PCB transport system and PCB transport method

Abstract

The present invention provides a substrate transport system and a substrate transport method that can prevent contamination of the substrate inside the FOUP when removing the substrate from the FOUP placed on the load port. [Solution] The substrate transport system according to this disclosure includes a load port equipped with a mounting table on which a container having a plurality of slots for accommodating substrates is placed, a substrate transport device arranged adjacent to the load port and equipped with a housing having a substrate transport space, a fan filter unit provided on the ceiling of the housing, a substrate transport robot provided in the substrate transport space inside the housing, a port door provided so as to be movable along the side of the housing and opening and closing a lid that closes an opening formed in the side of the container via an inlet / outlet on the side of the housing, a gas supply unit provided above the inlet / outlet and discharging gas vertically downward, and a control unit that controls the operation of each unit, and controls the flow rate of gas discharged from the gas supply unit according to the position of the slots accessed by the substrate transport robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a substrate transfer system and a substrate transfer method.

Background Art

[0002] Substrates such as semiconductor wafers to be processed in semiconductor manufacturing equipment are accommodated in a plurality in a container called a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) and transferred between semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The substrate is placed and accommodated on the slot of the FOUP, and is taken in and out by a transfer arm in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment through an opening provided in the FOUP.

[0003] At this time, since the lid of the FOUP is opened and closed by a port door to carry in and out the substrate, there is a risk that the air in the substrate transfer chamber of the EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) will enter the FOUP and contaminate the substrate surface.

[0004] On the other hand, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a technique of supplying a cleaning gas vertically downward along the opening surface of the device opening from a curtain nozzle provided above the device opening to form a downward flow of the cleaning gas. By forming such a downward flow of the cleaning gas, it is possible to effectively prevent the air in the substrate transfer chamber from entering the inside of the FOUP.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that when the transport arm loads and unloads a substrate from the FOUP, turbulence is generated when the downflow hits the transport arm or the substrate held by the transport arm. This turbulence may cause air from the substrate transport chamber to flow into the FOUP, potentially contaminating the substrate. In this regard, Patent Document 1 describes the continuous formation of downflow during substrate transport operations, but it does not address the problem of turbulence being generated when the transport arm or other components hit this downflow.

[0007] This disclosure is made to solve the above problems and aims to provide a substrate transport system and a substrate transport method that can prevent contamination of the substrate inside the FOUP when removing the substrate from the FOUP placed on the load port. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above problems, a first aspect of the present invention is a substrate transport system comprising: a load port equipped with a mounting table on which a container having a plurality of slots for accommodating substrates is placed; a substrate transport device equipped with a housing arranged adjacent to the load port and having a substrate transport space for transporting substrates; a fan filter unit provided on the ceiling of the housing; a substrate transport robot provided in the substrate transport space inside the housing; a port door provided so as to be movable along the side of the housing and opening and closing a lid that closes an opening formed in the side of the container via an inlet / outlet on the side of the housing; a gas supply unit provided above the inlet / outlet and discharging gas vertically downward; and a control unit that controls the operation of each unit, wherein the control unit controls the flow rate of gas discharged from the gas supply unit according to the position of the slot being accessed when the substrate transport robot loads or unloads the substrates from the container.

[0009] A second aspect of the present invention is a substrate transport system according to the first aspect, wherein the control unit adjusts the flow rate of the gas before the substrate transport robot loads the substrate into or out of the container.

[0010] A third aspect of the present invention is the substrate transport system according to the first aspect, wherein the control unit reduces the flow rate of the gas as the position of the slot accessed by the substrate transport robot moves upward, or increases the flow rate of the gas as the position of the slot accessed by the substrate transport robot moves downward.

[0011] A fourth aspect of the present invention is a substrate transport system according to the first or second aspect, further comprising distance detection means for detecting the distance to the transport arm of the substrate transport robot, wherein the control unit controls the flow rate of gas discharged from the gas supply unit based on the detection result of the distance detection means.

[0012] A fifth aspect of the present invention is a substrate transport system according to the fourth aspect, wherein the distance detection means is located above the loading / unloading port and is positioned between the gas supply unit and the substrate transport robot in a plan view.

[0013] A sixth aspect of the present invention is a substrate transport system according to the first to third aspects, wherein the control unit sets the flow rate of the gas discharged from the gas supply unit to its maximum value when the port door is open and the substrate transport robot does not access the container.

