Substrate conveyance robot and method for controlling substrate conveyance robot

Abstract

A substrate conveyance robot (100) comprises: a substrate holding hand (10) that holds a substrate (W); a tilt adjustment mechanism (30) that adjusts a tilt of the substrate holding hand (10); a detection part that detects a substrate placement part (103); and a control part (50) that adjusts a relative tilt between the substrate placement part (103) and the substrate holding hand (10) by operating the tilt adjustment mechanism (30), on the basis of a detection result of the substrate placement part (103) by the detection part.

Description

Substrate transport robot and method for controlling substrate transport robot

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate transport robot and a method for controlling a substrate transport robot.

[0002] Conventionally, substrate transport robots have been known. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-43554 describes a robot for transporting substrates. The robot described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-43554 includes a substrate detection unit that detects the presence or absence of a substrate. The substrate detection unit is disposed in a robot hand that holds the substrate. The robot described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-43554 inspects the inclination of the substrate relative to the robot hand by detecting the substrate with the substrate detection unit before removing the substrate from a substrate storage device and transporting it.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-43554

[0004] Although not described in JP 2022-43554 A, the substrate storage device serving as a substrate placement unit may have a different inclination relative to the robot hand, which is the substrate holding hand that holds the substrate, when a substrate is placed on the substrate placement unit and when a substrate is not placed on the substrate placement unit, due to the weight of the substrate. In such a case, even if the inclination of the substrate placed on the substrate placement unit relative to the substrate holding hand is detected and the inclination of the substrate holding hand is adjusted based on the detected inclination, as in the robot described in JP 2022-43554 A, the inclination of the substrate holding hand relative to the substrate placement unit is not properly adjusted because the degree of inclination of the substrate placement unit changes depending on whether or not a substrate is present. As a result, when a substrate is loaded into the substrate placement unit, a deviation in the inclination occurs between the substrate being loaded and the substrate placement unit. Therefore, it is desirable to properly adjust the inclination between the substrate placement unit on which the substrate is placed and the substrate holding hand, regardless of whether or not a substrate is present on the substrate placement unit.

[0005] This disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one object of this disclosure is to provide a substrate transport robot and a control method for a substrate transport robot that can appropriately adjust the tilt between a substrate mounting portion on which a substrate is placed and a substrate holding hand, regardless of whether or not there is a substrate on the substrate mounting portion.

[0006] A substrate transport robot according to a first aspect of this disclosure includes a substrate holding hand that holds a substrate to be placed on a substrate placing portion, a tilt adjustment mechanism that adjusts the tilt of the substrate holding hand, a detection unit that detects the substrate placing portion, and a control unit that adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate placing portion and the substrate holding hand by operating the tilt adjustment mechanism based on the detection result of the substrate placing portion by the detection unit.

[0007] As described above, the substrate transport robot according to the first aspect of this disclosure includes a control unit that adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit and the substrate holding hand by operating the tilt adjustment mechanism based on the detection result of the substrate placement unit by the detection unit. This makes it possible to adjust the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit and the substrate holding hand by operating the tilt adjustment mechanism based on the detection result of the substrate placement unit, regardless of whether a substrate is present on the substrate placement unit. As a result, it is possible to appropriately adjust the tilt between the substrate placement unit on which a substrate is placed and the substrate holding hand, regardless of whether a substrate is present on the substrate placement unit.

[0008] A control method for a substrate transport robot according to a second aspect of this disclosure acquires detection results of a substrate placement portion on which a substrate is placed, and adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate placement portion and the substrate holding hand based on the detection results of the substrate placement portion by operating a tilt adjustment mechanism that adjusts the tilt of the substrate holding hand that holds the substrate placed on the substrate placement portion.

[0009] As described above, a control method for a substrate transport robot according to a second aspect of this disclosure adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate mounting part and the substrate holding hand by operating a tilt adjustment mechanism that adjusts the tilt of the substrate holding hand that holds a substrate mounted on the substrate mounting part based on the detection result of the substrate mounting part. This makes it possible to adjust the relative tilt between the substrate mounting part and the substrate holding hand by operating the tilt adjustment mechanism based on the detection result of the substrate mounting part, regardless of whether a substrate is present or not. As a result, it is possible to provide a control method for a substrate transport robot that can appropriately adjust the tilt between the substrate mounting part on which a substrate is mounted and the substrate holding hand, regardless of whether a substrate is present or not on the substrate mounting part.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, the tilt between the substrate holding hand and the substrate platform on which the substrate is placed can be appropriately adjusted regardless of whether or not a substrate is present on the substrate platform.

[0011] 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a substrate transport robot according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a tilt mechanism according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the tilt mechanism along the up-down direction. FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining a detection unit in a substrate holding hand. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the substrate transport robot. FIG. 6 is a schematic view for explaining detection of holding members at a plurality of positions in the up-down direction. FIG. 7 is a schematic view for explaining detection of holding members from a plurality of approach directions. FIG. 8 is a schematic view for explaining detection of a substrate placed on a substrate placement unit. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a control method of the substrate transport robot according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a substrate transport robot according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a view for explaining detection of holding members based on a captured image. FIG. 12 is a view for explaining detection of a substrate based on a captured image. FIG. 13 is a perspective view for explaining a substrate holding hand according to a first modified example. FIG. 14 is a perspective view for explaining a substrate holding hand according to a second modified example.

[0012] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] The configuration of a substrate transfer robot 100 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. In the following, two directions that are orthogonal to each other in a horizontal plane are referred to as the X direction and the Y direction, respectively. Furthermore, the up-down direction that is orthogonal to the horizontal plane (X-Y plane) is referred to as the Z direction.

[0014] 1 , the substrate transport robot 100 is disposed in a heat treatment apparatus 101. The substrate transport robot 100 transports substrates W between a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) 102 and a substrate platform 103 in the heat treatment apparatus 101. The transport operation by the substrate transport robot 100 includes both loading a substrate W placed in the FOUP 102 onto the substrate platform 103 and unloading the substrate W from the substrate platform 103 into the FOUP 102. That is, the transport operation by the substrate transport robot 100 includes placing a substrate W on the substrate platform 103 and removing a substrate W from the substrate platform 103.

[0015] The FOUP 102 is a substrate storage container that stores multiple substrates W. The substrate placement unit 103 is disposed in the heat treatment apparatus 101 and places multiple substrates W thereon. In the heat treatment apparatus 101, heat treatment is performed on the multiple substrates W placed on the substrate placement unit 103. The substrate placement unit 103 has columnar holding members 103a that hold the multiple substrates W aligned along the Z direction, which is the vertical direction. Three holding members 103a are disposed on the substrate placement unit 103 so as to extend along the Z direction. The peripheral edges of the multiple substrates W are held by the multiple claws disposed on the holding members 103a, so that the multiple substrates W are aligned along the Z direction on the substrate placement unit 103 with their main surfaces facing each other. The substrates W are semiconductor wafers having a disk-like shape. The substrates W are formed, for example, from silicon, germanium, or quartz glass.

[0016] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes a substrate holding hand 10, a drive mechanism 20, and a control unit 50. The drive mechanism 20 includes a blade holding unit 21, a horizontal movement mechanism 22, a rotation mechanism 23, an attachment unit 24, and a lifting mechanism 25. In the substrate transfer robot 100 according to the first embodiment, a tilt mechanism 30 is disposed in the drive mechanism 20. The tilt mechanism 30 is an example of an inclination adjustment mechanism.

