is disposed to match the range of movement of the arm support unit 50 during its vertical movement. Opening 61a is disposed from the bottom end to the top end of housing 61. In this specification, the top and bottom ends of the housing are described as a broad concept that includes not only the top and bottom ends themselves but also the surrounding areas close to the top and bottom ends.

[0025] The belt-shaped sealing member 80 is disposed in the opening 61a of the housing 61 so as to extend along the Z direction, which is the up-down direction. The sealing member 80 is disposed with one surface facing the interior of the housing 61 and the other surface facing the exterior of the housing 61. That is, the sealing member 80 is a flat member disposed in the opening 61a so that both surfaces of the sealing member 80 face each other in the X direction. The belt-shaped sealing member 80 is disposed along the opening 61a so that the Z direction, which is the up-down direction, is its longitudinal direction and the Y direction, which is the left-right direction, is its lateral direction. The belt-shaped sealing member 80 is disposed in an annular shape inside the housing 61. Specifically, the belt-shaped sealing member 80 is disposed in the opening 61a on the X1 side, which is the front side of the housing 61, so as to extend along the Z direction, which is the up-down direction, and is disposed at the top and bottom of the housing 61 so as to extend back and forth along the X direction. The sealing member 80 is disposed on the X2 side, which is the back side of the housing 61, so as to extend in the Z direction, which is the up-down direction. In the first embodiment, the belt-shaped sealing member 80 is connected to the arm support part 50. One end of the belt-shaped sealing member 80, which is arranged in a circular shape, is connected to a connecting part 52a above the arm support part 50, and the other end is connected to a connecting part 52b below the arm support part 50. The connecting parts 52a and 52b are arranged in positions on the arm support part 50 that overlap with the opening 61a in the X direction.

[0026] Specifically, the sealing member 80 is wound around four pulleys 81a, 81b, 81c, and 81d that are arranged inside the housing 61 and rotate around the Y direction as a rotation axis. Specifically, the sealing member 80 is arranged so as to extend upward along the opening 61a from the upper connection portion 52a of the arm support portion 50, and is wound around pulley 81a at the upper end inside the housing 61 and guided rearward. The sealing member 80 extends rearward toward the X2 side so as to be hung from pulley 81a to pulley 81b that is arranged at the rear of the upper part of the housing 61, and is guided to extend downward toward the Z2 side on the rear X2 side of the housing 61 by being wound around pulley 81b. The sealing member 80 extends to the lower end of the housing 61, is wound around pulley 81c, and is guided toward the front of the housing 61. The sealing member 80 is wound around pulley 81d, which is arranged in front of the lower end of the housing 61, and extends along the opening 61a on the front side of the housing 61 to the connection part 52b of the arm support part 50. Therefore, the belt-like sealing member 80 moves integrally with the arm support part 50 in conjunction with the sliding movement of the arm support part 50 in the up and down direction. When the arm support part 50 is moved in the up and down direction by the operation of the drive part 60a of the lifting part 60, the pulleys 81a, 81b, 81c, and 81d are rotated, and the sealing member 80 moves in the up and down direction, which is the longitudinal direction, in the opening 61a, following the movement of the arm support part 50.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate transfer robot 100 of the first embodiment includes facing portions 62 at the periphery of the opening 61a of the housing 61. The facing portions 62 are arranged on each of the peripheries of the sealing member 80 in the left-right direction, which is the short-side direction of the sealing member 80, with respect to the sealing member 80 arranged in the up-down direction in the opening 61a. As shown in FIG. 4, the facing portions 62 cause the periphery of the opening 61a and the sealing member 80 to face each other while forming a labyrinth structure. The facing portions 62 are arranged at the periphery of the opening 61a, facing the sealing member 80 while forming a labyrinth structure. Specifically, the facing portions 62 are arranged at the periphery of the opening 61a, and are arranged facing the sealing member 80 while forming a labyrinth structure, by sandwiching the facing portions 62 at both ends of the belt-shaped sealing member 80 in the Y direction, which is the short-side direction, against both ends of the sealing member 80 in the short-side direction. The facing portion 62 has a bending member 63 disposed inside the housing 61 at the periphery of the opening 61a. The bending member 63 is a bent plate-like member and disposed at the periphery of the opening 61a of the housing 61. The bending member 63 is formed, for example, from a sheet metal member. The facing portion 62 is disposed so as to form a labyrinth structure with respect to the seal member 80, with the bending member 63 and the periphery of the opening 61a sandwiching the belt-like seal member 80 from both the front and back sides of the seal member 80. That is, in the first embodiment, the bending member 63 and the periphery of the opening 61a of the housing 61 form the facing portion 62 that sandwiches the seal member 80 from both sides in the X direction. The facing portion 62 is disposed along the lateral periphery of the opening 61a from the lower end to the upper end so as to face the short-side ends of the seal member 80. The opposing portions 62 are not disposed on the periphery of the opening 61a on the vertical Z-direction side. That is, a pair of bending members 63 extending in the vertical direction are disposed on each of the horizontal Y-direction sides of the opening 61a.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 5, the bending member 63 has a portion 63a, a portion 63b, and a portion 63c. The portion 63a is disposed inside the housing 61 and along the surface of the housing 61. The portion 63a is disposed outside the opening 61a of the housing 61 relative to the sealing member 80 in the Y direction (the left-right direction). The portion 63a is fastened to the peripheral portion of the opening 61a of the housing 61 by a fastening member 64. The fastening members 64 include screws or bolts, and are disposed side by side in the up-down direction on the peripheral portion of the opening 61a. The portion 63b is disposed so as to bend from the portion 63a toward the X2 side, which is the interior side of the housing 61, and extend in a direction away from the surface of the housing 61. That is, the portion 63a is disposed along the YZ plane so as to follow the surface of the housing 61, while the portion 63b is bent along the XZ plane so as to rise from the peripheral portion of the opening 61a toward the interior side of the housing 61. Portion 63b is arranged to extend to the X2 side, which is the back surface side of seal member 80, and portion 63c is arranged to extend from portion 63b and cover seal member 80. Portion 63c is arranged along the YZ plane parallel to portion 63a. That is, portion 63c is arranged along the YZ plane so as to face the back surface of seal member 80. Portion 63a, portion 63b, and portion 63c are examples of a fastening portion, a separating portion, and a cover portion, respectively.

