Robot system

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide a robot system that can increase the throughput of substrate alignment. The robot system (6) includes a first aligner (5L) and a second aligner (5R) arranged laterally, and a transport robot (2) that uses a first hand (31) and a second hand (32) to simultaneously transport a substrate (9) to the first aligner (5L) and the second aligner (5R). The first aligner (5L) and the second aligner (5R) each include: a support (52) that supports the substrate (9) at a support position (P1) above the mounting surface (51d) of the spindle (51b); and a drive (53) that causes the support (52) to move up and down to deliver the substrate (9) to the spindle (51b) or receive the substrate (9) from the spindle (51b).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed herein relates to a robotic system. [] Prior Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a conventional robot system. This conventional robot system performs substrate alignment. The robot system includes a robot, a first aligner, and a second aligner. The robot transports the substrates. The robot has a first hand and a second hand, capable of transporting two substrates to the first aligner and the second aligner. The combination of the robot with the first and second hands and the two aligners increases the throughput of substrate alignment.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-81968 [] Summary of the Invention

[0004] -The technical problem the invention aims to solve- However, even with two aligners and the two substrates being transported to the first and second aligners respectively, the robot still experiences standby time during substrate alignment. -Technical means for solving technical problems-

[0005] The disclosed technology relates to a robot system. The robot system includes: a first aligner, a second aligner, and a horizontal multi-joint transport robot. The second aligner is located to the side of the first aligner. The horizontal multi-joint transport robot has a first hand and a second hand, which simultaneously transport a substrate to the first aligner and the second aligner. The first aligner and the second aligner each include a spindle, a support portion, and a drive portion. The spindle has a mounting surface for placing the substrate and rotates the substrate placed on the mounting surface about a rotation axis. The support portion supports the substrate at a support position located above the mounting surface of the spindle. The drive portion raises and lowers the support portion to deliver the substrate to the spindle or receive the substrate from the spindle. -The Effects of the Invention-

[0006] The aforementioned robot system has the configuration of a transport robot that simultaneously transports a substrate to a first aligner and a second aligner, and has the configuration of delivering the substrate to the spindle or receiving the substrate from the spindle by lifting and lowering the support portion. Therefore, it can reduce the robot's standby time and increase the processing capacity of substrate alignment. [] Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0007] Figure 1 shows a robotic system for transporting substrates. Figure 2 is a block diagram of the robot system. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the first and second aligners. Figure 4 is a plan view of the first and second aligners. Figure 5 is a side view of the first and second aligners. Figure 6 is a timing diagram of substrate handling in the robot system. Figure 7 is a timing diagram of substrate handling in the robot system. Figure 8 shows the movement trajectory of the example support surface. Figure 9 shows the movement trajectory of the example support surface. Figure 10 shows a horizontal multi-joint robot. Figure 11 shows the movements of the first and second hands. [] Implementation

[0008] The alignment method for the robot system and substrate will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The alignment method for the robot system and substrate described herein is merely an example.

[0009] (Robot System) Figure 1 is a plan view of the substrate handling system 1. Figure 2 is a block diagram of the substrate handling system 1. The substrate handling system 1 handles substrate 9. Substrate 9 is a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate. The substrate handling system 1 is, for example, a sorter. The substrate handling system 1 is, for example, an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module). The substrate handling system 1 is, for example, a stocker. A robot system 6 is assembled in the substrate handling system 1.

[0010] The substrate handling system 1 includes a frame 10. The frame 10 has a first wall 11, a second wall 12, a third wall 13, and a fourth wall 14. The first wall 11, the second wall 12, the third wall 13, and the fourth wall 14 are respectively perpendicular to the floor. The first wall 11 and the third wall 13 are opposite each other in a first direction. The second wall 12 and the fourth wall 14 are opposite each other in a second direction. The first wall 11 and the second wall 12, as well as the first wall 11 and the fourth wall 14, are connected to each other. The third wall 13 and the second wall 12, as well as the first wall 11 and the fourth wall 14, are connected to each other. The first wall 11, the second wall 12, the third wall 13, and the fourth wall 14 form a closed handling space 15. Both the first direction and the second direction are horizontal, and the second direction is orthogonal to the first direction. The vertical direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction is designated as the third direction.

[0011] Hereinafter, the first direction will be referred to as the left-right direction or X direction, the second direction as the front-back direction or Y direction, and the third direction as the up-down direction or Z direction. It should be noted that the X, Y, and Z directions are used to describe robot system 6, and are not used to limit the construction of robot system 6.

