Alignment apparatus, substrate transfer system, alignment method, and program

Abstract

To stabilize processing on a substrate.SOLUTION: An alignment device comprises a support unit, an edge sensor, an alignment information acquisition unit, and an abnormality determination unit. The support unit supports each of a substrate and a ring member used in predetermined processing on the substrate as a work-piece. The edge sensor acquires edge position information showing an edge position of the work-piece supported by the support unit. The alignment information acquisition unit acquires alignment information for performing alignment of the work-piece on the basis of the edge position information. The abnormality determination unit determines presence / absence of abnormality of the work-piece on the basis of the edge position information and predetermined pieces of determination information that are predetermined for the substrate and the ring member, respectively.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an alignment apparatus, a substrate transfer system, an alignment method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an alignment device equipped with a line sensor that detects the edge of a wafer. This alignment device detects the edge of a bonded wafer including a silicon wafer and a wafer support glass substrate, and switches between detecting the edge of the silicon wafer and the edge of the wafer support glass substrate in a predetermined case. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-181721 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides an alignment apparatus, a substrate transfer system, an alignment method, and a program that are useful for stabilizing processing on a substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An alignment device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a support unit, an edge sensor, an alignment information acquisition unit, and an abnormality determination unit. The support unit supports, as workpieces, a substrate and a ring member used during a predetermined process on the substrate. The edge sensor acquires edge position information indicating the edge position of the workpiece supported by the support unit. The alignment information acquisition unit acquires alignment information for aligning the workpiece based on the edge position information. The abnormality determination unit determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece based on the edge position information and predetermined discrimination information for each of the substrate and the ring member.

[0006] An alignment method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes supporting a substrate and a ring member used during a predetermined process on the substrate as workpieces on a support portion, acquiring edge position information indicating the edge position of the workpiece supported by the support portion, acquiring alignment information for aligning the workpiece based on the edge position information, and determining whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece based on the edge position information and predetermined discrimination information for each of the substrate and the ring member.

[0007] A program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to support a substrate and a ring member used during a predetermined process on the substrate as workpieces on a support portion, acquire edge position information indicating the edge position of the workpiece supported by the support portion, acquire alignment information for aligning the workpiece based on the edge position information, and determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece based on the edge position information and predetermined discrimination information for each of the substrate and the ring member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, an alignment apparatus, a substrate transfer system, an alignment method, and a program useful for stabilizing processing on a substrate are provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a transport system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing an example of the configuration of an alignment device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of the support portion and the lift portion. [Figure 4] Figure 4(a) is a plan view schematically showing an example of an alignment device in a state where it supports a substrate, and Figure 4(b) is a plan view schematically showing an example of an alignment device in a state where it supports a ring member. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing how the edge position of the substrate is detected by the edge sensor. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing how the edge position of the ring member is detected by the edge sensor. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the controller. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the controller. [Figure 9] 9(a), 9(b), 9(c), and 9(d) are schematic diagrams showing examples of multiple types of workpieces. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a table showing an example of the discrimination information. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a workpiece transport process. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the first stage of an example of alignment preparation processing. [Figure 13] Fig. 13(a) is a graph showing an example of an edge profile, and Fig. 13(b) is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for calculating the center position of a workpiece. [Figure 14] Fig. 14(a) is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for extracting candidate regions for a positioning section, and Fig. 14(b) is a schematic diagram showing an example of a reference shape of a positioning section. [Figure 15]FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the latter part of an example of the alignment preparation process. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the controller. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the alignment preparation process. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an example of a hand. [Figure 19] Fig. 19(a) is a plan view showing an example of a hand in a state where it holds a substrate, and Fig. 19(b) is a plan view showing an example of a hand in a state where it holds a ring member. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a plan view for explaining the relationship between the holding position of the substrate and the holding position of the ring member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the description, identical elements or elements having identical functions are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. Some drawings show a Cartesian coordinate system defined by an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis. In the following embodiment, the Z-axis corresponds to the vertical direction, and the X-axis and Y-axis correspond to the horizontal direction.

[0011] [Transportation system] The transfer system 1 (substrate transfer system) shown in FIG. 1 is a system that transfers workpieces while adjusting at least one of the posture and position of the workpieces. The transfer system 1 transfers at least two types of workpieces. The workpieces to be transferred by the transfer system 1 include a substrate W1 and a ring member W2. The transfer system 1 may transfer the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 at different times. The transfer system 1 may transfer the ring member W2 during a period that does not overlap with the period during which the transfer of the substrate W1 is performed.

[0012] The substrate W1 may be formed in a disk shape. A specific example of the substrate W1 is a circular semiconductor wafer. The ring member W2 is formed in an annular shape (see FIG. 2). The ring member W2 is a member used when performing a predetermined process on the substrate W1. Examples of the predetermined process on the substrate W1 include plasma processing (etching), CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition), ashing, and annealing. The ring member W2 may be arranged to cover or surround the periphery of the substrate W1 placed on the mounting table during the predetermined process on the substrate W1. The ring member W2 may be used to protect peripheral components such as the mounting table or to improve the quality of the process during the predetermined process on the substrate W1. The ring member W2 may be a focus ring, an edge ring, a cover ring, or a shield ring.

[0013] The outer diameter of the substrate W1 may be smaller than the outer diameter of the ring member W2. The difference between the outer diameter of the ring member W2 and the outer diameter of the substrate W1 may be larger than the difference between the inner diameter of the ring member W2 and the outer diameter of the substrate W1. The outer diameter of the substrate W1 may be approximately the same as the inner diameter of the ring member W2. The difference between the outer diameter of the ring member W2 and the outer diameter of the substrate W1 may be equal to or smaller than the difference between the inner diameter of the ring member W2 and the outer diameter of the substrate W1.

[0014] The transfer system 1 is provided in a substrate processing apparatus that sequentially performs predetermined processes on a plurality of substrates W1. The transfer system 1, for example, individually transfers an unprocessed substrate W1 and an unused ring member W2 at different times within a transfer chamber of the substrate processing apparatus. In one example, when transferring the substrate W1, the transfer system 1 adjusts the attitude and position of the substrate W1 before transferring it to a predetermined target position. When transferring the ring member W2, the transfer system 1 adjusts the attitude and position of the ring member W2 before transferring it to a predetermined target position.

[0015] The transfer system 1 may transfer each of the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 as workpieces based on instructions from a host controller provided in the substrate processing apparatus. The transfer system 1 may start transferring a workpiece upon receiving a transfer instruction from the host controller without obtaining information indicating the type of workpiece to be transferred from the host controller. The transfer system 1 may start transferring a workpiece without knowing what type of workpiece it will transfer. The transfer system 1 includes, for example, a robot device 10 and an alignment device 30.

[0016] (Robot device) The robot device 10 includes, for example, a transfer robot 12 and a robot controller 110. The transfer robot 12 individually loads and unloads the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 into and out of the alignment device 30. Specifically, when the workpiece is the substrate W1, the transfer robot 12 loads and unloads the substrate W1 into and out of the alignment device 30, and when the workpiece is the ring member W2, the transfer robot 12 loads and unloads the ring member W2 into and out of the alignment device 30.

[0017] The transfer robot 12 has, for example, a transfer arm 16, a base 18, and an elevator 22. The transfer arm 16 has, for example, a hand 14, a first arm 24, and a second arm 26. The hand 14 supports the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 individually. The hand 14 may support the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 in any holding manner. Specific examples of holding manners by the hand 14 include holding by suction and gripping.

[0018] The base 18 is installed at a predetermined position within the substrate processing apparatus (for example, inside a transfer chamber). The base 18 may be fixed to the bottom surface of the substrate processing apparatus, or may be fixed to a movable part that moves horizontally within the substrate processing apparatus. The lifting part 22 protrudes vertically upward from the base 18 and is capable of moving up and down along a vertical axis Ax1.

[0019] The first arm 24 is connected to the upper end of the lifting unit 22. The first arm 24 extends horizontally from the upper end of the lifting unit 22 and is rotatable around an axis Ax1. The second arm 26 extends further horizontally from the tip of the first arm 24 and is rotatable around a vertical axis Ax2 that passes through the tip of the first arm 24. The tip of the second arm 26 is connected to the base end of the hand 14. The hand 14 is rotatable around a vertical axis Ax3 that passes through the tip of the second arm 26.

[0020] The transfer arm 16 may have multiple actuators for moving the hand 14. At least some of the multiple actuators may be provided inside the base 18 instead of the transfer arm 16. The multiple actuators may include, for example, an actuator that rotates the first arm 24 about the axis Ax1, an actuator that rotates the second arm 26 about the axis Ax2, and an actuator that rotates the hand 14 about the axis Ax3. An example of the actuator included in the transfer arm 16 is an electric actuator that includes a power source such as an electric motor. The transfer robot 12 has an elevation actuator that raises and lowers the elevation unit 22 along the axis Ax1.

[0021] The position of the hand 14 in the horizontal direction (the XY plane in the figure) is changed by controlling the actuators that rotate the first arm 24 and the second arm 26. The height position of the hand 14 (the position in the Z-axis direction in the figure) is changed by controlling the lifting actuator that raises and lowers the lifting unit 22. The configuration of the transport robot 12 is one example, and the transport robot 12 may be configured in any way as long as the position and orientation (posture) of the hand 14 in the horizontal direction and the height position of the hand 14 can be freely adjusted. As described above, the transport robot 12 supports and transports the substrate W1 or ring member W2 with the hand 14.

[0022] The robot controller 110 is a controller that controls the transfer robot 12 (each actuator) so as to move the hand 14 to a target position, a target posture, and a target height. The configuration of the robot controller 110 will be described in detail later.

[0023] (Alignment device) The alignment device 30 may adjust the posture of the workpiece received from the transfer robot 12 and detect the center position of the workpiece. If the workpiece is a substrate W1, the alignment device 30 may adjust the posture of the substrate W1 received from the transfer robot 12 and detect the center position of the substrate W1. If the workpiece is a ring member W2, the alignment device 30 may adjust the posture of the ring member W2 received from the transfer robot 12 and detect the center position of the ring member W2. After the horizontal position of the hand 14 of the transfer robot 12 is adjusted based on the center position of the workpiece (substrate W1 or ring member W2) detected by the alignment device 30, the hand 14 receives the workpiece and adjusts the center position of the workpiece.

[0024] The alignment device 30 includes, for example, an attitude adjustment unit 32 and an alignment controller 130. The attitude adjustment unit 32 is a unit that detects the edge position of the workpiece and adjusts the attitude of the workpiece. As shown in Fig. 2, the attitude adjustment unit 32 includes a base 34, a support unit 40, a rotation drive unit 50, a lift unit 60, an elevation drive unit 70, and an edge sensor 90. The base 34 is installed at a predetermined position within the substrate processing apparatus (for example, within a transfer chamber).

[0025] The support unit 40 supports the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 as workpieces. In the present disclosure, supporting the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 as workpieces includes supporting only the substrate W1 as a workpiece, supporting only the ring member W2 as a workpiece, and simultaneously supporting both the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 as workpieces. The following describes an example in which the support unit 40 supports either the substrate W1 or the ring member W2 as a workpiece. In this case, the support unit 40 does not support the ring member W2 while supporting the substrate W1, and does not support the substrate W1 while supporting the ring member W2.

[0026] The support part 40 is disposed above the base 34 and is rotatable around the central axis CAx. The central axis CAx is set, for example, to pass through the base 34 and follow a vertical line. When the workpiece is a substrate W1, the support part 40 supports the substrate W1 at multiple points P1 surrounding the central axis CAx. When the workpiece is a ring member W2, the support part 40 supports the ring member W2 at multiple points P2 surrounding the central axis CAx. The support part 40 horizontally supports the substrate W1 and horizontally supports the ring member W2.

[0027] The support part 40 may have a rotatable part 49, a plurality of substrate support parts 41, and a plurality of ring support parts 42. The rotatable part 49 is rotatably provided around a central axis CAx. The rotatable part 49 includes a cylindrical rotating part 43 and a plurality of rotating arms 44 extending radially outward from the rotating part 43. The plurality of substrate support parts 41 simultaneously support the substrate W1 at a plurality of points P1 surrounding the central axis CAx. The plurality of ring support parts 42 simultaneously support the ring member W2 at a plurality of points P2 surrounding the central axis CAx.

[0028] The multiple points P1 are located on a circumference around the central axis CAx. The multiple points P1 may be arranged at equal intervals on the circumference around the central axis CAx. The diameter of the circumference on which the multiple points P1 are located is smaller than the diameter of the substrate W1. The multiple points P2 are located on a circumference around the central axis CAx. The multiple points P2 may be arranged at equal intervals on the circumference around the central axis CAx. The diameter of the circumference on which the multiple points P2 are located is larger than the inner diameter of the ring member W2 and smaller than the outer diameter of the ring member W2. The diameter of the circumference on which the multiple points P2 are located may be larger than the diameter of the circumference on which the multiple points P1 are located.

