Substrate Transfer Robot System

Abstract

A substrate transfer robot system (100) comprises substrate holding hands (23, 24), robot arms (21, 22), a drive unit that serves as a drive source to operate the robot arms (21, 22) in a transfer operation, and a driven member that transmits a driving force of the drive unit. Further, the substrate transfer robot system (100) also comprises a control unit (30) that corrects the operation of the robot arms (21, 22) in the transfer operation, on the basis of the amount of deviation in the amount of movement in the transfer operation due to a deviation in transmission between the drive unit and the driven member.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate transfer robot system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, robot systems that transport substrates are known. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-102888 discloses a robot system equipped with a substrate transport robot that transports substrates. The substrate transport robot includes a hand that holds the substrate and a manipulator. The hand is supported at the tip of a manipulator that has multiple links. The manipulator has joints that connect the multiple links to each other and joint motors that drive the joints. Each of the multiple links rotates about the joint as the joint is rotated by the drive of the joint motor. Furthermore, in the robot system described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-102888, a gear transmission mechanism is arranged between the joint motor and the joint in the substrate transport robot.

[0003] When a substrate is transported by a substrate transport robot, backlash in the gears caused by switching the rotation direction of the joint during hand movement can reduce the positional accuracy of the substrate during transport. In contrast, the robot system described in JP 2022-102888 A controls the hand to pass through a set relay position when removing and placing a substrate from a predetermined location. Specifically, the robot system rotates the joint in one direction to place the hand at the relay position, and then rotates the joint in the same direction only to move the hand from the relay position to a position where the substrate is removed and a position where the substrate is placed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-102888 Summary of the Invention

[0005] However, when a substrate is transported via a relay position to prevent a decrease in positional accuracy, as in the robot system described in JP 2022-102888 A, the movement direction of the substrate is restricted during the substrate transport operation, which may increase the movement distance of the substrate. In such a case, the increase in the movement distance of the substrate is likely to increase the time required for the transport operation. Therefore, it is desirable to prevent a decrease in accuracy during the substrate transport operation while also preventing an increase in the time required for the transport operation.

[0006] This disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one purpose of this disclosure is to provide a substrate transport robot system that can suppress a decrease in accuracy in substrate transport operations while suppressing an increase in the time required for the transport operations.

[0007] This disclosure No. 1 The substrate transport robot system according to this aspect includes a substrate holding hand that holds a substrate, a robot arm to which the substrate holding hand is attached, a drive unit that serves as a drive source for operating the robot arm in a transport operation of the robot arm that includes at least one of a placement operation of placing the substrate on a placement section and a holding operation of holding the substrate from the placement section, a driven member that transmits the driving force of the drive unit to operate the robot arm, and a control unit that corrects the operation of the robot arm in the transport operation based on a deviation in the amount of movement in the transport operation caused by a deviation in transmission between the drive unit and the driven member. A substrate transport robot system according to a second aspect of this disclosure comprises a substrate holding hand that holds a substrate, a robot arm to which the substrate holding hand is attached, a drive unit that serves as a drive source for operating the robot arm in a transport operation of the robot arm that includes at least one of a placement operation of placing the substrate on a placement section and a holding operation of holding the substrate from the placement section, a driven member that transmits the driving force of the drive unit to operate the robot arm, and a control unit that corrects the operation of the robot arm in the transport operation based on a deviation in the amount of movement in the transport operation caused by a deviation in transmission between the drive unit and the driven member, wherein the robot arm has multiple degrees of freedom, and the control unit corrects the operation of the robot arm for each of the multiple degrees of freedom based on the deviation amounts obtained to correspond to the multiple degrees of freedom of the operation of the robot arm. A substrate transport robot system according to a third aspect of this disclosure comprises a substrate holding hand that holds a substrate, a robot arm to which the substrate holding hand is attached, a drive unit that serves as a drive source for operating the robot arm in a transport operation of the robot arm that includes at least one of a placement operation of placing a substrate on a placement section and a holding operation of holding the substrate from the placement section, a driven member that transmits the driving force of the drive unit to operate the robot arm, and a control unit that corrects the operation of the robot arm in the transport operation based on a deviation in the amount of movement in the transport operation caused by a deviation in transmission between the drive unit and the driven member, and further comprises a detection unit that detects the substrate, and the control unit performs fine adjustment control to fine-tune the operation of the robot arm in the transport operation based on the position of the substrate detected by the detection unit, and corrects the operation of the robot arm in the fine adjustment control based on the deviation amount.

[0008] This disclosure 1st~3rdAs described above, the substrate transport robot system according to this aspect includes a control unit that corrects the operation of the robot arm during the transfer operation based on the deviation in the amount of movement during the transfer operation caused by a transmission error between the drive unit and the driven member. This allows for a reduction in positional accuracy during the transfer operation, even when a transmission error such as backlash occurs between the drive unit and the driven member, by correcting the operation of the robot arm during the transfer operation based on the deviation in the amount of movement during the transfer operation caused by the transmission error. Therefore, a reduction in the accuracy of the robot arm's operation can be suppressed without imposing restrictions on the movement direction during the transfer operation, as occurs when the substrate passes through a predetermined relay position. This prevents a reduction in the accuracy of the robot arm's operation while suppressing an increase in the substrate movement distance during the transfer operation. As a result, an increase in the time required for the transfer operation can be suppressed while preventing a reduction in the accuracy of the substrate transfer operation.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress a decrease in accuracy in the substrate transport operation while suppressing an increase in the time required for the transport operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a substrate processing system including a substrate transport robot system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a substrate processing system including a substrate transport robot system. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a substrate transport robot system. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a driving section and a driven member. [Figure 5] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams for explaining detection of a substrate by a detection unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a deviation amount of a movement amount. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining correction based on deviation amounts of movement amounts; [Figure 8]10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining correction of an operation in fine adjustment control. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining correction of operation during normal operation. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a control process of a substrate transport method by the substrate transport robot system. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic view for explaining a substrate holding hand according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining correction based on deviation of movement amount according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining a processing module section according to a modified example of the second embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] [First embodiment] A first embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] The configuration of a substrate transport robot system 100 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0013] (Configuration of substrate processing system) As shown in FIG. 1, a substrate transfer robot system 100 according to the first embodiment transfers a substrate 10 in a substrate processing system 101. The substrate processing system 101 includes the substrate transfer robot system 100, a load lock unit 102, and a plurality of processing module units 103. In the example of FIG. 1, the substrate processing system 101 includes four processing module units 103. The substrate processing system 101 also includes a transfer chamber 104 and a load / unload chamber 105. The substrate processing system 101 processes a substrate 10 such as a semiconductor wafer or a printed circuit board. The substrate 10 is, for example, a glass substrate or a silicon substrate having a substantially disk shape.

