Transport system and transport method

Abstract

This transport system comprises: a transport module extending in a first direction; a plurality of processing modules connected to the transport module; and a transport device that is provided inside the transport module and transports a transported object to the plurality of processing modules. The transport device includes: a movement mechanism that moves the transported object along the first direction; a lower-stage slide part that is provided on the upper side in the vertical direction of the movement mechanism and can move the transported object in a second direction that is a direction different from the first direction; and an upper-stage slide part that is provided on the upper side in the vertical direction of the lower-stage slide part and can move the transported object in the second direction.

Description

Transport system and transport method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a transport system and a transport method.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an inspection system equipped with a transfer device that transfers substrates (wafers). This transfer device houses a transfer arm that supports the substrate inside a cover. The transfer device advances the transfer arm from the cover toward an inspection section of an inspection unit, and transfers and receives substrates between the transfer arm and the inspection section.

[0003] JP 2016-72356 A

[0004] The present disclosure provides a technology that can move an object to be transported over a long stroke while promoting miniaturization of the transport device.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a transport system including a transport module extending in a first direction, a plurality of processing modules connected to the transport module, and a transport device provided inside the transport module and transporting transported objects to the plurality of processing modules, wherein the transport device includes a moving mechanism that moves the transported objects along the first direction, a lower slide section that is provided vertically above the moving mechanism and is capable of moving the transported objects in a second direction that is different from the first direction, and an upper slide section that is provided vertically above the lower slide section and is capable of moving the transported objects in the second direction.

[0006] According to one aspect, the transport device can be made smaller while moving the transported object over a long stroke.

[0007] FIG. 1 is an enlarged plan view of a transport system according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the negative X-axis direction side of a transport module and an inspection device; FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing an installation state of a transport module having a transport device and an inspection device; FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of a transport device; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an advancing / retracting movement mechanism of the transport device; FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a method of transporting a substrate in a transport module; FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state in which an open part of the transport device faces a target inspection device; FIG. 8 is a side view showing an advanced state of a lower slide part of the transport device; FIG. 9 is a side view showing an advanced state of an end effector of an upper slide part of the transport device.

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations may be omitted.

[0009] FIG. 1 is an enlarged plan view of a transfer system 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer system 1 is constructed in a work location such as a semiconductor manufacturing facility or a semiconductor inspection facility. In this embodiment, the transfer system 1 is described, which transfers a substrate W (see FIG. 2) to an inspection device 50 that inspects the substrate W. The substrate W to be inspected may be a wafer (inspected wafer) on which a plurality of semiconductor devices, which are devices under test (DUTs), are arranged in a matrix. Note that the substrate W is not limited to a wafer, and may also be a carrier having semiconductor devices, a glass substrate, a single chip, an electronic circuit board, or the like.

[0010] The transport system 1 includes an overhead hoist transport (OHT) 10 that transports a carrier C, and a plurality of substrate inspection units 20. The carrier C is a container that can accommodate a plurality of (e.g., 25) substrates W. An example of this carrier C is a front-opening unified pod (FOUP) with one side that can be opened and closed. The overhead transport device 10 transports the carrier C in a state where it contains a plurality of substrates W or in an empty state.

[0011] The ceiling conveying device 10 includes a rail 11 fixed to the ceiling of the work site, and a hoist mechanism (not shown) that runs along the rail 11 while holding the carrier C and can move the carrier C up and down. For example, the hoist mechanism has the function of holding the carrier C in a suspended state and raising and lowering the carrier C using a belt. The ceiling conveying device 10 also includes a control device (not shown) at an appropriate position in the work site that controls the operation of the ceiling conveying device 10.

[0012] The rails 11 are installed so as to pass above the loader module 30 of each substrate inspection unit 20. The hoist mechanism, which moves along the rails 11, moves to directly above the loader module 30 of the target substrate inspection unit 20 and lowers the carrier C, thereby automatically setting the carrier C in the loader module 30. Conversely, the hoist mechanism can move to directly above the carrier C of the loader module 30 and hold and lift the carrier C, thereby removing the carrier C from the substrate inspection unit 20.

[0013] The control device moves the hoist mechanism to a target position on the rails 11 and controls the raising and lowering, holding, and release of the carriers C. The control device also controls a carrier exchange unit (not shown) installed on the rails 11 to recover, exchange, and the like the carriers C, and manages the state of each substrate W in the carriers C. The control device may be installed alongside a management computer that manages the entire transport system 1 (workplace).

[0014] On the other hand, each substrate inspection unit 20 of the transport system 1 is installed so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the rails 11 installed in the work area.

[0015] Each substrate inspection unit 20 is constructed by combining a plurality of modules into a unit that efficiently transports each substrate W in a carrier C and performs inspection of the substrate W. Specifically, each substrate inspection unit 20 includes a loader module 30, a transport module 40 connected to the loader module 30, and a plurality of inspection devices 50 connected to the transport module 40. Each substrate inspection unit 20 removes a substrate W from a carrier C that has been transported to the loader module 30 by the ceiling transport device 10, transports the substrate W to the target inspection device 50 via the transport module 40, and inspects the substrate W in the inspection device 50.

[0016] In the description of the substrate inspection unit 20, the position and direction of each component will be described based on the direction of the arrows in Fig. 1. The X-axis direction in Fig. 1 is the horizontal direction of the paper and is the direction along the extension direction of the transport module 40. The Y-axis direction in Fig. 1 is the vertical direction of the paper and is the direction along the extension direction of the loader module 30. The Z-axis direction in Fig. 1 is the front and rear direction of the paper and is the height direction of the substrate inspection unit 20.