[0029] The positions where the multiple substrate support parts 41 are provided correspond to the multiple locations P1, and the positions where the multiple ring support parts 42 are provided correspond to the multiple locations P2. The positions of the multiple locations P1 and the multiple locations P2 change around the central axis CAx in accordance with the rotation of the rotating arm 44. The central axis CAx, the substrate support parts 41, and the ring support part 42 are arranged in this order along the radial direction of the circumference around the central axis CAx. In other words, the shortest distance between the central axis CAx and the substrate support parts 41 is shorter than the shortest distance between the central axis CAx and the ring support part 42.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3 , the substrate support 41 and the ring support 42 are provided at the tip 44a of the rotating arm 44. The tip 44a may have a step that is higher at an outer portion away from the central axis CAx. The substrate support 41 and the ring support 42 may be pads. The material forming the substrate support 41 and the material forming the ring support 42 may include an elastomer (e.g., rubber). When a substrate W1 is placed on the multiple substrate support parts 41, the multiple substrate support parts 41 hold the substrate W1 by friction between the substrate W1 and the multiple substrate support parts 41. When a ring member W2 is placed on the multiple ring support parts 42, the multiple ring support parts 42 hold the ring member W2 by friction between the ring support parts 42 and the ring member W2. At least one of the substrate support part 41 and the ring support part 42 may be configured to hold a workpiece by suction instead of by friction.

[0031] The substrate support part 41 is provided on the lower step of a step formed on the tip part 44a, and the ring support part 42 is provided on the upper step of the step. The height position of the upper surface of the substrate support part 41 and the height position of the upper surface of the ring support part 42 may be different from each other. The "height position" refers to the position in the axial direction of the central axis CAx. The height position of the upper surface of the ring support part 42 may be higher than the height position of the upper surface of the substrate support part 41. The height position of the lower surface of the ring member W2 when supported by multiple ring support parts 42 is higher than the height position of the lower surface of the substrate W1 when supported by multiple substrate support parts 41.

[0032] FIG. 4(a) illustrates the posture adjustment unit 32 in a state where a plurality of substrate support parts 41 support a substrate W1, and FIG. 4(b) illustrates the posture adjustment unit 32 in a state where a plurality of ring support parts 42 support a ring member W2. The outer peripheral edge E1, which is the edge of the substrate W1, may include a positioning portion Id1. A specific example of the positioning portion Id1 is a notch. At least one of the inner peripheral edge Ei2 and the outer peripheral edge Eo2, which are the edges of the ring member W2, may include a positioning portion Id2. Specific examples of the positioning portion Id2 are a notch and an orientation flat.

[0033] The positioning portion Id1 and the positioning portion Id2 are provided to adjust the horizontal posture (posture around the center of the workpiece) of the substrate W1 and the ring member W2, respectively. Depending on the type of ring member W2, the positioning portion Id2 may not be provided. Hereinafter, the positioning portion Id1 of the substrate W1 and the positioning portion Id2 of the ring member W2 may be collectively referred to as the "positioning portion Id." The positioning portion Id of the workpiece is an index (reference position) for adjusting the posture of the workpiece around the central axis CAx.

[0034] Returning to FIG. 2 , the rotation drive unit 50 rotates the support unit 40, which supports a workpiece, about the central axis CAx. In one example, the rotation drive unit 50 is provided on the upper surface of the base 34 and supports the rotation unit 43 of the support unit 40. The rotation drive unit 50 is a rotary actuator that rotates the rotation unit 43 about the central axis CAx using a power source such as an electric motor. When the rotation drive unit 50 rotates the support unit 40 (rotation unit 43), the substrate support unit 41 and the ring support unit 42 of the support unit 40 rotate about the central axis CAx. As a result, if a substrate W1 is supported by the support unit 40, the substrate W1 rotates about the central axis CAx. If a ring member W2 is supported by the support unit 40, the ring member W2 rotates about the central axis CAx.

[0035] The lift unit 60 is disposed above the base 34 and is configured so as not to move even when the support unit 40 rotates. When the workpiece is a substrate W1, the lift unit 60 supports the substrate W1 at multiple points P3 surrounding the central axis CAx, and when the workpiece is a ring member W2, the lift unit 60 supports the ring member W2 at multiple points P4 surrounding the central axis CAx. Like the support unit 40, the lift unit 60 horizontally supports the substrate W1 and supports the ring member W2 horizontally.

[0036] The lift unit 60 has, for example, a plurality of substrate support units 61, a plurality of ring support units 62, and a liftable unit 69. The plurality of substrate support units 61 simultaneously support the substrate W1 at a plurality of positions P3 surrounding the central axis CAx. The plurality of ring support units 62 simultaneously support the ring member W2 at a plurality of positions P4 surrounding the central axis CAx.

[0037] The multiple points P3 are located on a circumference around the central axis CAx. The multiple points P3 may be arranged at equal intervals on the circumference around the central axis CAx. The diameter of the circumference on which the multiple points P3 are located is smaller than the diameter of the substrate W1. The multiple points P4 are located on a circumference around the central axis CAx. The multiple points P4 may be arranged at equal intervals on the circumference around the central axis CAx. The diameter of the circumference on which the multiple points P4 are located is larger than the inner diameter of the ring member W2 and smaller than the outer diameter of the ring member W2. The diameter of the circumference on which the multiple points P4 are located may be larger than the diameter of the circumference on which the multiple points P3 are located.

[0038] The positions where the plurality of substrate support portions 61 are provided correspond to the plurality of locations P3, and the positions where the plurality of ring support portions 62 are provided correspond to the plurality of locations P4. In a plan view (viewed from above), the plurality of locations P3 and the plurality of locations P4 are fixed at predetermined positions. The central axis CAx, the substrate support portions 61, and the ring support portion 62 are arranged in this order along the radial direction of the circumference around the central axis CAx. In other words, the shortest distance between the central axis CAx and the substrate support portion 61 is shorter than the shortest distance between the central axis CAx and the ring support portion 62.

[0039] The elevatable portion 69 is provided so as to be able to move up and down along the central axis CAx. The elevatable portion 69 has, for example, a bottom portion 63, a plurality of connection portions 64, and a plurality of tip portions 65. The bottom portion 63 is formed in a plate shape. The bottom portion 63 is formed so as not to overlap with the rotating portion 43 of the support portion 40 in a plan view. The bottom portion 63 is provided with end portions at a plurality of locations around the central axis CAx. The connection portions 64 are connected to the end portions, and the tip portions 65 are connected to the connection portions 64 (see also FIG. 3).

[0040] As shown in FIG. 3 , the substrate support portion 61 and the ring support portion 62 are provided at a tip portion 65 of the liftable portion 69. The tip portion 65 may have a step formed such that the outer portion away from the central axis CAx is higher. The substrate support portion 61 and the ring support portion 62 may be pads. The material forming the substrate support portion 61 and the material forming the ring support portion 62 may contain an elastomer (e.g., rubber). When a substrate W1 is placed on the multiple substrate support portions 61, the multiple substrate support portions 61 hold the substrate W1 by friction between the substrate W1 and the multiple substrate support portions 61. When a ring member W2 is placed on the multiple ring support portions 62, the multiple ring support portions 62 hold the ring member W2 by friction between the ring support portions 62 and the ring member W2. At least one of the substrate support portions 61 and the ring support portion 62 may be configured to hold a workpiece by suction instead of by friction.

[0041] The substrate support part 61 is provided on the lower step of a step formed on the tip part 65, and the ring support part 62 is provided on the upper step of the step. The height position of the upper surface of the substrate support part 61 and the height position of the upper surface of the ring support part 62 may be different from each other. The height position of the upper surface of the ring support part 62 may be higher than the height position of the upper surface of the substrate support part 61. The height position of the lower surface of the ring member W2 when supported by the multiple ring support parts 62 is higher than the height position of the lower surface of the substrate W1 when supported by the multiple substrate support parts 61. Note that the lift part 60 may be configured in any way as long as it can support and raise and lower the workpiece. The lift part 60 may have multiple support pins that can be raised and lowered located at multiple locations P3 and multiple support pins that can be raised and lowered located at multiple locations P4.

[0042] The lifting / lowering drive unit 70 raises and lowers the lift unit 60 (liftable unit 69). In one example, the lifting / lowering drive unit 70 is provided on the upper surface of the base 34 and supports the bottom 63 of the lift unit 60. The lifting / lowering drive unit 70 is, for example, a lifting actuator that moves (lifts and lowers) the lift unit 60 along the central axis CAx using a power source such as an air cylinder. When the lift unit 60 is raised and lowered by the lifting / lowering drive unit 70, the multiple tip portions 65 of the lift unit 60 (the multiple substrate support portions 61 and the multiple ring support portions 62) rise and lower.

[0043] 2 raises and lowers the lift unit 60 along the central axis CAx to switch between a state in which the support unit 40 supports the substrate W1 and a state in which the lift unit 60 supports the substrate W1. The lift unit 70 raises and lowers the lift unit 60 along the central axis CAx to switch between a state in which the support unit 40 supports the ring member W2 and a state in which the lift unit 60 supports the ring member W2. The lift unit 70 raises and lowers the lift unit 60, for example, between a height position where the tip end 65 of the lift unit 60 is positioned above the rotating arm 44 (tip end 44a) and a height position where the tip end 65 is positioned below the rotating arm 44 (tip end 44a). The lift unit 60 raises and lowers the lift unit 60, allowing the transfer of workpieces between the support unit 40 and the lift unit 60.

[0044] The edge sensor 90 is a sensor that acquires information indicating the edge position of the workpiece supported by the support part 40 (hereinafter referred to as "edge position information"). The edge position of the workpiece is the position of the edge in the radial direction of a circumference centered on the central axis CAx. When the support part 40 supports the substrate W1, the edge sensor 90 acquires edge position information indicating the edge position of the substrate W1. When the support part 40 supports the ring member W2, the edge sensor 90 acquires edge position information indicating the edge position of the ring member W2. The edge sensor 90 is disposed at a position around the central axis CAx from which the edge position information can be acquired. The edge sensor 90 is disposed, for example, between adjacent locations P3 on the circumference around the central axis CAx.

[0045] 5 or 6, the edge sensor 90 includes, for example, an irradiation unit 92 and a light receiving unit 94. The irradiation unit 92 and the light receiving unit 94 are arranged so as to sandwich the workpiece on the support unit 40 therebetween in the vertical direction. The irradiation unit 92 and the light receiving unit 94 are arranged around the central axis CAx so as to sandwich a part of the edge of the workpiece on the support unit 40 therebetween. In one example, the irradiation unit 92 is arranged above the workpiece on the support unit 40, and the light receiving unit 94 is arranged below the workpiece on the support unit 40.

[0046] The irradiation unit 92 irradiates light onto an area (hereinafter referred to as the "irradiation area") extending along the radial direction of a circle centered on the central axis CAx. The irradiation area of light by the irradiation unit 92 is set so as to include, in the radial direction, the outer circumferential edge E1 of the substrate W1 supported by the support unit 40, and also the inner circumferential edge Ei2 and the outer circumferential edge Eo2 of the ring member W2 supported by the support unit 40.

[0047] The light receiving unit 94 is disposed so as to face the irradiation unit 92 in the vertical direction. The light receiving unit 94 may be a line sensor having a plurality of light receiving elements 96 arranged in a row along the radial direction of a circumference centered on the central axis CAx. The light receiving unit 94 may be a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor. Each light receiving element 96 generates a signal (e.g., a voltage signal) according to the amount of light incident thereon. A portion of the light irradiated from the irradiation unit 92 is blocked by the workpiece and does not reach the light receiving unit 94. A portion of the light irradiated from the irradiation unit 92 reaches the light receiving unit 94 without being blocked by the workpiece.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 5, the intensity (voltage value V) of the signal generated by the light-receiving element 96 differs between the region where light is blocked by the substrate W1 and the region where light is not blocked by the substrate W1. Therefore, the position of the outer periphery E1 of the substrate W1 is detected by scanning the signal generated by the light-receiving unit 94 along the radial direction of the circumference centered on the central axis CAx. The scanning direction SD may be the direction from the outer periphery toward the central axis CAx, or the direction from the central axis CAx toward the outer periphery. In one example, the position of the outer periphery E1 is detected by detecting a position (position r1 in FIG. 5) where the signal intensity falls below a threshold Th when scanning in the scanning direction SD toward the central axis CAx from the outer periphery. The detection result of the position of the outer periphery E1 is edge position information indicating the edge position of the substrate W1.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 6 , the intensity (voltage value V) of the signal generated by the light-receiving element 96 differs between the region where light is blocked by the ring member W2 and the region where light is not blocked by the ring member W2. Therefore, by scanning the signal generated by the light-receiving unit 94 along the radial direction, the positions of the inner peripheral edge Ei2 and the outer peripheral edge Eo2 of the ring member W2 are detected. In one example, the position of the outer peripheral edge Eo2 is detected by detecting a position where the signal intensity falls below a threshold value Th (position r1 in FIG. 6 ) when scanning in the scanning direction SD from the outer periphery toward the central axis CAx. Furthermore, the position of the inner peripheral edge Ei2 is detected by detecting a position where the signal intensity exceeds the threshold value Th (position r2 in FIG. 6 ) when scanning in the scanning direction SD from the outer periphery toward the central axis CAx. The detection results of the positions of the outer peripheral edge Eo2 and the inner peripheral edge Ei2 are edge position information indicating the edge positions of the ring member W2.