[0029] The facing portion 62 is disposed so as to form a labyrinth structure with respect to the sealing member 80, with the belt-shaped sealing member 80 sandwiched between the peripheral edge of the opening 61a and the portion 63c of the bending member 63. The portion 63c of the bending member 63 is disposed so as to extend from the upper end to the lower end of the opening 61a in the vertical direction. The labyrinth structure formed by the facing portion 62 includes at least a U-shaped path portion where the entry path for liquid from the outside is bent twice. The size of the sealing member 80 in the short direction is larger than the size of the opening 61a of the housing 61 in the left-right direction. The sealing member 80 is disposed inside the housing 61. As shown by the arrows in FIG. 5, in the labyrinth structure formed by the facing portion 62, liquid from the outside of the housing 61 first enters along the YZ plane between the surface of the sealing member 80 and the peripheral edge of the opening 61a. The liquid from outside is guided toward the X2 side by the portion 63b of the bending member 63 at the left and right ends of the seal member 80, around the rear surface of the seal member 80. The liquid from outside is guided on the YZ plane between the portion 63c of the bending member 63 and the rear surface of the seal member 80. Therefore, the entry path of the liquid from outside the housing 61 is bent at least twice before reaching the inside of the housing 61. As a result, the labyrinth structure formed by the facing portion 62 makes it difficult for the liquid from outside to enter the housing 61. Similarly, the labyrinth structure formed by the facing portion 62 makes it difficult for particles generated inside the housing 61 to leak to the outside. The liquid from outside guided by the labyrinth structure formed by the facing portion 62 moves downward in the housing 61 due to gravity and is discharged to the outside through the drain hole 61b located at the bottom of the housing 61 shown in FIG. 3. The drain hole 61b is an example of a "hole."

[0030] [Effects of the first embodiment] As described above, the substrate transport robot 100 includes the belt-shaped seal member 80 that seals the groove-shaped opening 61a, and the facing portion 62 that positions the periphery of the opening 61a and the seal member 80 facing each other while forming a labyrinth structure. Thus, by positioning the facing portion 62 so that the periphery of the groove-shaped opening 61a of the housing 61 faces the seal member 80 that seals the opening 61a, a labyrinth structure is formed between the periphery of the opening 61a and the seal member 80, thereby preventing foreign matter from entering or leaking through a gap between the seal member 80 and the periphery of the opening 61a. As a result, when the substrate 101 is slid linearly during transport, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering or leaking through the opening 61a of the housing 61.

[0031] The facing portions 62 are arranged on the periphery of the opening 61a, and are arranged facing the seal member 80 at both ends in the short direction of the belt-shaped seal member 80 while forming a labyrinth structure. As a result, when the belt-shaped seal member 80 is arranged to extend along the groove-shaped opening 61a, the facing portions 62 are arranged on both sides in the short direction of the belt-shaped seal member 80, so that a labyrinth structure can be appropriately formed along the groove-shaped opening 61a. Therefore, the groove-shaped opening 61a can be appropriately sealed, and therefore the intrusion and leakage of foreign matter from the opening 61a of the housing 61 can be appropriately suppressed.