[0014] A seventh aspect of the present invention is a method using a substrate transport system comprising: a load port having a mounting table for mounting a container having a plurality of slots for accommodating substrates; a substrate transport device having a housing adjacent to the load port and having a substrate transport space for transporting substrates; a fan filter unit provided on the ceiling of the housing; a substrate transport robot provided in the substrate transport space inside the housing; a port door provided so as to be movable along the side of the housing and opening and closing a lid that closes an opening formed in the side of the container through an inlet / outlet on the side of the housing; a gas supply unit provided above the inlet / outlet and discharging gas vertically downward; and a control unit for controlling the operation of each unit, wherein when the substrate transport robot loads or unloads the substrates into or out of the container, the flow rate of gas discharged from the gas supply unit is adjusted according to the position of the slot being accessed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to this disclosure, a substrate transport system and a substrate transport method can be provided that can prevent contamination of the substrate inside the FOUP when removing the substrate from the FOUP placed on the load port. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] A schematic plan view of a substrate transport system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a substrate transport system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating how the transport arm accesses the substrate inside the FOUP in the substrate transport system. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram of the control unit of a substrate transport system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart showing a substrate transport method, including a method for controlling the flow rate of the gas supply section of a substrate transport system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6]A table showing the relationship between the control of the substrate transfer robot and the gas flow rate control in the substrate transfer system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] A flowchart showing a substrate transfer method including a flow rate control method of a gas supply unit in a substrate transfer system according to a modified example of an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] A table showing the relationship between the detection of the distance detection means and the flow rate control in the substrate transfer system according to a modified example of an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter, simply referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described in detail. The following present embodiment is an exemplification for explaining the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention to the following contents. The present invention can be appropriately modified and implemented within the scope of its gist. In the drawings, the same elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Also, the positional relationships such as up, down, left, and right are based on the positional relationships shown in the drawings unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are not limited to the illustrated ratios.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate transfer system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the substrate transfer system of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view when the transfer arm accesses the substrate in the FOUP in the substrate transfer system of FIG. 1.

[0019] <Substrate Transfer System>

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate transfer system 300 of the present embodiment includes a load port 2, a substrate transfer device 1, and a control unit 70 that controls the operations of each part. The load port 2 includes a mounting table 20 on which the container 10 is mounted. The substrate transfer device 1 includes a housing 30, a port door 40, a fan filter unit 50, a substrate transfer robot 60, and a gas supply unit 80.

[0021] (Container) As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the container 10 comprises a container body 11 having an opening 12 and a lid 13. The container 10 may be, for example, a FOUP, and can accommodate a plurality of substrates W placed on the slots 14 with their surfaces facing upwards. One substrate W is placed in each slot 14. Substrates W may be placed in all of the slots 14 in the container 10, or they may be placed in some of the slots 14, leaving some slots 14 empty.

[0022] The container 10 is provided with an opening 12, which is sealed by a lid 13. The lid 13 is provided with a latch (not shown), which secures the lid 13 to the container body 11 of the container 10.

[0023] The container 10, sealed by the lid 13, is transported by a transport device such as an OHT (Overhead Hoist Transport). When the lid 13 is opened, the substrate W contained in the container 10 is removed by a transport arm 61 (described later) and transported to the substrate processing device 3.

[0024] (Platform) As shown in Figure 3, the mounting table 20 comprises a base 21, a mounting section 23 on which a container 10 containing the substrate W is placed, and a moving mechanism (not shown) incorporated into the base 21 to move the mounting section 23 horizontally (in the Y-axis direction in Figure 2). For example, the container 10 transported by a transport device such as an OHT is placed on the mounting section 23 which is waiting on the negative Y-axis side, and the mounting section 23 is moved by the moving mechanism toward the housing 30 side (positive Y-axis direction) and mounted on the substrate transport device 1.

[0025] (Enclosure) As shown in Figure 2, the housing 30 forms a clean substrate transport space 32 inside it. A fan filter unit 50, which will be described later, is positioned above the housing 30 and supplies filtered clean air into the substrate transport space 32 as a downflow DF in the vertical direction downward.