[0017] The substrate holding hand 10 has a plurality of bifurcated blade members 11 with a tip that is split into two. The substrate holding hand 10 holds substrates W using the bifurcated blade members 11. In the substrate holding hand 10, the blade members 11 are arranged side by side in the Z direction, which is the vertical direction. For example, two, five, six, thirteen, or N blade members 11 are arranged, where N is an integer greater than or equal to two. Each of the plurality of blade members 11 holds one substrate W. The substrate holding hand 10 is a passive hand that holds substrates W by placing the substrate W on the upper surface of the bifurcated, plate-like blade member 11 in the Z direction. The substrate holding hand 10 moves by operation of a drive mechanism 20.

[0018] The blade holding unit 21 is connected to the base ends of the multiple blade members 11, opposite the two split tip ends. The horizontal movement mechanism 22 has a support 22a extending horizontally. The blade holding unit 21 is attached to the support 22a of the horizontal movement mechanism 22 and moves horizontally relative to the support 22a. The horizontal movement mechanism 22 moves the substrate holding hand 10 horizontally together with the blade holding unit 21. The horizontal movement mechanism 22 alternates between moving all of the multiple blade members 11 of the substrate holding hand 10 horizontally and moving the lowest one of the multiple blade members 11 horizontally. The rotation mechanism 23 has a rotation shaft 23a extending in the Z direction. The support 22a is attached to the rotation shaft 23a. The rotation mechanism 23 rotates the substrate holding hand 10, together with the support 22a and the blade holding unit 21, in a rotational direction around the Z direction around the rotation shaft 23a. The rotary shaft 23a is rotated by a motor 23b, which will be described later.

[0019] The tilt mechanism 30 adjusts the tilt of the substrate holding hand 10. The tilt mechanism 30 is disposed between the support 22a and the mounting portion 24. The tilt mechanism 30 tilts the attitude of the substrate holding hand 10 by changing the tilt of the support 22a of the horizontal movement mechanism 22, the blade holding portion 21, and the substrate holding hand 10 relative to the mounting portion 24. That is, the tilt mechanism 30 changes the tilt of the substrate holding hand 10 by changing the tilt of the support 22a and the blade holding portion 21. The tilt mechanism 30 also has a rotation shaft portion 23a attached to it. The lifting mechanism 25 has a support 25a extending in the Z direction, and the mounting portion 24 is attached to the support 25a. The lifting mechanism 25 moves the mounting portion 24 in the Z direction. That is, the lifting mechanism 25 raises and lowers the substrate holding hand 10 in the Z direction together with the mounting portion 24, the tilt mechanism 30, the rotation mechanism 23, the horizontal movement mechanism 22, and the blade holding portion 21.

[0020] <Details of Tilt Mechanism> As shown in Figure 2, the tilt mechanism 30 includes a plate-shaped lower member 31 located below the mounting portion 24 in the Z direction, and an upper member 32 located opposite the lower member 31 in the vertical Z direction. The lower member 31 is attached to the mounting portion 24. A support 22a is attached to the upper member 32 via a rotation shaft 23a. The support 22a rotates around the rotation shaft 23a. The tilt mechanism 30 also includes three spherical plain bearings 33, 34, and 35 located at different positions between the lower member 31 and the upper member 32 when viewed from the vertical Z direction.

[0021] The spherical plain bearing 35 is disposed at the tip of an imaginary center line L that extends from the base end to the tip through the center in the X direction, which is the width direction of the tilt mechanism 30. The spherical plain bearings 33 and 34 are each disposed closer to the base end of the substrate transport robot 100 than the spherical plain bearing 35. Furthermore, the spherical plain bearings 33 and 34 are each disposed so as to be symmetrical with respect to the imaginary center line L as the axis of symmetry when viewed from the Z direction. The spherical plain bearings 33 and 34 are disposed at the same height position, higher than the spherical plain bearing 35.

[0022] 3, spherical plain bearing 35 has an inner ring 35a and an outer ring 35b. Outer ring 35b of spherical plain bearing 35 is attached to lower member 31 via intermediate member 35c, and inner ring 35a is attached to upper member 32 via bolt 35d. Tilt mechanism 30 has two height position adjustment mechanisms 36 and 37 arranged corresponding to two of spherical plain bearings 33 and 34 out of three spherical plain bearings 33, 34, and 35. Note that no height position adjustment mechanism is arranged for spherical plain bearing 35.

[0023] The spherical plain bearing 33 has an inner ring 33a and an outer ring 33b. The inner ring 33a of the spherical plain bearing 33 is attached to the lower member 31 via an intermediate member 33c and a height position adjustment mechanism 36, and the outer ring 33b is attached to the upper member 32. The height position adjustment mechanism 36 has a male thread member 36a and a female thread member 36b. The male thread member 36a is threadedly engaged with the female thread member 36b and is rotated by a motor 36c (described later). The female thread member 36b moves in the Z direction as the male thread member 36a rotates. The female thread member 36b is fitted into an inner hole of the inner ring 33a and attached to the upper member 32 via the spherical plain bearing 33. The height position of the upper member 32 is changed as the female thread member 36b moves in the Z direction.

[0024] The spherical plain bearing 34 has a configuration similar to that of the spherical plain bearing 33. That is, the spherical plain bearing 34 has an inner ring 34a and an outer ring 34b. The inner ring 34a of the spherical plain bearing 34 is attached to the lower member 31 via an intermediate member 34c and a height position adjustment mechanism 37, and the outer ring 34b is attached to the upper member 32. The height position adjustment mechanism 37 has a configuration similar to that of the height position adjustment mechanism 36. That is, the height position adjustment mechanism 37 has a male screw member 37a and a female screw member 37b. The male screw member 37a is threadedly engaged with the female screw member 37b and is rotated by a motor 37c (described later). The female screw member 37b moves in the Z direction as the male screw member 37a is rotated. The female screw member 37b is fitted into the inner hole of the inner ring 34a and attached to the upper member 32 via the spherical plain bearing 34. By moving the female screw member 37b in the Z direction, the height position of the upper member 32 is changed.

[0025] The tilt of upper member 32 relative to lower member 31 is changed by changing the height position of upper member 32 using at least one of height position adjustment mechanisms 36 and 37. Changing the tilt of upper member 32 relative to lower member 31 changes the tilt of support 22a relative to mounting portion 24, thereby tilting the attitude of substrate holding hand 10. Furthermore, when tilting upper member 32 by changing the height position of upper member 32, upper member 32 is tilted while the outer ring of spherical plain bearing 33, 34, or 35 slides on the surface of the inner ring, so that upper member 32 can be tilted without being distorted.

