Substrate transport device, substrate processing device, and teaching method

Abstract

To provide a substrate conveying apparatus capable of efficiently performing teaching work.SOLUTION: According to the present invention, three movable guides 67 for clamping an outer peripheral surface of a substrate W are provided on a first hand 19 of an indexer block 5. The first hand 19 brings the first hand 19 close to the substrate W, assuming that the substrate W is at its initial setting position, and then brings the movable guide 67 into contact with the substrate W. A position of a center point of substrate W is calculated in accordance with relative positions of each movable guide 67 when each movable guide 67 is in contact with the substrate W, and the position of the center point is stored in a storage unit as a new set position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate transport device for transporting substrates such as semiconductor substrates, FPD (Flat Panel Display) substrates such as liquid crystal display and organic EL (Electroluminescence) display devices, glass substrates for photomasks, and substrates for optical disks, and to a substrate processing apparatus equipped with the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Substrate transport devices can be affected by positional errors that occur during assembly. That is, even if the transport mechanism that holds the substrate is moved to the set position where the substrate is expected to be, the actual substrate may be slightly deviated from this set position. The process of correcting the positional error by resetting the set position to the actual position of the substrate is called teaching.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a technique that can be used for teaching work. Specifically, Patent Document 1 describes a process of detecting the outer edge of a substrate being transported by a transport mechanism and measuring the center position of the substrate using an adjustment value corresponding to a preset path for transporting the substrate. Patent Document 1 also describes a process of correcting a target position based on the amount of deviation between the center position of the substrate and a preset standard position of a holder. Patent Document 1 also describes a process of controlling the transport mechanism so that the standard position of the holder becomes the corrected target position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-50210 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The conventional configuration has the following problem. The calculation of the outer edge of the substrate in the conventional configuration is based on a method in which the transport mechanism transports the substrate to a sensor, and the sensor detects the outer edge of the substrate. Therefore, to measure the center position of the substrate, the substrate must be transported to a specific position in the substrate transport device. This operation must be performed as many times as the number of target positions, which requires a considerable amount of time for teaching.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a substrate transfer apparatus, a substrate processing apparatus, and a teaching method that enable efficient teaching work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration. That is, the present invention provides a substrate transfer device that transfers a substrate by receiving a substrate in a horizontal position at a predetermined set position and transferring the substrate in the horizontal position to the predetermined set position, comprising: A hand for acquiring the substrate; a hand driving mechanism that drives the hand to transfer the substrate; at least three movable guides provided on the hand for clamping the outer peripheral surface of the substrate and holding the substrate at a distance from the hand in a vertical direction; a forward / backward drive mechanism that drives the movable guide toward and away from the substrate; a storage unit that stores the set position; a control unit that controls the hand drive mechanism by referring to the set position stored in advance in the storage unit, and brings the hand close to the substrate at the set position, and then controls the advance / retreat drive mechanism to bring each of the movable guides into contact with the substrate; a calculation unit that calculates the position of the center point of the substrate based on the positional relationship of the movable guides when the movable guides abut against the substrate; a setting unit that stores the position of the center point in the storage unit as a new set position. The control unit refers to the new set position stored in the storage unit when the substrate is next transferred.

[0008] [Operations and Effects] According to the above-described configuration, the hand of the substrate transport device is provided with three movable guides that clamp the outer peripheral surface of the substrate. The hand approaches the substrate assuming that the substrate is in a predetermined position, and then abuts the movable guide against the substrate, thereby recognizing the position of the substrate. Then, by calculating the center point of the substrate based on the positional relationship of the movable guides, the next time the hand clamps the substrate, it can operate as if the substrate is at the calculated center point. Therefore, according to the present invention, the teaching operation is completed simply by the hand clamping the substrate, allowing the teaching operation to be performed efficiently.

[0009] In addition, in the above-mentioned substrate transport device, It is more preferable that the advance / retract drive mechanism is configured to be able to drive the movable guide forward and backward in a direction toward and away from the substrate at the set position.

[0010] [Operation and Effect] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the advance / retract drive mechanism is configured to be able to drive the movable guide to advance / retract in a direction toward and away from the substrate in the set position. With this configuration, the teaching work becomes easier.

[0011] In addition, in the above-mentioned substrate transport device, the hand drive mechanism includes a vertical drive mechanism that drives the hand in a vertical direction, It is preferable that the calculation unit actually measures the position of the substrate in the vertical direction by bringing the movable guide into contact with the substrate in the vertical direction.

[0012] [Operation and Effect] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the hand drive mechanism includes a vertical drive mechanism that drives the hand in the vertical direction, and the calculation unit actually measures the vertical position of the substrate by bringing the movable guide into contact with the substrate from the vertical direction. With this configuration, the teaching work becomes easy.

[0013] In addition, in the above-mentioned substrate transport device, The control unit continues the process until a difference between the calculated position of the center point of the substrate and a set position already stored in the storage unit becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value. controlling the hand drive mechanism and the forward / backward drive mechanism to bring the movable guide into contact with the substrate; the calculation unit calculates the position of the center point of the substrate each time the movable guide comes into contact with the substrate; the setting unit stores the calculated position of the center point of the substrate in the storage unit as a new set position every time the movable guide abuts against the substrate; It is more preferable to perform each operation repeatedly.

[0014] [Operation and Effect] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the setting position is repeatedly redefined, which allows the setting position to be redefined more accurately.

[0015] In addition, in the above-mentioned substrate transport device, It is desirable that the control unit individually controls the movable guides by the forward / backward drive mechanism, and when the movable guides come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the substrate, stops the movable guides that have come into contact.

[0016] [Operation and Effect] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the control unit controls the movable guides individually using the forward / backward drive mechanism, and when the movable guides come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the substrate, the control unit stops the movable guides. With this configuration, when the hand clamps the substrate, an external force is not applied to the substrate, which can cause the substrate to shift. Therefore, the above-mentioned configuration makes teaching easier.

[0017] In addition, in the above-mentioned conveying device, The hand A first blade; A second blade; a connecting portion that connects the first blade and the second blade, It is preferable that the three movable guides are provided on the first blade, the second blade and the connecting portion, respectively.

[0018] [Operation and Effect] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the hand includes a first blade, a second blade, and a connecting portion, and three movable guides are provided on the first blade, the second blade, and the connecting portion, respectively. With this configuration, the board can be clamped at three different points, making it easy to perform teaching work after reliably knowing the position of the board.

[0019] In addition, in the above-mentioned substrate transport device, the movable guide provided on the first blade is movable forward and backward in an extension direction of the first blade, It is preferable that the movable guide provided on the second blade be movable forward and backward in the direction in which the second blade extends.

[0020] [Operation and Effect] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the movable guide provided on the first blade is movable back and forth in the direction in which the first blade extends, and the movable guide provided on the second blade is movable back and forth in the direction in which the second blade extends. With this configuration, the stroke of the movable guide can be made sufficiently large, making the teaching operation easy.

[0021] In addition, in the above-mentioned substrate transport device, It is preferable that the movable guide provided at the connecting portion be able to move freely forward and backward with respect to the space sandwiched between the first blade and the second blade.