[0026] The housing 30 is installed adjacent to the mounting base 20 of the load port 2. As shown in Figure 3, an loading / unloading port 31 is formed in the side wall of the housing 30 in an area extending vertically upward from the end of the base 21. When the mounting section 23 moves toward the housing 30 and the container 10 and the substrate transport space 32 can communicate, the substrate W is loaded and unloaded through this loading / unloading port 31.

[0027] The housing 30 houses a substrate transport robot 60 that handles the transfer of substrates W in the substrate transport space 32. The housing 30 also forms a connection between the substrate processing device 3, which performs various processes on the substrates W, and the load port 2. The substrate transport robot 60 takes the substrates W out of the container 10 and transports them to the substrate processing device 3, and then returns the substrates W received from the substrate processing device 3 to the container 10.

[0028] (Port Door) When the container 10 is not placed on it, the port door 40 fits into the loading / unloading port 31 of the housing 30 to close the loading / unloading port 31. When the container 10 is placed on it, the port door 40 opens and closes the lid 13 of the container 10 through the loading / unloading port 31 on the side of the housing 30.

[0029] The port door 40 is movable by a port door drive unit 41. Specifically, the port door 40 holds the lid 13 through the loading / unloading port 31, and while holding the lid 13, moves horizontally towards the rear (positive Y-axis direction) by the port door drive unit 41, removing the lid 13 and opening the opening 12 of the container 10 and the loading / unloading port 31 of the housing 30. Subsequently, the port door 40 moves vertically downward (negative Z-axis direction) along the side of the housing 30 by the drive mechanism. Then, the container 10 opens to the substrate transport space 32, and the transport arm 61 of the substrate transport robot 60 can access the container 10. The transport arm 61 holds the substrates W contained in the container 10 one or more at a time and transports them to the subsequent substrate processing device 3.

[0030] After processing in the substrate processing apparatus 3, the substrate W is transported to the container 10 by the substrate transport robot 60. When closing the lid 13 of the container 10 containing the substrate W after processing in the substrate processing apparatus 3, the port door 40 moves vertically upward (positive Z-axis direction) while holding the lid 13. Then it moves horizontally towards the front (negative Y-axis direction) and fits the lid 13 into the opening 12 of the container 10. A locking mechanism (not shown) is activated to fix the lid 13 to the container 10. In this way, the port door 40 opens and closes the opening 12 of the container 10 and the loading / unloading port 31 of the housing 30.

[0031] (Fan filter unit) As shown in Figure 2, the fan filter unit 50 is installed on the ceiling of the housing 30 and supplies filtered clean air into the substrate transport space 32. Examples of clean air include dry air or an inert gas such as nitrogen gas.

[0032] (Circuit board transport robot) The substrate transport robot 60 is installed in the substrate transport space 32 within the housing 30. As shown in Figure 3, the substrate transport robot 60 comprises a transport arm 61 and a substrate transport robot drive unit 62, and transports substrates W in and out through the loading / unloading port 31 of the housing 30, which is in communication with the opening 12 of the container 10. The operation of the substrate transport robot 60 is controlled by the substrate transport robot drive unit 62.

[0033] (Gas Supply Department) As shown in Figure 3, a gas supply unit 80 for discharging inert gas is provided above the inlet / outlet 31 of the housing 30. The gas supply unit 80 is equipped with a gas discharge nozzle 81 and discharges inert gas vertically downward to form an air curtain AC. As the inert gas, nitrogen gas (N2), argon gas (Ar), or, if other than an inert gas, clean dry air (CDA) can be used. The gas supply unit 80 is provided along the entire width of the inlet / outlet 31 in a plan view, but it may be modified as appropriate.

[0034] (Distance detection means) As shown in Figure 3, a distance detection means 90 may be provided near the gas supply unit 80 to detect the distance to the transport arm 61 of the substrate transport robot 60. The distance detection means 90 may have a distance sensor 91. The distance detection means 90 is, for example, located above the loading / unloading port 31 of the housing 30 and positioned between the gas supply unit 80 and the substrate transport robot 60 in a plan view.

