Substrate transport robot and substrate transport device

Abstract

To provide a substrate transfer robot capable of preventing the rotation range of a base link from being restricted in a state in which the upper portion of a guide rail is covered with a guide rail cover by lowering an elevating portion.SOLUTION: A substrate transfer robot 100 includes a guide rail cover 20a that laterally covers an upper portion 21h of a guide rail 21a that is exposed laterally when an elevating portion 22 descends. The robot arm 10 includes a base link 2 connected to the elevating portion 22. In a state in which the upper portion 21h of the guide rail 21a is covered with the guide rail cover 20a by lowering the elevating portion 22, a rotation center O of the base link 2 is arranged so as to be separated from the guide rail cover 20a such that a shortest distance D1 between the guide rail cover 20a and the rotation center O of the base link 2 is larger than a maximum turning radius R of the base link 2 when viewed from above.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate transport robot and a substrate transport device, and more particularly to a substrate transport robot and a substrate transport device that are provided with an elevation drive mechanism that raises and lowers a robot arm. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a substrate transfer robot and a substrate transfer device are known that include an elevation drive mechanism that raises and lowers a robot arm (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate transfer robot (substrate transfer device) including a robot arm and a lifting drive mechanism for raising and lowering the robot arm. The lifting drive mechanism of this substrate transfer robot is provided with a guide rail extending in the vertical direction and a lifting unit that is raised and lowered along the guide rail. The substrate transfer robot is also provided with a guide rail cover that covers the exposed upper portion of the guide rail from the side when the lifting unit is lowered. The guide rail cover is provided on the lifting unit separately from the base link, in a position horizontally facing a base link of the robot arm that is horizontally rotatable. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-148925 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the substrate transport robot (substrate transport device) described in Patent Document 1, a guide rail cover that covers the exposed upper portion of the guide rail from the side when the lifting unit is lowered is provided on the lifting unit separately from the base link at a position horizontally opposite the base link of the robot arm, which is horizontally rotatable. Therefore, when the base link rotates, the base link and the guide rail cover come into contact with each other, which may limit the rotation range of the base link. Therefore, there is a need for a substrate transport robot and a substrate transport device that can prevent the rotation range of the base link from being limited when the lifting unit is lowered and the upper portion of the guide rail is covered by the guide rail cover.

[0006] This invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one object of this invention is to provide a substrate transport robot and a substrate transport device that can prevent the rotation range of the base link from being restricted when the lifting section is lowered and the upper part of the guide rail is covered by the guide rail cover. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, a substrate transport robot according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises: a robot arm having at its tip a holding part for holding a substrate; a fixed part provided with a guide rail extending in a vertical direction; and a lifting drive mechanism including a lifting part that moves up and down along the guide rail to lift the robot arm; and a guide rail cover provided on the lifting part and covering from the side an upper part of the guide rail that is exposed to the side when the lifting part is lowered; the robot arm comprises a base link that is connected to the lifting part and is rotatable in a horizontal direction, and is provided at the same height as the guide rail cover in the vertical direction; and a tip-side link that is mounted on the lifting unit and can rotate horizontally, has a tip end, and has one or more arm members, and the rotation center of the base link is disposed spaced apart from the guide rail cover so that when viewed from above, the shortest distance between the guide rail cover and the rotation center of the base link is greater than the maximum radius of rotation of the base link when the lifting unit is lowered so that the upper part of the guide rail is covered by the guide rail cover, and the lifting unit includes a lower case part that extends along the vertical direction, and a lifting unit that protrudes from the upper part of the lower case part to one side in a first horizontal direction spaced apart from the guide rail, and supports the robot arm from below. The upper surface that supports the robot arm from below is flat, and the end of the guide rail cover is flush with the guide rail cover. When viewed from above, the end of the arm member on the guide rail cover side overlaps with the lower case portion.

[0008] In the substrate transport robot according to the first aspect of the present invention, as described above, when the lifting unit is lowered and the upper part of the guide rail is covered by the guide rail cover, the center of rotation of the base link is positioned away from the guide rail cover so that the shortest distance between the guide rail cover and the center of rotation of the base link is greater than the maximum radius of rotation of the base link, as viewed from above. This allows the guide rail cover to be located outside the movable range of the base link when the lifting unit is lowered and the upper part of the guide rail is covered by the guide rail cover. As a result, the guide rail cover does not interfere with the rotating base link, preventing the rotation range of the base link from being limited when the lifting unit is lowered and the upper part of the guide rail is covered by the guide rail cover.