[0050] The relationship in signal strength between the area where light is blocked by the workpiece and the area where light is not blocked by the workpiece may be reversed from the examples shown in Figures 5 and 6. In this case, when scanning in the scanning direction SD from the outer periphery toward the central axis CAx, the position of the outer periphery edge E1 or the outer periphery edge Eo2 is detected by detecting a position where the signal strength exceeds the threshold value Th. When scanning in the scanning direction SD from the outer periphery toward the central axis CAx, the position of the inner periphery edge Ei2 is detected by detecting a position where the signal strength is below the threshold value Th.

[0051] (controller) An example of the configuration of the alignment controller 130 and an example of the configuration of the robot controller 110 of the robot device 10 will be described below. The alignment controller 130 is a controller that controls the attitude adjustment unit 32. The alignment controller 130 is configured to at least cause the support part 40 to support each of the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 as a workpiece, and to acquire edge position information that indicates the edge position of the workpiece supported by the support part 40. The alignment controller 130 is further configured to acquire alignment information for aligning the workpiece based on the edge position information, and to determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece based on the edge position information and predetermined discrimination information for each of the substrate W1 and the ring member W2.

[0052] 7, alignment controller 130 has, as functional components (hereinafter referred to as "functional modules"), a delivery control unit 132, an edge position acquisition unit 134, a profile generation unit 136, a center position calculation unit 138, an area extraction unit 142, a shape determination unit 144, an abnormality determination unit 148, a discrimination information storage unit 146, an abnormality output unit 152, an alignment information acquisition unit 154, and an attitude control unit 156. The processes executed by these functional modules correspond to the processes executed by alignment controller 130.

[0053] The delivery control unit 132 controls the lifting / lowering drive unit 70 to switch between a state in which the support unit 40 supports the workpiece and a state in which the lift unit 60 supports the workpiece. The edge position acquisition unit 134 acquires edge position information indicating the edge position of the workpiece from the edge sensor 90. For example, while rotating the support unit 40 (workpiece) around the central axis CAx using the rotation drive unit 50, the edge position acquisition unit 134 acquires information indicating the rotation angle of the support unit 40 and the edge position information from the rotation drive unit 50 and the edge sensor 90 in synchronization.

[0054] The profile generation unit 136 generates an edge profile based on edge position information acquired by the edge sensor 90 while the rotation drive unit 50 is rotating the support unit 40. The edge profile is information that indicates the relationship between the rotation angle of the support unit 40 about the central axis CAx and the edge position of the workpiece. The center position calculation unit 138 calculates the center position of the workpiece on the support unit 40 based on the edge profile. The center position of the workpiece on the support unit 40 means the center position in the horizontal direction of the workpiece when supported by the support unit 40.

[0055] The area extraction unit 142 extracts a candidate area in the edge profile that is estimated to be the workpiece positioning portion Id. The shape determination unit 144 determines whether the candidate area extracted by the area extraction unit 142 corresponds to the reference shape of the workpiece positioning portion Id. The abnormality determination unit 148 determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece based on the edge position information and predetermined discrimination information for each of the substrate W1 and the ring member W2. An abnormality in the workpiece is a defect in the edge portion of the workpiece. The discrimination information storage unit 146 stores (stores) the above discrimination information.

[0056] An example of a defect in the edge portion of a workpiece is a chip in the edge portion. A chip in the edge portion that is determined to be abnormal is an unexpected chip and is different from the positioning portion Id1. When a chip is present in the edge portion, in order to determine whether the workpiece is abnormal, it is necessary to determine whether the chip is in the positioning portion Id1. The discrimination information is information for determining whether the workpiece is normal or not, and may be predetermined by an operator such as a worker. The discrimination information includes edge conditions (edge conditions) that are determined to be normal for each of the substrate W1 and the ring member W2. Details of the method for determining whether a workpiece is abnormal will be described later.

[0057] The abnormality output unit 152 outputs a signal indicating that the workpiece is abnormal when the abnormality determination unit 148 determines that the workpiece is abnormal. The abnormality output unit 152 may output a signal indicating that the workpiece is abnormal to a higher-level controller. The alignment information acquisition unit 154 acquires alignment information for aligning the workpiece based on the edge position information. The alignment information acquisition unit 154 may acquire the position of the positioning portion Id of the workpiece in the edge profile (position around the central axis CAx) as the alignment information. The alignment information acquisition unit 154 may acquire the result of calculating the center position of the workpiece in the support unit 40 based on the edge profile as the alignment information.

[0058] The posture control unit 156 adjusts the posture of the workpiece using the rotation drive unit 50 so that the position of the positioning unit Id around the central axis CAx aligns with a target position. The posture control unit 156 may control the rotation drive unit 50 so that the position of the positioning unit Id around the central axis CAx aligns with target positions determined for the substrate W1 and the ring member W2, respectively.

[0059] The robot controller 110 has a delivery control unit 112 and a reception control unit 114 as functional modules. The processing executed by these functional modules corresponds to the processing executed by the robot controller 110. The delivery control unit 112 controls the transport robot 12 so that the hand 14 of the transport robot 12 delivers the workpiece to the alignment device 30 (posture adjustment unit 32). The reception control unit 114 adjusts the position of the hand 14 based on the calculation result of the center position of the workpiece, and controls the transport robot 12 so that the hand 14 receives the workpiece from the alignment device 30 (posture adjustment unit 32).

[0060] 8, the alignment controller 130 includes a circuit 230. The circuit 230 includes at least one processor 232, a memory 234, a storage 236, a communication port 238, and an input / output port 242. The storage 236 is a computer-readable non-volatile storage medium (e.g., a flash memory). The storage 236 stores programs and data for causing the support unit 40 to support each of the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 as a workpiece, acquiring edge position information indicating the edge position of the workpiece supported by the support unit 40, acquiring alignment information for aligning the workpiece based on the edge position information, and determining whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece based on the edge position information and predetermined discrimination information for each of the substrate W1 and the ring member W2.

[0061] The memory 234 temporarily stores programs loaded from the storage 236 and calculation results by the processor 232. The processor 232 executes the programs in cooperation with the memory 234, thereby configuring the above-mentioned functional modules of the alignment controller 130. The input / output port 242 inputs and outputs electrical signals to and from the rotation drive unit 50, the lift drive unit 70, the edge sensor 90, etc. in response to commands from the processor 232. The communication port 238 communicates with the robot controller 110 wirelessly, via a wire, etc. in response to commands from the processor 232.

[0062] The robot controller 110 includes a circuit 210. The circuit 210 includes at least one processor 212, a memory 214, a storage 216, a communication port 218, and a driver 222. The storage 216 is a computer-readable non-volatile storage medium (e.g., flash memory). The storage 216 stores programs and data for controlling the transport robot 12.

[0063] The memory 214 temporarily stores programs loaded from the storage 216 and calculation results by the processor 212. The processor 212 executes the programs in cooperation with the memory 214, thereby configuring the above-mentioned functional modules of the robot controller 110. The driver 222 outputs drive power to each actuator of the transfer robot 12 in response to a command from the processor 212. The communication port 218 communicates with the alignment controller 130 wirelessly, via a wire, or the like in response to a command from the processor 212.

[0064] Note that the robot controller 110 and the alignment controller 130 are not necessarily limited to those that configure each function by a program. For example, the robot controller 110 and the alignment controller 130 may configure at least some of their functions by dedicated logic circuits or ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) that integrate such circuits. The robot controller 110 (circuit 210) and the alignment controller 130 (circuit 230) may be housed in different housings or in the same housing. The robot controller 110 may be configured by multiple controllers (multiple circuits), and the alignment controller 130 may be configured by multiple controllers (multiple circuits). The robot controller 110 and the alignment controller 130 configure a controller system (control system) in the transport system 1.

[0065] The processing contents executed by the robot controller 110 and the alignment controller 130, and the processing targets of each controller, are not limited to the above examples. Some of the above-described functions of the alignment controller 130 may be realized by the robot controller 110. In one example, the robot controller 110 may include a center position calculation unit 138, an area extraction unit 142, a shape determination unit 144, a discrimination information storage unit 146, an abnormality determination unit 148, an abnormality output unit 152, an alignment information acquisition unit 154, and an attitude control unit 156. In this case, the robot controller 110, the alignment controller 130, and the attitude adjustment unit 32 constitute an alignment device. The transport system 1 may include a single controller having the same functions as the robot controller 110 and the alignment controller 130, instead of the robot controller 110 and the alignment controller 130. In this case, the single controller and the attitude adjustment unit 32 constitute an alignment device.

[0066] [Substrate transport method / alignment method] Next, as an example of a substrate transfer method, a series of processes performed by the robot controller 110 and the alignment controller 130 in cooperation with each other will be described. This series of processes includes an alignment process (alignment method) performed by the alignment controller 130. First, the premise of the series of processes performed by the robot controller 110 and the alignment controller 130 will be described. The transfer system 1 transfers one type of substrate W1 and one type of ring member W2 out of three types of ring members W2. The transfer system 1 is capable of transferring each of the three types of ring members W2, and transfers, for example, one type of ring member W2 selected from the three types of ring members W2 according to the substrate processing apparatus to be installed.

[0067] 9(a), 9(b), 9(c), and 9(d) schematically show one type of substrate W1 and three types of ring members W2. As described above, a positioning portion Id1 is formed on the outer peripheral edge E1 of the substrate W1. Here, the three types of ring members W2 are referred to as "ring member W21," "ring member W22," and "ring member W23," respectively. In the ring member W21, no positioning portion is formed on the inner peripheral edge Ei2, but the positioning portion Id21 is formed on the outer peripheral edge Eo2. In the ring member W22, no positioning portion is formed on the outer peripheral edge Eo2, but the positioning portion Id22 is formed on the inner peripheral edge Ei2. In the ring member W23, no positioning portion is formed on either the inner peripheral edge Ei2 or the outer peripheral edge Eo2.

[0068] The transport system 1 starts transporting a workpiece without knowing which workpiece it is transporting. In this case, the alignment device 30 (alignment controller 130) starts alignment processing for the workpiece without knowing which workpiece it is supporting. During the alignment processing, the alignment controller 130 uses the above discrimination information to determine whether there is an abnormality in the workpiece and to determine the type of the workpiece. In the present disclosure, determining the type of workpiece includes determining whether the type of workpiece is a substrate W1 or a ring member W2, and determining the type of substrate W1 or the type of ring member W2.

[0069] 10 shows an example of the discrimination information stored in the discrimination information storage unit 146 of the alignment controller 130. The discrimination information defines edge conditions for determining whether each of the substrate W1, ring member W21, ring member W2, and ring member W23 is normal. The edge conditions include the presence or absence of an inner peripheral edge, the formation positions of the positioning portions Id, the number of positioning portions Id, and the reference shape of the positioning portions Id.

[0070] The presence or absence of an inner peripheral edge is a condition indicating whether or not the workpiece has an inner peripheral edge. The formation position of the positioning portion Id is a condition indicating whether or not the positioning portion Id is formed in the workpiece, and if it is formed, whether it is formed on the inner peripheral edge or the outer peripheral edge. The number of positioning portions Id is a condition indicating the total number of positioning portions Id formed in the workpiece, and if no positioning portion Id is formed, the number is zero.

[0071] The reference shape of the positioning part Id is a condition that indicates the normal shape of the positioning part Id for that workpiece. The shape of the positioning part Id is determined, for example, by a width L and a length D. The reference shape of the positioning part Id may determine the ranges of the width L and length D within which the positioning part Id is determined to be normal. The reference shape (range of width L and length D) of the positioning part Id1 of the substrate W1 may be different from the reference shape (range of width L and length D) of the positioning part Id2 of the ring member W2. At least a portion of the ranges of the reference shape (range of width L and length D) of the positioning part Id21 of the ring member W21 and the reference shape (range of width L and length D) of the positioning part Id22 of the ring member W22 may overlap, or the entire ranges may be different from each other.

[0072] The abnormality determination unit 148 of the alignment controller 130 determines whether the edge position information (edge profile) obtained from the edge sensor 90 matches an edge condition, and determines whether the workpiece is normal. When the edge position information (edge profile) matches all of the conditions included in one edge condition, namely, the presence or absence of an inner peripheral edge, the formation position of the positioning portions Id, the number of positioning portions Id, and the reference shape of the positioning portions Id, the abnormality determination unit 148 determines that the edge position information matches the edge condition.

[0073] The abnormality determination unit 148 determines that the workpiece is normal when the acquired edge position information matches any of the four edge conditions shown in Fig. 10, and determines that the workpiece is abnormal when none of the edge conditions are matched. When the edge position information matches any of the edge conditions, the abnormality determination unit 148 determines the type of the workpiece according to the matched edge condition.

[0074] 11 is a flowchart showing a series of processes executed by the robot controller 110 and the alignment controller 130. The robot controller 110 first executes step S11. In step S11, for example, the robot controller 110 controls the transfer robot 12 so that the hand 14 holds the workpiece introduced to a predetermined position based on an instruction to transfer the workpiece from a higher-level controller. The transfer robot 12 holds one of the workpieces, the substrate W1, the ring member W21, the ring member W22, and the ring member W23. The robot controller 110 then controls the transfer robot 12 so that the workpiece held by the hand 14 is transferred to the alignment device 30 (posture adjustment unit 32).

