Substrate processing apparatus and transport method

Abstract

This substrate treatment device comprises a first placement chamber, a second placement chamber, a transport robot which brings a to-be-transported object between a first placement chamber and a second placement chamber, and a control unit, wherein: a) when the to-be-transported object is brought out of the first placement chamber, the control unit detects the position of the to-be-transported object on a fork of the transport robot as a first position; b) after bringing the to-be-transported object out of the first placement chamber to a standby position of the first placement chamber, the control unit transports the to-be-transported object to a standby position of the second placement chamber ; c) when the to-be-transported object is brought from the standby position of the second placement chamber into the second placement chamber, the control unit detects the position of the to-be-transported object on the fork as a second position; and d) the control unit controls the transporting speed of b) on the basis of the first position and the second position.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a transfer method. [Background technology]

[0002] A substrate processing apparatus includes, for example, a substrate transfer chamber incorporating a transfer robot that transfers a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer (hereinafter also referred to as a wafer) W, which is an example of a substrate, and multiple substrate processing chambers arranged radially around the substrate transfer chamber. In such a substrate processing apparatus, the transfer robot transfers wafers W into and out of each substrate processing chamber. When transferring wafers W, the wafers W held by the holder of the transfer robot may slip due to acceleration during acceleration and deceleration. To address this issue, it has been proposed to vacuum-suck the wafers W onto the holder of the transfer robot (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-219390 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a substrate processing apparatus and a transfer method that can optimize the operating speed of a transfer robot depending on the amount of slippage of a transferred object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first loading chamber, a second loading chamber, a transport robot that transports objects between the first loading chamber and the second loading chamber, and a control unit, wherein a) the control unit is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus to detect the position of the object on the forks of the transport robot as a first position when transporting the object from the first loading chamber; b) the control unit is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus to transport the object to a waiting position of the second loading chamber after transporting the object from the first loading chamber to a waiting position of the first loading chamber; c) the control unit is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus to detect the position of the object on the forks as a second position when transporting the object from the waiting position of the second loading chamber to the second loading chamber; and d) the control unit is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus to control the transport speed of b) based on the first position and the second position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, the operating speed of the transport robot can be optimized according to the amount of slippage of the transported object. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the configuration of the transfer robot according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of timing for detecting the edge of the wafer by the sensor pair of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a method for acquiring the positions of the right and left sensors in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a comparison of the relationship between the amount of slippage of the wafer and the transfer speed. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a comparison of the relationship between the amount of slippage of a wafer and the transfer speed when maintenance is performed. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an allowable increase range of the conveying speed in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the center of gravity position of a wafer in an allowable range for an increase in the transfer speed. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the speed coefficient and acceleration in each movement. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a speed control process of the transport method in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a transport path in the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of acceleration in each Move operation. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of measurement of the deviation amount of the transport path in the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a speed control process for a specific transport path according to the first embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a transport path in the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of measurement of the amount of deviation of the transport path in the second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a speed control process for a specific transport path according to the second embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a substrate processing chamber according to the third embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a transport path in the third embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the speed and the moving distance of the transport robot in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the speed and the moving distance of the transport robot in the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the substrate processing apparatus and the transfer method will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the disclosed technology is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0009] As described above, during the transfer of a wafer W, the wafer W held by the holder of the transfer robot may slip due to acceleration during acceleration and deceleration. In transfer robot holders that do not have a mechanism for vacuum-adsorbing the wafer W, the wafer W is held by a pad made of, for example, resin. In this case, the frictional force of the pad prevents the wafer W from slipping. However, since the slipperiness of the wafer W varies depending on the condition of the wafer W (e.g., temperature, backside film, flatness, etc.) and the condition of the pad, the operating speed of the transfer robot is set taking into account the most slippery condition, making it difficult to improve the operating speed. Therefore, it is expected to be possible to set an operating speed appropriate for each condition, i.e., to optimize the operating speed of the transfer robot according to the amount of slippage of the transferred object, such as a substrate.

[0010] (First embodiment) [Configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 10] 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The substrate processing apparatus 10 includes a load port 11, a loader chamber 12, a load lock chamber 13, a substrate transfer chamber 14, a substrate processing chamber 15, and a control unit 17.

[0011] The load port 11 is used to place a FOUP (not shown), which is a carrier that accommodates a predetermined number of wafers W, each having a diameter of, for example, 300 mm. For example, three load ports 11 are provided. The loader chamber 12 is adjacent to the load port 11 and is used to load and unload wafers W into and from the FOUP. The interior of the loader chamber 12 is always kept at atmospheric pressure, and a transfer robot (not shown) that transfers wafers W is located inside the loader chamber 12. The loader chamber 12 transfers wafers W between the FOUP placed on the load port 11 and the load lock chamber 13.

[0012] The load lock chambers 13 are substrate transfer chambers, and two are arranged on opposite sides of the load port 11 with the loader chamber 12 in between. The load lock chambers 13 are configured so that their interior can be selectively switched between a vacuum atmosphere and an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. The interior of the load lock chamber 13 is an atmospheric pressure atmosphere when it is in communication with the loader chamber 12, and a vacuum atmosphere when it is in communication with the substrate transfer chamber 14. The load lock chamber 13 serves as an intermediate transfer chamber for transferring the wafer W between the loader chamber 12 and the substrate transfer chamber 14. The load lock chamber 13 is an example of a load lock module (LLM).

[0013] The substrate transfer chamber 14 has, for example, a pentagonal shape in plan view, and is arranged on the opposite side of the load lock chamber 13 from the loader chamber 12. Six substrate processing chambers 15 are arranged radially around the substrate transfer chamber 14, and each is connected to the substrate transfer chamber 14. The interior of the substrate transfer chamber 14 is always kept at a predetermined vacuum level, and a transfer robot 16 is disposed therein to transfer wafers W. The transfer robot 16 transfers wafers W between the substrate processing chambers 15 and between the substrate processing chambers 15 and the load lock chamber 13. The substrate transfer chamber 14 is an example of a VTM (Vacuum Transfer Module). The transfer robot 16 is also an example of a substrate transfer mechanism.

[0014] The control unit 17 is, for example, a computer, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), an auxiliary storage device, etc. The CPU operates based on a program stored in the ROM or the auxiliary storage device, and controls the operation of each component of the substrate processing apparatus 10.

[0015] In the substrate processing apparatus 10, each substrate processing chamber 15 and the substrate transfer chamber 14 are connected via a gate valve 18. The gate valve 18 controls communication between each substrate processing chamber 15 and the substrate transfer chamber 14. The interior of each substrate processing chamber 15 is maintained at a predetermined vacuum level, and a wafer W is placed on a mounting table 19 disposed therein, and a predetermined plasma process, for example, a plasma etching process, is performed on the wafer W. The substrate processing chamber 15 is an example of a process module (PM).

[0016] Next, the transfer robot 16 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the configuration of the transfer robot of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer robot 16 includes a pedestal 20 that is approximately triangular in plan view and rotatable within a horizontal plane, an articulated arm 21 that is extendable and retractable in the horizontal direction relative to the pedestal 20, and a fork 22 that is approximately U-shaped in plan view and attached to the tip of the articulated arm 21 and on which a wafer W is placed. The pedestal 20 is also configured to be movable in the horizontal direction, specifically, in the vertical direction in FIG. 1. The transfer robot 16 incorporates three motors (not shown) that rotate and move the pedestal 20 and extend and retract the articulated arm 21. The transfer robot 16 transfers the wafer W placed on the fork 22 to a desired location by rotating and moving the pedestal 20 and extending and retracting the articulated arm 21.

[0017] When a plasma etching process or the like is performed on a wafer W in the substrate processing chamber 15, the wafer W needs to be accurately placed at a predetermined position on the mounting table 19. However, since the position of the wafer W is adjusted by an alignment chamber (not shown) attached to the loader chamber 12, there is a possibility that the position of the wafer W may deviate from the desired position when the wafer W is transferred from the loader chamber 12 to the substrate processing chamber 15 via the load lock chamber 13. The position of the wafer W may be affected by, for example, the center position of the wafer W deviating from the center of gravity of the fork 22 due to the moment of inertia acting on the wafer W. For example, the position of the wafer W may be deviated due to slippage caused by acceleration during acceleration or deceleration.

[0018] In order to measure the amount of deviation of the wafer W from the desired position (hereinafter also referred to as the deviation amount), in the first embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, a sensor pair 23 consisting of two position sensors is arranged inside the substrate transfer chamber 14 in front of each substrate processing chamber 15, more specifically, so as to face each gate valve 18. Hereinafter, in one sensor pair 23, the position sensor on the right side as one faces the substrate processing chamber 15 will be referred to as the right sensor 23a, and the position sensor on the left side as one faces the substrate processing chamber 15 will be referred to as the left sensor 23b.

[0019] In each sensor pair 23, the right sensor 23a and the left sensor 23b are spaced apart by a distance smaller than the diameter of the wafer W, and are both positioned to face the back surface of the wafer W transported by the transport robot 16. Each of the right sensor 23a and the left sensor 23b detects the passage of the outer edge (hereinafter also referred to as the edge) of the wafer W above. The control unit 17 calculates the position of the transport robot 16 for the wafer W when the edge of the wafer W passes above the right sensor 23a or the left sensor 23b, specifically, the position of the center of gravity of the fork 22, from the encoder values ​​of the three motors of the transport robot 16.

