Substrate-conveying robot

Abstract

This substrate-conveying robot (100) comprises: a horizontal multiarticular upper arm (30) that causes an upper hand (11) to move in a horizontal direction; and a horizontal multiarticular lower arm (40) that causes a lower hand (12) to move in a horizontal direction. The upper arm (30) includes an upper base-end link section and an upper tip-end link section that mutually rotate in a horizontal plane. The lower arm (40) includes a lower base-end link section and a lower tip-end link section that mutually rotate in a horizontal plane. Moreover, the substrate-conveying robot (100) comprises: an arm support section (50); and a hoisting section (60) that, by causing the arm support section (50) to move up and down, causes the upper hand (11) and the lower hand (12) to move up and down.

Description

Substrate transport robot

[0001] This disclosure relates to a substrate transfer robot.

[0002] Substrate transport robots have been disclosed in the past. JP 2015-33737 A discloses a robot for transporting substrates. This robot includes a first hand and a second hand on which a wafer as a substrate is mounted. The first hand is connected to the tip of a first arm. The second hand is connected to the tip of a second arm. The base end of the first arm and the base end of the second arm are rotatably connected to an arm support portion. The arm support portion is held by a pillar portion so as to be movable in the vertical direction. Furthermore, each of the first arm and the second arm is formed by a single link member.

[0003] JP 2015-33737 A

[0004] However, when an arm formed by a single link member is connected to an arm support unit that moves vertically, as in the robot described in JP 2015-33737 A, the size of the link member must be increased to increase the operating range of the hand. Therefore, in order to increase the operating range of the hand, the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot increases. Furthermore, when transporting a substrate held by a hand using an arm formed by a single link member, the operating range of positions accessible by the hand is limited. Therefore, it is desirable to increase the operating range of the hand while suppressing the increase in the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot.

[0005] This disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one purpose of this disclosure is to provide a substrate transport robot that can increase the operating range of the hand while preventing the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot from becoming larger.

[0006] A substrate transport robot according to a first aspect of this disclosure comprises an upper hand and a lower hand each holding a substrate, a horizontally articulated upper arm including an upper base end link portion and an upper tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and moving the upper hand along the horizontal direction, a horizontally articulated lower arm arranged separately from the upper arm, including a lower base end link portion and a lower tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along the horizontal plane, and moving the lower hand along the horizontal direction, an arm support portion to which the upper arm is connected above and to which the lower arm is connected below, and a lifting portion that lifts and lowers the upper hand and lower hand by moving the arm support portion up and down.

[0007] As described above, the substrate transport robot according to a first aspect of this disclosure includes a horizontally articulated upper arm including an upper base end link portion and an upper tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane and that moves the upper hand horizontally, and a horizontally articulated lower arm disposed separately from the upper arm and including a lower base end link portion and a lower tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane and that moves the lower hand horizontally. As a result, since the upper arm is formed by two link members, the upper base end link portion and the upper tip end link portion, and the lower arm is formed by two link members, the lower base end link portion and the lower tip end link portion, folding the two link members together can increase the operating ranges of the upper hand and the lower hand while preventing the spatial area occupied by the upper arm and the lower arm from increasing in size. As a result, the operating ranges of the hands can be increased while preventing the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot from increasing in size.

[0008] A substrate transport robot according to a second aspect of this disclosure includes a hand that holds a substrate, a horizontally articulated arm that includes a base link portion and a tip link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane and that moves the hand along a horizontal direction, an arm support portion to which the arm is connected below, and an elevator portion that raises and lowers the hand by raising and lowering the arm support portion.

[0009] As described above, the substrate transport robot according to a second aspect of this disclosure includes a horizontally articulated arm that includes a base link portion and a tip link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane and that moves the hand along the horizontal direction. Because the arm is thus composed of two link members, the base link portion and the tip link portion, folding the two link members together can increase the operating range of each hand while preventing the spatial area occupied by the arm from increasing in size. Furthermore, because the arm is connected below the arm support portion, the hand can access positions further below the arm support portion. As a result, the operating range of the hand can be increased while preventing the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot from increasing in size.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to increase the operating range of the hand while suppressing an increase in the size of the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a substrate processing system including a substrate transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the substrate transfer robot. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a hand in the substrate transfer robot. FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating the configuration of an upper arm and a lower arm. FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating the arrangement of the upper arm, the lower arm, and the hand. FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating the configuration of a link unit. FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating the arrangement of a hand rotation unit when performing lifting and lowering operations and hand rotation operations. FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating lifting and lowering movement by a lifting and lowering unit. FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a liquid receiving unit. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a substrate processing system including a substrate transfer robot according to a first reference example of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the substrate transfer robot according to the first reference example. FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a hand in the substrate transfer robot according to the first reference example. FIG. 12 is a side view illustrating lifting and lowering movement by a lifting and lowering unit according to the first reference example. FIG. 13 is a front view illustrating the configuration of an arm according to the first reference example. FIG. 14 is a plan view illustrating the arrangement of the hand when performing lifting and lowering operations and hand rotation operations according to the first reference example. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a substrate processing system including a substrate transfer robot according to a second reference example of the present disclosure. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of a substrate transport robot according to a second reference example. Fig. 2 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of a hand in the substrate transport robot according to the second reference example. Fig. 3 is a side view showing lifting and lowering movement by a lifting unit according to the second reference example. Fig. 4 is a front view for explaining the configuration of a support unit according to the second reference example. Fig. 5 is a plan view for explaining the configuration of a liquid receiving unit and a shielding plate according to the second reference example.

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] A substrate transport robot 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0014] (Substrate Processing System) As shown in FIG. 1 , a substrate transfer robot 100 is disposed in a substrate processing system 102. The substrate processing system 102 includes the substrate transfer robot 100 and a processing device 103. The substrate transfer robot 100 performs a transfer operation that includes both loading and unloading of a substrate 101 onto and from a substrate placement unit 104 of the processing device 103. The processing device 103 includes a plurality of substrate placement units 104. The substrate transfer robots 100 are disposed spaced apart from each other in the Z direction, which is the vertical direction, and each include a hand 11 and a hand 12 that hold a substrate 101. The substrate 101 is, for example, a wafer for producing a semiconductor. The substrate 101 has a disk shape. The substrate 101 includes, for example, a silicon wafer, a gallium nitride wafer, a sapphire wafer, etc. The processing device 103 is, for example, a polishing device that polishes the substrate 101. Note that the processing device 103 may also be a device that performs processing such as etching or baking on the substrate 101. The hand 11 is an example of an upper hand, and the hand 12 is an example of a lower hand.

[0015] The substrate transport robot 100 includes a hand rotation unit 21 and a hand rotation unit 22, an upper arm 30 and a lower arm 40, an arm support unit 50, an elevation unit 60, and a control unit 70. The hand rotation unit 21 and the hand rotation unit 22 are examples of an upper hand rotation unit and a lower hand rotation unit, respectively. The lower arm 40 is an example of a lower arm and an arm.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2 , the hand 11 has a holding mechanism 11 a. As shown in FIG. 3 , the hand 11 has a bifurcated shape with a tip that is split into two. The holding mechanism 11 a moves from the base end of the hand 11 to the tip, thereby contacting the peripheral edge of the substrate 101 held by the hand 11. The hand 11 has claws 11 b disposed at each of the two tips. As the holding mechanism 11 a moves from the base end of the hand 11 to the tip, the peripheral edge of the substrate 101 is held by the holding mechanism 11 a and the two claws 11 b. In other words, the hand 11 is an active-type substrate holding hand that securely holds the substrate 101 by edge gripping. While FIG. 3 shows only the hand 11, the hand 12 has a similar structure. As shown in FIG. 2 , the hand 12, like the hand 11, has a holding mechanism 12 a that moves from the base end of the hand 12 to the tip. The holding mechanism parts 11a and 12a have, for example, air cylinders as drive sources. The hands 11 and 12 hold the substrates 101 one by one, separately from each other.

[0017] The hand rotation unit 21 and the hand rotation unit 22 rotate the hands 11 and 12, respectively, around a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction. The hand rotation unit 21 and the hand rotation unit 22 rotate the hands 11 and 12, respectively, on a flip axis that rotates the held substrate 101 so as to tilt it. The hand rotation unit 21 and the hand rotation unit 22 rotate the hands 11 and 12 relative to a horizontal plane, with the horizontal direction as the rotation axis. Specifically, the hand rotation unit 21 is connected to the base end of the hand 11 and rotates the hand 11 around the rotation axis extending from the base end to the tip end of the hand 11. The hand rotation unit 22 is connected to the base end of the hand 12 and rotates the hand 12 around the rotation axis extending from the base end to the tip end of the hand 12. Specifically, the hand rotators 21 and 22 rotate the hands 11 and 12 around a rotation axis that passes through the center of the substrate 101 and extends from the base end to the tip end of the hands 11 and 12. By rotating the hands 11 and 12, the hand rotators 21 and 22 tilt the substrate 101 held by the hands 11 and 12 so that the back and front sides are swapped. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , the hand rotator 21 rotates the hand 11 180 degrees around a rotation axis A10. Also, as shown in FIG. 4 , the hand rotator 22 rotates the hand 12 180 degrees around a rotation axis A20. The rotation axes A10 and A20 each extend horizontally. That is, the rotation axes A10 and A20 extend along the XY plane. Here, the term "axis of rotation extending along the horizontal direction" is a broad concept that includes not only a rotation axis extending horizontally but also a rotation axis that is slightly tilted from the horizontal direction. For example, "tilt from the horizontal direction" includes tilt from the horizontal direction due to tilt due to the weight of the substrate, tilt due to the weight of the hand itself, tilt of the substrate transport robot itself, or tilt of the device itself in which the substrate transport robot is installed. Furthermore, the term "horizontal direction" is used as a broad concept that includes a direction parallel to the installation surface on which the substrate transport robot is installed, a direction parallel to the mounting surface of the substrate mounting unit on which the substrate is placed, or a direction parallel to a horizontal plane that is perpendicular to the vertical direction, which is the direction of gravity.

[0018] 2, the hand rotation unit 21 has a rotation mechanism 21a that rotates the hand 11. Similarly, the hand rotation unit 22 has a rotation mechanism 22a that rotates the hand 12. The rotation mechanisms 21a and 22a have drive sources for rotating the hands 11 and 12. The rotation mechanisms 21a and 22a have, for example, servo motors as drive sources. The rotation mechanisms 21a and 22a also have encoders and reducers.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 3, hand rotation unit 21 includes a seal member 21b that seals rotation mechanism unit 21a from the outside. Seal member 21b has an annular shape to seal any gap between rotation mechanism unit 21a and the outside. Seal member 21b is, for example, an elastic member such as flexible rubber. One example of seal member 21b is an O-ring. Although Fig. 3 shows only hand rotation unit 21, hand rotation unit 22 also includes a seal member that seals rotation mechanism unit 22a from the outside, similar to hand rotation unit 21.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1 , the upper arm 30 is a horizontally articulated robot arm that moves the hand 11 horizontally. The lower arm 40 is a horizontally articulated robot arm that is disposed separately from the upper arm 30 and moves the hand 12 horizontally. The upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 operate independently of each other. A hand rotation unit 21 is connected to the tip of the upper arm 30. A hand rotation unit 22 is connected to the tip of the lower arm 40. The upper arm 30 is connected to the Z1 side, which is above the arm support unit 50. The lower arm 40 is connected to the Z2 side, which is below the arm support unit 50. As shown in FIG. 2 , the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 each have a drive unit 30 a and a drive unit 40 a that rotate each of the multiple joints. Each of the drive units 30 a and 40 a includes, for example, a servo motor. Each of the drive units 30 a and 40 a has a transmission mechanism, such as a timing belt or gear, that transmits the driving force of the motor. Each of the driving units 30a and 40a includes an encoder and a reducer. The driving unit 30a is disposed, for example, inside the housing of the upper arm 30 or inside the arm support unit 50. The driving unit 40a is disposed, for example, inside the housing of the lower arm 40 or inside the arm support unit 50.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1 , the lifting unit 60 moves the arm support unit 50 up and down, thereby moving the hand 11 and the hand 12 up and down in the Z direction. Specifically, the lifting unit 60 is connected to the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 via the arm support unit 50. The lifting unit 60 moves the arm support unit 50 up and down, thereby moving the upper arm 30 connected to the hand 11 and the lower arm 40 connected to the hand 12 up and down in unison. The lifting unit 60 has a columnar portion 61 extending along the Z direction, which is the up and down direction. The lifting unit 60 moves the arm support unit 50 up and down along the columnar portion 61. As shown in FIG. 2 , the lifting unit 60 also includes a drive unit 60a. The drive unit 60a includes, for example, a servo motor as a drive source. The drive unit 60a also includes, for example, a ball screw mechanism and a linear guide. The lifting unit 60 is connected to the arm support unit 50 on the Y1 side, and moves the arm support unit 50 up and down along the Z direction by the driving force of the driving unit 60a.