[0009] A substrate transport device according to a second aspect of the present invention is a substrate transport robot including a robot arm having at its tip a holding portion for holding a substrate, a fixed portion provided with a guide rail extending along the vertical direction, and an elevation drive mechanism including an elevation portion which moves up and down along the guide rail to raise and lower the robot arm; a guide rail cover provided on the elevation portion and covering from the side an upper portion of the guide rail which is exposed to the side when the elevation portion is lowered; and a robot accommodation portion in which the substrate transport robot is accommodated, the robot arm being connected to the elevation portion and rotatable in the horizontal direction and provided at the same height as the guide rail cover in the vertical direction. and a tip-side link connected to the base link and rotatable in the horizontal direction, having a tip end and one or more arm members, wherein the rotation center of the base link is disposed spaced apart from the guide rail cover so that when the lifting unit is lowered and the top of the guide rail is covered by the guide rail cover, the shortest distance between the guide rail cover and the rotation center of the base link is greater than the maximum radius of rotation of the base link, as viewed from above; the lifting unit includes a lower case part extending along the vertical direction, and a lifting unit that protrudes from the top of the lower case part to one side in a first horizontal direction spaced apart from the guide rail, and supports the robot arm from below. The upper surface that supports the robot arm from below is flat, and the end of the guide rail cover is flush with the guide rail cover. When viewed from above, the end of the arm member on the guide rail cover side overlaps with the lower case portion.

[0010] In the substrate transport device according to a second aspect of the present invention, as described above, when the lifting unit is lowered and the upper part of the guide rail is covered by the guide rail cover, the center of rotation of the base link is positioned away from the guide rail cover so that the shortest distance between the guide rail cover and the center of rotation of the base link is greater than the maximum radius of rotation of the base link, as viewed from above. This allows the guide rail cover to be located outside the movable range of the base link when the upper part of the guide rail is covered by the guide rail cover when the lifting unit is lowered. As a result, the guide rail cover does not interfere with the rotating base link, making it possible to provide a substrate transport device that can prevent the rotation range of the base link from being limited when the upper part of the guide rail is covered by the guide rail cover when the lifting unit is lowered. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, as described above, when the lifting section is lowered and the upper part of the guide rail is covered by the guide rail cover, the rotation range of the base link can be prevented from being restricted. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus provided with a substrate transfer robot according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic side view showing a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus provided with a substrate transfer robot according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a top view of a base link according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a base link, a fixed portion, and a lift portion according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 300-300 in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 400-400 in FIG. [Figure 7]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a base link, a fixed portion, and a lifting portion when the lifting portion is raised according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating a base link, a fixed portion, and a lift portion according to one embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a base link, a fixed portion, and a lifting portion according to a first modified example of an embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a base link, a fixed portion, and a lifting portion according to a second modified example of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] [Present embodiment] The configurations of a substrate transfer robot 100 and a substrate transfer device 200 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1, the substrate transfer robot 100 is used in, for example, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 101 installed in a clean room. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 101 is equipped with a wafer processing apparatus 102 that processes semiconductor wafers W, a FOUP 103 that is a container for storing the wafers W, and a substrate transfer apparatus 200 that transfers the wafers W between the wafer processing apparatus 102 and the FOUP 103. The substrate transfer robot 100 is also equipped in the substrate transfer apparatus 200. The wafers W are an example of the "substrate" in the claims.

[0016] The FOUP 103 stores wafers W before or after processing. In the wafer processing apparatus 102, the wafers W are subjected to processes such as heat treatment, impurity introduction treatment, thin film formation treatment, lithography treatment, cleaning treatment, and planarization treatment.

[0017] The wafer processing apparatus 102 includes a processing space forming section 102b in which the processing space 102a is formed, a processing apparatus main body (not shown) disposed inside the processing space 102a for processing the wafer W, and a processing space adjusting device (not shown) for adjusting the ambient gas filled in the processing space 102a.

[0018] The substrate transfer device 200 includes a preparation space forming section 200b in which the preparation space 200a is formed, a substrate transfer robot 100 arranged in the preparation space 200a, and an aligner 200c arranged in the preparation space 200a and adjusting the orientation of the wafer W. The substrate transfer device 200 also includes a preparation space adjusting device (not shown) that adjusts the atmospheric gas filled in the preparation space 200a. The preparation space forming section 200b is an example of a "robot accommodating section" in the claims.

[0019] The preparation space forming section 200b is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped box. The substrate transport robot 100 is disposed in approximately the center of the preparation space 200a in the longitudinal direction (X direction).

[0020] Furthermore, when the substrate transfer robot 100 transfers the wafer W from the FOUP 103 to the wafer processing apparatus 102, the substrate transfer robot 100 temporarily transfers the wafer W taken out of the FOUP 103 to the aligner 200c. Then, the substrate transfer robot 100 inserts the wafer W, whose orientation has been adjusted in the aligner 200c, into the wafer processing apparatus 102.