[0020] [Measurement of wafer W misalignment] Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the timing of detecting the edge of the wafer by the sensor pair of the first embodiment. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a method of acquiring the positions of the right sensor and the left sensor of the first embodiment.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, when the sensor pair 23 is offset to the right with respect to the transfer direction of the wafer W (indicated by the arrow in the figure), first, the left edge of the wafer W passes over the left sensor 23b, and the center of gravity position 24a of the forks 22 at this time is calculated (FIG. 3(B)). Next, the right edge of the wafer W passes over the right sensor 23a, and the center of gravity position 24b of the forks 22 at this time is calculated (FIG. 3(C)). Thereafter, the right edge of the wafer W passes over the right sensor 23a again, and the center of gravity position 24c of the forks 22 at this time is calculated (FIG. 3(D)). Furthermore, the left edge of the wafer W passes over the left sensor 23b again, and the center of gravity position 24d of the forks 22 at this time is calculated (FIG. 3(E)). That is, when the wafer W passes over the sensor pair 23, the center of gravity positions 24a to 24d of the four forks 22 are calculated.

[0022] Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the calculated center-of-gravity positions 24a to 24d of the four forks 22 are plotted in a coordinate system (hereinafter also referred to as the transfer robot coordinate system) that indicates the movement of the center-of-gravity positions of the forks 22 of the transfer robot 16. First, two circles 25a and 25d (shown by dashed lines in the figure) with a radius r equal to the radius of the wafer W are drawn, each centered on the center-of-gravity position 24a and 24d of the fork 22 when the left sensor 23b passes the left edge of the wafer W. The intersection of the two circles 25a and 25d is obtained as the position 26b of the left sensor 23b in the transfer robot coordinate system. Furthermore, two circles 25b and 25c (shown by dashed lines in the figure) with a radius r equal to the radius of the wafer W are drawn, each centered on the center-of-gravity position 24b and 24c of the fork 22 when the right sensor 23a passes the right edge of the wafer W. The intersection of the two circles 25b and 25c is obtained as the position 26a of the right sensor 23a in the transfer robot coordinate system.

[0023] In measuring the amount of deviation of the wafer W, the positions of the right sensor 23a and the left sensor 23b in the transfer robot coordinate system are acquired in advance as the reference right sensor position and the reference left sensor position, respectively. Next, the difference (amount of deviation) between the reference right sensor position and the position 26a of the right sensor 23a is calculated. Here, the position 26a of the right sensor 23a depends on the position where the right sensor 23a and the right edge of the wafer W intersect, which in turn depends on the position of the wafer W being transferred. Therefore, since the position 26a of the right sensor 23a reflects the position of the transferred wafer W, the amount of deviation between the reference right sensor position and the position 26a of the right sensor 23a corresponds to the amount of deviation of the wafer W. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the amount of deviation between the reference right sensor position and the position 26a of the right sensor 23a (the amount of deviation of the position 26a detected by the right sensor 23a from the reference right sensor position) is considered to be the amount of deviation of the wafer W.

[0024] Next, the position 26b of the left sensor 23b is acquired from the center-of-gravity positions 24a and 24d using the acquisition method of FIG. Furthermore, the difference (deviation amount) between the reference left sensor position and the position 26b of the left sensor 23b is calculated. Because the position of the wafer W being transported is also reflected in the position 26b of the left sensor 23b, in the first embodiment, the deviation amount between the reference left sensor position and the position 26b of the left sensor 23b is considered to be the deviation amount of the wafer W. Next, the deviation amount of the position 26a detected by the right sensor 23a relative to the reference right sensor position and the deviation amount of the position 26b detected by the left sensor 23b relative to the reference left sensor position are averaged. The averaged deviation amount is acquired as the deviation amount of the wafer W to be used when controlling the operating speed of the transport robot. Note that the acquired deviation amount includes the deviation amount of the holding position from the reference position when the fork 22 acquires the wafer W and the amount of slippage of the wafer W during transport.

[0025] [Relationship between wafer W slippage and transfer speed] Next, the relationship between the amount of slippage of the wafer W and the transfer speed will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a comparison of the relationship between the amount of slippage of the wafer W and the transfer speed. In Figure 5, a case where the transfer speed is constant is used as a comparative example, and a case where the amount of slippage of the wafer W is fed back to the transfer speed is used as an example. Furthermore, in Figures 5 and 6, as an example of transfer of the wafer W, a case where the wafer W is transferred into and out of the substrate processing chambers 110 and 15 by transfer robots 111 and 16 is given.

[0026] First, in the comparative example, time passes from state 101 to state 105. State 101 represents a state in which factors 112 that cause the wafer W to slip on the forks of the transfer robot 111 are few when the wafer W is transferred into or out of the substrate processing chamber 110. The factors 112 include, for example, the temperature of the wafer W, the film and flatness of the backside surface, and the condition of the pads provided on the forks. In FIGS. 5 and 6, the more slippery each state included in the factors 112 is, the more figures representing the factors 112 are used.

[0027] Thereafter, the factor 112 gradually increases, and when the state changes from state 102 to state 103, the amount of slippage increases but is within the allowable range, and loading and unloading of the wafer W continues. Furthermore, when the state changes from state 104 to state 105, the amount of slippage exceeds the allowable range within which the forks can hold the wafer W, and the wafer W falls.

[0028] Similarly, in the embodiment, time passes from state 121 to state 125. State 121 represents a state in which there are few factors 112 that cause the wafer W to slip on the forks 22 of the transfer robot 16 when the wafer W is transferred into or out of the substrate processing chamber 15. The factors 112 are the same as those in the comparative example.

[0029] In state 122, the amount of slippage in state 121 is within the allowable range for increasing the conveying speed, so the amount of slippage is used to feedback the conveying speed, and the conveying speed is increased. In the subsequent state 123, the amount of slippage exceeds the allowable range for increasing the conveying speed over time, so feedback is given to the conveying speed, and the conveying speed is reduced. Even if the conveying speed has been reduced once, there are cases where it can be increased again. In states 124 and 125, the conveying speed that was temporarily reduced in state 123 is gradually increased while the amount of slippage is fed back to the conveying speed.

[0030] Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a comparison of the relationship between the amount of wafer slippage and the transport speed when maintenance is performed. Fig. 6 illustrates the change in transport speed when maintenance is performed on the substrate processing apparatus 10 to reset a factor 112 that causes slippage of the wafer W. Note that, in Fig. 6 as well, time passes from state 131 to state 135 in the comparative example, and from state 141 to state 145 in the example. However, because the time axis before and after maintenance is expanded, the explanation will be given assuming that there is no change in factor 112 over time.

[0031] In the comparative example, state 131 is the state immediately before maintenance, in which the amount of slippage of the wafer W has increased. Next, in state 132, maintenance of the substrate processing apparatus is performed, and the pads on the forks of the transfer robot 111 are replaced with new ones. State 133 is the state immediately after maintenance, and thereafter, as time passes, the amount of slippage does not change and the transfer speed is constant, as shown in states 134 and 135.

[0032] Similarly, in the embodiment, state 141 is the state immediately before maintenance, in which the transport speed is reduced in response to factor 112. Next, in state 142, maintenance is performed on the substrate processing apparatus 10, and the pads on the forks 22 of the transport robot 16 are replaced with new ones. State 143 is the state immediately after maintenance, in which the amount of slippage is small. Thereafter, feedback is performed on the amount of slippage to the transport speed, and the transport speed is gradually increased to states 144 and 145. As such, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the transport speed can be adjusted in response to factor 112, so the operating speed of the transport robot 16 can be optimized.

[0033] [Center of gravity of wafer W and allowable increase in transfer speed] Next, the relationship between the center of gravity of the wafer W and the allowable increase range of the transfer speed will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the allowable increase range of the transfer speed in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the allowable increase range 150 is set, for example, in a circular shape, around the center of gravity position 151 of the wafer W before transfer. In the following description, it is assumed that there is no deviation of the wafer W relative to the forks 22. In other words, it is assumed that the center of gravity position 151 of the wafer W before transfer is the same as the center of gravity position corresponding to the reference position when the wafer W is held by the forks 22. Furthermore, the allowable increase range 150 is depicted larger than it actually is for the sake of explanation.

[0034] When the wafer W held by the forks 22 is transported, it slips on the forks 22. The center of gravity position after transport moves to, for example, center of gravity position 152. In this case, the amount of slip of the wafer W is assumed to be slip amount 153. Since center of gravity position 152 is within the allowable lift range 150, the transport robot 16 is controlled to increase the transport speed.

[0035] FIG. 8 shows an example of the center of gravity position of a wafer in the allowable increase range of the transfer speed. FIG. 8(A) shows a case where the center of gravity position 152 exceeds the allowable increase range 150. In this case, the transfer robot 16 is controlled to decrease the transfer speed. FIGS. 8(B) and 8(C) show a case where the sliding direction of the center of gravity position 152 is opposite to that shown in FIG. 8(A) but is within the allowable increase range 150. In this case, the transfer robot 16 is controlled to increase the transfer speed. In this way, when the allowable increase range 150 is set to a circular shape, the transfer speed is controlled to the same amount of slippage regardless of the direction of slippage of the wafer W. Note that the allowable increase range 150 is not limited to a circular shape and may be, for example, an ellipse or rectangle that is elongated in the transfer direction where acceleration is large, as long as the transfer position can be corrected by the transfer robot 16.