[0012] In the two directions along the X direction, the direction towards the first wall 11 is designated as "left," and the direction towards the third wall 13 is designated as "right." In the two directions along the second direction, the direction towards the second wall 12 is designated as "rear," and the direction towards the fourth wall 14 is designated as "front." Similarly, in the two directions along the third direction, the direction closer to the mounting surface F is designated as "down," and the direction farther from the mounting surface F is designated as "up." Hereinafter, the positions of the components in the up and down directions are sometimes referred to as "height positions." It should be noted that the six directions—front-back, left-right, and up-down—are only examples introduced for simplification. For example, the correspondence between the four directions—front-back, left-right, and up-down—and the frame 10 can be appropriately interchanged.

[0013] The frame 10 also has a top wall. The top wall connects to the first wall 11, the second wall 12, the third wall 13, and the fourth wall 14, and blocks the upper end of the transport space 15. Two aligners 5 are arranged laterally in the transport space 15 in the left-right direction. The two aligners 5 align the substrate 9 respectively. Hereinafter, for ease of explanation, the aligner 5 located on the left side will sometimes be referred to as the first aligner 5L, and the aligner 5 located on the right side will sometimes be referred to as the second aligner 5R. Without distinguishing between the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R, they will continue to be referred to as aligners 5. Details of the aligners 5 will be described later.

[0014] The substrate handling system 1 has a plurality of FOUPs (Front Opening Unified Pods) 41. The plurality of FOUPs 41 are arranged along a first wall 11. Each FOUP 41 houses a substrate 9. Each FOUP 41 is capable of housing a plurality of substrates 9 arranged vertically. The first wall 11 has openings 17 corresponding to the FOUPs 41. FOUP opening devices are responsible for opening and closing the openings 17. These devices also switch between communication and isolation between the handling space 15 and the FOUPs 41.

[0015] The substrate handling system 1 includes a robot 2. Robot 2 is an example of a handling robot. Robot 2 handles substrate 9 between FOUP 41 and alignment device 5 (refer to the solid line and double-dotted line in Figure 1). Robot 2 is located in the handling space 15. Robot 2 is a horizontal, multi-jointed robot. The structure of robot 2 will be described later.

[0016] As shown in Figure 2, the substrate handling system 1 has a system controller 18. It should be noted that the system controller 18 is not a necessary component of the robot system 6. The system controller 18 performs overall control of the substrate handling system 1.

[0017] Robot controller 20 is electrically connected to system controller 18. Robot controller 20 is also electrically connected to robot 2. Robot controller 20 controls robot 2. More specifically, robot controller 20 receives control signals from system controller 18 and outputs control signals to robot 2. Robot 2 receives control signals from robot controller 20 and thereby performs the transfer of substrate 9.

[0018] The electrical connections in this disclosure include: communication connections for transmitting and receiving various signals, such as control signals, via an interface; and power supply connections for power supply. The method of electrical connection is not particularly limited and includes wired or wireless connections. In this embodiment, an example of a wired connection is provided, using a motor wiring harness for power supply and a signal wiring harness for communication.

[0019] Aligner 5 is electrically connected to robot controller 20. Specifically, first alignmenter 5L is connected to robot controller 20 via first motor harness 81 and first signal harness 82. Second alignmenter 5R is connected to robot controller 20 via second motor harness 84. Second alignmenter 5R is connected to first alignmenter 5L via second signal harness 83.

[0020] The robot controller 20 supplies spindle drive power to the first aligner 5L via the first motor harness 81. The robot controller 20 supplies spindle drive power to the second aligner 5R via the second motor harness 84. The robot controller 20 transmits control signals to the first aligner 5L via the first signal harness 82. The robot controller 20 transmits control signals to the second aligner 5R via the first signal harness 82, the first aligner 5L, and the second signal harness 83. It should be noted that the second aligner 5R receiving control signals from the robot controller 20 via the first aligner 5L is not a mandatory component. The second aligner 5R can also receive control signals directly from the robot controller 20. The aligner 5 can also be connected to and controlled by the system controller 18. Alternatively, a dedicated aligner controller, independent of the robot controller 20, can be provided.

[0021] (The structure of a robot) As described above, robot 2 is a horizontal, multi-jointed robot. Figure 10 is a side view of robot 2. Figure 11 is a plan view of the hand of robot 2. As shown in Figures 1 and 10, robot 2 has a base 21. The base 21 is disposed in the transport space 15. Robot 2 has a robotic arm 200. The robotic arm 200 includes an arm 22 and a hand 3.

[0022] The base 21 supports the arm 22. The arm 22 is movable relative to the base 21. A first actuator 23 causes the arm 22 to move up and down. The arm 22 has links 221 and 222. The arm 22 of the illustrated robot 2 has two links, link 221 and link 222. It should be noted that the number of links forming the arm 22 is not limited to two.

[0023] The first end of link 221 is supported by base 21. Link 221 is rotatable relative to base 21 about a first axis Z1, which extends in the Z direction. A second actuator 24 rotates link 221. The second end of link 221 is connected to the first end of link 222. Link 222 is rotatable relative to link 221 about a second axis Z2, which extends in the Z direction. A third actuator 25 rotates link 222.