[0075] Next, the robot controller 110 and the alignment controller 130 execute step S12. In step S12, for example, the delivery control unit 112 controls the transport robot 12 to carry the workpiece into the alignment device 30. The delivery control unit 112 may control each actuator of the transport robot 12 so that the workpiece is delivered from the hand 14 to the lift unit 60 of the alignment device 30 (so that the workpiece is placed on the lift unit 60). The delivery control unit 112 may control each actuator of the transport robot 12 so that the relative position of the hand 14 with respect to the lift unit 60 is approximately constant when the workpiece is delivered from the hand 14 to the lift unit 60 among multiple workpieces that are transported in sequence.

[0076] After the workpiece is handed over to the lift unit 60, for example, the delivery control unit 132 of the alignment controller 130 controls the lift drive unit 70 to lower the substrate support unit 61 and the ring support unit 62 of the lift unit 60. This control switches the state from one in which the lift unit 60 supports the workpiece to one in which the support unit 40 supports the workpiece.

[0077] Next, the alignment controller 130 executes step S13. In step S13, for example, the alignment controller 130 executes alignment preparation processing to align the workpiece. In the alignment preparation processing, the alignment controller 130 may detect the position of the positioning portion Id of the workpiece on the support portion 40, detect the center position of the workpiece on the support portion 40, determine whether there is an abnormality in the workpiece, and determine the type of the workpiece. Details of the alignment preparation processing in step S13 will be described later.

[0078] Next, the alignment controller 130 executes step S14. In step S14, for example, the posture control unit 156 causes the rotation drive unit 50 to rotate the workpiece on the support unit 40 so that the angular position of the workpiece positioning unit Id detected in step S13 is aligned with the target position corresponding to the target posture of the workpiece. If the posture control unit 156 determines in step S13 that the workpiece is the substrate W1, it controls the rotation drive unit 50 so that the position of the positioning unit Id1 approaches the target position corresponding to the target posture of the substrate W1.

[0079] If the workpiece is determined to be ring member W21 in step S13, the posture control unit 156 controls the rotation drive unit 50 to move the position of the positioning unit Id21 closer to the target position corresponding to the ring member W21. If the workpiece is determined to be ring member W22 in step S13, the posture control unit 156 controls the rotation drive unit 50 to move the position of the positioning unit Id22 closer to the target position corresponding to the ring member W21. If the workpiece is determined to be ring member W23 in step S13, the alignment controller 130 omits execution of step S14.

[0080] Next, the robot controller 110 executes step S15. In step S15, for example, the delivery control unit 132 controls the lifting / lowering drive unit 70 to raise the substrate support unit 61 and the ring support unit 62 of the lift unit 60 while the rotation drive unit 50 is supporting the workpiece after the attitude adjustment, thereby switching the state to one in which the lift unit 60 supports the workpiece. Then, in step S15, the receiving control unit 114 adjusts the position of the hand 14 based on the calculation result of the center position of the workpiece calculated in step S13, and controls the transport robot 12 so that the hand 14 receives the workpiece from the lift unit 60 of the alignment device 30. Based on the calculation result of the center position of the workpiece, the receiving control unit 114 adjusts the horizontal position of the hand 14 using the actuators of the transport arm 16 so that the holding state of the workpiece by the hand 14 approaches an ideal state when the hand 14 receives the workpiece.

[0081] In one example, the receiving control unit 114 corrects the center position of the workpiece calculated in step S13 according to the amount of rotation for adjusting the attitude in step S14. Then, the receiving control unit 114 adjusts the position in the horizontal direction according to the deviation between the corrected center position and the central axis CAx so that the difference between the center position of the workpiece and the reference position of the hand 14 approaches zero when the hand 14 holds the workpiece. With the position of the hand 14 adjusted, the receiving control unit 114 may control each actuator of the transport robot 12 to lift the workpiece supported by the lift unit 60 from below.

[0082] The adjusted position of the hand 14 is the relative position between the lift unit 60 and the hand 14 when (just before) the hand 14 receives the workpiece from the lift unit 60. The reference position of the hand 14 is a position that coincides with the center position of the workpiece when the workpiece held by the hand 14 is in an ideal holding state. Since the workpiece is transferred between the support unit 40 and the lift unit 60 by moving the lift unit 60 in a direction along the central axis CAx, the center position of the workpiece on the lift unit 60 corresponds to (substantially coincides with) the center position of the workpiece on the support unit 40. The receiving control unit 114 may perform similar processing in step S15 regardless of the type of workpiece.

[0083] Next, the robot controller 110 executes step S16. In step S16, for example, the robot controller 110 controls the transfer robot 12 so that the hand 14 supports and transfers the workpiece toward a predetermined transfer position. The workpiece is transferred to the transfer position, thereby completing the workpiece transfer process. While the workpiece transfer process is being executed, the robot controller 110 and the alignment controller 130 align the posture of the workpiece about the central axis CAx, and further align the center position of the workpiece. The robot controller 110 and the alignment controller 130 may also execute the series of processes of steps S11 to S16 for each of the subsequent multiple workpieces.

[0084] (Alignment preparation process) 12 is a flowchart showing the first part of the alignment preparation process in step S13. The alignment controller 130 starts the process in step S13 without knowing whether the type of workpiece to be aligned is the substrate W1, the ring member W21, the ring member W22, or the ring member W23. By executing the above-mentioned step S12, the workpiece is supported by the support part 40.

[0085] The alignment controller 130 first executes step S31. In step S31, for example, the edge position acquisition unit 134 acquires information indicating the position of the outer periphery of the workpiece (hereinafter referred to as "outer periphery edge information"). The edge position acquisition unit 134 may acquire detection results of the position of the outer periphery from the edge sensor 90 at each of a plurality of rotation angles around the central axis CAx of the support unit 40 while rotating the support unit 40 around the central axis CAx using the rotation drive unit 50. In one example, the edge position acquisition unit 134 rotates the workpiece around the central axis CAx by 360° (or more than 360°) using the rotation drive unit 50. While rotating the support unit 40, the edge position acquisition unit 134 acquires information indicating the rotation angle from the rotation drive unit 50 at predetermined intervals, and acquires information indicating the position of the outer periphery from the edge sensor 90.

[0086] The edge position acquisition unit 134 may scan the detection signal obtained from the edge sensor 90 for each detection angle along the radial direction of the circumference centered on the central axis CAx from the outer periphery toward the inner periphery. Then, the edge position acquisition unit 134 may acquire the position of the light-receiving element 96 where the signal strength first falls below a predetermined value as the position of the outer periphery (edge position). The scanning direction may be from the inner periphery toward the outer periphery, and the position of the light-receiving element 96 where the amount of change in the signal strength last exceeds the predetermined value may be acquired as the position of the outer periphery.

[0087] In step S31, the profile generator 136 generates an edge profile (periphery edge profile) that indicates the relationship between the rotation angle of the support part 40 and the position of the outer periphery based on the detection results of the outer periphery position for each detection angle obtained by the edge position acquirer 134. FIG. 13(a) shows an example of the edge profile EP. In the graph shown in FIG. 13(a), the horizontal axis indicates the rotation angle of the support part 40, and the vertical axis indicates the edge position (position of the outer periphery). In the edge profile EP, the edge position may change in a curved manner as a whole with respect to the rotation angle due to a deviation (eccentricity) between the center position of the workpiece on the support part 40 and the central axis CAx. Furthermore, if a positioning part Id is present, its presence may result in a portion of the edge position change curve that exhibits a different trend from the overall change trend.

[0088] Next, the alignment controller 130 executes step S32. In step S32, for example, the center position calculation unit 138 calculates the center position of the workpiece on the support unit 40 based on the edge profile acquired in step S31. The center position calculation unit 138 may use various methods to calculate the center position of the workpiece in a state where it is supported by the support unit 40. In one example, the center position calculation unit 138 extracts the rotation angles of any three points in the edge profile, and calculates the center position Cp using a circle equation from the coordinates on the XY plane of the three points at the edge positions ep1, ep2, and ep3, as shown in FIG. 13(b).

[0089] Next, the alignment controller 130 executes step S33. In step S33, for example, the region extraction unit 142 extracts candidate regions CR that are estimated to be the positioning portions Id of the workpiece in the edge profile obtained in step S31. The number of candidate regions CR varies depending on the type of workpiece and the individual workpiece. The region extraction unit 142 may extract the candidate regions CR by comparing a virtual circle IC around the center position of the workpiece calculated from the edge profile EP with the edge profile EP. The relationship between the virtual circle IC and the edge profile EP is shown in FIG. 14(a), and the virtual circle IC corresponds to a profile of the edge profile EP excluding recessed and protruding portions.

[0090] A candidate region CR is a region in the edge profile EP that is recessed inward, corresponding to the downward direction on the graph, or a region that protrudes outward, corresponding to the upward direction on the graph. The region extraction unit 142 may compare the virtual circle IC with the edge profile EP by calculating the distance of the edge position from a position Cp that is the center of the virtual circle IC for each predetermined rotation angle. The region extraction unit 142 may extract, as the candidate region CR, a region where the distance of the edge position from the position Cp is greater than or less than a predetermined threshold. Instead of comparing with the virtual circle IC, the region extraction unit 142 may differentiate the edge profile EP (data on change in edge position with respect to rotation angle) and then extract, as the candidate region CR, a region where the change amount (differential value) of the edge position is large.

[0091] Next, the alignment controller 130 executes step S34. In step S34, for example, the shape determination unit 144 determines whether the candidate region CR extracted in step S33 corresponds to the reference shape of the positioning portion Id formed on the outer peripheral edge. If multiple candidate regions CR are extracted in step S34, the shape determination unit 144 determines for each of the multiple candidate regions CR whether it corresponds to the reference shape. In one example, the shape determination unit 144 calculates the width L and height D of the candidate region CR extracted in step S34. The shape determination unit 144 may calculate the width L and height D of the candidate region CR after correcting the shape of the candidate region CR to eliminate the influence of eccentricity between the center position of the workpiece and the central axis CAx.

[0092] 14(b) schematically shows an example of the reference shape SF of the positioning portion Id. In the reference shape SF, the reference range of the width L is set to Lmin to Lmax, and the reference range of the height D is set to Dmin to Dmax. The shape determination unit 144 determines that the candidate area CR corresponds to (matches) the reference shape SF when the width L of the candidate area CR is within the range of Lmin to Lmax and the height D of the candidate area CR is within the range of Dmin to Dmax. In step S34, the shape determination unit 144 compares the reference shape of the positioning portion Id1 formed on the outer periphery of the substrate W1 with the candidate area CR, and compares the reference shape of the positioning portion Id21 formed on the outer periphery of the ring member W21 with the candidate area CR.

[0093] Next, the alignment controller 130 executes step S35. In step S35, for example, the abnormality determination unit 148 determines whether the outer periphery edge information (edge position information) obtained in step S31 matches the discrimination information stored in the discrimination information storage unit 146. In step S35, if it is determined that the outer periphery edge information indicating the position of the outer periphery does not match any of the edge conditions defined in the discrimination information (step S35: NO), the processing executed by the alignment controller 130 proceeds to step S36. In step S36, the abnormality determination unit 148 determines that the workpiece is abnormal.

[0094] In step S35, the abnormality determination unit 148 may determine whether the outer peripheral edge information matches the discrimination information based on the number of candidate regions CR extracted in step S33 (hereinafter referred to as the "number of candidate regions") and the number of candidate regions CR determined in step S34 to match the reference shape of the positioning portion Id formed on the outer peripheral edge (hereinafter referred to as the "number of pattern matches"). Table 1 below shows an example of the relationship between the combination of the number of candidate regions and the number of pattern matches and the determination result. The abnormality determination unit 148 may determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece according to the relationship shown in Table 1 below. In Table 1, ">1" indicates 1 or more.

[0095] [Table 1]

[0096] If the number of candidate regions is zero, there is a possibility that the workpiece is a ring member W22 or a ring member W23 that does not have a positioning portion Id on its outer periphery. "Tentative determination A" in Table 1 means that the abnormality determination unit 148 determines that there is a possibility that the workpiece is a ring member W22 or a ring member W23. Even if the number of candidate regions is 1, if the candidate region CR does not match the reference shape of either the positioning portion Id1 or the positioning portion Id21, the candidate region CR is estimated to be an abnormal part such as a chipped portion of the workpiece. If the number of candidate regions is 1 and the number of pattern matches is zero, the abnormality determination unit 148 determines that the workpiece is abnormal.

[0097] If the number of candidate areas is 1 and the candidate area CR matches the reference shape of the positioning portion Id1 or the positioning portion Id21, the workpiece may be a substrate W1 or a ring member W21 having a positioning portion Id on its outer periphery. "Tentative Determination B" in Table 1 means that the abnormality determination unit 148 determines that the workpiece may be a substrate W1 or a ring member W21. In tentative determination B, if it is determined that the candidate area CR corresponds to the reference shape of the positioning portion Id1, the workpiece may be a substrate W1. In tentative determination B, if it is determined that the candidate area CR corresponds to the reference shape of the positioning portion Id21, the workpiece may be a ring member W21.