[0035] The distance sensor 91 preferably measures the distance to the transport arm 61 that accesses the container 10. As shown in Figure 3, for example, when the transport arm 61 enters vertically below the distance sensor 91, the distance between the distance sensor 91 and the transport arm 61 is calculated. The distance sensor 91 is preferably positioned adjacent to the gas supply unit 80 and on the same plane. Known technologies can be used for this distance sensor 91, and it may be one that detects distance by irradiating light such as laser light or infrared light and measuring the time it takes for the light to reflect off the target object and return. In addition to light, any sensor that uses sound, ultrasound, etc., and has a length-measuring function may be used. Examples include optical distance sensors, ultrasonic distance sensors, and millimeter-wave radar sensors. Furthermore, it is not limited to these, and for example, the distance between the gas supply unit 80 and the transport arm 61 may be calculated from an image using an imaging device such as a CCD camera.

[0036] (Control Unit) Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control unit of the substrate transport system 300 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the port door drive unit 41, the gas supply unit 80, the substrate transport robot drive unit 62, and the distance detection means 90 are electrically connected to the control unit 70.

[0037] The control unit 70 includes a controller 71 that receives input data from various control programs and controls the operation of each part of the substrate transport system 300, and a storage unit 72 that stores the input data from various control programs.

[0038] The controller 71 consists of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory, etc., and controls the operation of each part by executing a predetermined program. The storage unit 72 can consist of a storage medium such as a hard disk drive, compact disk, flash memory, flexible disk, or memory card. A control program is stored in these storage media, and the control program is installed in the control unit 70 and executed by the controller 71. The controller 71 has the following functional configuration: a drive control unit 75, a flow rate control unit 76, and a distance calculation unit 77.

[0039] The functions of each control unit will be explained in detail with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a table showing the relationship between the control of the substrate transport robot 60 and the gas flow rate control in this embodiment.

[0040] In Figure 6, the "access position" refers to the location of the slot 14 in the container 10 that the transport arm 61 of the substrate transport robot 60 accesses. For example, slot area 4 refers to the location of the slot 14 within the range L4 shown in Figure 3. The number of rows of slot 14 in slot area 4 can be selected as appropriate, and it may be just one row.

[0041] Furthermore, "door open" indicates a state where the port door 40 is open, holding the lid 13, and the opening 12 of the container 10 and the loading / unloading port 31 of the housing 30 are in communication. "Door closed" indicates a state where the port door 40 is not holding the lid 13, and the loading / unloading port 31 of the housing 30 is closed. In this case, it does not matter whether the container 10 is placed on the mounting base 20 or not.

[0042] First, the drive control unit 75 transmits a control signal to the port door drive unit 41. In the case of "door open" as shown in Figure 6, the drive control unit 75 transmits a door open control signal to the port door drive unit 41, and the port door drive unit 41 moves the port door 40 from the position that closes the loading / unloading port 31 of the housing 30 to the position below the mounting base 20 as shown in Figure 3. On the other hand, in the case of "door closed", the drive control unit 75 transmits a door closed control signal to the port door drive unit 41, and the port door drive unit 41 moves the port door 40 from the position below the mounting base 20 to the position that closes the loading / unloading port 31 of the housing 30.

[0043] Furthermore, the drive control unit 75 sends a control signal to the substrate transport robot drive unit 62. Specifically, the drive control unit 75 instructs the substrate transport robot drive unit 62 which slot 14 the transport arm 61 of the substrate transport robot 60 should access. For example, in the example in Figure 3, there are three rows of slots 14 in L4, which is the range of the slot area 4. Each slot 14 is assigned a slot ID, and the transport arm 61 accesses the slot 14 with the slot ID instructed by the drive control unit 75.

[0044] The flow rate control unit 76 controls the flow rate of the inert gas supplied by the gas supply unit 80. In Figure 6, the values ​​listed in the table represent the flow rate as a percentage of the maximum flow rate of the inert gas discharged from the gas supply unit 80, which is set to 100%. For example, referring to Figure 6, the drive control unit 75 sends a control signal to the port door drive unit 41 to open the door and a control signal to the substrate transport robot drive unit 62 to access the slots 14 located in the slot area 4. In this case, the flow rate control unit 76 controls the gas supply unit 80 to supply inert gas at a flow rate of 100%. This flow rate can be selected as appropriate and may be less than 100%.

[0045] Furthermore, when the door is open and the drive control unit 75 controls the substrate transfer robot drive unit 62 to access the slot 14 located in the slot area 3, the flow rate control unit 76 controls the gas supply unit 80 to supply inert gas at a flow rate of X%. Similarly, when the substrate transfer robot 60 accesses a slot 14 located in the slot area 2, the flow rate control unit 76 controls the inert gas to a flow rate of Y%, and when it accesses a slot 14 located in the slot area 1, it controls the inert gas to a flow rate of Z%.