[0024] The hand 3 of robot 2 includes a first hand 31 and a second hand 32. The first hand 31 and the second hand 32 are connected to the second end of link 222 in an overlapping state in the Z direction. As shown in FIG10, the first hand 31 and the second hand 32 are separated by a distance H in the Z direction.

[0025] The first hand 31 can rotate relative to the link 222 about a third axis Z3 extending in the Z direction, and the second hand 32 can also rotate relative to the link 222 about the third axis Z3. The third axis Z3 is an example of a rotation axis, and the first hand 31 and the second hand 32 rotate around the same rotation axis. The fourth actuator 26 causes the first hand 31 and the second hand 32 to rotate respectively. As shown in the upper part of Figure 11, the first hand 31 and the second hand 32 can be in a state of overlapping in the Z direction; as shown in the lower part of Figure 11, they can also be in a state of separation from each other, and their positions can change between these two states. As shown by the double-dotted line in the lower part of Figure 11, the first hand 31 and the second hand 32 can be separated from each other to a position where the held substrate 9 does not overlap. It should be noted that the first hand 31 and the second hand 32 are not limited to changing their positions symmetrically in top view.

[0026] The first hand portion 31 and the second hand portion 32 have the same structure. Hereinafter, the first hand portion 31 and the second hand portion 32 are collectively referred to as hand portion 3. Hand portion 3 is an end effector used to hold the substrate 9. As shown in FIG11, hand portion 3 has a main body 301 and a holding portion 302. The main body 301 supports the holding portion 302. The main body 301 is rotatably connected to the second end of the connecting rod 222.

[0027] The holding part 302, viewed from above, is roughly Y-shaped with an open front end. As shown in Figure 10, the holding part 302 is a thin plate. The hand 3 typically holds the substrate 9 by various means such as gripping, adsorption, placement, or fitting, and can also release the held substrate 9. It should be noted that the hand 3 in the illustration is an edge gripping hand. The hand 3 holds the substrate 9 by gripping the edge of the substrate 9 with a plurality of guides. The hand 3 releases the substrate 9 by detaching the guides from the edge of the substrate 9. The edge gripping hand has a size corresponding to the diameter of the substrate 9. The edge gripping hand is relatively large in size.

[0028] (Construction of the alignment device) Figure 3 is a perspective view of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R. Figure 4 is a plan view of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R. Figure 5 is a side view of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R. In Figures 3, 4, and 5, the common components of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R are labeled with the same symbols.

[0029] As described above, the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R are arranged in the left-right direction. In other words, the second aligner 5R is located to the side of the first aligner 5L. The first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R are so-called dual aligners. In this embodiment, the left-right direction corresponds to the arrangement direction of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R. Viewed from the perspective of the first aligner 5L, its right side corresponds to the direction closer to the second aligner 5R. Viewed from the perspective of the first aligner 5L, its left side corresponds to the direction farther away from the second aligner 5R. Viewed from the perspective of the second aligner 5R, its right side corresponds to the direction farther away from the first aligner 5L. Viewed from the perspective of the second aligner 5R, its left side corresponds to the direction closer to the first aligner 5L. In the following description, when viewed from each aligner 5 (5R, 5L), the aforementioned approaching direction is sometimes referred to as the approaching direction or inner side, and the aforementioned far-away direction is sometimes referred to as the far-away direction or outer side. It should be noted that the correspondence of each direction varies depending on the correspondence between the four directions (front-back direction, left-right direction) and the frame 10.

[0030] As shown in Figure 4, in this embodiment, the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R are symmetrically arranged around the center line CL when viewed from above. Specifically, when the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R are positioned at the same height, each component of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R is mirror-symmetrically arranged around the reference plane CS (see Figure 3) extending along the center line CL. In other words, the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R have the same structure when viewed from above and are linearly symmetrical about the center line CL. There is no detection stage 55 (described later) between the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R. The first hand 31 and the second hand 32 can utilize the spacious space between the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R to transport the substrate 9 to the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R respectively, and can remove the substrate 9 from the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R respectively.

[0031] The second aligner 5R is offset above or below the first aligner 5L. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG5, the mounting surfaces F of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R are set at different heights. Specifically, the mounting surface F includes a first mounting surface Fl for supporting the first aligner 5L and a second mounting surface Fr for supporting the second aligner 5R. The second mounting surface Fr is higher than the first mounting surface Fl in the vertical direction. The second aligner 5R is offset above the first aligner 5L. In the illustration, the second aligner 5R is offset upwards by a distance H relative to the first aligner 5L. It should be noted that the first aligner 5L can also be offset above the second aligner 5R. Setting the first mounting surface Fl and the second mounting surface Fr at different heights is not a necessary condition. The first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R can have different dimensions in the height direction so that the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R are offset in the vertical direction.