[0017] The loader module 30 of the substrate inspection unit 20 is provided vertically below the rails 11 of the ceiling transport device 10. The longitudinal direction of the loader module 30 is along the Y-axis direction. In other words, the loader module 30 is installed so that its longitudinal direction coincides with the extension direction of the rails 11. The loader module 30 has multiple (four in FIG. 2 ) load ports 31 arranged side by side along the Y-axis direction, each capable of loading multiple carriers C.

[0018] The load port 31 of the loader module 30 receives the carrier C from the hoist mechanism of the ceiling transport device 10 and transfers the carrier C to the hoist mechanism. The carrier C placed on the load port 31 is fixed by an engagement mechanism (not shown) of the load port 31.

[0019] The loader module 30 includes a loader-side transport device (not shown) therein that removes substrates W from the carriers C in each load port 31 and transports them to the transport module 40. A passage is provided inside the loader module 30 that allows the loader-side transport device to move in the Y-axis direction. The loader module 30 may be configured to allow clean air to flow down the passage.

[0020] An aligner device 34 may be provided inside the loader module 30 to detect the position and circumferential orientation (posture) of the substrate W and adjust the positional deviation and posture of the substrate W in cooperation with the loader-side transport device. In the loader module 30 shown in Fig. 1, the aligner device 34 is installed on the Y-axis positive side connected to the transport module 40 and on the X-axis negative side.

[0021] The loader module 30 includes a main housing 35 having each load port 31, and a sub-housing 36 formed separately from the main housing 35 and acting as an intermediary between the main housing 35 and the transfer module 40. The main housing 35 and the sub-housing 36 are installed so as to be aligned in the Y-axis direction. Note that the loader module 30 may also be configured such that the internal frames of the main housing 35 and the sub-housing 36 are each formed separately, with covers that cover the internal frames being integral and continuous.

[0022] The main housing 35 is formed by assembling a plurality of frames (not shown) into a box that is rectangular when viewed from the X-axis direction and L-shaped when viewed from the Y-axis direction. The main housing 35 has each load port 31 on the upper surface of a stepped portion of the L-shape.

[0023] The sub-housing 36 is formed by assembling a plurality of frames (not shown) into a rectangular shape that is long in the X-axis direction and short in the Y-axis direction in plan view, and is configured as a rectangular parallelepiped having a predetermined height in the Z-axis direction. This sub-housing 36 is formed smaller than the main housing 35. The aligner device 34 described above is provided inside the sub-housing 36. Also, a controller 90 that controls the operation of each component of the substrate inspection unit 20 is installed inside the sub-housing 36. Furthermore, the sub-housing 36 has a control panel (not shown) that can be operated by the user on its side facing the positive Y-axis direction.

[0024] In the loader module 30 described above, the main housing 35, one of the two housings, is versatile enough to be applicable to various board inspection units 20. In other words, the same main housing 35 can be applied even if the type of board inspection unit 20 changes. In contrast, the sub-housing 36, one of the two housings, of the loader module 30 is customizable so that the configuration and shape can be changed according to the needs of each customer. For example, if a customer does not need an aligner device 34, the sub-housing 36 can be changed to one that does not have the aligner device 34. In this way, by making the main housing 35 of the same standard while allowing the sub-housing 36 to be customized, the loader module 30 can meet the needs of various customers without having to change the specifications of the entire module.

[0025] The transport module 40 is connected to the side surface of the sub-housing 36 of the loader module 30 on the positive X-axis direction side, and extends linearly along the X-axis direction. In other words, the longitudinal extension direction of the transport module 40 is perpendicular to the longitudinal extension direction of the loader module 30. Multiple (three) inspection devices 50 are connected to each of both sides of the extension direction of the transport module 40 (i.e., the side surface on the positive Y-axis direction and the side surface on the negative Y-axis direction). Each inspection device 50 is connected orthogonally (at a 90° angle) to the transport module 40. However, each inspection device 50 may also be connected at an angle of, for example, 45° to 90° to the transport module 40.

[0026] The transport module 40 receives and transfers the substrate W between the loader module 30, transports the substrate W to a target inspection device 50 among the multiple inspection devices 50, and receives and transfers the substrate W to and from the stage 52 of the target inspection device 50.

[0027] Specifically, the transport module 40 includes a transport housing 41 extending in the X-axis direction, a buffer section 42 provided on the negative X-axis side of the transport housing 41, and a transport device 43 that reciprocates along the X-axis direction within the transport housing 41. Note that the transport module 40 may be a vacuum transport module that transports the substrate W with the transport space of the transport housing 41 depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere.

[0028] 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the negative X-axis direction side of the transport module 40 and the inspection device 50. As shown in Fig. 2, the framework of the transport housing 41 is formed by assembling a base plate 411 and a plurality of frames 412. The transport housing 41 forms an enclosed transport space by attaching panels (not shown) to the base plate 411 and the plurality of frames 412.

[0029] The base plate 411 of the transport housing 41 is fixed to the floor of the work area via multiple legs 413. Each of the multiple legs 413 has a level adjuster (not shown) that can adjust the height in the Z-axis direction. When the transport module 40 is installed, each level adjuster is adjusted so that the top surface of the base plate 411 is horizontal. The X-axis movement mechanism 44 of the transport device 43 is installed on the base plate 411 of the transport housing 41.

