Aligner and method for correcting positional deviation of workpiece

Abstract

To provide an aligner device configured to be capable of reducing a time of transfer including processing of positional deviation correction of a tabular work-piece.SOLUTION: An aligner device comprises: a robot hand including a hand body that mounts and holds a work-piece; a work-piece lift mechanism that lifts a work-piece transferred by the robot hand and mounted on the hand body; a sensor 3 that has a downward sensor surface and is disposed so as to be capable of detecting an outer shape of a work-piece made to be close to the sensor surface by the work-piece lift mechanism; positional deviation amount calculation means 6 for calculating amounts of positional deviation in X, Y, and θ directions from a reference position of the work-piece, from the outer shape of the work-piece acquired by the sensor 3; X-Y direction positional deviation amount correction means 81 for correcting the X direction positional deviation amount and the Y direction positional deviation amount of the work-piece on the basis of the amounts of positional deviation in the X-Y directions; and θ direction positional deviation amount correction means 82 for correcting the θ direction positional deviation amount of the work-piece on the basis of the amount of positional deviation in the θ direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an aligner device and a method for correcting positional deviation of a workpiece, and more particularly to a technology for detecting the amount of positional deviation of a plate-shaped workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer relative to a reference position and correcting the position of the plate-shaped workpiece based on the detected amount of positional deviation. [Background technology]

[0002] In semiconductor processing, for example, a wafer loaded into a load lock chamber is transferred into a processing chamber by a transfer robot. Depending on the processing to be performed in the processing chamber, the wafer must be accurately transferred to a reference position within the processing chamber. To achieve this, an aligner device, such as that shown in Patent Document 1, is used before the workpiece is transferred into the processing chamber. This aligner device is configured to detect the amount of misalignment of the wafer in the planar direction (X and Y directions) and the rotational direction (θ direction). Specifically, a line sensor detects the position of the outer periphery of a circular wafer while it is rotating, and then detects the amount of misalignment of the wafer in the X, Y, and θ directions based on the detection data. The aligner device uses this misalignment information to correct the misalignment in the X, Y, and θ directions. The transfer robot then picks up the corrected wafer from the aligner device and transfers it to a reference position within the processing chamber for the next process, for example.

[0003] The above-described conventional aligner device performs wafer misalignment correction after transferring the wafer from the transfer robot to the aligner device. After the wafer has been corrected for misalignment, it is transferred back to the transfer robot, which then transfers the wafer to the next process. However, this type of wafer misalignment correction requires repeated transfers of the wafer between the transfer robot and the aligner device, lengthening the wafer transfer time, including the time required for the misalignment correction process. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-195328 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention was devised in light of the above circumstances, and its main objective is to provide an aligner device that is configured to be able to shorten the transport time, including the process of correcting the positional deviation of a plate-shaped workpiece. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following technical means.

[0007] An aligner device provided by a first aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a robot hand having a hand body on which a plate-shaped workpiece can be placed and held; a work lift mechanism that is transported by the robot hand and can lift the plate-shaped workpiece placed on the hand body and lower it from the lifted state; a sensor having a downward-facing sensor surface and positioned so as to be able to detect the outer shape of the plate-shaped workpiece brought close to or into contact with the sensor surface by the work lift mechanism; a positional deviation amount calculation means that calculates the positional deviation amounts in the X, Y, and θ directions of the plate-shaped workpiece from a reference position based on the outer shape of the plate-shaped workpiece acquired by the sensor; an XY direction positional deviation amount correction means that corrects the X direction positional deviation amount and the Y direction positional deviation amount of the plate-shaped workpiece based on the XY direction positional deviation amount calculated by the positional deviation amount calculation means; and a θ direction positional deviation amount correction means that corrects the θ direction positional deviation amount of the plate-shaped workpiece based on the θ direction positional deviation amount calculated by the positional deviation amount calculation means.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus further includes control means for controlling the XY direction positional deviation amount correcting means and the θ direction positional deviation amount correcting means.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the work lift mechanism has pins that support the plate-shaped workpiece from below, the XY-direction positional deviation correction means performs correction by moving the pins of the work lift mechanism in the X and Y directions based on the X-direction positional deviation amount and the Y-direction positional deviation amount, and the θ-direction positional deviation correction means performs correction by rotating the pins of the work lift mechanism that supports the plate-shaped workpiece in the θ direction based on the θ-direction positional deviation amount.