[0032] The common configuration of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R will be described below. In the following description, the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R will be collectively referred to as aligners 5.

[0033] The aligner 5 has a rectangular box-shaped base 50, a rotating stage 51, a support 52, and a detection stage 55. The base 50 is disposed on the mounting surface F. The base 50 has a top surface 50a that supports the rotating stage 51, the support 52, and the detection stage 55. It should be noted that the rotating stage 51, the support 52, and the detection stage 55 can also be formed integrally with the base 50. That is, it is not necessary to consider the base 50 as an independent component relative to the rotating stage 51, the support 52, or the detection stage 55.

[0034] The rotary table 51 has a frame 51a, a main shaft 51b, and a drive unit 54 (see Figure 2). The main shaft 51b is located approximately at the center of the frame 51a in the front-back and left-right directions when viewed from above. The main shaft 51b protrudes upward from the upper surface of the frame 51a. The main shaft 51b is cylindrical with a rotation axis Ox in the vertical direction (see Figure 5). The distance D3 between the center of the main shaft 51b of the first aligner 5L and the center of the main shaft 51b of the second aligner 5R is greater than the diameter Dw of the substrate 9. As shown in Figure 4, the substrate 9 placed on the main shaft 51b of the first aligner 5L and the substrate 9 placed on the main shaft 51b of the second aligner 5R do not overlap when viewed from above. In this embodiment, a gap D4 is provided between the substrates 9, which allows the front end portion 71c of the support unit 52 (described later) to move vertically along the centerline CL. In other words, in this embodiment, the distance D3 is greater than the length of the substrate diameter Dw plus the aforementioned gap D4.

[0035] The spindle 51b has a vacuum pad 51c at its upper end. The vacuum pad 51c has a mounting surface 51d for mounting a substrate. In other words, the spindle 51b has a mounting surface 51d for mounting a substrate 9. The drive unit 54 is located inside the frame 51a. The vacuum pad 51c is connected to a vacuum pump via a pipe. When the vacuum pump is driven, the lower surface of the substrate mounted on the spindle 51b is attracted by the vacuum pad 51c. When the substrate 9 is mounted on the mounting surface 51d of the vacuum pad 51c, and the lower surface of the substrate 9 is attracted to the vacuum pad 51c, the drive unit 54 drives the spindle 51b to rotate. The substrate 9 mounted on the mounting surface 51d rotates about the rotation axis Ox.

[0036] The support portion 52 has a support surface 52a for supporting the substrate 9. The support portion 52 moves the support surface 52a between a support position P1 and a lower position P2. The support position P1 is located above the rotary table 51 and is the position where the substrate 9 is delivered from the robot 2 to the support portion 52. The lower position P2 is located below the support position P1 and is the position where the substrate 9 is delivered from the support portion 52 onto the rotary table 51. In this embodiment, the lower position P2 is located below the mounting surface 51d (see Figure 8).

[0037] The support portion 52 has arms 7. In this embodiment, the arms 7 include a first arm 71, a second arm 72, and a third arm 73. The second arm 72 and the third arm 73 extend away from the aligner 5. The plurality of arms 7 can be two or more.

[0038] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the first arm 71 has a base end portion 71a, a connecting portion 71b, and a front end portion 71c. The base end portion 71a extends in an approaching direction from the inner side surface (hereinafter referred to as the inner side surface) of the frame 51a. The connecting portion 71b extends upward from the inner end of the base end portion 71a, then folds back and extends forward. The front end portion 71c is located at the front end of the connecting portion 71b, i.e., the front end of the first arm 71. The front end portion 71c has a plurality of adsorption pads on its upper surface. The upper surface of one or more adsorption pads of the front end portion 71c constitutes the support surface 52a of the support portion 52.

[0039] The second arm 72 has a base end 72a, a connecting portion 72b, and a front end 72c. The base end 72a extends away from the outer side of the frame 51a (hereinafter referred to as the outer side). The connecting portion 72b extends upward from the outer end of the base end 72a, then folds back and extends in an approaching direction. The front end 72c is located at the inner end of the connecting portion 72b, i.e., the front end of the second arm 72. The front end 72c has a plurality of adsorption pads on its upper surface. The upper surface of one or more adsorption pads of the front end 72c forms the support surface 52a of the support portion 52.

[0040] The third arm 73 has a connecting portion 73b and a front end portion 73c. ​​The connecting portion 73b extends forward from the turning point of the connecting portion 72b, then turns back and extends in the approach direction. The front end portion 73c is located at the inner end of the connecting portion 73b, i.e., the front end of the third arm 73. The front end portion 73c has a plurality of adsorption pads on its upper surface. The upper surface of one or more adsorption pads of the front end portion 73c forms the support surface 52a of the support portion 52. In the following description, the first arm 71, the second arm 72, and the third arm 73 are sometimes collectively referred to as arm portions 71, 72, and 73.