[0022] [Operations and Effects] According to the above-described configuration, the movable guide provided at the connecting portion can freely move forward and backward with respect to the space sandwiched between the first blade and the second blade. With this configuration, the substrate supported by the first blade and the second blade can be pressed from an appropriate direction, allowing the hand to more reliably hold the substrate.

[0023] In the above-described substrate transport device, it is preferable that the movable guide is attached to at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the hand.

[0024] [Operation and Effect] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the movable guide is attached to at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the hand. With this configuration, the substrate can be securely clamped even if the space above or below the substrate is small.

[0025] Furthermore, the above-mentioned substrate transport device is provided with a detection surface capable of detecting forces applied to each of three orthogonal axes, and a tactile sensor capable of detecting that the movable guide has come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the substrate, It is preferable that the control unit recognizes that the movable guide has come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the substrate based on the output of the tactile sensor.

[0026] [Operation and Effect] According to the above-mentioned configuration, it is possible to detect the reaction force that the movable guide receives from the outer peripheral surface of the substrate, regardless of the posture when the outer peripheral surface of the substrate and the movable guide come into contact with each other. Therefore, according to the above-mentioned configuration, it is possible to accurately detect that the movable guide has come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the substrate.

[0027] In addition, in the above-mentioned substrate transport device, The tactile sensor is preferably provided between the hand and the movable guide.

[0028] [Operation and Effect] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the tactile sensor is provided between the hand and the movable guide, so that the tactile sensor can reliably detect contact of the substrate with the movable guide.

[0029] In addition, in the above-mentioned substrate transport device, the advance / retract drive mechanism includes a motor that drives the movable guide to advance / retract, a drive circuit that applies a drive current to drive the motor, and an encoder that detects a rotation position of the motor; a detector for detecting that the movable guide has come into contact with the substrate, the detector including at least one of a drive current detector that detects the contact based on drive current information of the drive circuit and a position information detector that detects the contact based on position information output from the encoder; It is preferable that the control unit determines that the movable guide has come into contact with the substrate based on at least one of the drive current information and the position information.

[0030] [Operations and Effects] According to the above-described configuration, the control unit determines that the movable guide has contacted the substrate based on at least one of the drive current information from the drive current detection unit and the position information from the encoder. Therefore, there is no need to provide a sensor to detect that the movable guide has contacted the outer peripheral surface of the substrate. This makes it possible to provide a substrate transport device with a simple structure and reduced manufacturing costs.

[0031] Further, a substrate processing apparatus including the above-described substrate transfer device is a plurality of single-substrate processing sections for receiving horizontally oriented substrates one by one on a substrate placement section and performing predetermined processing thereon; The hand transports the substrate to the substrate placement section of each of the single wafer processing sections.

[0032] [Operation and Effect] The present invention is suitable for a substrate processing apparatus having a plurality of single-wafer processing sections that receive horizontally oriented substrates one by one on the substrate placement section and perform predetermined processing.

[0033] In the above-mentioned substrate processing apparatus, the storage unit stores the set position corresponding to the substrate mounting unit for each of the single wafer processing units, The control unit operates independently for a plurality of set positions, the calculation unit operates individually for a plurality of set positions, It is preferable that the setting unit operates independently for a plurality of setting positions.

[0034] [Operation and Effect] According to the above-mentioned configuration, multiple set positions are set, and the memory unit, control unit, and calculation unit operate individually for the multiple set positions. With this configuration, it becomes easy to teach the multiple standard positions.

[0035] This specification also discloses the following inventions. A teaching method for a substrate transport device including a hand that holds a substrate, a hand drive mechanism that drives the hand to transfer the substrate, at least three movable guides that are provided on the hand and that hold the substrate at a distance from the hand in a vertical direction by clamping an outer peripheral surface of the substrate, and an advance / retract drive mechanism that drives the movable guides to advance and retract relative to the substrate, a hand moving step of moving the hand toward the substrate, the substrate being in a predetermined position; a contacting step of contacting each of the movable guides with a substrate; a calculation step of calculating the position of the center point of the substrate based on the positional relationship of the movable guides when the movable guides abut against the substrate; a teaching step of setting the calculated center position of the substrate as a new set position; A teaching method for a substrate transport device comprising:

[0036] [Operation and Effect] The above teaching method comprises a hand movement process in which the hand approaches the substrate assuming that the substrate is in a predetermined set position, a contact process in which each movable guide is contacted with the substrate, a calculation process in which the position of the center point of the substrate is calculated based on the positional relationship of each movable guide when each movable guide is contacted with the substrate, and a teaching process in which the calculated center position of the substrate is set as a new set position. This configuration makes the teaching work easy. [Effects of the Invention]

[0037] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate transfer apparatus, a substrate processing apparatus, and a teaching method that enable efficient teaching work. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0038] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view illustrating an overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the vacuum chuck of the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a hand according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a hand according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a hand according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a hand according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a hand according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the operation system of the hand of the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating the operation of the hand of the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating the operation of the hand of the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating the operation of the hand of the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating the operation of the hand of the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating the operation of the hand of the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating the operation of the hand of the embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating the operation of the hand of the embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating the operation of the hand of the embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating the movable range of the movable guide of the embodiment. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a teaching operation according to an embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a modified example of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a modified example of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a modified example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0039] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [Example]

[0040] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus of the embodiment includes a substrate transfer device that transfers substrates. The substrate transfer device is configured to transfer substrates by receiving a substrate in a horizontal position at a predetermined set position. The substrate transfer device is also configured to transfer a substrate by delivering a substrate in a horizontal position to a predetermined set position. The substrate transfer device of the present invention is configured to clamp the substrate and reset the set position to correct the deviation even if the actual position of the substrate deviates from the set position.

[0041] <1. Overall structure> The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a carry-in / out block 3, an indexer block 5, and a processing block .

[0042] The substrate processing apparatus 1 processes substrates W. The substrate processing apparatus 1 performs, for example, a cleaning process on the substrates W. The substrate processing apparatus 1 processes the substrates W in a processing block 7 in a single-wafer manner. In the single-wafer manner, each substrate W is processed one by one in a horizontal position. The substrates W have, for example, a circular shape in a plan view.

[0043] For convenience, in this specification, the direction in which the load-unload block 3, indexer block 5, and processing block 7 are lined up is referred to as the "front-to-back direction X." The front-to-back direction X is horizontal. Within the front-to-back direction X, the direction from the processing block 7 toward the load-unload block 3 is referred to as the "front." The direction opposite to the front is referred to as the "rear." The horizontal direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction X is referred to as the "width direction Y." One direction in the "width direction Y" is referred to as the "right" as appropriate. The direction opposite to the right is referred to as the "left." The direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction is referred to as the "vertical direction Z." For reference, in each figure, front, back, right, left, top, and bottom are indicated as appropriate.