[0032] The facing portions 62 are arranged to face both ends of the seal member 80 in the lateral direction and sandwich the same, thereby forming a labyrinth structure with the seal member 80. As a result, a labyrinth structure is formed so that the facing portions 62 sandwich both ends of the belt-shaped seal member 80 in the lateral direction, which makes it possible to further prevent foreign matter from entering and leaking through the gap between the seal member 80 and the opening 61a of the housing 61. Therefore, it is possible to further prevent foreign matter from entering and leaking through the opening 61a of the housing 61.

[0033] The facing portion 62 includes a bent plate-like folding member 63 arranged on the periphery of the opening 61a of the housing 61, and the folding member 63 and the periphery of the opening 61a sandwich the belt-like sealing member 80 from both the front and back sides of the sealing member 80, thereby forming a labyrinth structure with respect to the sealing member 80. As a result, by combining the folding member 63 with the periphery of the opening 61a of the housing 61, the belt-like sealing member 80 can be easily sandwiched from both sides. Therefore, a labyrinth structure that properly seals the opening 61a of the housing 61 can be easily formed, making it possible to easily prevent foreign matter from entering and leaking from the opening 61a of the housing 61.

[0034] Bending member 63 has portion 63a as a fastening portion that fits along the surface of housing 61 and is fastened to the periphery of opening 61a by fastening member 64, portion 63b as a separating portion that extends in a direction away from the surface of housing 61, and portion 63c as a cover portion that extends from portion 63b and covers sealing member 80. Facing portion 62 is arranged to form a labyrinth structure with respect to sealing member 80, with the belt-shaped sealing member 80 sandwiched between the periphery of opening 61a and portion 63c of folding member 63. As a result, folding member 63 has portion 63a that is fastened to the periphery of opening 61a, and folding member 63 can be more easily positioned on the periphery of opening 61a. Furthermore, because folding member 63 has portion 63b spaced apart from the surface of housing 61 and portion 63c covering sealing member 80, simply by fastening and attaching portion 63a to the periphery of opening 61a, belt-shaped sealing member 80 can be more easily sandwiched from both sides by portion 63c covering sealing member 80 and the periphery of opening 61a. Therefore, by the relatively simple task of fastening fastening member 64, sealing member 80 can be sandwiched from both sides to more easily form a labyrinth structure, making it easier to prevent foreign matter from entering and leaking from opening 61a of housing 61.

[0035] The facing portion 62 has a labyrinth structure that includes at least a U-shaped path portion where the path for liquid to enter from the outside is bent twice. As a result, the labyrinth structure formed by the facing portion 62 includes a U-shaped path portion where the path for liquid to enter from the outside is bent twice, and therefore the entry of liquid from the outside can be more reliably prevented in the gap between the seal member 80 and the periphery of the opening 61a. As a result, the entry and leakage of foreign matter from the opening 61a of the housing 61 can be more reliably prevented.

[0036] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes a lifting unit 60 serving as a lifting / moving unit that raises and lowers the upper arm 30, the lower arm 40, and the arm support unit 50 that serve as support units. The facing unit 62 has a labyrinth structure and is disposed opposite the seal member 80 around the periphery of an opening 61a where the upper arm 30, the lower arm 40, and the arm support unit 50, which are raised and lowered by the lifting unit 60, are disposed. This allows the opening 61a in the housing 61 of the lifting / moving unit 60 to be appropriately sealed by the seal member 80 when the upper arm 30, the lower arm 40, and the arm support unit 50 are raised and lowered by sliding movements. Therefore, even when the upper arm 30, the lower arm 40, and the arm support unit 50 are raised and lowered, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering or leaking out through the opening 61a in the housing 61. As a result, the lifting and lowering movement of the lifting unit 60 can expand the accessible area of ​​the hands 11 and 12 in the vertical direction, and can effectively prevent foreign matter from entering or leaking into the housing 61 of the lifting unit 60, which slides for lifting and lowering movement.

[0037] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes an upper arm 30 and a lower arm 40 as horizontal movement units that move the hands 11 and 12 in the horizontal direction. The facing unit 62 has a labyrinth structure and is disposed opposite the seal member 80 around the periphery of the opening 61a where the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40, which are raised and lowered by the lifting unit 60 as a lifting and lowering unit, are disposed. This prevents foreign matter from entering or leaking out through the opening 61a of the housing 61 when the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40, which move the hands 11 and 12 in the horizontal direction, are raised and lowered by sliding movement. As a result, the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 can expand the operating range of the hands 11 and 12 in the horizontal direction and more effectively prevent foreign matter from entering or leaking out through the opening 61a of the housing 61.