[0041] The support surfaces 52a of arms 71, 72, and 73 are located at the same height. The triangle Tr formed by connecting the support surfaces 52a of arms 71, 72, and 73 constitutes a plane extending horizontally. Arms 71, 72, and 73 do not overlap with the rotary table 51 when viewed from above. When arms 71, 72, and 73 move in the left-right and up-down directions respectively, interference between arms 71, 72, and 73 and the rotary table 51 can be suppressed.

[0042] The aligner 5 has a drive unit 53 that raises and lowers the support portion 52. The drive unit 53 raises and lowers the support portion 52 to deliver the substrate 9 to or receive the substrate 9 from the spindle 51b. Specifically, the drive unit 53 provides power to the arms 71, 72, and 73, causing them to extend and retract in the left-right direction or to displace in the up-down direction. By extending and retracting and displacing the arms 71, 72, and 73, the support surface 52a located at the front end of the arms 71, 72, and 73 moves relative to the rotary table 51. Specifically, the support surface 52a of the support portion 52 performs the following actions: (1) waiting in the support position P1, (2) moving from the support position P1 to the lower position P2, (3) waiting in the lower position P2, and (4) moving from the lower position P2 to the support position P1.

[0043] The inspection stage 55 is adjacent to the rotary stage 51 in the remote direction. Specifically, with respect to the first aligner 5L, the inspection stage 55 is located to the left of the rotary stage 51. With respect to the second aligner 5R, the inspection stage 55 is located to the right of the rotary stage 51.

[0044] The detection stage 55 is located on the top surface 50a of the base 50. The detection stage 55 of the first aligner 5L supports the first sensor 58a. The detection stage 55 of the second aligner 5R supports the second sensor 58b. It should be noted that the first sensor 58a and the second sensor 58b have the same structure and function. When collectively referred to as the first sensor 58a and the second sensor 58b, they are referred to as sensor 58.

[0045] As shown in Figure 5, the detection stage 55 has a recess 55a that is recessed outwards in a direction away from the rotating stage 51 (the direction from the opening towards the bottom of the recess is the outward direction). The recess 55a has a transverse U-shape. The opening of the U-shape faces the rotating stage 51. The distance between the recess 55a and the rotation axis Ox is longer than the radius (Dw / 2) of the substrate 9. The periphery 9a of the substrate 9 placed on the mounting surface 51d is located inside the recess 55a. The periphery 9a of the substrate 9 located at the support position P1 is located inside the recess 55a.

[0046] Sensor 58 includes a sensor for detecting notches or orientation flats located on the periphery 9a of substrate 9. Sensor 58 outputs a detection signal reflecting the angular position characteristics of substrate 9. Sensor 58 includes a sensor for detecting whether a supported substrate 9 exists at support position P1. Sensor 58 outputs a detection signal used to determine whether a supported substrate 9 exists at support position P1. Sensor 58 includes a sensor for detecting whether a substrate 9 is located on the mounting surface 51d of spindle 51b. Sensor 58 outputs a detection signal used to determine whether a substrate 9 exists on the mounting surface 51d of spindle 51b.

[0047] (Substrate alignment) Next, the alignment of the substrate 9 by the robot system 6 will be described with reference to the figures. Figures 6 and 7 are timing diagrams of the alignment of the substrate 9. Figures 8 and 9 show the movement trajectory of the support surface during the alignment timing process of the substrate 9. Here, the basic operation of the robot 2 is as follows. In other words, the robot 2 removes the unaligned substrate 9 from the first FOUP 411 and transports the substrate 9 to the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R. The robot 2 then transports the aligned substrate 9 from the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R to the second FOUP 412. The robot 2 repeatedly transports the substrate 9 until the alignment of all substrates 9 is completed.

[0048] In step S1 of Figure 6, robot 2 removes substrate 9 from the first FOUP 411 and transports substrate 9 to the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R. Robot 2 uses its first hand 31 and second hand 32 to transport two substrates 9. In step S2, robot 2 simultaneously delivers the two transported substrates 9 to the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R. The first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R receive substrate 9 from robot 2. More specifically, robot 2 places substrate 9 held by the first hand 31 on the support portion 52 of the first aligner 5L, and simultaneously places substrate 9 held by the second hand 32 on the support portion 52 of the second aligner 5R. Figure 8(a) shows the state in which the first substrate 9 is placed on the support portion 52 of the first aligner 5L. In step S1, the support surfaces 52a of both the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R are ready at support position P1. The substrate 9 received from robot 2 is supported by support surface 52a at support position P1.