[0022] The control unit 70 is a robot controller that controls the operation of each part of the substrate transfer robot 100. The control unit 70 includes, for example, a calculation device such as a central processing unit (CPU). The control unit 70 also includes memories such as a random access memory (RAM) and a read-only memory (ROM), and a storage device such as a hard disk. The control unit 70 executes control processing using the calculation device based on programs and parameters stored in the storage device. Specifically, the control unit 70 controls the operation of the holding mechanism units 11 a and 12 a of the hands 11 and 12, respectively. The control unit 70 also controls the operation of the rotation mechanism units 21 a and 22 a of the hand rotation units 21 and 22, the operation of the drive unit 30 a of the upper arm 30 and the drive unit 40 a of the lower arm 40, and the operation of the drive unit 60 a of the lifting / lowering unit 60. For example, the control unit 70 has a main CPU that performs overall control of the substrate transfer robot 100, and a servo CPU that controls power supplied to the servo motors of the rotation mechanism units 21a and 22a and the drive units 30a, 40a, and 60a. As shown in Fig. 1, the control unit 70 is disposed separately from, for example, the hands 11 and 12, the hand rotation units 21 and 22, the upper arm 30, the lower arm 40, and the lifting unit 60, and is connected to the columnar unit 61 of the lifting unit 60 via a cable member. The control unit 70 outputs signals for controlling the operation of each unit via the cable member connected to the lifting unit 60.

[0023] (Details of Upper Arm and Lower Arm) As shown in FIG. 4 , the upper arm 30 includes a link portion 31 and a link portion 32 that rotate relative to each other along the XY plane, which is a horizontal plane. The lower arm 40 similarly includes a link portion 41 and a link portion 42 that rotate relative to each other along the XY plane, which is a horizontal plane. The link portions 31 and 32 of the upper arm 30 and the link portions 41 and 42 of the lower arm 40 are arm members of a robot arm that are arranged to extend horizontally. In the upper arm 30, the link portion 31 is arranged at the base end, and the link portion 32 is arranged at the tip end. The link portions 31 and 32 are connected to each other so as to rotate via a joint. In the lower arm 40, the link portion 41 is arranged at the base end, and the link portion 42 is arranged at the tip end. The link portions 41 and 42 are connected to each other so as to rotate via a joint. The link portions 31 and 41 have the same shape, and the link portions 32 and 42 have the same shape. The link portion 31 and the link portion 32 are examples of an upper base end link portion and an upper tip end link portion, respectively. The link portion 41 is an example of a lower base end link portion and a base end link portion, and the link portion 42 is an example of a lower tip end link portion and a tip end link portion.

[0024] The upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 rotate independently relative to the arm support unit 50 along a horizontal plane, which is the XY plane. The upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 rotate relative to the arm support unit 50 around a common rotation axis A1 shown in FIG. 4 . The rotation axis A1 is disposed to extend along the Z direction, which is the up-down direction. Specifically, in the upper arm 30, the link unit 31 is connected to a surface of the arm support unit 50 on the Z2 direction side, which is the lower side of the base end, via a first joint so as to rotate around the rotation axis A1. The link unit 32 is connected to a surface of the link unit 31 on the Z1 direction side, which is the upper side of the tip end, via a second joint so as to rotate around the rotation axis A12. The hand rotation unit 21 is connected to a surface of the link unit 32 on the Z1 direction side, which is the upper side of the tip end, via a third joint so as to rotate around the rotation axis A13. Similarly, in the lower arm 40, the link unit 41 is connected to a surface of the arm support unit 50 on the Z2 side (i.e., on the Z1 side, which is above the base end) via a first joint so as to rotate about the rotation axis A1. The link unit 42 is connected to a surface of the link unit 41 on the Z2 side (i.e., on the Z1 side, which is above the base end) via a second joint so as to rotate about the rotation axis A22. The hand rotation unit 22 is connected to the link unit 42 on the Z2 side (i.e., on the Z2 side, which is below the tip end) via a third joint so as to rotate about the rotation axis A23.

[0025] That is, in the substrate transfer robot 100, above the arm support 50, the link portion 31, the link portion 32, and the hand rotation portion 21 of the upper arm 30 are arranged in this order facing upward in the Z1 direction. Also, below the arm support 50, the link portion 41, the link portion 42, and the hand rotation portion 22 of the lower arm 40 are arranged in this order facing downward in the Z2 direction. Furthermore, the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 have multiple joints arranged so that the rotation axes A1, A12, A13, A22, and A23 are parallel to each other and aligned along the Z direction, which is the up-down direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane. A drive unit 30a is arranged at each joint of the rotation axes A1, A12, and A13 of the upper arm 30. Similarly, a drive unit 40a is arranged at each joint of the rotation axes A1, A22, and A23 of the lower arm 40.

[0026] 5 , in this embodiment, the hand rotation unit 21 supports the hand 11 at a position spaced apart from the upper arm 30 in the vertical Z direction by a distance smaller than the radius R1 of the substrate 101 held by the hand 11. The hand rotation unit 22 supports the hand 12 at a position spaced apart from the lower arm 40 in the vertical Z direction by a distance smaller than the radius R2 of the substrate 101 held by the hand 12. Here, the position at which the hand 11 is supported in the vertical direction is, for example, the position of the rotation axis A10 of the hand rotation unit 21. Similarly, the position at which the hand 12 is supported in the vertical direction is, for example, the position of the rotation axis A20 of the hand rotation unit 22. Note that the positions of the hands 11 and 12 may also be the upper or lower surfaces of the hands 11 and 12.

[0027] Let L11 be the distance from the top surface of the link portion 31 of the upper arm 30 to the rotation axis A10, and L12 be the distance from the top surface of the link portion 32 of the upper arm 30 to the rotation axis A10. L12 is smaller than the radius R1 of the substrate 101, and L11 is also smaller than the radius R1 of the substrate 101. That is, when the hand 11 holding the substrate 101 is rotated by the hand rotation unit 21, the lower end of the substrate 101 is positioned below the top surface of the link portion 31 with the main surfaces of the substrate 101 aligned in the vertical direction. Note that in FIG. 5 , the state in which the main surfaces of the substrate 101 are aligned in the vertical direction is indicated by a dotted line. Therefore, the hand rotation unit 21 holds the hand 11 at a position spaced above the link portion 31 in the vertical direction by L11, which is smaller than the radius R1 of the substrate 101. Similarly, if the distance from the lower surface of the link portion 41 of the lower arm 40 to the rotation axis A20 is L21 and the distance from the lower surface of the link portion 42 of the lower arm 40 to the rotation axis A20 is L22, L22 is smaller than the radius R2 of the substrate 101, and L21 is also smaller than the radius R2 of the substrate 101. In this embodiment, the radii R1 and R2 of the substrate 101 held by each of the hands 11 and 12 are equal to each other. The radii R1 and R2 of the substrate 101 are, for example, 150 mm. Similarly, in the case of the hand 12, when the hand 12 holding the substrate 101 is rotated by the hand rotation unit 22, the upper end of the substrate 101 is positioned above the lower surface of the link portion 41 with the main surface of the substrate 101 aligned in the vertical direction. Therefore, the hand rotation unit 22 holds the hand 12 at a position spaced downward from the link unit 41 in the vertical direction by a distance L21 that is smaller than the radius R2 of the substrate 101.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 6 , in this embodiment, the arm support unit 50 is disposed in a plan view so as to extend along the X direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the X1-side side surface of the columnar portion 61 of the lifting unit 60. The upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 are each connected to the arm support unit 50 at a position spaced a predetermined distance L50 from the columnar portion 61 of the lifting unit 60 in the X direction, which is a horizontal direction. Here, the position at which the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 are connected to the arm support unit 50 is defined as the position of the rotation axis A1. In the arm support unit 50, the rotation axis A1 is disposed at a position spaced a predetermined distance L50 from the lifting unit 60 in the X direction. In addition, FIG. 6 illustrates a plan view as viewed from the Z direction, which is the vertical direction.

[0029] In this embodiment, the link portion 31 of the upper arm 30 is connected to the Z1 side, which is above the arm support portion 50, and a length L31 from the position where the link portion 31 is connected to the arm support portion 50 to the tip of the link portion 31 is shorter than a predetermined distance L50. Here, the length L31 of the link portion 31 is the length from the position of the rotation axis A1 to the tip of the link portion 31 along the extension direction of the link portion 31, with the position where the link portion 31 is connected to the arm support portion 50 being the position of the rotation axis A1. Therefore, when the link portion 31 is rotated around the rotation axis A1, the length L31 is shorter than the predetermined distance L50, and therefore the link portion 31 does not come into contact with the columnar portion 61 of the lifting unit 60. Similarly, in this embodiment, the link portion 41 of the lower arm 40 is connected to the Z2 side, which is below the arm support portion 50, and a length L41 from the position where the link portion 41 is connected to the arm support portion 50 to the tip of the link portion 31 is shorter than the predetermined distance L50. The length L41 of the link part 41 is the length from the position of the rotation axis A1 to the tip of the link part 41 along the extension direction of the link part 41, with the position where the link part 41 is connected to the arm support part 50 being the position of the rotation axis A1. Even when the link part 41 is rotated around the rotation axis A1, the link part 41 does not come into contact with the columnar part 61 of the lifting part 60.

[0030] (Operation by Control Unit) The control unit 70 executes a transport operation of the substrate 101 based on a control amount that is taught and set in advance. The control unit 70, for example, performs a transport operation of transporting the substrate 101 supplied to a supply position of the substrate processing system 102 from the supply position to the substrate mounting unit 104 by having the hand 11 or the hand 12 hold the substrate 101. The control unit 70 also performs a transport operation of transporting the substrate 101 placed on the substrate mounting unit 104 of the processing device 103 to an unloading position for unloading the substrate 101 from the substrate mounting unit 104 by having the hand 11 or the hand 12 hold the substrate 101. The supply position and the unloading position may be the same position or may be different positions. In addition, the control unit 70 causes the hand 11 or the hand 12 to hold the substrate 101 placed on one of the multiple substrate placing units 104 of the processing device 103, and performs a transport operation to transport the held substrate 101 again to the same substrate placing unit 104 or to another substrate placing unit 104 different from the one substrate placing unit 104.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 7 , the control unit 70 moves the hands 11 and 12 up and down using the elevator unit 60 as shown in FIG. 8 , with the hand rotation unit 21 and hand rotation unit 22 positioned overlapping the arm support unit 50 in a plan view. Note that while FIG. 7 illustrates the hand rotation unit 21, hand 11, and upper arm 30, the hand rotation unit 22, hand 12, and lower arm 40 are also positioned in the same manner as the hand rotation unit 21, hand 11, and upper arm 30, respectively. That is, the control unit 70 moves the hand rotation unit 21, to which the base end of the hand 11 is connected, and the hand rotation unit 22, to which the base end of the hand 12 is connected, toward the X2 side, which is the elevator unit 60 side, using the upper arm 30 and lower arm 40, and then performs the elevator unit 60's elevator operation. When performing the elevator operation, the control unit 70 positions the link units 32 and 42 closer to the elevator unit 60 than the link units 31 and 41, respectively, in a plan view. Furthermore, when performing a lifting operation, the control unit 70 rotates the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 about the rotation axis A1 so that the direction from the base end to the tip end of each of the hands 11 and 12 is aligned along the X direction. At this time, the control unit 70 positions the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 so that they overlap each other. When performing a lifting operation, the control unit 70 operates each of the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 so that the hands 11 and 12 overlap each other in a plan view. This makes it possible to compact the spatial area in which the hands 11 and upper arm 30 and the hands 12 and lower arm 40 are arranged when performing a lifting operation along the Z direction, which is the up-down direction.