[0010] A work position deviation correction method provided by a second aspect of the present invention includes a robot hand having a hand body on which a plate-shaped workpiece can be placed and held, a work lift mechanism that is transported by the robot hand and is capable of lifting up the plate-shaped workpiece placed on the hand body and lowering it from the lifted state, a sensor having a downward-facing sensor surface and arranged so as to be able to detect the outer shape of the plate-shaped workpiece brought close to or into contact with the sensor surface by the work lift mechanism, a position deviation amount calculation means that calculates position deviation amounts in the X, Y and θ directions of the plate-shaped workpiece from a reference position based on the outer shape of the plate-shaped workpiece acquired by the sensor, an XY direction position deviation amount correction means that corrects the X direction position deviation amount and the Y direction position deviation amount of the plate-shaped workpiece based on the XY direction position deviation amount calculated by the position deviation amount calculation means, and a θ direction position deviation amount correction means that corrects the θ direction position deviation amount of the plate-shaped workpiece based on the θ direction position deviation amount calculated by the position deviation amount calculation means, and a method for controlling the XY direction position deviation amount correction means and the θ direction position deviation amount correction means. and a control means for controlling the positional deviation of the workpiece, wherein the work lift mechanism has pins that support the plate-shaped workpiece from below, the XY-direction positional deviation amount correction means performs the correction by moving the pins of the work lift mechanism in the X and Y directions based on the X-direction positional deviation amount and the Y-direction positional deviation amount, and the θ-direction positional deviation amount correction means performs the correction by rotating the pins of the work lift mechanism that supports the plate-shaped workpiece in the θ direction based on the θ-direction positional deviation amount. A method for correcting positional deviation of a plate-shaped workpiece using an aligner device includes: a plate-shaped work carrying-in step of moving the robot hand so that the plate-shaped workpiece placed on the hand body is positioned at a correction reference position; a plate-shaped work lifting step of lifting the plate-shaped workpiece from the hand body by raising the pins of the work lift mechanism to bring the plate-shaped workpiece close to or into contact with the sensor; an outer shape acquisition step of acquiring an outer shape of the plate-shaped workpiece using the sensor; and a positional deviation amount calculation step of calculating positional deviation amounts of the plate-shaped workpiece in the X, Y, and θ directions from a reference position based on the acquired outer shape.The method is characterized by including a θ-direction position correction step of lowering the pins of the work lift mechanism to lift down the plate-shaped workpiece so as to position the plate-shaped workpiece above the hand, and rotating the pins based on the amount of positional deviation in the θ direction calculated by the positional deviation amount calculation means, an XY-direction position correction step of moving the pins of the work lift mechanism in the XY directions based on the amount of positional deviation in the X, Y and θ directions so that the plate-shaped workpiece is placed at a reference position on the hand body, and a post-correction transfer step of lowering the pins of the work lift mechanism to lift down the plate-shaped workpiece after the XY-direction position correction and transfer it to the corresponding hand body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the aligner device having the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the transport time including the process of correcting the positional deviation of the plate-shaped workpiece.

[0012] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall perspective view of an aligner device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the aligner device shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an aligner apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining an operating state of the aligner device shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining an operating state of the aligner device shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining an operating state of the aligner device shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view for explaining an operating state of the aligner device shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining an operating state of the aligner device shown in FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view for explaining an operating state of the aligner device shown in FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining an operating state of the aligner device shown in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining an operating state of the aligner device shown in FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVI-XVI in FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining an operating state of the aligner device shown in FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0015] 1 to 4 show an aligner apparatus A1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the aligner device A1 operates in cooperation with the robot hand 1 and includes a sensor, a work lift mechanism 5, a positional deviation calculation means 6 that calculates the positional deviation amount of the work from a reference position based on work outer edge shape information from the sensor 3, an XY direction positional deviation amount correction means 81, a θ direction positional deviation amount correction means 82, and a control means 7.

