substrate transfer device

Abstract

To provide a substrate transfer device that is configured to occupy a smaller area while processing substrates with improved efficiency.SOLUTION: According to one embodiment of the present invention, a substrate transfer device includes a moving plate, a load lock chamber located at one end of the moving plate, a plurality of processing chambers located along a lengthwise direction at both ends of the moving plate and a first arm (arm) coupled to the moving plate and configured to transfer a substrate between any one of the plurality of processing chambers and the load lock chamber, and the moving plate can provide a first path configured to allow a first pivot axis of the first arm to move in a circular motion with the moving plate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate transport apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Throughput in semiconductor or display manufacturing equipment refers to the amount of wafers or substrates processed per unit area in a single process. Generally, throughput is determined based on the processing time of the processing chamber, the vacuum robot's intake and exhaust speed, and the wafer cooling / heating time, but the easiest way to improve the overall system is to increase the number of pieces of equipment placed in a limited space.

[0003] However, expanding factory floor space or securing a new, larger site is not economically easy, and there are many factors that make site expansion practically impossible, such as legal development restrictions, so many companies are struggling to find a site for their semiconductor factories. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2011 / 074754 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a substrate transfer apparatus that is configured to occupy a smaller area while processing substrates with the same / similar or improved efficiency as the conventional apparatus.

[0006] Specifically, the present invention provides a substrate transfer apparatus in which the axis of the robot arm is capable of circular motion, thereby minimizing the width of the moving plate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a substrate transfer device includes a movable plate, a load lock chamber arranged at one end of the movable plate, a plurality of processing chambers arranged along a vertical direction at both ends of the movable plate, and a first arm connected to the movable plate and configured to transfer substrates between any one of the plurality of processing chambers and the load lock chamber, and the movable plate can provide a first path configured to allow a first pivot axis of the first arm to move circularly with the movable plate.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the position of the first pivot axis on the first path can be determined based on the position of any one of the processing chambers relative to the moving plate.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the first path may include at least one shape among an ellipse or an arc.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the wafer transport system may further include a second arm connected to the moving plate and configured to transport a substrate between any one of the plurality of processing chambers and the load lock chamber, and the moving plate may provide a first path configured to allow a first pivot axis of the first arm and a second pivot axis of the second arm to each move circularly on the moving plate.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the substrate can be configured to be routed between any one of the processing chambers and the load lock chamber via a second arm.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the wafer transport system may further include a third arm connected to the moving plate and configured to transport a substrate between any one of the processing chambers and the load lock chamber, and the moving plate may provide a second path configured to allow a third pivot axis of the third arm to move circularly with the moving plate.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the path may include a rail.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the path includes a plurality of links, and the first pivot axis can be positioned at any one of the links to transfer the substrate from any one of the processing chambers.

[0015] According to one embodiment, when a substrate is transferred from a first unit to a second unit, the substrate reaches the second unit through a region that is predetermined based on the state of the second unit, and the first unit and the second unit each include one of a load lock chamber, any one processing chamber, and a first arm, and the first unit and the second unit may be configured differently from each other.

[0016] According to one embodiment, when the second unit is the first arm, the state can be associated with at least one of movement, position, and whether or not it is accommodating another substrate.

[0017] According to one embodiment, if the second unit is a load lock chamber or any one of processing chambers, the condition can be related to at least one of temperature, humidity, pressure, and whether or not it contains another substrate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the footprint of a substrate transfer device can be reduced to maximize substrate throughput in a limited space. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1A] 1 is a plan view illustrating one operation of a substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 1B] 1B is a plan view illustrating a substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing an operation different from that in FIG. 1A. [Figure 2] 1 illustrates a top view of a substrate transfer apparatus including multiple arms and multiple paths according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a plan view of a substrate transfer apparatus including multiple arms according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4A] FIG. 2 is a plan view of an arm unit including one member according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4B] 4B is a plan view of an arm unit including different components than in FIG. 4A according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, specific details for implementing the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, provided that in the following description, detailed descriptions of well-known functions and configurations will be omitted if they may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present disclosure.