[0098] If the number of candidate regions is two or more, any of the candidate regions CR is estimated to be an abnormal portion such as a chipped portion of the workpiece, regardless of the number that matches the reference shape. As described above, the abnormality determination unit 148 may determine that the workpiece is abnormal if the number of candidate regions obtained from the outer periphery edge information does not match the number of any of the positioning portions Id predetermined in the discrimination information (for example, if the number of candidate regions is two or more).

[0099] In the provisional judgments A and B in Table 1, it is not determined whether the workpiece is abnormal or not, and what type the workpiece is. Therefore, if it is determined in step S35 that the workpiece is not abnormal (step S35: YES), the remaining part of the series of processes shown in FIG. 15 is executed.

[0100] 15, the alignment controller 130 executes step S41. In step S41, for example, the edge position acquisition unit 134 operates the rotation drive unit 50 and the edge sensor 90 to acquire information indicating the position of an inner peripheral edge that may be located inside the outer peripheral edge of the workpiece (hereinafter referred to as "inner peripheral edge information"). The edge position acquisition unit 134 may acquire detection results of the position of the inner peripheral edge from the edge sensor 90 at each of a plurality of rotation angles about the central axis CAx of the support unit 40 while rotating the support unit 40 about the central axis CAx using the rotation drive unit 50. In one example, the edge position acquisition unit 134 rotates the workpiece 360° (or more) about the central axis CAx using the rotation drive unit 50. The edge position acquisition unit 134 acquires the position of the inner peripheral edge from the edge sensor 90 for each predetermined detection angle.

[0101] The edge position acquisition unit 134 may scan the detection signal obtained from the edge sensor 90 for each detection angle along the radial direction of the circumference centered on the central axis CAx from the outer periphery toward the inner periphery. Then, the edge position acquisition unit 134 may acquire the position of the light-receiving element 96 where the signal strength last exceeds a predetermined value as the position of the inner periphery (edge position). The scanning direction may be from the inner periphery toward the outer periphery, and the position of the light-receiving element 96 where the signal strength first falls below the predetermined value may be acquired as the position of the inner periphery.

[0102] If the workpiece is a substrate W1, there is no inner peripheral edge, and therefore the position where the signal strength last exceeds a predetermined value (or the position where the signal strength first falls below a predetermined value) is not detected. The edge position acquisition unit 134 does not need to acquire inner peripheral edge information if no signal change corresponding to the position of the inner peripheral edge is obtained in the detection signal obtained from the edge sensor 90. The edge position information may include information indicating that there is no inner peripheral edge. If inner peripheral edge information is acquired, the profile generation unit 136 generates an edge profile (inner peripheral edge profile) that indicates the relationship between the rotation angle of the support unit 40 and the position of the inner peripheral edge from the detection results of the inner peripheral edge position for each detection angle by the edge position acquisition unit 134.

[0103] Next, alignment controller 130 executes step S42. In step S42, for example, abnormality determination unit 148 determines whether inner circumference edge information has been obtained in step S41. If inner circumference edge information has been obtained (step S42: YES), alignment controller 130 executes steps S43, S44, and S45 in order. In step S43, for example, center position calculation unit 138 calculates the center position of the workpiece on support unit 40 from an edge profile that indicates changes in the position of the inner circumference edge with respect to the rotation angle, similar to step S32.

[0104] In step S44, for example, the region extraction unit 142 extracts a candidate region CR formed on the inner periphery based on an edge profile indicating a change in the position of the inner periphery with respect to the rotation angle and the center position calculated in step S43, similar to step S33. In step S45, for example, the shape determination unit 144 determines whether the candidate region CR extracted in step S43 corresponds to the reference shape of the positioning portion Id formed on the inner periphery, similar to step S34. The shape determination unit 144 may determine whether the candidate region CR extracted in step S43 corresponds to the reference shape of the positioning portion Id22 of the ring member W22. If the position of the inner periphery is not detected in step S42 (step S42: NO), the alignment controller 130 does not execute steps S43, S44, and S45.

[0105] Next, the alignment controller 130 executes step S46. In step S46, for example, the abnormality determination unit 148 determines whether the edge position information (inner circumference edge information) matches the discrimination information stored in the discrimination information storage unit 146. In step S46, if the edge position information matches any of the edge conditions included in the discrimination information (step S46: YES), the processing executed by the alignment controller 130 proceeds to step S47. In step S47, for example, the abnormality determination unit 148 determines that the workpiece is normal. The abnormality determination unit 148 may determine the type of the workpiece according to the edge condition that the edge position information matches. When the edge position information matches any one of the edge conditions, determining the type of the workpiece according to that edge condition may correspond to determining that the workpiece is normal.

[0106] In step S46, if the edge position information does not match any of the edge conditions included in the discrimination information (step S46: NO), the processing executed by the alignment controller 130 proceeds to step S48. In step S48, for example, the abnormality determination unit 148 determines that the workpiece is abnormal. If the workpiece is determined to be abnormal in step S48 or step S36, the abnormality output unit 152 may output a signal indicating that the workpiece is abnormal to a higher-level controller. A workpiece determined to be abnormal may be excluded from the processing line of the substrate processing apparatus in which the transfer system 1 is installed.

[0107] In step S46, the abnormality determination unit 148 may determine whether or not the edge position information matches the discrimination information based on the determination result in step S35 (determination result at the outer peripheral edge), the extraction result in step S44 (number of candidate areas at the inner peripheral edge), and the determination result in step S45 (number of pattern matches at the inner peripheral edge). Table 2 below shows an example of the relationship between the determination result and the combination of the determination result in step S35, the number of candidate areas at the inner peripheral edge, and the number of pattern matches at the inner peripheral edge. The abnormality determination unit 148 may determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece according to the relationship shown in Table 2 below. In Table 2, ">1" means 1 or more.

[0108] [Table 2]

[0109] The meanings of the judgment results for the outer periphery in Table 2 are as follows: Tentative determination A: The number of candidate regions on the outer periphery is 0. There is a possibility that the workpiece is ring member W22 or ring member W23. Tentative decision B: The number of candidate regions on the outer edge is 1, and the number of pattern matches is 1. Provisional determination B-1: In provisional determination B, the candidate area CR matches the reference shape of the positioning portion Id1 of the substrate W1. There is a possibility that the workpiece is the substrate W1. Provisional determination B-2: In provisional determination B, the candidate region CR matches the reference shape of the positioning portion Id21 of the ring member W21. There is a possibility that the workpiece is the ring member W21. Provisional judgment A / B: The judgment result is provisional judgment A or provisional judgment B.

[0110] If no inner peripheral edge information is obtained in provisional judgment A and provisional judgment B-2, it is presumed that the type of workpiece is substrate W1, but that a normal positioning portion Id (positioning portion Id1 of substrate W1) is not formed on the outer peripheral edge, and the workpiece is determined to be abnormal. If no inner peripheral edge information is obtained in provisional judgment B-1, the workpiece is determined to be substrate W1, and the workpiece is determined to be normal. If the number of candidate areas on the inner peripheral edge is 0 in provisional judgment A, it is determined that no positioning portion exists on either the outer peripheral edge or the inner peripheral edge. In this case, the workpiece is determined to be ring member W23, and the workpiece is determined to be normal.

[0111] In provisional judgment B-1, if the number of candidate areas on the inner periphery is 0, it is presumed that a chip or the like has formed in the ring member corresponding to the positioning portion Id of the substrate W1, and the workpiece is judged to be abnormal. In provisional judgment B-2, if the number of candidate areas on the inner periphery is 0, the workpiece is judged to be the ring member W21, and the workpiece is judged to be normal. In provisional judgment A and provisional judgment B, if the number of candidate areas on the inner periphery is 1 and the number of pattern matches on the inner periphery is 0, it is presumed that a chip or the like exists on the inner periphery, and the workpiece is judged to be abnormal.

[0112] In provisional judgment A, if the number of candidate areas on the inner periphery is 1 and the number of pattern matches on the inner periphery is 1, the work is judged to be ring member W22 and the work is judged to be normal. In provisional judgment B, if the number of candidate areas on the inner periphery is 1 and the number of pattern matches on the inner periphery is 1, it is estimated that chips or the like corresponding to positioning portions have been formed on the outer and inner peripheries, and the work is judged to be abnormal. If the number of candidate areas on the inner periphery is 2 or more, one of the candidate areas CR is estimated to be an abnormal part such as a chip on the work, regardless of other detection results, and the work is judged to be abnormal.

[0113] In the abnormality determination described above, the abnormality determination unit 148 determines whether the type of workpiece is a substrate W1 or a ring member W2 based on the presence or absence of inner circumference edge information. The abnormality determination unit 148 may determine that the type of workpiece is a substrate W1 when inner circumference edge information is not acquired, and may determine that the type of workpiece is a ring member W2 when inner circumference edge information is acquired.

[0114] In the above-described abnormality determination, the abnormality determination unit 148 determines whether or not the workpiece is abnormal based on the determination result by the shape determination unit 144 and the formation position of the candidate region CR determined to correspond to the reference shape of the positioning unit Id. The abnormality determination unit 148 determines whether or not the candidate region CR corresponds to the reference shape of the positioning unit Id1 or Id21 on the outer circumferential edge, and whether or not the candidate region CR corresponds to the reference shape of the positioning unit Id22 on the inner circumferential edge. Therefore, if a candidate region CR corresponding to the reference shape of the positioning unit Id1 or Id21 is formed on the inner circumferential edge, the workpiece is determined to be abnormal. Furthermore, if a candidate region CR corresponding to the reference shape of the positioning unit Id22 is formed on the outer circumferential edge, the workpiece is determined to be abnormal.

[0115] In step S47, after the workpiece is determined to be normal and the type of the workpiece is determined, the alignment information acquisition unit 154 may acquire the position of the positioning part Id about the central axis CAx as alignment information based on an edge profile indicating the position of the outer periphery or inner periphery. If the workpiece is a substrate W1, the alignment information acquisition unit 154 acquires the position of the positioning part Id1 from the outer periphery edge profile. If the workpiece is a ring member W21, the alignment information acquisition unit 154 acquires the position of the positioning part Id21 from the outer periphery edge profile. If the workpiece is a ring member W22, the alignment information acquisition unit 154 acquires the position of the positioning part Id22 from the inner periphery edge profile. If the workpiece is a ring member W23, the alignment information acquisition unit 154 does not need to acquire the positions of the positioning parts.

[0116] The above series of processes completes the alignment preparation process for one workpiece in step S13. The alignment information acquisition unit 154 acquires the center position calculated in step S32 or the center position calculated in step S43 as alignment information.

[0117] [Variations] The above-described series of processes is an example and can be modified as appropriate. In the above-described series of processes, the robot controller 110 and the alignment controller 130 may execute one step and the next step in parallel, or may execute each step in an order different from that of the above-described example. The robot controller 110 and the alignment controller 130 may omit any step, or may execute a process in any step different from that of the above-described example.

[0118] The alignment controller 130 may acquire outer peripheral edge information indicating the edge position of the outer peripheral edge and inner peripheral edge information indicating the edge position of the inner peripheral edge, and then compare the edge position information including the outer peripheral edge information and the inner peripheral edge information with the discrimination information to determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece and the type of the workpiece. The alignment controller 130 may compare the edge position information with the discrimination information to determine the type of the workpiece, and then determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece.

[0119] The above-described method of detecting the edge position of the outer peripheral edge and the edge position of the inner peripheral edge is one example, and unlike the above-described example, the edge sensor 90 (or the edge position acquisition unit 134) may detect the edge position by any method. The edge position acquisition unit 134 may determine that the workpiece does not have an inner peripheral edge when the edge positions of the information acquired as the edge position of the outer peripheral edge and the information acquired as the edge position of the inner peripheral edge substantially match each other.

[0120] When scanned in one direction, the edge sensor 90 may acquire both information indicating the edge position of the outer periphery and information indicating the edge position of the inner periphery, or may acquire information indicating the edge position of the outer periphery and information indicating that no inner periphery exists. The edge sensor 90 may include two sets of irradiating units 92 and light-receiving units 94 arranged at two locations on the circumference about the central axis CAx, and one set of the irradiating units 92 and light-receiving units 94 may acquire information indicating the position of the outer periphery, and the other set of the irradiating units 92 and light-receiving units 94 may acquire the position of the inner periphery or information indicating that no inner periphery exists.

[0121] The transport system 1 may transport the workpiece after obtaining information indicating the type of the workpiece. The alignment controller 130 of the alignment device 30 may execute alignment preparation processing after obtaining information indicating the type of the workpiece. As shown in FIG. 16, the robot controller 110 may have a workpiece information acquisition unit 116, and the alignment controller 130 may have a workpiece information acquisition unit 166. In the block diagram shown in FIG. 16, some functional modules are simplified.