[0017] The robot hand 1 has a structure in which a hand body 13 is attached to a support 12 installed on, for example, the end arm (not shown) of an articulated robot. The hand body 13 is capable of holding a semiconductor wafer W as a workpiece on its upper surface. The robot hand 1 has a function of moving the hand body 13 in a planar direction (X and Y directions) while maintaining at least a horizontal position under the control of a manipulator (not shown). The planar shape of the hand body 13 is a two-pronged fork shape, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The hand body 13 is also preferably configured so that it can suction the semiconductor wafer W placed on its upper surface with vacuum pressure. The shape of the hand body 13 is not limited, and may be a three-pronged fork shape or other shapes.

[0018] The sensor 3 employed has the function of capturing an image of the outline of a planar object located below it through contact or proximity / non-contact. The sensor 3 is attached with its sensor surface 31 facing downward to the underside of a sensor table 41 supported by a frame 4 such as a support 42. Examples of such sensors 3 include those that use electrostatic technology to recognize the presence of an object, as used in touch panels, or those that have multiple imaging elements such as CCDs arranged in a plane.

[0019] In the present invention, as will be described later, it is sufficient for the sensor 3 to be able to recognize the outer shape of the semiconductor wafer W, and therefore it is sufficient for the sensor 3 to have a planar shape sufficient to recognize the outer shape of the semiconductor wafer W within the range of possible positional deviation in the X and Y directions of the semiconductor wafer W. In other words, the sensor 3 may be circular as shown in Fig. 2, or rectangular or donut-shaped.

[0020] The work lift mechanism 5 has the functions of raising and lowering the pins 51 to raise and lower the semiconductor wafer W supported by the pins 51 from below, moving the pins 51 in the X and Y directions, and rotating the pins 51 around a vertical axis. To this end, an arm 52 having the pin 51 at its tip is connected to a lifting mechanism (not shown) inside the support base 53, and this lifting mechanism is connected to actuators (not shown) in the X and Y directions. Furthermore, the pin 51 can be rotated by the rotation of a motor (not shown) installed at the base end of the arm 52 inside the support base 53 via a belt-and-pulley transmission mechanism (not shown) incorporated in the arm 52. The pin 51 is normally located at the center of the sensor table 41 in a plan view, and extends below the sensor table to the outside of the sensor table 41, reaching the support base 53. The pin 51 also has a circular upper surface large enough to stably hold the semiconductor wafer W. The pins 51 are preferably further configured so that the semiconductor wafer W placed and held on them can be attracted by vacuum pressure. In this embodiment, the function of moving the pins 51 in the X and Y directions corresponds to the XY direction positional deviation correction means 81 of the present invention, and the function of rotating the pins 51 around the vertical axis corresponds to the θ direction positional deviation correction means 82 of the present invention.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a semiconductor wafer W is typically circular and plate-shaped, with a notch W1 or a cutout portion (not shown) called an orientation flat formed on its outer periphery for detecting its rotational orientation in the circumferential direction. In a semiconductor process, such a semiconductor wafer W is loaded into a processing chamber and subjected to a predetermined process. Depending on the process, the semiconductor wafer W may need to be accurately positioned at reference positions in the X, Y, and θ directions. In such a case, the present invention enables correction of positional deviation before the robot hand 1 loads the semiconductor wafer W into the processing chamber.

[0022] The misalignment amount calculation means 6 calculates the misalignment amounts in the X, Y, and θ directions of the semiconductor wafer W from a reference position based on the outer shape of the semiconductor wafer W acquired as an image by the sensor 3. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 9, the means 6 calculates the misalignment amount δx in the X direction and the misalignment amount δy in the Y direction of the center of the image of the semiconductor wafer W, for example, the center O1 of the outer circle in the image W' of the semiconductor wafer, from a reference position C1 where the center of the semiconductor wafer W should be located, and also calculates the misalignment amount δθ in the θ direction of the notch W1 in the image W' from a reference position N1 where the notch W1 of the semiconductor wafer W should be located.

