Detection of the Central Position of a Process Kit or a Process Kit Carrier in a Manufacturing System

Abstract

A method for locating the center of a process kit and / or a process kit ring is provided. An object placed on an end effector is moved past a sensor of a manufacturing system. A first signal indicative of a current shape of the object is received from the sensor of the manufacturing system. A determination is made whether the first signal corresponds to a second signal indicative of a predefined shape of the process kit and / or process kit carrier. In response to determining that the first signal corresponds to the second signal, a coordinate correspondence between coordinates of the center of the object and coordinates of the center of the end effector is determined. The determined coordinate correspondence indicates whether the current placement of the object on the end effector satisfies a target placement criterion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001]

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to manufacturing systems, and more particularly to finding the center of a process kit or process kit carrier in a manufacturing system.

Background Art

[0002]

[0002] Accurate positioning of substrates and other substrate processing components (e.g., process kits, process kit carriers, etc.) in a station of a manufacturing system is useful for maintaining the quality and consistency of substrates processed in the manufacturing system. For example, a robot in a manufacturing system can move a process kit and a process kit carrier to that station so as to engage with a substrate in the station of the manufacturing system. If the robot does not accurately position the process kit and the process kit carrier at the station (e.g., corresponding to the positioning of the substrate at the station), the process kit and the process kit carrier may not engage with the substrate, and instead the substrate may be damaged.

Summary of the Invention

[0003]

[0003] Some of the described embodiments are directed to a method that includes moving an object placed on an end effector so as to pass through a set of sensors of a manufacturing system. The method also includes receiving, from the set of sensors of the manufacturing system, a first set of signals each indicative of a current shape of the object placed on the end effector. The method also includes determining whether each of the first set of signals corresponds to one of a second set of signals. In that case, each of the second set of signals indicates a predefined shape for at least one of a process kit or a process kit carrier. The method also includes determining a correspondence between the center of the object and the center of the end effector in response to determining that each of the first set of signals corresponds to each respective signal of the second set of signals. The determined correspondence indicates whether the current placement of the object on the end effector meets a target placement criterion.

[0004]

[0004] In some embodiments, the manufacturing system includes a robotic arm including an end effector and a controller operably coupled to the robotic arm. The controller is configured to perform operations including moving an object placed on the end effector of the robotic arm through a set of sensors of the manufacturing system. The controller is also configured to perform an operation including receiving, from the set of sensors of the manufacturing system, a first set of signals each indicative of a current shape of the object placed on the end effector. The controller is also configured to perform an operation including determining whether each of the first set of signals corresponds to one of a second set of signals. In that case, each of the second set of signals indicates a predefined shape for at least one of a process kit or a process kit carrier. The controller is also configured to perform an operation including determining a correspondence relationship between the center of the object and the center of the end effector in response to determining that each of the first set of signals corresponds to each respective signal of the second set of signals. The determined correspondence relationship indicates whether the current placement of the object on the end effector meets a target placement criterion.

[0005]

[0005] In some embodiments, the non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instruction commands that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations including moving an object placed on an end effector of a robotic arm through a set of sensors of a manufacturing system. The processing device is also configured to perform operations including receiving, from the set of sensors of the manufacturing system, a first set of signals each indicative of a current shape of the object placed on the end effector. The processing device is also configured to perform operations including determining whether each of the first set of signals corresponds to one of a second set of signals, where each of the second set of signals indicates a predefined shape for at least one of a process kit or a process kit carrier. The processing device is also configured to perform operations including determining a correspondence between a center of the object and a center of the end effector in response to determining that each of the first set of signals corresponds to respective signals of the second set of signals. The determined correspondence indicates whether a current placement of the object on the end effector meets a target placement criterion.

[0006]

[0006] The present disclosure is shown by way of example and not limitation, and like reference numerals in the accompanying drawings indicate similar elements. Note that different references to "an" or "one" embodiment in the present disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

[0007] A top schematic view of an exemplary manufacturing system according to multiple aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 2A

[0008] A side view of a station of a manufacturing system including one or more sensors according to multiple aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

Figure 2B

Figure 3A

[0009] An end effector of a robotic arm according to multiple aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

Figure 3B

[0010] An end effector for moving a substrate process kit and a substrate process kit carrier to a station of a manufacturing system according to multiple aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

Figure 4

[0011] A flowchart of a method for obtaining a signal indicating the shape of a process kit and / or a process kit carrier according to multiple aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

Figure 5

[0012] A flowchart of a method for determining a correspondence between the center of a process kit and / or a process kit carrier and the center of an end effector according to multiple aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

Figure 6A

[0013] A sensor of a manufacturing system for detecting a substrate process kit at a target placement on an end effector according to multiple aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

Figure 6B

[0014] A signal generated by a sensor at an entrance of a station of a manufacturing system according to multiple aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

Figure 6C

Figure 6D

Figure 7A

[0015] A sensor of a manufacturing system for detecting a process kit and a carrier at a target placement on an end effector according to multiple aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

Figure 7B

[0016] A signal generated by a sensor at an entrance of a station of a manufacturing system according to multiple aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

Figure 7C

Figure 7D

Figure 8A

[0017] Shows a sensor of a manufacturing system that detects a process kit on the end effector of a robotic arm according to multiple aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 8B

[0018] Indicates a signal generated by a sensor at the entrance of a station of a manufacturing system according to multiple aspects of the present disclosure.

Figure 8C

Figure 8D

Figure 9

[0019] Shows a diagrammatic representation of a machine in an exemplary form of a computing device, in which a set of instruction commands for causing the machine to execute any one or more of the methods described herein may be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008]

[0020] The embodiments described in this specification relate to methods and systems for finding the center of a process kit or process kit carrier in a manufacturing system. A process kit (also called a process ring or edge ring) can be placed in a processing chamber of a manufacturing system to maintain a substrate in a specific location and / or position during processing. The process kit begins to deteriorate over time and can be replaced with a new process kit. In some embodiments, the end effector of a robotic arm can engage one or more portions of the process kit (i.e., be removed from or moved into the processing chamber). The robotic arm can move the process kit ring to various stations of the manufacturing system. In other or similar embodiments, a process kit ring carrier (also called a carrier) can engage the process kit ring. The end effector of the robotic arm can engage the carrier to move the process kit in and out of the processing chamber.

[0009]

[0021] The process kit is placed in a specific location (referred to as a target position) within the processing chamber. If the process kit is not placed in the target position before the process is executed in the processing chamber, the process kit may not be able to properly maintain the substrate in a specific location and / or position during processing. The substrate may contain a significant number of defects. The process kit and / or carrier can be placed in a specific arrangement (referred to as a target arrangement) on the end effector to enable the end effector to place the process kit in the target position. The process kit and / or carrier can be placed in the target position relative to the center of the end effector. For example, the process kit and / or carrier is placed in the target position of the end effector when the center of the process kit and / or carrier corresponds (is substantially aligned) with the center of the end effector.

[0010]

[0022] Conventionally, when an end effector engages with a process kit and / or a carrier, the manufacturing system attempts to place the process kit and / or the carrier in the target placement of the end effector. However, when the end effector moves the process kit and / or the carrier into or out of the processing chamber, the placement of the process kit and / or the carrier may shift. When the end effector starts to place the process kit, if the process kit and / or the carrier are in the target placement of the end effector, the end effector may not place the process kit at the target position in the processing chamber. Further, when a robotic arm moves the process kit and / or the carrier into the processing chamber, if the process kit and / or the carrier are in the target placement, the process kit and / or the carrier may become detached from the end effector or damage other equipment of the manufacturing system. Such damage can be difficult and costly to repair. That is, at least a part of the manufacturing system may become unusable for a considerable period. If a part of the manufacturing system cannot be used for a long time, the efficiency and yield of the entire manufacturing system may decrease.

[0011]

[0023] The methods and systems of this specification use a plurality of sensors positioned at various stations of a manufacturing system to detect the placement of a process kit and / or carrier on an end effector before the end effector places the process kit and / or carrier at a particular station (e.g., a processing chamber) of the manufacturing system. In some embodiments, a set of sensors may be disposed at the entrance of a station of the manufacturing system, and each sensor may include a first element and a second element. The end effector may move the process kit and / or carrier between the first element and the second element when moving the process kit and / or carrier toward or away from the entrance of the station. Each sensor may detect whether the end effector or the process kit and / or carrier blocks a signal transmitted between the first element and the second element when the end effector moves the process kit and / or carrier, and may transmit data indicating whether the signal for each sensor is blocked or not blocked for each sensor to a system controller. The system controller receives data from each sensor and determines whether the shape of the signal for each sensor corresponds to a respective signal indicating a pre-defined shape for the process kit and / or carrier. In response to determining that each signal corresponds to a respective signal, the system controller determines the correspondence between the center of the process kit and / or carrier and the center of the end effector. The determined correspondence indicates whether the placement of the process kit and / or carrier on the end effector meets a target placement criterion. The system controller may determine, based on the determined correspondence, whether an adjustment to the process recipe for the robotic arm can be made to cause the end effector to place the process kit and / or carrier at the target position of the station. In response to determining that an adjustment can be made, the system controller may make an adjustment to cause the end effector to place the process kit and / or carrier at the target position.If the system controller determines that adjustment cannot be performed, the system controller may send a message indicating that the process kit and / or carrier cannot be placed at the target position of the station to the operator of the manufacturing system.