[0122] The workpiece information acquisition unit 116 acquires information about the workpiece to be transported (hereinafter referred to as "workpiece information") from outside the robot controller 110. The workpiece information acquisition unit 116 may acquire the workpiece information from a higher-level controller. The workpiece information may include type information indicating the type of the workpiece and target posture information indicating the target posture of the workpiece. The type information includes information indicating whether the workpiece to be transported is a substrate W1 or a ring member W2. The type information may include information indicating the type of the ring member W2.

[0123] The workpiece information acquisition unit 166 acquires workpiece information from outside the alignment controller 130. The workpiece information acquisition unit 166 may acquire the workpiece information from a higher-level controller or the workpiece information acquisition unit 116. The edge sensor 90 (or the edge position acquisition unit 134) may acquire edge position information indicating the edge position of the workpiece according to the workpiece information acquired by the workpiece information acquisition unit 166.

[0124] When the type of workpiece indicated by the workpiece information is a substrate W1, the edge sensor 90 acquires, as edge position information, information indicating the position of the outer circumferential edge E1 of the substrate W1. When the type of workpiece indicated by the workpiece information is a ring member W2, the edge sensor 90 acquires, as edge position information, information indicating the position of the inner circumferential edge Ei2 of the ring member W2 and information indicating the position of the outer circumferential edge Eo2 of the ring member W2.

[0125] Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing alignment preparation processing that is executed when information indicating the type of workpiece is obtained. When information indicating the type of workpiece is obtained, the robot controller 110 and the alignment controller 130 may execute a series of processes similar to the flowchart shown in Fig. 11. The workpiece information acquisition unit 166 of the alignment controller 130 may acquire the workpiece information when step S11 shown in Fig. 11 is executed. The alignment processing shown in Fig. 17 is executed in step S13. In the following description, one of the substrate W1 and ring member W2 to be transported will be referred to as the transport target workpiece.

[0126] The alignment controller 130 executes steps S61, S62, S63, and S64 in the same manner as steps S31, S32, S33, and S34. In step S61, if the workpiece to be transferred is a substrate W1, the edge position acquisition unit 134 acquires outer periphery edge information indicating the position of the outer periphery E1 of the substrate W1. In step S61, if the workpiece to be transferred is a ring member W2, the edge position acquisition unit 134 acquires outer periphery edge information indicating the position of the outer periphery Eo2 of the ring member W2.

[0127] Next, the alignment controller 130 executes step S65. In step S65, for example, the alignment controller 130 determines whether the workpiece to be transferred is the ring member W2. If it is determined that the workpiece to be transferred is the ring member W2 (step S65: YES), the alignment controller 130 executes steps S71, S72, S73, and S74, similar to steps S41, S43, S44, and S45. In step S71, the edge position acquisition unit 134 acquires inner peripheral edge information indicating the position of the inner peripheral edge Ei2 of the ring member W2. If it is determined in step S65 that the workpiece to be transferred is the substrate W1 (step S65: NO), the alignment controller 130 does not execute steps S71, S72, S73, and S74.

[0128] Next, the alignment controller 130 executes step S66. In step S66, for example, it is determined whether or not the edge position information matches the discrimination information. If the edge position information matches the discrimination information in step S66 (step S66: YES), the alignment controller 130 executes step S67. In step S67, for example, the abnormality determination unit 148 determines that the workpiece to be transported is normal. If the edge position information does not match the discrimination information in step S66 (step S66: NO), the alignment controller 130 executes step S68. In step S68, for example, the abnormality determination unit 148 determines that the workpiece to be transported is abnormal.

[0129] The abnormality determination unit 148 may determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece to be transported, based on the edge position information and information from the discrimination information that is predetermined for the type of workpiece indicated by the workpiece information. When the workpiece to be transported is the substrate W1, the abnormality determination unit 148 may select an edge condition predetermined for the substrate W1 from the discrimination information. Then, the abnormality determination unit 148 may determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece by determining whether or not the information (outer peripheral edge information) obtained in steps S61 to S64 satisfies the edge condition predetermined for the substrate W1.

[0130] The abnormality determination unit 148 determines that the workpiece to be transported is abnormal if the information obtained in steps S61 to S64 does not satisfy the edge condition of the substrate W1, and determines that the workpiece to be transported is normal if the edge condition is satisfied. By performing steps S61 to S64, the alignment information acquisition unit 154 acquires the calculation result of the center position of the substrate W1 on the support unit 40 and the position (angle) of the positioning unit Id1 of the substrate W1 around the central axis CAx as alignment information.

[0131] For example, when the workpiece to be transported is a ring member W21, the abnormality determination unit 148 may select a predetermined edge condition for the ring member W21 from the discrimination information. Then, the abnormality determination unit 148 may determine whether or not the edge position information including the information obtained in steps S61 to S64 and the information obtained in steps S71 to S74 satisfies the edge condition defined for the ring member W21, thereby determining whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece.

[0132] The abnormality determination unit 148 determines that the workpiece to be transported is abnormal if the edge position information, which includes the information obtained in steps S61 to S64 and the information obtained in steps S71 to S74, does not satisfy the edge condition of the ring member W21, and determines that the workpiece to be transported is normal if the edge condition is satisfied. The abnormality determination unit 148 similarly determines whether or not the workpiece is abnormal when the workpiece to be transported is the ring member W22 or the ring member W23. By executing steps S61 to S64 and steps S71 to S74, the alignment information acquisition unit 154 acquires, as alignment information, the calculation result of the center position of the ring member W2 on the support unit 40 and the position (angle) of the positioning unit Id2 of the ring member W2 about the central axis CAx.

[0133] If the type of workpiece is a ring member W2, the alignment controller 130 may calculate the difference between the inner diameter and the outer diameter of the ring member W2. The case where the type of workpiece is a ring member W2 includes a case where the type of workpiece is determined to be a ring member W2 by executing step S13, and a case where the type of workpiece indicated by the workpiece information acquired before the start of workpiece transport is a ring member W2. The difference between the inner diameter and the outer diameter of the ring member W2 corresponds to the width of the ring member W2 along the radial direction of the circumference around the center of the ring member W2 (hereinafter referred to as the "ring width").

[0134] The alignment controller 130 may include a ring width calculation unit 172 shown in FIG. 16. The ring width calculation unit 172 calculates the difference between the outer diameter and the inner diameter of the ring member W2 based on outer peripheral edge information indicating the position of the outer peripheral edge Eo2 of the ring member W2 and inner peripheral edge information indicating the position of the inner peripheral edge Ei2 of the ring member W2. The ring width calculation unit 172 may calculate the ring width at each of multiple rotation angles of the support unit 40 about the central axis CAx. The ring width calculation unit 172 may calculate, as the ring width, the difference between the average value of the outer diameter of the ring member W2 at multiple rotation angles of the support unit 40 and the average value of the inner diameter of the ring member W2 at the multiple rotation angles.

[0135] The abnormality determination unit 148 may determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece according to the ring width calculated by the ring width calculation unit 172. The abnormality determination unit 148 may determine the type of the workpiece based on the value of the calculated ring width in addition to the result of comparing the edge position information with the discrimination information.

[0136] If the type of workpiece is a ring member W2, the difference between the center position based on the inner peripheral edge information and the center position based on the outer peripheral edge information (hereinafter referred to as the "center difference") may be calculated. If the type of workpiece is a ring member W2, the center position calculation unit 138 (ring center calculation unit) calculates the center position (first center position) of the ring member W2 at the support part 40 based on the outer peripheral edge information in step S32 or step S62. The center position calculation unit 138 (ring center calculation unit) calculates the center position (second center position) of the ring member W2 at the support part 40 based on the inner peripheral edge information in step S43 or step S72.

[0137] The alignment controller 130 may include a center difference calculation unit 174. The center difference calculation unit 174 calculates a center difference, which is the difference between the calculation result of the center position of the ring member W2 based on the outer peripheral edge information and the calculation result of the center position of the ring member W2 based on the inner peripheral edge information. If the center difference is large, it may be possible to estimate that the ring member W2 is abnormal. The abnormality determination unit 148 may determine that the ring member W2 is abnormal if the center difference calculated by the center difference calculation unit 174 is larger than a predetermined threshold.

[0138] If the type of workpiece is a ring member W2, the degree of deterioration of the ring member W2 may be evaluated based on the edge position information. When the ring member W2 is repeatedly used in a predetermined process on the substrate W1, the edge portion of the ring member W2 may deteriorate, and therefore the ring member W2 is replaced. When replacing the ring member W2, the alignment controller 130 may acquire an edge profile that indicates the edge position of the ring member W2 after use. The alignment controller 130 may have a deterioration evaluation unit 176.

[0139] The deterioration evaluation unit 176 may evaluate the degree of deterioration of the ring member W2 by comparing an edge profile obtained from the ring member W2 after use with a reference profile. The reference profile may be an edge profile obtained when the ring member W2 to be evaluated is in a state before use. The alignment controller 130 may set (adjust) the replacement timing of the ring member W2 based on the evaluation result of the deterioration degree by the deterioration evaluation unit 176. The alignment controller 130 may determine the need to replace the ring member W2 based on the evaluation result by the deterioration evaluation unit 176. The deterioration evaluation unit 176 may evaluate the deterioration of the ring member W2 based on the ring width calculated by the ring width calculation unit 172.

[0140] The types of workpieces expected to be transported in the transport system 1 are not limited to the combination of the substrate W1, ring member W21, ring member W22, and ring member W23 described above. The type of workpiece may be the substrate W1 and any one or two of the ring members W21, ring member W22, and ring member W23. The alignment process performed by the alignment controller 130 can be changed as appropriate depending on the type of workpiece expected to be transported. Since the edge conditions of each of the multiple types of ring members W2 are included in the discrimination information, the same alignment controller 130 can be used for multiple transport systems 1 that transport different types of ring members W2 without changing the alignment controller 130.

[0141] In the transfer system 1, when a substrate W1 and a ring member W2 (e.g., ring member W21) having a positioning portion Id2 on its outer peripheral edge are transferred, the edge sensor 90 may detect the position of the outer peripheral edge of the workpiece without detecting the position of the inner peripheral edge of the workpiece. The abnormality determination unit 148 may determine the presence or absence of an abnormality on the outer peripheral edge of the workpiece without determining the presence or absence of an abnormality on the inner peripheral edge of the workpiece. In the transfer system 1, when a substrate W1 and a ring member W2 (e.g., ring member W22) having a positioning portion Id2 on its inner peripheral edge are transferred, the edge sensor 90 may detect the position of the inner peripheral edge Ei2 of the ring member W2 without detecting the position of the outer peripheral edge Eo2 of the ring member W2. The abnormality determination unit 148 may determine the presence or absence of an abnormality on the inner peripheral edge Ei2 of the ring member W2 without determining the presence or absence of an abnormality on the outer peripheral edge Eo2 of the ring member W2.

[0142] When one of the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 is supported by the support part 40, the other of the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 may be carried into the alignment device 30. The support part 40 may support both the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 at the same time. When both the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 are supported by the support part 40, the substrate W1 is the workpiece, and the ring member W2 is the workpiece. The edge sensor 90 may detect the edge position of at least one of the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 when both the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 are supported by the support part 40.

[0143] In the above example, the center position of the workpiece is adjusted by adjusting the position of the hand 14 when receiving the workpiece, but the method for aligning the center position is not limited to this example. The alignment device 30 may have a mechanism (function) for adjusting the center position of the workpiece. In one example, the attitude adjustment unit 32 may have a stage that moves the support part 40 in two directions on the XY plane, and the attitude adjustment unit 32 may have an edge grip formed so that the center position of the workpiece is aligned with a reference position when the attitude adjustment unit 32 physically grips the workpiece.

[0144] Here, an example of the hand 14 of the transfer robot 12 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 18 to 20. As described above, the hand 14 can support each of the substrate W1 and the ring member W2, and can rotate about the vertical axis Ax3. The hand 14 moves along the Y-axis direction (see FIGS. 1 and 2) while approaching the attitude adjustment unit 32, thereby transferring the substrate W1 to the substrate support portion 61 of the lift portion 60 and transferring the ring member W2 to the ring support portion 62. As shown in FIG. 18, for example, the hand 14 has a base end portion 81 and a workpiece support portion 82. The base end portion 81 may be made of a metal such as aluminum, and the workpiece support portion 82 may be made of a metal such as aluminum or a ceramic material.

[0145] The base end 81 is connected to the tip of the second arm 26 of the transfer robot 12 and is formed in a plate shape extending in one horizontal direction. The work support portion 82 is formed in a plate shape extending further from the tip of the base end 81. The thickness of the base end 81 may be greater than the thickness of the work support portion 82, and one end of the work support portion 82 may be connected to the underside of the tip of the base end 81. The work support portion 82 includes a main body portion 83 and a pair of tip portions 84. The main body portion 83 is connected to the tip of the base end 81 and extends in the extension direction of the base end 81. The pair of tip portions 84 are formed so as to branch into two from the tip of the main body portion 83 and extend in the extension direction of the base end 81.