[0049] In step S3, the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R respectively transfer the substrate 9 from the support portion 52 to the spindle 51b. More specifically, the support surface 52a of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R descends linearly from the support position P1 to the lower position P2 (refer to the first trajectory T1 in Figure 8(c)). As shown in Figures 8(b) and (c), during the descent from the support position P1 to the lower position P2, the substrate 9 is placed on the mounting surface 51d of the spindle 51b, thereby completing the transfer. In the first aligner 5L of the illustration, there is a gap ΔH between the lower position P2 and the mounting surface 51d of the spindle 51b (refer to Figure 9(d)).

[0050] Next, in the subsequent step S4, the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R perform alignment of the substrate 9. More specifically, the first aligner 5L uses the first sensor 58a to perform eccentricity confirmation of the substrate 9, ID reading of the substrate 9, and detection and alignment of the grooves or orientation planes of the substrate 9. The second aligner 5R uses the second sensor 58b to perform eccentricity confirmation of the substrate 9, ID reading of the substrate 9, and detection and alignment of the grooves or orientation planes of the substrate 9. It should be noted that during the alignment process, the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R will return the support 52 to the standby position. Specifically, as shown in FIG9(e), the support surface 52a moves along the transverse U-shaped second trajectory T2, thereby moving around the substrate 9 and returning to the standby position. The position shown by the solid line in FIG9(e) is the standby position of the support surface 52a.

[0051] After delivering the substrate 9 in step S2, robot 2 returns to the first FOUP 411 (step S5), retrieves the next batch of substrates 9 from the first FOUP 411, and transports the two substrates 9 of the next batch to the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R (step S6). Steps S5 and S6 are executed simultaneously while the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R are performing substrate 9 alignment operations via steps S3 to S4. Next, robot 2 places the substrate 9 onto the support portion 52 of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R, which is in the standby position (step S7). It should be noted that in step S7, the aligned substrate 9 is placed on the spindle 51b.

[0052] After the substrate 9 is placed on the support portion 52, the robot 2 receives the aligned substrate 9 from the spindles of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R (step S8). The first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R deliver the aligned substrate 9 to the robot 2. The robot 2 transports the aligned substrate 9 to the second FOUP 412 (step S9). After housing the substrate 9 in the second FOUP 412, the robot 2 returns to the first FOUP 411 (step S10) and transports the next batch of substrates 9 taken from the first FOUP 411 to the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R (step S6).

[0053] If the substrate 9 is removed from the spindle 51b in step S8, the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R are in the same state as in step S2. During the substrate 9 transport by the robot 2 in steps S9, S10, and S6, the process of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R moves from step S8 to step S3. The first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R transfer the substrate 9 from the support 52 to the spindle 51b, and align the substrate 9 in step S4. The robot 2 also places the substrate 9 on the support 52 of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R in step S7 during or after the alignment process.

[0054] The alignment of the substrate 9 is achieved by repeatedly executing steps S3, S4, S7 and S8 by the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R, and by repeatedly executing steps S6, S7, S8, S9 and S10 by the robot 2.

[0055] (Functions and Effects) The robot system 6 has the following configuration: the robot 2 simultaneously transports the substrate 9 to the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R, and the support 52 is used to deliver the substrate 9 to or receive the substrate 9 from the spindle 51b. Since the support 52 performs both receiving (holding) and delivering (transferring) of the substrate 9, the robot 2 can transport the substrate 9 while the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R are performing alignment. This reduces the robot's downtime and increases the throughput of substrate 9 alignment.

[0056] The distance D3 between the center of the spindle 51b of the first aligner 5L and the center of the spindle 51b of the second aligner 5R is greater than the diameter Dw of the substrate 9. In other words, the substrate 9 mounted on the spindle 51b of the first aligner 5L and the substrate 9 mounted on the spindle 51b of the second aligner 5R do not overlap when viewed from above. With the substrate supported by the spindles 51b of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R, the spindle 51b of the first aligner 5L or the spindle 51b of the second aligner 5R can be driven independently.

[0057] In this embodiment, a gap D4 is provided between the substrates 9 and 9, allowing the front end 71c of the first arm 71 to move up and down along the central line CL. In the example of FIG4, the distance D3 is greater than the length of the substrate diameter plus the gap D4. Because of the gap allowing the front end 71c of the first arm 71 to pass through, in the configuration of this disclosure, in addition to configuring dual aligners, a buffer mechanism can be added with minimal space. Between the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R, ample space can be ensured for the first hand 31 and the second hand 32 to receive or deliver the substrate 9.

[0058] The center of the substrate 9 placed on the support portion 52 is the same as or nearly the same as the center of the substrate 9 placed on the main shaft 51b in the Z direction. Whether delivering the transported substrate 9 to the support portion 52 or receiving the aligned substrate 9 from the main shaft 51, the first hand 31 and the second hand 32 of the robot 2 are positioned at the same location relative to the first aligner 5R and the second aligner 5L when viewed from above. Whether transporting the substrate 9 to or from the first aligner 5R and the second aligner 5L, the movement trajectories of the first hand 31 and the second hand 32 are identical when viewed from above, thereby reducing the workload of the teaching robot 2.