[0044] <2. Loading / unloading block> The carry-in / out block 3 includes an input section 9 and an output section 11. The input section 9 and the output section 11 are arranged in the width direction Y. A plurality of substrates W (e.g., 25 substrates) are stored in a single carrier C in a stacked manner in a horizontal position at regular intervals. The carrier C storing unprocessed substrates W is placed in the input section 9. The input section 9 includes, for example, two mounting tables 13 on which the carriers C are placed. The carrier C has a plurality of grooves (not shown) formed therein, separating the surfaces of the substrates W and accommodating each substrate W individually. The carrier C stores the substrates W, for example, with their surfaces facing upward. An example of the carrier C is a front-opening unify pod (FOUP). A FOUP is a sealed container. The carrier C may be an open container, and any type of carrier C may be used.

[0045] The unloading unit 11 is disposed on the opposite side of the loading unit 9 across the center of the width direction Y of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The unloading unit 11 is located to the left Y of the loading unit 9. The unloading unit 11 stores processed substrates W in carriers C and unloads the carriers C. The unloading unit 11, which functions in this manner, is equipped with, for example, two mounting tables 13 for placing the carriers C, similar to the loading unit 9. The loading unit 9 and the unloading unit 11 are also called load ports.

[0046] <3. Indexer Block> The indexer block 5 is disposed adjacent to the rear X of the carry-in / out block 3 in the substrate processing apparatus 1. The indexer block 5 includes an indexer robot IR and a transfer unit 15.

[0047] The indexer robot IR is configured to be rotatable around the vertical direction Z. The indexer robot IR is configured to be movable in the width direction Y. The indexer robot IR is equipped with a first hand 19 and a second hand 21. For illustrative purposes, only one hand is shown in FIG. 1. The first hand 19 and the second hand 21 hold the substrate W in a horizontal position. The first hand 19 and the second hand 21 hold the outer peripheral surface of the substrate W and hold the substrate W away from the upper surfaces of the first hand 19 and the second hand 21. The first hand 19 and the second hand 21 are configured to acquire and hold the substrate W.

[0048] The indexer robot IR is equipped with a hand drive mechanism 57. The hand drive mechanism 57 drives the first hand 19 in the forward / backward direction X. The hand drive mechanism 57 drives the first hand 19 forward and backward in the horizontal direction. The hand drive mechanism 57 drives the first hand 19 forward and backward relative to a transfer destination. Specifically, the transfer destination in the indexer robot IR is driven forward and backward relative to the carrier C or the path section 25. The hand drive mechanism 57 in the center robot CR drives the first hand 33 and the second hand 35 forward and backward in the forward / backward direction X as well as the width direction Y. The hand drive mechanism 57 is configured to drive the first hand 19 forward and backward in a horizontal plane to transfer the substrate W. The hand drive mechanism 19 can also raise and lower the first hand 33 and the second hand 35 vertically.

[0049] The first hand 19 and the second hand 21 each hold one substrate W. The first hand 19 and the second hand 21 are configured to be able to move forward and backward independently in the forward and backward direction X. The indexer robot IR moves in the width direction Y and rotates about the vertical direction Z, moving the first hand 19 and the second hand 21 forward and backward to transfer the substrate W to and from each carrier C. In the same manner, the indexer robot IR transfers the substrate W to and from the path section 25.

[0050] The path section 25 is arranged at the boundary between the indexer block 5 and the processing block 7. The path section 25 is arranged, for example, at the center in the width direction Y. The path section 25 is used to transfer substrates W between the indexer block 5 and the processing block 7. The path section 25 is used, for example, to transport substrates W from the processing block 7 to the indexer block 5.

[0051] <4. Processing Block> The processing block 7 performs, for example, various processes on the substrate W. Examples of the processes include a cleaning process. The cleaning process is, for example, a processing liquid cleaning process in which only a cleaning liquid is supplied, or a brush cleaning process in which a brush is used in addition to the processing liquid.

[0052] 1, the processing block 7 is divided into, for example, a first column R1, a second column R2, and a third column R3 in the width direction Y. In detail, the first column R1 is disposed on the left side Y. The second column R2 is disposed in the center of the width direction Y. In other words, the second column R2 is disposed on the right side Y of the first column R1. The third column R3 is disposed on the right side Y of the second column R2.

[0053] Single wafer processing chambers 31 are arranged in the first row R1. Specifically, the first row R1 is provided with a stack SSR configured by stacking four single wafer processing chambers 31 in the vertical direction. Each single wafer processing chamber 31 has a substrate placement portion on which a horizontally oriented substrate is placed. Specifically, the substrate placement portion is configured, for example, with a vacuum chuck 300 that vacuum-sucks the underside of the substrate. As shown in FIG. 2, each single wafer processing chamber 31 receives a horizontally oriented substrate W onto the vacuum chuck 300 and performs a predetermined process. The predetermined process includes, for example, a substrate cleaning process. Each single wafer processing chamber 31 corresponds to the single wafer processing section of the present invention. Each single wafer processing chamber 31 receives horizontally oriented substrates W stored in a carrier C onto the vacuum chuck 300 one by one and performs the predetermined process.

[0054] The second row R2 of the processing block 7 is equipped with a center robot CR. The center robot CR is configured to be rotatable around the vertical direction Z. The center robot CR is configured to be able to move up and down in the vertical direction Z. The center robot CR is equipped with, for example, a first hand 33 and a second hand 35. The first hand 33 and the second hand 35 each hold one substrate W. The first hand 33 and the second hand 35 are configured to be able to move forward and backward independently in the front-rear direction X and the width direction Y.

[0055] The first hand 33 and the second hand 35 hold the substrate W in a horizontal position. The first hand 33 and the second hand 35 hold the outer peripheral surface of the substrate W between them, and hold the substrate W at a distance from the upper surfaces of the first hand 33 and the second hand 35.

[0056] The third row R3 is provided with a stack of four single wafer processing chambers 31, similar to the first row R1. The center robot CR in the second row R2 can access the single wafer processing chambers 31 mounted in the first row R1 and the third row R3.

[0057] <5. Hand Details> 3 to 7, the first hand 19 of the indexer robot IR will be described as an example. The configuration of the first hand 19 is the same as that of the second hand 21 and the first hand 33 and second hand 35 of the center robot CR.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 3 , the first hand 19 includes a connecting portion 59, a first blade 61, and a second blade 62. The connecting portion 59 is located on the base end side of the first hand 19. The first blade 61 and the second blade 62 are located on the tip end side of the first hand 19. The first hand 19 enters the transfer destination from the tip end side and exits from the base end side of the first hand 19. The connecting portion 59 includes an attachment base end 63 and a blade attachment portion 65. The attachment base end 63 is attached to the hand drive mechanism 57. The first blade 61 and the second blade 62 are attached to the blade attachment portion 65. The blade attachment portion 65 is provided at two locations spaced apart in the width direction Y. When the first hand 19 advances to the position for transferring the substrate W, the portions of the blade attachment portions 65 to which the first blade 61 and the second blade 62 are attached are located outside the outer periphery of the substrate W in a plan view. In other words, the length of the first blade 61 and the second blade 62 in the front-rear direction X is longer than the diameter of the substrate W.