[0146] The hand 14 has a plurality of substrate holding parts 86. The plurality of substrate holding parts 86 are provided at different positions on the upper surface of the work support part 82. Each of the plurality of substrate holding parts 86 may be configured to suction the backside of the substrate W1 by vacuum suction. For example, an air hose passing through the base (body) of the transfer robot 12 and the inside of each arm is connected to each of the plurality of substrate holding parts 86. With negative pressure air generated by a vacuum pump or the like being passed through the inside of the air hose, the backside of the substrate W1 comes into contact with each of the plurality of substrate holding parts 86, thereby holding the substrate W1 by suction at multiple positions.

[0147] In the example shown in FIG. 18, three substrate holding portions 86 are provided: one substrate holding portion 86 is disposed in the main body portion 83, one substrate holding portion 86 is disposed in one of the pair of tip portions 84, and one substrate holding portion 86 is disposed in the other of the pair of tip portions 84. The substrate holding portion 86 disposed in the main body portion 83 may be located closer to the pair of tip portions 84 than the base end portion 81. FIG. 19(a) illustrates an example of the hand 14 holding the substrate W1. The multiple substrate holding portions 86 hold the substrate W1 by adsorbing the back surface of the substrate W1 at multiple locations around the center position Cw1 of the substrate W1. Each of the multiple substrate holding portions 86 may be a protrusion formed of rubber such as elastomer. The number of the multiple substrate holding portions 86 may be four or more.

[0148] The hand 14 has a plurality of ring holding portions 87. The plurality of ring holding portions 87 are provided at different positions on the upper surface of the work support portion 82. Each of the plurality of ring holding portions 87 may be a protrusion that protrudes from the upper surface of the work support portion 82. The ring holding portion 87 may be a protrusion formed from rubber such as elastomer, or may be a protrusion formed from a ceramic material. When the back surface of the ring member W2 comes into contact with the plurality of protrusions (ring holding portions 87), the ring member W2 is held by friction between the protrusions.

[0149] In the example shown in FIG. 18 , four ring holders 87 are provided: two ring holders 87 are disposed in the main body 83; one ring holder 87 is disposed in one of the pair of tip portions 84; and one ring holder 87 is disposed in the other of the pair of tip portions 84. In the main body 83, the two ring holders 87 are disposed closer to the base end 81 than to the tip portions 84. The distance between the ring holder 87 disposed in the main body 83 and the axis Ax3 (or the base end 81) is smaller than the distance between the substrate holder 86 disposed in the main body 83 and the axis Ax3 (or the base end 81). In the tip portion 84, the ring holder 87 is disposed closer to the tip than the substrate holder 86. The distance between the ring holder 87 disposed in the tip portion 84 and the axis Ax3 (or the base end 81) is larger than the distance between the substrate holder 86 disposed in the tip portion 84 and the axis Ax3 (or the base end 81).

[0150] The number of the multiple ring holding portions 87 may be any number as long as they can stably hold the ring member W2. For example, one ring holding portion 87 may be arranged on the main body portion 83, for a total of three ring holding portions 87. Five or more ring holding portions 87 may be provided. Instead of protrusions, the ring holding portion 87 may be an adsorption portion configured to adsorb the back surface of the ring member W2. Figure 19(b) illustrates an example of the hand 14 in a state where it is holding the ring member W2. The multiple ring holding portions 87 hold (support) the ring member W2 by contacting the back surface of the ring member W2 at multiple points around the center position Cw2 of the ring member W2.

[0151] The hand 14 has a detection sensor 88. The detection sensor 88 is a sensor that detects the presence of the ring member W2 when the ring member W2 is placed on the hand 14. The detection sensor 88 may be any type of sensor and may be located at any position as long as it can determine the presence or absence of the ring member W2 on the hand 14. For example, as shown in FIG. 18 , the detection sensor 88 is embedded in the main body 83 and exposed from the top surface of the main body 83. The detection sensor 88 may be located at a position where at least a portion of the detection sensor 88 overlaps with the ring member W2 in a plan view when the ring member W2 is held by the hand 14. At least a portion of the detection sensor 88 may be located between two ring holders 87 located on the main body 83.

[0152] The detection sensor 88 may have a light source that emits light upward (to a position where the ring member W2 may be present). The detection sensor 88 may determine the presence or absence of the ring member W2 based on the amount of light reflected from the light source and returning to the detection sensor 88. When the ring member W2 is held by the hand 14, the light from the light source is reflected by the back surface of the ring member W2, increasing the amount of light returning to the detection sensor 88. A signal detected by the detection sensor 88 is input to the robot controller 110. The detection sensor 88 may determine the presence or absence of the substrate W1 on the hand 14, or in addition to the detection sensor 88, another sensor capable of detecting the presence of the substrate W1 on the hand 14 may be provided. When the substrate holder 86 that holds the substrate W1 is an adsorption unit, the presence or absence of the substrate W1 on the hand 14 may be determined based on the pressure value of negative pressure air at the adsorption unit.

[0153] Although the hand 14 does not hold the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 at the same time, Fig. 20 virtually depicts a state in which both the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 are held by the hand 14 in order to explain the relationship between the holding position of the substrate W1 and the holding position of the ring member W2 on the hand 14. As shown in Fig. 20, the center position Cw1 of the substrate W1 on the hand 14 and the center position Cw2 of the ring member W2 on the hand 14 are in different positions (they do not coincide in a plan view). The term "workpiece on the hand 14" refers to a workpiece held by the hand 14, and the center position of the workpiece on the hand 14 is the center position of the workpiece relative to the hand 14 when the hand 14 holds the workpiece.

[0154] In the example shown in FIG. 20, the center position Cw1 of the substrate W1 on the hand 14 is closer to the tip of the hand 14 (farther from the axis Ax3) than the center position Cw2 of the ring member W2 on the hand 14. That is, the axis Ax3 (or the base end 81), the center position Cw2 of the ring member W2 on the hand 14, and the center position Cw1 of the substrate W1 on the hand 14 are arranged in this order. In FIG. 20, the extension direction of the hand 14 is indicated by "direction D1," and the horizontal direction perpendicular to direction D1 is indicated by "direction D2." Here, in a plan view, a line passing through the axis Ax3 and connecting the centers of the hand 14 in direction D2 is defined as the "center axis of the hand 14." The center axis of the hand 14 is an axis extending along direction D1. The center position Cw1 of the substrate W1 on the hand 14 and the center position Cw2 of the ring member W2 on the hand 14 may be located on the center axis of the hand 14.

[0155] The hand 14 may hold the substrate W1 so that the center of a first imaginary circle passing through all of the plurality of substrate holders 86 and the center position Cw1 of the substrate W1 approximately coincide with each other in a plan view. The hand 14 may hold the ring member W2 so that the center of a second imaginary circle passing through all of the plurality of ring holders 87 and the center position Cw2 of the ring member W2 approximately coincide with each other in a plan view. The distance between the center of the first imaginary circle for the substrate holders 86 and the axis Ax3 may be greater than the distance between the center of the second imaginary circle for the ring member W2 and the axis Ax3. The diameter of the first imaginary circle may be smaller than the diameter of the second imaginary circle. The centers of the first and second imaginary circles may be located on the central axis of the hand 14.

[0156] A portion of the outer periphery of the substrate W1 on the hand 14 that is located near the tip of the hand 14 may protrude further from the tip of the hand 14 than a portion of the ring member W2 on the hand 14 that is located near the tip of the hand 14. In a plan view, the distance between the axis Ax3 and the end of the substrate W1 on the hand 14 that is farthest from the axis Ax3 may be greater than the distance between the axis Ax3 and the end of the ring member W2 on the hand 14 that is farthest from the axis Ax3.

[0157] In the above example, the hand 14 holds the substrate W1 so that the tip 84 of the hand 14 does not protrude beyond a portion of the outer periphery of the substrate W1 located near the tip of the hand 14. This prevents interference between the tip 84 of the hand 14 and a member supporting the substrate W1 in a cassette (e.g., a FOUP) that stores the substrate W1 when the hand 14 transfers the substrate W1. Furthermore, the hand 14 in the above example can hold the ring member W2, which has a relatively smaller holding area than the substrate W1, at a location separate from the substrate W1. Because the ring member W2 is used in a predetermined process on the substrate W1, it is desirable to hold it at a holding portion separate from the substrate W1 from the perspective of dust prevention for the substrate W1. In the above-described hand 14, the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 are held at different locations, which is useful for dust prevention for the substrate W1.

[0158] In the hand 14 of the above example, it is not necessary to make the pair of tip portions 84 longer than in a hand that holds the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 so that the center position Cw1 of the substrate W1 in the hand 14 and the center position Cw2 of the ring member W2 in the hand 14 substantially coincide with each other. Therefore, the length of each of the pair of tip portions 84 in the direction D1 can be reduced, which is useful for miniaturizing the hand 14.

[0159] When the above-described hand 14 transports the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 to the alignment device 30 or another location, the position of the hand 14 when transferring the substrate W1 and the position of the hand 14 when transferring the ring member W2 are different in a plan view. The robot device 10 may store, as taught positions, the positions of the hand 14 when transferring the substrate W1 and the ring member W2. The robot device 10 (robot controller 110) may transport the workpiece using the transport robot 12 while switching the taught positions when transferring the substrate W1 and the ring member W2. The center positions of the hands when holding the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 may be offset from the central axis of the hands. However, if both center positions are positioned on the central axis as in the above example, calculation of the taught positions or teaching of the positions is simplified.

[0160] [Effects of the embodiment] The alignment apparatus 30 in some of the examples described above includes a support unit 40, an edge sensor 90, an alignment information acquisition unit 154, and an abnormality determination unit 148. The support unit 40 supports, as workpieces, a substrate W1 and a ring member W2 used during a predetermined process on the substrate W1. The edge sensor 90 acquires edge position information indicating the edge position of the workpiece supported by the support unit 40. The alignment information acquisition unit 154 acquires alignment information for aligning the workpiece based on the edge position information. The abnormality determination unit 148 determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece based on the edge position information and predetermined discrimination information for each of the substrate W1 and the ring member W2.

[0161] In this alignment device 30, the presence or absence of abnormalities is determined for two types of workpieces, the substrate W1 and the ring member W2, using information on the edge positions detected for alignment. This makes it possible to exclude the substrate W1 and ring member W2 that are determined to be abnormal. This is therefore useful for stabilizing processing of the substrate W1 for which the ring member W2 is used.

[0162] In some of the examples described above, the discrimination information may include edge conditions that determine whether the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 are normal. The abnormality determination unit 148 may determine that the workpiece is normal if the edge position information matches any of the edge conditions included in the discrimination information. The abnormality determination unit 148 may determine that the workpiece is abnormal if the edge position information does not match any of the edge conditions included in the discrimination information. In this case, workpieces for which edge position information is obtained that does not match the edge conditions defined in the discrimination information can be excluded. Therefore, substrate processing for the substrate W1 determined to be abnormal and substrate processing using the ring member W2 determined to be abnormal can be avoided. This is therefore useful for stabilizing the processing results for the substrate W1.

[0163] In some of the examples described above, when the edge position information matches any one of the edge conditions included in the discrimination information, the abnormality determination unit 148 may determine the type of workpiece according to that edge condition (matched edge condition). In the above configuration, even if the alignment device 30 starts processing for alignment without knowing the type of workpiece, it can determine the type of workpiece using the edge position information for alignment. Therefore, it is not necessary to transmit information indicating the type of workpiece to the alignment device 30. This is therefore useful for simplifying the transmission and reception of data throughout the entire system including the alignment device 30.

[0164] In some of the examples described above, the predetermined edge condition in the discrimination information may include a condition indicating whether or not an inner peripheral edge of the workpiece exists. The edge sensor 90 may be configured to acquire, as edge position information, outer peripheral edge information indicating the position of the outer peripheral edge of the workpiece and inner peripheral edge information indicating the position of the inner peripheral edge that may be located inside the outer peripheral edge of the workpiece. The abnormality determination unit 148 may determine that the type of workpiece is a substrate W1 when inner peripheral edge information is not acquired. The abnormality determination unit 148 may determine that the type of workpiece is a ring member W2 when inner peripheral edge information is acquired. In this case, the edge position information for aligning the workpiece can be used to determine whether the workpiece is a substrate W1 or a ring member W2. Therefore, there is no need to acquire additional information to determine the type of workpiece. This is useful for improving the processing efficiency of the alignment device 30.

[0165] The alignment apparatus 30 in some of the examples described above may further include a workpiece information acquisition unit 166 that acquires workpiece information indicating the type of workpiece. When the type of workpiece indicated by the workpiece information is a substrate W1, the edge sensor 90 may acquire, as edge position information, information indicating the position of the outer edge E1 of the substrate W1. When the type of workpiece indicated by the workpiece information is a ring member W2, the edge sensor 90 may acquire, as edge position information, information indicating the position of the inner edge Ei2 of the ring member W2 and information indicating the position of the outer edge Eo2 of the ring member W2. The abnormality determination unit 148 may determine the presence or absence of an abnormality in the workpiece based on the edge position information and information from the discrimination information that is predetermined for the type of workpiece indicated by the workpiece information. In this case, the edge sensor 90 can acquire edge position information in a manner tailored to the type of workpiece. This is useful for simplifying the processing performed by the alignment apparatus 30.