[0021] In the accompanying drawings, identical or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals. In addition, in the following description of the embodiments, duplicated descriptions of identical or corresponding components may be omitted. However, the omission of a description of a component does not mean that such a component is not included in a certain embodiment.

[0022] The advantages and / or features of the disclosed embodiments and methods for achieving the same will become apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, and may be embodied in various different forms. The present embodiments are provided merely to complete the present invention and to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0023] The terms used in this specification will be briefly explained, and the disclosed embodiments will be specifically described. The terms used in this specification have been selected based on the functions of the present disclosure and are currently widely used and general terms that are possible. However, these terms may change depending on the intentions of engineers in the relevant field, precedents, the emergence of new technologies, etc. In addition, in certain cases, the applicant may arbitrarily select terms, and in such cases, the meanings thereof will be described in detail in the relevant description of the invention. Therefore, the terms used in this disclosure should be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the overall content of this disclosure, rather than simply by their names.

[0024] In this specification, the singular includes the plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Furthermore, the plural includes the singular unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Throughout the specification, when a certain part "comprises" a certain element, this does not exclude other elements, but means that other elements may also be included, unless specifically stated to the contrary.

[0025] 1A and 1B are plan views illustrating different operations of a substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the substrate transfer apparatus 100 may include at least one of a plurality of processing chambers 112-126, a moving plate 130, an arm 140, a load lock chamber 160, an Equipment Front End Module (EFEM) 170, and a plurality of Load Port Modules (LPMs) 180.

[0026] The arm 140 can transfer a substrate (e.g., a wafer) obtained from any one of the plurality of LPMs 180 to one target processing chamber (here, the second processing chamber 114) among the plurality of processing chambers 112 to 126 through the load lock chamber 160. The arm 140 can also transfer a substrate processed in a target processing chamber among the plurality of processing chambers 112 to 126 to one of the LPMs through the load lock chamber 160. Meanwhile, in the present invention, the 'target processing chamber' can refer to the processing chamber into which the substrate is loaded or unloaded by the arm 140.

[0027] Multiple substrate transfer apparatuses 100 may be provided within a limited space. Therefore, in order to improve the substrate throughput of the substrate transfer apparatus 100, it may be necessary to reduce the width w of the moving plate 130, which determines the footprint of the substrate transfer apparatus 100. Below, a detailed description will be given of the configuration of the substrate transfer apparatus 100 that is configured to minimize the width w of the moving plate 130 in consideration of the movement of the arm 140, with reference to FIG. 1A .

[0028] The plurality of processing chambers 112-126 may be arranged along the edge of the moving plate 130. Specifically, the plurality of processing chambers 112-126 may be arranged along the vertical direction on both side edges (i.e., on both ends) of the moving plate 130. For example, a first set of processing chambers 112-116 may be arranged along the vertical direction on the edge of one side (left side in FIGS. 1A and 1B) of the moving plate 130. As another example, a second set of processing chambers 122-126 may be arranged along the vertical direction on the edge of the other side (right side in FIGS. 1A and 1B) of the moving plate 130.

[0029] The loadlock chamber 160 may be disposed at one end of the moving plate 130. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the loadlock chamber 160 may be disposed at the lower edge (i.e., the bottom end) of the moving plate 130. While FIG. 1A illustrates one loadlock chamber 160, this is not limiting. For example, the substrate transfer apparatus 100 may include two or more loadlock chambers. In this case, one loadlock chamber may accommodate a substrate to be transferred to one of the processing chambers. Another loadlock chamber may accommodate a substrate obtained from one of the processing chambers.

[0030] 1A, arm 140 can transfer a substrate between a target processing chamber (here, second processing chamber 114) and load lock chamber 160 among the plurality of processing chambers 112-126, as described above. In this case, the substrate must be loaded or unloaded at a specific position within the target processing chamber. To this end, at least a portion of arm 140 can stop at a predetermined position above the target processing chamber when loading or unloading a substrate. For example, when arm 140 loads or unloads a substrate from sixth processing chamber 126, at least a portion of arm 140 can stop at a specific position 128 above sixth processing chamber 126.