[0030] The X-axis movement mechanism 44 includes a pair of rails 441 extending in the X-axis direction on the base plate 411, an endless belt 442 extending along the sides of the rails 441, a drive motor 443 attached to one end of the belt 442, and an X-axis movable body 444 engaged with the belt 442. The X-axis movable body 444 bridges the pair of rails 441 and supports the components of the conveyance device 43 above the X-axis movement mechanism 44. The drive motor 443 is connected to a controller 90 (see FIG. 1 ) via a driver (not shown), and the controller 90 controls the driving force and driving direction of the drive motor 443. The drive motor 443 thereby rotates the belt 442 forward or backward. The X-axis movable body 444 reciprocates along the extension direction of the pair of rails 441 based on the rotation of the belt 442. Note that the conveyance device 43 is not limited to the X-axis movement mechanism 44 including the belt 442 and the drive motor 443, and various mechanisms may be employed. As an example, the X-axis moving mechanism 44 may have a configuration in which the X-axis movable body 444 is slid by a linear motor.

[0031] On the other hand, the buffer unit 42 provided in the transport housing 41 is positioned at an appropriate height by a platform 421 placed on the base plate 411. This buffer unit 42 temporarily stores the substrate W transported by the loader-side transport device of the loader module 30 and transfers it to the transport device 43. The buffer unit 42 also temporarily stores the substrate W transported by the transport device 43 and transfers it to the loader-side transport device. The buffer unit 42 may have a load lock function that can switch the internal space between an air atmosphere and a vacuum atmosphere. The buffer unit 42 may also have an aligner inside that can adjust the positional deviation and circumferential orientation of the substrate W.

[0032] A gate valve 422 that opens and closes the mouth of the buffer section 42 is provided on the side surface on the negative X-axis direction side of the buffer section 42. The gate valve may be provided on the side surface on the positive X-axis direction side. The substrate inspection unit 20 allows the substrate W to be transported between the loader module 30 and the buffer section 42 by opening the gate valve 422 on the negative X-axis direction side, and allows the pressure inside the transport module 40 including the buffer section 42 to be reduced by closing each gate valve 422. Furthermore, the substrate inspection unit 20 allows the substrate W to be transported between the transport device 43 and the buffer section 42 by opening the gate valve on the positive X-axis direction side.

[0033] The transport device 43 of the transport module 40 loads and unloads substrates W between the buffer section 42. The transport device 43 is moved in the X-axis direction by the X-axis movement mechanism 44, and is positioned opposite a target inspection device 50 among the multiple inspection devices 50 connected to the transport module 40. The transport device 43 then advances into the opposing inspection device 50 to load and unload substrates W between the inspection device 50.

[0034] Fig. 3 is a schematic side view showing the installation state of the transport module 40 having the transport device 43 and the inspection device 50. Fig. 4 is an enlarged side view showing the transport device 43. The transport device 43 moves in the X-axis direction, Z-axis direction (vertical direction), around the vertical axis, and Y-axis direction of the transport housing 41 to receive, transfer, transport, etc. of the substrate W. Specifically, the transport device 43 is provided with the above-mentioned X-axis movement mechanism 44 at the bottom on the vertically lower side, and is provided with a Z-axis movement mechanism 45, a rotation mechanism 46, and an advance / retreat movement mechanism 47, in this order, from the X-axis movement mechanism 44 to the vertically upper side.

[0035] Z-axis movement mechanism 45 employs a ball screw mechanism, a cylinder mechanism, or the like, and raises and lowers rotation mechanism 46 and advance / retract movement mechanism 47 provided above. For example, Z-axis movement mechanism 45 includes a pair of lifting / lowering guide bodies 451 and a drive motor 452 provided on X-axis movable body 444, and Z-axis movable body 453 that bridges the pair of lifting / lowering guide bodies 451 and rises and lowers under the drive of drive motor 452.

[0036] A pair of lift guide bodies 451 extend vertically from the X-axis movable body 444 and have rails fixed to one surface. The Z-axis movable body 453 engages with the rails and has a slider (not shown) with a rolling element that rolls on the rail on the surface facing each lift guide body 451. This allows the Z-axis movable body 453 to rise and fall along each lift guide body 451. The Z-axis movable body 453 also has a horizontal support plate 453a extending from each lift guide body 451 in the negative direction of the X-axis, and the rotation mechanism 46 is mounted on this support plate 453a.

[0037] The drive motor 452 is connected to the controller 90 via a driver (not shown), and the drive force and drive direction are controlled by the controller 90. A ball screw 454 that extends vertically and threads into the Z-axis movable body 453 is connected to the shaft of the drive motor 452. The Z-axis movement mechanism 45 raises and lowers the Z-axis movable body 453 in the vertical direction by rotating the ball screw 454 in accordance with the driving (forward and reverse) of the drive motor 452.

[0038] The rotation mechanism 46 is provided between the Z-axis movement mechanism 45 and the advance / retract movement mechanism 47, and rotates the advance / retract movement mechanism 47 relative to the Z-axis movement mechanism 45. The rotation mechanism 46 includes a drive motor 461 fixed to a support plate 453a of the Z-axis movable body 453, a disk 462 that rotates under the drive of the drive motor 461, and a rotating plate 463 connected to the disk 462. The drive motor 461 is connected to a controller 90 via a driver (not shown), and the drive force and drive direction are controlled by the controller 90.

[0039] The disk 462 and the rotating plate 463 are connected via multiple pillars. As a result, the rotating plate 463 is supported in the horizontal direction and rotates around a vertical axis (θ axis) relative to the support plate 453 a. The rotating plate 463 is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view, and has the advancing / retreating movement mechanism 47 slidably mounted thereon.

[0040] The advance / retract movement mechanism 47 is mounted on the rotating plate 463, and its horizontal orientation changes according to the rotation angle of the rotating plate 463. For example, the rotation mechanism 46 rotates the advance / retract movement mechanism 47 over a range (180°) from the positive direction of the Y axis to the negative direction of the Y axis. Note that the rotation mechanism 46 may be configured to rotate the advance / retract movement mechanism 47 360° around the vertical axis.