[0014] Each of the multiple processing module sections 103 performs processing such as resist coating or etching on the substrate 10. The multiple processing module sections 103 are arranged along the outer periphery of the transfer chamber 104. The interior of the transfer chamber 104 is maintained at a predetermined vacuum level. In other words, the substrate processing system 101 is a multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus. A load lock section 102 is provided on the outer periphery of the transfer chamber 104. A load / unload chamber 105 is provided on the opposite side of the load lock section 102 from the transfer chamber 104. Three ports are provided on the opposite side of the load lock section 102 from the load lock section 102, for attaching carriers 106 capable of accommodating substrates 10.

[0015] The substrate transfer robot system 100 unloads and loads the substrate 10 from and into a processing module unit 103 where processing is performed on the substrate 10. In the substrate processing system 101, a transfer robot (not shown) disposed in a load / unload chamber 105 loads the substrate 10 from a carrier 106 into a load lock unit 102. The substrate transfer robot system 100 of the first embodiment then transports the substrate 10 from the load lock unit 102 to each of the plurality of processing module units 103. After processing in each of the plurality of processing module units 103, the substrate transfer robot system 100 transports the substrate 10 from each of the plurality of processing module units 103 to the load lock unit 102. The transfer robot (not shown) disposed in the load / unload chamber 105 then unloads the processed substrate 10 from the load lock unit 102 to the carrier 106. The carrier 106 stores a plurality of substrates 10. In the load lock unit 102, the substrate 10 is placed on a placement unit 40. In each of the plurality of processing module units 103, the substrate 10 is placed on a placement unit 50.

[0016] (Configuration of substrate transfer robot system) As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate transfer robot system 100 includes a transfer robot 20 and a control unit 30. 。The transfer robot 20 has a robot arm 21 and a robot arm 22. Furthermore, a substrate holding hand 23 and a substrate holding hand 24 are attached to the robot arm 21 and the robot arm 22, respectively. The transfer robot 20 is disposed approximately in the center of the transfer chamber 104. The robot arm 21 and the robot arm 22 are examples of a first robot arm and a second robot arm, respectively.

[0017] The control unit 30 is a computer having, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a random access memory (RAM), and a read-only memory (ROM). The control unit 30 also has a storage device including a flash memory such as a solid-state drive (SSD). The control unit 30 may be located at a position separate from the transfer robot 20 or may be located integrally with the transfer robot 20. For example, the control unit 30 is located on a base unit 25 (described later) shown in FIG. 3. The control unit 30 controls the operation of each unit of the substrate transfer robot system 100 based on programs and parameters previously stored in a storage device. The control unit 30 is a robot controller that controls the transfer operation of each of the robot arms 21 and 22 that transfer multiple substrates 10. The control unit 30 controls the transfer operation of the multiple substrates 10 based on control signals from a higher-level control device that controls the entire substrate processing system 101. The control of the transfer operation by the control unit 30 will be described in detail below.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3 , the transfer robot 20 is a horizontal articulated wafer transfer robot that transfers substrates 10 between the load lock unit 102 and the processing module unit 103. Each of the robot arms 21 and 22 rotates and extends / retracts by driving multiple joints. The robot arms 21 and 22 operate independently of each other under control of a control unit 30. Specifically, the robot arms 21 and 22 each have two arms connected to each other. Each of the robot arms 21 and 22 has a substrate holding hand 23 and a substrate holding hand 24 attached to the tip end, or one end, of the two connected arms, and is connected to a common base unit 25 at the base end, or the other end. The robot arms 21 and 22 each rotate and extend / retract independently of the base unit 25.

[0019] Substrate holding hand 23 and substrate holding hand 24 each have holding portion 23a and holding portion 24a that hold one substrate 10. Each of holding portion 23a and holding portion 24a is a thin support plate that supports substrate 10. Each of holding portion 23a and holding portion 24a supports the back surface of substantially disk-shaped substrate 10 from below in the vertical direction. Each of substrate holding hand 23 and substrate holding hand 24 does not have an actuator or the like that drives holding portion 23a and holding portion 24a to fix substrate 10 held by each of them, and is a passive-type end effector that supports substrate 10 from below in the vertical direction without fixing it.

[0020] The substrate transfer robot system 100 operates the robot arm 21 to transfer the substrate 10 held by the substrate holding hand 23. Similarly, the substrate transfer robot system 100 operates the robot arm 22 to transfer the substrate 10 held by the substrate holding hand 24. The substrate holding hand 23 and the substrate holding hand 24 have the same configuration.

[0021] The transport robot 20 also has a drive unit 26 as a drive source for operating the robot arms 21 and 22. The drive unit 26 includes motors 26a, 26b, and 26c that rotate as drive sources for operating the robot arms 21 and 22 during transport operations. The motors 26a, 26b, and 26c include, for example, servo motors that rotate under the control of the control unit 30. The transport robot 20 also has an encoder that acquires the rotation speed of each of the motors 26a, 26b, and 26c. The control unit 30 controls the operation of each of the robot arms 21 and 22 by feedback control based on the output from the encoder.

[0022] Motors 26a, 26b, and 26c are disposed on base 25. For example, motors 26a and 26b are drive sources for the extension and contraction motions of robot arms 21 and 22, respectively. That is, motor 26a is a drive source for bending and extending the arm portions of robot arm 21 and for rotating substrate holding hand 23 relative to robot arm 21. Motor 26b is a drive source for bending and extending the arm portions of robot arm 22 and for rotating substrate holding hand 24 relative to robot arm 22. Motor 26c is a drive source for rotating robot arms 21 and 22 relative to base 25. Therefore, in transport robot 20, robot arms 21 and 22 have a total of three degrees of freedom. That is, robot arms 21 and 22 are controlled to be freely driven in three types of motion without affecting each other. Furthermore, a linear motion mechanism for vertically raising and lowering each of the robot arms 21 and 22 is disposed on the base unit 25. This linear motion mechanism has, for example, a servo motor as a drive source.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 4, the transfer robot 20 has a plurality of driven members 27. The driven members 27 transmit the driving forces of the motors 26a, 26b, and 26c of the drive unit 26 to operate the robot arms 21 and 22, respectively. The driven members 27 include, for example, a pulley 27a, a pulley 27b, a belt 27c, a pulley 27d, a pulley 27e, and a belt 27f. The pulleys 27a, 27b, 27c, 27d, 27e, and 27f are disposed inside the robot arm 21 and transmit the driving force of the motor 26a disposed in the base unit 25. The pulleys 27a, 27b, 27c, 27d, 27e, and 27f operate in conjunction with each other, thereby driving the joints of the robot arm 21 and the substrate holding hand 23 in conjunction with each other. Specifically, pulley 27a is disposed on the base end side of robot arm 21. Pulley 27a rotates by receiving driving force from motor 26a. When pulley 27a rotates, pulley 27b rotates via belt 27c. Pulleys 27b and 27d rotate integrally. Therefore, the rotation of pulley 27b is transmitted from pulley 27d to pulley 27e via belt 27f. Belts 27c and 27f are made of metal, such as stainless steel. Note that belts 27c and 27f may be made of materials other than metal, such as rubber. Furthermore, driven member 27 includes, for example, gear 27g disposed on base portion 25. Gear 27g transmits the driving force of motor 26a to pulley 27a.