[0023] The aligner device A1 having the above-described configuration can be operated, for example, as follows.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 4, the pins 51 are at a predetermined lowest position relative to the sensor table 41, and their centers of rotation are aligned in a plane. The robot hand 1, with the semiconductor wafer W placed and held on the hand body 13, moves in the X direction until the hand body 13 advances to the correction reference position as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and positions the semiconductor wafer W below the sensor 3. At this time, the semiconductor wafer W has been transferred from a multi-stage cassette (not shown) or a load lock chamber (not shown), and is misaligned in the X, Y, and θ directions relative to the hand body 13. In the states shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the reference position C1 at which the semiconductor wafer W should be positioned on the hand body 13 is aligned with the center of rotation of the pins 51.

[0025] Next, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the pins 51 are raised to lift the semiconductor wafer W from the hand 13 and bring it close to the underside (sensor surface 31) of the sensor 3. That is, to avoid contamination of the surface of the semiconductor wafer W, the semiconductor wafer W does not come into contact with the sensor 3. When the semiconductor wafer W is transferred from the hand 13 to the pins 51, the suction force of the hand 13 to the semiconductor wafer W is turned off, and the suction force of the pins 51 to the semiconductor wafer W is turned on. In this state, the sensor 3 acquires the outer shape of the semiconductor wafer W as image data, as described above. The positional deviation amount calculation means 6 receives this image data and calculates the positional deviation amount δx in the X direction, the positional deviation amount δy in the Y direction, and the positional deviation amount δθ in the θ direction for the semiconductor wafer W from the reference positions C1 and N1, as described above (FIG. 9).

[0026] 10 and 11, the pins 51 holding the semiconductor wafer W are lowered a predetermined distance. In this state, the semiconductor wafer W is spaced above the hand body 13. Next, as shown in FIG. 12, the pins 51 are rotated in accordance with the amount of misalignment δθ of the semiconductor wafer W in the θ direction so that the notch W1 is positioned in the X direction passing through the center O1 of the semiconductor wafer W. This corrects the amount of misalignment δθ of the semiconductor wafer W in the θ direction.

[0027] Next, the positional deviation amounts of the semiconductor wafer W in the X and Y directions are corrected as follows. However, the positional deviation amounts in the X and Y directions after correction of the positional deviation amount δθ in the θ direction are not the initial positional deviation amounts δx and δya shown in FIG. 9, but are secondary positional deviation amounts δx' and δy' calculated by rotating the center O1 of the semiconductor wafer W by δθ around the rotation center C1 of the pin 51 (reference position with respect to the hand body 13) as the pin 51 rotates, as shown in FIGS. 12, 13, and 14.

[0028] Next, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 , the pins 51, which still hold the semiconductor wafer W, are moved by δx′ and δy′ in the X and Y directions corresponding to the secondary positional deviations δx′ and δy′ of the semiconductor wafer W, and then, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 , the pins 51 are lowered, and the semiconductor wafer W is transferred to the hand 13. During this transfer of the semiconductor wafer W, the suction force of the pins 51 on the semiconductor wafer W is turned off, and the suction force of the hand 13 on the semiconductor wafer W is turned on. In this state, the semiconductor wafer W transferred to the hand 13 is positioned at a reference position relative to the hand 13 in all directions, X, Y, and θ. In the state shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 , the semiconductor wafer W placed on the hand 13 is positioned at its reference position C1 relative to the hand 13.

[0029] Thereafter, the robot hand 1 can retract from the frame 4 with the semiconductor wafer W placed and held at the reference position in the XY directions of the hand body 13, and transport the semiconductor wafer W to the next predetermined process.

[0030] In the procedure for correcting the positional deviation of the workpiece in this embodiment, the positional deviation of the semiconductor wafer W in the θ direction is corrected first, and then the positional deviation of the semiconductor wafer W in the X and Y directions is corrected. Alternatively, the positional deviation of the semiconductor wafer W in the X and Y directions may be corrected first, and then the positional deviation in the θ direction may be corrected.

[0031] As described above, with the aligner apparatus A1 configured as described above, the outer shape of the semiconductor wafer W as a plate-like workpiece can be acquired by the sensor 3 having the planar sensor surface 31, and the amount of misalignment δx in the X direction, the amount of misalignment δy in the Y direction, and the amount of misalignment δθ in the θ direction from the reference position of the semiconductor wafer W can be calculated from the image of the outer shape thus acquired. Therefore, the physical configuration for detecting the amount of misalignment of the semiconductor wafer W can be configured to be thin.