[0046] As described above, the drive control unit 75 and the flow rate control unit 76 control the flow rate of the inert gas discharged from the gas supply unit 80 according to the position of the slot 14 accessed by the substrate transfer robot 60.

[0047] Furthermore, the timing for switching the flow rate of the inert gas discharged from the gas supply unit 80 does not need to be before the substrate transport robot 60 accesses the container 10. Specifically, it is preferable that the flow rate is adjusted by the time the transport arm 61 of the substrate transport robot 60 enters the vertically downward direction of the inert gas discharged from the gas supply unit 80.

[0048] As shown in Figure 3, for example, slot area 1 is set to the range L1, similarly, slot area 2 is set to the range shown in L2, slot area 3 is set to the range L3, and slot area 4 is set to the range L4. Each slot area is at a different distance from the gas supply unit 80 (gas discharge unit 81), and when arranged in order from the furthest to the gas supply unit 80, they are L4, L3, L2, and L1.

[0049] In this embodiment, when the substrate transport robot 60 loads and unloads the substrate W into and out of the container 10, the flow rate of the inert gas is controlled to decrease as the position of the accessed slot 14 becomes higher. Therefore, in the example in Figure 3, the flow rate of the inert gas is lower when the substrate transport robot 60 accesses slot area 3 than when it accesses slot area 4. That is, the ratio of the inert gas flow rates in Figure 6 is 100% > X% > Y% > Z%.

[0050] Furthermore, when the door is open and the drive control unit 75 controls the substrate transport robot drive unit 62 to prevent the substrate transport robot 60 from accessing any of the slots 14, the flow rate control unit 76 controls the gas supply unit 80 to supply inert gas at 100% flow rate. In other words, when the port door 40 opens the lid 13 and the substrate transport robot 60 does not access the container 10, the flow rate of the inert gas discharged from the gas supply unit 80 is set to 100% of its maximum value.

[0051] The distance calculation unit 77 controls the distance detection means 90, which detects the distance from the distance sensor 91 to the transport arm 61. Specifically, it calculates the position of the slot 14 that the transport arm 61 accesses from the distance to the transport arm 61 detected by the distance detection means 90. The distance sensor 91 (distance detection means 90) is located above the loading / unloading port 31 of the housing 30 and is positioned between the gas supply unit 80 and the substrate transport robot 60 in a plan view. This allows the aforementioned distance to be detected before the transport arm of the substrate transport robot 60 enters the area vertically below the gas supply unit 80.

[0052] As shown in Figure 8, the distance calculation unit 77 calculates the range of the slot 14 that the transport arm 61 will access based on the distance detected by the distance sensor 91 (distance detection means 90). For example, based on the distance detected by the distance detection means 90, the distance calculation unit 77 calculates which range of L4, L3, L2, or L1 the transport arm 61 is attempting to access. Then, it identifies the slot area that the transport arm 61 will access.

[0053] <Substrate transport method> In the substrate transport system 300 having the above configuration, the substrate transport method, including the flow rate control method of the gas supply unit 80, will be described below with reference to Figure 5.

[0054] Figure 5 is a flowchart of the substrate transport method P100, including the flow rate control method, in this embodiment. First, the FOUP container 10 is placed on the mounting table 20 from the OHT or the like (step S101).

[0055] Next, the discharge of inert gas from the gas supply unit 80 is started (step S102). In conjunction with the start of the discharge of inert gas, the port door drive unit 41 controls the operation of the port door 40, removing the lid 13 from the container 10 and opening the opening 12 of the container 10 and the loading / unloading port 31 of the housing 30 (step S103).

[0056] In step S103, the control unit 70 determines whether the substrate transport robot 60 is accessing the container 10. If it is not accessing it, the flow rate control unit 76 adjusts the flow rate of the inert gas to its maximum value (100%).

[0057] Next, the flow rate control unit 76 adjusts the flow rate of the inert gas according to the position of the slot 14 accessed by the substrate transport robot 60, based on the control signal from the drive control unit 75 (step S104). In the example in Figure 5, a control signal is transmitted to transport the substrate in the first slot 14 located in the slot area 1, so the flow rate control unit 76 adjusts the flow rate of the inert gas to discharge Z% from the gas discharge unit 81 based on this control signal.