[0038] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes an upper arm 30 as a horizontally articulated robot arm having a plurality of link members 31 and 32 that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and a lower arm 40 as a horizontally articulated robot arm having a plurality of link members 41 and 42 that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane. The opposing portion 62 has a labyrinth structure and is disposed opposite the seal member 80 at the periphery of the opening 61a where the horizontally articulated upper arm 30 and lower arm 40 are disposed. This prevents foreign matter from entering or leaking from the opening 61a of the housing 61 even when the horizontally articulated upper arm 30 and lower arm 40 move the hands 11 and 12 along the horizontal plane. As a result, the horizontally articulated upper arm 30 and lower arm 40 can further expand the horizontal operating range of the hands 11 and 12 and more effectively prevent foreign matter from entering or leaking from the opening 61a of the housing 61.

[0039] The upper arm 30, the lower arm 40, and the arm support unit 50 serving as support units support the hand 11 as a first hand and the hand 12 as a second hand, which separately hold the substrate 101. The facing unit 62 has a labyrinth structure and is disposed opposite the seal member 80 at the periphery of the opening 61a where the upper arm 30, the lower arm 40, and the arm support unit 50, which support the hand 11 and the hand 12, respectively, are disposed. As a result, even when the two hands 11 and 12 are supported by the upper arm 30, the lower arm 40, and the arm support unit 50 in the substrate transfer robot 100, the labyrinth structure is formed, allowing the seal member 80 to properly seal the opening 61a. Therefore, even when the substrate 101 is transported using the two hands 11 and 12 in the substrate transport robot 100, the intrusion and leakage of foreign matter through the opening 61a of the housing 61 can be prevented, so that the work efficiency of the transport operation of the substrate 101 using the two hands 11 and 12 can be improved, and the intrusion and leakage of foreign matter can be effectively prevented in the housing 61 of the lifting section 60 for sliding the hands 11 and 12.

[0040] The belt-like sealing member 80 is connected to the arm support section 50 of the upper arm 30, lower arm 40, and arm support section 50 that serve as support sections, and moves integrally with the upper arm 30, lower arm 40, and arm support section 50 in conjunction with the sliding movements of the upper arm 30, lower arm 40, and arm support section 50. As a result, even when the upper arm 30, lower arm 40, and arm support section 50 that support the hands 11 and 12 slide, the belt-like sealing member 80 moves in conjunction with the sliding movements, so that it is possible to prevent gaps from being formed in the opening 61a due to the sliding movements. As a result, it is possible to further prevent foreign matter from entering and leaking from the opening 61a of the housing 61.

[0041] The facing portion 62 is disposed facing the seal member 80 while having a labyrinth structure at the periphery of the opening 61a where the upper arm 30, the lower arm 40, and the arm support portion 50 are disposed as support portions for supporting the hands 11 and 12 that hold the substrate 101 in a polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate 101. Here, in the polishing apparatus, liquids such as chemicals for polishing the substrate 101 or cleaning liquids for cleaning the substrate 101 adhere to the substrate 101. Therefore, in the substrate transport robot 100 that transports the substrate 101 in the polishing apparatus, sealing the opening 61a of the housing 61 with the seal member 80 can effectively prevent the liquid adhering to the substrate 101 from entering the interior of the housing 61. Furthermore, in the substrate transport robot 100 that transports the substrate 101 in the polishing apparatus, the facing portion 62 is disposed facing the seal member 80 while having a labyrinth structure, so that the liquid adhering to the substrate 101 can be more effectively prevented from entering the interior through the opening 61a of the housing 61. As a result, abnormalities in the operation of the lifting unit 60 due to liquids such as chemicals for polishing the substrate 101 or cleaning liquids for cleaning the substrate 101 can be more effectively prevented.

[0042] The housing 61 has drainage holes 61b as holes for discharging liquid from the outside that is guided into the labyrinth structure formed by the facing portion 62. As a result, the labyrinth structure formed by the facing portion 62 can prevent liquid from entering through the opening 61a of the housing 61, and can also properly discharge liquid to the outside through the drainage holes 61b.

[0043] [Second embodiment] A substrate transfer robot 200 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. In the second embodiment, a labyrinth structure is formed by opposing portions 62 in a lifting / lowering section 60, and a labyrinth structure is formed by opposing portions 292 in a horizontal sliding section 290. In the figures, parts having the same configuration as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described.

[0044] 6, a substrate transfer robot 200 according to the second embodiment includes a hand 11, a hand support unit 220, a sliding unit 290, a lifting support unit 250, a lifting unit 60, a sealing member 80, and a sealing member 280. In the substrate transfer robot 200 according to the second embodiment, the hand 11 is supported by the hand support unit 220, the sliding unit 290, and the lifting support unit 250, and the hand support unit 220, the sliding unit 290, and the lifting support unit 250 slide vertically as a unit by the lifting unit 60. The hand support unit 220, which supports the hand 11, slides via the sliding unit 290. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the hand support unit 220, the lifting support unit 250, and the sliding unit 290 combined are an example of a support unit, and the hand support unit 220 alone is an example of a support unit. Moreover, the sliding portion 290 is an example of a horizontal moving portion and also an example of a horizontal sliding portion.