[0024] 4, a driven member 27 that transmits the driving force of the motor 26b of the driving unit 26 is also arranged on the robot arm 22. Further, a driven member 27 that transmits the driving force of the motor 26b to the robot arm 22 is arranged on the base unit 25. Similarly, a driven member 27 that transmits the driving force of the motor 26c to the robot arms 21 and 22 is arranged on the base unit 25. Further, the driven member 27 that transmits the driving force of the driving unit 26 may transmit the driving force via a plurality of gears instead of a belt pulley structure.

[0025] 1, for example, each of the plurality of processing module sections 103 is configured to process substrates 10 one by one. That is, in each of the plurality of processing module sections 103, one substrate 10 is placed on a placement section 50. A pair of load lock sections 102 are arranged in the substrate processing system 101, and in each load lock section 102, one substrate 10 is placed on a placement section 40. The placement sections 40 and 50 include, for example, pin-like members or table-like members that hold the substrates 10.

[0026] The substrate transfer robot system 100 transfers the substrates 10 one by one between the load lock unit 102 and each of the plurality of processing module units 103 by independently operating the two robot arms 21 and 22.

[0027] (Detection unit) 2, the substrate processing system 101 includes a detection unit 60. The detection unit 60 detects the substrates 10 held by each of the substrate holding hands 23 and 24 of the transfer robot 20. The detection unit 60 detects each of the substrates 10 held by each of the robot arms 21 and 22.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 5 , specifically, the detection unit 60 includes a plurality of transmissive laser sensors. The detection unit 60 includes, as transmissive laser sensors, a light-emitting unit having a light source such as an LED (Light-Emitting Diode) that emits laser light and a light-receiving unit having a light-receiving element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor. For example, the detection unit 60 is disposed on the load lock unit 102 side and on each of the plurality of processing module units 103 sides within the transfer chamber 104 of the substrate processing system 101. The detection unit 60 is disposed so that the detection target area is a position through which the substrate 10 passes during the transfer operation relative to the placement unit 40 or 50. That is, the detection unit 60 is disposed so as to detect a position through which the substrate 10 passes before the placement unit 40 or 50 when the substrate 10 held by each of the substrate holding hands 23 and 24 is transferred toward the placement unit 40 or 50.

[0029] Two detectors 60 are provided for each of the mounting sections 40 and 50 on which one substrate 10 is placed. That is, a pair of detectors 60, which are transmissive laser sensors including a pair of a light-emitting section and a light-receiving section, is provided for each of the mounting sections 40 and 50 on which one substrate 10 is placed. In the substrate processing system 101, one substrate 10 is detected by the pair of detectors 60. For example, in the example of FIG. 1 , one substrate 10 is transported to each of the four processing module sections 103 and the two load lock sections 102. Therefore, in the substrate processing system 101, two detectors 60 are provided for each of the four processing module sections 103 and the two load lock sections 102, for a total of 12 detectors 60. Each of the detectors 60 outputs a detection result indicating that the substrate 10 has been detected to the control section 30. Although FIG. 5 shows an example in which the substrate 10 is transported by the substrate holding hand 23, the same applies to the case in which the substrate 10 is transported by the substrate holding hand 24.

[0030] Specifically, the control unit 30 calculates the positions of four points on the periphery of one substrate 10 based on the detection results from the pair of detection units 60. Each detection unit 60, which is a transmissive laser sensor, detects two points: a point where the laser light switches from a transmitting state to a blocking state as the substrate 10 passes through, and a point where the laser light switches from a blocking state to a transmitting state. The control unit 30 stores in advance the positions that are the detection targets of the detection units 60. The control unit 30 acquires the positions of the four points on the periphery of the substrate 10 by acquiring the positions that are the detection targets of the detection units 60 and the speed at which the substrate holding hand 23 is moved. The control unit 30 then calculates the position of the substrate 10 based on the acquired four positions.

[0031] (Details of the control of the transport operation by the control unit) In the first embodiment, the control unit 30 controls the transport operations of the robot arms 21 and 22, including the placement operation of placing the substrate 10 on the placement units 40 and 50 and the holding operation of holding the substrate 10 from the placement units 40 and 50. The control unit 30 acquires command values ​​for controlling the transport operations of the robot arms 21 and 22. The control unit 30 then controls the operation of the drive unit 26 based on the acquired command values, thereby controlling the operation of the robot arms 21 and 22. The command values ​​may be acquired based on control signals from a higher-level control device or may be acquired based on setting values ​​and parameters pre-stored in a storage device included in the control unit 30. The command values ​​are, for example, command values ​​for controlling the speed or acceleration of each of the motors 26a, 26b, and 26c. The command values ​​may also be, for example, command values ​​for controlling the torque of each of the motors 26a, 26b, and 26c.

[0032] Position Correction Control As shown in FIG. 6 , when the rotation direction of the motor 26a of the drive unit 26 is reversed to change the direction of movement of the robot arm 21, backlash, which is a mismatch in transmission between the drive unit 26 and the driven member 27, or lost motion may occur. This mismatch in the transmission of driving force may result in inaccurate movement of the robot arm 21. FIG. 6 shows the position of the substrate holding hand 23 when the robot arm 21 is extended by a predetermined distance by driving the motor 26a, and then the rotation direction of the motor 26a of the drive unit 26 is reversed to retract the robot arm 21 by the same predetermined distance. The "extension" here refers to the movement of spreading the two arms constituting the robot arm 21 so that the angle between them increases, and the "retraction" refers to the movement of folding the two arms so that the angle between them decreases. The positions indicated by white circles in FIG. 6 are the positions of the substrate holding hand 23 detected for each command to extend the robot arm 21 by a predetermined distance during the extension. 6 indicates the position of the substrate holding hand 23 detected for each command to retract the substrate holding hand 23 by a predetermined distance in the retraction operation after the extension operation. , Department Deformation such as elongation of the material, and A deviation in the transmission of the driving force occurs due to various factors such as slippage. Due to this deviation in transmission, even when the motor 26a is rotated a predetermined number of times based on a set command value, it becomes difficult to accurately position the substrate holding hand 23 at the position indicated by the command value. For example, if the predetermined distance is 1 mm, the substrate holding hand 23 moves to approximately the same position as the position corresponding to the command value in the extension operation, whereas the substrate holding hand 23 moves to a position shifted by a distance smaller than 1 mm from the position corresponding to the command value in the retraction operation. That is, as an example, the deviation in the movement amount in the transport operation due to a deviation in transmission between the drive unit 26 and the driven member 27 is a value smaller than 1 mm.