[0032] The control unit 70 also controls the operation of the hand rotation units 21 and 22 to flip the front and back sides of the substrate 101 held by the hands 11 and 12. In this case, the control unit 70 also moves the hand rotation units 21 and 22 toward the lift unit 60, similar to the lifting operation. That is, in this embodiment, the control unit 70 rotates the hand 11 by the hand rotation unit 21 around the rotation axis A10 extending along the horizontal direction with the hand rotation unit 21 positioned overlapping the arm support unit 50 in a plan view. The control unit 70 also rotates the hand 12 by the hand rotation unit 22 around the rotation axis A20 extending along the horizontal direction with the hand rotation unit 22 positioned overlapping the arm support unit 50 in a plan view. In this embodiment, the control unit 70 causes the hand rotation unit 21 to rotate the hand 11 about the rotation axis A10 extending along the horizontal direction, with the link unit 32 positioned closer to the lifting unit 60 than the link unit 31 in a plan view. Then, the control unit 70 causes the hand rotation unit 22 to rotate the hand 12 about the rotation axis A20 extending along the horizontal direction, with the link unit 42 positioned closer to the lifting unit 60 than the link unit 41 in a plan view. As with the lifting operation, when rotating the substrate 101 about the rotation axis A10 or A20, the control unit 70 positions the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 so that they overlap each other, and operates each of the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 so that the hands 11 and 12 overlap each other in a plan view. This makes it possible to compact the spatial area in which the hand 11 and upper arm 30 and the hand 12 and lower arm 40 are disposed, even when the substrate 101 is rotated about the rotation axis A10 or A20. Furthermore, by disposing the hand rotation unit 21 and the hand rotation unit 22 on the lifting / lowering unit 60 side, the control unit 70 performs the lifting / lowering operation by the lifting / lowering unit 60 and the rotation of the hand 11 about the rotation axis A10 or the rotation of the hand 12 about the rotation axis A20, with the peripheral portions of the substrate 101 held by each of the hands 11 and 12 overlapping the arm support unit 50.

[0033] The control unit 70 controls the hand rotation units 21 and 22 to rotate the hands 11 and 12 and the upper arm 30 and lower arm 40 to move the hands 11 and 12 at separate timings. This allows the hand rotation units 21 and 22 to rotate the hands 11 and 12 after the hands 11 and 12 have been moved into a relatively large space by the upper arm 30 and lower arm 40. This prevents the hands 11 and 12 or the substrate 101 held by the hands 11 and 12 from physically interfering with surrounding components when the hands 11 and 12 are rotated about a rotation axis extending horizontally. Simultaneous rotation and movement of the hands 11 and 12 may cause vibrations in the hands 11 and 12. Therefore, by controlling the rotation and movement of the hands 11 and 12 at separate timings, it is possible to prevent abnormalities in the operation of the hands 11 and 12 due to vibrations. Similarly, the control unit 70 controls the hand rotation units 21 and 22 to rotate the hands 11 and 12 and the lift unit 60 to move the hands 11 and 12 up and down at different times.

[0034] For example, the control unit 70 holds the substrate 101 placed on one of the substrate placement units 104 of the processing device 103 by the surface of the hand 11 on the Z1 direction side. The control unit 70 operates the holding mechanism unit 11a of the hand 11 to hold the substrate 101 in a fixed state on the surface of the hand 11 on the Z1 direction side. The control unit 70 moves the hand 11 holding the substrate 101 toward the lifting unit 60 by the upper arm 30. Then, the control unit 70 rotates the hand 11 by 180 degrees by the hand rotation unit 21 while the hand rotation unit 21 is positioned so as to overlap the arm support unit 50. With the substrate 101 held on the Z2 direction side of the inverted hand 11, the control unit 70 places the substrate 101 with its front and back surfaces inverted on another substrate placement unit 104 different from the one substrate placement unit 104 on which the substrate 101 was placed in the processing device 103, or on the same one substrate placement unit 104. That is, the control unit 70 moves the base end of the hand 11 toward the lifting unit 60 using the upper arm 30, rotates the hand using the hand rotation unit 21, and then moves the hand 11 to the position of the substrate placement unit 104 using the upper arm 30. The control unit 70 may also operate the hand rotation unit 21 to tilt the substrate 101 by 90 degrees, thereby placing the substrate 101 on the substrate placement unit 104 in a state where the substrate 101 is tilted by 90 degrees so that its main surface is perpendicular to the horizontal plane. In FIG. 8 , an example of the substrate 101 held by each of the hands 11 and 12 in a state where it is tilted by 90 degrees is shown by two-dot chain lines.

[0035] The control unit 70 controls each of the operation of transporting the substrate 101 by the hand 11 and the operation of transporting the substrate 101 by the hand 12. The operation of holding and transporting the substrate 101 by the hand 11 and the operation of transporting the substrate 101 by the hand 12 may be performed independently at different times, or may be performed in combination with one of the hands 11 and 12 performing a transport operation while the other hand 11 and 12 performs a transport operation. For example, the control unit 70 performs an operation of holding the substrate 101 in each of the hands 11 and 12, and then sequentially performs an operation of placing the substrate 101 held by the hand 11 on the substrate placement unit 104 and an operation of placing the substrate 101 held by the hand 12 on the substrate placement unit 104. For example, in the processing device 103, which is a polishing device, the control unit 70 causes the hand 11 to hold the substrate 101 before processing, and the hand 12 to hold the substrate 101 after processing. The processing in the processing device 103 referred to here may be a polishing process of the substrate 101 or a cleaning process of the polished substrate 101. Alternatively, the hand 12 may hold the substrate 101 before processing, and the hand 11 may hold the substrate 101 after processing. In a polishing device that polishes the substrate 101, a chemical for polishing the substrate 101 or a liquid such as a cleaning liquid for cleaning the substrate 101 adheres to the substrate 101. By using the hand 11 and the hand 12 separately before and after processing, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from adhering to the substrate 101 before the polishing process or after the cleaning process.

[0036] (Liquid Receiving Unit) As shown in FIG. 1 , the substrate transfer robot 100 of this embodiment includes a liquid receiving unit 80 and a liquid receiving unit 90. The liquid receiving unit 80 is a plate-shaped member arranged along a horizontal plane on the Z2 side below the hand 11. The liquid receiving unit 90 is a plate-shaped member arranged along a horizontal plane on the Z2 side below the hand 12. In the processing device 103 of the substrate processing system 102, as described above, liquid may adhere to the substrates 101 held by the hands 11 and 12. The liquid receiving units 80 and 90 receive the liquid from the substrates 101 held by the hands 11 and 12, respectively. The term "liquid" received by the liquid receiving units 80 and 90 is used as a broad concept that includes not only liquids but also mixtures of liquids and solids, such as suspensions containing solid particles in liquid. The liquid receiving units 80 and 90 are examples of upper and lower liquid receiving units, respectively.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 9 , the liquid receiving portion 80 is connected to the Z1 side of the arm support portion 50, which is above the arm support portion 50. The liquid receiving portion 80 includes an inclined surface 81 that slopes downward toward the lifting unit 60 along the horizontal XY plane. Specifically, the liquid receiving portion 80 is fixed to the Z1-side surface of the arm support portion 50. The inclined surface 81 of the liquid receiving portion 80 is a rectangular plate that slopes along the XY plane and slopes downward toward the X2 side, which is the lifting unit 60 side. The liquid receiving portion 80 also has a sidewall portion 82 that surrounds the rectangular inclined surface 81. The sidewall portion 82 has an opening 82a in its central portion on the X2 side, which is the lifting unit 60 side. The X2-side sidewall portion 82 is inclined from both ends in the Y direction toward the X2 side, from the Y direction, toward the opening 82a in the central portion. A shielding plate 83 is also provided above the end of the inclined surface 81 on the X2 side, which is the lifting unit 60 side. The shielding plate 83 is a plate-like member arranged above the opening 82a of the side wall 82, along the side surface on the X1 side of the columnar portion 61 of the lifting unit 60. The shielding plate 83 is a rectangular plate-like member that extends along the YZ plane. The shielding plate 83 is arranged, for example, from the upper end of the side wall 82 to the height of the upper surface of the hand rotation unit 21.

[0038] The liquid receiving unit 90 is connected to the Z2 side, which is the lower side of the arm support unit 50. The liquid receiving unit 90 is fixed to the Z2 side of the arm support unit 50 via a connecting member 51. The connecting member 51 is composed of three plate-like members: a rectangular plate-like member arranged along the YZ plane so as to fit along the X1-side side surface of the columnar portion 61 of the lifting unit 60; and a pair of plate-like members arranged along the XZ plane on each side in the Y direction of the rectangular member arranged along the YZ plane, so as to form an H-shape when viewed from the Z direction, which is the up-down direction. Each of the pair of plate-like members arranged along the XZ plane has a notch 51a on the X1 side of its center in the Z direction. The position of the notch 51a in the up-down direction corresponds to the position of the substrate 101 held by the hand 12. The arrangement of the cutout portion 51a makes it possible to increase the operating range of the hand 12 while suppressing contact between the connection member 51 and the substrate 101 held by the hand 12. Similarly to the liquid receiving portion 80, the liquid receiving portion 90 has a rectangular plate-shaped inclined surface 91 that slopes downward toward the lifting / lowering portion 60 while extending along the XY plane, which is a horizontal plane, and a side wall portion 92 that surrounds the inclined surface 91. Similar to the side wall portion 82 of the liquid receiving portion 80, the side wall portion 92 has an opening 92a in the center on the X2 side, which is the lifting / lowering portion 60 side.

[0039] In this embodiment, the lifting unit 60 includes a liquid guide 62 that is disposed along the columnar portion 61 and guides the liquid from the liquid receiving portion 80 and the liquid receiving portion 90 downward. The liquid guide 62 is a groove-shaped member that is disposed on the X1-side side surface of the columnar portion 61 and extends in the Z direction, which is the up-down direction. The liquid received by the liquid receiving portion 80 flows into the liquid guide 62 through an opening 82a. The liquid received by the liquid receiving portion 90 flows into the liquid guide 62 through an opening 92a. The liquid that flows into the liquid guide 62 flows downward along the side surface of the columnar portion 61 of the lifting unit 60 toward the Z2 side.

[0040] [Effects of the Present Embodiment] As described above, the substrate transport robot 100 includes the horizontally articulated upper arm 30, which includes the link portion 31 as an upper base end link portion and the link portion 32 as an upper tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and which moves the hand 11 as an upper hand along the horizontal direction, and the horizontally articulated lower arm 40, which is disposed separately from the upper arm 30, includes the link portion 41 as a lower base end link portion and the link portion 42 as a lower tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and which moves the hand 12 as a lower hand along the horizontal direction. As a result, the upper arm 30 is formed of two link members, the link portion 31 and the link portion 32, and the lower arm 40 is formed of two link members, the link portion 41 and the link portion 42, and therefore, by folding the two link members together, the operating ranges of the hands 11 and 12 can be increased while preventing the spatial areas occupied by the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 from increasing in size. As a result, the operating range of the hands 11 and 12 can be increased while preventing the space occupied by the substrate transport robot 100 from becoming too large.