[0036] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the speed coefficient and acceleration in each operation. FIG. 9 illustrates example settings of acceleration applied to the wafer W in the Get operation, Put operation, and Move operation of the transfer robot 16, and the acceleration when the transfer speed is increased. Here, the Get operation is an operation in which the fork 22 retrieves the wafer W from a mounting table in a substrate placement chamber to a standby position in the substrate transfer chamber 14 corresponding to the substrate placement chamber. The Put operation is an operation in which the wafer W is placed on a mounting table in the substrate placement chamber from a standby position in the substrate transfer chamber 14 corresponding to the substrate placement chamber. The Move operation is an operation in which the wafer W is transferred from a standby position in the substrate transfer chamber 14 corresponding to a certain substrate placement chamber to a standby position in the substrate transfer chamber 14 corresponding to another substrate placement chamber. The substrate placement chambers include the load lock chamber 13, the substrate processing chamber 15, and a transfer module (path) that transfers the wafer W between the multiple substrate transfer chambers 14.

[0037] Table 160 shown in FIG. 9 shows the acceleration of each operation when the speed coefficient is 100%, X%, A%, B%, and C%. The 100% speed coefficient column shows the maximum acceleration for each operation, that is, the acceleration when the transport speed is the fastest. This shows that the Get operation can be accelerated up to 0.70 G, the Put operation can be accelerated up to 0.71 G, and the Move operation can be accelerated up to 0.66 G. Note that G represents the unit of gravitational acceleration.

[0038] The X% column of the speed coefficient indicates the setting value when increasing the transport speed. The A%, B%, and C% columns of the speed coefficient indicate the initial values ​​for the Get operation, Put operation, and Move operation, respectively. The A% column of the speed coefficient indicates that 0.4G is set as the acceleration setting value for the Get operation. Note that in this case, the setting value Ap for the Put operation and the setting value Am for the Move operation are values ​​that are uniquely determined according to 0.4G, which is the setting value for the Get operation.

[0039] In the B% column of the speed coefficient, 0.4G is set as the acceleration setting value for the Put operation. In this case, the set value Bg for the Get operation and the set value Bm for the Move operation are values ​​that are uniquely determined according to 0.4G, which is the set value for the Put operation. In the C% column of the speed coefficient, 0.4G is set as the acceleration setting value for the Move operation. In this case, the set value Cg for the Get operation and the set value Cp for the Put operation are values ​​that are uniquely determined according to 0.4G, which is the set value for the Move operation.

[0040] In the X% column of the speed coefficient, for example, 0.41 G is set as the acceleration setting value for the Move operation, which is 0.01 G increased from the initial value of 0.4 G. In this case, the set value Xg for the Get operation and the set value Xp for the Put operation are uniquely determined according to the set value of 0.41 G for the Move operation. Note that the force that can withstand the acceleration applied to the wafer W during transfer of the wafer W is defined as the holding force for the wafer W. In other words, if the holding force decreases due to aging, the wafer W becomes more likely to slip even with the same acceleration, and the amount of slippage increases. Note that aging degradation may cause slippage to occur and stop repeatedly over time.

[0041] [Transportation method] Next, a transfer method according to the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a speed control process of the transfer method according to the first embodiment. In Fig. 10, the first substrate placement chamber and the second substrate placement chamber are respectively referred to as the first placement chamber and the second placement chamber, and the wafer W is referred to as the transfer object, since the method can also be applied to the case of transferring an object other than the wafer W. In addition, the speed control process shown in Fig. 10 is described as an example of control of the transfer robot 16 in the substrate transfer chamber 14, but it can also be applied to the transfer robot in the loader chamber 12.

[0042] Control unit 17 starts unloading the transported object from the first loading chamber to a standby position of the first loading chamber in substrate transfer chamber 14 (step S101). When unloading the transported object, control unit 17 detects the holding position of the transported object using sensor pair 23, which is a position detection sensor for the loading / unloading port of the first loading chamber. Control unit 17 detects the amount of deviation of the center of gravity of the transported object as a first position based on the detected holding position and a reference position when the transported object is held (step S102).

[0043] After the transfer object is transferred to the standby position in the first placement chamber, the control unit 17 transfers the transfer object from the standby position in the first placement chamber to the standby position in the second placement chamber in the substrate transfer chamber 14 (step S103).

[0044] Control unit 17 starts carrying the transported object from the standby position in the second loading chamber into the second loading chamber (step S104). When carrying the transported object into the second loading chamber, control unit 17 detects the holding position of the transported object using sensor pair 23, which is a position detection sensor at the loading / unloading port of the second loading chamber. Control unit 17 detects the amount of deviation of the center of gravity of the transported object as a second position based on the detected holding position and the reference position of fork 22 when holding the transported object (step S105).

[0045] The control unit 17 calculates the difference between the first position and the second position (step S106). That is, the control unit 17 calculates the movement amount (slippage amount) of the transported object during transport. The control unit 17 determines whether the calculated difference exceeds a threshold value (step S107). The threshold value may be, for example, 1.5 times the radius of the allowable rise zone 150. The threshold value may also be a threshold value that detects a certain degree of slippage, and may be any value, such as the radius of the allowable rise zone 150 or 0.8 times the radius. If the control unit 17 determines that the difference is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S107: No), it gives feedback to the transport robot 16 to increase the transport speed (step S108) and ends the process.

[0046] On the other hand, when the control unit 17 determines that the difference exceeds the threshold value (step S107: Yes), it gives feedback to the transport robot 16 to decrease the transport speed (step S109), and ends the process. In this way, the operation speed of the transport robot 16 can be optimized according to the amount of slippage of the transported object. Furthermore, since the transport speed is optimized, the throughput of processing in the substrate processing apparatus 10 can be improved. Furthermore, since the speed coefficient of the transport speed can be determined by feedback control, the number of steps required to set the speed coefficient of the transport robot 16 can be reduced.

[0047] [Measurement of deviation] Next, measurement of the amount of deviation (including the amount of slippage) along the transfer path of the wafer W will be described with reference to Figures 11 to 14. Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of a transfer path in the first embodiment. Steps S1 to S18 shown in Figure 11 show paths for transfer from the load lock chamber (LLM) 13a to the substrate processing chamber (PM) 15a, transfer from the substrate processing chamber (PM) 15a to the substrate processing chamber (PM) 15b, and transfer from the substrate processing chamber (PM) 15b to the load lock chamber (LLM) 13a.

[0048] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of acceleration during each Move operation. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of measurement of the amount of deviation of the transfer path in the first embodiment. Table 161 in FIG. 12 shows the step numbers of the Get operation, Move operation, and Put operation in each transfer path, corresponding to the initial acceleration value for the Move operation. Table 162 in FIG. 13 shows the movement of the fork 22 of the transfer robot 16, the acceleration of the wafer W, and the detected deviation amounts of the forks 22L and 22R in the X and Y axes from the reference positions in steps S1 to S18. The transfer robot 16 has two articulated arms 21 each having a fork 22. In FIG. 11, the fork 22L is on the load lock chamber 13a side (the left side of the transfer robot 16) and the fork 22R is on the side farther from the load lock chamber 13a (the right side of the transfer robot 16). Since there are four wafers W to be transferred, they are identified as wafers W1 to W4.

[0049] First, the transfer robot 16 moves the fork 22L from the standby position 14a of the load lock chamber 13a in the substrate transfer chamber 14 to the load lock chamber 13a (step S1). At this time, the fork 22L is empty, and the fork 22R holds the wafer W1 that has been processed in the substrate processing chamber 15b. In table 162, the misalignment column also indicates whether the fork 22L holds or holds the wafers W1-W4. The transfer robot 16 uses the fork 22L to retrieve the wafer W2 from the load lock chamber 13a by a Get operation (step S2). At this time, the sensor pair 23 near the standby position 14a measures the amount of misalignment of the retrieved wafer W2 from the reference position of the fork 22L. For example, the X-axis misalignment is 0.051 mm, and the Y-axis misalignment is 0.033 mm.

[0050] The transfer robot 16 performs a Change operation to replace the fork 22L located at the standby position 14a with the fork 22R (step S3). The transfer robot 16 then performs a Put operation to place the processed wafer W1 held on the fork 22R into the load lock chamber 13a (step S4). At this time, the sensor pair 23 near the standby position 14a measures the amount of deviation of the processed wafer W1 from the reference position of the fork 22R. For example, the deviation along the X axis is 0.034 mm and the deviation along the Y axis is 0.059 mm. Note that the acceleration of the wafers W1 and W2 in steps S1 to S4 is set to 0.3 G, which corresponds to the Move operation from the substrate processing chamber 15b to the load lock chamber 13a, because the wafer W1 processed in the substrate processing chamber 15b is held on the fork 22R. In other words, the acceleration limit is set to the lower of the two forks 22L and 22R. Furthermore, the control unit 17 feeds back the conveying speed on the conveying path from the standby position 14c to the standby position 14a based on the result of the amount of deviation measured in step S4.

[0051] After moving the fork 22R to the standby position 14a (step S5), the transfer robot 16 performs a move operation to transfer the wafer W2 held by the fork 22L to the vicinity of the standby position 14b in the substrate processing chamber 15a (step S6). That is, the transfer robot 16 moves the empty fork 22R to the standby position 14b. At this time, the acceleration of the wafer W2 is increased from 0.48G to 0.49G during transfer. That is, the transfer speed is increased as if feedback were being performed on the transfer path. That is, a test is performed to determine whether slippage occurs by increasing the transfer speed on the transfer path. If no slippage occurs, feedback is performed to increase the transfer speed. On the other hand, if slippage occurs, feedback is performed to decrease the transfer speed. During this test, transfer is performed on other transfer paths at a transfer speed within a range that does not cause slippage. The above test is performed by arbitrarily selecting one of the multiple transfer paths. In addition, in Table 162, an upward arrow indicates that the acceleration is being increased from the initial value.