[0033] In the first embodiment, the control unit 30 corrects the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 during the transport operation based on the deviation in the movement amount during the transport operation caused by a deviation in transmission between the drive unit 26 and the driven member 27. Specifically, the control unit 30 acquires the deviation in the movement amount during the transport operation based on the detection results acquired by the detection unit 60. The control unit 30 acquires the deviation in the movement amount corresponding to the multiple degrees of freedom of the movement of the robot arms 21 and 22. That is, since the robot arms 21 and 22 have three degrees of freedom, the control unit 30 acquires three deviation amounts. The control unit 30 also acquires the deviation in the movement amount when the direction of the movement of the robot arms 21 and 22 is changed for each of the three degrees of freedom. That is, the control unit 30 acquires the deviation in the movement amount when the rotation directions of the motors 26a, 26b, and 26c are reversed to change the direction of the movement of the robot arms 21 and 22.

[0034] For example, the control unit 30 acquires the deviation in the amount of movement during the extension / contraction operation of the robot arm 21. In this case, the control unit 30 acquires the detection result by the detection unit 60 when the motor 26a of the drive unit 26 is rotated to one side to extend the robot arm 21. The control unit 30 also acquires the detection result by the detection unit 60 when the robot arm 21 is rotated to the other side opposite to the one side to retract it. The control unit 30 then calculates the deviation in the amount of movement based on the acquired detection result for the extension operation and the detection result for the retraction operation. The control unit 30 also similarly acquires the deviation in the amount of movement during the extension / contraction operation of the robot arm 22. The control unit 30 then acquires the deviation in the amount of movement based on the detection result when performing an operation to rotate either the robot arm 21 or the robot arm 22. In this way, the control unit 30 acquires the deviation in the amount of movement for operations having a number equal to or greater than the number of degrees of freedom.

[0035] The control unit 30 calculates three correction amounts corresponding to the three degrees of freedom based on the acquired deviations in the three movement amounts. That is, the control unit 30 calculates a correction amount for each of the three motors 26a, 26b, and 26c of the drive unit 26 to correct deviations when the rotation direction is reversed. The calculated correction amounts are then stored in the storage device of the control unit 30. Note that when measuring deviations in the movement amounts to calculate the correction amounts, only one of the motors 26a, 26b, and 26c may be operated, or a combination of two or more of them may be operated. For example, when the number of degrees of freedom is three, the correction amounts for each of the three degrees of freedom are calculated by calculating deviations in the movement amounts using three or more different operations. Note that the control for acquiring deviations in the movement amounts for calculating the correction amounts may be performed when the substrate transport robot system 100 is installed, or may be performed periodically, such as every predetermined time elapses or every predetermined number of startups.

[0036] The control unit 30 then corrects the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 for each of the degrees of freedom by using a correction amount calculated based on the deviation amount acquired for each of the degrees of freedom. Specifically, when the control unit 30 controls the rotation of the motors 26a, 26b, and 26c of the drive unit 26 based on a command value, the control unit 30 corrects the command value based on the calculated correction amount at the timing when the robot arms 21 and 22 are operated so as to reverse the direction of rotation. For example, if the correction amount for the rotation of the motor 26a is 1 degree and a command is acquired to rotate the motor 26a 5 degrees in one direction and then 3 degrees in the other direction, the control unit 30 corrects the rotation of the other direction to 4 degrees by adding the correction amount to the command for the other direction.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 7 , when the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 are corrected, the discrepancy in the amount of movement between the extension and retraction movements is suppressed, thereby suppressing a decrease in the accuracy of the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22. FIG. 7 shows the position of the substrate-holding hand 23 when, in a state where the command value is corrected based on the calculated correction amount, the robot arm 21 is extended by a predetermined distance by driving the motor 26a, as in the operation shown in FIG. 6 , and then the rotation direction of the motor 26a of the drive unit 26 is reversed to perform a retraction movement by the same predetermined distance as the extension movement. That is, the positions indicated by white circles in FIG. 7 are the positions of the substrate-holding hand 23 detected for each extension command by the corrected command value during the extension movement. Furthermore, the positions indicated by black circles in FIG. 7 are the positions of the substrate-holding hand 23 detected for each retraction command by the corrected command value during the retraction movement following the extension movement. In this way, even when an operation is performed in which the rotation of motor 26a, motor 26b, and motor 26c is reversed, by correcting the operation command value using the correction amount calculated based on the deviation amount, the decrease in accuracy in the operation of robot arm 21 and robot arm 22 is suppressed compared to when no correction is made.

[0038] <Correction in fine adjustment control> 8, the control unit 30 executes fine adjustment control to finely adjust the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 in the transport operation based on the detection result detected by the detection unit 60. Then, the control unit 30 corrects the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 in the fine adjustment control.

[0039] The control unit 30 performs fine adjustment control when placing the substrate 10. The control unit 30 transports the substrate 10 one by one based on preset command values. When placing the substrate 10 on the placement unit 40 or 50 during the transport operation, the substrate 10 may be misaligned with respect to the substrate holding hand 23 or 24. That is, even when the substrate 10 is transported according to the command values, the substrate 10 may not be placed accurately on the placement unit 40 or 50 due to the misalignment. In response to this, the control unit 30 calculates the misalignment of the substrate 10 held by the substrate holding hand 23 or 24 based on the detection results from the detection unit 60, and performs fine adjustment control to correct the command value to compensate for the misalignment. Here, the calculated "misalignment" includes the magnitude and direction of the misalignment of the substrate 10 with respect to the substrate holding hand 23 or 24 along the horizontal plane.

[0040] For example, while the substrate 10 is being transported toward the mounting unit 50, the control unit 30 corrects the command value based on the detection result by the detection unit 60 to compensate for the positional deviation of the substrate 10. Then, based on the corrected command value, the control unit 30 controls the operation of the robot arm 21 or the robot arm 22 so that the substrate 10 is placed on the mounting unit 50. The control unit 30 places the substrate 10 on the mounting unit 50 by lowering the substrate holding hand 23 or the substrate holding hand 24 while aligning the position of the substrate 10 in the horizontal plane with the position of the mounting unit 50. In this case, when the rotation directions of the motors 26a, 26b, and 26c in the drive unit 26 are reversed while controlling the operation of the robot arm 21 or the robot arm 22, the control unit 30 further corrects the command value corrected based on the detection result based on the correction amount calculated from the deviation amount. As a result, the substrate 10 is placed on the mounting unit 50 with the position of the substrate 10 relative to the mounting unit 50 accurately fine-tuned in the horizontal plane.

[0041] Incidentally, even in the holding operation of holding the substrate 10 placed on the placement unit 50, an imaging unit such as an optical camera may be used to capture an image of the substrate 10 placed on the placement unit 50, thereby detecting a positional deviation of the substrate 10 placed on the placement unit 50, and holding the substrate 10 while performing fine adjustment control based on the detected positional deviation. In this case as well, when the rotation direction of the motor 26a, the motor 26b, or the motor 26c is reversed in order to change the direction of movement of the robot arm 21 or the robot arm 22 during the fine adjustment control, the control unit 30 further corrects the command value, which is the control amount in the fine adjustment control, using the correction amount calculated based on the amount of deviation.