[0021] The substrate transfer robot 100 is a horizontal articulated robot of the SCARA type. The substrate transfer robot 100 (substrate transfer device 200) includes a robot arm 10 and an elevation drive mechanism 20 to which the base end of the robot arm 10 is connected. The elevation drive mechanism 20 raises and lowers the robot arm 10.

[0022] The robot arm 10 has a robot hand (end effector) 1 at its tip 10a that holds (grabs) a wafer W. The robot arm 10 also includes a base link 2 that is connected to a lifting unit 22 (described later) and is rotatable in the horizontal direction. The base link 2 is disposed on top of a movable case 22a (see FIG. 4) (described later). The base link 2 is also provided at the same height as a guide rail cover 20a (described later) in the vertical direction. The base link 2 rotates (rotates) around a rotation center O (see FIG. 3). The robot arm 10 also includes a tip link 3 that is connected to the base link 2 and is rotatable in the horizontal direction, has a tip 10a, and has one or more arm members. Specifically, the tip link 3 has a first link 3a connected to the base link 2 and a second link 3b connected to the first link 3a and the robot hand 1. The robot hand 1 is an example of a "holding unit" in the claims. Each of the first link 3a and the second link 3b is an example of an "arm member" in the claims.

[0023] The base link 2 is formed so that both ends in the extension direction of the base link 2 have an arc shape when viewed from above. However, both ends of the base link 2 may be formed in a straight line when viewed from above.

[0024] In this embodiment, the tip-side link 3 is disposed at a different height (see FIG. 4) from the guide rail cover 20a in the vertical direction. Specifically, even when the lifting unit 22 is disposed at the lowest point, each of the first link 3a and the second link 3b rotates above the guide rail cover 20a and the ceiling cover 23 (described later) (Z1 side).

[0025] As shown in Fig. 2, the lifting drive mechanism 20 includes a fixed part 21 provided with a guide rail 21a (see Fig. 3) extending in the vertical direction (Z direction). The lifting drive mechanism 20 also includes a lifting part 22 that moves up and down along the guide rail 21a. Note that in Fig. 2, the base link 2 and the tip link 3 that have been moved upward are indicated by dashed lines. Also, in Fig. 2, the fixed part 21 and the lifting part 22 are illustrated as being aligned in the Y direction, but this is just an example and the present invention is not limited to this configuration.

[0026] The lifting / lowering unit 22 is provided to extend in the vertical direction. The upper part of the lifting / lowering unit 22 is the upper part of the lifting / lowering drive mechanism 20. When the lifting / lowering unit 22 moves up and down, the position of the robot hand 1 provided at the tip end 10a of the robot arm 10 changes up and down.

[0027] 3, fixed unit 21 includes fixed-side case 21b having an outer shape of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped (see FIG. 4) that is long in the vertical direction (Z direction). Furthermore, two guide rails 21a are arranged parallel to each other with a predetermined gap between them on the side of fixed unit 21 to which lifting unit 22 is connected.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 4, the lifting unit 22 includes a movable case 22a. A lower case portion 22h (described later) of the movable case 22a has an open bottom and a ceiling surface and four side surfaces connected by plate-like members. The movable case 22a includes a support member 22b connected to a nut member 21d (described later) in the fixed case 21b, and a block-shaped movable body 22c that engages with the guide rails 21a and moves up and down. Two movable bodies 22c are provided in series on each of the two guide rails 21a for stability and reliability of travel. For simplification, FIG. 4 illustrates the outline of the robot arm 10 rather than a cross-sectional view.

[0029] The movable case 22a includes a lower case portion 22h extending in the vertical direction (Z direction). The movable case 22a also includes an upper case portion 22j extending in the horizontal Y direction from the guide rail cover 20a side (Y1 side) toward the rotation center O side (Y2 side) of the base link 2. The upper case portion 22j protrudes from an upper portion 22i of the lower case portion 22h toward the Y2 direction away from the guide rail 21a. The upper case portion 22j includes a portion 22k protruding from the lower case portion 22h and a portion 22l provided to overlap the lower case portion 22h when viewed from above. The upper case portion 22j is provided to rotatably support the robot arm 10 (base link 2) from below (Z2 side). That is, the movable case 22a has an L-shape when viewed from the horizontal X direction perpendicular to the Y direction. The Y direction and the Y2 direction are examples of the "first direction" and "one of the first directions" in the claims, respectively. The X direction is an example of the "second direction" in the claims. The upper case portion 22j is an example of the "support portion" in the claims.

[0030] 3, in this embodiment, when viewed from above, the width W1 in the X direction of portion 22k of upper case portion 22j is smaller than the width W2 in the X direction of lower case portion 22h (see FIG. 6). Furthermore, the width W3 in the X direction of portion 22l of upper case portion 22j that overlaps with lower case portion 22h is equal to the width W2 of lower case portion 22h. Furthermore, portion 22k of upper case portion 22j protrudes in the Y2 direction from the center in the X direction of portion 22l of upper case portion 22j. That is, upper case portion 22j has a T-shape when viewed from above.