[0045] In the second embodiment, the lifting / lowering support part 250 is moved up and down by the lifting / lowering part 60. The lifting / lowering support part 250 is arranged in an opening 61a of a housing 61 of the lifting / lowering part 60, similar to the arm support part 50 of the first embodiment. The opening 61a is sealed by a seal member 80, similar to the first embodiment. In the lifting / lowering part 60, a facing part 62 is arranged on the periphery of the opening 61a, similar to the first embodiment, and is arranged facing the seal member 80 while having a labyrinth structure. The configuration of the lifting / lowering support part 250 for the lifting / lowering part 60 is similar to that of the arm support part 50 of the first embodiment. The labyrinth structure formed by the facing part 62 in the lifting / lowering part 60 is also similar to that of the first embodiment.

[0046] The sliding unit 290 slides the hand 11 horizontally by sliding the hand support unit 220, which supports the hand 11, horizontally. The sliding unit 290 has a drive unit such as a servo motor driven under the control of the control unit 70, and linearly slides the hand 11 using, for example, a ball screw mechanism or a belt-and-pulley mechanism. The sliding unit 290 is disposed on the upper surface of the lifting support unit 250, which is moved up and down by the lifting unit 60. That is, the sliding unit 290 is moved up and down by the lifting unit 60. The sliding unit 290 rotates around a rotation axis A201 in a horizontal plane relative to the lifting support unit 250. The rotation axis A201 extends along the Z direction, which is the up-down direction, and is disposed in the center of the lifting support unit 250 in the Y direction, which is the left-right direction. The lifting support unit 250 has a drive unit such as a servo motor for rotating the sliding unit 290 in a horizontal plane. In the substrate transport robot 200, the transport operation of the substrate 101 held by the hand 11 is performed by the lifting and lowering movement of the lifting section 60, the rotational movement of the slide movement section 290 relative to the lifting and lowering support section 250, and the sliding movement of the hand 11 by the slide movement section 290.

[0047] The sliding movement unit 290 has a box-shaped housing 291. The housing 291 has a groove-shaped opening 291a in which the hand support unit 220 is disposed. The opening 291a is disposed on a side surface of the housing 291 and is disposed so as to extend along the direction in which the hand 11 is moved by the sliding movement unit 290. The hand support unit 220 is an L-shaped member that extends upward from the opening 291a and bends along the horizontal direction. In the second embodiment, a seal member 280 is disposed in the sliding movement unit 290 separately from the lifting / lowering unit 60. The seal member 280 is a belt-shaped member that seals the groove-shaped opening 291a, similar to the seal member 80 for the lifting / lowering unit 60. In the example of the arrangement in FIG. 6, the seal member 280 is disposed in the opening 291a so as to extend along the X direction. That is, the belt-shaped sealing member 280 is a flat member that is arranged in the opening 291a with the X direction as its longitudinal direction and the Z direction as its lateral direction, and both sides are arranged facing each other along the Y direction.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 7 , the sliding portion 290 has a facing portion 292 disposed at the periphery of the opening 291 a. Similar to the facing portion 62 of the first embodiment, the facing portion 292 has a labyrinth structure and is disposed opposite the sealing member 280. Specifically, similar to the facing portion 62, the facing portion 292 is disposed opposite the sealing member 280 at both ends in the Z direction, which is the short direction of the belt-shaped sealing member 280, by sandwiching the sealing member 280 from both sides in the Y direction together with the periphery of the opening 291 a of the housing 291, thereby forming a labyrinth structure. Furthermore, the facing portion 292 has a bending member 293 similar to the bending member 63 of the facing portion 62. Similar to the bending member 63 of the facing portion 62, the bending member 293 is a folded plate-shaped member and is disposed at the periphery of the opening 291 a of the housing 291. Similar to the facing portion 62, the facing portion 292 is disposed so as to form a labyrinth structure with respect to the seal member 280, with the bending member 293 and the peripheral edge of the opening 291a sandwiching the belt-shaped seal member 280 from both sides. That is, in the second embodiment, a labyrinth structure is formed with respect to both the seal member 280 disposed in the opening 61a of the lifting unit 60 and the seal member 280 disposed in the opening 291a of the sliding unit 290 that slides the hand 11 along a horizontal plane. The labyrinth structure formed by the facing portion 292 with respect to the seal member 280 is similar to the labyrinth structure formed by the facing portion 62 with respect to the seal member 80 in the first embodiment. That is, the seal member 280 is disposed in an annular shape inside the housing 291 and moves integrally with the movement of the hand support unit 220. The other configurations of the second embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment.