[0042] <Correction during normal transport> 9, even during normal transport, the control unit 30 corrects the operations of the robot arms 21 and 22 by correcting the command values ​​based on the acquired deviation in the amount of movement during the transport operation. For example, when the substrate transport robot system 100 is installed, the control unit 30 acquires command values ​​for operating the robot arms 21 and 22 based on an input operation by a user that instructs the operations of the robot arms 21 and 22 during the transport operation. When operating the drive unit 26 based on the acquired command values ​​during the transport operation of the substrate 10, if the operation includes an operation in which the rotation directions of the motors 26a, 26b, and 26c of the drive unit 26 are reversed, the control unit 30 corrects the acquired command values ​​based on the correction amount calculated from the deviation in the amount of movement.

[0043] For example, when performing an extension / retraction operation of the robot arm 21, the control unit 30 calculates a command value for controlling the speed and acceleration of the motor 26a based on the operations of the robot arm 21 and the robot arm 22 taught by the user. In this case, the control unit 30 corrects the command value based on the amount of deviation in the movement amount caused by a deviation in the transmission between the driver 26 and the driven member 27 at the timing when the positive and negative values ​​of the command value of the speed command are reversed. That is, when the operation includes a reversal of the rotation of the motor 26a, the control unit 30 corrects the acquired command value based on the deviation amount, thereby controlling the extension / retraction operation of the robot arm 21 so that the taught operation is performed with the deviation in the transmission between the driver 26 and the driven member 27 canceled out. When the rotation direction of the motor 26a is reversed, a delay occurs between the rotation of the motor 26a and the actual operation of the robot arm 21 due to the deviation in the transmission between the driver 26 and the driven member 27. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9 , the control unit 30 corrects the speed command value for commanding the motor rotation speed based on the deviation in the movement amount so that the rotation is reversed at a timing earlier than the acquired command value. This allows the robot arm 21 to operate smoothly even when a command value that reverses the rotation direction of the motor 26a is acquired. In this way, the control unit 30 corrects the command value based on the movement taught by the user through a teaching operation, based on the deviation in the amount of movement, to compensate for the deviation in the transmission of the driving force. The control unit 30 then stores the corrected command value in a storage device, and operates the robot arms 21 and 22 based on the corrected command value.

[0044] For example, FIG. 9 shows an example in which a command value that changes linearly from negative to positive at a predetermined rate is acquired. In the command value before correction, the feedback value from the encoder indicating the actual rotation of the motor 26a lags behind the command value. In response to this, the control unit 30 corrects the command value so that it becomes a large positive value at the timing when the command value before correction changes from negative to positive. Therefore, the command value after correction changes from negative to positive at an earlier timing than the command value before correction. The control unit 30 controls the rotation of the motor 26a using this corrected command value. Therefore, the delay is eliminated in the feedback value after correction.

[0045] (Control process of substrate transport method) Next, a control process for the substrate transfer method performed by the substrate transfer robot system 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. The control process for the substrate transfer method is executed by the control unit 30.

[0046] First, in step S1, a command value for performing the transport operation is acquired. Then, in step S2, a deviation amount of the movement amount in the transport operation caused by a deviation in transmission between the drive unit 26 and the driven member 27 is acquired. Then, in step S3, the transport operation is performed in a state in which the operations of the robot arms 21 and 22 are corrected based on the acquired deviation amount. Specifically, a correction amount is calculated based on the acquired deviation amount. Then, the command value acquired in step S1 is corrected based on the calculated correction amount. Note that the command value acquired in step S1 includes a command value for the transport operation that is set in advance and a command value for fine-adjusting the operations of the robot arms 21 and 22 in fine-adjustment control based on detection by the detection unit 60. Also, either step S1 or step S2 may be performed first.

[0047] [Effects of the first embodiment] The control unit 30 corrects the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 during the transfer operation based on the deviation in the movement amount during the transfer operation caused by a deviation in the transmission between the drive unit 26 and the driven member 27. This allows for a reduction in the positional accuracy during the transfer operation to be suppressed, even when a deviation in the transmission between the drive unit 26 and the driven member 27, such as backlash, occurs. This corrects the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 during the transfer operation based on the deviation in the movement amount during the transfer operation caused by the deviation in the transmission. Therefore, a reduction in the accuracy of the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 can be suppressed without imposing restrictions on the movement direction during the transfer operation, as occurs when the substrate 10 passes through a preset relay position. This prevents a reduction in the accuracy of the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 while preventing an increase in the movement distance of the substrate 10 during the transfer operation. As a result, a reduction in the accuracy of the transfer operation of the substrate 10 can be suppressed while preventing an increase in the time required for the transfer operation.

[0048] The control unit 30 corrects the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 based on the amount of deviation when the movement direction of the robot arms 21 and 22 is changed. As a result, even when a deviation occurs in the movement amount of the robot arms 21 and 22 in the transport operation due to backlash when the movement direction of the robot arms 21 and 22 is changed, or lost motion, which is an error when positioning from different directions, the control unit 30 corrects the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 based on the amount of deviation, thereby improving the positional accuracy in the transport operation. of Decline Suppress As a result, even when the direction of movement of robot arm 21 and robot arm 22 is changed, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the accuracy of the transfer operation of substrate 10 and to suppress an increase in the time required for the transfer operation.

[0049] The driving unit 26 includes motors 26a, 26b, and 26c that rotate as driving sources. The control unit 30 corrects the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 based on the amount of deviation that occurs when the rotational directions of the motors 26a, 26b, and 26c are reversed to change the direction of movement of the robot arms 21 and 22. When the motors 26a, 26b, and 26c are used as driving sources for the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22, backlash and lost motion may occur when the rotational directions of the motors 26a, 26b, and 26c are reversed. Therefore, by correcting the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 based on the amount of deviation that occurs when the rotational directions of the motors 26a, 26b, and 26c are reversed to change the direction of movement of the robot arms 21 and 22, it is possible to effectively suppress a decrease in the accuracy of the substrate 10 transport operation and an increase in the time required for the transport operation.

[0050] The robot arms 21 and 22 have multiple degrees of freedom. The control unit 30 corrects the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 for each of the multiple degrees of freedom based on the deviation amounts acquired so as to correspond to the multiple degrees of freedom of the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22. This allows the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 to be corrected for each of the multiple degrees of freedom so as to correspond to the deviation in transmission between the driver 26 and the driven member 27 for each of the multiple degrees of freedom of the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22, thereby further suppressing a decrease in accuracy in the transport operation of the substrate 10.

[0051] The substrate transfer robot system 100 includes a detection unit 60 that detects the position of the substrate 10 held by the substrate holding hands 23 and 24, the substrate holding hands 23 and 24, and at least one of the robot arms 21 and 22. The control unit 30 acquires the amount of misalignment based on the detection results acquired by the detection unit 60. This allows the amount of misalignment to be acquired while the substrate 10 is being transported by detecting the position of the substrate 10 held by the substrate holding hands 23 and 24, the substrate holding hands 23 and 24, and at least one of the robot arms 21 and 22. Therefore, even if the magnitude of the misalignment caused by a misalignment in transmission between the driver 26 and the driven member 27 changes over time after installation of the substrate transfer robot system 100, the operation of the robot arms 21 and 22 can be corrected to correspond to the change in the amount of misalignment by periodically acquiring the amount of misalignment. This allows the amount of misalignment to be corrected more accurately, thereby further suppressing a decrease in the accuracy of the substrate 10 transport operation.