[0032] The aligner device A1 includes a sensor 3, a work lift mechanism 5, a positional deviation calculation means 6, an XY-direction positional deviation correction means 81, and a θ-direction positional deviation correction means 82. The sensor 3 has a downward-facing sensor surface 31, and the work lift mechanism 5 can lift a semiconductor wafer W (plate-like workpiece) carried by the robot hand 1 and placed on the hand body 13 so that it approaches or comes into contact with the sensor surface 31, and then lower it from the lifted state. This configuration allows the robot hand 1 to correct the positional deviation of the semiconductor wafer W without retracting from the frame body 4. This makes it possible to shorten the transport time of the semiconductor wafer W, including the process of correcting the positional deviation.

[0033] Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and all modifications within the scope of the claims are included in the scope of the present invention.

[0034] In the above embodiment, the work lift mechanism 5 is configured to have the function of raising and lowering the pins 51 to raise and lower the semiconductor wafer W supported by the pins 51 from below, but the configuration of the work lift mechanism is not limited to this. For example, the work lift mechanism may be configured so that, without the function of raising and lowering the pins 51, the robot lifts and lowers the semiconductor wafer W placed and held on the hand body 13 by appropriately moving the robot hand 1 up and down on the robot side. In this case, the semiconductor wafer W is transferred between the hand body 13 and the pins 51 by lowering and then raising the top surface of the hand body 13 above the top surfaces of the pins 51.

[0035] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the semiconductor wafer W is prevented from coming into contact with the sensor 3 in order to avoid contamination of the surface of the semiconductor wafer W, but if contact is acceptable, the semiconductor wafer W may be brought into contact with the sensor 3. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] A1: aligner device, W: semiconductor wafer (workpiece), W': image of semiconductor wafer, O1: center of image, C1: reference position of center, N1: reference position of notch, δx: X-direction positional deviation, δy: Y-direction positional deviation, δθ: θ-direction positional deviation, 1: robot hand, 13: hand body, 3: sensor, 31: sensor surface, 5: workpiece lift mechanism, 51: pin, 6: positional deviation amount calculation means, 7: control means, 81: XY-direction positional deviation amount correction means, 82: θ-direction positional deviation amount correction means

Claims

1. a robot hand having a hand body capable of placing and holding a plate-shaped workpiece; a work lift mechanism that is transported by the robot hand and can lift up the plate-shaped workpiece placed on the hand body and can lower it from the lifted state; a sensor having a downward sensor surface and arranged so as to be able to detect the outer shape of the plate-shaped workpiece brought into proximity with or into contact with the sensor surface by the workpiece lift mechanism; a positional deviation amount calculation means for calculating the positional deviation amounts of the plate-shaped workpiece from a reference position in the X, Y and θ directions based on the outer shape of the plate-shaped workpiece acquired by the sensor; an X-Y direction positional deviation amount correcting means for correcting the X direction positional deviation amount and the Y direction positional deviation amount of the plate-shaped workpiece based on the X-Y direction positional deviation amount calculated by the positional deviation amount calculating means, and a θ direction positional deviation amount correcting means for correcting the θ direction positional deviation amount of the plate-shaped workpiece based on the θ direction positional deviation amount calculated by the positional deviation amount calculating means; Equipped with The aligner device is characterized in that the sensor surface has a planar shape corresponding to the outer shape of the plate-like workpiece and a size corresponding to the outer dimensions of the plate-like workpiece.

2. 2. The aligner apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising control means for controlling said XY direction misalignment amount correcting means and said θ direction misalignment amount correcting means.