[0052] When the fork 22R reaches the standby position 14b, the transfer robot 16 moves the fork 22R to the mounting table 19 in the substrate processing chamber 15a (step S7). Note that the acceleration of the wafer W2 in steps S5 and S7 is 0.48 G, which corresponds to the move operation from the load lock chamber 13a to the substrate processing chamber 15a, because the wafer W2 retrieved from the load lock chamber 13a is held by the fork 22L.

[0053] The transfer robot 16 uses the fork 22R to retrieve the processed wafer W3 from the mounting table 19 in the substrate processing chamber 15a by a Get operation (step S8). At this time, the sensor pair 23 near the standby position 14b measures the amount of deviation of the retrieved wafer W3 from the reference position of the fork 22R. For example, the deviation amount along the X axis is 0.066 mm, and the deviation amount along the Y axis is 0.078 mm.

[0054] The transfer robot 16 performs a Change operation to replace the fork 22R located at the standby position 14b with the fork 22L (step S9). The transfer robot 16 performs a Put operation to place the wafer W2 held by the fork 22L on the mounting table 19 in the substrate processing chamber 15a (step S10). At this time, the sensor pair 23 near the standby position 14b measures the amount of deviation of the wafer W2 from the reference position of the fork 22L. Assume that the deviation amounts are, for example, 0.051 mm along the X axis and 0.033 mm along the Y axis. Furthermore, because the deviation amounts measured in step S10 match the deviation amounts measured in step S2, the control unit 17 provides feedback to increase the transfer speed along the transfer path from the standby position 14a to the standby position 14b.

[0055] After the transfer robot 16 moves the fork 22L to the standby position 14b (step S11), it transfers the wafer W3 held by the fork 22R to the vicinity of the standby position 14c in the substrate processing chamber 15b by a move operation (step S12). That is, the transfer robot 16 moves the vacant fork 22L to position it at the standby position 14c. At this time, it is assumed that the acceleration of the wafer W3 has increased from 0.38G to 0.39G. That is, it is assumed that feedback is being performed along the transfer path to increase the transfer speed.

[0056] When the fork 22L reaches the standby position 14c, the transfer robot 16 moves the fork 22L to the mounting table 19 in the substrate processing chamber 15b (step S13). Note that the acceleration of the wafer W3 in steps S8 to S11 and S13 is 0.38 G, which corresponds to the move operation from the substrate processing chamber 15a to the substrate processing chamber 15b, because the wafer W3 that has been processed in the substrate processing chamber 15a is held by the fork 22R.

[0057] The transfer robot 16 uses the fork 22L to retrieve the processed wafer W4 from the mounting table 19 in the substrate processing chamber 15b by a Get operation (step S14). At this time, the sensor pair 23 near the standby position 14c measures the amount of deviation of the retrieved wafer W4 from the reference position of the fork 22L. For example, the deviation amount along the X axis is 0.072 mm, and the deviation amount along the Y axis is 0.053 mm.

[0058] The transfer robot 16 performs a Change operation to replace the fork 22L located at the standby position 14c with the fork 22R (step S15). The transfer robot 16 performs a Put operation to place the wafer W3 held by the fork 22R on the mounting table 19 in the substrate processing chamber 15b (step S16). At this time, the sensor pair 23 near the standby position 14c measures the amount of deviation of the wafer W3 from the reference position of the fork 22R. Assume that the deviation amounts are, for example, 0.054 mm along the X axis and 0.085 mm along the Y axis. Furthermore, because the deviation amounts measured in step S16 do not match the deviation amounts measured in step S8, the control unit 17 provides feedback to reduce the transfer speed along the transfer path from the standby position 14b to the standby position 14c.

[0059] After moving the fork 22R to the standby position 14c (step S17), the transfer robot 16 performs a move operation to transfer the wafer W4 held by the fork 22L to the vicinity of the standby position 14a of the load lock chamber 13a (step S18). That is, the transfer robot 16 moves the vacant fork 22R to the standby position 14a. At this time, the acceleration of the wafer W4 is assumed to increase from 0.31 G to 0.32 G. That is, feedback is assumed to be performed along the transfer path to increase the transfer speed. After step S18 is completed, the fork 22L and the fork 22R are switched and the robot returns to the location of step S1. In this way, in the first embodiment, the deviation amount of the wafer W along each transfer path is measured based on the measurement results of two of the sensor pairs 23 near the load lock chamber 13a, which is an example of a substrate loading chamber, and the substrate processing chambers 15a and 15b.

[0060] Next, FIG. 14 illustrates feedback of the transfer speed on a specific transfer path. FIG. 14 illustrates an example of speed control processing on a specific transfer path in the first embodiment. Table 163 in FIG. 14 indicates the movement of the fork 22 of the transfer robot 16, the acceleration of the wafer W, and the detected deviation amounts of the X-axis and Y-axis from the reference position of the fork 22 in steps S21 to S32. Note that in FIG. 14, no distinction is made between the forks 22L and 22R and the wafers W1 to W4, and the description will be made as the fork 22 and the wafer W. Also, in FIG. 14, the transfer is from the first substrate loading chamber to the second substrate loading chamber, and the threshold value is set to 0.003 mm to detect slippage of the wafer W.

[0061] The transfer robot 16 performs a Get operation to obtain the wafer W from the first substrate placement chamber using the fork 22 (step S21). At this time, the measured deviation amounts of the obtained wafer W are, for example, 0.051 mm along the X axis and 0.033 mm along the Y axis.

[0062] The transfer robot 16 performs a move operation to transfer the wafer W held by the fork 22 to a standby position in the second substrate loading chamber (step S22). At this time, the acceleration of the wafer W is assumed to increase from 0.4 G to 0.41 G. In other words, feedback is being performed on the transfer path to increase the transfer speed.

[0063] The transfer robot 16 performs a put operation to place the wafer W held by the fork 22 onto the mounting table of the second substrate loading chamber (step S23). At this time, the measured misalignment amounts of the wafer W are, for example, 0.051 mm along the X axis and 0.033 mm along the Y axis. Furthermore, since the difference (slip amount) between the misalignment amounts measured in step S21 and step S23 is 0 mm, which is less than the threshold value, the control unit 17 provides feedback to increase the transfer speed on the transfer path from the standby position in the first substrate loading chamber to the standby position in the second substrate loading chamber (step S24).

[0064] Next, the transfer robot 16 performs a Get operation to retrieve the wafer W from the first substrate placement chamber using the fork 22 (step S25). At this time, the measured deviation amounts of the retrieved wafer W are, for example, 0.066 mm along the X axis and 0.078 mm along the Y axis.

[0065] The transfer robot 16 performs a move operation to transfer the wafer W held by the forks 22 to the standby position in the second substrate loading chamber (step S26). At this time, the acceleration of the wafer W increases from 0.41 G to 0.42 G.

[0066] The transfer robot 16 performs a put operation to place the wafer W held by the fork 22 onto the mounting table of the second substrate loading chamber (step S27). At this time, the measured misalignment amounts of the wafer W are, for example, 0.082 mm along the X axis and 0.091 mm along the Y axis. Furthermore, the control unit 17 determines that the difference (slippage) between the misalignment amounts measured in step S25 and step S27 is 0.016 mm along the X axis and 0.013 mm along the Y axis, which exceeds the threshold value, and therefore provides feedback to reduce the transfer speed on the transfer path from the standby position in the first substrate loading chamber to the standby position in the second substrate loading chamber (step S28).

[0067] Next, the transfer robot 16 performs a Get operation to retrieve the wafer W from the first substrate placement chamber using the fork 22 (step S29). At this time, the measured deviation amounts of the retrieved wafer W are, for example, 0.044 mm along the X axis and 0.067 mm along the Y axis.

[0068] The transfer robot 16 performs a move operation to transfer the wafer W held by the forks 22 to a standby position in the second substrate loading chamber (step S30). At this time, the acceleration of the wafer W is fed back to decrease from 0.42 G to 0.41 G because the difference in the amount of deviation (slippage amount) in the previous transfer path exceeded the threshold.

[0069] The transfer robot 16 performs a put operation to place the wafer W held by the fork 22 on the mounting table of the second substrate placement chamber (step S31). At this time, the measured misalignment amounts of the wafer W are, for example, 0.040 mm along the X axis and 0.067 mm along the Y axis. Furthermore, the control unit 17 determines that the difference (slippage) between the misalignment amounts measured in step S29 and step S31 is 0.004 mm along the X axis and 0 mm along the Y axis, exceeding the threshold value. Therefore, the control unit 17 provides feedback to reduce the transfer speed along the transfer path from the standby position in the first substrate placement chamber to the standby position in the second substrate placement chamber (step S32). In this way, in the first embodiment, the transfer speed along a specific transfer path is fed back based on the slippage amount measured along the specific transfer path. That is, the operating speed of the transfer robot 16 can be optimized for each transfer path according to the slippage amount of the wafer W.

[0070] (Second embodiment) In the above-described first embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 10 is capable of measuring the amount of misalignment of the wafer W twice for one transfer path, but the present invention may be applied to a substrate processing apparatus that is capable of measuring the amount of misalignment of the wafer W once for one transfer path, and this embodiment will be described as a second embodiment. Note that the same components as those in the substrate processing apparatus 10 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions of the overlapping components and operations will be omitted.

[0071] 15 is a diagram showing an example of a transfer path in the second embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 15 has a substrate transfer chamber 214 instead of the substrate transfer chamber 14 of the first embodiment. The substrate transfer chamber 214 also has a position detection sensor 223 instead of the sensor pair 23 of the first embodiment. Two position detection sensors 223 are arranged at measurement positions 223a, which are positions away from each substrate processing chamber 15 within the substrate transfer chamber 214. The position detection sensor 223 measures the amount of deviation from a reference position of a wafer W transferred to the measurement position 223a.