[0041] As described above, the substrate transfer robot 100 includes the lower arm 40, which is a horizontally articulated arm including the link portion 41 as a base end link portion and the link portion 42 as a tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and which moves the hand 12 along the horizontal direction. Because the lower arm 40 is thus configured with two link members, the link portion 41 and the link portion 42, folding the two link members together can increase the operating range of each hand 12 while preventing the spatial area occupied by the lower arm 40 from increasing in size. Furthermore, because the lower arm 40 is connected below the arm support portion 50, the hand 12 can access a position further below the arm support portion 50. As a result, the operating range of the hand 12 can be increased while preventing the spatial area occupied by the substrate transfer robot 100 from increasing in size.

[0042] The substrate transport robot 100 includes a hand rotation unit 21 serving as an upper hand rotation unit that is connected to a base end of the hand 11 serving as an upper hand and rotates the hand 11 serving as an upper hand about a rotation axis A10 extending along the horizontal direction, and a hand rotation unit 22 serving as a lower hand rotation unit that is connected to a base end of the hand 12 serving as a lower hand and rotates the hand 12 serving as a lower hand about a rotation axis A20 extending along the horizontal direction. As a result, the substrate 101 held by each of the hands 11 and 12 can be rotated by the hand rotation unit 21 and the hand rotation unit 22, respectively, so that the front and back sides of the substrate 101 can be swapped and positioned. Furthermore, because the hand 11 moves horizontally via the upper arm 30, which includes the link portion 31 as an upper base end link portion and the link portion 32 as an upper tip end link portion, the folded arrangement of the two link members, the link portion 31 and the link portion 32, ensures space for rotating the hand 11 about the rotation axis A10, compared to when the hand 11 is moved by an arm formed of a single link member. Similarly, because the lower arm 40, which moves the hand 12, includes the link portion 41 as a lower base end link portion and the link portion 42 as a lower tip end link portion, ensures space for rotating the hand 12 about the rotation axis A20. Therefore, when the hands 11 and 12 are rotated about the rotation axes A10 and A20 extending horizontally, the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot 100 can be effectively prevented from increasing in size. Furthermore, by arranging link portions 31 and 32 in a folded manner, space can be secured for rotating hand 11 about rotation axis A10 extending along the horizontal direction, and by arranging link portions 41 and 42 in a folded manner, space can be secured for rotating hand 12 about rotation axis A20 extending along the horizontal direction, so that hands 11 and 12 can be arranged close to each other. Therefore, compared to when the distance between hands 11 and 12 is relatively large, the range of positions that can only be accessed by one of hands 11 and 12 can be made smaller, and the range of positions that can be accessed by both hands 11 and 12 can be made larger.

[0043] The hand rotation unit 21, which serves as the upper hand rotation unit, is connected above the upper arm 30 and supports the hand 11 at a position spaced apart from the upper arm 30 in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than the radius R1 of the substrate 101 held by the hand 11 as the upper hand. The hand rotation unit 22, which serves as the lower hand rotation unit, is connected below the lower arm 40 and supports the hand 12 at a position spaced apart from the lower arm 40 in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than the radius R2 of the substrate 101 held by the hand 12 as the lower hand. This makes the distance between the hand 11 and the upper arm 30 smaller than the radius R1 of the substrate 101, and the distance between the hand 12 and the lower arm 40 smaller than the radius R2 of the substrate 101, thereby reducing the distance between the hand 11 and the hand 12 in the vertical direction. This increases the range accessible by both the hand 11 and the hand 12.

[0044] The hand rotation unit 21 serving as the upper hand rotation unit supports the hand 11 at a position spaced apart in the vertical direction from the link unit 31 serving as the upper base end link unit of the upper arm 30 by a distance smaller than the radius R1 of the substrate 101 held by the hand 11 serving as the upper hand. The hand rotation unit 22 serving as the lower hand rotation unit supports the hand 12 at a position spaced apart in the vertical direction from the link unit 41 serving as the lower base end link unit of the lower arm 40 by a distance smaller than the radius R2 of the substrate 101 held by the hand 12 serving as the lower hand. This makes it possible to further reduce the vertical distance between the hand 11 and the hand 12, since the distance between the link unit 31 on the base end side of the upper arm 30 and the hand 11 is smaller than the radius R1 of the substrate 101 and the distance between the link unit 42 on the base end side of the lower arm 40 and the hand 12 is smaller than the radius R2 of the substrate 101. This further reduces the vertical distance between the hand 11 and the hand 12, thereby further increasing the range accessible by both the hand 11 and the hand 12.

[0045] The lifting unit 60 includes a pillar-shaped portion 61 extending in the up-down direction, and moves the arm support unit 50 up and down along the pillar-shaped portion 61. In a plan view, the arm support unit 50 is disposed extending in a direction perpendicular to the side surface of the pillar-shaped portion 61 of the lifting unit 60. The upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 are each connected to the arm support unit 50 at a position separated by a predetermined distance L50 in the horizontal direction from the pillar-shaped portion 61 of the lifting unit 60. As a result, since the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 are connected to the arm support unit 50 at a position separated by the predetermined distance L50 from the pillar-shaped portion 61 of the lifting unit 60, the base ends of the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 can be disposed separated by the predetermined distance L50 from the pillar-shaped portion 61 of the lifting unit 60. Therefore, when the base ends of the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 are disposed in the center of the area where the substrate transfer robot 100 is disposed, the pillar-shaped portion 61 of the lifting / lowering unit 60 can be disposed close to the edge of the area, thereby preventing the pillar-shaped portion 61 of the lifting / lowering unit 60 from interfering with the movement of the hands 11 and 12. Furthermore, by disposing the pillar-shaped portion 61 close to the edge of the arrangement area, the hands 11 and 12 can be moved to the center of the area where the substrate transfer robot 100 is disposed. Therefore, the space occupied by the substrate transfer robot 100 can be made more compact.

[0046] Link unit 31 serving as the upper base end link unit is connected above arm support unit 50, and a length L31 from the position where link unit 31 is connected to arm support unit 50 to the tip thereof is shorter than a predetermined distance L50. Link unit 41 serving as the lower base end link unit is connected below arm support unit 50, and a length L41 from the position where link unit 41 is connected to arm support unit 50 to the tip thereof is shorter than a predetermined distance L50. This allows link unit 31 and link unit 41 to rotate to a position where they overlap with arm support unit 50 in a plan view. This allows the operating range of link unit 31 and link unit 41 to be increased, and therefore the movement range of hands 11 and 12 to be increased.

[0047] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes a control unit 70 that controls the operation of the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40. The control unit 70 rotates the hand 11 serving as the upper hand by the hand rotation unit 21 around a rotation axis A10 extending along the horizontal direction while the hand rotation unit 21 serving as the upper hand rotation unit is positioned overlapping the arm support unit 50 in a plan view. The control unit 70 also rotates the hand 12 serving as the lower hand by the hand rotation unit 22 around a rotation axis A20 extending along the horizontal direction while the hand rotation unit 22 serving as the lower hand rotation unit is positioned overlapping the arm support unit 50 in a plan view. As a result, the hands 11 and 12 rotate with the hand rotation unit 21 and hand rotation unit 22 overlapping the arm support unit 50 in a plan view, thereby making it possible to compact the area required to rotate the hands 11 and 12 in a plan view. Therefore, the arrangement area of ​​the substrate transport robot 100 in a plan view is prevented from becoming large, and the hands 11 and 12 can be easily rotated about the rotation axes A10 and A20 extending along the horizontal direction.

[0048] The control unit 70 rotates the hand 11 as the upper hand by the hand rotation unit 21 as the upper hand rotation unit about the rotation axis A10 extending along the horizontal direction, with the link unit 32 as the upper tip link unit being positioned closer to the lifting unit 60 in a plan view than the link unit 31 as the upper base link unit. Then, the control unit 70 rotates the hand 12 as the lower hand by the hand rotation unit 22 as the lower hand rotation unit about the rotation axis A20 extending along the horizontal direction, with the link unit 42 as the lower tip link unit being positioned closer to the lifting unit 60 in a plan view than the link unit 41 as the lower base link unit. This allows the hands 11 and 12 to rotate about the rotation axes A10 and A20 extending along the horizontal direction while being closer to the lifting unit 60, thereby making it possible to make the area required to rotate the hands 11 and 12 more compact in a plan view. Therefore, the arrangement area of ​​the substrate transport robot 100 in a plan view is prevented from becoming large, and the hands 11 and 12 can be easily rotated about the rotation axes A10 and A20 extending along the horizontal direction.

[0049] The substrate transport robot 100 includes a liquid receiving portion 80 serving as a plate-shaped upper liquid receiving portion arranged along a horizontal plane below the hand 11 serving as an upper hand, and a liquid receiving portion 90 serving as a plate-shaped lower liquid receiving portion arranged along a horizontal plane below the hand 12 serving as a lower hand. This allows the plate-shaped liquid receiving portions 80 and 90 to receive liquid adhering to the substrate 101, thereby preventing the liquid adhering to the substrate 101 from scattering around. This prevents abnormalities in the processing of the substrate 101 or the operation of the substrate transport robot 100 caused by the scattering of liquid. Furthermore, because the liquid receiving portion 80 is arranged below the hand 11 and the liquid receiving portion 90 is arranged below the hand 12, the liquid adhering to the substrate 101 can be effectively received even when the hands 11 and 12 are operated independently.

[0050] Liquid receiving portion 80, which serves as an upper liquid receiving portion, is connected above arm support portion 50. Liquid receiving portion 90, which serves as a lower liquid receiving portion, is connected below arm support portion 50. As a result, liquid receiving portion 80 and liquid receiving portion 90 are connected to arm support portion 50, and therefore liquid receiving portion 80 and liquid receiving portion 90 can be fixed and positioned relative to arm support portion 50 even when upper arm 30 and lower arm 40 move. Therefore, liquid receiving portion 80 and liquid receiving portion 90 can be prevented from moving in the horizontal plane, and liquid adhering to substrate 101 can be effectively received.

[0051] Liquid receiving portion 80 as the upper liquid receiving portion and liquid receiving portion 90 as the lower liquid receiving portion each have inclined surfaces 81 and 91 that slope downward toward lifting / lowering portion 60 while remaining horizontal. This allows liquid receiving portion 80 and liquid receiving portion 90 to guide liquid from substrate 101 toward lifting / lowering portion 60. This makes it possible to easily collect liquid from substrate 101.

[0052] The lifting unit 60 includes a columnar portion 61 extending in the vertical direction. The substrate transport robot 100 is provided with a liquid guide portion 62 arranged along the columnar portion 61 and guiding liquid downward from the liquid receiving portion 80 as an upper liquid receiving portion and the liquid receiving portion 90 as a lower liquid receiving portion. This allows the liquid from the substrate 101 received by the liquid receiving portion 80 and the liquid receiving portion 90 to be easily guided downward by the liquid guide portion 62. This makes it easier to collect the liquid from the substrate 101.

[0053] Each of the hand 11 as an upper hand and the hand 12 as a lower hand holds a substrate 101 in a polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate 101. This allows the operating range of the hands 11 and 12 to be increased while preventing the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot 100 in the polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate 101 from becoming larger. Furthermore, in the polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate 101, liquids such as chemicals used to polish the substrate 101 or cleaning liquids used to clean the substrate 101 adhere to the substrate 101. Therefore, by providing the liquid receiving portion 80 as an upper liquid receiving portion and the liquid receiving portion 90 as a lower liquid receiving portion as in this embodiment, splashing of the liquid used in the polishing apparatus can be effectively prevented.

[0054] The upper arm 30 moves the hand 11 as one upper hand that holds one substrate 101. The lower arm 40 moves the hand 12 as one lower hand that holds one substrate 101 separately from the hand 11. This makes it possible to prevent the configurations of the hands 11 and 12 from becoming more complex than when multiple substrates 101 are transported by each of the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40.

[0055] [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.