[0041] The advance / retract movement mechanism 47 is a part that directly supports the substrate W in the transport device 43 and transports the substrate W to the inspection device 50. The advance / retract movement mechanism 47 according to the embodiment is configured to slide in multiple stages in the same Y-axis direction, thereby enabling the advance / retract movement mechanism 47 to move the substrate W over a long stroke.

[0042] Specifically, the advancing / retreating mechanism 47 has a lower slide part 48 installed on the rotating plate 463, and an upper slide part 49 installed above the lower slide part 48. The advancing / retreating mechanism 47 according to the embodiment also includes a cover 471 that covers the upper slide part 49.

[0043] The lower slide unit 48 includes a pair of drive transmission units 481 fixed to one end of the rotating plate 463 and a pair of movable rails 482 that support the upper slide unit 49 and slide via the drive transmission units 481. The drive transmission unit 481 includes a drive source (not shown) within the portion fixed to the rotating plate 463 and transmits the driving force of the drive source to the pair of movable rails 482 supported at the top. The drive transmission unit 481 may, for example, have a linear motion structure using a rack and pinion. The drive transmission unit 481 is connected to a controller 90 via a driver (not shown), and the driving force and driving direction are controlled by the controller 90.

[0044] The pair of movable rails 482 extend horizontally and are supported in parallel by support portions 481a on the upper part of the drive transmission portion 481. Each movable rail 482 moves linearly along its extension direction when driven by the drive transmission portion 481. This causes the entire upper slide portion 49 installed on the upper part of each movable rail 482 to slide in an appropriate direction.

[0045] The upper slide part 49 has a substantially circular floor plate 491 to the underside of which the movable rails 482 of the lower slide part 48 are connected, and the upper surface of this floor plate 491 is covered by a cover 471. The cover 471 is formed to have a large diameter in the horizontal direction and a low cylindrical shape in the vertical direction, and has an open part 472 in part of the circumferential direction. The upper slide part 49 advances and retreats the substrate W via the open part 472 of the cover 471. The cover 471 may be provided with a purge pipe (not shown), and an inert gas or air may be supplied from the purge pipe into the cover 471 to clean the substrate W.

[0046] Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the advance / retract movement mechanism 47 of the transport device 43. Note that Fig. 5 shows a state in which a cover 471 has been removed for ease of understanding. As shown in Fig. 5, the upper slide section 49 of the advance / retract movement mechanism 47 has a pair of arm mechanisms 492 installed on the upper surface of a floor plate 491. Each arm mechanism 492 includes a drive motor 493, a fixed drive transmission section 494, a fixed guide 495, a movable guide 496, a movable drive transmission section 497, a support arm 498, and an end effector 499.

[0047] Each drive motor 493 is installed at the other end (base end) of the floor plate 491 opposite to one end (tip end) where the end effector 499 is located. Each drive motor 493 is connected to the controller 90 (see FIG. 1) via a driver (not shown), and the drive of each drive motor 493 is controlled by the controller 90.

[0048] The fixed drive transmission part 494 transmits the driving force of the drive motor 493 to the movable guide 496, the movable drive transmission part 497, the support arm 498, and the end effector 499, causing these members to slide together. In other words, the movable guide 496, the movable drive transmission part 497, the support arm 498, and the end effector 499 form a sliding structure, and are capable of reciprocating movement relative to the floor plate 491.

[0049] The fixed guide 495 is provided at a position adjacent to the fixed drive transmission part 494, and is fixed to the floor plate 491 and extends linearly. In this way, the fixed guide 495 guides the movement of the sliding structure.

[0050] The movable guide 496 is spaced apart from the floor plate 491 and extends parallel to the fixed guide 495. The movable guide 496 advances and retreats relative to the fixed guide 495 by the fixed drive transmission part 494. A support arm 498 is slidably supported on the upper part of this movable guide 496.

[0051] The movable drive transmission part 497 has an endless belt that extends parallel to the movable guide 496, and the support arm 498 is engaged with this belt. The movable drive transmission part 497 has an internal drive motor (not shown), and slides the support arm 498 relative to the movable guide 496 when driven by the drive motor.

[0052] The support arm 498 has a base portion that is guided by the movable guide 496 and to which a driving force is applied by the movable drive transmission part 497, a protruding part that stands upright in the vertical direction from the base portion, and an upper part that bends inward from the upper end of the protruding part. The upper part of the support arm 498 is formed in an L-shape that bends toward the tip end on the center side of the upper slide part 49. An end effector 499 is connected to the tip of the support arm 498.

[0053] The end effector 499 has a shape that can support the substrate W. Specifically, the end effector 499 is configured as a flat plate that is U-shaped in plan view, having a base connected to the support arm 498 and forks that extend from the base and branch into two branches toward the tip. The end effector 499 also has contact pads that come into direct contact with the substrate W at appropriate locations on its upper surface (the base and the tips of the pair of forks). The end effector 499 may have fixing means for fixing the substrate W by suction, mechanical locking, etc.

[0054] In a plan view, the pair of arm mechanisms 492 are formed symmetrically with respect to the center line of the floor board 491. Furthermore, the pair of arm mechanisms 492 have different protruding heights of the support arms 498, so that the upper parts of the support arms 498 and the end effectors 499 are at different heights. The pair of arm mechanisms 492 are configured such that the two end effectors 499 are stacked one above the other above the center line of the floor board 491.