[0072] Steps S201 to S218 shown in Figure 15 indicate the paths for transfer from the load lock chamber (LLM) 13a to the substrate processing chamber (PM) 15a, transfer from the substrate processing chamber (PM) 15a to the substrate processing chamber (PM) 15b, and transfer from the substrate processing chamber (PM) 15b to the load lock chamber (LLM) 13a.

[0073] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of measurement of the amount of deviation of the transfer path in the second embodiment. Table 164 in FIG. 16 shows the detected deviation amounts of the movement of the fork 22 of the transfer robot 16, the acceleration of the wafer W, and the X-axis and Y-axis deviations from the reference positions of the forks 22L and 22R in steps S201 to S218. As in the first embodiment, in FIG. 15, the fork 22L is on the load lock chamber 13a side (the left side of the transfer robot 16) and the fork 22R is on the side farther from the load lock chamber 13a (the right side of the transfer robot 16). Furthermore, since there are four wafers W to be transferred, they are distinguished as wafers W1 to W4.

[0074] First, the transfer robot 16 moves the fork 22L from the standby position 214a of the load lock chamber 13a in the substrate transfer chamber 214 to the load lock chamber 13a (step S201). At this time, the fork 22L is empty, and the fork 22R holds the wafer W1 that has been processed in the substrate processing chamber 15b. Note that the misalignment column in table 164 also indicates whether the fork 22L is holding the wafers W1-W4 or is empty. The transfer robot 16 uses the fork 22L to obtain the wafer W2 from the load lock chamber 13a by a Get operation (step S202).

[0075] The transfer robot 16 performs a Change operation to replace the fork 22L located at the standby position 214a with the fork 22R (step S203). The transfer robot 16 performs a Put operation to place the processed wafer W1 held on the fork 22R into the load lock chamber 13a (step S204). Note that the acceleration of the wafers W1 and W2 in steps S201 to S204 is 0.3 G, which corresponds to the Move operation from the substrate processing chamber 15b to the load lock chamber 13a, because the wafer W1 processed in the substrate processing chamber 15b is held on the fork 22R.

[0076] After moving the fork 22R to the standby position 214a (step S205), the transfer robot 16 transfers the wafer W2 held by the fork 22L to the vicinity of the standby position 214b in the substrate processing chamber 15a via the measurement position 223a by a move operation (step S206). That is, the transfer robot 16 moves the vacant fork 22R to the standby position 214b. At the measurement position 223a, the position detection sensor 223 measures the deviation of the transferred wafer W2 from the reference position. For example, the deviation along the X axis is 0.051 mm and the deviation along the Y axis is 0.033 mm. During the transfer in step S206, the acceleration of the wafer W2 is increased from 0.48 G to 0.49 G. Note that in Table 164, an upward arrow indicates that the acceleration is increased from the initial value. That is, feedback is performed to increase the transfer speed along the transfer path.

[0077] When the fork 22R reaches the standby position 214b, the transfer robot 16 moves the fork 22R to the mounting table 19 in the substrate processing chamber 15a (step S207). Note that the acceleration of the wafer W2 in steps S205 and S207 is 0.48 G, which corresponds to the move operation from the load lock chamber 13a to the substrate processing chamber 15a, because the wafer W2 retrieved from the load lock chamber 13a is held by the fork 22L.

[0078] The transfer robot 16 uses the fork 22R to retrieve the processed wafer W3 from the mounting table 19 in the substrate processing chamber 15a by a Get operation (step S208). The transfer robot 16 replaces the fork 22R located at the standby position 214b with the fork 22L by a Change operation (step S209). The transfer robot 16 places the wafer W2 held on the fork 22L onto the mounting table 19 in the substrate processing chamber 15a by a Put operation (step S210).

[0079] After moving the fork 22L to the standby position 214b (step S211), the transfer robot 16 performs a move operation to transfer the wafer W3 held by the fork 22R to the vicinity of the standby position 214c in the substrate processing chamber 15b via the measurement position 223a (step S212). That is, the transfer robot 16 moves the vacant fork 22L to the standby position 214c. At the measurement position 223a, the position detection sensor 223 measures the amount of deviation of the transferred wafer W3 from the reference position. For example, the deviation amounts are assumed to be 0.066 mm along the X axis and 0.078 mm along the Y axis. During the transfer in step S212, the acceleration of the wafer W3 is increased from 0.38 G to 0.39 G. That is, feedback is performed along the transfer path to increase the transfer speed.

[0080] When the fork 22L reaches the standby position 214c, the transfer robot 16 moves the fork 22L to the mounting table 19 in the substrate processing chamber 15b (step S213). Note that the acceleration of the wafer W3 in steps S208 to S211 and S213 is 0.38 G, which corresponds to the move operation from the substrate processing chamber 15a to the substrate processing chamber 15b, because the wafer W3 that has been processed in the substrate processing chamber 15a is held by the fork 22R.

[0081] The transfer robot 16 uses the fork 22L to retrieve the processed wafer W4 from the mounting table 19 in the substrate processing chamber 15b by a Get operation (step S214). The transfer robot 16 replaces the fork 22L located at the standby position 214c with the fork 22R by a Change operation (step S215). The transfer robot 16 places the wafer W3 held on the fork 22R onto the mounting table 19 in the substrate processing chamber 15b by a Put operation (step S216).

[0082] After moving the fork 22R to the standby position 214c (step S217), the transfer robot 16 performs a move operation to transfer the wafer W4 held by the fork 22L to the vicinity of the standby position 214a in the load lock chamber 13a via the measurement position 223a (step S218). That is, the transfer robot 16 moves the empty fork 22R to the standby position 214a. At the measurement position 223a, the position detection sensor 223 measures the amount of deviation of the transferred wafer W4 from the reference position. For example, the deviation amount along the X axis is 0.072 mm and the deviation amount along the Y axis is 0.053 mm. During the transfer in step S218, the acceleration of the wafer W4 is increased from 0.31 G to 0.32 G. That is, feedback is performed along the transfer path to increase the transfer speed. When step S218 is completed, the fork 22L and the fork 22R are interchanged and the process returns to the location of step S201. In this way, in the second embodiment, the amount of deviation of the wafer W along each transfer path is measured based on the measurement result by the position detection sensor 223 at the measurement position 223a.

[0083] Next, FIG. 17 illustrates feedback of the transfer speed for a specific transfer path. FIG. 17 illustrates an example of speed control processing for a specific transfer path in the second embodiment. Table 165 in FIG. 17 illustrates the movement of the fork 22 of the transfer robot 16, the acceleration of the wafer W, and the measured deviations of the X-axis and Y-axis from the reference position of the fork 22 in steps S221 to S223. Table 165 also illustrates that statistical processing and transfer speed control are performed based on the measured deviations in steps S224 to S226. Note that in FIG. 17, the forks 22L and 22R and the wafers W1 to W4 are not distinguished from each other, and are described as the fork 22 and the wafer W. Note that in FIG. 17, the transfer from the first substrate loading chamber to the second substrate loading chamber is described.

[0084] The transfer robot 16 uses the fork 22 to obtain the wafer W from the first substrate loading chamber by a Get operation (step S221). The transfer robot 16 then uses a Move operation to transfer the wafer W held on the fork 22 to a standby position in the second substrate loading chamber via the measurement position 223a (step S222). At the measurement position 223a, the position detection sensor 223 measures the amount of deviation of the transferred wafer W from its reference position. For example, the deviation amount along the X axis is 0.051 mm and the deviation amount along the Y axis is 0.033 mm. During the transfer in step S222, the acceleration of the wafer W is increased from 0.4 G to 0.41 G. In other words, feedback is performed along the transfer path to increase the transfer speed.

[0085] The transfer robot 16 performs a put operation to place the wafer W held by the fork 22 on the placement table in the second substrate placement chamber (step S223). The transfer robot 16 repeats steps S221 to S223 multiple times (e.g., 50 times), and the control unit 17 acquires vertex data of the normal distribution of the amount of misalignment (step S224). The transfer robot 16 and the control unit 17 repeat step S224 multiple times, and the control unit 17 monitors the transition of the vertex data of the amount of misalignment (step S225). That is, the control unit 17 determines whether the amount of misalignment tends to remain unchanged (tend to be no slippage) or tends to increase. It is assumed that step S225 is continuously performed while the substrate processing apparatus 200 is in operation.

[0086] If the control unit 17 determines in step S225 that the amount of misalignment is not likely to change, it provides feedback to increase the transfer speed of the transfer robot 16. On the other hand, if the control unit 17 determines in step S225 that the amount of misalignment is likely to increase, it provides feedback to decrease the transfer speed of the transfer robot 16. That is, the control unit 17 controls the transfer speed of the transfer robot 16 based on the vertex data of the amount of misalignment in step S225 (step S226). As described above, in the second embodiment, the transfer speed for a specific transfer path is fed back based on the tendency of change in the amount of misalignment measured in that transfer path. That is, in the substrate processing apparatus 200 of the second embodiment, the operating speed of the transfer robot 16 can also be optimized for each transfer path in accordance with the amount of slippage of the wafer W.

[0087] (Third embodiment) In the above-described first and second embodiments, the case where a wafer W (substrate) is transferred as the transferred object has been described, but the present invention may also be applied to the case where consumable parts in the substrate processing chamber 15 are transferred. Furthermore, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the substrate processing apparatus 10, 200 is used which optimizes the operating speed of the transfer robot 16 in the substrate transfer chamber 14 under a vacuum atmosphere, but the present invention may also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus which optimizes the operating speed of the transfer robot in the loader chamber 12 under an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. An embodiment in these cases will be described as the third embodiment. Note that the same components as those in the substrate processing apparatus 10 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions of the overlapping components and operations will be omitted.