[0056] For example, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the hand rotation unit 21 serving as the upper hand rotation unit that rotates the hand 11 serving as the upper hand and the hand rotation unit 22 serving as the lower hand are provided, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, at least one of the upper hand rotation unit that rotates the upper hand and the lower hand rotation unit that rotates the lower hand may not be provided.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the hand 11 as the upper hand and the hand 12 as the lower hand include holding mechanisms 11a and 12a having air cylinders, respectively. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the holding mechanisms in the upper and lower hands may include actuators such as solenoid coils or motors other than air cylinders. The upper and lower hands may also be active hands other than edge grips, such as vacuum-type hands. The upper and lower hands may also be passive hands that do not have a structure for fixing a substrate.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the vertical distance between the hand 11 as the upper hand and the link portion 31 as the upper base end link portion is smaller than the radius R1 of the substrate 101, and the vertical distance between the hand 12 as the lower hand and the link portion 41 as the lower base end link portion is smaller than the radius R2 of the substrate 101. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the vertical distance between the upper base end link portion and the upper hand may be larger than the radius of the substrate. In this case, the vertical distance between the upper tip link portion and the upper hand may be smaller or larger than the radius of the substrate. Similarly, the vertical distance between the lower base end link portion and the lower hand may be larger than the radius of the substrate. In this case, the vertical distance between the lower tip link portion and the lower hand may be smaller or larger than the radius of the substrate. Furthermore, each of the vertical distances from the arm support portion to the upper hand and the lower hand may be smaller than the radius of the substrate.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the length L31 from the position of the rotation axis A1 to the tip of the link portion 31 serving as the upper base end link portion and the length L41 from the position of the rotation axis A1 to the tip of the link portion 41 serving as the lower base end link portion are each smaller than the predetermined distance L50, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, at least one of the length of the upper base end link portion and the length of the lower base end link portion may be larger than the length from the position where the upper base end link portion and the lower base end link portion are connected to the lifting portion.

[0060] In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the liquid receiving portion 80 serving as an upper liquid receiving portion is connected above the arm support portion 50, and the liquid receiving portion 90 serving as a lower liquid receiving portion is connected below the arm support portion 50, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the upper liquid receiving portion may be connected to the upper arm. Also, the lower liquid receiving portion may be connected to the lower arm.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the liquid receiving portion 80 as the upper liquid receiving portion and the liquid receiving portion 90 as the lower liquid receiving portion have inclined surfaces 81 and 91, respectively, that are horizontal and slope downward toward the lifting / lowering portion 60, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the upper liquid receiving portion and the lower liquid receiving portion may each have an inclined surface that slopes downward in a direction different from the direction in which the lifting / lowering portion is disposed. Furthermore, the upper liquid receiving portion and the lower liquid receiving portion may have a bowl shape that slopes downward in the center.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the liquid guide 62 that guides liquid downward from the liquid receiving portion 80 as the upper liquid receiving portion and the liquid receiving portion 90 as the lower liquid receiving portion is disposed along the columnar portion 61 of the lifting / lowering portion 60, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, a tubular liquid guide may be disposed inside the columnar portion.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the hand 11 as the upper hand and the hand 12 as the lower hand each hold one substrate 101, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, at least one of the upper hand and the lower hand may hold multiple substrates.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the link portion 31 serving as the upper base end link portion and the link portion 41 serving as the lower base end link portion of the upper arm 30 and the lower arm 40 have the same shape, and the link portion 32 serving as the upper tip link portion and the link portion 42 serving as the lower tip link portion have the same shape, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the upper arm and the lower arm may have different shapes.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the hand rotation unit 21, which serves as the upper hand rotation unit, is positioned overlapping the arm support unit 50 in a plan view, and the hand rotation unit 21 rotates the hand 11, which serves as the upper hand, around the rotation axis A10 extending horizontally. Furthermore, the hand rotation unit 22, which serves as the lower hand rotation unit, is positioned overlapping the arm support unit 50 in a plan view, and the hand rotation unit 22 rotates the hand 12, which serves as the lower hand, around the rotation axis A20 extending horizontally. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the upper hand may be rotated when the upper hand rotation unit is not overlapping the arm support unit, or the lower hand may be rotated when the lower hand rotation unit is not overlapping the arm support unit. For example, the upper hand may be rotated when the upper arm is rotated 90 degrees along the horizontal plane from the state shown in FIG. 7 . That is, the upper hand and the lower hand may be rotated when they are overlapping at positions where the base ends of the upper arm and the lower arm are connected.

[0066] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the arm support unit 50 moves up and down along the side surface of the pillar-shaped unit 61 of the lifting unit 60, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the arm support unit may be moved up and down by driving a pillar-shaped member that supports the arm support unit from below up and down.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the control unit 70 includes a main CPU that performs overall control of the substrate transfer robot 100 and a servo CPU that controls the power supplied to the servo motors. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the control unit may include a single computing device such as a CPU. Furthermore, the operations of the upper hand and lower hand holding mechanisms, the upper hand rotation mechanism and the lower hand rotation mechanism, the upper arm and lower arm drive mechanism, and the lifting unit drive mechanism may be performed by control units arranged as different pieces of hardware, or any of these may be controlled by a common control unit.

[0068] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the upper arm 30 including the link portion 31 as the upper base end link portion and the link portion 32 as the upper tip end link portion is connected above the arm support portion 50, and the lower arm 40 including the link portion 41 as the lower base end link portion and the link portion 42 as the lower tip end link portion is connected below the arm support portion 50, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the substrate transport robot may be configured such that a horizontally articulated arm is connected at least below the arm support portion, the horizontally articulated arm including a base end link portion and a tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and that moves a hand that holds a substrate along the horizontal direction.

[0069] 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.

[0070] Aspects It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments described above are examples of the following aspects.

[0071] (Mode 1) A substrate transport robot comprising: an upper hand and a lower hand each holding a substrate; an upper arm of horizontal articulation, including an upper base end link portion and an upper tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and moving the upper hand along a horizontal direction; a lower arm of horizontal articulation, arranged separately from the upper arm, including a lower base end link portion and a lower tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and moving the lower hand along a horizontal direction; an arm support portion to which the upper arm is connected above and to which the lower arm is connected below; and an elevator portion that raises and lowers the upper hand and the lower hand by raising and lowering the arm support portion.

[0072] (Aspect 2) The substrate transport robot according to Aspect 1, further comprising: an upper hand rotation unit connected to a base end of the upper hand and rotating the upper hand around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction; and a lower hand rotation unit connected to a base end of the lower hand and rotating the lower hand around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction.

[0073] (Aspect 3) A substrate transport robot as described in Aspect 2, wherein the upper hand rotation unit is connected above the upper arm and supports the upper hand at a position spaced apart from the upper arm in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than the radius of the substrate held by the upper hand, and the lower hand rotation unit is connected below the lower arm and supports the lower hand at a position spaced apart from the lower arm in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than the radius of the substrate held by the lower hand.

[0074] (Aspect 4) A substrate transport robot as described in Aspect 3, wherein the upper hand rotation unit supports the upper hand at a position spaced apart from the upper base end link unit of the upper arm in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than the radius of the substrate held by the upper hand, and the lower hand rotation unit supports the lower hand at a position spaced apart from the lower base end link unit of the lower arm in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than the radius of the substrate held by the lower hand.

[0075] (Aspect 5) A substrate transport robot according to any one of Aspects 1 to 4, wherein the lifting section includes a pillar-shaped section extending in the vertical direction and moves the arm support section up and down along the pillar-shaped section, the arm support section is arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to a side surface of the pillar-shaped section of the lifting section in a plan view, and each of the upper arm and the lower arm is connected to the arm support section at a position separated by a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction from the pillar-shaped section of the lifting section.

[0076] (Aspect 6) A substrate transport robot as described in Aspect 5, wherein the upper base end link portion is connected above the arm support portion, and the length from the position where the upper base end link portion is connected to the arm support portion to its tip is smaller than the predetermined distance, and the lower base end link portion is connected below the arm support portion, and the length from the position where the lower base end link portion is connected to the arm support portion to its tip is smaller than the predetermined distance.

[0077] (Aspect 7) A substrate transport robot as described in Aspect 2, further comprising a control unit that controls the operation of the upper arm and the lower arm, wherein the control unit causes the upper hand rotation unit to rotate the upper hand about a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction when the upper hand rotation unit is positioned in a position overlapping the arm support unit in a planar view, and causes the lower hand rotation unit to rotate the lower hand about a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction when the lower hand rotation unit is positioned in a position overlapping the arm support unit in a planar view.

[0078] (Aspect 8) A substrate transport robot as described in Aspect 7, wherein the control unit rotates the upper hand using the upper hand rotation unit around a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction when the upper tip link unit is positioned closer to the lifting unit than the upper base end link unit in a planar view, and rotates the lower hand using the lower hand rotation unit around a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction when the lower tip link unit is positioned closer to the lifting unit than the lower base end link unit in a planar view.

[0079] (Aspect 9) A substrate transport robot according to any one of Aspects 1 to 8, further comprising: an upper liquid receiving portion in the form of a plate arranged along a horizontal plane below the upper hand; and a lower liquid receiving portion in the form of a plate arranged along a horizontal plane below the lower hand.

[0080] (Aspect 10) The substrate transport robot according to aspect 9, wherein the upper liquid receiving section is connected to an upper part of the arm support section, and the lower liquid receiving section is connected to a lower part of the arm support section.

[0081] (Aspect 11) The substrate transport robot according to aspect 9 or aspect 10, wherein each of the upper liquid receiving portion and the lower liquid receiving portion has an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the lifting portion while extending along a horizontal plane.

[0082] (Aspect 12) The substrate transport robot according to Aspect 11, wherein the lifting section includes a columnar section extending in the vertical direction, and further includes a liquid guide section arranged along the columnar section and guiding liquid from the upper liquid receiving section and the lower liquid receiving section downward.

[0083] (Aspect 13) The substrate transport robot according to any one of Aspects 1 to 12, wherein each of the upper hand and the lower hand holds the substrate in a polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate.

[0084] (Aspect 14) A substrate transport robot according to any one of Aspects 1 to 13, wherein the upper arm moves one of the upper hands that holds one of the substrates, and the lower arm moves one of the lower hands that holds one of the substrates separately from the upper hand.

[0085] (Aspect 15) A substrate transport robot comprising: a hand that holds a substrate; a horizontally articulated arm that includes a base end link portion and a tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane and that moves the hand along a horizontal direction; an arm support portion to which the arm is connected below; and an elevator portion that moves the hand up and down by moving the arm support portion up and down.

[0086] First Reference Example Next, a substrate transport robot 200 according to a first reference example will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0087] (Substrate Processing System) As shown in FIG. 10 , the substrate transfer robot 200 is disposed in a substrate processing system 202. The substrate processing system 202 includes the substrate transfer robot 200 and a processing device 203. The substrate transfer robot 200 performs a transfer operation that includes both loading and unloading the substrate 101 onto and from a substrate placement unit 204 of the processing device 203. The processing device 203 includes a plurality of substrate placement units 204. The substrate transfer robots 200 are disposed spaced apart from each other in the Z direction, which is the vertical direction, and each include a hand 211 and a hand 212 that hold the substrate 101. The substrate 101 is, for example, a wafer for producing a semiconductor. The substrate 101 has a disk shape. The substrate 101 includes, for example, a silicon wafer, a gallium nitride wafer, a sapphire wafer, etc. The processing device 203 is, for example, a polishing device that polishes the substrate 101. Note that the processing device 203 may also be a device that performs processing such as etching or baking on the substrate 101.

[0088] The substrate transport robot 200 includes hand rotation units 221 and 222 , arms 230 and 240 , an arm suspension unit 250 , an elevation unit 260 , a control unit 270 , and a moving frame unit 280 .