[0055] Each arm mechanism 492 places the end effector 499 at a standby position above the floor board 491 with the end effector 499 retracted by the fixed drive transmission part 494 and the movable drive transmission part 497. In this case, the entire arm mechanism 492 is housed inside the cover 471 (see FIG. 3 ). Then, when the support arm 498 of each arm mechanism 492 is advanced by the fixed drive transmission part 494 and the movable drive transmission part 497, the end effector 499 advances through the opening 472 of the cover 471.

[0056] 2 , the transport device 43 may include a container 70 that travels integrally on a pair of rails 441 and is a buffer unit that temporarily stores substrates W. For example, the container 70 is mounted on the X-axis movable body 444 of the X-axis movement mechanism 44, and is arranged on the X-axis positive side of the advance / retract movement mechanism 47. The container 70 has one or more openings 71 on its side surface on the X-axis negative side, through which substrates W can be loaded and unloaded. The transport device 43 loads and unloads substrates W into and from the container 70 via the openings 71 by rotating and raising and lowering the advance / retract movement mechanism 47 so as to face the openings 71, and then advancing the end effector 499 of the upper slide unit 49.

[0057] The container 70 may also include an internal posture adjustment device (aligner device: not shown) that cooperates with the transport device 43 to adjust the position and posture of the accommodated substrate W. By providing the posture adjustment device adjacent to the transport device 43 in this manner, when a positional deviation or the like occurs in the substrate W, it is possible to reduce the time loss that would occur if the transport device 43 were to move and the aligner device 34 were to readjust the positional deviation of the substrate W. Alternatively, the substrate inspection unit 20 may not include the aligner device 34 of the loader module 30.

[0058] The container 70 may be configured to move integrally with the transport device 43, or may be installed at an appropriate position on the transport module 40. For example, the transport module 40 may be provided with the container 70 at the end on the positive side of the X-axis (the end opposite the loader module 30).

[0059] On the other hand, the inspection device 50 connected to the transfer module 40 inspects the electrical characteristics of the substrate W transferred by the transfer module 40. This inspection device 50 has an inspection device housing 51 (only the frame is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 ) and a stage 52 that supports the substrate W inside the inspection device housing 51. The stage 52 has a moving unit 521 that moves the substrate W to a target three-dimensional coordinate position, and a mounting table 522 that directly supports the substrate W above the moving unit 521. The moving unit 521 moves the mounting table 522 in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions inside the inspection device housing 51.

[0060] 1 , the inspection device 50 includes a tester 53 above an inspection device housing 51, which holds a probe card (not shown) having a plurality of probes that contact the substrate W and performs inspection of the substrate W. Furthermore, the inspection device 50 includes a tester moving mechanism 54 that holds the tester 53 and moves the tester 53 between a test position (see dashed line in FIG. 1 ) and a retracted position (see two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 ). A support table 55 that supports the tester 53 is provided at the retracted position. Furthermore, the inspection device 50 includes components such as a chiller (not shown) that adjusts the temperature of the substrate W during inspection, and a suction mechanism (not shown) that reduces the pressure inside the inspection device housing 51, which are installed around the inspection device housing 51 and the tester moving mechanism 54.

[0061] The inspection device 50 is connected to the transport module 40 in an orthogonal direction (at a 90° angle) via a connection buffer 60. The connection buffer 60 positions the inspection device casing 51 at a position away from the transport casing 41. In other words, by connecting the inspection device 50 to the transport module 40 via the connection buffer 60, the position of the inspection device 50 in the Y-axis direction relative to the transport module 40 is defined. This allows the inspection device 50 to be installed without interfering with the tester moving mechanism 54 and the like in the transport casing 41.

[0062] 2, the connection buffer unit 60 is configured by assembling a plurality of frames 61 and panels (not shown). The connection buffer unit 60 is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped that is larger than the upper slide unit 49 of the transport device 43 of the transport module 40, allowing the upper slide unit 49 to enter. Although not shown, a gate valve that closes the inspection device housing 51 may be provided inside the connection buffer unit 60.

[0063] 2 and 3, the heights of the upper ends of the transport housing 41 of the transport module 40, the inspection device housing 51 of the inspection device 50, and the connection buffer 60 are aligned. The transport device 43 of the transport module 40 is configured to be lower than the upper end of the transport module 40, and can smoothly access the inspection device housing 51 through the connection buffer 60, which is at the same height.

[0064] In particular, since the transport device 43 has the advance / retract movement mechanism 47 above the rotation mechanism 46, the advance / retract movement mechanism 47 can face the stages 52 of the inspection devices 50 connected to both sides of the transport module 40 (see also FIG. 1 ). When the rotation mechanism 46 rotates, the advance / retract movement mechanism 47 has a compact structure, with the end effector 499 housed inside the cover 471. Therefore, the transport device 43 can rotate the advance / retract movement mechanism 47 about the vertical axis while avoiding interference with the substrate W.

[0065] 1 , the controller 90 of the substrate inspection unit 20 is a computer including a processor, memory, input / output interface, communication interface, etc. (not shown). The processor is one or a combination of a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a circuit made up of multiple discrete semiconductors, etc., and executes and processes programs stored in memory. The memory includes a main storage device made up of semiconductor memory, etc., and an auxiliary storage device made up of disks, drives, semiconductor memory (flash memory), etc.

[0066] The transport system 1 according to the embodiment is basically configured as described above, and its operation will be described below. As shown in Fig. 1, the transport system 1 transports a carrier C by controlling the hoist mechanism using the control device of the ceiling transport device 10, and sets the carrier C on the load port 31 of the target substrate inspection unit 20 (loader module 30). The controller 90 of the substrate inspection unit 20 acquires information from the load port 31 (or control device) on which the carrier C is set that the carrier C has been set, and then starts transporting the substrate W within the substrate inspection unit 20.