[0058] Then, the substrate W is unloaded from the first slot 14 of the container 10 by the substrate transport robot 60 (step S105). Here, as described above, the flow rate of the inert gas is adjusted by the flow rate control unit 76 before the transport arm 61 of the substrate transport robot 60 enters vertically below the gas discharge nozzle 81.

[0059] Subsequently, the drive control unit 75 specifies the slot ID of the slot 14 from which the substrate W will be discharged and sends a control signal to the substrate transport robot drive unit 62. For example, as shown in Figure 5, when a control signal is issued to transport the substrate from the Nth slot 14, the flow rate control unit 76 determines which slot area the Nth slot 14 belongs to based on that control signal. Then, it controls the gas supply unit 80 so that the flow rate of the inert gas corresponds to that slot area. In this way, the flow rate control unit 76 adjusts the flow rate of the inert gas based on the control signal from the drive control unit 75 (step S106). For example, if the Nth slot 14 is the Ninth slot 14 belonging to slot area 3, the flow rate of the inert gas is increased to X% (X>Z). Then, the substrate transport robot 60 discharges the substrate W from the Nth slot 14 (step S107).

[0060] The drive control unit 75 refers to the unloading schedule of the substrate transport robot 60, and when it determines that the substrate transport robot 60 has finished accessing the container 10, the drive control unit 75 sends a control signal to the port door drive unit 41 to instruct it to close the lid 13. The port door drive unit 41 receives the control signal and performs the closing operation of the lid 13 (step S108).

[0061] The drive control unit 75 then determines that the port door 40 is closed, and the flow rate control unit 76 controls the flow rate of the inert gas to 0%, that is, to stop the discharge (step S109).

[0062] Alternatively, the above flow rate control method P100 may be implemented by storing the control program in a storage medium, installing this control program in the control unit 70, and having the control unit 70 execute the series of flow rate control methods P100.

[0063] As described above, in the inert gas flow rate control of this embodiment, the control unit 70 controls the flow rate of the inert gas discharged from the gas supply unit 80 based on the control signal of the port door 40 and the control signal of the substrate transport robot 60. Specifically, the flow rate of the inert gas discharged from the gas supply unit 80 is controlled according to the position of the slot 14 accessed by the substrate transport robot 60. This suppresses the generation of turbulence when the substrate transport robot 60 accesses the container 10, and prevents contamination of the container 10 and the substrate W.

[0064] Furthermore, by adjusting the flow rate of the inert gas before the substrate transport robot 60 loads or unloads the substrate W into or out of the container 10, turbulence generated by the movement of the transport arm 61 of the substrate transport robot 60 can be reliably suppressed.

[0065] Furthermore, the flow rate of the discharged inert gas is reduced as the position of the slot 14 accessed by the substrate transfer robot 60 moves upward. That is, when accessing a slot 14 close to the gas supply unit 80, the flow rate of the discharged inert gas is reduced compared to slots 14 that are further away from the gas supply unit 80. This reduces the size and velocity of the gas flow hitting the transfer arm 61, thereby further suppressing the generation of turbulence. Alternatively, the flow rate of the discharged inert gas may be increased as the position of the slot 14 accessed by the substrate transfer robot 60 moves downward.

[0066] On the other hand, when the port door 40 is open and the lid 13 is open, and the substrate transport robot 60 does not access the container 10, the flow rate of the discharged inert gas is set to its maximum value. This prevents external contamination from the downflow DF from entering the container and maintains an appropriate air curtain AC.

[0067] <Variation> Figure 7 shows a substrate transport method including the operation flow of gas flow rate control using the distance detection means 90. Figure 8 is a table showing the relationship between detection by the distance detection means and flow rate control.

[0068] This modified example shows a substrate transport method P200 that includes a flow rate control method, which is a modified example of the substrate transport method P100 that includes a flow rate control method shown in Figures 5 and 6. Steps S201 to S202, which have the same configuration as the flow rate control method P100, will not be explained.

[0069] In step S203, the distance calculation unit 77 determines whether the substrate transport robot 60 is located vertically below the distance detection means 90 (in the detection area). Specifically, it determines whether the distance sensor 91 is ON or OFF. If it is OFF, the flow rate control unit 76 adjusts the flow rate of the inert gas to its maximum value (100%) (see Figure 8).