[0031] The upper case portion 22j and the lower case portion 22h are provided separately from each other, but are integrally provided with each other by being connected by fastening with fastening members (bolts) or by welding, for example.

[0032] Also provided inside fixed-side case 21b are ball screw 21c for raising and lowering lifting section 22 and nut member 21d that engages with ball screw 21c and rises and falls as ball screw 21c rotates. Also provided inside fixed-side case 21b are motor 21e for driving ball screw 21c to rotate and pulley mechanism 21f, which is a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the driving force of motor 21e to ball screw 21c. Also provided inside fixed-side case 21b is fan 21g, which generates a downward airflow inside fixed-side case 21b, and this allows air inside fixed-side case 21b to be exhausted from below to the outside.

[0033] The substrate transport robot 100 includes a guide rail cover 20a that covers, from the side (Y2 side), the upper portion 21h of the guide rail 21a that is exposed to the side (Y2 side) when the lifting unit 22 is lowered (see FIG. 4).

[0034] 4, fixed side case 21b is provided with side wall 21i on the side that is connected to lifting unit 22. Side wall 21i is provided with opening 21j through which support member 22b passes. Support member 22b is raised and lowered in the vertical direction while passing through opening 21j. Opening 21j is a vertically elongated opening with a length corresponding to the lifting stroke of lifting unit 22.

[0035] Also, inside the movable case 22a, there is provided a cable arrangement area 22d in which power supply cables and signal cables are routed to servo motors and the like arranged inside the base link 2 and the tip link 3. The cable arrangement area 22d is provided, for example, in the lower case portion 22h. Also, inside the movable case 22a (lower case portion 22h), there is provided a cable processing portion 22e (see FIG. 5) for processing the cables when the lifting portion 22 is raised and lowered.

[0036] In addition, when the robot arm 10 is at the lowest position, the height of the upper surface 22f of the movable side case 22a (upper case portion 22j) is set so that the upper surface 2e of the base link 2 is at approximately the same height as the upper surface 21k of the fixed side case 21b.

[0037] That is, when the lifting unit 22 is lowered to the lowest point, the upper surface 22f of the movable case 22a (upper case portion 22j) is located at a position lower than the upper surface 21k of the fixed case 21b by the height (thickness) of the base link 2. When the lifting unit 22 is lowered to the lowest point, the upper portion 21h of the guide rail 21a is exposed, and in order to prevent the preparation space 200a from being contaminated by dust or the like, a guide rail cover 20a, a ceiling cover 23 and a pair of side covers 24, which will be described later, are provided.

[0038] 3, in this embodiment, when the lifting unit 22 is lowered so that the upper portion 21h of the guide rail 21a is covered by the guide rail cover 20a (see FIG. 4), the rotation center O of the base link 2 is spaced apart from the guide rail cover 20a so that the shortest distance D1 between the guide rail cover 20a and the rotation center O of the base link 2 is greater than the maximum radius of rotation R of the base link 2, as viewed from above (Z1 side). In other words, the guide rail cover 20a is positioned outside the movable range of the base link 2, as viewed from above.

[0039] Specifically, the guide rail cover 20a is provided so as to extend along the X direction when viewed from above (Z1 side). The position in the X direction of the rotation center O of the base link 2 is substantially the same as the position in the X direction of the central portion 20b of the guide rail cover 20a. In other words, the shortest distance D1 between the guide rail cover 20a and the rotation center O of the base link 2 is the distance between the central portion 20b of the guide rail cover 20a in the X direction and the rotation center O of the base link 2.

[0040] Furthermore, when viewed from above, the base link 2 includes an end 2a, of both ends in the direction in which the base link 2 extends, that is closer to the center of rotation O of the base link 2. When viewed from above, the base link 2 also includes an end 2b, of both ends in the direction in which the base link 2 extends, that is farther from the center of rotation O. The maximum radius of turning R of the base link 2 is equal to the distance D2 between the center of rotation O of the base link 2 and the end 2b. The end 2a is an example of the "proximal end" in the claims.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the shortest distance D1 between the guide rail cover 20a and the rotation center O of the base link 2 is greater than the maximum turning radius R of the base link 2 even when the lifting unit 22 is raised (see FIG. 7). In other words, the lifting unit 22 moves up and down while maintaining a state in which the shortest distance D1 is greater than the maximum turning radius R. That is, regardless of the height position of the lifting unit 22 in the vertical direction, the shortest distance D1 is greater than the maximum turning radius R.

[0042] A gap C1 (see FIG. 4) of about 1 to 2 mm is provided between the base link 2 and the movable case 22a (upper case portion 22j), which allows the base link 2 to rotate smoothly.