[0026] 4 , in the first embodiment, the substrate transport robot 100 includes a detection unit 40. The detection unit 40 is disposed in the substrate holding hand 10 and is a photoelectric sensor including an irradiation unit 41 that irradiates detection light LT and a light receiving unit 42 that detects the detection light LT irradiated by the irradiation unit 41. The irradiation unit 41 has a light emitting element such as a laser diode or an LED (Light-Emitting Diode). The light receiving unit 42 has a light receiving element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor, or a photodiode. The irradiating unit 41 and the light receiving unit 42 of the detecting unit 40 are respectively disposed at the two tip ends of the bifurcated blade member 11 in the substrate holding hand 10. The detecting unit 40 is a mapping sensor that detects the presence or absence of a substrate W by detecting whether or not a detection light LT irradiated from one tip end of the bifurcated blade member 11 to the other tip end of the substrate holding hand 10 is blocked. For example, the detecting unit 40 detects the substrate W placed on each of the FOUP 102 and the substrate placement unit 103 by detecting whether or not the detection light LT is blocked. The detecting unit 40 is disposed on the lowest blade member 11 of the multiple blade members 11 arranged vertically in the substrate holding hand 10. Note that FIG. 4 illustrates only the lowest blade member 11 of the multiple blade members 11 in the substrate holding hand 10. In the first embodiment, the detecting unit 40 detects the shape of the substrate placement unit 103 by irradiating the detection light LT. Specifically, the detection unit 40 detects the substrate mounting part 103 when no substrate W is mounted thereon. The detection unit 40 detects the columnar holding members 103a extending in the up-down direction on the substrate mounting part 103. The detection unit 40 outputs a detection signal indicating the detection result of whether or not the detection light LT has been blocked to the control unit 50.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 5 , the control unit 50 controls the operation of each unit of the substrate transport robot 100. Specifically, the control unit 50 controls the horizontal movement mechanism 22, the turning mechanism 23, the lifting mechanism 25, and the tilting mechanism 30 to control the transport operation of the substrate transport robot 100. Specifically, the horizontal movement mechanism 22, the turning mechanism 23, the lifting mechanism 25, the height position adjustment mechanism 36, and the height position adjustment mechanism 37 are respectively provided with motors 22 b, 23 b, 25 b, 36 c, and 37 c as drive sources. The control unit 50 controls the motors 22 b, 23 b, 25 b, 36 c, and 37 c to control the transport operation of the substrate W by the substrate transport robot 100. Each of the motors 22 b, 23 b, 25 b, 36 c, and 37 c is a servo motor. The control unit 50 also acquires a detection signal from the detection unit 40.

[0028] The control unit 50 includes a calculation device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memories such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a storage device such as a hard disk. The control unit 50 executes control processing using the calculation device based on programs and parameters stored in the storage device. The control unit 50 also includes a main CPU that controls the overall operation of the substrate transport robot 100, and a servo CPU that controls the current supplied to drive sources including motors 22b, 23b, 25b, 36c, and 37c.

[0029] The control unit 50 operates the tilt mechanism 30 to adjust the tilt of the substrate holding hand 10. For example, when the substrate transport robot 100 is installed or during periodic maintenance, the control unit 50 executes a tilt setting operation to set a setting value for operating the tilt mechanism 30 based on a detection signal from the detection unit 40. The control unit 50 adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 through the tilt setting operation.

[0030] <Tilt Setting Operation> The control unit 50 performs a transport operation of the substrate W relative to the substrate mounting unit 103, including a load operation and a unload operation, in a state in which the tilt of the substrate holding hand 10 is set to a predetermined magnitude by the tilt mechanism 30 based on a preset value by the tilt setting operation. In the tilt setting operation, in the first embodiment, the control unit 50 adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate mounting unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 by operating the tilt mechanism 30 based on the detection result of the substrate mounting unit 103 by the detection unit 40. Specifically, the control unit 50 obtains the shape of the columnar holding member 103a of the substrate mounting unit 103, detected by the detection unit 40, as the detection result. To eliminate the relative tilt between the substrate placement part 103 and the substrate holding hand 10, the control part 50 adjusts the tilt of the blade holder 21 relative to the attachment part 24 by operating the tilt mechanism 30 based on the detection result by the detection part 40, thereby adjusting the relative tilt of the substrate holding hand 10 with respect to the substrate placement part 103. The control part 50 adjusts the tilt of the upper member 32 with respect to the lower member 31 using the height position adjustment mechanisms 36 and 37 based on the detection result by the detection part 40. In this way, the control part 50 adjusts the relative tilt of the substrate holding hand 10 with respect to the substrate placement part 103 to eliminate it. For example, when the magnitude of the relative tilt of the substrate holding hand 10 with respect to the substrate placement part 103 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the control part 50 sets a setting value for operating the tilt mechanism 30 so that the magnitude of the tilt becomes smaller than the predetermined threshold value.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 6 , the control unit 50 sets a setting value for the tilt mechanism 30 during the tilt setting operation for the substrate W load operation. During the tilt setting operation for the load operation, the control unit 50 moves the substrate holding hand 10 along the X-Y plane so as to approach the holding member 103a. Based on the detection result from the detection unit 40, which detects the substrate placement unit 103 in a state where no substrate W is placed on it, the control unit 50 acquires the timing at which the detection light LT is blocked by the holding member 103a of the substrate placement unit 103. This allows the control unit 50 to detect the position of the holding member 103a of the substrate placement unit 103 in the approach direction in which the substrate holding hand 10 is moved toward it. Note that FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which the X direction is the approach direction. Furthermore, the detection unit 40 detects the columnar holding member 103a extending along the Z direction, which is the up-down direction, at five different positions in the up-down direction. The control unit 50 acquires five detection results obtained by the detection unit 40 at five different positions of the columnar holding member 103a in the Z direction, which is the up-down direction.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 7 , the control unit 50 moves the substrate holding hand 10 toward the holding member 103a from a plurality of different approach directions at each of five different positions in the vertical direction. That is, the control unit 50 moves the substrate holding hand 10 toward the holding member 103a while changing the movement direction of the substrate holding hand 10 in the XY plane to a plurality of approach directions, thereby acquiring detection results from the detection unit 40 in each of the plurality of approach directions. The control unit 50 acquires the shape of the substrate placement unit 103 based on the detection results from the detection unit 40 in each of the plurality of approach directions. Specifically, the control unit 50 acquires the position of the holding member 103a in the XY plane by acquiring the detection results of the detection unit 40 detecting the columnar holding member 103a in each of the plurality of approach directions. The control unit 50 acquires the three-dimensional shape of the holding member 103a by acquiring the position of the holding member 103a in the XY plane based on the detection results of the detection unit 40 at each of the five different positions in the vertical direction. For example, the control unit 50 obtains the position of the holding member 103a on the XY plane at five positions in the vertical direction, and calculates the shape of the holding member 103a by approximating it to a curve.

[0033] In this way, the control unit 50 obtains the relative tilt of the holding member 103a of the substrate mounting unit 103 with respect to the substrate holding hand 10 from the obtained shape of the holding member 103a based on the five detection results from the detection unit 40. The control unit 50 obtains a setting value for the amount of tilt adjustment by the tilt mechanism 30 based on the obtained relative tilt of the substrate mounting unit 103 with respect to the substrate holding hand 10. The control unit 50 sets the operation of the tilt mechanism 30, for example, so that the upper surface in the Z direction of the blade member 11, which is the surface on which the substrate W is placed in the substrate holding hand 10, and the mounting surface on which the substrate W is placed in the substrate mounting unit 103 are parallel to each other. That is, during the substrate W transport operation, the control unit 50 operates the tilt mechanism 30 so that the substrate W held by the substrate holding hand 10 and the substrate W placed on the substrate mounting unit 103 are parallel to each other. The set value of the tilt adjustment amount by the tilt mechanism 30 may be changed depending on the position of the holding member 103a in the vertical direction, or may be a fixed value.

[0034] The setting value of the tilt mechanism 30 set by the tilt setting operation is stored in the storage device by the control unit 50. For example, the control unit 50 stores the setting values ​​of the height position adjustment mechanisms 36 and 37 of the tilt mechanism 30 in the operation of loading the substrate W as the adjustment result of the tilt mechanism 30 in the tilt setting operation. The control unit 50 operates the tilt mechanism 30 based on the detection result of the substrate loading part 103 in a state where no substrate W is loaded, thereby loading the substrate W held by the substrate holding hand 10 into the substrate loading part 103.