[0070] When the distance sensor 91 detects the entry of the transport arm 61 into the detection area (sensor ON), the distance detection means 90 detects the distance from the gas discharge nozzle 81 to the substrate transport robot 60 (step S204). In the example of Figures 7 and 8, for example, the distance sensor 91 is turned ON, the distance detection means 90 detects the distance to the entered transport arm 61, and based on the detected distance, the distance calculation unit 77 calculates that the position of the slot 14 accessed by the transport arm 61 is within the range of L1. In this case, the flow rate control unit 76 adjusts the flow rate of the inert gas to discharge Z% from the gas discharge unit 81 based on this detection result (step S205).

[0071] Then, the substrate W is unloaded from the first slot 14 of the container 10 by the transport arm 61 of the substrate transport robot 60 (step S206). Here, as described above, the flow rate of the inert gas is adjusted by the flow rate control unit 76 before the transport arm 61 of the substrate transport robot 60 enters vertically below the gas discharge nozzle 81.

[0072] Subsequently, the distance detection means 90 detects the distance to the incoming transport arm 61, and the distance calculation unit 77 calculates the range of the slot 14 that the transport arm 61 accesses. For example, as shown in Figure 7, the distance detection means 90 detects the distance to the transport arm 61 (step S207). Then, based on the detected distance, the distance calculation unit 77 calculates the range of the slot 14, and the flow rate control unit 76 adjusts the flow rate of the inert gas to the range set for that slot 14 (S208). As shown in Figure 8, the ranges of the slot 14 are set to L4, L3, L2, and L1, and the distance to the gas supply unit 80 decreases in this order. The flow rate control unit 76 also controls the flow rate of the inert gas according to this range. For example, the flow rate of the inert gas is controlled to 100% for L4, X% for L3, Y% for L2, and Z% for L1. The ratio of the inert gas flow rate is 100% > X% > Y% > Z% depending on the position of the slot 14.

[0073] Then, the substrate transport robot 60 unloads the substrate W from the Nth slot 14 (step S209).

[0074] In this modified example, the distance calculation unit 77 calculates the range (position) of the slot 14 accessed by the substrate transport robot 60 based on the detection result detected by the distance detection means 90, rather than based on the control signal of the drive control unit 75. Then, the flow rate control unit 76 controls the gas supply unit 80 so that the flow rate ratio of the inert gas corresponds to the range of that slot. In this way, the flow rate control unit 76 adjusts the flow rate of the inert gas based on the detection result of the distance detection means 90 (step S208).

[0075] The control methods for steps S210 and S211 are the same as those for steps S108 and S109 described above, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0076] As described above, by controlling the flow rate of the inert gas discharged from the gas supply unit 80 based on the detection result of the distance detection means 90, the flow rate of the inert gas can be controlled based on the actual distance between the gas supply unit 80 and the transport arm 61. Therefore, it is possible to reliably suppress turbulence generated when the gas hits the transport arm 61 or the substrate W.

[0077] In this disclosure, the substrate transport robot 60 is described as transporting semiconductor wafers, but it is not limited to that and can also be applied to devices that transport rectangular substrates such as PLP (Panel-Level Package) substrates. PLP (Panel-Level Package) is a semiconductor back-end manufacturing technology that uses a rectangular "panel" as a substrate, which is larger than the conventional disc-shaped "wafer".

[0078] Although the present invention has been described above based on the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the contents of the above embodiments, and can naturally be modified as appropriate without departing from the present invention. In other words, all other embodiments, examples, and operational techniques made by those skilled in the art based on these embodiments are of course included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0079] 1. Substrate transport device 2 Load Ports 3. Substrate Processing Equipment 10 containers 14 slots 20 mounting platform 30 cabinets 40 Port Doors 50 Fan Filter Unit 60 PCB transport robots 61 Transport Arm 70 Control Unit 71 Controllers 72 Memory section 80 Gas Supply Department 81 Gas discharge nozzle 90 Distance detection means 91 Distance Sensor 300 PCB transport system DF Downflow AC Air Curtain