[0088] First, referring to FIG. 18 , a substrate processing chamber 15 containing a consumable member to be transported will be described. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a substrate processing chamber according to a third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 18 , the substrate processing chamber 15 is controlled by a controller 17. The substrate processing chamber 15 is an example of a capacitively coupled plasma processing apparatus. The substrate processing chamber 15 is externally equipped with a gas supply unit 320, a power supply 330, and an exhaust system 340. The substrate processing chamber 15 is a plasma processing chamber and includes a mounting table (hereinafter also referred to as a substrate support unit) 19 and a gas inlet unit. The gas inlet unit is configured to introduce at least one processing gas into the substrate processing chamber 15. The gas inlet unit includes a shower head 313. The substrate support unit 19 is disposed within the substrate processing chamber 15. The shower head 313 is disposed above the substrate support unit 19. In one embodiment, the shower head 313 forms at least a portion of the ceiling of the substrate processing chamber 15. The substrate processing chamber 15 has a plasma processing space 15s defined by the showerhead 313, the sidewall 15c of the substrate processing chamber 15, and the substrate support 19. The substrate processing chamber 15 has at least one gas supply port for supplying at least one processing gas to the plasma processing space 15s and at least one gas exhaust port for exhausting gas from the plasma processing space. The substrate processing chamber 15 is grounded. The showerhead 313 and the substrate support 19 are electrically insulated from the housing of the substrate processing chamber 15.

[0089] The substrate support 19 includes a main body 191 and a ring assembly 192. The main body 191 has a central region 191a for supporting the wafer W and an annular region 191b for supporting the ring assembly 192. The annular region 191b of the main body 191 surrounds the central region 191a of the main body 191 in a plan view. The wafer W is disposed on the central region 191a of the main body 191, and the ring assembly 192 is disposed on the annular region 191b of the main body 191 so as to surround the wafer W on the central region 191a of the main body 191. Therefore, the central region 191a is also referred to as a substrate support surface for supporting the wafer W, and the annular region 191b is also referred to as a ring support surface for supporting the ring assembly 192.

[0090] In one embodiment, the main body 191 includes a base 1910 and an electrostatic chuck 1911. The base 1910 includes a conductive member. The conductive member of the base 1910 can function as a lower electrode. The electrostatic chuck 1911 is disposed on the base 1910. The electrostatic chuck 1911 includes a ceramic member 1911a and an electrostatic electrode 1911b disposed within the ceramic member 1911a. The ceramic member 1911a has a central region 191a. In one embodiment, the ceramic member 1911a also has an annular region 191b. Note that another member surrounding the electrostatic chuck 1911, such as an annular electrostatic chuck or an annular insulating member, may also have the annular region 191b. Also, a portion of the outer edge of the base 1910 may be included in the annular region 191b. In this case, the ring assembly 192 may be disposed on the annular electrostatic chuck or the annular insulating member, or may be disposed on both the electrostatic chuck 1911 and the annular insulating member. Similarly, a portion of the ring assembly 192 may be disposed on the outer edge of the base 1910. At least one RF / DC electrode coupled to a radio frequency (RF) power supply 331 and / or a direct current (DC) power supply 332 (described later) may be disposed within the ceramic member 1911a. In this case, the at least one RF / DC electrode functions as a lower electrode. When a bias RF signal and / or a DC signal (described later) is supplied to the at least one RF / DC electrode, the RF / DC electrode is also referred to as a bias electrode. Note that the conductive member of the base 1910 and the at least one RF / DC electrode may function as multiple lower electrodes. Alternatively, the electrostatic electrode 1911b may function as the lower electrode. Thus, the substrate support 19 includes at least one lower electrode.

[0091] The ring assembly 192 includes one or more annular members. In one embodiment, the one or more annular members include one or more edge rings 192a and at least one cover ring 192b. The edge ring 192a is formed of a conductive or insulating material, and the cover ring 192b is formed of an insulating material. The edge ring 192a and the cover ring 192b are examples of replaceable consumable members.

[0092] The substrate support 19 may also include a temperature adjustment module configured to adjust at least one of the electrostatic chuck 1911, the ring assembly 1912, and the wafer W to a target temperature. The temperature adjustment module may include a heater, a heat transfer medium, a flow path 1910a, or a combination thereof. A heat transfer fluid such as brine or a gas flows through the flow path 1910a. In one embodiment, the flow path 1910a is formed in the base 1910, and one or more heaters are disposed in the ceramic member 1911a of the electrostatic chuck 1911. The substrate support 19 may also include a heat transfer gas supply configured to supply a heat transfer gas to a gap between the backside of the wafer W and the central region 191a.

[0093] The showerhead 313 is configured to introduce at least one process gas from the gas supply unit 320 into the plasma processing space 15s. The showerhead 313 has at least one gas supply port 313a, at least one gas diffusion chamber 313b, multiple gas inlets 313c, and an upper electrode 313d. The process gas supplied to the gas supply port 313a passes through the gas diffusion chamber 313b and is introduced into the plasma processing space 15s from the multiple gas inlets 313c. The upper electrode 313d is an example of a replaceable consumable part. In addition to the showerhead 313, the gas introduction unit may also include one or more side gas injectors (SGIs) attached to one or more openings formed in the sidewall 15c.

[0094] The gas supply unit 320 may include at least one gas source 321 and at least one flow controller 322. In one embodiment, the gas supply unit 320 is configured to supply at least one process gas from a corresponding gas source 321 through a corresponding flow controller 322 to the showerhead 313. Each flow controller 322 may include, for example, a mass flow controller or a pressure-controlled flow controller. Additionally, the gas supply unit 320 may include one or more flow modulation devices to modulate or pulse the flow rate of the at least one process gas.

[0095] The power supply 330 includes an RF power supply 331 coupled to the substrate processing chamber 15 via at least one impedance matching circuit. The RF power supply 331 is configured to supply at least one RF signal (RF power) to at least one lower electrode and / or at least one upper electrode. This generates a plasma from at least one processing gas supplied to the plasma processing space 15s. Therefore, the RF power supply 331 can function as at least a part of a plasma generating unit configured to generate a plasma from one or more processing gases in the substrate processing chamber 15. In addition, by supplying a bias RF signal to the at least one lower electrode, a bias potential is generated on the wafer W, thereby attracting ion components in the formed plasma to the wafer W.

[0096] In one embodiment, the RF power supply 331 includes a first RF generating unit 331a and a second RF generating unit 331b. The first RF generating unit 331a is coupled to at least one lower electrode and / or at least one upper electrode via at least one impedance matching circuit and is configured to generate a source RF signal (source RF power) for plasma generation. In one embodiment, the source RF signal has a frequency in the range of 10 MHz to 150 MHz. In one embodiment, the first RF generating unit 331a may be configured to generate multiple source RF signals having different frequencies. The generated one or more source RF signals are supplied to at least one lower electrode and / or at least one upper electrode.

[0097] The second RF generating unit 331b is coupled to at least one lower electrode via at least one impedance matching circuit and configured to generate a bias RF signal (bias RF power). The frequency of the bias RF signal may be the same as or different from the frequency of the source RF signal. In one embodiment, the bias RF signal has a frequency lower than the frequency of the source RF signal. In one embodiment, the bias RF signal has a frequency in the range of 100 kHz to 60 MHz. In one embodiment, the second RF generating unit 331b may be configured to generate multiple bias RF signals having different frequencies. The generated one or more bias RF signals are supplied to at least one lower electrode. In various embodiments, at least one of the source RF signal and the bias RF signal may be pulsed.

[0098] The power supply 330 may also include a DC power supply 332 coupled to the substrate processing chamber 15. The DC power supply 332 includes a first DC generator 332a and a second DC generator 332b. In one embodiment, the first DC generator 332a is connected to at least one lower electrode and configured to generate a first DC signal. The generated first bias DC signal is applied to the at least one lower electrode. In one embodiment, the second DC generator 332b is connected to at least one upper electrode and configured to generate a second DC signal. The generated second DC signal is applied to the at least one upper electrode.

[0099] In various embodiments, at least one of the first and second DC signals may be pulsed. In this case, a sequence of voltage pulses is applied to at least one lower electrode and / or at least one upper electrode. The voltage pulses may have a rectangular, trapezoidal, triangular, or combination thereof. In one embodiment, a waveform generator for generating the sequence of voltage pulses from the DC signal is connected between the first DC generator 332a and at least one lower electrode. Thus, the first DC generator 332a and the waveform generator constitute a voltage pulse generator. When the second DC generator 332b and the waveform generator constitute a voltage pulse generator, the voltage pulse generator is connected to at least one upper electrode. The voltage pulses may have either positive or negative polarity. Furthermore, the sequence of voltage pulses may include one or more positive voltage pulses and one or more negative voltage pulses within one cycle. The first and second DC generating units 332a and 332b may be provided in addition to the RF power supply 331, or the first DC generating unit 332a may be provided in place of the second RF generating unit 331b.

[0100] The exhaust system 340 may be connected to, for example, a gas exhaust port 15e provided at the bottom of the substrate processing chamber 15. The exhaust system 340 may include a pressure regulating valve and a vacuum pump. The pressure regulating valve regulates the pressure in the plasma processing space 15s. The vacuum pump may include a turbomolecular pump, a dry pump, or a combination thereof.