[0035] 8 , in the tilt setting operation, the control unit 50 sets a setting value for the tilt mechanism 30 in the unloading operation of the substrate W. In the tilt setting operation for the unloading operation, the detection unit 40 detects the substrate W placed on the substrate mounting unit 103. The control unit 50 moves the substrate holding hand 10 along the X-Y plane to approach the substrate W placed on the substrate mounting unit 103, and detects the relative tilt of the substrate W with respect to the substrate holding hand 10 based on the detection result of the substrate W by the detection unit 40. For example, after bringing the substrate holding hand 10 close to the substrate W, the control unit 50 moves the substrate holding hand 10 vertically while the detection light LT is blocked by the substrate W. The control unit 50 detects the relative tilt of the substrate W in the roll direction about the rotation axis of the approaching direction of the substrate holding hand 10 by comparing the vertical width of the detected region where the detection light LT is blocked with the vertical width of the actual substrate W. Similar to the detection of the inclination of the holding member 103a of the substrate mounting unit 103, the control unit 50 detects the inclination of the substrate W in multiple directions by bringing the substrate holding hand 10 close to the substrate W from multiple approach directions that are different from each other. Furthermore, similar to the detection of the inclination of the holding member 103a of the substrate mounting unit 103, the control unit 50 detects the inclination of the substrate W at each of five different positions in the vertical direction. In this manner, the control unit 50 obtains the relative inclination of the substrate holding hand 10 with respect to the substrate W. Then, the control unit 50 sets the operation of the tilt mechanism 30 so that the substrate W placed on the substrate mounting unit 103 and the surface of the substrate holding hand 10 on which the substrate W is placed are parallel to each other in the unloading operation. Similar to the loading operation, the set value of the amount of tilt adjustment by the tilt mechanism 30 in the unloading operation may be changed depending on the vertical position of the substrate mounting unit 103, or may be a constant value.

[0036] In this way, the setting value for the unloading operation of the tilt mechanism 30 is set by the control unit 50 through the tilt setting operation for the unloading operation and stored in the storage device. The control unit 50 operates the tilt mechanism 30 based on the detection result of the substrate W placed on the substrate placement unit 103 by the detection unit 40, thereby unloading the substrate W from the substrate placement unit 103 in a state where the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 has been adjusted.

[0037] (Substrate Transport Robot Control Method) A control method for the substrate transport robot 100 in the first embodiment will be described based on a flowchart with reference to Fig. 9. The control processing from step S1 to step S5 is executed by the control unit 50.

[0038] First, in step S1, the tilt adjustment operation is started and a detection result is obtained by detecting the substrate mounting part 103. Specifically, the tilt adjustment operation in the load operation is started and a detection result is obtained by detecting the columnar holding members 103a extending in the vertical direction on the substrate mounting part 103 in a state where no substrate W is placed thereon, at five positions, that is, at least three mutually different positions in the vertical direction.

[0039] Next, in step S2, the tilt mechanism 30 is operated based on the detection result of the substrate mounting part 103, thereby adjusting the relative tilt between the substrate mounting part 103 and the substrate holding hand 10. Specifically, the relative tilt between the substrate mounting part 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 is adjusted based on the detection result obtained by detecting the columnar holding members 103a of the substrate mounting part 103 at five different positions in the vertical direction. That is, the relative tilt of the substrate mounting part 103 with respect to the substrate holding hand 10 is obtained based on the detection results at the five positions obtained in step S1, and the setting value of the tilt mechanism 30 that cancels the obtained tilt is stored as the setting value for the load operation.

[0040] Next, in step S3, the tilt adjustment operation for the unloading operation is started, and the detection results are obtained by detecting the substrate W placed on the substrate placement part 103 by the detection part 40. As in step S1, the detection results are obtained by detecting the substrate W at five positions, which are at least three mutually different positions in the vertical direction.

[0041] Next, in step S4, the tilt mechanism 30 is operated based on the detection results of the substrate W to adjust the relative tilt between the substrate mounting part 103 on which the substrate W is placed and the substrate holding hand 10. As in step S2, the relative tilt of the substrate mounting part 103 on which the substrate W is placed with respect to the substrate holding hand 10 is obtained based on the five detection results obtained in step S3, and the setting value of the tilt mechanism 30 that eliminates the obtained tilt is stored as the setting for the unloading operation.

[0042] Then, in step S5, the tilt mechanism 30 is operated using the set value, and the transport operation of the substrate W, including the loading operation and the unloading operation, is performed with the relative inclination of the substrate mounting portion 103 with respect to the substrate holding hand 10 adjusted.

[0043] Effect of First Embodiment The substrate transport robot 100 includes a control unit 50 that adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate mounting unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 by operating the tilt mechanism 30 as a tilt adjustment mechanism based on the detection result of the substrate mounting unit 103 by the detection unit 40. This makes it possible to adjust the relative tilt between the substrate mounting unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 by operating the tilt mechanism 30 based on the detection result of the substrate mounting unit 103, regardless of whether or not a substrate W is present on the substrate mounting unit 103. As a result, it is possible to appropriately adjust the tilt between the substrate mounting unit 103 on which the substrate W is mounted and the substrate holding hand 10, regardless of whether or not a substrate W is present on the substrate mounting unit 103.

[0044] The detection unit 40 detects the substrate mounting unit 103 when no substrate W is placed thereon. The control unit 50 operates the tilt mechanism 30 as a tilt adjustment mechanism based on the detection result of the substrate mounting unit 103 when no substrate W is placed thereon, thereby adjusting the relative tilt between the substrate mounting unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10, and then loads the substrate W held by the substrate holding hand 10 into the substrate mounting unit 103. This allows the tilt mechanism 30 to be operated based on the detection result of the substrate mounting unit 103 before the substrate W is placed thereon to adjust the relative tilt between the substrate mounting unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10, so that when loading the substrate W into the substrate mounting unit 103, the tilt between the substrate mounting unit 103 on which the substrate W is placed and the substrate holding hand 10 can be appropriately adjusted.

[0045] The detection unit 40 detects the substrate W placed on the substrate placement unit 103. The control unit 50 operates the tilt mechanism 30 as a tilt adjustment mechanism based on the detection result of the substrate W placed on the substrate placement unit 103 by the detection unit 40, thereby adjusting the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10, and then unloads the substrate W from the substrate placement unit 103. Here, when the substrate W is placed on the substrate placement unit 103, it may be difficult for the detection unit 40 to detect the substrate placement unit 103 due to physical interference from the placed substrate W. In contrast, in the first embodiment, the detection unit 40 detects the substrate W placed on the substrate placement unit 103. As a result, the tilt between the substrate placement unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 during the unloading operation of the substrate W can be appropriately adjusted based on the detection result of the substrate W. As a result, the inclination between the substrate placing part 103 on which the substrate W is placed and the substrate holding hand 10 can be appropriately adjusted both in the unloading operation of unloading the substrate W from the substrate placing part 103 and in the loading operation of loading the substrate W into the substrate placing part 103.