[0059] The first hand 19 includes a first blade 61 and a second blade 62. The first blade 61 and the second blade 62 extend in the front-rear direction X. The first blade 61 and the second blade 62 are spaced apart from each other in the width direction Y. The distance between the first blade 61 and the second blade 62 does not exceed the diameter of the substrate W. In other words, the width direction Y of the first blade 61 and the second blade 62 falls within the diameter of the substrate W. The base ends of the first blade 61 and the second blade 62 are attached to blade attachment portions 65. The tip ends of the first blade 61 and the second blade 62, opposite the base end sides, are open. The first hand 19 is U-shaped in plan view by the connecting portion 59 and the first blade 61 and the second blade 62.

[0060] In this manner, the first hand 19 includes the first blade 61, the second blade 62, and the connecting portion 59 that connects the first blade 61 and the second blade 62 together.

[0061] The first hand 19 is equipped with three movable guides 67. The three movable guides 67 are attached to the upper surface of the first hand 19. The first blade 61 and the second blade 62 are each equipped with one movable guide 67 on the tip side. A structure in which the movable guide 67 is attached to the upper surfaces of the first blade 61 and the second blade 62, like this first hand 19, is called a "trade-in hand." The first hand 19, which has the structure of a trade-in hand, holds the substrate W by scooping it up from below.

[0062] In this way, three movable guides 67 are provided on each of the first blade 61, the second blade 62, and the connecting portion 59. At least three movable guides 67 are provided on the first hand 19, and they clamp the outer peripheral surface of the substrate W to hold the substrate W spaced apart in the vertical direction from the first hand 19. Therefore, the substrate W clamped between the movable guides 67 is configured to come into contact only with the movable guides 67, and a gap is located between the first hand 19 and the substrate W. The configuration of the first hand 19 on which the movable guides 67 are provided will be described below.

[0063] FIG. 4 is a side view of the first hand 19 of this embodiment.

[0064] As shown in Fig. 5, the movable guides 67 of the first blade 61 and the second blade 62 are attached to guide holes 69. The guide holes 69 are long in the front-rear direction X. A moving piece 71 is disposed at the bottom of the guide holes 69. The moving piece 71 is movable only in the front-rear direction X at the bottom of the guide holes 69. A tactile sensor 73 is attached to the moving piece 71. The tactile sensor 73 is attached to the upper surface of the moving piece 71.

[0065] The tactile sensor 73 has a detection surface 75 that can detect forces applied along three mutually perpendicular axes. This enables the tactile sensor 73 to detect that the movable guide 67 has come into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the substrate W. The control unit 100 recognizes that the movable guide 67 has come into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the substrate based on the output of the tactile sensor 73.

[0066] The tactile sensor 73 is attached to the moving piece 71 with its detection surface 75 facing upward. The movable guide 67 is attached to the detection surface 75. Therefore, the tactile sensor 73 is provided between the moving piece 71, which is a part of the hand body, and the movable guide 67. The bottom of the movable guide 67 is attached to the detection surface 75. The tactile sensor 73 can detect forces applied to the movable guide 67 in each of the three axial directions. The tactile sensor 73 detects forces applied in the front-rear direction X, the width direction Y, and the vertical direction Z. The tactile sensor 73 outputs electrical signals corresponding to the forces detected in the three axial directions.

[0067] The first blade 61 and the second blade 62 have horizontal holes 77 formed in the front-rear direction X from the guide hole 69. The horizontal holes 77 extend all the way to the connecting portion 59. A servo motor 79 is provided at a portion of the connecting portion 59 that corresponds to an end of the horizontal hole 77. The servo motor 79 is equipped with an encoder 81. The encoder 81 detects the rotational position (rotation angle) of the rotation shaft of the servo motor 79 and outputs the position information in the form of an electrical signal. A ball screw 83 is inserted into the horizontal hole 77. One end of the ball screw 83 is connected to the rotation shaft of the servo motor 79. The moving piece 71 is threadedly engaged with the other end of the ball screw 83. When the servo motor 79 is driven to rotate, the ball screw 83 is rotated, and the moving piece 71 moves in the front-rear direction X along the guide hole 69. This moves the movable guide 67 in the front-rear direction X. The servo motor 79 corresponds to the forward / backward drive mechanism of the present invention. The servo motor 79 is configured to be able to drive the movable guide 67 to move forward and backward in a direction toward and away from the substrate W at the set position.

[0068] 6, the connecting portion 59 includes a pusher 87. The pusher 87 includes one movable guide 67. Except for a pusher arm 89 and a guide hole 91, the pusher 87 has the same configuration as that for driving the movable guides 67 of the first blade 61 and the second blade 62.

[0069] That is, the pusher 87 is equipped with the tactile sensor 73, the horizontal hole 77, a ball screw 83, a servo motor 79, an encoder 81, and a pusher arm 89. One end of the horizontal hole 77 penetrates through the side surface on the first blade 61 side. A guide hole 91 is formed in the horizontal hole 77 on the first blade 61 side. The guide hole 91 has a dimension in the vertical direction Z larger than that of the horizontal hole 77. A portion of the pusher arm 89 is inserted into the guide hole 91 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction X. The other end of the horizontal hole 77 is closed inside the connecting portion 59. A servo motor 79 is disposed on the other end of the horizontal hole 77. The servo motor 79 is equipped with an encoder 81. One end of a ball screw 83 is connected to the rotation shaft of the servo motor 79. The pusher arm 89 is threadedly engaged with the other end of the ball screw 83. The pusher arm 89 is provided with a tactile sensor 73 on the opposite side of the servo motor 79 in the front-rear direction X. A movable guide 67 is attached to a detection surface 75 of the tactile sensor 73.

[0070] Each of the movable guides 67 described above is configured to be movable by a predetermined distance in the front-rear direction X. For example, each of the movable guides 67 can move by a distance of approximately 5 mm in the front-rear direction X. The movable range of the movable guides 67 is related to the initial set position P1 described below. This point will be described later.

[0071] The movable guide 67 provided on the first blade 61 can freely advance and retreat in the direction in which the first blade 61 extends. Similarly, the movable guide 67 provided on the second blade 62 can freely advance and retreat in the direction in which the second blade 62 extends. The movable guide 67 provided on the connecting portion 59 can freely advance and retreat in the space sandwiched between the first blade 61 and the second blade 62.

[0072] The clamping control unit 97 independently controls the movement of each of the three movable guides 67. The clamping control unit 97 is operated by the control unit 100. The clamping control unit 97 operates each servo motor 79 based on instructions from the control unit 100 to independently move the three movable guides 67. At that time, the clamping control unit 97 operates the servo motors 79 in accordance with position information from the encoder 81. The clamping control unit 97 controls the drive current to the servo motors 79. The clamping control unit 97 can detect the drive current supplied to the servo motors 79.

[0073] The clamping control section 97 controls the movable guides 67 individually by the servo motors 79, and when the movable guides 67 come into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the substrate W, stops the movable guides 67 that have come into contact.