[0067] Specifically, the controller 90 controls the loader-side transport device of the loader module 30 to remove the substrate W from the carrier C and transport it to the aligner device 34. Then, the controller 90 controls the aligner device 34 and the loader-side transport device to adjust the positional deviation and attitude of the substrate W. Thereafter, the controller 90 causes the loader-side transport device to remove the substrate W from the aligner device 34 and transport the substrate W to the buffer section 42 of the transport module 40. In this way, the controller 90 controls the transport module 40.

[0068] 6 is a flowchart showing a method for transporting a substrate W in the transport module 40. As shown in FIG. 6 , after transporting the substrate W to the buffer unit 42, the controller 90 controls the transport device 43 of the transport module 40 to unload the substrate W from the buffer unit 42 using the transport device 43 (step S101). At this time, the controller 90 controls the X-axis movement mechanism 44 to move the entire transport device 43 to a position adjacent to the buffer unit 42, and rotates the rotation mechanism 46 to position the opening 472 of the advance / retract movement mechanism 47 facing the buffer unit 42. In this state, the controller 90 advances the end effector 499 of the upper slide unit 49 of the advance / retract movement mechanism 47 into the buffer unit 42 and raises and lowers a lifter (not shown) of the buffer unit 42, thereby holding the substrate W on the end effector 499. After holding the substrate W, the controller 90 retracts the end effector 499 to store the substrate W inside the cover 471.

[0069] Next, the controller 90 operates the X-axis moving mechanism 44 to transport the substrate W to a position facing a target inspection device 50 among the multiple inspection devices 50 connected to the transport module 40 (step S102). During this movement, the end effector 499 and the substrate W are housed in the cover 471. Therefore, the transport device 43 can transport the substrate W while reliably preventing interference with the substrate W.

[0070] Furthermore, the controller 90 rotates the rotation mechanism 46 at a position facing the target inspection device 50, thereby causing the open portion 472 of the advance / retract movement mechanism 47 to face the inspection device 50 and the connection buffer unit 60 (step S103). At this time, the Z-axis movement mechanism 45 may perform a lifting operation to match the heights of the stage 52 of the inspection device 50 and the advance / retract movement mechanism 47.

[0071] 7A is a side view showing a state in which the open portion 472 of the transport device 43 faces the target inspection device 50. FIG. 7B is a side view showing an advanced state of the lower slide portion 48 of the transport device 43. FIG. 7C is a side view showing an advanced state of the end effector 499 of the upper slide portion 49 of the transport device 43. As shown in FIG. 7A, by the operation of step S103, the transport device 43 is adjusted to a position in which the open portion 472 of the transport device 43 faces above the stage 52 of the inspection device 50. Thereafter, the controller 90 operates the advance / retract movement mechanism 47 to advance the substrate W into the inspection device 50 and place the substrate W on the stage 52 of the inspection device 50.

[0072] In detail, the controller 90 first operates the lower slide unit 48 to advance the upper slide unit 49 toward the connection buffer unit 60 of the inspection device 50 (step S104). As shown in Fig. 7B, when the upper slide unit 49 moves, the drive transmission unit 481 of the lower slide unit 48 moves each movable rail 482 in the negative direction of the Y axis. As a result, a part of the upper slide unit 49, including the cover 471, advances into the connection buffer unit 60. In the illustrated example, the open portion 472 of the cover 471 is positioned in the connection buffer unit 60.

[0073] The controller 90 also operates the upper slide unit 49 to advance the end effector 499 toward the inspection device housing 51 of the inspection device 50 (step S105). As shown in Fig. 7C, the upper slide unit 49 advances the movable guide 496 and the movable drive transmission unit 497 relative to the floor board 491 by driving the drive motor 493. Furthermore, the upper slide unit 49 advances the support arm 498 and the end effector 499 relative to the movable guide 496 by the movable drive transmission unit 497.

[0074] By performing steps S104 and S105, the total length of the advance / retract movement mechanism 47 along the Y-axis direction becomes sufficiently long, and the substrate W supported by the end effector 499 can be reliably brought to the stage 52 of the inspection device 50. Then, the controller 90 raises and lowers a lifter (not shown) of the stage 52 of the inspection device 50, thereby receiving the substrate W from the end effector 499 and placing the substrate W on the stage 52. The order of operation of the lower slide unit 48 and the upper slide unit 49 is not limited to the above, and the upper slide unit 49 may be operated first and then the lower slide unit 48, or the lower slide unit 48 and the upper slide unit 49 may be operated simultaneously.

[0075] After the substrate W is placed, the controller 90 operates the tester 53 of the inspection device 50 to inspect the substrate W by the tester 53 (step S106). The inspection device 50 places the substrate W on the stage 52 with high precision by the transport device 43, so that the inspection of the substrate W by the tester 53 can be stably performed.

[0076] After the inspection of the substrate W, the controller 90 can unload the substrate W from the inspection device 50 and transport it to the buffer section 42 by following the reverse procedure of the procedure taken when the transport device 43 loaded the substrate W. Furthermore, the controller 90 operates the loader-side transport device to receive the substrate W from the buffer section 42 and transport the substrate W into an appropriate carrier C. This completes the inspection of the substrate W by the substrate inspection unit 20.

[0077] The substrate inspection unit 20 transports each of the multiple substrates W accommodated in the carrier C to each inspection device 50 for repeated inspection, thereby storing the inspected substrates W in the carrier C. Then, the control device of the ceiling transport device 10 controls the hoist mechanism to hold the carrier C accommodating the multiple inspected substrates W, and raises (detaches) the carrier C from the substrate inspection unit 20 and transports it along the rails 11.