[0012]

[0024] Multiple embodiments of the present disclosure address the drawbacks of the conventional systems described above. This is because, in this embodiment, the system controller of the manufacturing system can perform on-the-fly adjustment to the process recipe for the robotic arm before the end effector places the process kit and / or carrier at the station. A plurality of sensors positioned at the entrance of the station can detect the current shape of the process kit and / or carrier. The system controller can identify the center of the process kit and / or carrier based on the detected current shape, and based on the identified center, can determine whether the process kit and / or carrier is placed at the target placement on the end effector. The system controller can determine whether an adjustment to the process recipe for the robotic arm can be made based on the placement of the process kit and / or carrier on the end effector such that the end effector can place the process kit and / or carrier at the target position of the station. By adjusting the process recipe for the robotic arm based on the determined placement of the process kit and / or carrier on the end effector, the likelihood that the end effector can place the process kit and / or carrier at the target position of the station is increased. For each process kit placed at the target position of the processing chamber, the number of defects in the substrate processed in the processing chamber decreases. As a result, the efficiency and overall yield of the entire manufacturing system are improved. Further, in some cases, the system controller can determine that an adjustment to the process recipe for the robotic arm cannot be made such that the end effector can place the process kit at the target position of the station, and can send an error message to the operator of the manufacturing system. When the system controller sends an error message to the operator and does not attempt to place the process kit at the target position, the likelihood that the process kit and / or carrier will disengage from the end effector and / or damage the equipment of the manufacturing system is reduced.As a result, the total number of expensive repairs to the manufacturing system is reduced, and the total operating time of each part of the manufacturing system increases.

[0013]

[0025] FIG. 1 is a top schematic view of an exemplary manufacturing system according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The manufacturing system 100 can perform one or more processes on a substrate 102. The substrate 102 can be any suitable rigid, dimensionally stable, planar article (e.g., a silicon-containing disk or wafer, a patterned wafer, a glass plate, etc.) suitable for manufacturing electronic devices or circuit components thereon.

[0014]

[0026] The manufacturing system 100 can include a process tool 104 and a factory interface 106 coupled to the process tool 104. The process tool 104 can include a housing 108 having a transfer chamber 110 therein. The transfer chamber 110 can include one or more process chambers (also referred to as processing chambers) 114, 116, 118 disposed around and coupled to the transfer chamber 110. The process chambers 114, 116, 118 can be coupled to the transfer chamber 110 via respective ports such as slit valves.

[0015]

[0027] Process chambers 114, 116, 118 can be adapted to perform any number of processes on substrate 102. In each process chamber 114, 116, 118, the same or different substrate processes can be performed. Substrate processes can include atomic layer deposition (ALD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), etching, annealing, curing, pre-cleaning, removal of metals or metal oxides, and the like. In one embodiment, a PVD process can be performed in one or both of process chambers 114, an etching process can be performed in one or both of process chambers 116, and an annealing process can be performed in one or both of process chambers 118. Other processes can also be performed on substrate 102 within the process chambers. Process chambers 114, 116, 118 can each include a substrate support assembly. The substrate support assembly can be configured to hold substrate 102 in place while the substrate process is being performed.

[0016]

[0028] As described above, the etching process can be performed in one or more of the processing chambers 114, 116, 118. Thus, some of the process chambers 114, 116, 118 (such as etching chambers) can include a process kit (also referred to as an edge ring or process kit ring) placed on the surface of the substrate support assembly. An exemplary process kit can include process kit 310 of FIG. 3B. In some embodiments, the process kit can be exchanged from time to time. The exchange of process kits in conventional systems involves the disassembly of process chambers 114, 116, 118 by an operator to replace the process kit, but the manufacturing system 100 can be configured to facilitate the replacement of the process kit without the disassembly of process chambers 114, 116, 118 by an operator.

[0017]

[0029] In some embodiments, process chambers 114, 116, 118 may include a carousel (also referred to as a susceptor). The carousel may be disposed within the internal space of process chambers 114, 116, 118 and may be configured to rotate about the axis center of process chambers 114, 116, 118 during a process (e.g., a deposition process) to ensure that process gas is uniformly distributed. In some embodiments, the carousel may include one or more end effectors configured to handle one or more objects. For example, the end effector may be configured to hold a substrate, a process kit, and / or a process kit carrier. According to the plurality of embodiments described herein, one or more sensors may be disposed in process chambers 114, 116, 118 and may be configured to detect the placement of an object on the end effector of the carousel.

[0018]

[0030] Transfer chamber 110 may also include a transfer chamber robot 112. The transfer chamber robot 112 may include one or more arms. In that case, each arm may include one or more end effectors at the end of each arm. The end effector may be configured to handle a specific object such as a substrate. Alternatively or additionally, the end effector may be configured to handle a process kit (i.e., using a process kit carrier). In some embodiments, the transfer chamber robot 112 may be a selective compliance assembly robot arm (SCARA) robot such as a 2-link SCARA robot, a 3-link SCARA robot, a 4-link SCARA robot, etc.

[0019]

[0031] The load lock 120 can also be coupled to the housing 108 and the transfer chamber 110. The load lock 120 can be configured to interact with and be coupled to the transfer chamber 110 on one side and the factory interface 106 on the other side. In some embodiments, the load lock 120 can have an environmentally controlled atmosphere that can change from a reduced pressure environment (where substrates are transferred in and out of the transfer chamber 110) to an inert gas environment at or near atmospheric pressure (where substrates are transferred in and out of the factory interface 106). In some embodiments, the load lock 120 can be a stacked load lock having a pair of upper internal chambers and a pair of lower internal chambers positioned at different vertical heights (e.g., one above the other). In some embodiments, the pair of upper internal chambers can be configured to receive processed substrates from the transfer chamber 110 for removal from the process tool 104. On the other hand, the pair of lower internal chambers can be configured to receive substrates from the factory interface 106 for processing within the process tool 104. In some embodiments, the load lock 120 can be configured to perform a substrate process (e.g., etching or pre-cleaning) on one or more substrates 102 received therein.

[0020]

[0032] The factory interface 106 can be any suitable housing (e.g., an equipment front-end module (EFEM), etc.). The factory interface 106 can be configured to receive the substrate 102 from a substrate carrier 122 (e.g., a front-opening unified pod (Fops)) docked to various load ports 124 of the factory interface 106. A factory interface robot 126 (shown in dashed lines) can be configured to transfer the substrate 102 between the substrate carrier (also called a container) 122 and the load lock 120. In other and / or similar embodiments, the factory interface 106 can be configured to receive replacement parts (e.g., a process kit) from a replacement parts storage container 123. The factory interface robot 126 can include one or more robot arms and can be or include a SCARA robot. In some embodiments, the factory interface robot 126 can have more links and / or degrees of freedom than the transfer chamber robot 112. The factory interface robot 126 can include an end effector on the end of each robot arm. The end effector can be configured to pick up and handle a specific object such as a substrate or a process kit. Alternatively or additionally, the end effector can be configured to handle an object such as a process kit (e.g., using a process kit carrier).

[0021]

[0033] Any conventional type of robot can be used for the factory interface robot 126. The transfer can be performed in any order or in any direction. In some embodiments, the factory interface 106 can be maintained, for example, in a slightly positive pressure non-reactive gas environment (e.g., using nitrogen as the non-reactive gas).

[0022]

[0034] In some embodiments, the transfer chamber 110, the process chambers 114, 116, and 118, and the load lock 120 can be maintained at a reduced pressure level. The manufacturing system 100 can include one or more vacuum ports coupled to one or more stations of the manufacturing system 100. For example, a first vacuum port 130a can couple the factory interface 106 to the load lock 120. A second vacuum port 130b can be coupled to the load lock 120 and can be disposed between the load lock 120 and the transfer chamber 110.

[0023]

[0035] In some embodiments, one or more sensors can be included in one or more stations of the manufacturing system 100. For example, one or more sensors can be included within the transfer chamber 110 at or near the ports (i.e., inlets) of the processing chambers 114, 116, 118. The end effector of a robotic arm (e.g., of the transfer chamber robot 112) can move the substrate 102 and / or the process kit (i.e., using a process kit carrier) such that the one or more sensors are passed when the substrate 102 and / or the process kit is inserted into and removed from the process chambers 114, 116, 118. Each sensor can be configured to detect the substrate 102 and / or the process kit and / or the carrier when the end effector inserts and removes the substrate 102 and / or the process kit and / or the carrier into and out of the process chambers 114, 116, 118. Each sensor can be further configured to detect the shape of the substrate 102 and / or the process kit on the end effector when the end effector enters and exits the process chambers 114, 116, 118. Further details regarding the one or more sensors are provided herein.