[0049] [Effects of the second embodiment] In the second embodiment, as described above, the substrate transfer robot 200 includes the sliding unit 290 as a horizontal sliding unit that slides the hand 11 along the horizontal direction. The facing unit 292 has a labyrinth structure and is disposed facing the seal member 280 at the periphery of the opening 291a in which the hand support unit 220, which serves as a support unit that slides along the horizontal direction by the sliding unit 290, is disposed. As a result, even in the sliding unit 290 that slides the hand 11 along the horizontal direction, the facing unit 292 can form a labyrinth structure with the seal member 280 at the opening 291a, thereby effectively preventing foreign matter from entering and leaking from the opening 291a. Note that other effects of the second embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment.

[0050] [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.

[0051] For example, in the above first and second embodiments, the opposing portions 62 and 292 are opposed to the sealing members 80 and 280 while having a labyrinth structure at both ends in the lateral direction of the sealing members 80 and 280, respectively, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the opposing portions may be arranged to face each other while having a labyrinth structure at only one side in the lateral direction of the sealing members.

[0052] In the first embodiment, the hand 11 as the first hand and the hand 12 as the second hand are active-type substrate holding hands that fix and hold the substrate 101 by edge gripping, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the hand may be an active-type hand other than an edge grip hand, such as a vacuum type. The hand may also be a passive-type hand that does not have a structure for fixing the substrate.

[0053] In the first embodiment, the facing portions 62 sandwich the seal member 80 from both sides, forming a labyrinth structure relative to the seal member 80. In the second embodiment, the facing portions 292 sandwich the seal member 280 from both sides, forming a labyrinth structure relative to the seal member 280. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, facing portions may be arranged on only one side of the seal member, forming a labyrinth structure. For example, as in the seal member 380 according to a first modified example shown in FIG. 8, a labyrinth structure may be formed by bending the short-side end of the seal member 380 and forming facing portions 362 facing only one side of the seal member 380. Alternatively, a protrusion may be arranged at a position away from the short-side end of the seal member, rather than at the end, so that the labyrinth structure is formed by arranging the facing portions along the shape of the protrusion. Furthermore, when the end of the sealing member is bent or when the protrusion is disposed at a position spaced apart from the end, a labyrinth structure may be formed by sandwiching the sealing member from both sides.

[0054] Although the first and second embodiments described above illustrate examples in which the facing portions 62 and 292 include plate-shaped folded members 63 and 293, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In the present disclosure, the facing portions may be formed integrally with the peripheral edge of the opening of the housing. Furthermore, the facing portions may be formed by casting or machining, rather than bending a plate-shaped member. Furthermore, the facing portions may be formed by combining multiple members. Furthermore, the peripheral edge of the opening of the housing may be folded and a linear plate-shaped member may be disposed, sandwiching the sealing member between the folded peripheral edge of the opening and the linear plate-shaped member. Furthermore, the facing portions sandwiching the short-side end of the sealing member may be formed by members disposed separately from the peripheral edge of the opening of the housing. For example, as in the facing portion 462 according to a second modified example shown in FIG. 9 , the sealing member 80 may be sandwiched between Y-shaped members 463. Furthermore, the facing portions may be disposed in the sealing member rather than in the opening of the housing.

[0055] In the above first and second embodiments, the bending members 63 and 293 of the facing portions 62 and 292 are fastened together to be disposed on the periphery of the housings 61 and 291, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the facing portions may be disposed on the periphery of the openings of the housings by adhesion, welding, or the like.

[0056] In the first and second embodiments, an example has been shown in which the path for liquid to enter from the outside has one U-shaped path portion in the labyrinth structure formed by the facing portions 62 and 292, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the path for liquid to enter from the outside may have multiple U-shaped path portions by bending the folding member of the facing portion multiple times.

[0057] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, an example was shown in which a labyrinth structure was formed in both the seal member 80 arranged in the opening 61a of the housing 61 of the lifting unit 60 and the seal member 280 arranged in the opening 291a of the housing 291 of the sliding unit 290, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, a labyrinth structure may not be formed in the seal member arranged in the opening of the housing of the lifting unit that moves the support unit up and down. For example, a labyrinth structure may be formed by an opposing portion of the seal member only in the opening of the housing of the horizontal sliding unit that moves the support unit that supports the hand along the horizontal direction.

[0058] In the first embodiment, the hands 11 and 12 are moved along a horizontal plane by the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40, which are horizontally articulated robot arm units. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the substrate transport robot may have only one robot arm unit, or may have three or more robot arm units. Furthermore, multiple robot arm units may be arranged together above or below the arm support unit.