[0074] The first hand 19 has three movable guides 67 on its upper surface. The first hand 19 holds the substrate W in a state where the lower surface of the substrate W is spaced upward from the upper surfaces of the first blade 61 and the second blade 62. In detail, the three movable guides 67 clamp the outer circumferential surface of the substrate W, and hold the lower surface of the substrate W in a state where it is raised above the upper surfaces of the first blade 61 and the second blade 62. The first hand 19 holds the substrate W in a state where it is in contact only with the outer circumferential surface of the substrate W. The first hand 19 moves the three movable guides 67 toward the outer circumferential surface of the substrate W, thereby clamping the outer circumferential surface of the substrate W with the three movable guides 67 and holding the substrate W in a state where it is spaced above the upper surfaces of the first blade 61 and the second blade 62.

[0075] The first hand 19 has three movable guides 67 on the top surface, but may have a configuration as shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a side view of the trade-in hand according to the embodiment.

[0076] <6. Updating the setting position> The first hand 19 is configured to transport the substrate W between the carrier C and the path section 25. The path section 25 is always located in the same position. Therefore, the first hand 19 only needs to transport the substrate W obtained from the carrier C to a predetermined position where the path section 25 is located. The predetermined position needs to be determined precisely. Therefore, the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is provided with a means for storing the predetermined position.

[0077] The substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment also includes a means for finely adjusting the predetermined position. The position of the path section 25 is uniquely determined in the design of the substrate processing apparatus 1, but due to positional deviations that occur when assembling the apparatus, the actual position of the path section 25 deviates slightly from the designed position. The substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a function for correcting this position deviation. This is the operation for updating the set position.

[0078] FIG. 8 illustrates a configuration related to the setting value update operation. The memory unit 101 stores an initial setting position P1. The control unit 100 controls the hand drive mechanism 57 by referring to the setting position previously stored in the memory unit 101, and moves the acquiring hand 11a closer to the substrate W at the setting position. The control unit 100 also controls the servo motor 79 to bring each movable guide 67 into contact with the substrate W. The calculation unit 22 calculates the position of the center point of the substrate W based on the positional relationship of each movable guide 67 when the movable guides 67 contact the substrate W. The specific configuration of the calculation unit 22 will be described later. The setting unit 23 stores the calculated position of the center point in the memory unit 101 as a new setting value. The specific configuration of the setting unit 23 will be described later. The control unit 100 also controls the movement of the first hand 19 by referring to the new setting position P2 stored in the memory unit 101 when the substrate W is next transferred.

[0079] The calculation unit 22 receives the detection results of the tactile sensors 73 attached to each movable guide 67 so as to recognize the positional relationship of the movable guides 67. Based on the detection results of the three tactile sensors 73, the calculation unit 22 can recognize the position at which the movable guide 67 comes into contact with the substrate W. The calculation unit 22 can then calculate the center point of the substrate W based on the positions of the movable guides 67.

[0080] As an example, a description will be given of how the set value is updated for the path section 25. The update operation is performed by clamping the substrate W placed in advance on the path section 25 with the first hand 19 on a trial basis.

[0081] 9 shows the first hand 19 before clamping the substrate W placed on the path section 25. The control section 100 controls the servo motor 79 to move the movable guide 67 to its initial position. The initial position of the movable guide 67 positioned on the first blade 61 is the tip of the first blade 61. Therefore, in the initial state, the movable guide 67 is located at the end closest to the tip of the first blade 61 within its movable range. The initial position of the movable guide 67 positioned on the second blade 62 is the tip of the second blade 62. Therefore, in the initial state, the movable guide 67 is located at the end closest to the tip of the second blade 62 within its movable range.

[0082] The initial position of the movable guide 67 located at the connecting portion 59 is the position closest to the connecting portion 59. Therefore, the movable guide 67 in the initial position is at the position closest to the connecting portion 59 within its movable range.

[0083] In this way, by separating the movable guides 67 as far as possible from each other, the internal space defined by the three movable guides 67 becomes the largest. In this way, no matter how misaligned the substrate W is in the path section 25 with respect to the first hand 19, the first hand 19 can reliably clamp the substrate W using the three movable guides 67.

[0084] 10 shows the state when the first hand 19 is moved to the pass section 25 so that the substrate W placed on the pass section 25 can be clamped by the first hand 19. At this time, the three movable guides 67 have not yet moved from the state shown in FIG. 9. The control unit 100 moves the first hand 19 to the pass section 25, assuming that the center of the substrate W placed on the pass section 25 is at an initial set position P1 determined by the structure of the first hand 19. Even in this case, the center point of the substrate W placed on the pass section 25 does not coincide with the initial set position P1. This is because unpredictable positional deviations can occur when the pass section 25 is assembled into the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0085] 10, the mismatch between the initial setting position P1 and the center point of the substrate W is represented by a median line E that crosses the diameter of the substrate W. If the initial setting position P1 and the center point of the substrate W were to coincide, the initial setting position P1 would be located on the median line. However, since the center point of the substrate W is displaced from the initial setting position P1, the initial setting position P1 is not located on the median line.

[0086] 11 shows a state in which the movable guides 67 are moved closer to each other so that the first hand 19 can clamp the substrate W placed in the path section 25. As each of the movable guides 67 is moved, the movable guide 67 of the second blade 62 first comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the substrate W, and the tactile sensor 73 detects this contact. The detection result is sent to the control unit 100 via the calculation unit 22. At this point, the control unit 100 controls the servo motor 79 to stop the movable guide 67 that has come into contact with the substrate W. By operating the control unit 100 in this manner, the substrate W placed in the path section 25 is not subjected to unnecessary pressure from the movable guide 67 of the second blade 62. Therefore, the substrate W is not pushed by the movable guide 67 in the path section 25 and becomes displaced.

[0087] 12 shows a state in which the movable guides 67 are moved even closer so that the substrate W placed on the path section 25 can be clamped by the first hand 19. As each of the movable guides 67 is moved, the movable guide 67 of the connecting section 59 comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the substrate W, and the tactile sensor 73 detects this contact. The detection result is sent to the control section 100 via the calculation section 22. At this point, the control section 100 controls the servo motor 79 to stop the movable guide 67 that has come into contact with the substrate W.

[0088] 13 shows a state in which the movable guide 67 is moved even closer so that the substrate W placed on the path section 25 can be clamped by the first hand 19. As the movable guide 67 of the first blade 61 is moved, it now comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the substrate W, and the tactile sensor 73 detects this contact. The detection result is sent to the control section 100 via the calculation section 22. At this point, the control section 100 controls the servo motor 79 to stop the movable guide 67 that has come into contact with the substrate W.

[0089] The operation of the movable guide 67 after it has stopped will now be described. An origin position is set in the encoder 81, and the amount of movement of the movable guide 67 from the origin position can be measured. The origin position is set based on the base member 31, and therefore moves as the pick-up hand 11a moves. In other words, the origin position of the encoder 81 is a relative position set based on the movable base member 31. The absolute position of the origin position can be obtained by various position sensors attached to the indexer robot IR. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is provided with an origin as an absolute position, and the position of the indexer robot IR relative to the origin is known. Therefore, the absolute position of the movable guide 67 can be known based on the origin position of the encoder 81, the amount of movement measured by the encoder 81, and the output of the main body of the indexer robot IR indicating the positional relationship between the origin position and the origin.