[0046] The detection unit 40 detects the shape of the substrate placement unit 103. The control unit 50 adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 by operating the tilt mechanism 30 serving as a tilt adjustment mechanism based on the shape of the substrate placement unit 103 detected by the detection unit 40. In this way, by detecting the shape of the substrate placement unit 103, the relative tilt of the substrate placement unit 103 with respect to the substrate holding hand 10 can be easily detected. As a result, the tilt between the substrate placement unit 103 on which the substrate W is placed and the substrate holding hand 10 can be easily and appropriately adjusted.

[0047] The detection unit 40 is disposed on the substrate holding hand 10 and detects the shape of the substrate placement unit 103 by irradiating it with detection light LT. This allows the shape of the substrate placement unit 103 to be detected by the detection unit 40, which has a relatively simple configuration for irradiating detection light LT, thereby reducing the complexity of the device configuration. Furthermore, by detecting the shape of the substrate placement unit 103 by the common detection unit 40 that detects the presence or absence of a substrate W by irradiating it with detection light LT, as in the first embodiment, the complexity of the device configuration can be reduced compared to when a configuration for detecting the substrate placement unit 103 is provided separately from the detection unit 40 that detects the presence or absence of a substrate W.

[0048] The detection unit 40 detects the columnar holding members 103a extending in the vertical direction in the substrate mounting unit 103, which has columnar holding members 103a that hold multiple substrates W aligned in the vertical direction. The control unit 50 adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate mounting unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 based on the detection result of the detection of the columnar holding members 103a by the detection unit 40. In this way, by detecting the columnar holding members 103a extending in the vertical direction, the tilt of the substrate mounting unit 103 relative to the vertical direction can be easily detected. Therefore, by adjusting the relative tilt between the substrate mounting unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 based on the detection result of the holding members 103a, the tilt between the substrate mounting unit 103 on which the substrate W is mounted and the substrate holding hand 10 can be easily and appropriately adjusted.

[0049] The detection unit 40 detects the columnar holding member 103a extending in the vertical direction at at least three different positions in the vertical direction. The control unit 50 adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate mounting unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 based on at least three (five) detection results of the columnar holding member 103a detected by the detection unit 40 at at least three (five) different positions in the vertical direction. Thus, even if the degree of tilt of the holding member 103a extending in the vertical direction varies depending on the position in the vertical direction, by detecting the holding member 103a at least three positions in the vertical direction, the holding member 103a can be detected to correspond to the difference in the degree of tilt of the holding member 103a extending in the vertical direction. Therefore, the relative tilt between the substrate mounting unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 can be adjusted to correspond to the difference in the degree of tilt of the holding member 103a. As a result, the tilt between the substrate mounting unit 103 on which the substrate W is placed and the substrate holding hand 10 can be more appropriately adjusted.

[0050] The tilt mechanism 30 as a tilt adjustment mechanism includes a lower member 31, an upper member 32 arranged vertically opposite the lower member 31, three spherical plain bearings 33, 34, and 35 arranged at different positions as viewed from the vertical direction between the lower member 31 and the upper member 32, and two height position adjustment mechanisms 36 and 37 provided corresponding to the spherical plain bearings 33 and 34, respectively, which are two of the three spherical plain bearings 33, 34, and 35. Based on the detection result by the detection unit 40, the control unit 50 adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 by adjusting the tilt of the upper member 32 with respect to the lower member 31 using the height position adjustment mechanisms 36 and 37. This allows the relative tilt between the substrate mounting portion 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 to be adjusted using the three spherical plain bearings 33, 34, and 35 and the two height position adjustment mechanisms 36 and 37 without distorting the lower member 31 and the upper member 32 relative to each other, thereby more appropriately adjusting the tilt between the substrate mounting portion 103 on which the substrate W is placed and the substrate holding hand 10.

[0051] The substrate holding hand 10 includes a plurality of blade members 11, each of which holds a substrate W. The substrate transport robot 100 includes a blade holding unit 21 to which the plurality of blade members 11 are connected. The control unit 50 adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 by operating a tilt mechanism 30 serving as a tilt adjustment mechanism to adjust the tilt of the blade holding unit 21 based on the detection result by the detection unit 40. In this way, by adjusting the tilt of the blade holding unit 21 to which the plurality of blade members 11 are connected using the tilt mechanism 30, the tilt of the plurality of blade members 11 can be adjusted collectively. As a result, the device configuration can be made less complex than when the tilt of the plurality of blade members 11 is adjusted separately.

[0052] The detection unit 40 detects the substrate placement unit 103 arranged in the heat treatment apparatus 101 where heat treatment is performed on the substrate W. Here, the substrate placement unit 103 arranged in the heat treatment apparatus 101 may be deformed by the heat treatment on the substrate W. In this case, a deviation occurs in the tilt between the substrate placement unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10. Therefore, by detecting the substrate placement unit 103 arranged in the heat treatment apparatus 101 with the detection unit 40, the tilt between the substrate placement unit 103 on which the substrate W is placed and the substrate holding hand 10 can be effectively and appropriately adjusted.

[0053] (Effects of the Control Method of the Substrate Transport Robot) In the first embodiment, as described above, the control unit 50 is provided which adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate mounting part 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 by operating the tilt mechanism 30 as a tilt adjustment mechanism based on the detection result of the substrate mounting part 103 by the detection unit 40. This makes it possible to adjust the relative tilt between the substrate mounting part 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 by operating the tilt mechanism 30 based on the detection result of the substrate mounting part 103, regardless of whether or not a substrate W is present on the substrate mounting part 103. As a result, it is possible to provide a control method for the substrate transport robot 100 which can appropriately adjust the tilt between the substrate mounting part 103 on which a substrate W is placed and the substrate holding hand 10, regardless of whether or not a substrate W is present on the substrate mounting part 103.

[0054] The control method for the substrate transport robot 100 includes obtaining detection results of the columnar holding members 103a extending in the vertical direction at at least three different positions in the vertical direction in a substrate placement unit 103 having columnar holding members 103a that hold multiple substrates W aligned in the vertical direction, and adjusting the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 based on the at least three detection results of the columnar holding members 103a detected at the at least three different positions in the vertical direction. As a result, even if the degree of tilt of the holding members 103a extending in the vertical direction varies depending on the position in the vertical direction, by detecting the holding members 103a at at least three positions in the vertical direction, the holding members 103a can be detected to correspond to the difference in the degree of tilt of the holding members 103a extending in the vertical direction. Therefore, the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 can be adjusted to correspond to the difference in the degree of tilt of the holding members 103a. As a result, it is possible to provide a method for controlling the substrate transport robot 100 that can more appropriately adjust the tilt between the substrate placement part 103 on which the substrate W is placed and the substrate holding hand 10 .

[0055] Second Embodiment Next, the configuration of a substrate transport robot 200 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 10 to 12. In the second embodiment, the substrate transport robot 200 differs from the substrate transport robot 100 of the first embodiment in that it is provided with a detector 40 that is a photoelectric sensor, in that an imaging unit 240 is provided as a detector that detects the substrate placement unit 103. Note that components similar to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0056] 10 , a substrate transport robot 200 according to the second embodiment, like the substrate transport robot 100 according to the first embodiment, transports substrates W between a FOUP 102 and a substrate placement unit 103 in a heat treatment apparatus 101. The substrate transport robot 200 includes a substrate holding hand 10, a drive mechanism 20, a tilt mechanism 30, an imaging unit 240, and a control unit 250. The imaging unit 240 is an example of a detection unit and an imaging unit.