[0052] The substrate transfer robot system 100 includes a robot arm 21 serving as a first robot arm and a robot arm 22 serving as a second robot arm, which operate independently of each other. The control unit 30 corrects the operation of each of the robot arms 21 and 22 based on the amount of deviation. This allows the robot arms 21 and 22 to transport the substrates 10, thereby shortening the time required to transport multiple substrates 10. Furthermore, when the multiple robot arms 21 and 22 are used to transport the substrates 10, correcting the operation of each of the robot arms 21 and 22 can suppress an increase in the time required for each of the transport operations of the robot arms 21 and 22 while suppressing a decrease in the accuracy of the transport operations of each of the robot arms 21 and 22. Therefore, when the multiple robot arms are used to transport the substrates 10, it is possible to effectively suppress an increase in the time required for the transport operations while suppressing a decrease in the accuracy of the transport operations.

[0053] The control unit 30 acquires a command value for controlling the conveying operation. The control unit 30 then corrects the operation of the robot arms 21 and 22 by correcting the acquired command value based on the amount of deviation. As a result, even when a command value that causes a transmission deviation between the driver 26 and the driven member 27 is acquired, the command value can be corrected based on the amount of deviation, so that the operation of the robot arms 21 and 22 can be automatically corrected. Therefore, when setting the operation of the robot arms 21 and 22 in the conveying operation, it is possible to automatically prevent the actual operation of the robot arms 21 and 22 from differing from the operation commanded by the command value, without having to make settings that take the deviation into account in advance. As a result, the operation of the robot arms 21 and 22 in the conveying operation can be easily set.

[0054] The substrate transfer robot system 100 includes a detection unit 60 that detects the substrate 10. The control unit 30 executes fine adjustment control to finely adjust the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 during the transfer operation based on the position of the substrate 10 detected by the detection unit 60. The control unit 30 then corrects the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 based on the amount of deviation during the fine adjustment control. Without correcting the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 based on the amount of deviation, it becomes difficult to operate the robot arms 21 and 22 with a movement amount smaller than the amount of deviation due to a transmission error between the driver 26 and the driven member 27. Therefore, without correcting the movement amount based on the amount of deviation, it becomes difficult to properly perform fine adjustment control to finely change the movement direction of the robot arms 21 and 22. In contrast, in the first embodiment, the control unit 30 is configured to correct the movements of the robot arms 21 and 22 based on the amount of deviation during the fine adjustment control. This allows the robot arms 21 and 22 to operate with a movement amount smaller than the amount of deviation. Therefore, by correcting the operations of the robot arms 21 and 22 based on the amount of deviation, fine adjustment control can be performed normally.

[0055] [Second embodiment] Next, a substrate transfer robot system 200 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 11 and 12. In the second embodiment, a pair of substrates 10 is held by one substrate holding hand 223. Note that in the figures, parts having the same configuration as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described again.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 11 , a substrate transfer robot system 200 according to the second embodiment includes a substrate holding hand 223 that holds a pair of substrates 10. The substrate holding hand 223 is attached to the tip of the robot arm 21. The substrate holding hand 223 holds the pair of substrates 10. Specifically, the substrate holding hand 223 has a pair of holders 223a and 223b. Each of the holders 223a and 223b holds one substrate 10. Similar to the holder 23a of the first embodiment, the holders 223a and 223b are thin support plates that support the substrates 10 from below.

[0057] In the substrate holding hand 223, the pair of substrates 10 are held in a state where they are aligned left and right along a horizontal plane. The holding portions 223a and 223b are integrally formed. That is, in the substrate holding hand 223, the pair of substrates 10 are held in a state where their relative positional relationship is fixed. The substrate transport robot system 200 operates the robot arm 21 to transport the pair of substrates 10 held by the substrate holding hand 223 as a unit.

[0058] Similar to the first embodiment, the substrate transfer robot system 200 transfers substrates 10 to processing modules 203 that process the substrates. For example, each of the processing modules 203 is configured to process two substrates 10 at a time. That is, in each of the processing modules 203, two substrates 10 are placed on the placement unit 250. In the second embodiment, the load lock unit 102 has a pair of placement units that are approximately equal in height, which is the vertical position of the placement position. The substrate holding hand 223 collectively holds the substrates 10 placed on each of the pair of placement units of the load lock unit 102. Each of the processing modules 203 has a pair of placement units 250 that are different in height from each other in placement position. In a plan view, the positional relationship between the pair of placement units 250 is the same as the positional relationship between the pair of placement units of the load lock unit 102. In the substrate transfer robot system 200, the substrates 10 are transferred in pairs between the two placement units of the load lock unit 102 and the two placement units 250 of each of the processing module units 203.

[0059] In the second embodiment, the detection units 60 detect each of the pair of substrates 10 held by the substrate holding hand 223. Four detection units 60 are arranged for each placement unit 250 on which the pair of substrates 10 are placed.

[0060] (Details of the control of the transport operation by the control unit) In the second embodiment, the control unit 30 controls the transport operation of the robot arm 21, which includes a placing operation of placing each of the pair of substrates 10 on the placing unit 250, and a holding operation of holding each of the pair of substrates 10 from the placing unit 250. In the transport operation of transporting the pair of substrates 10, the control unit 30, similar to the first embodiment, acquires the amount of deviation in the amount of movement in the transport operation based on the detection result acquired by the detection unit 60, and corrects the operation of the robot arm 21 in the transport operation based on the amount of deviation in the amount of movement in the transport operation.

[0061] 12, in the second embodiment, the control unit 30 executes fine adjustment control to finely adjust the operation of the robot arm 21 in the transport operation of transporting the pair of substrates 10, based on the detection result detected by the detection unit 60. Then, the control unit 30 corrects the operation of the robot arm 21 in the fine adjustment control.

[0062] In the second embodiment, the control unit 30 calculates the positional deviation of each of the pair of substrates 10 held by the substrate holding hand 223 based on the detection results by the detection unit 60, and performs fine adjustment control to correct the command value to compensate for the positional deviation.

[0063] When the heights of the placement positions of the pair of placement units 250 are different from each other, the control unit 30 controls the transport operation of the robot arm 21 so that each of the pair of substrates 10 held by the substrate holding hand 223 is placed separately, one by one, in order on the placement unit 250. Specifically, as in the first embodiment, the control unit 30 corrects a command value to compensate for positional deviation of the substrate 10 based on the detection result by the detection unit 60 while the substrate 10 is being transported toward the placement unit 250. Then, in the second embodiment, the control unit 30 controls the operation of the robot arm 21 based on the corrected command value so that the substrate 10 is placed on one placement unit 250 whose placement position is relatively high, and then fine-tunes the operation of the robot arm 21 so that the substrate 10 is placed on the other placement unit 250 whose placement position is relatively low. Then, the control unit 30 lowers the substrate holding hand 223 while aligning the position of the substrate 10 on the horizontal plane with the position of the other mounting unit 250, thereby mounting the substrate 10 on the other mounting unit 250. In this case, when the rotation directions of the motors 26a, 26b, and 26c in the drive unit 26 are reversed during fine adjustment control, the control unit 30 further corrects the command values ​​corrected based on the detection results based on the correction amount calculated from the amount of deviation, as in the first embodiment. As a result, each of the pair of substrates 10 is mounted on the mounting unit 250 with the position of the substrate 10 relative to the mounting unit 250 on the horizontal plane accurately fine-adjusted.