[0090] As shown in Figure 13, when a triangle connecting three movable guides 67 is considered, only one circle is determined when all of the vertices of this triangle are on the outer periphery of the substrate W. Therefore, the absolute position of the center point of the substrate W can be calculated based on this triangle. The calculation unit 22 determines the positions of the three movable guides 67 from the output of the encoder 81 attached to the servo motor 79, and calculates the absolute position of the center point of the substrate W. Note that the calculation unit 22 can also refer to the substrate diameter when calculating the center point of the substrate W. In this way, the set position of the present invention is an absolute position starting from an origin determined in the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0091] Data indicating the position of the center point calculated by the calculation unit 22 is sent to the setting unit 23. The setting unit 23 stores this position of the center point in the storage unit 101 as a new set position P2.

[0092] Figure 14 illustrates a case where the first hand 19 is used to clamp a substrate W placed in the path section 25 based on the new set position P2. As can be seen by comparing Figure 14 with Figure 9, in the case of Figure 15, it is not necessary to move the movable guides 67 farthest from each other. This is because it is known that the center point of the substrate W placed in the path section 25 is at the new set position P2. In the case of Figure 14, the movable guides 67 also need to be spaced apart from each other more than when clamping the substrate W, but the distance can be smaller than in Figure 9.

[0093] 15 shows the state when the first hand 19 is moved to the pass section 25 so that the substrate W placed on the pass section 25 can be clamped by the first hand 19. At this time, the three movable guides 67 have not yet moved from the state shown in FIG. 14. The control section 100 moves the first hand 19 to the pass section 25, assuming that the center of the substrate W placed on the pass section 25 is at the actually measured new set position P2. In this way, the center point of the substrate W placed on the pass section 25 coincides with the new set position P2.

[0094] 16 shows a state in which the movable guides 67 are moved closer to each other so that the substrate W placed on the path section 25 can be clamped by the first hand 19. As each of the movable guides 67 is moved, each of the movable guides 67 simultaneously comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the substrate W. In this way, the substrate W is securely clamped by the first hand 19.

[0095] <7. Movable range of the movable guide> Each movable guide 67 can move forward and backward independently, but its movable range is set based on the initial set position P1, which will be described below. That is, as shown in FIG. 17, each movable guide 67 is configured to be located in the middle of its movable range when the substrate W is present at the initial set position P1. In other words, each movable guide 67 can move 5 mm toward the tips of the first blade 61 and the second blade 62 from the position at which it clamps the substrate W at the initial set position P1. With this configuration, when clamping the substrate W in the path section 25, the first hand 19 can reliably clamp the substrate W even if the substrate W is shifted toward the tips of the first blade 61 and the second blade 62 from the initial set position P1.

[0096] Each movable guide 67 can move 5 mm from the position where it clamps the substrate W at the initial setting position P1 in the direction toward the connecting section 59. With this configuration, when clamping the substrate W in the path section 25, the first hand 19 can reliably clamp the substrate W even if the substrate W is shifted in the direction toward the connecting section 59 from the initial setting position P1.

[0097] That is, the servo motor 79 is configured to be able to drive the movable guide 67, which is in the initial set position P1 where it holds the substrate W, forward and backward in a direction to move towards and away from the substrate W.

[0098] <8. Other configurations> 1, the indexer block 5 includes a control unit 100 for controlling the indexer robot IR. The control unit 100 is configured, for example, by a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The specific configuration of the control unit 100 is not limited, and for example, the control related to the first hand 19 and the control related to the second hand 35 may be configured by a single processor, or may be configured by separate processors.

[0099] Control related to the control unit 100 includes, for example, the forward and backward movement of the first hand 19, the forward and backward movement of the second hand 35, the rotational movement of the first hand 19, the rotational movement of the second hand 21, the lifting and lowering movement of the first hand 19, the lifting and lowering movement of the second hand 35, and control related to the control unit 100.

[0100] The memory unit 101 stores control programs and parameters such as the initial setting position P1 and the new setting position P2. The memory unit may be configured as a single device, or may be configured as individual devices corresponding to each control. The indexer block 5 of the present invention does not have any particular limitations on the configuration of the device that realizes the memory unit.

[0101] <9. Teaching flow> Hereinafter, a method for teaching the first hand 19 the position of the substrate W in the path section 25 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 18. The teaching method of this embodiment corresponds to a teaching method for an indexer block 5 which includes a first hand 19 that holds a substrate W, a hand drive mechanism 57 that drives the first hand 19 to move back and forth in a horizontal plane to transfer the substrate W, three movable guides 67 that are provided on the first hand 19 and clamp the outer peripheral surface of the substrate W to hold the substrate W spaced apart from the first hand 19 in the vertical direction, and a servo motor 79 that moves the movable guides 67 back and forth relative to the substrate W.

[0102] Step S1: The first hand 19 is moved close to the substrate W, with the substrate W being at the initial set position P1, which is the position assumed in the design.

[0103] Step S2: Each movable guide 67 is operated to bring the movable guide 67 into contact with the substrate.

[0104] Step S3: The calculation unit 22 calculates the position of the center point of the substrate W based on the positional relationship of the movable guide 67.

[0105] Step S4: The calculation unit 22 sets the calculated center position as a teaching position, and stores this in the storage unit 101.

[0106] In this manner, the teachings of this embodiment are implemented.

[0107] <10. Effects of the present invention> According to the above-described configuration, the first hand 19 of the indexer block 5 is provided with three movable guides 67 that clamp the outer peripheral surface of the substrate W. The first hand 19 approaches the substrate W assuming that the substrate W is at a predetermined set position, and then abuts the movable guides 67 against the substrate W, thereby recognizing the position where the substrate W is located. Then, by calculating the center point of the substrate W based on the positional relationship of the movable guides 67, the next time the first hand 19 clamps the substrate W, it can operate assuming that the substrate W is at the calculated center point. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the teaching operation is completed simply by the first hand 19 clamping the substrate W, and therefore the teaching operation can be performed efficiently.

[0108] According to the above-described configuration, the servo motor 79 is configured to be able to drive the movable guide 67, which is at the initial set position P1 where it holds the substrate W, forward and backward in a direction toward and away from the substrate W. This configuration makes it easy to perform the teaching operation.

[0109] According to the above-described configuration, the control unit 100 controls the movable guides 67 individually using the servo motors 79, and when the movable guides 67 come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the substrate W, the control unit 100 stops the movable guides 67 that have come into contact. With this configuration, when the first hand 19 clamps the substrate W, an external force is not applied to the substrate W, which would cause the substrate W to shift. Therefore, according to the above-described configuration, the teaching operation becomes easier.

[0110] According to the above-described configuration, the first hand 19 includes the first blade 61, the second blade 62, and the connecting portion 59, and the three movable guides 67 are provided on the first blade 61, the second blade 62, and the connecting portion 59. With this configuration, the substrate W can be clamped at three points at different positions, and therefore the position of the substrate W can be reliably known before the teaching operation can be easily performed.