[0031] The arm 140 may include one or more joints. Therefore, the arm 140 may include a plurality of regions 140_1 to 140_3 divided based on the joints. For example, the arm 140 may include a first region 140_1 connected to a moving plate through a joint and a third region 140_3 in which a substrate is accommodated. Additionally, the arm 140 may include a second region 140_2 disposed between the first region 140_1 and the third region 140_3, and both ends of which are connected to the first region 140_1 and the third region 140_3 through joints.

[0032] The joint of the arm 140 may include a pivot axis. Therefore, each of the multiple regions 140_1 to 140_3 of the arm 140 may pivot about a pivot axis. For example, the first region 140_1 may pivot about a first pivot axis p1 relative to the moving plate 130. As another example, the first region 140_1 and / or the second region 140_2 may pivot about a second pivot axis p2. As another example, the second region 140_2 and / or the third region 140_3 may pivot about a third pivot axis p3.

[0033] 1A and 1B, arm 140 can move along path 150 provided by moving plate 130. Specifically, arm 140 can circularly move clockwise and / or counterclockwise along path 150 provided on one surface of moving plate 130. In this case, the position of first pivot axis p1 on path 150 can be determined based on the target processing chamber. For example, if the target processing chamber is second processing chamber 114 as shown in FIG. 1A, the position of first pivot axis p1 on path 150 can be located at the right end of path 150. As another example, if the processing chamber is fourth processing chamber 122 as shown in FIG. 1B, the position of first pivot axis p1 on path 150 can be located on the upper left side (i.e., northwest side) of path 150. Meanwhile, although the path is illustrated as a circle in FIGS. 1A and 1B and FIGS. 2 to 4B described below, this is not limiting. For example, the path may be configured as an ellipse. The path may also be configured in the shape of an arc that includes at least a portion of a circle.

[0034] 2 is a plan view of a substrate transfer apparatus 200 including multiple arms and multiple paths according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the moving plate 230 may provide a first path 250 configured to allow a first pivot axis p1 of a first arm 240 to move circularly on the moving plate 230. Additionally, the moving plate 230 may provide a second path 270 configured to allow a second pivot axis p2 of a second arm 260 to move circularly on the moving plate 230. In this case, the first path 250 and the second path 270 may be provided side by side on the same surface of the moving plate 230. For example, the first path 250 and the second path 270 may be arranged along the vertical direction on one surface of the moving plate 230.

[0035] First, an example will be described in which the first arm 240 and the second arm 260 both transfer substrates directly between any one of the processing chambers 212 to 228 and the load lock chamber 280.

[0036] The first arm 240 is connected to the moving plate 230 via a first path 250 and can transfer a substrate between any one of the plurality of processing chambers 212 to 228 and the load lock chamber 280. Specifically, the first arm 240 is connected to the moving plate 230 via the first path 250 and can acquire a substrate from any one of the plurality of processing chambers 212 to 228 and transfer the substrate directly to the load lock chamber 280. In this case, the second arm 260 is connected to the moving plate 230 via a second path 270 and can transfer a substrate between any one of the plurality of processing chambers 212 to 228 and the load lock chamber 280. Specifically, the second arm 260 is connected to the moving plate 230 via the second path 270 and can acquire a substrate from any one of the plurality of processing chambers 212 to 228 and transfer the substrate directly to the load lock chamber 280.

[0037] The first arm 240 is connected to the moving plate 230 via a first path 250 and can transfer substrates between any one of the first set of processing chambers 212, 214, 222, and 224 included in the plurality of processing chambers 212 to 228 and the load lock chamber 280. Here, the first set of processing chambers 212, 214, 222, and 224 can include processing chambers adjacent to the first arm (or first path 250). Similarly, the second arm 260 is connected to the moving plate 230 via a second path 270 and can transfer substrates between any one of the second set of processing chambers 216, 218, 226, and 228 included in the plurality of processing chambers 212 to 228 and the load lock chamber 280. Again, the second set of processing chambers 216, 218, 226, 228 can include processing chambers adjacent to the second arm (or second pathway 270).