[0057] The imaging unit 240 is disposed in the blade holding unit 21 to which the blade members 11 of the substrate holding hand 10 are connected. The imaging unit 240 is disposed, for example, above the blade holding unit 21 so as to include the plurality of blade members 11 in its imaging range. The imaging unit 240 has an imaging element such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor, and captures an image of the substrate placement unit 103. The imaging unit 240 outputs a signal acquired by the imaging element to the control unit 250.

[0058] The control unit 250, like the control unit 50 in the first embodiment, controls the operation of each unit of the substrate transport robot 200. The hardware configuration of the control unit 250 is similar to that of the control unit 50 in the first embodiment. Like the control unit 50 in the first embodiment, the control unit 250 adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 by performing a tilt setting operation.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 11 , the control unit 250 generates a captured image P1 based on a signal from the imaging unit 240. In the second embodiment, the control unit 250 adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate mounting unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 by operating the tilt mechanism 30 based on the shape of the substrate mounting unit 103 in the captured image P1 captured by the imaging unit 240. In the second embodiment, the imaging unit 240 captures an image of the substrate mounting unit 103 in a state where no substrate W is placed thereon during a tilt adjustment operation for setting a setting value for the tilt mechanism 30 in a load operation. The control unit 250 detects the shape of the columnar holding member 103a in the captured image P1. For example, the control unit 250 detects the shape of the holding member 103a in the captured image P1 by pattern matching with a preset reference image. Similar to the detection using the detection unit 40 in the first embodiment, the control unit 250 causes the imaging unit 240 to capture images of the holding member 103a from multiple directions in the X-Y plane at at least three positions in the vertical direction. The control unit 250 detects the shape of the holding member 103a in each of the captured images P1 captured from a plurality of directions, thereby acquiring the relative tilt of the holding member 103a of the substrate mounting unit 103 with respect to the substrate holding hand 10. Similar to the first embodiment, the control unit 250 adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate mounting unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 based on the acquired relative tilt of the holding member 103a, and sets the setting value of the tilt mechanism 30. As described above, in the second embodiment, the control unit 250 operates the tilt mechanism 30 based on the captured image P1 of the substrate mounting unit 103 in a state where no substrate W is placed thereon, thereby loading the substrate W held by the substrate holding hand 10 into the substrate mounting unit 103 with the relative tilt between the substrate mounting unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 adjusted by the tilt setting operation in the load operation.

[0060] 12 , the imaging unit 240 images the substrate W placed on the substrate mounting unit 103 during the tilt adjustment operation for setting the setting value of the tilt mechanism 30 for the unloading operation. The control unit 250 generates an image P2 of the substrate W during the tilt adjustment operation for the unloading operation. Then, the control unit 250 detects the shape of the substrate W from the image P2, similar to the tilt adjustment operation for the load operation. For example, the control unit 250 detects the shape of the substrate W in the image P2 by pattern matching, similar to the holding member 103a of the substrate mounting unit 103. The control unit 250 detects the relative tilt of the substrate W with respect to the substrate holding hand 10 based on the shape of the substrate W detected in the image P2. As in the first embodiment, the control unit 250 operates the tilt mechanism 30 based on the image P2 of the substrate W placed on the substrate placement unit 103 captured by the imaging unit 240, thereby adjusting the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 by the tilt setting operation in the unloading operation, and then unloads the substrate W from the substrate placement unit 103. The other configurations of the substrate transport robot 200 according to the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0061] Effects of the Second Embodiment The substrate transport robot 200 includes an imaging unit 240 that images the substrate placement unit 103. The control unit 250 adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 based on the shape of the substrate placement unit 103 in the image P1 captured by the imaging unit 240. This makes it possible to easily detect the shape of the substrate placement unit 103 based on the image P1 captured by the imaging unit 240, and therefore to easily obtain the relative tilt of the substrate placement unit 103 with respect to the substrate holding hand 10. As a result, it is possible to easily and appropriately adjust the tilt between the substrate placement unit 103 on which the substrate W is placed and the substrate holding hand 10. Note that other effects of the second embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment.

[0062] [Modifications] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not by the description of the above-mentioned embodiments, and includes all modifications (modifications) within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0063] For example, in the first and second embodiments, the tilt adjustment mechanism 30 is operated to adjust the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit 103 and the substrate holding hand 10 in the heat treatment apparatus 101. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the tilt adjustment mechanism may be operated to adjust the relative tilt between a FOUP serving as the substrate placement unit and the substrate holding hand. Furthermore, the tilt adjustment mechanism may be operated to adjust the relative tilt between a substrate placement unit and the substrate holding hand in a processing apparatus that performs etching or other processing on substrates other than heat treatment. Furthermore, the tilt of the substrate holding hand relative to a substrate placement unit, such as a load lock unit on which a substrate is placed in an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module), or a substrate placement unit in an aligner apparatus for adjusting the orientation of a substrate, may be adjusted. That is, the relative tilt may be adjusted by operating the tilt adjustment mechanism during a transfer operation between any of a FOUP as a substrate mounting part, a substrate mounting part arranged in a processing device, a substrate mounting part such as a load lock part, and a substrate mounting part in an aligner device. Also, the relative tilt may be adjusted by operating the tilt adjustment mechanism during a transfer operation between any of a FOUP as a substrate mounting part, a substrate mounting part arranged in a processing device, a substrate mounting part such as a load lock part, and a substrate mounting part in an aligner device.

[0064] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, an example was shown in which the detector 40, which is disposed on the bifurcated substrate holding hand 10 and irradiates the detection light LT, detects the substrate placement part 103 when no substrate W is placed thereon and also detects the substrate W placed on the substrate placement part 103. In the second embodiment, an example was shown in which the imaging unit 240, serving as a detector, disposed on the blade holding part 21 to which the blade member 11 of the substrate holding hand 10 is connected captures an image of the substrate placement part 103 when no substrate W is placed thereon and also captures an image of the substrate W placed on the substrate placement part 103. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the detector or imaging unit may be disposed in a location other than the substrate holding hand or the blade holding part to which the substrate holding hand is connected. For example, the imaging unit or detector may be disposed in a drive mechanism that moves the substrate holding hand, a base of the substrate transport robot, or a location remote from the substrate transport robot. Furthermore, the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit and the substrate holding hand may be detected by using different detectors for tilt adjustment during the carry-in operation and tilt adjustment during the carry-out operation. For example, an imaging unit may capture an image of the substrate placement unit on which no substrate is placed, and a detector such as a photoelectric sensor different from the imaging unit may detect the substrate placed on the substrate placement unit. Furthermore, a jig simulating a substrate may be detected instead of the substrate.

[0065] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the detecting unit 40 that outputs the detection light LT is disposed, and in the second embodiment, the imaging unit 240 is disposed as a detecting unit to detect the shape of the substrate placement unit 103. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the shape of the substrate placement unit may not be detected by the detecting unit. For example, the detecting unit may be a capacitance sensor or a distance sensor, etc., which detects the relative tilt of the substrate placement unit with respect to the substrate holding hand without detecting the shape, outline, or appearance. Furthermore, a marker member may be disposed on the substrate placement unit, and the relative tilt of the substrate placement unit with respect to the substrate holding hand may be detected by detecting the marker member. Furthermore, multiple detecting units may be disposed. Furthermore, when a detecting unit is disposed on a substrate holding hand that holds multiple substrates, a detecting unit may be disposed on each of multiple blade members. In this case, for example, if there is only one tilt adjustment mechanism, the detection results for each of the multiple blade members may be averaged to operate the tilt adjustment mechanism. Furthermore, multiple tilt adjustment mechanisms may be disposed corresponding to each of the multiple blade members. When multiple tilt adjustment mechanisms are arranged to correspond to each of the multiple blade members, the corresponding tilt adjustment mechanisms may be controlled separately based on the detection results for each of the multiple blade members.