[0111] According to the above-described configuration, the movable guide 67 provided on the first blade 61 can freely advance and retreat in the direction in which the first blade 61 extends. Moreover, the movable guide 67 provided on the second blade 62 can freely advance and retreat in the direction in which the second blade 62 extends. With this configuration, the stroke of the movable guide 67 can be made sufficiently large, making the teaching operation easy.

[0112] According to the above-described configuration, the movable guide 67 provided on the connecting portion 59 can freely move forward and backward with respect to the space sandwiched between the first blade 61 and the second blade 62. With this configuration, the substrate W supported by the first blade 61 and the second blade 62 can be pressed from an appropriate direction, so that the first hand 19 can more reliably hold the substrate W.

[0113] According to the above-described configuration, it is possible to detect the reaction force that the movable guide 67 receives from the outer circumferential surface of the substrate W, regardless of the posture when the outer circumferential surface of the substrate W comes into contact with the movable guide 67. Therefore, according to the above-described configuration, it is possible to accurately detect that the movable guide 67 has come into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the substrate W.

[0114] According to the above-described configuration, the tactile sensor 73 is provided between the first hand 19 and the movable guide 67, so that the tactile sensor 73 can reliably detect the contact of the substrate W with the movable guide 67.

[0115] This embodiment is suitable for a substrate processing apparatus having a single wafer processing chamber 31 that receives horizontally oriented substrates W one by one on the substrate placement portion and performs a predetermined process.

[0116] The above teaching method comprises a first hand 19 movement process for moving the first hand 19 toward the substrate W, assuming that the substrate W is at a predetermined set position, a contact process for contacting each movable guide 67 with the substrate W, a calculation process for calculating the position of the center point of the substrate W based on the positional relationship of each movable guide 67 when each movable guide 67 contacts the substrate W, and a teaching process for setting the calculated center position of the substrate W as a new set position. This configuration makes the teaching process easier.

[0117] <11. Variations> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be modified as follows.

[0118] <Variation 1> Although the above-described embodiment is configured to teach the X and Y directions, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. After step S4, the first hand 19 may be caused to release the substrate W, and the first hand 19 may be moved in the vertical direction to separate from the substrate W. Then, the movable guide 67 may be brought into contact with the substrate W from the vertical direction to grasp the position of the substrate W in the vertical direction, and teaching in the vertical direction may be performed based on this.

[0119] When the movable guide 67 is brought into contact with the substrate W, it is desirable that the movable guide 67 is displaced to the closest position in the first hand 19. With this configuration, it is possible to reliably bring the movable guide 67 into contact with the substrate W. Furthermore, when bringing the movable guide 67 into contact with the substrate W, it is desirable to operate the first hand 19 assuming that the substrate W is located at the set position P2. With this configuration, it is possible to reliably bring the movable guide 67 into contact with the substrate W. The contact of the substrate W is detected by the tactile sensor 73.

[0120] 19, in the above-described configuration, the hand drive mechanism 57 includes a vertical drive mechanism 56 that drives the first hand 19 in the vertical direction. The calculation unit 22 then abuts the movable guide 67 against the substrate W in the vertical direction, thereby measuring the position of the substrate W in the vertical direction. This configuration facilitates the teaching operation.

[0121] <Variation 2> In addition to the configuration of the embodiment, a configuration may be adopted in which the set position is repeatedly redefined. That is, according to this modification, the control unit 100 controls the hand drive mechanism 57 and the servo motor 79 to bring the movable guide 67 into contact with the substrate W until the difference between the calculated position of the center point of the substrate W and the set position P2, which is the previously calculated position of the center point of the substrate W already stored in the memory unit 101, becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value. The calculation unit 22 then calculates the position of the center point of the substrate W each time the movable guide 67 contacts the substrate W, and the setting unit 23 stores the calculated position of the center point of the substrate W in the memory unit 101 as a new set position each time the movable guide 67 contacts the substrate W. This configuration allows for more accurate redefinition of the set position. This configuration is effective when the shape of the movable guide 67 is not cylindrical, as shown in FIG. 20 .

[0122] <Variation 3> In the above-described embodiment, the first hand 19 was a so-called take-up hand having a movable guide 67 on the upper surface of the hand, but the first hand 19 can also be configured as a take-up hand by attaching the movable guide 67 to the lower surface of the hand.

[0123] According to the above-described configuration, the movable guide 67 is attached to the lower surface of the first hand 19. With such a configuration, the substrate W can be securely clamped even when the space below the substrate W is small.

[0124] As described above, the present invention assumes a configuration in which the movable guide 67 is attached to at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the first hand 19.

[0125] <Variation 4> The present invention can also be applied to a first hand 19 that does not have a tactile sensor 73. The configuration of this modified example will be described in detail below. The gripping operation of the first hand 19 to grip the substrate W is controlled via a gripping control unit 97.

[0126] The clamping control unit 97 is connected to the servo motor 79 and the encoder 81. The clamping control unit 97 operates the servo motor 79 based on instructions from the control unit 100 to move the three movable guides 67. At that time, the clamping control unit 97 operates the servo motor 79 in accordance with position information from the encoder 81. The clamping control unit 97 can detect the drive current supplied to the servo motor 79 as drive current information. The clamping control unit 97 determines that the movable guides 67 have come into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the substrate W based on either or both of the position information and the drive current information. The clamping control unit 97 corresponds to the drive circuit and drive current detection unit of the present invention. Therefore, it can also be said that the clamping control unit 97 and the encoder 81 are detectors that detect that the movable guides 67 have come into contact with the substrate W.

[0127] In other words, when the movable guide 67 abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the substrate W, movement of the movable guide 67 is temporarily prevented. Therefore, the change in position information from the encoder 81 temporarily stops. Furthermore, even after the movable guide 67 abuts against the outer peripheral edge of the substrate, in order to move the movable guide 67 further toward the outer peripheral surface of the substrate W, it is necessary to increase the torque of the servo motor 79. Therefore, the drive current to the servo motor 79 increases, and the drive current information changes. Therefore, by monitoring either or both of the position information and the drive current information, it is possible to accurately determine that the movable guide 67 has abutted against the outer peripheral surface of the substrate W. After the movable guide 67 abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the substrate W, the clamping control unit 97 adjusts the biasing force of the movable guide 67 against the outer peripheral surface of the substrate W in accordance with the shape information from the memory unit 101 to grip the substrate W.

[0128] According to the above-described configuration, the control unit 100 determines that the movable guide 67 has come into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the substrate W, based on at least one of the drive current information from the clamp control unit 97 and the position information from the encoder 81. Therefore, there is no need to provide a sensor that detects that the movable guide 67 has come into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the substrate W. This makes it possible to provide an indexer block 5 that has a simple structure and can be manufactured at reduced cost.

[0129] <Variation 5> The present invention can also be applied to a center robot CR that transports a substrate W to each vacuum chuck 300 of a plurality of single wafer processing chambers 31. The memory unit 101 of this modification stores an initial set position P1 corresponding to each of the vacuum chucks 300 of the plurality of single wafer processing chambers 31 for each single wafer processing chamber 31. The control unit 100, the calculation unit 22, and the setting unit 23 operate individually for the plurality of initial set positions P1.