[0024]

[0036] Manufacturing system 100 may also include a system controller 128. The system controller 128 can be and / or include a computing device such as a personal computer, a server computer, a programmable logic controller (PLC), a microcontroller, etc. The system controller 128 can include one or more processing devices that can be general-purpose processing devices such as a microprocessor or a central processing unit. More specifically, the processing device can be a complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor, a very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, or a processor that implements other instruction sets or a combination of instruction sets. The processing device can also be one or more dedicated processing devices such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), a network processor, etc. The system controller 128 can include a data storage device (e.g., one or more disk drives and / or solid-state drives), main memory, static memory, a network interface, and / or other components. The system controller 128 can execute instruction commands for executing any one or more of the methods and / or embodiments described herein. The instruction commands can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can include main memory, static memory, secondary storage devices, and / or processing devices (during the execution of the instruction commands).

[0025]

[0037] In one embodiment, the system controller 128 may execute an instruction to move an object (i.e., the substrate 102 and / or the process kit) from a first station (e.g., the load lock 120) of the manufacturing system 100 to a second station (e.g., the process chambers 114, 116, 118) of the manufacturing system 100 to the end effector of the robot arm (e.g., of the transfer chamber robot 112). In response to executing the instruction to move the object from the first station to the second station, the system controller 128 may receive a set of signals from one or more sensors included at the entrance to the first station or the second station. Each signal may indicate the current shape of the object placed on the end effector of the robot arm. In some embodiments, the system controller 128 may determine the position of the object placed on the end effector of the robot arm based on each signal received from the one or more sensors. For example, the system controller 128 may compare the current shape of the process kit and / or the carrier with a pre-defined shape for the process kit and / or the carrier and determine whether the current shape corresponds to the pre-defined shape for the process kit and / or the carrier. In response to determining that the current shape corresponds to the pre-defined shape for the process kit and / or the carrier, the system controller 128 may identify a first set of coordinates corresponding to the center of the process kit and / or the carrier based on the received signals. The system controller 128 may compare the first set of coordinates corresponding to the center of the process kit and / or the carrier with a second set of coordinates corresponding to the center of the end effector and determine the correspondence between the first set of coordinates and the second set of coordinates. In accordance with the plurality of embodiments described herein, the system controller 128 may determine whether the center of the process kit and / or the carrier is placed at a target position relative to the center of the end effector based on the determined correspondence of the coordinates.

[0026]

[0038] Multiple embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to identifying the center of a process kit and / or carrier placed on an end effector of a robotic arm (e.g., of a transfer chamber robot or a factory interface robot), but it should be noted that multiple embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to identifying the center of a process kit and / or carrier placed on other components of a manufacturing system. For example, according to multiple embodiments described herein, a process kit and / or carrier can be placed on an end effector of a rotating carousel or a rotating susceptor in process chambers 114, 116, 118. According to the multiple embodiments described above, one or more sensors can be disposed within a process chamber to detect the position of a process kit and / or carrier on the rotating carousel. According to multiple embodiments described herein, one or more sensors can transmit a signal to a system controller 128 as described above, and the system controller 128 can detect the center of a process kit and / or carrier on the rotating susceptor based on the received signal.

[0027]

[0039] FIGS. 2A-2B show side views of a station of a transfer chamber 110 including one or more sensors 218 according to multiple aspects of the present disclosure. Some embodiments of the present disclosure include one or more sensors 218 included within a transfer chamber 110, but it should be noted that one or more sensors 218 can be included within any station of the manufacturing system 100. For example, one or more sensors 218 can be included within a factory interface 106 at an inlet of a load lock 120 and / or at an inlet of a substrate carrier 122 or a replacement part storage container 123. In another example, one or more sensors 218 can be disposed within process chambers 114, 116, 118 of the manufacturing system 100.

[0028]

[0040] The exemplary transfer chamber 110 generally includes a bottom 202, sidewalls 204, and a lid 206 that surround the process space 208. In some embodiments, process chambers such as the process chambers 114, 116, 118 of FIG. 1 can be coupled (e.g., bolted) to the exterior of the transfer chamber 110. Ports 210 to the process chambers can be provided between the transfer chamber 110 and the process chambers. In some embodiments, a door can be provided within the port 210 to the process chamber. The door can seal the environment of the process chamber from the environment of the transfer chamber during a manufacturing process (e.g., an etching process).

[0029]

[0041] As described with respect to FIG. 1, the transfer chamber 110 can include a transfer chamber robot 112. As previously described, the transfer chamber robot 112 can include a robotic arm 212 and an end effector 214 at the end of the robotic arm 212. In further or alternative embodiments, as previously described, the end effector 214 can be part of the rotating carousel of the process chambers 114, 116, 118. The transfer chamber robot 112 can be configured to transfer substrates 102, process kits, carriers, etc. between the transfer chamber 110 and the process chambers 114, 116, 118. For example, the end effector 214 of the robotic arm 212 can pick up a process kit and / or a carrier (e.g., the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 of FIG. 3B) from the load lock 120 of the manufacturing system 100 and move the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 into the transfer chamber 110. It should be noted that some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to the transfer chamber robot 112, but multiple embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to any robot (e.g., the factory interface robot 126) included within the manufacturing system. It should also be noted that multiple embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to any robot operating in a vacuum environment or a non-vacuum environment.

[0030]

[0042] In some embodiments, the transfer chamber robot 112 can transfer the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 between the transfer chamber 110 and the process chambers 114, 116, 118 via the port 210. The port 210 can be selectively sealed by a valve (e.g., a slit valve) to separate the environment of the transfer chamber 110 from the environments of the process chambers 114, 116, 118. Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to the transfer chamber robot 112 that moves the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 between the transfer chamber 110 and the process chambers, but it should be noted that multiple embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to the transfer of any object (e.g., the substrate 102, etc.) between the transfer chamber 110 and the process chambers.

[0031]

[0043] As described above, the end effector 214 of the robotic arm 212 can pick up the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 from the first station of the manufacturing system 100 and move the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 to the second station of the manufacturing system 100. Additionally or alternatively, the end effector 214 of the rotary carousel can pick up the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 within the process chambers 114, 116, 118. The rotary carousel can rotate the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 placed on the end effector 214 within the process chambers 114, 116, 118.

[0032]

[0044] FIGS. 3A and 3B show the end effector 214 of the robotic arm 212 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the end effector 214 may include two or more blades 314. Each blade 314 may be configured to interact with a portion of an object (e.g., a substrate, a process kit 310, a process kit carrier 312, etc.). In an exemplary embodiment, the robotic arm 212 may move the end effector 214 below the process kit 310 such that each blade 314 is placed under the process kit 310 at the first station of the manufacturing system 100, and may move the end effector 214 towards the process kit 310 to engage the (one or more) blades 314 with the process kit 310. In other or similar embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3B, the process kit 310 may be placed on the carrier 312. The robotic arm 212 may move the end effector 214 below the process kit 310 and the carrier 312 such that each blade 314 is placed under the process kit 310 and the carrier 312, and may move the end effector 214 towards the process kit 310 and the carrier 312 to engage the (one or more) blades 314 with the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312. In some embodiments, the carrier 312 may include one or more components (e.g., pins) configured to engage with one or more sockets of each blade 314 of the end effector 214. In other or similar embodiments, the carrier 312 may include one or more sockets configured to engage with one or more components (e.g., pins) of each blade 314 of the end effector 214.

[0033]

[0045] In some embodiments, the robotic arm 212 can engage each blade 314 of the end effector 214 with the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312. Thereby, the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 are placed in a target placement on the end effector 214. The process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 can be placed in a target placement on the end effector 214 when a particular portion of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 corresponds to a particular portion of the end effector 214 (e.g., is positioned substantially above or below it). For example, the process kit 310 can be placed in a target placement on the end effector 214 when the center 322 of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 corresponds to the center 316 of the end effector 214. In some embodiments, the center 316 of the end effector 214 can be identified by a particular reference feature such as a reference feature 318 included on a portion of the end effector 214. In other or similar embodiments, the center 316 of the end effector 214 can be identified as a particular position relative to a particular reference feature such as the reference feature(s) 320, or as a particular reference position specified in the end effector 214. For example, the center 316 of the end effector 214 can be positioned between the blades 314 of the end effector 214. In some embodiments, the system controller 128 can identify the center 316 of the end effector 214 based on the length of each blade 314 of the end effector 214 and the width between each blade 314. In other or similar embodiments, the system controller 128 can identify the center 316 of the end effector 214 based on the distance between the reference features 320.