[0059] (Modified Example) The first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R do not necessarily have to be symmetrically arranged with the center line CL as the center when viewed from above. The relative positions of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R can be changed according to the approach and retraction of the first hand part 31 and the second hand part 32 relative to the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R. For example, even if they are not symmetrically arranged with the center line CL as the center when viewed from above, a structure with a spacious area between the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R can still be adopted, and the processing capacity can be increased.

[0060] The support portion 52 of the aligner 5 can support the aligned substrate 9. Specifically, the robot 2 simultaneously transports the substrate to the mounting surface 51d of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R. The robot 2 simultaneously removes the aligned substrate 9 supported at the support positions P1 of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R, respectively. During the removal and subsequent transport by the robot 2, the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R each perform alignment. The support surface 52a descends to the lower position P2 along a trajectory that bypasses the substrate 9 mounted on the mounting surface 51d. The first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R respectively transfer the aligned substrate 9 from the spindle 51b to the support portion 52. Specifically, the support surface 52a rises linearly from the lower position P2 to the support position P1, during which the substrate 9 is transferred from the spindle 51b to the support portion 52. The support portion 52 remains in the support position P1. Robot 2 simultaneously transports the next batch of substrates to the mounting surface 51d of the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R. This series of processes is repeated.

[0061] Robot 2 may have a first arm and a second arm. The first arm may support a first hand 31, and the second arm may support a second hand 32.

[0062] The functions of the components disclosed in this specification can be executed using circuits or processing circuits, including: general-purpose processors, special-purpose processors, integrated circuits, ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof, configured or programmed to perform the disclosed functions. Since processors include transistors and other circuits, they are considered processing circuits or circuits. In this disclosure, circuits, units, or devices are hardware that performs the listed functions, or hardware programmed to perform the listed functions. The hardware may be the hardware disclosed in this specification, or may be other known hardware programmed or configured to perform the listed functions. Where the hardware is a processor considered a type of circuit, the circuit, device, or unit is a combination of hardware and software, with the software used in the configuration of the hardware and / or processor.

[0063] (Pattern) The aforementioned implementation forms are specific examples of the following patterns.

[0064] (First isomorphism) A robot system 6 includes a first aligner 5L, a second aligner 5R, and a horizontal multi-joint handling robot 2. The second aligner 5R is located on the side of the first aligner 5L. The horizontal multi-joint handling robot 2 has a first hand 31 and a second hand 32. The first hand 31 and the second hand 32 are used to simultaneously transport a substrate 9 to the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R. The first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R each include a spindle 51b, a support portion 52, and a drive portion 53. The spindle 51b has a mounting surface 51d for placing the substrate 9 and rotates the substrate 9 placed on the mounting surface 51d about a rotation axis Ox. The support portion 52 supports the substrate 9 at a support position P1 located above the mounting surface 51d of the spindle 51b. The drive portion 53 raises and lowers the support portion 52 to deliver the substrate 9 to the spindle 51b or to receive the substrate 9 from the spindle 51b.

[0065] Since the support portion 52 receives (holds) and delivers (transfers) the substrate 9, the robot 2 can move the substrate 9 during the alignment process performed by the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R. This reduces the robot's downtime and increases the throughput of substrate 9 alignment.

[0066] (Second pattern) As described in the first version of the robot system 6, the height position of the mounting surface 51d of the aforementioned main shaft 51b of the aforementioned first aligner 5L is different from the height position of the aforementioned mounting surface 51d of the aforementioned main shaft 51b of the aforementioned second aligner 5R.

[0067] The so-called dual-arm handling robot 2 can easily perform simultaneous operations (access) relative to the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R. The dual-arm handling robot 2 helps to increase the throughput of the alignment of the substrate 9.

[0068] (Third pattern) In the robot system 6 described in the first or second embodiment, the distance D3 between the center of the aforementioned main shaft 51b of the aforementioned first aligner 5L and the center of the aforementioned main shaft 51b of the aforementioned second aligner 5R is greater than the diameter Dw of the aforementioned substrate 9.

[0069] (Fourth pattern) The robot system 6 described in any of the first to third embodiments includes a first aligner 5L comprising a first sensor 58a for detecting the substrate 9, wherein the first sensor 58a is disposed in a direction further away from the second aligner 5R than the main axis 51b of the first aligner 5L, and the second aligner 5R comprises a second sensor 58b for detecting the substrate 9, wherein the second sensor 58b is disposed in a direction further away from the first aligner 5L than the main axis 51b of the second aligner 5R.

[0070] A spacious area is ensured between the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R for transporting the substrate 9 using the first hand part 31 and the second hand part 32.