Claims

1. A load port equipped with a mounting platform for placing a container having multiple slots for housing circuit boards, A substrate transport device comprising a housing positioned adjacent to the load port and having a substrate transport space for transporting substrates, A fan filter unit is provided on the ceiling of the aforementioned enclosure, A substrate transport robot is provided in the substrate transport space inside the housing, A port door is provided so as to be movable along the side of the housing and opens and closes a lid that closes an opening formed in the side of the container via an loading / unloading port on the side of the housing, A gas supply unit is provided above the aforementioned inlet / outlet and discharges gas vertically downward, It comprises a control unit that controls the operation of each part, The control unit controls the flow rate of gas discharged from the gas supply unit according to the position of the slot accessed by the substrate transport robot when it loads or unloads the substrate into or out of the container, and increases the flow rate of gas the further the position of the slot accessed by the substrate transport robot is from the gas supply unit. A substrate transport system characterized by the following features.

2. A load port comprising a mounting base for mounting a container having a plurality of slots for housing substrates, A substrate transport device comprising a housing positioned adjacent to the load port and having a substrate transport space for transporting substrates, A fan filter unit is provided on the ceiling of the aforementioned enclosure, A substrate transport robot is provided in the substrate transport space inside the housing, A port door is provided so as to be movable along the side of the housing and opens and closes a lid that closes an opening formed in the side of the container via an loading / unloading port on the side of the housing, A gas supply unit is provided above the aforementioned inlet / outlet and discharges gas vertically downward, It comprises a control unit that controls the operation of each part, The control unit controls the flow rate of gas discharged from the gas supply unit according to the position of the slot accessed when the substrate transport robot loads or unloads the substrate into or out of the container, and sets the flow rate of gas discharged from the gas supply unit to its maximum value when the port door is open and the lid is open and the substrate transport robot does not access the container.

3. The substrate transport system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control unit adjusts the flow rate of the gas before the substrate transport robot loads or unloads the substrate into the container.

4. The substrate transport system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control unit reduces the flow rate of the gas as the position of the slot accessed by the substrate transport robot moves upward, or increases the flow rate of the gas as the position of the slot accessed by the substrate transport robot moves downward.

5. The system further includes distance detection means for detecting the distance to the transport arm of the substrate transport robot, The substrate transport system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control unit controls the flow rate of gas discharged from the gas supply unit based on the detection result of the distance detection means.

6. The substrate transport system according to claim 5, characterized in that the distance detection means is located above the loading / unloading port and is positioned between the gas supply unit and the substrate transport robot in a plan view.

7. A load port equipped with a mounting platform for placing a container having multiple slots for housing circuit boards, A substrate transport device comprising a housing positioned adjacent to the load port and having a substrate transport space for transporting substrates, A fan filter unit is provided on the ceiling of the aforementioned enclosure, A substrate transport robot is provided in the substrate transport space inside the housing, A port door is provided so as to be movable along the side of the housing and opens and closes a lid that closes an opening formed in the side of the container via an loading / unloading port on the side of the housing, A gas supply unit is provided above the aforementioned inlet / outlet and discharges gas vertically downward, A substrate transport method using a substrate transport system equipped with a control unit that controls the operation of each part, When the substrate transport robot loads the substrate into or out of the container, before accessing it A substrate transport method characterized by adjusting the flow rate of gas discharged from the gas supply unit according to the position of the slot, and increasing the flow rate of gas the further the position of the slot accessed by the substrate transport robot is from the gas supply unit.

8. A load port comprising a mounting base for mounting a container having a plurality of slots for housing substrates, A substrate transport device comprising a housing positioned adjacent to the load port and having a substrate transport space for transporting substrates, A fan filter unit is provided on the ceiling of the aforementioned enclosure, A substrate transport robot is provided in the substrate transport space inside the housing, A port door is provided so as to be movable along the side of the housing and opens and closes a lid that closes an opening formed in the side of the container via an loading / unloading port on the side of the housing, A gas supply unit is provided above the aforementioned inlet / outlet and discharges gas vertically downward, A substrate transport method using a substrate transport system equipped with a control unit that controls the operation of each part, When the substrate transport robot loads the substrate into or out of the container, before accessing it A substrate transport method characterized by adjusting the flow rate of gas discharged from the gas supply unit according to the position of the slot, and setting the flow rate of gas discharged from the gas supply unit to its maximum value when the port door is open and the lid is open and the substrate transport robot does not access the container.

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