[0034]

[0046] Multiple embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to the target placement of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 considering the center 316 of the end effector 214. It should be noted that the target placement of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 can be determined considering any part of the end effector 214 (e.g., the end of one or more blades 314, the list of the end effector 214, etc.). For example, in some embodiments, the end effector 214 may not include the blade 314 and may include other or additional components for supporting the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312. The target placement of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 can be determined considering other or additional components of the end effector 214.

[0035]

[0047] The system controller 128 can associate the identified center 316 of the end effector 214 with specific coordinates (e.g., Cartesian coordinates, etc.). For the purposes of the present disclosure, the system controller 128 can associate the identified center 316 of the end effector 214 with the coordinates (0, 0). However, it should be noted that the system controller 128 can associate the identified center 316 or other part of the end effector 214 with any coordinates. In accordance with multiple embodiments described herein, the system controller 128 can identify the center 322 of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 disposed on the end effector 214 and can determine the correspondence between the center 316 of the end effector 214 and the center of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312.

[0036]

[0048] As described above, the robotic arm 212 can engage the end effector 214 with the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312, and can move the end effector 214 and the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 from the first station to the second station of the manufacturing system 100. The robotic arm 212 can position the process kit 310 at or near the target position of the second station. In some embodiments, in accordance with the plurality of embodiments described herein, the robotic arm 212 can position the process kit and / or the carrier 312 at the target position in consideration of the correspondence between the center 316 of the end effector 214 and the center of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312. In some embodiments, the second station can be the process chambers 114, 116, 118, and the robotic arm 212 can position the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 on or near the substrate support assembly of the process chambers 114, 116, 118. The substrate support assembly can include one or more components (e.g., lift pins) configured to receive the process kit 310 on the surface of the substrate support assembly. The robotic arm 212 can cause the end effector 214 to place the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 on one or more components of the substrate support assembly. In response to the robotic arm 212 placing the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 on one or more components of the substrate support assembly, the robotic arm 212 can cause the end effector 214 to disengage the process kit 310 and can move the end effector 214 out of the process chambers 114, 116, 118. One or more components of the substrate support assembly can place the process kit 310 at the target position directly above the surface of the substrate support assembly. Subsequently, the process can be executed in the process chambers 114, 116, 118.

[0037]

[0049] In some embodiments, the robotic arm 212 and / or the end effector 214 may include a directional encoder (referred to as an encoder) to determine a specific position of the end effector 214 within the manufacturing system 100.

[0038]

[0050] Referring back to FIGS. 2A-2B, the lid 206 of the transfer chamber 110 may include a window 216 disposed proximate to the port 210 (e.g., the inlets of the process chambers 114, 116, 118). A sensor 218 may be disposed on or in the vicinity of the window 216. Thereby, the sensor 218 can visually recognize the end effector 214 and a portion of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 as the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 pass through the port 210. The window 216 may be made of quartz or other material that does not substantially interfere with the detection mechanism of the sensor 218. In some embodiments, one or more elements of the sensor 218 may be disposed on the exterior of the window 216 to isolate the sensor 218 from the environment of the transfer chamber 110.

[0039]

[0051] In some embodiments, the sensor 218 may be a through-beam sensor. For example, the sensor 218 may include a first element 219A and a second element 219B. In some embodiments, the first element 219A can be a transmitting element configured to emit a signal 220 (e.g., a light beam) through the window 216 towards a second element 219B disposed at the bottom 202 of the transfer chamber 110. In such embodiments, the second element 219B can be a receiving element configured to receive the signal 220 emitted by the first element 219A. The sensor 218 can determine that an object (e.g., the end effector 214, the substrate 102, the process kit 310, the carrier 312, etc.) is not disposed at or near the port 210 as long as the signal 220 is being received by the second element 219B. As shown in FIG. 2A, neither the end effector 214 nor the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 is disposed at or near the port 210. Accordingly, the signal 220 emitted by the first element 219A is received by the second element 219B. As shown in FIG. 2B, the robotic arm 212 has moved the end effector 214, which supports the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312, near the port 210. As a result, the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 blocks the signal 220 emitted by the first element 219A from being received by the second element 219B. Accordingly, the sensor 218 can detect that an object (e.g., the end effector 214, the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312) is disposed at or near the port 210.

[0040]

[0052] In other or similar embodiments, sensor 218 can be a reflective sensor. For example, the first element 219A can be configured to emit a signal 220 as described above, and the second element 219B can be configured to reflect the signal 220 back to the first element 219A. In such embodiments, the first element 219A can be further configured to determine whether an object is disposed at or near port 210 by determining whether the signal 220 emitted from the first element 219A is reflected by the second element 219B and returned to the first element 219A. As shown in FIG. 2A, neither the end effector 214 nor the process kit 310 and / or carrier 312 is disposed at or near port 210. Accordingly, the signal 220 emitted by the first element 219A is reflected by the second element 219B and returned to the first element 219B. As shown in FIG. 2B, the robotic arm 212 has moved the end effector 214, which supports the process kit 310 and / or carrier 312, near port 210. The process kit 310 and / or carrier 312 prevents the signal 220 from being reflected by the second element 219B and returned to the first element 219A. Accordingly, sensor 218 can detect that an object (e.g., the end effector 214, the process kit 310 and / or carrier 312) is disposed at or near port 210.

[0041]

[0053] In other or similar embodiments, sensor 218 can be any sensor configured to detect whether an object is disposed at or near port 210. For example, sensor 218 can be an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a mechanical optical switch, a Hall effect sensor, a reed switch, or another type of detection mechanism suitable for detecting an object disposed at or near port 210.

[0042]

[0054] As described above, FIG. 3B shows an end effector that moves a process kit 310 and / or a carrier 312 to a station 330 of a manufacturing system according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the station 330 can be a processing chamber such as processing chambers 114, 116, 118 of FIG. 1. In other or similar embodiments, the station 330 can be any station described with respect to FIG. 1 or any other station included within the manufacturing system. One or more sensors, such as sensor 218 of FIGS. 2A-2B, can be disposed at or near an entrance 332 (e.g., port 210) to the station in accordance with the embodiments described above. Each of the one or more sensors 218 can be configured to generate signals corresponding to different portions of an object entering or exiting the station 330. For example, a first sensor 218A can generate a first signal for a first portion of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312, a second sensor 218B can generate a second signal for a second portion of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312, and a third sensor 218C can generate a third signal for a third portion of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312. When the end effector 214 moves the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 toward or away from the entrance 332, one or more portions of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 can trigger the sensors (i.e., block the signals of the sensors 218). As the end effector 214 continues to move the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 toward or away from the entrance, one or more portions of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 that blocked the signal 220 generated by the sensor 218 can no longer block the signal (i.e., the signal is received by the transmitting element 219A and / or the receiving element 219B). Each sensor 218 can generate data associated with its respective signal.That data indicates moments in time when a portion of the process kit 310 and / or carrier 312 blocks or does not block the signal 220 as the end effector 214 moves the process kit 310 and / or carrier 312 toward or away from the inlet 332. Further details regarding the signal generated by the sensor 218 are provided herein.

[0043]

[0055] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method 400 for obtaining a signal indicative of the shape of a process kit and / or carrier, according to various aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method 500 for determining a correspondence between the center of a process kit and / or carrier and the center of an end effector, according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The methods 400 and 500 may be performed by processing logic that may include hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, etc.), software (e.g., executed on a general purpose computer system or a dedicated machine), firmware, or any combination thereof. Some operations of the methods 400 and 500 may be performed by a processing device, such as the system controller 128 of FIG. 1.

[0044]

[0056] For simplicity of explanation, the methods 400 and 500 are depicted and described as a series of acts. However, the acts of the present disclosure may occur in various orders and / or concurrently, and may be performed in conjunction with other acts not presented or described herein. Furthermore, not all illustrated acts may be performed to implement a method in accordance with the disclosed subject matter. Additionally, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand and appreciate that these methods may alternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states via a state diagram or events.

[0045]

[0057] Next, referring to FIG. 4, at block 410, the process kit and / or carrier is placed at the target position of the end effector of the robotic arm. In some embodiments, the process kit can be a calibration process kit and / or the carrier can be a calibration carrier. The calibration process kit and / or carrier can be specifically designed to collect data associated with the signal of sensor 218. In that case, the data indicates the shape of the process kit and / or carrier placed on end effector 214. For example, the calibration process kit and / or carrier can include specific features (such as alignment features, pins, or other components for engaging with the end effector, etc.) that enable the calibration process kit and / or carrier to be displaced to the target position of the end effector.