[0038] Alternatively, different from the above, the first arm 240 may transfer a substrate between any one of the processing chambers and the load lock chamber 280 via the second arm 260. That is, a substrate transferred by the first arm 240 may be transferred to the second arm 260. The second arm 260 may then transfer the substrate to the load lock chamber 280. In this case, the distance between the first arm 240 (or the first pivot axis p1) and the load lock chamber 280 may be greater than the distance between the second arm 260 (or the second pivot axis p2) and the load lock chamber 280. In addition, the substrate transferred from the first arm 240 via the second arm 260 to the load lock chamber 280 may be obtained from a first set of processing chambers 212, 214, 222, and 224 adjacent to the first arm 240 among the plurality of processing chambers 212 to 228. With this configuration, even when the moving plate 230 is relatively long and there are a large number of vertically arranged processing chambers, the arms 240 and 260 can efficiently move and transfer substrates between the processing chambers and the load lock chamber 280. In addition, interference (i.e., collision) problems that may occur when multiple arms 240 and 260 are arranged can be prevented.

[0039] Additionally, the substrate transfer apparatus 200 may further include one or more areas (not shown) for temporarily storing (or accommodating) substrates during transfer. That is, when a substrate is transferred from a first unit to a second unit of the substrate transfer apparatus 200, the substrate may arrive at the second unit via a predetermined area (or after a temporary stop). Furthermore, when a substrate is transferred from the first unit to the second unit of the substrate transfer apparatus 200, the substrate may arrive at the second unit via a predetermined area based on the condition of the second unit, which is the destination.

[0040] The first unit may include any one of the plurality of processing chambers 212 to 228, the first arm 240, the second arm 260, and the load lock chamber 280. Similarly, the second unit may include any one of the plurality of processing chambers 212 to 228, the first arm 240, the second arm 260, and the load lock chamber 280. However, since the first unit and the second unit respectively indicate the origin and destination of the substrate, the first unit and the second unit may be configured differently.

[0041] For example, the substrate transfer apparatus 200 may further include an area (hereinafter referred to as a 'first storage area') for temporarily storing a target substrate while the target substrate is being transferred between the first arm 240 and the second arm 260. For this purpose, the first storage area may be located between the first path 250 and the second path 270. In addition, when the second unit, which is the destination of the target substrate, is the second arm 260, the target substrate may reach the second unit through an area that is predetermined based on the state of the second arm 260, which is the second unit. Therefore, when the second arm 350 is transferring another substrate and there is a target substrate that needs to be transferred to the second arm 350 by the first arm 340, the first arm 340 can immediately place the target substrate in the first storage area and perform another task without having to wait until the second arm 350 completes transferring the other substrate. That is, the state of the second unit, which is the basis for determining whether the target substrate passes through the predetermined area, can be correlated with at least one of the movement, position, and whether or not the arm (here, second arm 260) of the second unit is accommodating another substrate.

[0042] As another example, the substrate transfer apparatus 200 may further include an area (hereinafter referred to as a 'second storage area') for temporarily storing a substrate while the substrate is being transferred between the second arm 260 and the load lock chamber 280. For this purpose, the second storage area may be disposed between the second path 270 and the load lock chamber 280. Therefore, when the load lock chamber 280 is not ready to receive a processed target substrate, the second arm 260 can immediately place the target substrate in the second storage area and perform another task without having to wait until the load lock chamber 280 is ready to receive the target substrate. That is, the state of the second unit, which is the basis for determining whether the target substrate passes through the predetermined area, may be related to at least one of the temperature, humidity, pressure, and whether another substrate is being stored in the chamber (here, the load lock chamber 280) of the second unit.