[0064] In addition, even in the holding operation of holding substrates 10 placed on a pair of placement units 250 at different heights, it is possible to detect positional deviation of the placed substrates 10 and hold the substrates 10 in order while performing fine adjustment control based on the detected positional deviation. Also, even during normal transport in which a pair of substrates 10 is transported according to preset command values, the control unit 30 corrects the command values ​​based on the correction amount calculated from the deviation in the movement amount when an operation in which the rotation directions of motors 26a, 26b, and 26c of drive unit 26 are reversed is included, as in the first embodiment. Note that other configurations in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0065] (Effects of the second embodiment) In the second embodiment, as described above, the substrate holding hand 223 holds each of the plurality of substrates 10 and has a plurality of integrally formed holders 223a and 223b. The control unit 30 corrects the operation of the robot arm 21 based on the amount of deviation in a transport operation of the robot arm 21, which includes at least one of a placing operation of placing each of the plurality of substrates 10 on the mounting unit 250 and a holding operation of holding each of the plurality of substrates 10 from the mounting unit 250. Here, when a plurality of substrates 10 are transported collectively by the integrally formed holders 223a and 223b, the substrates 10 may be placed or held while finely adjusting the position of the substrate holding hand 223 so as to correspond to the positions of each of the plurality of substrates 10. In this case, control is performed to finely adjust the operation of the robot arm 21 so as to correspond to the positions of each of the plurality of substrates 10. Therefore, by correcting the operation of the robot arm 21 based on the amount of deviation in the transport operation of multiple substrates 10, it is possible to effectively suppress an increase in the time required for the transport operation while effectively suppressing a decrease in the accuracy of the transport operation of the substrates 10, even when fine-tuning the operation of the robot arm 21 to transport multiple substrates 10. Note that other effects of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0066] [Variations] It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not by the description of the above-mentioned embodiments, and further includes all modifications (variations) within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0067] For example, in the first and second embodiments described above, the control unit 30 corrects the operation of the robot arms 21 and 22 based on the acquired deviation in the amount of movement when multiple substrates 10 are individually placed on the placement units 50 and 250 of the processing module units 103 and 203, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the control unit may correct the operation of the robot arms based on the acquired deviation in the amount of movement when placing substrates on placement units of a load lock unit. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the substrates 10 are placed on a pair of placement units 250 whose placement positions are at different heights. However, even when multiple substrates are individually transported to multiple placement units whose placement positions are approximately the same height, the operation of the robot arms may be corrected based on the deviation in the amount of movement.

[0068] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, an example was shown in which the substrates 10 were placed on each of a pair of placement units 250 whose placement positions were at different heights, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the placement positions of the placement units may be changed when placing each of the pair of substrates. For example, while the pair of substrates are held by the substrate holding hand, the substrates may be placed on the placement units by upwardly moving pin-shaped members or the like of the placement units. Even in this case, the substrate transport robot system according to the present disclosure corrects the operation of the robot arm based on the amount of deviation in the amount of movement in order to place the substrates directly above the placement units.

[0069] In the second embodiment, a pair of substrates 10 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction along a horizontal plane in the substrate holding hand 223. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, multiple substrates may be arranged side by side in the substrate holding hand, not along a horizontal plane, but offset in the vertical direction. The substrate holding hand may hold multiple substrates arranged vertically, rather than side by side. The number of substrates held by the substrate holding hand may be one, or three or more. The shape of the holding portion of the substrate holding hand may be U-shaped with a bifurcated tip, or may be plate-shaped with a continuous tip. The substrate holding hand does not have to be a passive end effector.

[0070] Furthermore, in the above-described first and second embodiments, an example was shown in which the robot arm 21 as the first robot arm and the robot arm 22 as the second robot arm were provided, which operate independently of each other, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, only one robot arm may be provided, or three or more robot arms may be provided. Furthermore, the two robot arms may share a portion of the arm unit. In other words, each of the two robot arms may be connected to a common member that rotates relative to the base unit.

[0071] Furthermore, in the above-described first and second embodiments, an example was shown in which the detection unit 60 that detects the substrate 10 is a transmissive laser sensor, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the detection unit may be a reflective laser sensor or an imaging unit such as a camera that captures an external image. That is, the amount of deviation of the substrate may be obtained based on the captured external image. Furthermore, the detection unit may be disposed in the transfer robot of the substrate transfer robot system. For example, the detection unit may be disposed in a base unit to which the robot arm is connected. Furthermore, the detection unit may be disposed in the robot arm or the substrate holding hand.

[0072] In the first and second embodiments, an example is shown in which the amount of deviation in the amount of movement is obtained based on the detection result by the detection unit 60 that detects the substrate 10, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the detection unit may be configured to detect the position of at least one of the substrate, the substrate holding hand, and the robot arm.

[0073] In the first and second embodiments, the controller 30, which is a robot controller that controls the operation of the robot arms 21 and 22, acquires the deviation in the movement amount and corrects the operation of the robot arms 21 and 22. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the deviation in the movement amount may be acquired by a control device separate from the robot controller. For example, a preset deviation in the movement amount may be stored in a storage device of the substrate transport robot system, for example, at the time of shipping the substrate transport robot system. Furthermore, the operation of the robot arms 21 and 22 may be corrected based on the acquired deviation by a control device separate from the robot controller. That is, the command value may be corrected by a control device separate from the robot controller, and the corrected command value may be acquired by the robot controller.

[0074] In the first and second embodiments, the substrate transfer robot systems 100 and 200 transfer the substrate 10 in the transfer chamber 104 maintained at a predetermined vacuum level, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the substrate may be transferred at normal pressure.

[0075] In the second embodiment, each of the plurality of processing module sections 203 includes two mounting sections 250 having different mounting position heights, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, some or all of the plurality of processing module sections may include multiple mounting sections having approximately the same mounting position height.

[0076] 13, processing module sections 303 for performing processing on one substrate 10 may be arranged adjacent to each other in pairs. In this case, the heights of the mounting positions of the respective mounting sections 350 of the pair of adjacent processing module sections 303 may be different from each other. That is, the mounting position of one mounting section 350 of the pair of adjacent processing module sections 303 may be higher than the mounting position of the other mounting section 350. Furthermore, the heights of the mounting sections of the pair of adjacent processing module sections may be the same.