[0046]

[0058] In other or similar embodiments, the process kit can be process kit 310 shown in FIG. 3B, and the carrier can be carrier 312. In such embodiments, one or more measurements can be performed to identify the center 322 of process kit 310 and / or carrier 312. In response to identifying the center 322 of process kit 310 and / or carrier 312, process kit 310 and / or carrier 312 can be placed in the target arrangement of end effector 214. As described above, process kit 310 and / or carrier 312 can be placed in the target arrangement of end effector 214 when the center 322 of process kit 310 and / or carrier 312 corresponds to the center 316 of end effector 214. In some embodiments, when process kit and / or carrier 312 is placed on end effector 214, if center 322 is substantially aligned with center 316 (i.e., directly above or below), then center 322 corresponds to center 316. In other or similar embodiments 322, when process kit 310 and / or carrier 312 is placed on end effector 214, if center 322 is positioned within a specific distance range from center 316, then center 322 corresponds to center 316.

[0047]

[0059] In some embodiments, an operator of the manufacturing system can place the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 in the target placement of the end effector 214. In other or similar embodiments, one or more automated components of the manufacturing system (e.g., the transfer chamber robot 110) can engage the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312. Thereby, the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 are placed in the target placement of the end effector 214 according to the embodiments described above. Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a process kit 310 and / or a carrier 312 placed at the target position of the end effector 214, but it should be noted that a calibration process kit and / or a calibration carrier can be placed at the target position of the end effector 214 according to the embodiments described above.

[0048]

[0060] FIG. 6A shows a process kit 310 placed in the target placement of the end effector 214. As shown in FIG. 6A, the center 322 of the process kit 310 corresponds to (i.e., is substantially aligned with) the center 316 of the end effector 214. FIG. 7A shows a process kit carrier 312 placed in the target placement of the end effector 214. As shown in FIG. 7A, the center 322 of the carrier 312 corresponds to the center 316 of the end effector 214.

[0049]

[0061] Referring back to FIG. 4, at block 420, the processing device moves the process kit 310 and / or the process kit carrier 312 in the vicinity of a set of sensors of the manufacturing system. In some embodiments, as described with respect to FIG. 3B, the set of sensors can include sensors 218A, B, and / or C. As shown in FIG. 6A, the robotic arm 212 moves the end effector 214 and the process kit 310 towards the station 330 of the manufacturing system. As previously described, the first element 219A of each sensor can transmit a signal 220 to the second element 219B. When no object is placed between the first element 219A and the second element 219B, the second element 219B can receive the signal 220 from the first element 219A and / or reflect the signal 220 back to the first element 219A (i.e., the signal transmitted between the first element 219A and the second element 219B is not blocked or "not blocked"). In response to detecting that the signal 220 has been received or reflected by the second element 219A, each sensor can detect that no object is placed between the first element 219A and the second element 219B. The detection that no object is placed between the first element 219A and the second element 219B of each sensor is referred to as the first state of the signal 220. In response to detecting that the signal 220 has not been received or reflected by the second element 219B, each sensor can detect that an object is placed between the first element 219A and the second element 219B (i.e., the signal 220 is blocked between the first element 219A and the second element 219B). The detection that an object is placed between the first element 219A and the second element 219B of each sensor is referred to as the second state of the signal 220. Each sensor 218 can detect a change in the state of the signal 220 when an object passes between the first element 219A and the second element 219B. In response to detecting a change in the state of the signal 220, each sensor 218 can send an instruction to a computing system (such as the system controller 128) for the manufacturing system. The system controller 128 can track the change in the state of the signal over time for each sensor 218.

[0050]

[0062] FIGS. 6B-6D depict graphs 610-630 showing the change in the state of each signal 220 transmitted by the first element 219A of each of the sensors 218A, B, and C when the robotic arm 212 moves the end effector 214 and the process kit 310 towards the station 330. In some embodiments, the state of each signal 220 can be the state received by the system controller 128 from each of the sensors 218A, B, C according to the plurality of embodiments described above.

[0051]

[0063] Figure 6B depicts a graph 610 showing the change in the state of a signal 612 transmitted by a first element 219A of a sensor 218A as an end effector 214 and a process kit 310 move towards a station 330. During a first time interval (i.e., T0 - T3), neither the end effector 214 nor the process kit 310 is positioned between a first element 219A and a second element 219B of the sensor 218A (i.e., the signal transmitted by the first element 219A of the sensor 218A is "not blocked"). The sensor 218A may send a notification to the system controller indicating that the sensor 218A is not blocked. As seen in Figure 6B, the signal 612 is associated with a first state (e.g., a value of 1) during the first time interval. At time T3, an edge 614 of the process kit 310 moves between the first element 219A and the second element 219B of the sensor 218A. As a result, the signal transmitted by the first element 219A of the sensor 218A is blocked. The sensor 218A may detect this change in the state of the signal 612 and send a notification to the system controller 128 indicating that the sensor 218A is blocked at time T3. As seen in Figure 6B, the signal 612 is associated with a second state (e.g., a value of 0) at time T3. The signal of the sensor 218A may remain blocked until time T5. Note that in various embodiments of the present disclosure, the first state of the signal is associated with a value of 1 and the second state of the signal is associated with a value of 0, but various states of the signal may be associated with any value. At time T5, another edge of the process kit 310 passes the sensor 218A and the signal of the sensor 218A is no longer blocked. The sensor 218A may detect this change in the state of the signal 612 and send a notification to the system controller 128 indicating that the sensor 218A is not blocked at time T5. As seen in Figure 6B, the signal 612 is associated with the first state at time T5.

[0052]

[0064] Sensor 218A can detect a change in the state of signal 612 when end effector 214 and process kit 310 are moved into station 330. Graph 610 shows the shape resulting from signal 612 after process kit 310 has been moved into station 330. In some embodiments, the shape resulting from signal 612 can correspond to the shape of process kit 310 placed on end effector 214. For example, the change in the signal state at time T3 can correspond to the outer diameter of the process kit, and the change in the signal state at time T5 can correspond to the inner diameter of the process kit. As shown in FIG. 6B, another change in the signal state is detected at times T11 and T13. The change in the signal state at time T11 can correspond to the inner diameter of the process kit, and the change in the signal state at time T13 can correspond to the outer diameter of the process kit.

[0053]

[0065] FIGS. 6C and 6D depict graphs 620 and 630, respectively, showing changes in the states of signals 622 and 632 transmitted by first elements 219A of sensors 218B and 218C when end effector 214 and process kit 310 are moved toward station 330 according to the embodiments described above. Each of graphs 620 and 630 shows the shape resulting from signals 622 and 632 after process kit 310 has been moved into station 330. In that case, the shape resulting from each of signals 622 and 632 corresponds to the shape of process kit 310 placed on end effector 214 as described above.

[0054]

[0066] In some embodiments, the end effector 214, or other components of the robotic arm 212, can be placed between the first element 219A and the second element 219B of the respective sensor 218. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6C, between times T3 and T10, the process kit 310 or a portion of the end effector 214 does not block the signal 622 of the sensor 218B. At time T10, the edge 624 of the end effector 214 blocks the signal 622 of the sensor 218B. In some embodiments, the end effector 214 can completely block the signal 622. In such embodiments, in accordance with the plurality of embodiments described above, the sensor 218B can detect that the state of the signal 622 has changed from not blocked to blocked, and can send a notification to the system controller 128. In other or similar embodiments, the end effector 214 can partially block the signal 622. An object can partially block the signal when the strength or intensity of the signal transmitted from the first element 219A is greater than the strength or intensity of the signal when received by the second element 219B. In some embodiments, this can occur when the object is made of a material that prevents a portion of the signal from being transmitted to the second element 219B but allows another portion of the signal to be transmitted to the second element 219B. The sensor 218B can determine that the signal 622 has been partially blocked. As seen in FIG. 6C, the signal 622 is associated with a third state (e.g., a value between 1 and 0) at time T10. The end effector 214 can partially block the signal 622 until time T15. At time T15, the edge 626 of the process kit 310 is moved between the first element 219A and the second element 219B of the sensor 218B. The sensor 218B can detect the change in the state of the signal 622 and can send a notification to the system controller 128 indicating that the sensor 218B is blocked at time T15. As seen in FIG. 6C, the signal 622 is associated with a second state at time T15. At time T16, the edge 628 of the process kit 310 is moved between the first element 219A and the second element 219B of the sensor 218B.As shown in FIG. 6A, at time T16, signal 622 is no longer blocked by process kit 310, but is blocked by end effector 214. Thus, sensor 218B can detect a change in the state of signal 622 and can send a notification to system controller 128 indicating that sensor 218B is partially blocked at time T16.

[0055]

[0067] Sensors 218A - C can detect a change in the state of a signal in accordance with the multiple embodiments described above, depending on process kit carrier 312 (with or without a process kit). FIGS. 7B - 7D depict graphs 710 - 730 showing the change in the state of each signal 712, 722, 732 transmitted by the first element 219A of each sensor 218A - C when robot arm 212 moves end effector 214, process kit 310, and carrier 312 towards station 330. The resulting shape of each signal 712, 722, and 732 can correspond to the shape of process kit 310 and process kit carrier 312 placed on end effector 214 in accordance with the multiple embodiments described above.