[0078] As described above, the transport system 1 has a two-stage forward / backward moving mechanism 47 made up of the lower slide section 48 and the upper slide section 49, and is therefore able to transport substrates W well even in the inspection device 50 that is separated from the transport module 40 by the connection buffer section 60. Moreover, when the lower slide section 48 and the upper slide section 49 are in a standby state, the transport device 43 has a compact form, and can easily move in the X-axis direction, rotate about the vertical axis, move in the Z-axis direction, and so on.

[0079] The transfer system 1 and transfer method according to the embodiment are not limited to the above embodiment and may take various forms. For example, in the embodiment, the transfer system 1 is described as being provided with a substrate inspection unit 20 having a plurality of inspection apparatuses 50, which are processing modules. However, the transfer system 1 is not limited to this. The transfer system 1 may also employ a substrate processing unit having a substrate processing apparatus instead of some or all of the substrate inspection units 20. Examples of the substrate processing apparatus include processing modules that perform substrate processing such as film formation, etching, cleaning, bonding, and peeling on substrates W. Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus may be an apparatus that processes substrates W in a process after the substrate W is manufactured, such as a repair apparatus, marking apparatus, reflow apparatus, or visual inspection apparatus. In other words, the transfer system 1 may be configured to transport substrates W to processing modules that perform various actions on the substrates W during the manufacturing process of the substrates W.

[0080] Furthermore, the transported object transported by the transport system is not limited to the substrate W, but may be, for example, a probe card, a polishing plate, etc. Furthermore, the transported object may be a consumable part applied to a processing module. An example of such a consumable part is a ring (focus ring, edge ring, etc.) arranged around the substrate W in the processing module.

[0081] The technical ideas and effects of the present disclosure explained in the above embodiments will be described below.

[0082] A first aspect of the present disclosure is a transport system 1 including a transport module 40 extending in a first direction, a plurality of processing modules (inspection devices 50) connected to the transport module 40, and a transport device 43 provided inside the transport module 40 and transporting a transported object (substrate W) to the plurality of processing modules, wherein the transport device 43 includes a moving mechanism (X-axis moving mechanism 44) that moves the transported object along the first direction, a lower slide section 48 that is provided vertically above the moving mechanism and is capable of moving the transported object in a second direction that is different from the first direction, and an upper slide section 49 that is provided vertically above the lower slide section 48 and is capable of moving the transported object in the second direction.

[0083] As described above, the transport system 1 can move the transported object (substrate W) in the second direction using each of the lower slide part 48 and the upper slide part 49, and can move the transported object over a long stroke. Moreover, when the lower slide part 48 and the upper slide part 49 are not moved, they can maintain an overlapping configuration, thereby preventing the transported object from interfering with other components and promoting the miniaturization of the transport device 43.

[0084] Furthermore, the plurality of processing modules (inspection devices 50) are connected to the transport module 40 via the connection buffer unit 60, thereby defining the positions of the processing modules in the second direction relative to the transport module 40. As a result, even when a large processing module is connected to the transport module 40, the transport system 1 can install the processing module at an appropriate position with a margin provided by the connection buffer unit 60.

[0085] Furthermore, the lower slide part 48 moves the upper slide part 49 into the connection buffer part 60, and the upper slide part 49 supports the transported object (substrate W) and has an end effector 499 that moves from the position placed by the lower slide part 48 to the processing module (inspection device 50). This allows the transport system 1 to advance the end effector 499 from the upper slide part 49 placed in the connection buffer part 60, allowing the substrate W to easily reach the processing module.

[0086] The lower slide section 48 also has a movable rail 482 that supports the upper slide section 49, and a drive transmission section 481 that supports the movable rail 482 and moves the movable rail 482. This allows the lower slide section 48 to smoothly move the upper slide section 49 along the horizontal direction.

[0087] The upper slide unit 49 also has a support arm 498 that supports the end effector 499, a movable drive transmission unit 497 that moves the support arm 498 in the second direction, a movable guide 496 that guides the movement of the support arm 498 in the second direction, a fixed drive transmission unit 494 that moves the movable guide 496 and the movable drive transmission unit 497 in the second direction, and a fixed guide 495 that guides the movement of the movable guide 496 and the movable drive transmission unit 497 in the second direction. As a result, the upper slide unit 49 can advance the movable guide 496 and the movable drive transmission unit 497, and further advance the support arm 498 and the end effector 499.

[0088] Furthermore, the transport device 43 has an elevating mechanism (Z-axis moving mechanism 45) between the moving mechanism (X-axis moving mechanism 44) and the lower slide part 48, which elevates the lower slide part 48 and the upper slide part 49. This allows the transport device 43 to easily adjust the heights of the lower slide part 48 and the upper slide part 49.

[0089] Furthermore, the transport device 43 has a rotation mechanism 46 that rotates the lower slide part 48 and the upper slide part 49 about a vertical axis between the lifting mechanism (Z-axis movement mechanism 45) and the lower slide part 48. This rotation mechanism 46 allows the transport device 43 to appropriately adjust the direction in which the lower slide part 48 and the upper slide part 49 advance.

[0090] Furthermore, the plurality of processing modules (inspection devices 50) are provided on both sides of the transport module 40 in the first direction, and the rotation mechanism 46 rotates the lower slide part 48 and the upper slide part 49 within a range of 180° or more. As a result, even if the transport system 1 has a plurality of processing modules arranged on both sides of the transport module 40, it is still possible to transport the transported object to the processing modules, and the footprint of the transport system 1 as a whole can be improved.