[0043] In this embodiment, the length L1 of the upper case portion 22j in the Y direction is greater than the shortest distance D1 between the guide rail cover 20a and the rotation center O of the base link 2. Specifically, the difference (L1-D1) between the length L1 and the shortest distance D1 of the upper case portion 22j is equal to the shortest distance D3 between the rotation center O and the end portion 22n of the upper case portion 22j opposite to the end portion 22m on the guide rail 21a side. The end portion 22n is provided to extend along the X direction when viewed from above.

[0044] In this embodiment, the rotation center O of the base link 2 is located on the opposite side (Y2 side) of the guide rail 21a with respect to the center 22p of the upper case portion 22j in the Y direction when viewed from above (Z1 side). The shortest distance D3 in the Y direction between the rotation center O and the end portion 22n of the upper case portion 22j is smaller than the shortest distance D4 in the Y direction between the rotation center O and the center portion 22p of the upper case portion 22j.

[0045] Furthermore, the shortest distance D3 between the rotation center O of the base link 2 and the end 22n of the upper case portion 22j is equal to or less than the distance D5 between the end 2a of the base link 2 and the rotation center O. Specifically, the shortest distance D3 is smaller than the distance D5. That is, when viewed from above, depending on the direction of rotation of the base link 2, the end 2a of the base link 2 protrudes (toward the Y2 side) from the end 22n of the upper case portion 22j. The distance D5 is an example of the "shortest distance between the proximal end of the base link and the rotation center" in the claims.

[0046] In this embodiment, the rotation center O of the base link 2 is disposed away from the guide rail cover 20a so that, when viewed from above (Z1 side), the outermost peripheral edge E of the movable range of the base link 2 overlaps with the arrangement area S of the lower case portion 22h on the side of the rotation center O of the base link 2 relative to the guide rail cover 20a. In other words, when the base link 2 turns, the end portion 2b of the base link 2 passes through the arrangement area S of the lower case portion 22h when viewed from above. When viewed from above, the end portion 2b of the base link 2 passes near the center portion 20b of the guide rail cover 20a.

[0047] The substrate transport robot 100 also includes a ceiling cover 23 (the shaded portion in FIG. 3) that covers the upper portion 21h of the guide rail 21a from above (the Z2 side). The ceiling cover 23 is provided on the fixed portion 21. When viewed from above, the ceiling cover 23 is provided in a position close to the guide rail cover 20a. The ceiling cover 23 is provided closer to the fixed case (the Y1 side) than the guide rail cover 20a. In other words, the ceiling cover 23 is provided outside the movable range of the base link 2 (on the Y1 side of the outermost peripheral edge E).

[0048] The substrate transport robot 100 also includes a pair of side covers 24 that are provided to sandwich the upper portion 21h of the guide rail 21a from the sides (X direction). Each of the pair of side covers 24 is provided to extend along the Y direction when viewed from above. The lengths of the pair of side covers 24 along the Y direction are equal to each other (length L2). Each of the pair of side covers 24 is provided on the fixed part 21. Each of the pair of side covers 24 is provided so that the Y2-side end 24a of the side cover 24 sandwiches the guide rail cover 20a. In other words, each of the pair of side covers 24 is provided outside the movable range of the base link 2 (on the Y1 side of the outermost peripheral edge E).

[0049] The rotation center O of the base link 2 is provided at a position P corresponding to the center between the pair of side covers 24 in the direction in which the pair of side covers 24 are aligned (X direction).

[0050] As shown in FIG. 4, the fixed-side case 21b is provided with a fixed-side cover 25 including a side surface 25a that covers the movable-side case 22a (lower case portion 22h) from the Y1 side when the lifting portion 22 is lowered to its lowest point, a pair of side surfaces 25b (see FIGS. 5 and 6) that cover the movable-side case 22a from the X1 and X2 sides, and a bottom surface 25c. The side surface 25a, the pair of side surfaces 25b, and the bottom surface 25c are integrally formed. The fixed-side case 21b and the fixed-side cover 25 constitute a part of a cover means for covering the lifting drive mechanism 20. Each of the pair of side surfaces 25b is provided so as to cover the entire lower case portion 22h and the portion 22l of the upper case portion 22j from the sides.

[0051] A notch 25d is provided on the side surface 25a of the fixed-side cover 25 to allow the portion 22k of the upper case portion 22j to protrude outside the fixed-side cover 25. In other words, the notch 25d is provided to prevent the portion 22k of the upper case portion 22j and the fixed-side cover 25 from interfering with each other.