[0056]

[0068] In block 430, the processing device (i.e., system controller 128) receives a signal indicating the shape of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312. As described above, each sensor 218A - C can send a message to the system controller 128 about the change in each state of a signal (e.g., signals 612, 622, 632, 712, 722, 732, etc.). The system controller 128 can receive each message and identify the time of change in each state of each signal. The system controller 128 can track the change in the state of each signal over time, as shown in FIGS. 6B - 6D and FIGS. 7B - 7D. As described above, the change in the state of each signal over time can correspond to the current state of the process kit and / or the carrier 312 disposed in the end effector 214. Thus, the system controller 128 can associate the specific shape of each signal with the current shape of the process kit and / or the carrier 312, as shown in FIGS. 6B - 6D and FIGS. 7B - 7D. As described above, the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 are disposed in the target configuration of the end effector 214. Thus, the shape of each signal corresponds to the target shape of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312.

[0057]

[0069] In block 440, a processing device (e.g., system controller 128) stores a signal indicating the shape of process kit 310 and / or carrier 312 in a data store 130 such as the data store of FIG. 1. In some embodiments, system controller 128 may store data received from each of sensors 218A - C used to identify the shape of each signal. For example, system controller 128 may store data indicating a change in the state of a particular signal (e.g., a change from value 1 to value 0) and a time stamp indicating the instant in time when the change occurred. In some embodiments, system controller 128 may store additional data associated with the signal. For example, system controller 128 may store data associated with the strength of the signal. System controller 128 may also store data associated with process kit 310 and / or carrier 312 that is associated with each particular signal. For example, system controller 128 may store data indicating the type of material used to form one or more portions of process kit and / or carrier 312.

[0058]

[0070] As described above, FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method 500 for determining a correspondence between the center 322 of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 and the center 316 of the end effector 214. In block 510, the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 are moved to pass through two or more sensors of the manufacturing system. The process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 can be placed on an end effector (e.g., of a robotic arm or a rotating carousel). For example, the transfer chamber robot 112 or the factory interface robot 126 can move the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 to pass through two or more sensors according to the multiple embodiments described above. In another example, an end effector of a rotating carousel within the process chamber can move the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 to pass through two or more sensors. FIG. 8A shows the process kit 310 placed on the end effector 214 of the robotic arm according to the multiple embodiments described above. The following multiple embodiments are described with respect to determining the correspondence between the center 322 of the process kit 310 and the center 316 of the end effector 214, but the same or similar multiple embodiments can be applied to determine the correspondence between the center of the carrier 312 (with or without the process kit 310) and the center 316 of the end effector 214.

[0059]

[0071] In some embodiments, two or more sensors can be any of the sensors 218A - C depicted in FIGS. 2A - 2B and 3. As described above, one or more of the sensors 218A - C can include a first element 219A (i.e., a signal - transmitting element) and a second element 219B (i.e., a signal - receiving element). The sensor can detect the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 by detecting a change in the state of a signal transmitted by the first element 219A of the sensor in response to the robot arm 212 moving the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312 between the first element 219A and the second element 219B, according to the embodiments described above. FIGS. 8B - 8D depict graphs 810 - 830 showing changes in the states of signals 812, 822, and 832 transmitted by the first elements 219A of the sensors 218A - C, respectively, when the end - effector 214 and the process kit 310 move towards the station 330, according to the embodiments described above. Each graph 810, 820, and 830 shows the resulting shape of the signals 812, 822, and 832 after the process kit 310 has been moved into the station 330. In that case, the resulting shape that can occur for each of the signals 812, 822, and 832 corresponds to the shape of the process kit 310 placed on the end - effector 214.

[0060]

[0072] In block 520, the processing device receives a first signal indicating the current shape of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312. As described above, each sensor 218A - C can send a message to the system controller 128 about the change in each state of a signal (e.g., signals 812, 822, 832, etc.). The system controller 128 can receive each message and can determine the time of the change in each state of each signal. The system controller can track the change over time of the state of each signal, as shown in the graphs 810, 820, and 830 of FIGS. 8B - 8D.

[0061]

[0073] In block 530, the processing device determines whether the first signal corresponds to a second signal indicating a predefined shape of the process kit and / or the process kit carrier. As described above, the system controller 128 may receive a signal indicating the shape of the process kit and / or the carrier disposed at the target position of the end effector 214. The system controller 128 may store data corresponding to the shape of the process kit and / or the carrier at the target position of the end effector 214 in the data store 130. The system controller 128 may identify data for the second signal indicating the predefined shape of the process kit from the data store 130. In response to receiving the first signal indicating the current shape of the process kit 310 and / or the carrier 312, the system controller 128 may compare the data for the first signal with the data for the second signal to determine whether the current shape of the process kit 310 corresponds to the predefined shape of the process kit.

[0062]

[0074] In an exemplary embodiment, the system controller 128 may refer to the data store 130 and identify data associated with the signal 612. The system controller 128 compares the data obtained for the signal 812 with the data associated with the signal 612 to determine whether the difference between the signals 612 and 812 meets a difference criterion. As described above, the shape resulting from the signal 612 after the process kit is placed in the target placement of the end effector 214 may correspond to the shape of the process kit placed on the end effector 214. The change in the signal at times T3 and T13 may correspond to the outer diameter of the process kit, and the change in the signal state at times T5 and T11 may correspond to the inner diameter. The system controller 128 may determine, based on the signal 812, each instant at which the state of the signal of the sensor 218A changes between state 1 and state 0. For example, the system controller 128 may determine that the state of the signal of the sensor 218A changes from state 1 to state 0 at time T2, from state 0 to state 1 at time T4, from state 1 to state 0 at time T10, and from state 0 to state 1 at time T12. The system controller may determine that the change in the signal state at times T2 and T12 corresponds to the outer diameter of the object, and the change in the signal state at times T4 and T10 corresponds to the inner diameter of the object.

[0063]

[0075] The system controller can compare the shape of signal 812 with the shape of signal 612 to determine whether the current shape of process kit 310 (indicated by signal 812) corresponds to the target shape of the process kit. In some embodiments, the system controller 128 determines whether the number of signal state changes included in signal 812 corresponds to the number of signal states included in signal 612 (i.e., whether the number of detected edges for process kit 310 corresponds to the number of edges for the target process kit), and thereby can determine that the current shape of process kit 310 corresponds to the target shape of the process kit. If the difference between the number of signal state changes included in each signal satisfies a difference threshold, the number of signal state changes included in signal 812 can correspond to the number of signal state changes included in signal 612. For example, the difference threshold can be 1. Since signals 612 and 812 each include four signal state changes, the difference between the number of signal state changes included in each signal satisfies the difference threshold. In another embodiment, the system controller 128 can determine that the current shape of process kit 310 corresponds to the target shape of the process kit by determining whether the state change of signal 812 occurs within a threshold time interval compared to the state change of signal 612. For example, the system controller 128 can determine that a set of state changes of signal 812 includes state changes at times T2 and T4, and another set of state changes of signal 612 includes state changes at times T3 and T5. The threshold time interval can be a value of 2 (e.g., 2 seconds). The system controller can determine that the difference between a first state change (e.g., the state change at time T2) of a set of state changes of signal 812 and a second state change (the state change at time T3) of another set of state changes of signal 612 satisfies the threshold time interval. In some embodiments, the system controller 128 can compare each set of state changes of signal 812 with another corresponding set of state changes of signal 612 and determine whether the difference between each state change satisfies the threshold time interval.In response to determining that the difference between the state changes of signals 812 and 612 satisfies a threshold time interval, system controller 128 may determine that the current state of process kit 310 corresponds to the target shape of the process kit.

[0064]

[0076] In another exemplary embodiment, system controller 128 may reference data store 130 and identify data associated with signal 712. The system controller may compare the data associated with signal 812 with the data associated with signal 712 to determine whether the shape of signal 812 corresponds to the shape of signal 712, in accordance with the multiple embodiments described above. For example, system controller 128 may determine that the number of signal state changes included in signal 812 (i.e., four state changes) does not correspond to the number of signal state changes included in signal 712 (i.e., six state changes). System controller 128 may also determine, in accordance with the multiple embodiments described above, that the state changes of 812 do not occur within a time threshold interval compared to the state changes of signal 712. Thus, system controller 128 may determine that the current shape of the signal for an object (e.g., process kit 310) does not correspond to the shape of the signal for the process kit.

[0065]

[0077] In some embodiments, system controller 128 may determine that the object placed on the end effector is expected to be process kit 310 (i.e., based on the process recipe). In such multiple embodiments, system controller 128 may identify specific data stored in data store 130 that corresponds to a predefined shape for the process kit. System controller 128 may determine whether the current shape of the object corresponds to the predefined shape of the process kit, in accordance with the multiple embodiments described above.