[0091] Furthermore, the transport module 40 has an internal buffer unit (buffer unit 42, container 70) for temporarily holding transported items. This allows the transport system 1 to temporarily hold substrates W within the transport module 40, thereby shortening the travel distance of the transport device 43. For example, even in a sequence in which the transport device 43 is holding a substrate W and is unable to receive the substrate W, the use of the buffer unit makes it possible to transport multiple substrates W, thereby preventing transport rate limitations.

[0092] Furthermore, the buffer unit (accommodation body 70) is moved integrally with the conveying device 43 by the moving mechanism (X-axis moving mechanism 44). This allows the conveying system 1 to hold the object to be conveyed near the conveying device 43, reducing the movement of the conveying device 43 in the X-axis direction and achieving efficient conveying.

[0093] Furthermore, the buffer unit (buffer unit 42, container 70) has an aligner device that can adjust the positional deviation and circumferential orientation of the transported object. This allows the transport system 1 to adjust the positional deviation and circumferential orientation of the transported object in the transport module 40 without returning the transported object to the aligner device 34 of the loader module 30, thereby improving the transport efficiency while improving the transport accuracy of the transported object.

[0094] Furthermore, the transport module 40 and the multiple processing modules (inspection devices 50) have the same vertical height. This allows the transport system 1 to reduce the need for vertical height adjustment by the transport device 43, allowing for smoother transport of transported objects to the processing modules. Furthermore, for example, even in an inspection device 50 that uses a large tester 53, by using transport modules 40 of the same height, the long stroke design of the transport device 43 can be maintained and the device layout can be avoided from being changed.

[0095] A second aspect of the present disclosure is a transport method for a transport system 1 including a transport module 40 extending in a first direction, a plurality of processing modules (inspection devices 50) connected to the transport module 40, and a transport device 43 provided inside the transport module 40 and transporting an object to the plurality of processing modules, the method including: (A) moving the object along the first direction using a movement mechanism (X-axis movement mechanism 44) and positioning the transport device 43 opposite one of the plurality of processing modules; (B) moving the object in a second direction, which is different from the first direction, using a lower slide unit 48 provided vertically above the movement mechanism; and (C) moving the object in the second direction using an upper slide unit 49 provided vertically above the lower slide unit 48. Even in this case, the object can be moved over a long stroke while promoting miniaturization of the transport device 43.

[0096] The conveying system 1 and conveying method according to the presently disclosed embodiments are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting. The embodiments can be modified and improved in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The matters described in the above-described embodiments can be configured in other ways as long as they are not inconsistent, and can be combined as long as they are not inconsistent.

[0097] This application claims priority from basic application No. 2023-196187, filed with the Japan Patent Office on November 17, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0098] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Transport system 40 Transport module 43 Transport device 44 X-axis movement mechanism 48 Lower slide section 49 Upper slide section 50 Inspection device W Substrate

Claims

1. A transport system comprising: a transport module extending in a first direction; a plurality of processing modules connected to the transport module; and a transport device provided inside the transport module and transporting a transport object to the plurality of processing modules, wherein the transport device comprises: a moving mechanism that moves the transport object along the first direction; a lower slide section that is provided vertically above the moving mechanism and is capable of moving the transport object in a second direction that is different from the first direction; and an upper slide section that is provided vertically above the lower slide section and is capable of moving the transport object in the second direction.

2. The transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the positions of the processing modules in the second direction relative to the transfer module are defined by connecting the processing modules to the transfer module via a connection buffer unit.

3. The transport system described in claim 2, wherein the lower slide section moves the upper slide section into the interior of the connection buffer section, and the upper slide section has an end effector that supports the transported object and moves from a position positioned by the lower slide section to the processing module.

4. A conveying system as described in claim 3, wherein the lower slide section has a movable rail that supports the upper slide section, and a drive transmission section that supports the movable rail and moves the movable rail.

5. A conveying system as described in claim 3, wherein the upper slide section comprises: a support arm supporting the end effector; a movable drive transmission section moving the support arm in the second direction; a movable guide guiding the movement of the support arm in the second direction; a fixed drive transmission section moving the movable guide and the movable drive transmission section in the second direction; and a fixed guide guiding the movement of the movable guide and the movable drive transmission section in the second direction.

6. A conveying system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the conveying device has a lifting mechanism between the moving mechanism and the lower slide section for raising and lowering the lower slide section and the upper slide section.

7. The transport system according to claim 6, wherein the transport device has a rotation mechanism between the lifting mechanism and the lower slide section for rotating the lower slide section and the upper slide section about a vertical axis.

8. The transport system according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of processing modules are provided on both sides of the transport module in the first direction, and the rotation mechanism rotates the lower slide portion and the upper slide portion within a range of 180° or more.

9. The transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the transport module has an internal buffer section for temporarily holding the transported object.

10. The transport system according to claim 9, wherein the buffer section is moved integrally with the transport device by the movement mechanism.

11. The transport system according to claim 9, wherein the buffer section has an aligner device capable of adjusting the positional deviation and circumferential orientation of the transported object.

12. The transfer system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the transfer module and the plurality of processing modules have the same height in the vertical direction.

13. A transport method for a transport system including a transport module extending in a first direction, a plurality of processing modules connected to the transport module, and a transport device provided inside the transport module and transporting a transport object to the plurality of processing modules, the transport method comprising the steps of: (A) moving the transport object along the first direction by a moving mechanism and positioning the transport device opposite one of the plurality of processing modules; (B) moving the transport object in a second direction different from the first direction by a lower slide section provided vertically above the moving mechanism; and (C) moving the transport object in the second direction by an upper slide section provided vertically above the lower slide section.

Images