3. a robot hand having a hand body capable of placing and holding a plate-shaped workpiece; a work lift mechanism that is transported by the robot hand and can lift up the plate-shaped workpiece placed on the hand body and can lower it from the lifted state; a sensor having a downward sensor surface and arranged so as to be able to detect the outer shape of the plate-shaped workpiece brought into proximity with or into contact with the sensor surface by the workpiece lift mechanism; a positional deviation amount calculation means for calculating the positional deviation amounts of the plate-shaped workpiece from a reference position in the X, Y and θ directions based on the outer shape of the plate-shaped workpiece acquired by the sensor; an X-Y direction positional deviation amount correcting means for correcting the X direction positional deviation amount and the Y direction positional deviation amount of the plate-shaped workpiece based on the X-Y direction positional deviation amount calculated by the positional deviation amount calculating means, and a θ direction positional deviation amount correcting means for correcting the θ direction positional deviation amount of the plate-shaped workpiece based on the θ direction positional deviation amount calculated by the positional deviation amount calculating means; a control means for controlling the XY direction positional deviation amount correction means and the θ direction positional deviation amount correction means; Equipped with The sensor surface has a planar shape corresponding to the outer shape of the plate-like workpiece and a size corresponding to the outer dimensions of the plate-like workpiece, the work lift mechanism has pins that support the plate-shaped workpiece from below, the XY direction positional deviation correction means performs correction by moving the pins of the work lift mechanism in the XY directions based on the X direction positional deviation amount and the Y direction positional deviation amount, and the θ direction positional deviation correction means performs correction by rotating the pins of the work lift mechanism that supports the plate-shaped workpiece in the θ direction based on the θ direction positional deviation amount.

4. a robot hand having a hand body on which a plate-shaped workpiece can be placed and held; a work lift mechanism that is transported by the robot hand and can lift the plate-shaped workpiece placed on the hand body and lower it from the lifted state; and a sensor that has a downward-facing sensor surface and is arranged so as to be able to detect the outer shape of the plate-shaped workpiece that has been brought close to or into contact with the sensor surface by the work lift mechanism; a positional deviation amount calculation means for calculating the positional deviation amounts of the plate-shaped workpiece from a reference position in the X, Y and θ directions based on the outer shape of the plate-shaped workpiece acquired by the sensor; an X-Y direction positional deviation amount correcting means for correcting the X direction positional deviation amount and the Y direction positional deviation amount of the plate-shaped workpiece based on the X-Y direction positional deviation amount calculated by the positional deviation amount calculating means, and a θ direction positional deviation amount correcting means for correcting the θ direction positional deviation amount of the plate-shaped workpiece based on the θ direction positional deviation amount calculated by the positional deviation amount calculating means; a control means for controlling the XY direction positional deviation amount correction means and the θ direction positional deviation amount correction means; Equipped with a method for correcting a positional deviation of a plate-shaped workpiece using an aligner device, wherein the work lift mechanism has pins that support the plate-shaped workpiece from below, the XY direction positional deviation correction means performs correction by moving the pins of the work lift mechanism in the XY directions based on the X direction positional deviation amount and the Y direction positional deviation amount, and the θ direction positional deviation correction means performs correction by rotating the pins of the work lift mechanism that supports the plate-shaped workpiece in a θ direction based on the θ direction positional deviation amount, a plate-shaped workpiece carrying step of moving the robot hand so that the plate-shaped workpiece placed on the hand body is positioned at a correction reference position; a plate-shaped work lifting step of lifting the plate-shaped work from the hand body by raising the pin of the work lift mechanism to bring the plate-shaped work into proximity with or into contact with the sensor; an outer shape acquisition step of acquiring the outer shape of the plate-like workpiece by the sensor; a positional deviation amount calculation step of calculating positional deviation amounts in the X, Y, and θ directions from a reference position of the plate-like workpiece based on the acquired outer shape; a θ-direction position correction step of lowering the pin of the work lift mechanism to lower the plate-shaped workpiece so that the plate-shaped workpiece is positioned above the hand body, and rotating the pin based on the amount of positional deviation in the θ direction calculated by the positional deviation amount calculation means; an XY direction position correction step of moving the pin of the work lift mechanism in the XY directions based on the positional deviation amounts in the X, Y and θ directions so that the plate-shaped workpiece is placed at a reference position on the hand body; a post-correction transfer step of lowering the pin of the work lift mechanism to lift up the plate-shaped workpiece after the XY direction position correction and transfer it to a corresponding hand body; Including, A method for correcting positional deviation of a plate-like workpiece, characterized in that the sensor surface has a planar shape corresponding to the outer shape of the plate-like workpiece and a size corresponding to the outer dimensions of the plate-like workpiece.

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