[0052] As shown in Fig. 7, the upper part of the fixed-side cover 25 is open to allow the movable-side case 22a (lower case part 22h) to enter and exit. When the lifting / lowering part 22 is positioned downward (see Fig. 4), the guide rail 21a is sealed in a space formed mainly by the guide rail cover 20a, the front surface 22g of the movable-side case 22a (the side surface of the connection part with the fixed part 21), the ceiling cover 23, and the pair of side covers 24. When the lifting / lowering part 22 is raised and positioned upward, the guide rail 21a is sealed in a space formed mainly by the front surface 22g of the movable-side case 22a, the fixed-side cover 25, the ceiling cover 23, and the pair of side covers 24.

[0053] This prevents the surface of the guide rail 21a from being exposed during the entire lifting stroke of the lifting unit 22. As a result, it is possible to maintain a clean atmosphere in the preparation space 200a.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 8, each of the pair of side covers 24 and the fixed-side cover 25 (side surface 25b) are provided integrally.

[0055] [Effects of this embodiment] In this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0056] In the present embodiment, as described above, in the substrate transport robot 100, when the lifting unit 22 is lowered and the upper portion 21 h of the guide rail 21 a is covered by the guide rail cover 20 a, the center of rotation O of the base link 2 is disposed at a distance from the guide rail cover 20 a so that the shortest distance D1 between the guide rail cover 20 a and the center of rotation O of the base link 2 is greater than the maximum radius of rotation R of the base link 2, as viewed from above. As a result, when the lifting unit 22 is lowered and the upper portion 21 h of the guide rail 21 a is covered by the guide rail cover 20 a, the guide rail cover 20 a is disposed outside the movable range of the base link 2. As a result, the guide rail cover 20 a does not interfere with the rotating base link 2, and therefore, when the lifting unit 22 is lowered and the upper portion 21 h of the guide rail 21 a is covered by the guide rail cover 20 a, the rotation range of the base link 2 can be prevented from being limited.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the shortest distance D1 between the guide rail cover 20a and the rotation center O of the base link 2 is greater than the maximum turning radius R of the base link 2 even when the lifting unit 22 is raised. This prevents the rotation range of the base link 2 from being limited by the guide rail cover 20a even when the lifting unit 22 is raised.

[0058] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the lifting unit 22 includes an upper case portion 22j (support portion) that is provided to extend from the guide rail cover 20a side toward the rotation center O side of the base link 2 in the horizontal Y direction (first direction) when viewed from above, and that rotatably supports the robot arm 10 from below. Furthermore, the length L1 of the upper case portion 22j in the Y direction is greater than the shortest distance D1 between the guide rail cover 20a and the rotation center O of the base link 2. As a result, since the length L1 of the upper case portion 22j is greater than the shortest distance D1, it is possible to easily prevent contact (interference) between the base link 2 supported by the upper case portion 22j and the guide rail cover 20a.

[0059] In the present embodiment, as described above, the lifting unit 22 includes a lower case portion 22h extending in the up-down direction and an upper case portion 22j (support portion) protruding from an upper portion 22i of the lower case portion 22h toward the Y1 direction (one side in the first direction) in the horizontal direction spaced apart from the guide rail 21a and supporting the robot arm 10 from below, and includes a movable case 22a having an L-shape when viewed from the X direction (second direction) that is horizontally perpendicular to the Y direction (first direction). The rotation center O of the base link 2 is disposed on the opposite side of the guide rail 21a from the center portion 22p of the upper case portion 22j in the Y direction when viewed from above. This allows the movable range (maximum turning radius R) of the base link 2 to be increased while preventing contact (interference) between the base link 2 and the guide rail cover 20a, compared to when the rotation center O of the base link 2 is disposed closer to the guide rail 21a than the center portion 22p of the upper case portion 22j. Furthermore, since the movable side case 22a has an L-shape when viewed from the X direction, the protruding upper case portion 22j makes it possible to increase the distance (shortest distance D1) between the rotation center O of the base link 2 and the guide rail cover 20a, while the lower case portion 22h has a length equivalent to that of the upper case portion 22j, making it possible to reduce the installation area of ​​the lower case portion 22h compared to when the movable side case 22a has a rectangular shape when viewed from the X direction.

[0060] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the rotation center O of the base link 2 is disposed away from the guide rail cover 20a so that, when viewed from above, the outermost peripheral edge E of the movable range of the base link 2 overlaps with the arrangement area S of the lower case portion 22h on the side of the rotation center O of the base link 2 relative to the guide rail cover 20a. This makes it possible to increase the movable range (maximum turning radius R) of the base link 2 compared to when the outermost peripheral edge E of the movable range of the base link 2 is disposed closer to the rotation center O than the arrangement area S without overlapping with the arrangement area S of the lower case portion 22h.

[0061] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, when viewed from above, width W1 in the X direction (second direction) of portion 22k of upper case portion 22j that protrudes from lower case portion 22h is smaller than width W2 of lower case portion 22h in the X direction. This allows portion 22k of upper case portion 22j to be smaller than when width W1 is equal to or greater than width W2, thereby making it possible to increase the space around upper case portion 22j (portion 22k).