[0043] The above-described configuration enables the substrate transfer apparatus 200 to transport substrates more efficiently, which may lead to a unique technical effect of maximizing the substrate throughput of the substrate transfer apparatus 200. Meanwhile, areas for temporarily storing substrates may be provided on the moving plate 230 in the form of hardware modules such as stations, chambers, etc.

[0044] 3 is a plan view of a substrate transfer apparatus 300 including multiple arms according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, a moving plate 330 may provide a path 360 configured to allow a first pivot axis p1 of a first arm 340 and a second pivot axis p2 of a second arm 350 to move circularly on the moving plate 330.

[0045] First, an embodiment will be described in which the first arm 340 and the second arm 350 both transfer substrates directly between any one of the processing chambers 312 to 328 and the load lock chamber 370.

[0046] The first arm 340 and the second arm 350 are connected to the moving plate 330 via a path 360, and can transfer a substrate between any one of the plurality of processing chambers 312 to 328 and the load lock chamber 370. Specifically, the first arm 340 and the second arm 350 are connected to the moving plate 330 via their respective paths 360, and can acquire a substrate from any one of the plurality of processing chambers 312 to 328 and transfer the substrate directly to the load lock chamber 370. In this case, the first arm 340 and the second arm 350 can move in conjunction with each other along the path 360. Alternatively, the first arm 340 and the second arm 350 can move independently along the path 360.

[0047] Alternatively, the first arm 340 may transfer a substrate between one of the processing chambers and the load lock chamber 370 via the second arm 350. That is, a substrate transferred by the first arm 340 may be transferred to the second arm 350. The second arm 350 may then transfer the substrate to the load lock chamber 370. In this case, the distance between the first arm 340 (or the first pivot axis p1) and the load lock chamber 370 may be greater than the distance between the second arm 350 (or the second pivot axis p2) and the load lock chamber 370. In addition, the substrate transferred from the first arm 340 via the second arm 350 to the load lock chamber 370 may be obtained from a first set of processing chambers 312, 314, 322, and 324 adjacent to the first arm 340 among the plurality of processing chambers 312 to 328.

[0048] Additionally, the second arm 350 may transfer a substrate between any one of the processing chambers and the load lock chamber 370 via the first arm 340. That is, a substrate transferred by the first arm 340 may be transferred to the second arm 350. The second arm 350 may then transfer the substrate to the load lock chamber 370. In this case, the distance between the second arm 350 (or the second pivot axis p2) and the load lock chamber 370 may be greater than the distance between the first arm 340 (or the first pivot axis p1) and the load lock chamber 370. In addition, the substrate transferred from the second arm 350 to the load lock chamber 370 via the first arm 340 may be obtained from a first set of processing chambers 312, 314, 322, and 324 adjacent to the second arm 350 among the plurality of processing chambers 312 to 328. With this configuration, even when the moving plate 330 is formed relatively long and there are a large number of processing chambers arranged vertically, the multiple arms 340, 350 can transport substrates between the processing chambers and the load lock chamber 370 with an efficient movement line.

[0049] Additionally, the substrate transfer apparatus 300 may further include one or more areas (not shown) for temporarily storing (or accommodating) the substrate during transfer. That is, when a substrate is transferred from a first unit to a second unit of the substrate transfer apparatus 300, the substrate may arrive at the second unit via a predetermined area (or after a temporary stop).

[0050] The first unit may include any one of the processing chambers 312 to 328, the first arm 340, the second arm 350, and the load lock chamber 370. Similarly, the second unit may include any one of the processing chambers 312 to 328, the first arm 340, the second arm 350, and the load lock chamber 370. However, since the first unit and the second unit respectively indicate the origin and destination of the substrate, the first unit and the second unit may be configured differently. For example, the substrate transfer device 300 may further include an area (hereinafter referred to as a 'first storage area') for temporarily storing the target substrate while the target substrate is being transferred between the first arm 340 and the second arm 350. To this end, the first storage area may be located adjacent to the path 360. Alternatively, the first storage area may be located in the central hole of the ring-shaped path 360. Therefore, if there is a target substrate that needs to be transferred to the second arm 350 by the first arm 340 while the second arm 350 is transferring another substrate, the first arm 340 can immediately place the target substrate in the first storage area and perform another task without having to wait until the second arm 350 has completed transferring the other substrate. That is, the state of the second unit, which is the basis for determining whether the target substrate passes through the predetermined area, can be associated with at least one of the movement and position of the arm (here, the second arm 350) that is the second unit, and whether it is storing another substrate.