[0071] (Fifth pattern) As described in the fourth model of the robot system 6, the aforementioned first aligner 5L and the aforementioned second aligner 5R are symmetrically arranged with the central line CL as the center when viewed from above.

[0072] The first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R can use a common configuration, thus achieving cost reduction and shortening the development period.

[0073] (Sixth pattern) The robot system 6 described in any of the first to fifth versions is configured such that the first aligner 5L and the second aligner 5R are respectively configured such that the drive unit 53 lowers the support unit 52 to a lower position P2 located below the mounting surface 51d of the main shaft 51b, and then rises along a trajectory around the substrate 9 to the support position P1.

[0074] (Seventh pattern) The robot system 6 described in any of the first to sixth forms includes an arm 22 that supports the first hand 31 and the second hand 32 to rotate around the same axis of rotation.

[0075] (Eighth Pattern) As described in any of the first to seventh embodiments of the robot system 6, the aforementioned transport robot 2 simultaneously transports the substrate 9 to the aforementioned support portion 52 which is waiting at the aforementioned support position P1 of the aforementioned first aligner 5L and the aforementioned second aligner 5R, and simultaneously removes the substrate 9 which is placed on the aforementioned mounting surface 51d of the aforementioned first aligner 5L and the aforementioned second aligner 5R.

[0076] (Ninth Pattern) As described in any of the first to seventh embodiments of the robot system 6, the aforementioned transport robot 2 simultaneously transports the substrate 9 to the aforementioned mounting surface 51d of the aforementioned first aligner 5L and the aforementioned second aligner 5R, and simultaneously removes the substrate 9 supported by the aforementioned support portion 52 at the aforementioned support position P1 of the aforementioned first aligner 5L and the aforementioned second aligner 5R. []

[0077] 2: Robot (Transportation Robot) 5L: First Aligner 5R: Second Aligner 6: Robotic System 9:Substrate 22: Arm 31: First Hand 32: Second hand 51b: Spindle 51d: Placement surface 52: Support section 53: Drive Unit CL: Center Line Ox: Rotation axis P1: Support position P2: Lower position

Claims

1. A robot system comprising a first aligner, a second aligner, and a horizontal multi-joint transport robot, wherein the second aligner is located to the side of the first aligner, the horizontal multi-joint transport robot has a first hand and a second hand, wherein a substrate is simultaneously transported to the first aligner and the second aligner by means of the first hand and the second hand, the first aligner and the second aligner respectively comprising a spindle, a support portion and a drive portion, the spindle having a mounting surface for mounting the substrate and causing the substrate mounted on the mounting surface to rotate about a rotation axis, the support portion supporting the substrate at a support position located above the mounting surface of the spindle, the drive portion causing the support portion to rise and fall to deliver the substrate to the spindle or receive the substrate from the spindle, wherein the first aligner and the second aligner are respectively configured such that: the drive portion causes the support portion to descend to a position below the mounting surface of the spindle, and then rises along a trajectory around the substrate to the support position.

2. The robot system as described in claim 1, wherein the height position of the mounting surface of the aforementioned spindle of the aforementioned first aligner is different from the height position of the mounting surface of the aforementioned spindle of the aforementioned second aligner.

3. The robot system as described in claim 1, wherein the distance between the center of the aforementioned main shaft of the first aligner and the center of the aforementioned main shaft of the second aligner is greater than the diameter of the aforementioned substrate.

4. The robot system as described in claim 1, wherein the first aligner includes a first sensor for detecting the substrate, the first sensor being disposed in a direction further away from the second aligner than the aforementioned spindle of the first aligner, and the second aligner includes a second sensor for detecting the substrate, the second sensor being disposed in a direction further away from the aforementioned spindle of the second aligner than the aforementioned first aligner.

5. The robot system described in claim 4, wherein the aforementioned first aligner and the aforementioned second aligner are symmetrically arranged with the center line as the center when viewed from above.

6. The robot system as described in claim 1, wherein the aforementioned handling robot includes an arm that supports the aforementioned first hand and the aforementioned second hand to rotate about the same axis of rotation.

7. The robot system as described in claim 1, wherein the aforementioned transport robot simultaneously transports the substrate to the aforementioned support portion which is waiting at the aforementioned support position of the aforementioned first aligner and the aforementioned second aligner, and simultaneously removes the substrate placed on the aforementioned mounting surface of the aforementioned first aligner and the aforementioned second aligner.

8. The robot system as described in claim 1, wherein the aforementioned transport robot simultaneously transports the substrate to the aforementioned mounting surfaces of the aforementioned first aligner and the aforementioned second aligner, and simultaneously removes the substrate supported by the aforementioned support portion from the aforementioned support positions of the aforementioned first aligner and the aforementioned second aligner.

Images