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, base link 2 includes end 2a (proximal end) that is closer to rotation center O among both ends in the direction in which base link 2 extends, as viewed from above. Furthermore, as viewed from above, shortest distance D3 between end 22n of upper case portion 22j opposite end 22m on the guide rail 21a side and rotation center O is equal to or less than distance D5 between end 2a of base link 2 and rotation center O. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of protrusion of upper case portion 22j (portion 22k) compared to when shortest distance D3 is greater than distance D5.

[0063] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the tip side link 3 is disposed at a different height in the vertical direction from the guide rail cover 20a. This prevents the tip side link 3 from contacting (interfering with) the guide rail cover 20a when the tip side link 3 pivots in the horizontal direction. As a result, the movable range of the tip side link 3 can be prevented from being limited by the guide rail cover 20a.

[0064] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, as described above, in the substrate transport device 200, when the lifting unit 22 is lowered so that the upper portion 21 h of the guide rail 21 a is covered by the guide rail cover 20 a, the rotation center O of the base link 2 is spaced apart from the guide rail cover 20 a so that the shortest distance D1 between the guide rail cover 20 a and the rotation center O of the base link 2 is greater than the maximum radius of rotation R of the base link 2, as viewed from above. As a result, when the lifting unit 22 is lowered so that the upper portion 21 h of the guide rail 21 a is covered by the guide rail cover 20 a, the guide rail cover 20 a is located outside the movable range of the base link 2. As a result, the guide rail cover 20a does not interfere with the rotating base link 2, so it is possible to provide a substrate conveying device 200 that can prevent the rotation range of the base link 2 from being restricted when the lifting section 22 is lowered and the upper part 21h of the guide rail 21a is covered by the guide rail cover 20a.

[0065] [Variations] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims rather than the above description of the embodiments, and further includes all modifications (variations) within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0066] For example, in the above embodiment, the upper case portion 22j and the lower case portion 22h are provided as separate members, but the present invention is not limited to this. The upper case portion and the lower case portion do not have to be provided as separate members.

[0067] 9, the lifting section 122 of the lifting drive mechanism 120 of the substrate transfer robot 500 includes a movable case 122a having an upper case 122j and a lower case 122h. The upper case 122j and the lower case 122h are not provided as separate members, but are formed continuously with each other. That is, the movable case 122a is formed by a single housing having an L-shape when viewed from the side (X direction). The upper case 122j is an example of a "support section" in the claims.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the movable case 22a has an L-shape when viewed from the side (X direction), but the present invention is not limited to this. The movable case part does not have to have an L-shape when viewed from the side (X direction).

[0069] For example, as shown in FIG. 10 , the lifting unit 222 of the lifting drive mechanism 220 of the substrate transfer robot 600 includes a movable case 222a having a rectangular shape (rectangular shape) when viewed from the X1 direction. In this case, the side surface 125a of the fixed cover 125, which is provided to cover the movable case 222a from the Y2 direction, is provided on the Y2 side of the rotation center O of the base link 2. Note that while FIG. 10 shows an example in which the movable case 222a is configured as a single housing as in FIG. 9 , the movable case may also be configured as separate upper and lower case portions as described in the above embodiment. That is, in this case, the lower case portion is formed to extend in the Y direction by the same length as the upper case portion. Note that the movable case 222a is an example of a “support portion” in the claims.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the width W1 in the X direction of the portion 22k of the upper case portion 22j that protrudes from the lower case portion 22h is smaller than the width W2 in the X direction of the lower case portion 22h, but the present invention is not limited to this. The width W1 may be equal to or greater than the width W2.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the shortest distance D3 between the end 22n of the upper case portion 22j and the rotation center O of the base link 2 is equal to or shorter than the distance D5 (shortest distance) between the end 2a (proximal end) of the base link 2 and the rotation center O, but the present invention is not limited to this. The shortest distance D3 may be longer than the distance D5. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1 Robot hand (holding part) 2 base link 2a End (near end) 3 Tip link 3a First link (arm member) 3b Second link (arm member) 10 Robotic Arm 10a Tip 20 Lifting drive mechanism 20a Guide rail cover 21 Fixed part 21a Guide rail 21h top 22, 122, 222 Lifting section 22a, 122a Movable case 22h, 122h Lower case 22i upper part 22j, 122j Upper case part (support part) 22k part (protruding part) 22m end (guide rail end) 22n End (end opposite to the end on the guide rail side) 22p center 100, 500 Substrate transport robot 200, 600 substrate transport device 200b Preparation space forming section (robot accommodation section) 222a Movable case (support part) D1 Shortest distance D3 Shortest distance (shortest distance between the edge of the upper case and the center of rotation) D5 distance (shortest distance between near end and center of rotation) E outermost edge L1 length O Center of rotation R Maximum turning radius S placement area W wafer (substrate) W1 Width (Width of protruding part) W2 width (width of lower case) X direction (second direction) Y direction (first direction) Y2 direction (one side of the first direction)