[0066] Furthermore, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the relative tilt of the substrate holding hand 10 with respect to the substrate mounting part 103 during the loading operation is adjusted by detecting the shape of the substrate mounting part 103 when no substrate W is placed thereon. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the detector may detect the shape of the substrate mounting part when a substrate is placed thereon. Furthermore, in a substrate mounting part on which multiple substrates are placed, the detector may detect the shape of a region of the substrate mounting part where no substrate is placed when a substrate is partially placed thereon. For example, when multiple substrates are transported sequentially from top to bottom relative to the substrate mounting part, the detector may detect the lower portion of the substrate mounting part where no substrate is placed when a substrate is partially placed thereon. Furthermore, when multiple substrates are transported sequentially, the detector may detect the substrate mounting part with the detector during the substrate transport operation, rather than when the substrate transport robot is installed or during periodic maintenance, to set the setting value of the tilt adjustment mechanism in real time.

[0067] Furthermore, in the above-described first and second embodiments, examples have been shown in which the detection unit 40 or the imaging unit 240 performs detection on the substrate mounting unit 103 and the substrate W from a plurality of approach directions, thereby obtaining detection results for each of the plurality of approach directions, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the detection result may be obtained from one direction. Furthermore, even when the detection unit performs detection from one direction, the substrate mounting unit may be rotated so that detection results from a plurality of relative directions are obtained.

[0068] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, examples have been described in which the holding members 103a are detected at five different positions in the vertical direction in the substrate mounting unit 103 having pillar-shaped holding members 103a. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the shape of the holding member may be detected in a curved manner by detecting the pillar-shaped holding members at at least three different positions in the vertical direction. Alternatively, the tilt of the holding member may be detected linearly by detecting the holding members at two positions in the vertical direction. The tilt of two or more pillar-shaped holding members may be detected. In this case, the average of the tilts of the multiple holding members may be obtained as the relative tilt with respect to the substrate holding hand of the substrate mounting unit. Similarly, when detecting a substrate mounted on the substrate mounting unit, at least three positions may be detected, or two positions may be used. When detecting a substrate mounted on the substrate mounting unit, the relative tilt may be obtained by detecting a single substrate.

[0069] In the first and second embodiments, the blade member 11 in the substrate holding hands 10 and 210 is a passive hand having a bifurcated shape. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, a flat substrate holding hand that does not have a bifurcated shape may be disposed, such as the substrate holding hand 310 according to a first modified example shown in FIG. 13 . In this case, the detection unit or the imaging unit may be disposed in the flat substrate holding hand, or may be disposed in a position other than the flat substrate holding hand. Furthermore, instead of a passive hand, a vacuum-type hand that adsorbs a substrate or an active-type hand having a chuck that secures a substrate may be disposed as the substrate holding hand.

[0070] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, the tilt mechanism 30 serving as the tilt adjustment mechanism includes three spherical plain bearings 33, 34, and 35 and two height position adjustment mechanisms 36 and 37. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, a tilt adjustment mechanism without a spherical plain bearing may be provided. Furthermore, the tilt adjustment mechanism may not include a height position adjustment mechanism. For example, the tilt adjustment mechanism may include a rotation mechanism to adjust the tilt. Furthermore, the drive source of the tilt adjustment mechanism may be a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder actuator, a piezoelectric element, a solenoid coil, a linear motor, or the like.

[0071] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, the substrate transport robots 100 and 200 include a horizontal movement mechanism 22 as the drive mechanism 20, and the substrate holding hand 10 is provided with multiple blade members 11, each of which holds a substrate W. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the substrate transport robot may include a robot arm having multiple joints as a drive mechanism for moving the substrate holding hand. In this case, the robot arm may be horizontally or vertically multi-jointed. The substrate transport robot may also have a drive mechanism with a parallel link structure. Furthermore, as in the substrate holding hand 410 according to a second modified example shown in FIG. 14 , the substrate holding hand 410 may hold a single substrate. In the second modified example shown in FIG. 14 , the substrate holding hand 410 is attached to a robot arm unit 420 as a drive mechanism. In this case, a tilt mechanism 30 as a tilt adjustment mechanism is disposed, for example, between the tip of the robot arm unit 420 and the substrate holding hand 410. In this case, too, the detection unit or the imaging unit may be disposed in the substrate holding hand 410 or in the robot arm unit 420. Also, a plurality of substrate holding hands each holding one substrate may be disposed. For example, one substrate holding hand each holding one substrate may be disposed on each of a plurality of robot arms.

[0072] In addition, in the first embodiment described above, an example was shown in which the detection unit 40 was disposed on the lowest blade member 11 of the multiple blade members 11 arranged in a vertical line, and in the second embodiment described above, an example was shown in which the imaging unit 240 as a detection unit was disposed above the blade holding unit 21 to which the multiple blade members 11 are connected, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the detection unit may be disposed on the topmost blade member of the multiple blade members arranged in a vertical line, or on the central blade member. Also, a detection unit may be disposed on each of the multiple blade members.

[0073] In the first and second embodiments, the control units 50 and 250, which control the operation of each unit of the substrate transport robots 100 and 200, acquire the relative tilt between the substrate holding hand 10 and the substrate placement unit 103 based on signals from the detection unit 40 and the imaging unit 240 serving as the detection unit. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, a control device separate from the control device controlling the operation of the substrate transport robot may perform arithmetic processing to detect the relative tilt between the substrate holding hand and the substrate placement unit based on the detection results from the detection unit. Furthermore, the control unit of the substrate transport robot may be configured as a single CPU.

[0074] The functions of the elements disclosed herein can be performed 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. A processor is considered a processing circuit or circuit because it includes transistors and other circuitry. In this disclosure, a circuit, unit, or means is hardware that performs the recited functions or hardware that is programmed to perform the recited functions. The hardware may be hardware disclosed herein or other known hardware that is programmed or configured to perform the recited functions. Where the hardware is a processor, which is considered a type of circuit, the circuit, means, or unit is a combination of hardware and software, and the software is used to configure the hardware and / or processor.

[0075] Aspects It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments described above are examples of the following aspects.

[0076] (Aspect 1) A substrate transport robot comprising: a substrate holding hand that holds a substrate to be placed on a substrate placement portion; a tilt adjustment mechanism that adjusts the tilt of the substrate holding hand; a detection unit that detects the substrate placement portion; and a control unit that adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate placement portion and the substrate holding hand by operating the tilt adjustment mechanism based on the detection result of the substrate placement portion by the detection unit.

[0077] (Aspect 2) A substrate transport robot according to Aspect 1, wherein the detection unit detects the substrate placement unit when the substrate is not placed thereon, and the control unit operates the tilt adjustment mechanism based on the detection result of the substrate placement unit when the substrate is not placed thereon, thereby adjusting the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit and the substrate holding hand, and then transports the substrate held by the substrate holding hand into the substrate placement unit.

[0078] (Aspect 3) A substrate transport robot according to Aspect 2, wherein the detection unit detects the substrate placed on the substrate placement unit, and the control unit operates the tilt adjustment mechanism based on the detection result of the substrate placed on the substrate placement unit, thereby adjusting the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit and the substrate holding hand, and then transports the substrate from the substrate placement unit.