[0059] In the second embodiment, an example has been shown in which the slide moving unit 290 is arranged as one horizontal slide moving unit that moves one hand 11 in the horizontal direction, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, a plurality of slide moving units that linearly slide the support unit that supports the hand may be arranged.

[0060] In the first and second embodiments, examples have been shown in which the sealing members 80 and 280 move integrally with the support parts, that is, the arm support part 50, the lift support part 250, and the hand support part 220, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the sealing members may not move in conjunction with the movement of the support parts.

[0061] In the first and second embodiments, the substrate transport robots 100 and 200 are disposed in the processing device 103, which is a polishing device for the substrate 101, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the substrate transport robots may be disposed in a processing device that performs processing other than polishing. Furthermore, the substrate transport robots may be disposed in a transport device that transports substrates, rather than in a processing device.

[0062] In the first 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. Also, the number of hands may be one, or three or more.

[0063] 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 hand holding mechanism, the upper arm and lower arm drive units, and the lifting unit drive unit may be performed by control units arranged as different hardware, or any of these may be controlled by a common control unit.

[0064] 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.

[0065] [Aspect] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments described above are examples of the following aspects.

[0066] (Aspect 1) a support portion that supports a hand that holds the substrate; a housing having a groove-shaped opening in which the support part that slides linearly is disposed; a belt-shaped seal member that seals the groove-shaped opening; a facing portion that causes the peripheral edge of the opening and the sealing member to face each other while having a labyrinth structure.

[0067] (Aspect 2) The substrate transport robot of aspect 1, wherein the opposing portion is arranged on the periphery of the opening and is arranged facing the sealing member at both ends of the belt-shaped sealing member in the short direction while having a labyrinth structure.

[0068] (Aspect 3) The substrate transfer robot according to aspect 2, wherein the opposing portions are disposed so as to sandwich the sealing member in opposing relation to both ends of the sealing member in a lateral direction, thereby forming a labyrinth structure with respect to the sealing member.

[0069] (Aspect 4) A substrate transport robot as described in aspect 3, wherein the opposing portion includes a bent plate-shaped bending member arranged on the peripheral portion of the opening of the housing, and the bending member and the peripheral portion of the opening sandwich the belt-shaped sealing member from both the front and back sides of the sealing member, thereby forming a labyrinth structure with respect to the sealing member.

[0070] (Aspect 5) the bending member has a fastening portion that follows the surface of the housing and is fastened to the peripheral edge of the opening by a fastening member, a separation portion that extends in a direction away from the surface of the housing, and a cover portion that extends from the separation portion and covers the sealing member; A substrate transport robot as described in aspect 4, wherein the opposing portion is arranged to have a labyrinth structure with respect to the sealing member by sandwiching the belt-shaped sealing member from both sides between the peripheral portion of the opening and the cover portion of the bending member.

[0071] (Aspect 6) A substrate transfer robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the facing part has a labyrinth structure including at least a U-shaped path portion where a path for liquid to enter from the outside is bent twice.

[0072] (Aspect 7) Further provided is a lifting / lowering unit that moves the support unit up and down, A substrate transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, wherein the opposing portion has a labyrinth structure and is positioned opposite the sealing member at the periphery of the opening where the support portion, which is raised and lowered by the lifting portion, is located.

[0073] (Aspect 8) the support unit includes a horizontal movement unit that moves the hand along a horizontal direction, A substrate transport robot as described in aspect 7, wherein the opposing portion has a labyrinth structure and is arranged opposite the sealing member at the peripheral portion of the opening where the support portion including the horizontal moving portion that moves up and down by the lifting moving portion is arranged.

[0074] (Aspect 9) the support unit includes, as the horizontal movement unit, a horizontally articulated robot arm unit having a plurality of link members that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, A substrate transport robot as described in aspect 8, wherein the opposing portion has a labyrinth structure and is arranged opposite the sealing member at the peripheral portion of the opening where the support portion including the horizontally articulated robot arm portion is arranged.

[0075] (Aspect 10) the support portion supports the hands, which include a first hand and a second hand that hold the substrate separately from each other; A substrate transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 9, wherein the opposing portion has a labyrinth structure and is arranged opposite the sealing member at the peripheral portion of the opening where the support portions that support each of the first hand and the second hand are arranged.

[0076] (Aspect 11) A substrate transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 10, wherein the belt-shaped sealing member is connected to the support portion and moves integrally with the support portion in conjunction with the sliding movement of the support portion.

[0077] (Aspect 12) A substrate transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 11, wherein the opposing portion has a labyrinth structure and is arranged opposite the sealing member at the periphery of the opening where the support portion supporting the hand that holds the substrate is arranged in a polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate.