[0089] As shown in FIG. 11 , the hand 211 has a holding mechanism 211 a. As shown in FIG. 12 , the hand 211 has a bifurcated shape with a tip that is split into two. The holding mechanism 211 a moves from the base end of the hand 211 to the tip, thereby contacting the peripheral edge of the substrate 101 held by the hand 211. The hand 211 has claws 211 b disposed at each of the two tips. As the holding mechanism 211 a moves from the base end to the tip of the hand 211, the peripheral edge of the substrate 101 is held by the holding mechanism 211 a and the two claws 211 b. In other words, the hand 211 is an active-type substrate holding hand that securely holds the substrate 101 by edge gripping. While FIG. 12 shows only the hand 211, the hand 212 has a similar structure to the hand 211. 11 , like the hand 211, the hand 212 has a holding mechanism 212a that moves in a direction from the base end to the tip end of the hand 212. The holding mechanisms 211a and 212a have, for example, an air cylinder as a drive source. The hands 211 and 212 hold the substrates 101 one by one separately from each other.

[0090] The hand rotation unit 221 and the hand rotation unit 222 rotate the hands 211 and 212, respectively, around a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction. The hand rotation unit 221 and the hand rotation unit 222 rotate the hands 211 and 212, respectively, on a flip axis that rotates the held substrate 101 so as to tilt it. The hand rotation unit 221 and the hand rotation unit 222 rotate the hands 211 and 212 relative to a horizontal plane, with the horizontal direction as the rotation axis. Specifically, the hand rotation unit 221 is connected to the base end of the hand 211 and rotates the hand 211 around the rotation axis extending from the base end to the tip end of the hand 211. The hand rotation unit 222 is connected to the base end of the hand 212 and rotates the hand 212 around the rotation axis extending from the base end to the tip end of the hand 212. Specifically, the hand rotators 221 and 222 rotate the hands 211 and 212 around a rotation axis that passes through the center of the substrate 101 and extends from the base end to the tip end of the hands 211 and 212. By rotating the hands 211 and 212, the hand rotators 221 and 222 tilt the substrate 101 held by the hands 211 and 212 so that the back surface and the front surface are swapped. For example, as shown in FIG. 12 , the hand rotator 221 rotates the hand 211 180 degrees around the rotation axis A210. Also, as shown in FIG. 13 , the hand rotator 222 rotates the hand 212 180 degrees around the rotation axis A220. The rotation axis A210 and the rotation axis A220 each extend horizontally. That is, the rotation axes A210 and A220 extend along the XY plane. 13, an example of the substrate 101 rotated 90 degrees around the rotation axis A210 and an example of the substrate 101 rotated 90 degrees around the rotation axis A220 are shown by two-dot chain lines. Here, the rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction is a broad concept that includes not only a rotation axis extending horizontally but also a rotation axis that is slightly tilted from the horizontal direction. For example, "tilt from the horizontal direction" includes tilt from the horizontal direction caused by tilt due to the weight of the substrate, tilt due to the weight of the hand itself, tilt of the substrate transport robot itself, or tilt of the device in which the substrate transport robot is installed.Furthermore, the term "horizontal direction" is used as a broad concept that includes a direction parallel to the installation surface on which the substrate transport robot is placed, a direction parallel to the installation surface of the substrate installation section on which the substrate is placed, or a direction parallel to a horizontal plane that is perpendicular to the vertical direction, which is the direction of gravity.

[0091] 11 , the hand rotation unit 221 has a rotation mechanism 221a that rotates the hand 211. Similarly, the hand rotation unit 222 has a rotation mechanism 222a that rotates the hand 212. The rotation mechanisms 221a and 222a have drive sources for rotating the hands 211 and 212. The rotation mechanisms 221a and 222a have, for example, servo motors as drive sources. The rotation mechanisms 221a and 222a also have encoders and reducers.

[0092] 12, the hand rotation unit 221 includes a seal member 221b that seals the rotation mechanism unit 221a from the outside. The seal member 221b has a ring shape so as to seal any gaps between the rotation mechanism unit 221a and the outside. The seal member 221b is, for example, an elastic member such as flexible rubber. One example of the seal member 221b is an O-ring. Although only the hand rotation unit 221 is shown in FIG. 12, the hand rotation unit 222 also includes a seal member that seals the rotation mechanism unit 222a from the outside, similar to the hand rotation unit 221.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 10 , arm 230 is a horizontally articulated robot arm that moves hand 211 along the horizontal direction. Arm 240 is a horizontally articulated robot arm that is disposed separately from arm 230 and moves hand 212 along the horizontal direction. Arm 230 and arm 240 operate independently of each other. A hand rotation unit 221 is connected to the distal end of arm 230. Furthermore, a hand rotation unit 222 is connected to the distal end of arm 240 via a support unit 243 shown in FIG. 14 . Arm 230 and arm 240 are suspended and supported on the Z2 side below arm suspension unit 250. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11 , arm 230 and arm 240 each have a drive unit 230 a and a drive unit 240 a that rotate each of the multiple joints. Each of drive units 230 a and 240 a includes, for example, a servo motor. Each of the driving units 230a and 240a has a transmission mechanism, such as a timing belt or a gear, that transmits the driving force of the motor. Each of the driving units 230a and 240a also includes an encoder and a reducer. The driving unit 230a is disposed, for example, inside the housing of the arm 230 and / or inside the arm suspender 250. The driving unit 240a is disposed inside the housing of the arm 240 and / or inside the arm suspender 250.

[0094] Furthermore, arm suspension unit 250 rotates within a horizontal plane relative to moving frame unit 280. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13 , arm suspension unit 250 rotates around rotation axis A250 along the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 11 , arm suspension unit 250 has drive unit 250a. Drive unit 250a includes, for example, a servo motor, a transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force of the motor, an encoder, and a reducer. Drive unit 250a is disposed, for example, inside arm suspension unit 250 and / or in moving frame unit 280.

[0095] As shown in FIG. 10 , the lifting unit 260 moves the arm suspender 250 up and down, thereby moving the hand 211 and the hand 212 up and down in the Z direction. Specifically, the lifting unit 260 connects the arm 230 and the arm 240 via the arm suspender 250 and the moving frame unit 280. The moving frame unit 280 is connected to the lifting unit 260. In the first reference example, the moving frame unit 280 moves up and down by the lifting unit 260. The arm suspender 250 is connected to the Z2 side below the moving frame unit 280. The lifting unit 260 moves the moving frame unit 280 up and down, thereby moving the arm 230 to which the hand 211 is connected and the arm 240 to which the hand 212 is connected in conjunction with each other. The lifting unit 260 has a columnar portion 261 extending in the Z direction, which is the up and down direction. The lifting unit 260 moves the moving frame unit 280 up and down along the columnar unit 261. As shown in FIG. 11 , the lifting unit 260 also includes a drive unit 260a. The drive unit 260a includes, for example, a servo motor as a drive source. The drive unit 260a also includes, for example, a ball screw mechanism and a linear guide. The lifting unit 260 moves the moving frame unit 280 up and down in the Z direction using the driving force of the drive unit 260a.

[0096] The control unit 270 is a robot controller that controls the operation of each part of the substrate transfer robot 200. The control unit 270 includes, for example, a calculation device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 270 also includes 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 270 executes control processing by the calculation device based on programs, parameters, and the like stored in the storage device. Specifically, the control unit 270 controls the operation of the holding mechanism unit 211 a and the holding mechanism unit 212 a of the hand 211 and the hand 212, respectively. Furthermore, the control unit 270 controls the operation of the rotation mechanism unit 221 a and the rotation mechanism unit 222 a of the hand rotation unit 221 and the hand rotation unit 222, the operation of the drive unit 230 a of the arm 230 and the drive unit 240 a of the arm 240, the operation of the drive unit 250 a of the arm suspension unit 250, and the operation of the drive unit 260 a of the lifting unit 260. For example, the control unit 270 has a main CPU that performs overall control of the substrate transport robot 200, and a servo CPU that controls the power supplied to the servo motors of the rotation mechanism units 221 a and 222 a, and the drive units 230 a, 240 a, 250 a, and 260 a. 10 , the control unit 270 is disposed separately from, for example, the hands 211 and 212, the hand rotation units 221 and 222, the arm 230, the arm 240, the arm suspension unit 250, and the lifting unit 260, and is connected via a cable member to the columnar unit 261 of the lifting unit 260. The control unit 270 outputs signals for controlling the operation of each unit via the cable member connected to the lifting unit 260.

[0097] (Arm Details) As shown in FIG. 14 , arm 230 includes link portions 231 and 232 that rotate relative to each other along the XY plane, which is a horizontal plane. Arm 240 similarly includes link portions 241 and 242 that rotate relative to each other along the XY plane, which is a horizontal plane. Link portions 231 and 232 of arm 230 and link portions 241 and 242 of arm 240 are arm members of a robot arm that are arranged to extend horizontally. Arm 230 and arm 240 each include link portions 231 and 241 as base-end link portions and link portions 232 and 242 as tip-end link portions. That is, in arm 230, link portion 231 is arranged on the base-end side, and link portion 232 is arranged on the tip-end side. Link portions 231 and 232 are connected to each other so as to rotate via a joint. In arm 240, link portion 241 is disposed on the base end side, and link portion 242 is disposed on the tip end side. Link portion 241 and link portion 242 are connected to each other so as to rotate via a joint portion. Link portion 231 and link portion 241 have the same shape, and link portion 232 and link portion 242 have the same shape.

[0098] Arm 230 and arm 240 rotate independently relative to arm suspension unit 250 along a horizontal plane, which is the XY plane. Arm 230 and arm 240 rotate relative to arm suspension unit 250 around rotation axes A211 and A212, respectively, shown in FIG. 14 . Rotation axes A211 and A212 are disposed to extend along the Z direction, which is the up-down direction. Rotation axes A211 and A212 are disposed side by side along the Y direction, which is the left-right direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 14 , in the first reference example, arm 230 is disposed below arm suspension unit 250 on the Y1 side, which is one of the left-right directions in the horizontal plane. Arm 240 is disposed below arm suspension unit 250 on the Y2 side, which is the other of the left-right directions in the horizontal plane, side by side with arm 230. Note that because the arm suspension unit 250 rotates in a horizontal plane relative to the lifting unit 260 and the moving frame unit 280, the left-right direction herein is described as a direction based on the arm suspension unit 250. Specifically, in the arm 230, the link unit 231 is connected to a surface on the Z2 side (lower side) of the arm suspension unit 250 on the Z1 side (upper side of the base end) via a first joint so as to rotate about a rotation axis A211. The link unit 232 is connected to a surface on the Z2 side (lower side) of the tip of the link unit 231 on the Z1 side (upper side of the base end) via a second joint so as to rotate about a rotation axis A212. The hand rotation unit 221 is connected to a surface on the Z2 side (lower side) of the tip of the link unit 232 on the Z2 side (lower side) via a third joint so as to rotate about a rotation axis A213. Similarly, in the arm 240, the link portion 241 is connected on the Z1 side, i.e., above the base end, to a surface on the Z2 side, i.e., below the arm suspension portion 250, via a first joint portion so as to rotate about the rotation axis A221. The link portion 242 is connected on the Z1 side, i.e., above the base end, to a surface on the Z2 side, i.e., below the tip end of the link portion 241, via a second joint portion so as to rotate about the rotation axis A222. The support portion 243 is connected on the Z2 side, i.e., below the tip end of the link portion 242, via a third joint portion so as to rotate about the rotation axis A223.