[0079] (Aspect 4) A substrate transport robot according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein the detection unit detects the shape of the substrate placement unit, and the control unit adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit and the substrate holding hand by operating the tilt adjustment mechanism based on the shape of the substrate placement unit detected by the detection unit.

[0080] (Aspect 5) The substrate transport robot according to aspect 4, wherein the detection unit is disposed on the substrate holding hand and detects the shape of the substrate placement unit by irradiating it with detection light.

[0081] (Aspect 6) The substrate transport robot according to Aspect 4, wherein the detection unit includes an imaging unit that images the substrate placement unit, and the control unit adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit and the substrate holding hand based on the shape of the substrate placement unit in the image captured by the imaging unit.

[0082] (Aspect 7) A substrate transport robot described in any of Aspects 1 to 6, wherein the detection unit detects columnar holding members extending in the vertical direction in the substrate mounting unit having columnar holding members that hold multiple substrates arranged in the vertical direction, and the control unit adjusts the relative inclination between the substrate mounting unit and the substrate holding hand based on the detection result of the detection of the columnar holding members by the detection unit.

[0083] (Aspect 8) A substrate transport robot as described in Aspect 7, wherein the detection unit detects the columnar holding member extending in the vertical direction at at least three different positions in the vertical direction, and the control unit adjusts the relative inclination between the substrate placement unit and the substrate holding hand based on at least three detection results obtained by the detection unit of the columnar holding member at at least three different positions in the vertical direction.

[0084] (Aspect 9) A substrate transport robot according to any one of Aspects 1 to 8, wherein the tilt adjustment mechanism includes: a lower member; an upper member arranged to face the lower member in the vertical direction; three spherical plain bearings arranged between the lower member and the upper member and positioned at different locations when viewed from the vertical direction; and two height position adjustment mechanisms arranged corresponding to two of the three spherical plain bearings, respectively; and the control unit adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit and the substrate holding hand by adjusting the tilt of the upper member with respect to the lower member using the height position adjustment mechanisms based on the detection result by the detection unit.

[0085] (Aspect 10) A substrate transport robot described in any of Aspects 1 to 9, wherein the substrate holding hand includes a plurality of blade members each holding the substrate, and further comprises a blade holding section to which the plurality of blade members are connected, and the control section adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate placement section and the substrate holding hand by operating the tilt adjustment mechanism based on the detection result by the detection section.

[0086] (Aspect 11) The substrate transport robot according to any one of Aspects 1 to 10, wherein the detection unit detects the substrate placement unit disposed in a heat treatment device that performs heat treatment on the substrate.

[0087] (Aspect 12) A method for controlling a substrate transport robot, comprising: acquiring a detection result of a substrate placement portion on which a substrate is placed; and operating a tilt adjustment mechanism that adjusts the tilt of a substrate holding hand that holds the substrate placed on the substrate placement portion based on the detection result of the substrate placement portion, thereby adjusting the relative tilt between the substrate placement portion and the substrate holding hand.

[0088] (Aspect 13) A control method for a substrate transport robot described in Aspect 12, in which, in the substrate mounting section having a columnar holding member that holds multiple substrates arranged in a vertical direction, detection results are obtained by detecting the columnar holding member extending in the vertical direction at at least three different positions in the vertical direction, and the relative inclination between the substrate mounting section and the substrate holding hand is adjusted based on the at least three detection results in which the columnar holding member is detected at at least three different positions in the vertical direction.

Claims

1. A substrate transport robot comprising: a substrate holding hand that holds a substrate to be placed on a substrate placement part; a tilt adjustment mechanism that adjusts the tilt of the substrate holding hand; a detection unit that detects the substrate placement part; and a control unit that adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate placement part and the substrate holding hand by operating the tilt adjustment mechanism based on the detection result of the substrate placement part by the detection unit.

2. The substrate transport robot of claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects the substrate mounting part when no substrate is placed thereon, and the control unit operates the tilt adjustment mechanism based on the detection result of the substrate mounting part when no substrate is placed thereon, thereby adjusting the relative tilt between the substrate mounting part and the substrate holding hand, and then transports the substrate held by the substrate holding hand into the substrate mounting part.

3. The substrate transport robot of claim 2, wherein the detection unit detects the substrate placed on the substrate placement unit, and the control unit operates the tilt adjustment mechanism based on the detection result of the substrate placed on the substrate placement unit, thereby adjusting the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit and the substrate holding hand, and then removes the substrate from the substrate placement unit.

4. The substrate transport robot of claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects the shape of the substrate mounting part, and the control unit adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate mounting part and the substrate holding hand by operating the tilt adjustment mechanism based on the shape of the substrate mounting part detected by the detection unit.

5. The substrate transport robot according to claim 4, wherein the detection unit is disposed on the substrate holding hand and detects the shape of the substrate placement unit by irradiating the substrate with detection light.

6. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 4, wherein the detection unit includes an imaging unit that images the substrate mounting unit, and the control unit adjusts the relative inclination between the substrate mounting unit and the substrate holding hand based on the shape of the substrate mounting unit in the image captured by the imaging unit.

7. The substrate transport robot of claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects a columnar holding member extending in the vertical direction in the substrate mounting unit having a columnar holding member that holds a plurality of the substrates arranged in the vertical direction, and the control unit adjusts the relative inclination between the substrate mounting unit and the substrate holding hand based on the detection result of the detection of the columnar holding member by the detection unit.

8. The substrate transport robot of claim 7, wherein the detection unit detects the columnar holding member extending in the vertical direction at at least three mutually different positions in the vertical direction, and the control unit adjusts the relative inclination between the substrate placement unit and the substrate holding hand based on at least three detection results obtained by the detection unit in which the columnar holding member is detected at at least three mutually different positions in the vertical direction.

9. The substrate transport robot of claim 1, wherein the tilt adjustment mechanism includes a lower member, an upper member arranged to face the lower member in the vertical direction, three spherical plain bearings arranged between the lower member and the upper member and positioned at different positions from each other when viewed in the vertical direction, and two height position adjustment mechanisms respectively arranged to correspond to two of the three spherical plain bearings, and the control unit adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate placement unit and the substrate holding hand by adjusting the tilt of the upper member with respect to the lower member using the height position adjustment mechanisms based on the detection result by the detection unit.

10. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 1, wherein the substrate holding hand includes a plurality of blade members each for holding the substrate, and further includes a blade holding section to which the plurality of blade members are connected, and the control section adjusts the relative tilt between the substrate placement section and the substrate holding hand by adjusting the tilt of the blade holding section by operating the tilt adjustment mechanism based on the detection result by the detection section.

11. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects the substrate placement unit disposed in a heat treatment device that performs heat treatment on the substrate.

12. A method for controlling a substrate transport robot, comprising: acquiring detection results of a substrate placement part on which a substrate is placed; and adjusting the relative tilt between the substrate placement part and the substrate holding hand based on the detection results of the substrate placement part by operating a tilt adjustment mechanism that adjusts the tilt of a substrate holding hand that holds the substrate placed on the substrate placement part.

13. A method for controlling a substrate transport robot as described in claim 12, comprising obtaining detection results of the columnar holding members extending in the vertical direction in the substrate mounting section having columnar holding members that hold a plurality of the substrates aligned in the vertical direction, and adjusting the relative inclination between the substrate mounting section and the substrate holding hand based on the at least three detection results in which the columnar holding members extending in the vertical direction are detected in at least three different positions in the vertical direction.

Images