[0066]

[0078] Referring back to FIG. 5, in response to determining that the first signal does not correspond to a second signal indicating a pre-specified shape for the process kit and / or carrier, the processing device may determine that the current shape of the process kit 310 does not correspond to the pre-specified shape for the process kit. In such a case, method 500 may proceed to block 570. At block 570, the processing device may send an error message to an operator of the manufacturing system. In some embodiments, the error message may indicate that the current shape of the process kit 310 does not correspond to the pre-specified shape for the process kit and / or carrier.

[0067]

[0079] In response to determining that each of the first set of signals corresponds to each respective signal of the second set of signals, the processing device may determine that the current shape of the process kit corresponds to the pre-specified shape for the process kit and / or the process kit carrier. In such a case, method 500 may proceed to block 540. At block 540, the processing device may determine the correspondence between the center 322 of the process kit 310 and the center 316 of the end effector 214. The correspondence may refer to the difference between the current placement of the process kit 310 on the end effector 214 and the target placement of the process kit on the end effector. As described above, the process kit (and / or carrier) is placed in the target placement on the end effector 214 when the center of the process kit corresponds to (e.g., is substantially aligned with) the center 316 of the end effector 214. The center 316 of the end effector 214 may be identified according to the plurality of embodiments described above. As described above, the system controller 128 may associate the identified center 316 of the end effector 214 with a particular coordinate, such as a particular coordinate (e.g., Cartesian coordinates, etc.) such as (0, 0).

[0068]

[0080] The system controller 128 can identify the center 322 of the process kit 310 based on the shapes of the monitored signals 812, 822, 832 when the process kit 310 is moved toward or away from the station 330. As described above, each change in the signal state detected by the sensor 218 indicates an edge of the process kit 310. The system controller 128 can associate each change in the signal state included in the signals 812, 822, 832 with an edge of the process kit 310 and can associate each edge with a specific portion of the process kit 310. For example, the system controller 128 can associate the first state change of each signal 812, 822, 832 with the outer diameter of the process kit 310. In another example, the system controller 128 can associate the second state change of each signal 812, 822, 832 with the inner diameter of the process kit 310.

[0069]

[0081] In some embodiments, the system controller 128 can determine whether a particular state change corresponds to an edge of the process kit 310 placed between the first element 219A and the second element 219B of a particular sensor 218 or to another object. For example, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8D, the sensor 218C can detect that a portion of an object (e.g., the blade of the end effector 214) is placed between the first element 219A and the second element 219B of the sensor 218C at time T3. The system controller 128 can determine whether the amount of time the object blocks the first element 219A and the second element 219B of the sensor 218C corresponds to the amount of time that a portion of the process kit is expected to block the sensor 218C. For example, the system controller 128 can determine that a portion of the process kit blocks the emitting element for about 2 seconds (e.g., based on signals 612, 622, 632). The system controller 128 can determine that the sensor 218C is blocked for only about 0.5 seconds starting from time T3. Thus, the system controller 128 can determine that the object (i.e., the blade of the end effector 214) blocking the sensor 218C at time T3 does not correspond to the process kit. In such embodiments, the system controller 128 can evaluate the signal 832 to identify the subsequent instant when the object blocks the sensor 218 for the expected interval. In response to identifying the subsequent instant, the system controller 128 can determine that the first instant in time of the identified time interval corresponds to the detection of an edge of the process kit 310 and can associate the corresponding edge with a particular portion of the process kit 310. As shown in FIG. 8D, the system controller 128 can identify the time interval between times T4 and T6 that corresponds to an edge of the process kit. Thus, the system controller 128 can determine that time T4 is the first state change of the signal 832 and can associate the state change at time TX with an edge at the outer diameter of the process kit 310.

[0070]

[0082] In response to associating each edge with a particular portion of the process kit 310, the system controller 128 may execute a center detection algorithm to identify the center of the process kit 310. The system controller 128 may assign each associated edge to specific coordinates relative to the center 316 of the end effector 214. The system controller 128 may then identify a set of edges that are co-circular with other edges detected by the sensor 218. For example, the system controller 128 may determine that the edges associated with the state changes at time T2 in signal 812, time T1 in signal 822, and time T4 in signal 832 are the same circle because the geometric shape of each edge is a co-circular shape. The system controller 128 may group each edge of the set of edges into a group of three coordinates to define both a triangle and a circle.

[0071]

[0083] In response to defining triangles and circles for each group of a set of edges, system controller 128 can calculate the center and radius of a defined circle based on the distance between each of a particular group of edges. In some embodiments, system controller 128 can identify the distance between each of a particular group of edges based on the distance between each sensor at the entrance of station 330. In other or similar embodiments, system controller 128 can identify the distance between each of a particular group of edges based on the speed at which end effector 214 moves towards station 330 and the amount of time between changes in each signal state detected by sensor 218. System controller 128 can calculate the center and radius of each defined circle for each group of a set of edges and can identify the center and radius corresponding to the center of process kit 310. For example, system controller 128 can determine the center and radius of process kit 310 based on the average center and radius for each group of a set of edges. In response to identifying the center and radius of process kit 310, system controller 128 can assign coordinates to the determined center relative to the center of end effector 214. For example, the system controller can determine the position of center 322 of process kit 310 and can assign coordinates (0, 1) to center 322.

[0072]

[0084] Referring back to FIG. 5, in block 540, the processing device can determine the correspondence between the coordinates of the center of process kit 310 and the coordinates of the center of end effector 214. System controller 128 can determine the correspondence between the center 322 of process kit 310 and the center of end effector 214 based on the distance between the coordinates corresponding to center 316 and center 322. For example, system controller 128 can identify that the difference between center 322 and center 316 is (0, +1). Thus, the correspondence between center 316 and center 322 is (0, +1).

[0073]

[0085] In block 550, the processing device may determine whether the determined correspondence satisfies the target placement criteria. The system controller 128 may determine that the determined correspondence satisfies the target placement criteria based on the determination that the distance between the center 322 and the center 316 does not exceed the value of the threshold difference. In response to determining that the correspondence satisfies the target placement criteria, method 500 may proceed to block 560. In response to determining that the correspondence does not satisfy the target placement criteria, method 500 may proceed to block 570.

[0074]

[0086] In block 560, the processing device may adjust the process recipe associated with the robotic arm to place the process kit 310 at the target position in the station of the manufacturing system 100 on the end effector. The system controller 128 may modify the process recipe associated with the robotic arm 212 to place the process kit 310 at the target position of the station 330 on the end effector 214. For example, the system controller 128 may determine that the process kit 310 is placed slightly to the right of the target placement on the end effector 214 based on the determined correspondence between the center 322 and the center 316. Accordingly, the system controller 128 may adjust the process recipe associated with the robotic arm in consideration of the placement of the process kit 310 on the end effector 214 and place the process kit 310 at a position slightly to the left of the target position of the station 330.

[0075]

[0087] FIG. 9 shows a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the exemplary form of a computing device that can execute a set of instructions for causing the machine to execute any one or more of the methods described herein. In alternative embodiments, the machine may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines in a local area network (LAN), intranet, extranet, or the Internet. The machine may function as a server or a client machine in a client-server network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine may be a personal computer (PC), tablet PC, set-top box (STB), personal digital assistant (PDA), cellular phone, web appliance, server, network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing a set of (sequential or otherwise) instructions that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, the term "machine" shall also be taken to include any collection of machines (e.g., computers) that individually or jointly execute a set of (or multiple sets of) instructions to perform any one or more of the methods described herein. In multiple embodiments, computing device 900 may correspond to system controller 128 of FIG. 1.

[0076]

[0088] Exemplary computing device 900 includes processing device 902, main memory 904 (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such as read only memory (ROM), flash memory, synchronous DRAM), static memory 906 (e.g., flash memory, static random access memory (SRAM), etc.), and secondary memory (e.g., data storage device 928), which communicate with each other via bus 908.

[0077]

[0089] The processing device 902 may represent one or more general-purpose processors such as a microprocessor or a central processing unit. More specifically, the processing device 902 may be a complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor, a very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, or a processor that implements other instruction sets, or a combination of instruction sets. The processing device 902 may also be one or more special-purpose processing devices such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), a network processor, etc. The processing device 902 may also be a system-on-chip (SoC), a programmable logic controller (PLC), or other types of processing devices. The processing device 902 is configured to execute processing logic (instruction 926) for performing the operations and steps described herein.

[0078]

[0090] The computing device 900 may further include a network interface device 922 for communicating with the network 964. The computing device 900 may also include a video display unit 910 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), an alphanumeric input device 912 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 914 (e.g., a mouse), and a signal generation device 920 (e.g., a speaker).

[0079]

[0091] The data storage device 928 may include a machine-readable storage medium (or more specifically, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) 924 in which one or more instruction sets 926 that embody one or more of the methods or functions described herein are stored. Here, the non-transitory storage medium refers to a storage medium other than a carrier wave. These instructions 926 may also be present, in whole or at least in part, in the main memory 904 and / or in the processing device 902 while being executed by the computing device 900, and the main memory 904 and the processing device 902 also constitute a computer-readable storage medium.