[0101] The control unit 17 processes computer-executable instructions that cause the substrate processing chamber 15 to perform the various processes described herein. The control unit 17 may be configured to control each element of the substrate processing chamber 15 to perform the various processes described herein. In one embodiment, part or all of the control unit 17 may be included in the substrate processing chamber 15. The control unit 17 may include a processing unit 17a1, a memory unit 17a2, and a communication interface 17a3. The control unit 17 may be implemented, for example, by a computer 17a. The processing unit 17a1 may be configured to read a program from the memory unit 17a2 and execute the read program to perform various control operations. The program may be stored in the memory unit 17a2 in advance or may be acquired via a medium when needed. The acquired program is stored in the memory unit 17a2 and read from the memory unit 17a2 by the processing unit 17a1 for execution. The medium may be various storage media readable by the computer 17a or a communication line connected to the communication interface 17a3. The processing unit 17a1 may be a CPU. The storage unit 17a2 may include a RAM, a ROM, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a combination thereof. The communication interface 17a3 may communicate with the substrate processing chamber 15 via a communication line such as a local area network (LAN).

[0102] [Configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 300 and transfer path] Next, the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 300 according to the third embodiment and measurement of the amount of deviation of a transferred object on the atmosphere side along a transfer path will be described with reference to FIG. 19. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a transfer path in the third embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 300 shown in FIG. 19 shows details of the load port 11 and the loader chamber 12 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 in the first embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 300 also shows an alignment chamber 12a connected to the loader chamber 12 and a stocker 12b1. Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus 300 is similar to the substrate processing apparatus 10 of the first embodiment in that one of the substrate processing chambers 15 is replaced with a stocker 12b2.

[0103] A transfer robot 16a is disposed in the loader chamber 12 to transfer objects such as wafers W. The transfer robot 16a is configured to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the loader chamber 12 and is also configured to be freely swiveling, extending and retracting, and moving up and down. The transfer robot 16a has an articulated arm 21a and a fork 22a that is attached to the tip of the articulated arm 21a and has a generally U-shaped shape in a plan view, on which the object to be transferred, such as the wafer W, is placed. The transfer robot 16a transfers the object to be transferred, such as the wafer W, between the FOUP 11a placed on the load port 11, the alignment chamber 12a, and the load lock chamber 13. When the object to be transferred is a consumable part of the substrate processing chamber 15, the transfer robot 16a also transfers the consumable part to and from the stocker 12b1.

[0104] The alignment chamber 12a is connected to one side surface of the loader chamber 12 along the short direction. However, the alignment chamber 12a may also be connected to a side surface of the loader chamber 12 along the long direction. The alignment chamber 12a may also be provided inside the loader chamber 12. The alignment chamber 12a includes a support table, an optical sensor (neither of which are shown), etc. The alignment chamber here is a device that detects the position of the transported object.

[0105] Stocker 12b1 is connected to a side surface of loader chamber 12 that faces alignment chamber 12a along the short side direction. However, stocker 12b1 may also be connected to a side surface of loader chamber 12 that faces the long side direction. Stocker 12b1 may also be provided inside loader chamber 12. Stocker 12b1 stores, for example, consumable parts of substrate processing chamber 15 as transported objects.

[0106] Stocker 12b2 is connected to substrate transfer chamber 14 via gate valve 18. When the interior of stocker 12b2 is maintained at a vacuum, objects are transferred into and out of stocker 12b2 by transfer robot 16 of substrate transfer chamber 14. When the interior of stocker 12b2 is open to the atmosphere, objects are transferred into and out of stocker 12b2, for example, through a door (not shown) provided on the side opposite gate valve 18. Like stocker 12b1, stocker 12b2 also stores objects to be transferred, for example, consumable parts of substrate processing chamber 15.

[0107] In the loader chamber 12, similar to the inside of the substrate transfer chamber 14, a sensor pair 23 consisting of two position sensors is arranged in front of the load port 11, the alignment chamber 12a, the stocker 12b1, and the load lock chamber 13. The details of the sensor pair 23 and the method for measuring the amount of deviation are the same as in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described again.

[0108] The transfer method is also the same as in the first embodiment, and therefore its description will be omitted. In the third embodiment, the first and second loading chambers correspond to any one of the load port 11, the alignment chamber 12a, the stocker 12a1, and the load lock chamber 13.

[0109] 19 shows a path for transfer from the FOUP 11a1 of the load port 11 to the alignment chamber 12a and from the alignment chamber 12a to the load lock chamber 13a as an example of a transfer path in the loader chamber 12. Note that in the description of the transfer path in FIG. 19, a wafer W will be used as the transferred object.

[0110] First, transfer robot 16a moves fork 22a from standby position 12c of FOUP 11a1 inside loader chamber 12 into FOUP 11a1 (step S301). Transfer robot 16a uses fork 22a to retrieve wafer W from FOUP 11a1 by a Get operation and moves fork 22a to standby position 12c (step S302). At this time, sensor pair 23 near standby position 12c measures the amount of deviation of fork 22a from the reference position for the retrieved wafer W.

[0111] The transfer robot 16a performs a Move operation to transfer the wafer W held on the forks 22a from the standby position 12c to the standby position 12d in the alignment chamber 12a (step S303). The transfer robot 16a performs a Put operation to place the wafer W held on the forks 22a on the support table in the alignment chamber 12a (step S304). At this time, the sensor pair 23 near the standby position 12d measures the amount of deviation of the wafer W from the reference position of the forks 22a.

[0112] After moving the fork 22a to the standby position 12d, the transfer robot 16a waits until detection of the position of the wafer W in the alignment chamber 12a is completed. The transfer robot 16a retrieves the wafer W from the alignment chamber 12a using the fork 22a by a Get operation and moves the fork 22a to the standby position 12d (step S305). At this time, the sensor pair 23 near the standby position 12d measures the amount of deviation of the wafer W from the reference position of the fork 22a.

[0113] The transfer robot 16a performs a move operation to transfer the wafer W held on the fork 22a from the standby position 12d to the standby position 12e in the load lock chamber 13a (step S306). The transfer robot 16a then performs a put operation to place the wafer W held on the fork 22a into the load lock chamber 13a (step S307). At this time, the sensor pair 23 near the standby position 12e measures the amount of deviation of the wafer W from the reference position of the fork 22a. The transfer robot 16a then moves the fork 22a to the standby position 12e (step S308). In this way, in the third embodiment, the amount of deviation of the wafer W along each transfer path is measured based on the measurement results of two locations: the load port 11 (an example of a placement chamber), the alignment chamber 12a, and the sensor pair 23 near the load lock chamber 13. As in the first embodiment, the control unit 17 also provides feedback on the transfer speed in accordance with the measured amount of deviation. That is, in the third embodiment, even in the loader chamber 12, which is an atmospheric transfer chamber, the operation speed of the transfer robot 16a can be optimized according to the amount of slippage of the transferred object (wafer W, consumable member).

[0114] In the above-described embodiments, slippage of the transported object (wafer W) is suppressed by the frictional force of the pads of the holding parts of the forks 22 and 22a, but this is not limiting. For example, if pads capable of vacuum suction are used in the forks 22a of the transport robot 16a, slippage may be suppressed by increasing the suction force when the amount of misalignment becomes large.

[0115] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the transfer path has been described using a wafer W as an example of the object to be transferred, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the present invention can also be applied to the transfer of consumable parts from the substrate processing chamber 15. In this case, for example, in a transfer path in which the transfer robot 16 in the substrate transfer chamber 14 transfers the consumable part from the substrate processing chamber 15 to the load lock chamber 13, and then the transfer robot 16a in the loader chamber 12 transfers the consumable part from the load lock chamber 13 to the stocker 12a1, the operating speed of the transfer robots 16 and 16a can be optimized according to the amount of slippage of the consumable part. Similarly, in a transfer path in which the transfer robot 16a transfers the consumable part stored in the stocker 12a1 to the load lock chamber 13 via the alignment chamber 12a, and then the transfer robot 16 transfers the consumable part from the load lock chamber 13 to the substrate processing chamber 15, the operating speed of the transfer robots 16 and 16a can be optimized according to the amount of slippage of the consumable part.

[0116] Similarly, for example, in a transfer path in which a consumable part from substrate processing chamber 15 is transferred to stocker 12a2 by transfer robot 16 in substrate transfer chamber 14, the operating speed of transfer robot 16 can be optimized according to the amount of slippage of the consumable part. Similarly, in a transfer path in which a consumable part from stocker 12a2 is transferred to substrate processing chamber 15 by transfer robot 16, the operating speed of transfer robot 16 can be optimized according to the amount of slippage of the consumable part.

[0117] (Fourth embodiment) In the above-described embodiments, the transfer speed is controlled using acceleration, but it may also be controlled using the maximum speed, and an embodiment in this case will be described as Embodiment 4. Note that the same components as those in the substrate processing apparatuses 10 and 300 of the first and third embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and descriptions of the overlapping components and operations will be omitted.

[0118] 20 and 21 are diagrams showing an example of the relationship between the speed and travel distance of the transport robot in the fourth embodiment. Graph 350 shown in Fig. 20 represents a case where the maximum transport speed of the transport robot 16, 16a is specified and the acceleration or maximum speed is limited. Graph 351 represents a case where the transport robot accelerates at a reference acceleration, and when it reaches the reference maximum speed, it moves a predetermined distance while maintaining that speed, and then decelerates at a reference deceleration (negative acceleration) to reach the target position.