[0078] (Aspect 13) a horizontal slide moving unit that slides the hand along a horizontal direction; A substrate transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 12, wherein the opposing portion has a labyrinth structure and is positioned opposite the sealing member at the peripheral portion of the opening where the support portion, which slides along the horizontal direction by the horizontal sliding portion, is positioned.

[0079] (Aspect 14) The substrate transfer robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 13, wherein the housing has a hole for discharging a liquid from the outside that is guided by the labyrinth structure of the facing portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 11th hand (1st hand) 12th hand (2nd hand) 30 Upper arm (robot arm, horizontal movement part, support part) 31, 32, 41, 42 Link members 40 Lower arm (robot arm, horizontal movement part, support part) 50 Arm support part (support part) 60 Elevating section (elevating and moving section) 61, 291 housing 61a, 291a opening 62, 292, 362, 462 opposing parts 63, 293 Bending members 63a Fastening part 63b Separation part 63c Cover part 80, 280, 380 sealing material 100, 200 Substrate transport robot 101 Substrate 102 Substrate Processing System 103 Processing equipment 104 Substrate placement section 220 Hand support part (support part) 250 Lifting support part (support part) 290 Slide movement part (horizontal slide movement part, support part, horizontal movement part)

Claims

1. a support portion that supports a hand that holds the substrate; a housing having a groove-shaped opening in which the support part that slides linearly is disposed; a belt-shaped seal member that seals the groove-shaped opening; a facing portion that causes the peripheral edge of the opening and the sealing member to face each other while having a labyrinth structure.

2. 2. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, wherein the opposing portion is arranged on the periphery of the opening, and is arranged to face the sealing member at both ends of the belt-shaped sealing member in the short direction while having a labyrinth structure.

3. The substrate transport robot according to claim 2 , wherein the opposing portions are disposed so as to sandwich the sealing member in opposing relation to both ends of the sealing member in a lateral direction, thereby forming a labyrinth structure with respect to the sealing member.

4. 4. The substrate transport robot of claim 3, wherein the opposing portion includes a bent plate-shaped bending member arranged on the peripheral portion of the opening of the housing, and the bending member and the peripheral portion of the opening sandwich the belt-shaped sealing member from both the front and back sides of the sealing member, thereby forming a labyrinth structure with respect to the sealing member.

5. the bending member has a fastening portion that follows the surface of the housing and is fastened to the peripheral edge of the opening by a fastening member, a separation portion that extends in a direction away from the surface of the housing, and a cover portion that extends from the separation portion and covers the sealing member; 5. The substrate transport robot of claim 4, wherein the opposing portion is arranged to have a labyrinth structure with respect to the sealing member by sandwiching the belt-shaped sealing member from both sides between the peripheral portion of the opening and the cover portion of the bending member.

6. 6. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, wherein the facing portion has a labyrinth structure including at least a U-shaped path portion where a path for liquid to enter from the outside is bent twice.

7. Further provided is a lifting / lowering unit that moves the support unit up and down, The substrate transport robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the opposing portion has a labyrinth structure and is arranged opposite the sealing member at the peripheral portion of the opening where the support portion that is moved up and down by the lifting and lowering portion is arranged.

8. the support unit includes a horizontal movement unit that moves the hand along a horizontal direction, 8. The substrate transport robot according to claim 7, wherein the opposing portion has a labyrinth structure and is arranged opposite the sealing member at the peripheral portion of the opening where the support portion including the horizontal moving portion that is moved up and down by the lifting moving portion is arranged.

9. the support unit includes, as the horizontal movement unit, a horizontally articulated robot arm unit having a plurality of link members that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, 9. The substrate transport robot according to claim 8, wherein the opposing portion has a labyrinth structure and is arranged opposite the sealing member at the peripheral portion of the opening where the support portion including the horizontally articulated robot arm portion is arranged.

10. the support portion supports the hands, which include a first hand and a second hand that hold the substrate separately from each other; 6. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, wherein the opposing portion has a labyrinth structure and is arranged opposite the sealing member at the periphery of the opening where the support portions that support each of the first hand and the second hand are arranged.

11. The substrate transport robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the belt-shaped sealing member is connected to the support portion and moves integrally with the support portion in conjunction with the sliding movement of the support portion.

12. The substrate transport robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the opposing portion has a labyrinth structure and is arranged opposite the sealing member at the peripheral portion of the opening where the support portion that supports the hand that holds the substrate is arranged in a polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate.

13. a horizontal slide moving unit that slides the hand along a horizontal direction; 6. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, wherein the opposing portion has a labyrinth structure and is arranged opposite the sealing member at the peripheral portion of the opening where the support portion, which slides along the horizontal direction by the horizontal sliding portion, is arranged.

14. 6. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a hole for discharging liquid from the outside that is guided by the labyrinth structure of the facing portion.

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