Claims

1. a robot arm having a holder at its tip for holding a substrate; an elevation drive mechanism including a fixed portion provided with a guide rail extending along a vertical direction, and an elevation portion that moves up and down along the guide rail to elevate and lower the robot arm; a guide rail cover that is provided on the lifting unit and that covers from the side an upper portion of the guide rail that is exposed to the side when the lifting unit is lowered, the robot arm includes a base link connected to the lifting section, rotatable in the horizontal direction, and provided at the same height as the guide rail cover in the vertical direction; and a tip link connected to the base link, rotatable in the horizontal direction, having the tip end and one or more arm members, the center of rotation of the base link is disposed at a distance from the guide rail cover such that, when viewed from above, the shortest distance between the guide rail cover and the center of rotation of the base link is greater than the maximum radius of rotation of the base link when the lifting unit is lowered so that the upper portion of the guide rail is covered by the guide rail cover, the lifting unit includes a movable case having a lower case portion extending in the up-down direction, and an upper case portion protruding from an upper portion of the lower case portion to one side in a first direction that is a horizontal direction spaced apart from the guide rail, supporting the robot arm from below, having a flat upper surface that supports the robot arm from below, and an end portion on the guide rail cover side that is flush with the guide rail cover, When viewed from above, the end of the arm member on the guide rail cover side overlaps with the lower case portion.

2. 2. The substrate transport robot of claim 1, wherein the shortest distance between the guide rail cover and the rotation center of the base link is greater than the maximum radius of rotation of the base link even when the lifting section is raised.

3. the lifting unit is provided to extend from the guide rail cover side toward the rotation center side of the base link in the first direction, which is a horizontal direction, when viewed from above, and includes a support unit included in the upper case unit that rotatably supports the robot arm from below, The substrate transport robot according to claim 1 , wherein the length of the support portion in the first direction is greater than the shortest distance between the guide rail cover and the rotation center of the base link.

4. the movable case has an L-shape when viewed from a second direction that is a horizontal direction perpendicular to the first direction, 4. The substrate transport robot according to claim 3, wherein the rotation center of the base link is located on the opposite side of the guide rail with respect to the center of the upper case portion in the first direction when viewed from above.

5. 5. The substrate transport robot of claim 4, wherein the rotation center of the base link is positioned away from the guide rail cover so that, when viewed from above, the outermost peripheral edge of the movable range of the base link overlaps with the arrangement area of ​​the lower case portion on the rotation center side of the base link relative to the guide rail cover.

6. 6. The substrate transport robot of claim 4, wherein, when viewed from above, the width in the second direction of the portion of the upper case portion that protrudes from the lower case portion is smaller than the width of the lower case portion in the second direction.

7. the base link includes, as viewed from above, a proximal end portion that is closer to the rotation center among both ends in a direction in which the base link extends, 7. A substrate transport robot according to claim 4, wherein, when viewed from above, the shortest distance between the end of the upper case portion opposite the end on the guide rail side and the center of rotation is equal to or less than the shortest distance between the near end of the base link and the center of rotation.

8. 8. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, wherein the tip side link is disposed at a different height in the vertical direction from the guide rail cover.

9. a substrate transport robot including a robot arm having a holding part at a tip end thereof for holding a substrate, a fixed part provided with a guide rail extending along a vertical direction, and an elevation drive mechanism including an elevation part that moves up and down along the guide rail to raise and lower the robot arm; a guide rail cover that is provided on the lifting unit and that covers from the side an upper portion of the guide rail that is exposed to the side when the lifting unit is lowered; a robot accommodation unit in which the substrate transport robot is accommodated, the robot arm includes a base link connected to the lifting section, rotatable in the horizontal direction, and provided at the same height as the guide rail cover in the vertical direction; and a tip link connected to the base link, rotatable in the horizontal direction, having the tip end and one or more arm members, the center of rotation of the base link is disposed at a distance from the guide rail cover such that, when viewed from above, the shortest distance between the guide rail cover and the center of rotation of the base link is greater than the maximum radius of rotation of the base link when the lifting unit is lowered so that the upper portion of the guide rail is covered by the guide rail cover, the lifting unit includes a movable case having a lower case portion extending in the up-down direction, and an upper case portion protruding from an upper portion of the lower case portion to one side in a first direction that is a horizontal direction spaced apart from the guide rail, supporting the robot arm from below, having a flat upper surface that supports the robot arm from below, and an end portion on the guide rail cover side that is flush with the guide rail cover, A substrate transport device, wherein an end of the arm member on the guide rail cover side overlaps with the lower case portion when viewed from above.

Images