[0119] Graph 352 shows a case where the acceleration is reduced from a reference value, and once the reference maximum speed is reached, the transport travels a predetermined distance while maintaining that speed, and then decelerates at a deceleration lower than the reference value to reach the target position. Graph 353 shows a case where the transport accelerates at a reference acceleration, travels a predetermined distance while maintaining a speed lower than the reference maximum speed, and then decelerates at the reference deceleration to reach the target position. In other words, graph 352 is a pattern where only the acceleration is changed from graph 351, and graph 353 is a pattern where only the maximum speed is changed from graph 351. Note that a pattern where both the acceleration and the maximum speed are changed may also be set. Control such as that shown in graphs 352 and 353 can be applied, for example, to feedback that reduces the transport speed when the deviation exceeds a threshold value.

[0120] Graph 360 in FIG. 21 illustrates a case where the acceleration or maximum speed of the transport robot 16, 16a is increased or raised from a reference speed. Similar to graph 351, graph 361 illustrates a case where the transport robot accelerates at a reference acceleration, and upon reaching the reference maximum speed, moves a predetermined distance while maintaining that speed, and then decelerates at a reference deceleration to reach the target position. Graph 362 illustrates a case where the transport robot accelerates at a reference acceleration, and upon reaching a maximum speed increased from the reference maximum speed, moves a predetermined distance while maintaining that speed, and then decelerates at a reference deceleration to reach the target position. Graph 363 illustrates a case where the transport robot accelerates at an acceleration increased from the reference maximum speed, and upon reaching the reference maximum speed, moves a predetermined distance while maintaining that speed, and then decelerates at a deceleration increased from the reference maximum speed to reach the target position. In other words, graph 362 is a pattern where only the maximum speed is changed from graph 361, and graph 363 is a pattern where only the acceleration is changed from graph 361. Note that a pattern where both the acceleration and the maximum speed are changed may also be set. The control shown in the graphs 362 and 363 can be applied, for example, in feedback to increase the conveying speed when the deviation amount is equal to or less than a threshold value.

[0121] Alternatively, several different transfer speed patterns may be selected from graphs 351-353 and 361-363, and the pattern with the shortest transfer time may be applied to subsequent transfers. For example, at the start of a certain lot, several different patterns may be selected from graphs 351-353 and 361-363, and wafers W may be transferred sequentially, starting with the first wafer W, using the selected number of different patterns. Of the selected patterns, the pattern with the shortest transfer time may be applied to the transfer of subsequent wafers W in the lot or to the transfer of wafers W in subsequent lots. In this way, in the fourth embodiment, the transfer time of the transfer robots 16 and 16a can be further reduced. In other words, the operating speed of the transfer robots 16 and 16a can be further optimized. Note that the pattern with the shortest transfer time may be selected using the results of calculating the transfer time for each pattern. The transfer speed patterns shown in graphs 350 and 360 may also be applied to objects other than wafers W, such as consumable parts of the substrate processing chamber 15.

[0122] In the above-described embodiments, the substrate processing apparatuses 10, 200, and 300 are each provided with one substrate transfer chamber 14. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, two substrate transfer chambers 14 may be connected to each other, and a transfer module (path) may be provided between the substrate transfer chambers 14 to transfer the wafer W therebetween.

[0123] As described above, according to the first and third embodiments, the substrate processing apparatus (10, 300) includes a first placement chamber (11a, 12a, 12b1, 13, 15), a second placement chamber (11a, 12a, 12b1, 13, 15), a transfer robot (16, 16a) that transfers an object between the first placement chamber and the second placement chamber, and a control unit 17. a) The control unit 17 is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus so as to detect, as a first position, the position of the object (wafer W, consumable part) on the fork (22, 22a) of the transfer robot when the object is transferred from the first placement chamber to a standby position of the first placement chamber. b) The control unit 17 is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus so as to transfer the object to a standby position of the second placement chamber after transferring the substrate from the first placement chamber to a standby position of the first placement chamber. c) The control unit 17 is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus to detect the position of the transported object on the forks as the second position when the transported object is transferred from the standby position in the second placement chamber to the second placement chamber. d) The control unit 17 is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus to control the transport speed of b) based on the first position and the second position. As a result, the operating speed of the transport robot can be optimized according to the amount of slippage of the transported object.

[0124] Furthermore, according to the first and third embodiments, the position of the transported object is detected by position detection sensors (sensor pair 23) provided at the loading / unloading ports of the first and second loading chambers. As a result, the transport speed can be fed back for each transport of the transported object.

[0125] Furthermore, according to the first and third embodiments, in d), the conveying speed is controlled based on the difference between the first position and the second position, and as a result, the conveying speed can be fed back for each conveyance of the conveyed object.

[0126] Furthermore, according to the first and third embodiments, d) reduces the conveying speed when the difference exceeds the threshold value, and as a result, the conveying speed can be fed back for each conveyance of the conveyed object.

[0127] Furthermore, according to the first and third embodiments, in d), if the difference is equal to or less than the threshold value, the conveying speed is increased, and as a result, the conveying speed can be fed back for each conveyance of the conveyed object.

[0128] Furthermore, according to the fourth embodiment, d) controls one or more of the maximum speed and acceleration as the control of the conveying speed, which results in a further reduction in the conveying time.

[0129] Furthermore, according to the first and third embodiments, d) feeds back the conveying speed when conveying an object along the same route as the previous conveyed route, thereby optimizing the conveying speed for each conveying route.

[0130] According to the first embodiment, the first and second placement chambers are any one of a load lock module, a process module, and a transfer module, thereby optimizing the transfer speed between the modules.

[0131] According to the third embodiment, the first and second loading chambers are any one of a load port, an alignment chamber, a stocker, and a load lock module, thereby optimizing the transfer speed between modules under atmospheric pressure.

[0132] Furthermore, according to each embodiment, the object to be transferred is a substrate, and as a result, the operating speed of the transfer robot can be optimized according to the amount of slippage of the substrate.

[0133] According to each embodiment, the transported object is one or more of the consumable members selected from the group consisting of a focus ring, a cover ring, and an upper electrode. As a result, the operating speed of the transport robot can be optimized according to the amount of slippage of the consumable member.

[0134] According to the second embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 200 includes a first placement chamber (13, 15), a second placement chamber (13, 15), a transfer robot 16 that transfers a transfer object (wafer W) between the first placement chamber and the second placement chamber, a position detection sensor 223 that measures the amount of deviation of the transfer object from a reference position, and a control unit 17. a) The control unit 17 is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus 200 to transfer the transfer object from a standby position in the first placement chamber to a measurement position of the position detection sensor 223. b) The control unit 17 is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus 200 to measure the amount of deviation at the measurement position. c) The control unit 17 is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus 200 to transfer the transfer object from the measurement position to a standby position in the second placement chamber. d) The control unit 17 is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus 200 to control the transfer speeds a) and c) based on the measured amount of deviation. As a result, the operating speed of the transfer robot can be optimized according to the amount of slippage of the transfer object.

[0135] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made in the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

[0136] In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, the transport robot 16 has been described as having two articulated arms 21, but this is not limiting. For example, the transport robot 16 may have one articulated arm 21 or three or more articulated arms 21.

[0137] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be combined as appropriate within the scope of not causing any contradiction in the configurations and processing contents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0138] 10,200,300 Substrate processing equipment 11 Loading Port 11a Hoop 12 Loader Room 12a Alignment Room 12b1,12b2 Stocker 13 Load lock chamber 14,214 Substrate transfer chamber 15 Substrate processing chamber 16,16a Transport robot 17 Control Unit 22,22a fork 23 sensor pairs 192 Ring Assembly 192a Edge Ring 192b Covering 223 Position detection sensor 313d upper electrode W wafer

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus, a first loading chamber; a second loading chamber; a transfer robot that transfers an object between the first placement chamber and the second placement chamber; a control unit; a) the control unit is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus so as to detect, as a first position, a position of the transported object on a fork of the transport robot when the transported object is unloaded from the first placement chamber; b) the control unit is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus so as to transfer the object to a standby position of the second loading chamber after unloading the object from the first loading chamber to a standby position of the first loading chamber; c) the control unit is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus to detect a position of the transported object on the forks as a second position when the transported object is carried into the second loading chamber from a standby position in the second loading chamber; d) the control unit is configured to control the substrate processing apparatus to control the transfer speed of b) based on the first position and the second position. Substrate processing equipment.

2. the position of the transported object is detected by a position detection sensor provided at a loading / unloading port of the first loading chamber and the second loading chamber; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. and (d) controlling the conveying speed based on a difference between the first position and the second position. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. d) reduces the conveying speed when the difference exceeds a threshold value; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 .

5. and d) increasing the conveying speed when the difference is equal to or less than a threshold value. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4.

6. In the step d), one or more of a maximum speed and an acceleration are controlled as the control of the conveying speed.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3.

7. The step d) feeds back the conveying speed when conveying the object along the same route as the route along which the object was conveyed.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1.

8. the first placement chamber and the second placement chamber are any one of a load lock module, a process module, and a transfer module; The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. the first and second loading chambers are any one of a load port, an alignment chamber, a stocker, and a load lock module; The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. The object to be transported is a substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. the carried object is one or more consumable members selected from a focus ring, a cover ring, and an upper electrode; The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. A transfer method in a substrate processing apparatus, comprising: The substrate processing apparatus includes: a first loading chamber; a second loading chamber; a transfer robot that transfers an object between the first placement chamber and the second placement chamber, a) detecting a position of the transported object on a fork of the transport robot as a first position when the transported object is unloaded from the first placement chamber; b) carrying the object out of the first placement chamber to a standby position of the first placement chamber, and then transporting the object to a standby position of the second placement chamber; c) detecting a position of the transported object on the forks as a second position when the transported object is transported from a standby position in the second placement chamber to the second placement chamber; d) controlling the conveying speed of b) based on the first position and the second position; A transport method comprising:

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