[0099] That is, in the substrate transport robot 200, the link portion 231, the link portion 232, and the hand rotation portion 221 of the arm 230 are arranged in this order below the arm suspension portion 250, facing downward in the Z2 direction. Also, below the arm suspension portion 250, the link portion 241, the link portion 242, the support portion 243, and the hand rotation portion 222 of the arm 240 are arranged in this order, facing downward in the Z2 direction. The link portions 231 and 241 are arranged at equal positions relative to each other in the vertical direction. The link portions 232 and 242 are also arranged at equal positions relative to each other in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the arms 230 and 240 have multiple joints arranged such that the rotation axes A211, A212, A213, A221, A222, and A223 are parallel to each other and aligned along the Z direction, which is the vertical direction perpendicular to a horizontal plane. A drive unit 230a is disposed at each joint of the rotation axes A211, A212, and A213 of the arm 230. Similarly, a drive unit 240a is disposed at each joint of the rotation axes A221, A222, and A223 of the arm 240.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 14 , a support portion 243 is disposed at the tip of the arm 240. The support portion 243 supports the hand 212 below the hand 211. In the first reference example, the hand 211 and the hand 212 are disposed side by side in the Z direction, which is the vertical direction. By supporting the hand 212 below the hand 211 with the support portion 243, the hand 211 and the hand 212 are disposed so as to be movable to overlapping positions when viewed from the Z direction, which is the vertical direction. Specifically, the support portion 243 has a horizontal portion 243a, an upper and lower portion 243b, and a horizontal portion 243c. The support portion 243 has a U-shape formed by the horizontal portion 243a, the upper and lower portions 243b, and the horizontal portion 243c. The support portion 243 has a U-shape that is open on the Y1 side, which is one side in the left-right direction. The horizontal portion 243a extends from the tip of the arm 240 along the Y2 direction, which is the other side in the left-right direction. The upper and lower portions 243b extend downward in the Z2 direction from the Y2-side end of the horizontal portion 243a. The horizontal portion 243c extends in the Y1 direction, which is one of the left and right directions, from the Z2-side end of the upper and lower portions 243b. The horizontal portion 243c is disposed so as to overlap the horizontal portion 243a in a plan view.

[0101] Furthermore, the horizontal portion 243a extends toward the Y2 side, which is the other of the left-right directions, relative to the arm 240 by an amount greater than the position of the substrate 101 held by the hand 211. For example, when the hands 211 and 212 are arranged so as to overlap each other in a plan view, a distance L243 from the hand 211 to the upper and lower portions 243b of the support portion 243 along the Y2 direction, which is the other of the left-right directions, is greater than the radius R201 of the substrate 101. Therefore, the upper and lower portions 243b extend downward from the horizontal portion 243a at a position spaced apart from the substrate 101 held by the hand 211 toward the Y2 side, which is the other of the left-right directions. For example, with the hands 211 and 212 arranged as shown in FIG. 14 , the control unit 270 operates the arm 230 to move the hand 211 along the X direction. 14 , the control unit 270 operates the arm 240 to move the hand 212 along the X direction. The control unit 270 rotates the arm suspender 250 in a horizontal plane and operates the arms 230 and 240 to linearly move the hand 211 and the hand 212 in a direction from their respective base ends to their respective tip ends. In this case, even when either the hand 211 or the hand 212 moves linearly along the X direction, the support portion 243 extends in the Y2 direction by a distance greater than the radius R201 of the substrate 101, thereby preventing the support portion 243 from coming into contact with the substrate 101 held by the hand 211. 14, the dashed two-dot lines indicate an example of the range through which the substrate 101 passes when the substrate 101 held by each of the hands 211 and 212 is rotated about the horizontal rotation axes A210 and A220. The radius R201 of the substrate 101 is, for example, 150 mm.

[0102] As shown in FIG. 13 , the moving frame unit 280 includes upper and lower frame members 281 and a base member 282. The upper and lower frame members 281 are connected to the side surfaces of the columnar portion 261 of the lifting unit 260 and are disposed along the columnar portion 261. The base member 282 extends from the upper portions of the upper and lower frame members 281 in the X1 direction, away from the columnar portion 261. Specifically, the upper and lower frame members 281 include a rectangular plate-like portion extending along the X1-side side surface of the columnar portion 261 and a pair of sidewall portions disposed at both ends of the rectangular plate-like portion in the Y direction and extending along the XZ plane. The pair of sidewall portions include triangular plate-like portions extending at their upper portions on the Z1 side to support the base member 282. The base member 282 has a rectangular parallelepiped housing extending in the X1 direction away from the columnar portion 261. The arm suspension unit 250 is connected to the Z2 side below the base member 282. In the moving frame section 280 , a base member 282 is fixed to upper and lower frame members 281 .

[0103] 14 , the tip of the arm 230 is disposed at a position offset in the Y1 direction, which is one of the left and right directions, relative to the hand 211. The tip of the arm 240 is disposed at a position offset in the Y2 direction, which is the other of the left and right directions, relative to the hand 212. The hand 211 rotates along a horizontal plane around a rotation axis A213 disposed at the tip of the arm 230. When viewed from the X direction, which is the direction from the base end of the hand 211 to the tip, the rotation axis A213 of the hand 211 in the horizontal plane and the center of the hand 211 are disposed at an offset in the Y direction. Similarly, the hand 212 rotates along a horizontal plane around a rotation axis A223 disposed at the tip of the arm 240. The hand 212 is connected to the tip of the arm 240 via a support 243. The hand 212 is fixed to the support 243, and when the support 243 rotates along the horizontal plane relative to the arm 240, the hand 212 rotates along the horizontal plane relative to the arm 240. When viewed from the X direction, which is the direction from the base end to the tip of the hand 212, the rotation axis A223 of the hand 212 in a horizontal plane and the position of the center of the hand 212 are arranged to be offset in the Y direction. In the first reference example, the hands 211 and 212 are arranged so that they face in the same direction from the base end to the tip. When viewed from the X direction, which is the direction from the base end to the tip of each of the hands 211 and 212, the positions of the hands 211 and 212 in the Y direction, which is the left-right direction, are equal to each other.

[0104] (Operation by Control Unit) The control unit 270 executes a transport operation of the substrate 101 based on a control amount that is taught and set in advance. The control unit 270, for example, performs a transport operation of transporting the substrate 101 supplied to a supply position of the substrate processing system 202 from the supply position to the substrate placement unit 204 by having the hand 211 or the hand 212 hold the substrate 101. The control unit 270 also performs a transport operation of transporting the substrate 101 placed on the substrate placement unit 204 of the processing device 203 to an unloading position for unloading the substrate 101 from the substrate placement unit 204 by having the hand 211 or the hand 212 hold the substrate 101. The supply position and the unloading position may be the same position or may be different positions. In addition, the control unit 270 causes the hand 211 or the hand 212 to hold the substrate 101 placed on one of the multiple substrate placing units 204 of the processing device 203, and performs a transport operation to transport the held substrate 101 again to the same substrate placing unit 204 or to another substrate placing unit 204 different from the one substrate placing unit 204.

[0105] As shown in Fig. 15 , the control unit 270 moves the hands 211 and 212 up and down using the elevator unit 260 as shown in Fig. 13 , with the hands 211 and 212 positioned so as to overlap the arm suspension unit 250 in a plan view. The control unit 270 performs the elevator operation using the elevator unit 260 in a state in which the hand rotation unit 221, to which the base end of the hand 211 is connected, and the hand rotation unit 222, to which the base end of the hand 212 is connected, are moved toward the X2 side, which is the elevator unit 260 side, by the arms 230 and 240. When performing the elevator operation, the control unit 270 positions the link units 232 and 242 closer to the elevator unit 260 than the link units 231 and 241, respectively, in a plan view. Furthermore, when performing a lifting operation, the control unit 270 rotates the arm suspension unit 250 around the rotation axis A250 so that the direction from the base end to the tip end of each of the hands 211 and 212 is aligned along the X direction. When performing a lifting operation, the control unit 270 operates each of the arms 230 and 240 so that the hands 211 and 212 overlap each other in a plan view. This makes it possible to compact the spatial areas in which the hands 211 and 230 and the hands 212 and 240 are arranged when performing a lifting operation along the Z direction, which is the up-down direction.

[0106] The control unit 270 also controls the operation of the hand rotation units 221 and 222 to flip the front and back sides of the substrate 101 held by the hands 211 and 212. In this case, the control unit 270 also moves the hand rotation units 221 and 222 toward the lifting unit 260, similar to the lifting operation. That is, in the first reference example, the control unit 270 rotates the hand 211 by the hand rotation unit 221 around the rotation axis A210 extending along the horizontal direction while the hand 211 is positioned so as to overlap with the arm suspension unit 250 in a plan view. The control unit 270 also rotates the hand 212 by the hand rotation unit 222 around the rotation axis A220 extending along the horizontal direction while the hand 212 is positioned so as to overlap with the arm suspension unit 250 in a plan view. The control unit 270 rotates the hand 211 by the hand rotation unit 221 about the rotation axis A210 extending along the horizontal direction with the link unit 232 positioned closer to the lifting unit 260 than the link unit 231 in a plan view. Then, the control unit 270 rotates the hand 212 by the hand rotation unit 222 about the rotation axis A220 extending along the horizontal direction with the link unit 242 positioned closer to the lifting unit 260 than the link unit 241 in a plan view. As with the lifting operation, when rotating the substrate 101 about the rotation axis A210 or A220, the control unit 270 operates each of the arms 230 and 240 so that the hands 211 and 212 overlap each other in a plan view. Then, with the hands 211 and 212 positioned so as to overlap each other in a plan view, the control unit 270 rotates the hands 211 and 212 about rotation axes A210 and A220 extending horizontally, respectively. This makes it possible to compact the spatial areas in which the hands 211 and arm 230 and the hands 212 and arm 240 are disposed, even when the substrate 101 is rotated about the rotation axis A210 or A220.Furthermore, by arranging the hand rotation unit 221 and the hand rotation unit 222 on the lifting / lowering unit 260 side, the control unit 270 performs a lifting operation by the lifting / lowering unit 260, a rotation of the hand 211 about the rotation axis A210, or a rotation of the hand 212 about the rotation axis A220, with the peripheral portions of the substrate 101 held by each of the hands 211 and 212 overlapping the arm hanging unit 250. When rotating the hand 211 about the rotation axis A210 and rotating the hand 212 about the rotation axis A220, the hand rotation units 221 and 222 are arranged on the X1 side of the lifting / lowering unit 260 and are arranged so as to overlap the base member 282 of the moving frame unit 280.

[0107] The control unit 270 performs the operation of rotating the hands 211 and 212 by the hand rotation units 221 and 222 and the operation of moving the hands 211 and 212 by the arms 230 and 240 at separate timings. This allows the hands 211 and 212 to be rotated by the hand rotation units 221 and 222 after the arms 230 and 240 have moved the hands 211 and 212 to a relatively large space. Therefore, when the hands 211 and 212 are rotated around a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction, it is possible to prevent the hands 211 and 212 themselves or the substrate 101 held by the hands 211 and 212 from physically interfering with surrounding members. Furthermore, since simultaneous rotation and movement of the hands 211 and 212 may cause vibrations in the hands 211 and 212, rotating and moving the hands 211 and 212 at separate times makes it possible to prevent abnormalities in the operation of the hands 211 and 212 due to vibrations. Similarly, the control unit 270 causes the hand rotation units 221 and 222 to rotate the hands 211 and 212 and the lift unit 260 to lift and move the hands 211 and 212 at separate times.