[0051] As another example, the substrate transfer apparatus 300 may further include an area (hereinafter referred to as a 'second storage area') for temporarily storing the target substrate while the target substrate is being transferred between the second arm 350 and the load lock chamber 370. For this purpose, the second storage area may be disposed between the path 360 and the load lock chamber 370. Therefore, when the load lock chamber 370 is not ready to receive the processed target substrate, the second arm 350 can immediately place the target substrate in the second storage area and perform another task without having to wait until the load lock chamber 370 is ready to receive the target substrate. That is, the state of the second unit, which is the basis for determining whether the target substrate passes through the predetermined area, may be related to at least one of the temperature, humidity, pressure, and whether another substrate is being stored in the chamber (here, the load lock chamber 370) of the second unit.

[0052] The above-described configuration allows the substrate transfer apparatus 300 to transport substrates more efficiently, which may lead to a unique technical effect of maximizing the substrate throughput of the substrate transfer apparatus 300. Meanwhile, areas for temporarily storing substrates may be provided on the moving plate 330 in the form of hardware modules such as stations, chambers, etc.

[0053] 4A and 4B are plan views of arm units 410 and 420 including different components according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, arms 412 and 422 and paths 414 and 424 in FIGS. 4A and 4B may correspond to the arms and paths shown in FIGS. 1A through 3, respectively. That is, the arms shown in FIGS. 1A through 3 may be replaced with at least one of arms 412 and 422 in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Also, the paths shown in FIGS. 1A through 3 may be replaced with at least one of paths 414 and 424 in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

[0054] 4A shows an example in which the path 414 includes a rail. In this case, the first pivot axis p1 of the arm 412 can be positioned at any point along the rail included in the path 414.

[0055] 4B shows an example in which the path 424 includes a plurality of links L1 to L8. In this case, the second pivot axis p2 of the arm 422 may be located at a specific point (i.e., any one of the links L1 to L8) among the plurality of links L1 to L8 included in the path 424. To this end, the path 424 in FIG. 4B may include a structure that provides a movement path for the arm 422 and simultaneously fixes the arm 422 at a predetermined position. The sub-structure of the plurality of links L1 to L8 will be described in detail below.

[0056] For example, the path 424 in FIG. 4B may include a rail and a fixing member, and the arm 422 may include a structure shaped to which the fixing member can be coupled. Specifically, rails along which the second pivot axis p2 of the arm 422 can move may be continuously arranged, and a plurality of fixing members may be spaced apart on the rail as a plurality of links L1 to L8. Therefore, when the second pivot axis p2 moves from a departure link (e.g., the fifth link L5) to a destination link (e.g., the first link L1), the fixing member that is disposed on the departure link and fixing the position of the second pivot axis p2 may be separated from the specific structure of the arm 422. Then, the second pivot axis p2 of the arm 422 may move along the rail between the departure link and the destination link and be positioned at the destination link. Finally, the fixing member disposed at the destination link may be connected to the specific structure of the arm 422. Therefore, the arm 422 may stably perform substrate transfer without being separated from the destination link. Meanwhile, for a robust and strong connection, the structures of the fixing member and the arm 422 may be configured with corresponding shapes (e.g., convex and concave, pin and hole, etc.).