[0130] According to the above-described configuration, a plurality of initial setting positions P1 are set, and the storage unit 101, the control unit 100, and the calculation unit 22 operate individually for the plurality of initial setting positions P1. This configuration facilitates teaching operations for the plurality of initial setting positions P1.

[0131] <Variation 6> In this embodiment, three movable guides 67 are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The number of movable guides may be three or more.

[0132] <Variation 7> The first hand 19 having the movable guide 67 in the present invention is necessary at least for the teaching work, and when actually transporting the substrate W, the first hand 19 in the indexer robot IR can also be replaced with a general-purpose hand having a pusher 87 and a fixed guide 88 as shown in Figure 21.

[0133] <Variation 8> The present invention is not limited to the indexer block 5, but can be generally applied to substrate transport devices equipped with a robot that transports a substrate W in a horizontal position. [Explanation of symbols]

[0134] 1. Substrate processing equipment 3 Loading / unloading block 5 Indexer Blocks 7 Processing Blocks 9 Input section 11. Payment section 13 Mounting table 19 First Hand 21 Second Hand 22 Calculation section 23 Setting section 25 Path section 31 Single wafer processing chamber 33 First Hand 35 Second Hand 56 Vertical drive mechanism 57 Hand drive mechanism 59 Connecting part 61 First Blade 62 Second Blade 65 Blade attachment part 63 Mounting base end 67 Movable guide 69 Guide hole 71 Moving piece 73 Tactile Sensor 75 detection surface 77 Side Cave 79 Servo motor 81 Encoder 87 Pusher 83 Ball screw 88 Fixed guide 89 Pusher Arm 91 Guide hole 97 Clamping control section 100 control section 101 Storage section C Carrier CR Center Robot IR Indexer Robot P1 setting position P2 setting position W substrate

Claims

1. A substrate transfer device that transfers a substrate by receiving a substrate in a horizontal position at a predetermined set position and transferring the substrate in the horizontal position to the predetermined set position, A hand for acquiring the substrate; a hand driving mechanism that drives the hand to transfer the substrate; at least three movable guides provided on the hand for clamping an outer peripheral surface of the substrate and holding the substrate at a distance from the hand in a vertical direction; a forward / backward drive mechanism that drives the movable guide toward and away from the substrate; a storage unit that stores the set position; a control unit that controls the hand drive mechanism by referring to the set position stored in advance in the storage unit, and brings the hand close to the substrate at the set position, and then controls the advance / retreat drive mechanism to bring each of the movable guides into contact with the substrate; a calculation unit that calculates the position of the center point of the substrate based on the positional relationship of the movable guides when the movable guides abut against the substrate; a setting unit that stores the position of the center point in the storage unit as a new set position. The control unit refers to the new set position stored in the storage unit when the substrate is next transferred. A substrate transport device characterized by:

2. 2. The substrate transport device according to claim 1, The advance / retract drive mechanism is configured to be able to drive the movable guide forward and backward in a direction approaching and moving away from the substrate at the set position. A substrate transport mechanism comprising:

3. 2. The substrate transport device according to claim 1, the hand drive mechanism includes a vertical drive mechanism that drives the hand in a vertical direction, The calculation unit measures the position of the substrate in the vertical direction by bringing the movable guide into contact with the substrate in the vertical direction. A substrate transport device characterized by:

4. 2. The substrate transport device according to claim 1, The control unit continues the process until a difference between the calculated position of the center point of the substrate and a set position already stored in the storage unit becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value. controlling the hand drive mechanism and the forward / backward drive mechanism to bring the movable guide into contact with the substrate; the calculation unit calculates the position of the center point of the substrate each time the movable guide comes into contact with the substrate; the setting unit stores the calculated position of the center point of the substrate in the storage unit as a new set position every time the movable guide abuts against the substrate; Repeat each movement A substrate transport device characterized by:

5. 2. The substrate transport device according to claim 1, The control unit controls the movable guides individually by the forward / backward driving mechanism, and when the movable guides come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the substrate, stops the movable guides that have come into contact. A substrate transport device characterized by:

6. 2. The substrate transport device according to claim 1, The hand A first blade; A second blade; a connecting portion that connects the first blade and the second blade, The three movable guides are provided on the first blade, the second blade, and the connecting portion, respectively. A substrate transport device characterized by:

7. 7. The substrate transport device according to claim 6, the movable guide provided on the first blade is movable forward and backward in an extension direction of the first blade, The movable guide provided on the second blade is movable forward and backward in the direction in which the second blade extends. A substrate transport device characterized by:

8. 7. The substrate transport device according to claim 6, The movable guide provided at the connecting portion is movable forward and backward relative to a space sandwiched between the first blade and the second blade. A substrate transport device characterized by:

9. 2. The substrate transport device according to claim 1, The movable guide is attached to at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the hand. A substrate transport device characterized by:

10. 2. The substrate transport device according to claim 1, a detection surface capable of detecting a force applied in each of three orthogonal axes, and a tactile sensor capable of detecting that the movable guide has come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the substrate; The control unit recognizes that the movable guide has come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the substrate based on an output of the tactile sensor. A substrate transport device characterized by:

11. 11. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 10, The tactile sensor is provided between the hand and the movable guide. A substrate transport device characterized by:

12. 2. The substrate transport device according to claim 1, the advance / retract drive mechanism includes a motor that drives the movable guide to advance / retract, a drive circuit that applies a drive current to drive the motor, and an encoder that detects a rotation position of the motor; a detector for detecting that the movable guide has come into contact with the substrate, the detector including at least one of a drive current detector that detects the contact based on drive current information of the drive circuit and a position information detector that detects the contact based on position information output from the encoder; The control unit determines whether the movable guide has come into contact with the substrate based on at least one of the drive current information and the position information. A substrate transport device characterized by:

13. A substrate processing apparatus comprising the substrate transfer device according to claim 1, a plurality of single-substrate processing sections for receiving horizontally oriented substrates one by one on a substrate placement section and performing predetermined processing thereon; The hand transports the substrate to the substrate placement unit of each of the single-wafer processing units. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

14. 14. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 13, the storage unit stores the set position corresponding to the substrate mounting unit for each of the single wafer processing units, The control unit operates independently for a plurality of set positions, the calculation unit operates individually for a plurality of set positions, The setting unit operates individually for a plurality of setting positions. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by:

15. A teaching method for a substrate transport device including a hand that holds a substrate, a hand drive mechanism that drives the hand to transfer the substrate, at least three movable guides that are provided on the hand and that hold the substrate at a distance from the hand in a vertical direction by clamping an outer peripheral surface of the substrate, and an advance / retract drive mechanism that drives the movable guides to advance and retract relative to the substrate, a hand moving step of moving the hand toward the substrate, the substrate being in a predetermined position; a contacting step of contacting each of the movable guides with a substrate; a calculation step of calculating the position of the center point of the substrate based on the positional relationship of the movable guides when the movable guides abut against the substrate; a teaching step of setting the calculated center position of the substrate as a new set position; A teaching method for a substrate transport device comprising:

Images