[0166] The alignment device 30 in some of the examples described above may further include a rotational drive unit 50 and a profile generation unit 136. The rotational drive unit 50 rotates the support unit 40 supporting a workpiece around a predetermined central axis CAx. The profile generation unit 136 generates an edge profile indicating the relationship between the rotation angle of the support unit 40 around the central axis and the edge position of the workpiece based on edge position information acquired by the edge sensor 90 while the rotational drive unit 50 is rotating the support unit 40. The alignment information acquisition unit 154 may acquire alignment information based on the edge profile. In this case, the alignment information is obtained from the edge profile indicating the change in edge position with respect to the rotation angle, resulting in high accuracy of the alignment information. This is therefore useful for performing high-precision alignment.

[0167] The alignment device 30 in some of the examples described above may further include a region extraction unit 142 that extracts candidate regions CR estimated to be workpiece positioning portions Id from the edge profile. The edge conditions predetermined in the discrimination information may include a condition indicating the number of workpiece positioning portions Id. The abnormality determination unit 148 may determine that the workpiece is abnormal if the number of candidate regions CR extracted by the region extraction unit 142 does not match any of the numbers of workpiece positioning portions Id in the discrimination information. In this case, workpieces whose number of positioning portions Id does not match the conditions in the discrimination information can be excluded before evaluating other conditions. This is therefore useful for improving processing efficiency when performing abnormality determination.

[0168] In some of the examples described above, the region extraction unit 142 may extract a candidate region CR estimated to be the workpiece positioning portion Id by comparing the edge profile with a virtual circle IC around the center position of the workpiece calculated from the edge profile. In this case, the candidate region CR is extracted taking into account the deviation between the center position of the workpiece and the central axis CAx. This improves the extraction accuracy of the candidate region CR used in workpiece abnormality determination. Therefore, this is useful for highly accurate workpiece abnormality determination.

[0169] In some of the examples described above, the edge conditions predetermined in the discrimination information may include a condition indicating the reference shape of the workpiece positioning portion Id and a condition indicating the formation position of the workpiece positioning portion Id on the edge. The alignment device 30 may further include a shape determination unit 144 that determines whether the candidate region CR extracted by the region extraction unit 142 corresponds to the reference shape. The abnormality determination unit 148 may determine whether the workpiece is abnormal based on the determination result by the shape determination unit 144 and the formation position of the candidate region CR determined to correspond to the reference shape. In this case, even if a candidate region CR matching one of the reference shapes exists, the workpiece can be determined to be abnormal if the candidate region CR is not formed in a formation position determined to be normal. For example, if a candidate region CR matching the reference shape of the positioning portion Id1 of the substrate W1 is formed on the inner peripheral edge, the workpiece can be determined to be abnormal. This is therefore useful for improving the accuracy of workpiece abnormality determination.

[0170] In some of the examples described above, the alignment information acquisition unit 154 may acquire the position of the workpiece positioning portion Id in the edge profile as the alignment information. The alignment device 30 may further include an attitude control unit that adjusts the attitude of the workpiece using the rotation drive unit 50 so that the position of the positioning portion Id about the central axis CAx is aligned with the target position. In this case, information for adjusting the attitude of the workpiece about the central axis CAx can be used to determine abnormalities in the workpiece. Furthermore, a single alignment device 30 can align the attitudes in the rotational direction for two types of workpieces, the substrate W1 and the ring member W2. This is therefore useful for stabilizing processing of the substrate W1 while saving space.

[0171] In some of the examples described above, the alignment information acquisition unit 154 may acquire, as the alignment information, the results of calculating the center position of the workpiece on the support unit 40 based on the edge profile. In this case, information for adjusting the horizontal position of the workpiece can be used to determine abnormalities in the workpiece. Furthermore, a single alignment device 30 can align the horizontal positions of two types of workpieces, the substrate W1 and the ring member W2. This is therefore useful for stabilizing processing of the substrate W1 while saving space.

[0172] In some of the examples described above, when the type of workpiece is a ring member W2, the edge sensor 90 may be configured to acquire, as edge position information, outer peripheral edge information indicating the position of the outer peripheral edge Eo2 of the ring member W2 and inner peripheral edge information indicating the position of the inner peripheral edge Ei2 located inside the outer peripheral edge Eo2 of the ring member W2. The alignment device 30 may further include a ring width calculation unit 172 that calculates the difference between the outer diameter and the inner diameter of the ring member W2 based on the outer peripheral edge information and the inner peripheral edge information. In this case, the difference between the outer diameter and the inner diameter of the ring member W2 can be used to determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece or to determine the type of the ring member W2. This is therefore useful for further stabilizing processing of the substrate W1 or improving the accuracy of determining the type of the ring member W2.

[0173] In some of the examples described above, when the type of workpiece is a ring member W2, the edge sensor 90 may be configured to acquire, as edge position information, outer periphery edge information indicating the position of the outer periphery edge Eo2 of the ring member W2 and inner periphery edge information indicating the position of the inner periphery edge Ei2 located inside the outer periphery edge Eo2 of the ring member W2. The alignment device 30 may further include a ring center calculation unit and a center difference calculation unit 174. The ring center calculation unit (center position calculation unit 138) may calculate a first center position of the ring member W2 on the support part 40 based on the outer periphery edge information, and may calculate a second center position of the ring member W2 on the support part 40 based on the inner periphery edge information. The center difference calculation unit 174 may calculate the difference between the first center position and the second center position. In this case, an abnormality in the ring member W2 can be determined by evaluating the difference between the first center position and the second center position. This makes it possible to exclude ring members W2 that are determined to be abnormal, thereby reducing the possibility that ring members W2 having shapes different from the standard will be used to process the substrate W1, which is further useful for stabilizing the processing of the substrate W1.

[0174] The alignment device 30 in some of the examples described above may further include a deterioration evaluation unit 176 that evaluates the degree of deterioration of the ring member W2 based on the edge position information when the type of workpiece is the ring member W2. In this case, it is possible to determine whether the time to replace the ring member W2 is appropriate based on the evaluation results by the deterioration evaluation unit 176. This is therefore useful for optimizing the time to replace the ring member W2.

[0175] The transfer system 1 described above may include an alignment device 30, a transfer robot 12, and a receiving control unit 114. The transfer robot 12 may support and transfer a workpiece using a hand 14. The receiving control unit 114 may adjust the position of the hand 14 based on the calculation result of the center position of the workpiece, and control the transfer robot 12 so that the hand 14 receives the workpiece from the alignment device 30. In this case, alignment of the center positions of the substrate W1 and the ring member W2 can be performed using a single system. This is therefore useful for space saving. [Explanation of symbols]

[0176] 1...transport system, W1...substrate, E1...outer peripheral edge, W2...ring member, Ei2...inner peripheral edge, Eo2...outer peripheral edge, 30...alignment device, 40...support part, 90...edge sensor, 148...abnormality determination part, 154...alignment information acquisition part, 166...work information acquisition part, 172...ring width calculation part, 174...center difference calculation part, 176...deterioration evaluation part.

Claims

1. a support portion that supports, as workpieces, a substrate and a ring member used in a predetermined process on the substrate; an edge sensor that acquires edge position information indicating an edge position of the workpiece supported by the support portion; an alignment information acquisition unit that acquires alignment information for aligning the workpiece based on the edge position information; an abnormality determination unit that determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece based on the edge position information and predetermined discrimination information for each of the substrate and the ring member, The alignment apparatus, wherein the discrimination information includes an edge condition that is determined to be normal for the substrate and an edge condition that is determined to be normal for the ring member.

2. The abnormality determination unit When the edge position information matches any of the edge conditions included in the discrimination information, the work is determined to be normal; 2. The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece is determined to be abnormal when the edge position information does not match any of the edge conditions included in the discrimination information.

3. The alignment device according to claim 2 , wherein when the edge position information matches any one of the edge conditions included in the discrimination information, the abnormality determination unit determines the type of the workpiece in accordance with the one edge condition.

4. The predetermined edge condition in the discrimination information includes a condition indicating whether or not an inner peripheral edge of the workpiece exists, the edge sensor is configured to acquire, as the edge position information, outer peripheral edge information indicating the position of the outer peripheral edge of the workpiece and inner peripheral edge information indicating the position of the inner peripheral edge that may be located inside the outer peripheral edge of the workpiece; The abnormality determination unit If the inner periphery edge information is not acquired, the type of the workpiece is determined to be the substrate; 4. The alignment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the inner circumference edge information is acquired, the type of the workpiece is determined to be the ring member.

5. Further provided is a work information acquisition unit that acquires work information indicating the type of the work, The edge sensor When the type of the workpiece indicated by the workpiece information is the substrate, information indicating the position of the outer periphery of the substrate is acquired as the edge position information; When the type of the workpiece indicated by the workpiece information is the ring member, information indicating the position of an inner peripheral edge of the ring member and information indicating the position of an outer peripheral edge of the ring member are acquired as the edge position information; The alignment device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the abnormality determination unit determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece based on the edge position information and information among the discrimination information that is predetermined for the type of the workpiece indicated by the workpiece information.

6. a rotation drive unit that rotates the support unit, which supports the workpiece, around a predetermined central axis; a profile generating unit that generates an edge profile indicating a relationship between a rotation angle of the support unit about the central axis and an edge position of the workpiece based on the edge position information acquired by the edge sensor while the rotation drive unit is rotating the support unit, 6. The alignment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the alignment information acquisition unit acquires the alignment information based on the edge profile.

7. Further provided is a region extraction unit that extracts a candidate region that is estimated to be a positioning portion of the workpiece in the edge profile, The predetermined edge condition in the discrimination information includes a condition indicating the number of positioning portions of the workpiece, 7. The alignment device according to claim 6, wherein the abnormality determination unit determines that the workpiece is abnormal when the number of candidate areas extracted by the area extraction unit does not match the number of any of the positioning areas of the workpiece in the discrimination information.

8. 8. The alignment device according to claim 7, wherein the area extraction unit extracts a candidate area estimated to be a positioning portion of the workpiece by comparing a virtual circle around the center position of the workpiece calculated from the edge profile with the edge profile.

9. The edge conditions predetermined in the discrimination information include a condition indicating a reference shape of the positioning portion of the workpiece and a condition indicating a formation position of the positioning portion of the workpiece at the edge, the alignment apparatus further includes a shape determination unit that determines whether the candidate area extracted by the area extraction unit corresponds to the reference shape; 9. The alignment device according to claim 7, wherein the abnormality determination unit determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece based on the determination result by the shape determination unit and the formation position of the candidate area determined to correspond to the reference shape.

10. the alignment information acquisition unit acquires the position of a positioning portion of the workpiece in the edge profile as the alignment information; The alignment device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, further comprising an attitude control unit that adjusts the attitude of the workpiece using the rotation drive unit so as to align the position of the workpiece positioning unit around the central axis with a target position.

11. An alignment device according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the alignment information acquisition unit acquires as the alignment information the result of calculating the center position of the workpiece at the support part based on the edge profile.

12. the edge sensor is configured to acquire, when the type of the workpiece is the ring member, outer peripheral edge information indicating the position of the outer peripheral edge of the ring member and inner peripheral edge information indicating the position of the inner peripheral edge located more inward than the outer peripheral edge of the ring member, as the edge position information; The alignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a ring width calculation unit that calculates the difference between the outer diameter and the inner diameter of the ring member based on the outer edge information and the inner edge information.

13. the edge sensor is configured to acquire, when the type of the workpiece is the ring member, outer peripheral edge information indicating the position of the outer peripheral edge of the ring member and inner peripheral edge information indicating the position of the inner peripheral edge located more inward than the outer peripheral edge of the ring member, as the edge position information; The alignment device a ring center calculation unit that calculates a first center position of the ring member at the support portion based on the outer peripheral edge information and calculates a second center position of the ring member at the support portion based on the inner peripheral edge information; 13. The alignment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a center difference calculation unit that calculates a difference between the first center position and the second center position.

14. An alignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising a deterioration evaluation unit that, when the type of the workpiece is the ring member, evaluates the degree of deterioration of the ring member based on the edge position information.

15. An alignment device according to claim 11; a transport robot that supports and transports the workpiece by a hand; A substrate transport system comprising: a receiving control unit that adjusts the position of the hand based on the calculation result of the center position of the workpiece and controls the transport robot so that the hand receives the workpiece from the alignment device.

16. a substrate and a ring member used in a predetermined process on the substrate are supported as workpieces on a support portion; acquiring edge position information indicating an edge position of the workpiece supported by the support portion; acquiring alignment information for aligning the workpiece based on the edge position information; determining whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece based on the edge position information and predetermined discrimination information for each of the substrate and the ring member, An alignment method, wherein the discrimination information includes an edge condition that is determined to be normal for the substrate and an edge condition that is determined to be normal for the ring member.

17. a substrate and a ring member used in a predetermined process on the substrate are supported as workpieces on a support portion; acquiring edge position information indicating an edge position of the workpiece supported by the support portion; acquiring alignment information for aligning the workpiece based on the edge position information; and determining whether or not there is an abnormality in the workpiece based on the edge position information and predetermined discrimination information for each of the substrate and the ring member, The discrimination information includes an edge condition that is determined to be normal for the substrate and an edge condition that is determined to be normal for the ring member.

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