[0080]

[0092] The computer-readable storage medium 924 may also be used to store the instruction commands 926. The computer-readable storage medium 924 may also store a software library including a method for calling the instruction commands 926. In one embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium 924 is shown as a single medium, but the term "computer-readable storage medium" should be understood to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized database, or a distributed database, and / or related caches and servers) that store one or more sets of instruction commands. The term "computer-readable storage medium" should also be interpreted to include any medium that can store or encode a set of instruction commands executable by a machine and that cause the machine to execute any one or more of the methods of the present disclosure. Therefore, the term "computer-readable storage medium" should be interpreted to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memory, optical media, and magnetic media.

[0081]

[0093] The foregoing description sets forth numerous specific details, such as examples of particular systems, components, methods, etc., to provide a good understanding of some embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that at least some embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known components or methods are not described in detail or are presented in a simple block diagram format to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure. Thus, the specific details described are merely exemplary. Particular embodiments may still be considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure, different from these exemplary details.

[0082]

[0094] Throughout this specification, references to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that the particular features, structures, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. In addition, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". When the terms "about" or "substantially" are used in this specification, it is intended to mean that the recited nominal value is accurate within ±10%.

[0083]

[0095] The operations of the methods of this specification are illustrated and described in a particular order, but the order of operations of each method may be changed such that certain operations are performed in the reverse order and certain operations are performed at least partially concurrently with other operations. In another embodiment, the instructions or sub-operations of separate operations may be intermittent and / or alternating.

[0084]

[0096] It should be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the above description. Accordingly, the scope of the disclosure should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Claims

1. Moving an object placed on an end effector so as to pass through a plurality of sensors of a manufacturing system, Receiving, from the plurality of sensors of the manufacturing system, a first plurality of signals each indicating a current shape of the object placed on the end effector, Determining whether each of the first plurality of signals corresponds to one of a second plurality of signals, each of the second plurality of signals indicating a predefined shape for at least one of a process kit or a process kit carrier, and Determining a correspondence relationship between the center of the object and the center of the end effector in response to determining that each of the first plurality of signals corresponds to each respective signal of the second plurality of signals, the determined correspondence relationship indicating whether the current placement of the object on the end effector meets a target placement criterion, the method comprising determining the correspondence relationship.

2. Determining the correspondence relationship between the center of the object and the center of the end effector comprises Identifying the center of the object based on each of the first plurality of signals, and Determining a distance between the center of the object and the center of the end effector, The correspondence relationship between the center of the object and the center of the end effector is determined based on the determined distance, the method according to claim 1.

3. Identifying the center of the object comprises Determining a first set of coordinates based on each of the first plurality of signals, each of the first set of coordinates corresponding to an edge of the object, and Calculating at least a second coordinate corresponding to the center of the object based on each of the first set of coordinates, the method according to claim 2.

4. Determining, based on a process recipe, that the object placed on the end effector is expected to include at least one of a process kit or a process kit carrier, and In response to determining that one or more of the first plurality of signals indicating the current shape of the object do not correspond to each of the second plurality of signals indicating a predefined shape for at least one of the process kit or the process kit carrier, further comprising determining that the object does not correspond to at least one of the process kit or the process kit carrier, the method of claim 1.

5. One or more of the plurality of sensors include a transmitting element and a receiving element, and each sensor is configured to detect the current shape of the object in response to the end effector moving the object between the transmitting element and the receiving element, the method of claim 1.

6. Determining that a signal among the first plurality of signals corresponds to each of the second plurality of signals comprises: Based on the signal, identifying a first time interval during which the end effector moves a portion of the object between the transmitting element and the receiving element of a first sensor among the plurality of sensors, and Determining whether the first time interval corresponds to a second time interval associated with each of the second plurality of signals, In response to determining that the first time interval corresponds to the second time interval, determining that the signal corresponds to each of the signals, the method of claim 5.

7. Determining whether the current placement of the object on the end effector meets the target placement criteria based on the determined correspondence, and In response to determining that the current placement does not meet the target placement criteria, further comprising modifying a process recipe associated with the end effector to cause the end effector to place the object at a target position in a station of the manufacturing system, the method of claim 1.

8. Determining whether the current placement of the object on the end effector meets an alignment correction criterion, and Further comprising determining that, in response to determining that the current placement does not meet the placement correction criteria, the current placement of at least one of the process kit or the process kit carrier on the end effector cannot be corrected by modifying the process recipe associated with the end effector, the method of claim 7.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the object comprises the process kit, the process kit carrier, the process kit coupled to the process kit carrier, or the process kit coupled to the process kit carrier and further comprising a substrate.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of sensors are disposed within a processing chamber of the manufacturing system, and the end effector is coupled to a rotating carousel of the processing chamber.

11. A robotic arm including an end effector, and A manufacturing system comprising a controller operably coupled to the robotic arm, the controller being configured to Move an object disposed on the end effector through a plurality of sensors of the manufacturing system, Receive, from the plurality of sensors of the manufacturing system, a first plurality of signals each indicative of a current shape of the object disposed on the end effector, Determining whether each of the first plurality of signals corresponds to one of a second plurality of signals, each of the second plurality of signals indicative of a predefined shape for at least one of a process kit or a process kit carrier, and Determining a correspondence between the center of the object and the center of the end effector in response to determining that each of the first plurality of signals corresponds to a respective signal of the second plurality of signals, the determined correspondence indicating whether the current placement of the object on the end effector meets a target placement criteria, including determining the correspondence. A manufacturing system adapted to perform the operation.

12. To determine the correspondence between the center of the object and the center of the end effector, the controller Identifying the center of the object based on each of the first plurality of signals, and performing an operation including determining a distance between the center of the object and the center of the end effector The manufacturing system according to claim 11, wherein the correspondence between the center of the object and the center of the end effector is determined based on the determined distance. **Claim 13** To identify the center of the object, the controller determining a first set of coordinates based on each of the first plurality of signals, each of the first set of coordinates corresponding to an edge of the object, and performing an operation including calculating at least a second coordinate corresponding to the center of the object based on each of the first set of coordinates, the manufacturing system according to claim 12. **Claim 14** The controller determining, based on a process recipe, that the object disposed on the end effector is expected to include at least one of a process kit or a process kit carrier, and determining that the object does not correspond to at least one of the process kit or the process kit carrier in response to determining that one or more of the first plurality of signals indicating the current shape of the object do not correspond to each of the second plurality of signals indicating a predefined shape for at least one of the process kit or the process kit carrier, the manufacturing system according to claim 11, further including performing an operation. **Claim 15** One or more of the plurality of sensors include a transmitting element and a receiving element, and each sensor is configured to detect the current shape of the object in response to the end effector moving the object between the transmitting element and the receiving element, the manufacturing system according to claim 11. **Claim 16** To determine whether a signal among the first plurality of signals corresponds to each of the second plurality of signals, the controller identifying a first time interval based on the signal for the end effector to move a part of the object between the transmitting element and the receiving element of a first sensor among the plurality of sensors, and performing an operation including determining whether the first time interval corresponds to a second time interval associated with each of the second plurality of signals The manufacturing system according to claim 15, wherein in response to a determination that the first time interval corresponds to the second time interval, the signal is determined to correspond to each of the signals

17. The controller determining, based on the determined correspondence, whether the current placement of the object on the end effector meets the target placement criteria, and further including, in response to determining that the current placement does not meet the target placement criteria, modifying a process recipe associated with the end effector to cause the end effector to place the object at a target position in a station of the manufacturing system

18. The manufacturing system according to claim 11, wherein the robotic arm is at least one component of a factory interface robot of a factory interface in the manufacturing system or a transfer chamber robot of a transfer chamber in the manufacturing system

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instruction commands, which, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to move an object placed on an end effector to pass through a plurality of sensors of a manufacturing system receive, from the plurality of sensors of the manufacturing system, a first plurality of signals each indicating a current shape of the object placed on the end effector determining whether each of the first plurality of signals corresponds to one of a second plurality of signals, each of the second plurality of signals indicating a predefined shape for at least one of a process kit or a process kit carrier In response to determining that each of the first plurality of signals corresponds to each signal of the second plurality of signals, determining a correspondence between the center of the object and the center of the end effector, wherein the determined correspondence indicates whether the current placement of the object on the end effector meets a target placement criterion, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium causing an operation to be performed, the operation including determining the correspondence.

20. To determine the correspondence between the center of the object and the center of the end effector, the processing device identifies the center of the object based on each of the first plurality of signals, and determines a distance between the center of the object and the center of the end effector, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 19, wherein the correspondence between the center of the object and the center of the end effector is determined based on the determined distance. performs operations including:

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