[0057] As another example, the path 424 in FIG. 4B may include a rail and multiple electromagnet members, and the arm 422 may include a magnetic member (or conversely, the path 424 may include a magnetic member and the arm 422 may include an electromagnet member). Specifically, rails along which the second pivot axis p2 of the arm 422 can move may be continuously arranged, and multiple electromagnet members may be spaced apart on the rails as multiple links L1 to L8. Therefore, when the second pivot axis p2 moves from a source link (e.g., the fifth link L5) to a destination link (e.g., the first link L1), the electromagnet members arranged in the source link may be demagnetized by deactivating the current supply, and the electromagnet members arranged in the destination link may be magnetized by deactivating the current supply. In this case, the electromagnet members arranged between the source link and the destination link remain demagnetized. After that, the second pivot axis p2 of the arm 422 may move along the rail between the source link and the destination link and then be fixed to the destination link by the magnetism of the destination link. On the other hand, for a similarly robust and strong coupling, at least a portion of the electromagnetic member in contact with arm 422 may be configured in a shape corresponding to (or identical to) the magnetic member included in arm 422. Thus, arm 422 can be fixed at a precise position on the destination link. Various modifications of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined in the present invention may be applied to various modifications without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the examples described herein, but is intended to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0058] Although example embodiments refer to utilizing aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter in the context of one or more stand-alone computer systems, the present subject matter is not so limited, but rather may be implemented in connection with any computing environment, including networked or distributed computing environments. Furthermore, embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter may be implemented on or across multiple processing chips or devices, and storage may be affected similarly across multiple devices. Such devices may include PCs, network servers, and handheld devices.

[0059] Although the present disclosure has been described herein with reference to certain embodiments, it should be understood that various modifications and changes that would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, and such modifications and changes are to be considered to fall within the scope of the claims appended hereto. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 100 Substrate transfer device 112~126 Processing chamber 130 Moving Plate 140 arm 150 routes 160 Load-lock 170 EFEM(Equipment Front End Module) 180 LPM (Load Port Module)

Claims

1. A moving plate; a load lock chamber disposed at one end of the moving plate; a plurality of processing chambers arranged along a longitudinal direction on both ends of the moving plate; a first arm connected to the moving plate and configured to transfer a substrate between any one of the plurality of processing chambers and the load lock chamber; Including, the moving plate provides a first path configured to allow a first pivot axis of the first arm to move circularly with the moving plate; a position of the first pivot axis on the first path is determined based on a position of the one processing chamber relative to the moving plate; The first pivot axis, determined based on the position of the processing chamber disposed on one side of the center point of the circular motion in the lateral direction of the moving plate, is located on the other side of the center point of the circular motion.

2. The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first path comprises at least one of the following shapes: an ellipse or an arc.

3. a second arm coupled to the moving plate and configured to transfer the substrate between any one of the processing chambers and the load lock chamber; further comprising 2. The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the moving plate provides the first path configured to allow the first pivot shaft of the first arm and the second pivot shaft of the second arm to each make a circular movement on the moving plate.

4. The substrate transfer device of claim 3 , wherein the substrate is configured to pass through the second arm between the one of the processing chambers and the load lock chamber.

5. a third arm connected to the moving plate and configured to transfer the substrate between any one of the processing chambers and the load lock chamber; further comprising 2. The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the moving plate provides a second path configured to allow a third pivot axis of the third arm to move circularly with the moving plate.

6. The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first path includes a rail.

7. 2. The substrate transfer device of claim 1, wherein the first path includes a plurality of links, and the first pivot axis is disposed on any one of the links to transfer the substrate from any one of the processing chambers.

8. When the substrate is transferred from the first unit to the second unit, the substrate reaches the second unit via a region that is predetermined based on a state of the second unit; 2. The substrate transfer device of claim 1, wherein the first unit and the second unit each include one of the load lock chamber, any one of the processing chambers, and the first arm, and the first unit and the second unit are configured differently from each other.

9. 9. The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 8, wherein when the second unit is the first arm, the state is associated with at least one of movement, position, and whether or not another substrate is being accommodated.

10. 9. The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 8, wherein when the second unit is the load lock chamber or any one of the processing chambers, the condition is related to at least one of temperature, humidity, pressure, and whether or not another substrate is contained therein.

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