[0077] The functions of the elements disclosed herein can be performed using circuitry or processing circuitry, including general-purpose processors, special-purpose processors, integrated circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof, configured or programmed to perform the disclosed functions. A processor is considered a processing circuit or circuitry because it includes transistors and other circuitry. In this disclosure, a circuit, unit, or means is hardware that performs the recited functions or hardware that is programmed to perform the recited functions. The hardware may be hardware disclosed herein or other known hardware that is programmed or configured to perform the recited functions. Where the hardware is a processor, which is considered a type of circuit, the circuit, means, or unit is a combination of hardware and software, and the software is used to configure the hardware and / or processor.

[0078] [Aspect] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments described above are examples of the following aspects.

[0079] (Item 1) a substrate holding hand that holds a substrate; a robot arm to which the substrate holding hand is attached; a drive unit serving as a drive source for operating the robot arm in a transport operation of the robot arm, the transport operation including at least one of a placing operation of placing the substrate on a placing unit and a holding operation of holding the substrate from the placing unit; a driven member that transmits the driving force of the driving unit to operate the robot arm; a control unit that corrects the operation of the robot arm during the transport operation based on a deviation in the amount of movement during the transport operation caused by a deviation in transmission between the drive unit and the driven member.

[0080] (Item 2) 2. The substrate transport robot system according to item 1, wherein the control unit corrects the movement of the robot arm based on the amount of deviation when the direction of movement of the robot arm is changed.

[0081] (Item 3) the drive unit includes a motor that performs a rotational operation as a drive source, 3. The substrate transport robot system of claim 2, wherein the control unit corrects the movement of the robot arm based on the amount of deviation when the rotation direction of the motor is reversed to change the direction of movement of the robot arm.

[0082] (Item 4) the robot arm has multiple degrees of freedom; 4. The substrate transport robot system according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the control unit corrects the movement of the robot arm for each of the plurality of degrees of freedom based on the deviation amount acquired so as to correspond to the plurality of degrees of freedom of the movement of the robot arm.

[0083] (Item 5) a detection unit that detects the position of at least one of the substrate held by the substrate holding hand, the substrate holding hand, and the robot arm, 5. The substrate transport robot system according to any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the control unit obtains the amount of deviation based on a detection result obtained by the detection unit.

[0084] (Item 6) the substrate holding hand holds each of the plurality of substrates and has a plurality of integrally formed holding portions; The substrate transport robot system according to any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the control unit corrects the operation of the robot arm based on the amount of deviation during the transport operation of the robot arm, which includes at least one of the placement operation of placing each of the plurality of substrates on the placement section and the holding operation of holding each of the plurality of substrates from the placement section.

[0085] (Item 7) the robot arm includes a first robot arm and a second robot arm that operate independently of each other; 7. The substrate transport robot system according to any one of items 1 to 6, wherein the control unit corrects the operation of each of the first robot arm and the second robot arm based on the amount of deviation.

[0086] (Item 8) The control unit A command value for controlling the transport operation is obtained, and 8. The substrate transport robot system according to any one of items 1 to 7, wherein the operation of the robot arm is corrected by correcting the acquired command value based on the amount of deviation.

[0087] (Item 9) a detection unit for detecting the substrate, The control unit performing fine adjustment control for finely adjusting the operation of the robot arm during the transport operation based on the position of the substrate detected by the detection unit; and 9. The substrate transport robot system according to any one of items 1 to 8, wherein the fine adjustment control corrects the operation of the robot arm based on the amount of deviation.

Claims

1. a substrate holding hand that holds a substrate; a robot arm to which the substrate holding hand is attached; a drive unit serving as a drive source for operating the robot arm in a transport operation of the robot arm, the transport operation including at least one of a placing operation of placing the substrate on a placing unit and a holding operation of holding the substrate from the placing unit; a driven member that transmits the driving force of the driving unit to operate the robot arm; a control unit that corrects an operation of the robot arm during the transport operation based on a deviation in a movement amount of the substrate holding hand during the transport operation caused by a deviation in transmission between the drive unit and the driven member, a substrate transport robot system in which, when the direction of movement of the robot arm is changed, the control unit corrects the movement of the robot arm based on the deviation amount obtained from the movement amount of the substrate holding hand when the robot arm is moved in one direction and the movement amount of the substrate holding hand when the robot arm is moved in another direction after the change.

2. the drive unit includes a motor that performs a rotational operation as a drive source, 2. The substrate transport robot system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit corrects the movement of the robot arm based on the amount of deviation when the rotation direction of the motor is reversed to change the direction of movement of the robot arm.

3. A substrate holding hand that holds a substrate; a robot arm to which the substrate holding hand is attached; a drive unit serving as a drive source for operating the robot arm in a transport operation of the robot arm, the transport operation including at least one of a placing operation of placing the substrate on a placing unit and a holding operation of holding the substrate from the placing unit; a driven member that transmits the driving force of the driving unit to operate the robot arm; a control unit that corrects the operation of the robot arm during the transport operation based on a deviation in the amount of movement during the transport operation caused by a deviation in transmission between the drive unit and the driven member, the robot arm has multiple degrees of freedom; The control unit corrects the movement of the robot arm for each of the plurality of degrees of freedom based on the deviation amount acquired to correspond to the plurality of degrees of freedom of the movement of the robot arm.

4. a detection unit that detects the position of at least one of the substrate held by the substrate holding hand, the substrate holding hand, and the robot arm, The substrate transport robot system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit obtains the amount of deviation based on a detection result obtained by the detection unit.

5. the substrate holding hand holds each of the plurality of substrates and has a plurality of integrally formed holding portions; 2. The substrate transport robot system of claim 1, wherein the control unit corrects the operation of the robot arm based on the amount of deviation during the transport operation of the robot arm, which includes at least one of the placement operation of placing each of the plurality of substrates on the placement section and the holding operation of holding each of the plurality of substrates from the placement section.

6. the robot arm includes a first robot arm and a second robot arm that operate independently of each other; The substrate transfer robot system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit corrects the operation of each of the first robot arm and the second robot arm based on the amount of deviation.

7. The control unit A command value for controlling the transport operation is obtained, and The substrate transport robot system according to claim 1 , wherein the movement of the robot arm is corrected by correcting the acquired command value based on the amount of deviation.

8. A substrate holding hand that holds a substrate; a robot arm to which the substrate holding hand is attached; a drive unit serving as a drive source for operating the robot arm in a transport operation of the robot arm, the transport operation including at least one of a placing operation of placing the substrate on a placing unit and a holding operation of holding the substrate from the placing unit; a driven member that transmits the driving force of the driving unit to operate the robot arm; a control unit that corrects the operation of the robot arm during the transport operation based on a deviation in the amount of movement during the transport operation caused by a deviation in transmission between the drive unit and the driven member, a detection unit for detecting the substrate, The control unit performing fine adjustment control for finely adjusting the operation of the robot arm during the transport operation based on the position of the substrate detected by the detection unit; and In the fine adjustment control, the operation of the robot arm is corrected based on the amount of deviation.

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