[0108] For example, the control unit 270 holds the substrate 101 placed on one of the substrate placement units 204 of the processing device 203 by the surface on the Z1 direction side of the hand 211. The control unit 270 operates the holding mechanism unit 211a of the hand 211 to hold the substrate 101 in a fixed state on the surface on the Z1 direction side of the hand 211. The control unit 270 moves the hand 211 holding the substrate 101 toward the lifting unit 260 by the arm 230. Then, with the hand 211 positioned so that it overlaps the arm hanging unit 250, the control unit 270 rotates the hand 211 by 180 degrees by the hand rotation unit 221. With the substrate 101 held on the Z2 direction side of the inverted hand 211, the control unit 270 places the substrate 101 with its front and back surfaces inverted on another substrate placement unit 204 different from the one substrate placement unit 204 on which the substrate 101 of the processing device 203 was placed, or on the same one substrate placement unit 204. That is, the control unit 270 moves the base end of the hand 211 toward the lifting unit 260 with the arm 230, rotates the hand 211 with the hand rotation unit 221, and then moves the hand 211 to the position of the substrate placement unit 204 with the arm 230, the arm hanging unit 250, and the lifting unit 260. The control unit 270 may also operate the hand rotation unit 221 to tilt the substrate 101 by 90 degrees, thereby placing the substrate 101 on the substrate placement unit 204 with its main surface tilted 90 degrees so as to be perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

[0109] The control unit 270 controls each of the operation of transporting the substrate 101 by the hand 211 and the operation of transporting the substrate 101 by the hand 212. The operation of holding and transporting the substrate 101 by the hand 211 and the operation of transporting the substrate 101 by the hand 212 may be performed independently at different times, or may be performed in combination with one of the hands 211 and 212 performing a transport operation while the other transport operation is performed. For example, the control unit 270 performs an operation of holding the substrate 101 in each of the hands 211 and 212, and then sequentially performs an operation of placing the substrate 101 held by the hand 211 on the substrate placement unit 204 and an operation of placing the substrate 101 held by the hand 212 on the substrate placement unit 204. For example, in the processing device 203, which is a polishing device, the control unit 270 causes the hand 211 to hold the substrate 101 before processing, and the hand 212 to hold the substrate 101 after processing. The processing in the processing device 203 referred to here may be a polishing process of the substrate 101 or a cleaning process of the polished substrate 101. Alternatively, the hand 212 may hold the substrate 101 before processing, and the hand 211 may hold the substrate 101 after processing. In a polishing device that polishes the substrate 101, a chemical for polishing the substrate 101 or a liquid such as a cleaning liquid for cleaning the substrate 101 adheres to the substrate 101. By using the hand 211 and the hand 212 separately before and after processing, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from adhering to the substrate 101 before the polishing process or after the cleaning process.

[0110] The upper and lower frame members 281 of the moving frame unit 280 are rectangular flat plates, and are arranged to shield the base end sides of the hands 211 and 212, thereby making it possible to prevent liquid from the substrates 101 held by the hands 211 and 212 from splashing onto the lifting unit 260. Also, plate-like members for receiving liquid may be arranged below each of the hands 211 and 212.

[0111] [Effects of the First Reference Example] As described above, the substrate transport robot 200 includes the arm suspending unit 250 that suspends and supports the arm 230 serving as the first arm and the arm 240 serving as the second arm. Thus, both the arm 230 that moves the hand 211 serving as the first hand and the arm 240 that moves the hand 212 serving as the second hand are suspended and supported below the arm suspending unit 250, allowing the hands 211 and 212 to access a lower position in common compared to when an arm support unit is disposed between the arms 230 and 240 in the vertical direction. Furthermore, because both the arms 230 and 240 are suspended and supported below the arm suspending unit 250, the hand 211 that is moved by the arm 230 and the hand 212 that is moved by the arm 240 can be positioned closer together in the vertical direction compared to when an arm support unit is disposed between the arms 230 and 240 in the vertical direction. As a result, it is possible to increase the area that can be commonly accessed in the vertical direction by both the hand 211 and the hand 212. Furthermore, since the arm 230 and the arm 240 are suspended below the arm suspension unit 250, both the arm 230 and the arm 240 can access lower positions.

[0112] The arm 230 serving as the first arm is disposed on one side of the left and right direction in a horizontal plane below the arm suspender 250. The arm 240 serving as the second arm is disposed alongside the arm 230 on the other side of the left and right direction in a horizontal plane below the arm suspender 250. As a result, since the arms 230 and 240 are disposed alongside each other in the left and right direction, the area in which the arms 230 and 240 are disposed can be made more compact in the vertical direction than when the arms 230 and 240 are disposed alongside each other in the vertical direction. This prevents the area in which the substrate transport robot 200 is disposed from becoming larger in the vertical direction.

[0113] The substrate transport robot 200 includes a support unit 243 that is disposed at the tip of an arm 240 serving as a second arm and that supports a hand 212 serving as a second hand below a hand 211 serving as a first hand. The hands 211 and 212 are disposed spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction by the support unit 243. As a result, the hands 211 and 212 can easily access a common position by simply moving the hands 211 and 212 up and down using the elevator unit 260.

[0114] The support portion 243 includes a horizontal portion 243a (first horizontal portion) extending from the tip of the arm 240 (second arm) along the other of the left-right directions, an upper-lower portion 243b (upper-lower portion 243b) extending downward from the other end of the horizontal portion 243a in the left-right direction, and a horizontal portion 243c (second horizontal portion) arranged overlapping the horizontal portion 243a in a plan view and extending from the upper-lower portion 243b in the left-right direction. The support portion 243 has a U-shape formed by the horizontal portion 243a, the upper-lower portion 243b, and the horizontal portion 243c. The U-shape of the support portion 243 prevents the hand 211, which is arranged above, from contacting the support portion 243 supporting the hand 212, which is arranged below. Therefore, the U-shape of the support portion 243 allows the operating range of the hand 211 to be increased even when the hands 211 and 212 are arranged in the up-down direction.

[0115] The horizontal portion 243a serving as the first horizontal portion extends in the other left-right direction by an amount greater than the position of the substrate 101 held by the hand 211 serving as the first hand. The upper and lower portions 243b extend downward from the horizontal portion 243a at a position spaced apart in the other left-right direction from the substrate 101 held by the hand 211. This prevents the substrate 101 held by the hand 211 from coming into contact with the support portion 243 that supports the hand 212, thereby increasing the operating range of the hand 211.

[0116] The substrate transfer robot 200 includes a hand rotation unit 221 serving as a first hand rotation unit that is connected to a base end of a hand 211 serving as a first hand and rotates the hand 211 about a rotation axis A210 extending along the horizontal direction, and a hand rotation unit 222 serving as a second hand rotation unit that is connected to a base end of a hand 212 serving as a second hand and rotates the hand 212 about a rotation axis A220 extending along the horizontal direction. As a result, the substrate 101 held by each of the hands 211 and 212 can be rotated by the hand rotation unit 221 and the hand rotation unit 222, respectively, so that the front and back sides of the substrate 101 can be swapped and positioned.

[0117] The substrate transfer robot 200 includes a control unit 270 that controls the operation of the arm 230 serving as a first arm and the arm 240 serving as a second arm. The control unit 270 rotates the hand 211 serving as a first hand about a rotation axis A210 extending along the horizontal direction with the hand 211 positioned so as to overlap the arm suspension unit 250 in a plan view, using the hand rotation unit 221. The control unit 270 also rotates the hand 212 serving as a second hand about a rotation axis A220 extending along the horizontal direction with the hand 212 positioned so as to overlap the arm suspension unit 250 in a plan view, using the hand rotation unit 222. This allows the hands 211 and 212 to rotate while overlapping the arm suspension unit 250 in a plan view, thereby making it possible to compact the area required for rotating the hands 211 and 212 in a plan view. Therefore, the arrangement area of ​​the substrate transport robot 200 in a plan view can be prevented from becoming large, and the hands 211 and 212 can be easily rotated about the rotation axes A210 and A220 extending along the horizontal direction.

[0118] The control unit 270 rotates the hand 211, serving as the first hand, and the hand 212, serving as the second hand, about rotation axes A210 and A220 extending along the horizontal direction, respectively, with the hand 211 serving as the first hand and the hand 212 serving as the second hand positioned so as to overlap each other in a plan view. This makes it possible to further prevent the placement area of ​​the substrate transport robot 200 from becoming larger in a plan view, compared to when the hands 211 and 212 rotate about the rotation axes A210 and A220 while being positioned offset from each other in a plan view. Therefore, the placement area of ​​the substrate transport robot 200 can be easily rotated about the rotation axes A210 and A220 extending along the horizontal direction, while further preventing the placement area of ​​the substrate transport robot 200 from becoming larger in a plan view.

[0119] The substrate transfer robot 200 includes a moving frame unit 280 that is connected to a lifting unit 260 and moves up and down by the lifting unit 260. The arm hanging unit 250 is connected to the moving frame unit 280. As a result, by moving the moving frame unit 280 up and down, the arm hanging unit 250, from which the arm 230 serving as a first arm and the arm 240 serving as a second arm are suspended, can be easily moved up and down.

[0120] Arm suspending unit 250 rotates in a horizontal plane relative to moving frame unit 280. As a result, arm suspending unit 250, from which arm 230 as a first arm and arm 240 as a second arm are suspended, rotates in a horizontal plane relative to moving frame unit 280, and therefore the range of motion of hand 211 as a first hand moved by arm 230 and hand 212 as a second hand moved by arm 240 can be increased.

[0121] The lifting unit 260 includes a pillar-shaped unit 261 extending in the up-down direction. The moving frame unit 280 includes upper and lower frame members 281 connected to the side surfaces of the pillar-shaped unit 261 and arranged along the pillar-shaped unit 261, and a base member 282 extending from the top of the upper and lower frame members 281 in a direction away from the pillar-shaped unit 261. The arm suspending unit 250 is connected to the lower side of the base member 282. As a result, the arm suspending unit 250 is arranged below the base member 282 extending in a direction away from the pillar-shaped unit 261, and therefore the arm 230 serving as the first arm and the arm 240 serving as the second arm can be suspended at a position away from the pillar-shaped unit 261. Therefore, when the base ends of the arms 230 and 240 are disposed in the center of the area where the substrate transport robot 200 is disposed, the pillar-shaped portion 261 of the lifting / lowering unit 260 can be disposed close to the edge of the area, which prevents the pillar-shaped portion 261 of the lifting / lowering unit 260 from interfering with the movement of the hands 211 and 212. Furthermore, by disposing the pillar-shaped portion 261 close to the edge of the arrangement area, the hands 211 and 212 can be moved to the center of the area where the substrate transport robot 200 is disposed. This allows the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot 200 to be made more compact.

[0122] Arm 230 as a first arm includes link portion 231 as a first base end link portion and link portion 232 as a first tip end link portion, which rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane. Arm 240 as a second arm includes link portion 241 as a second base end link portion and link portion 242 as a second tip end link portion, which rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane. Link portions 231 and 241, and link portions 232 and 242, are disposed at equal positions relative to each other in the vertical direction. As a result, arm 230 is formed by two link members, link portion 231 and link portion 232, and arm 240 is formed by two link members, link portion 241 and link portion 242. Therefore, by folding the two link members, the operating ranges of each of hands 211 and 212 can be increased while preventing the spatial areas occupied by arms 230 and 240 from increasing in size. As a result, the operating range of the hands 211 and 212 can be increased while suppressing an increase in the size of the space occupied by the substrate transport robot 200 .

[0123] The hand 211 as a first hand rotates along a horizontal plane around a rotation axis A213 as a first tip rotation axis located at the tip of the arm 230 as a first arm. The hand 212 as a second hand rotates along a horizontal plane around a rotation axis A223 as a second tip rotation axis located at the tip of the arm 240 as a second arm. The tip of the arm 230 is located at a position offset to one side in the left-right direction with respect to the hand 211. The tip of the arm 240 is located at a position offset to the other side in the left-right direction with respect to the hand 212. As a result, the rotation axis A213 at the tip of the arm 230 and the hand 211 are arranged offset, and the rotation axis A223 at the tip of the arm 240 and the hand 212 are arranged offset, so that when the arms 230 and 240 are arranged side by side on the left and right, the operations of the arms 230 and 240 do not physically interfere with each other, and the hands 211 and 212 can easily be arranged side by side in the vertical direction. Therefore, the hands 211 and 212 can each more easily access a common position.

[0124] Each of the hand 211 as a first hand and the hand 212 as a second hand holds the substrate 101 in a polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate 101. This allows for a larger area that can be commonly accessed in the vertical direction by both the hand 211 and the hand 212 in the polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate 101. Furthermore, in the polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate 101, liquids such as chemicals used to polish the substrate 101 or cleaning liquids used to clean the substrate 101 adhere to the substrate 101. Therefore, by arranging two hands, the hand 211 and the hand 212, as in the first reference example, the substrate 101 before and after processing can be held by different hands, the hand 211 and the hand 212. This prevents abnormalities in the processing of the substrate 101 caused by liquids such as chemicals used to polish the substrate 101 or cleaning liquids used to clean the substrate 101.

[0125] Arm 230 as a first arm moves hand 211 as a first hand that holds one substrate 101. Arm 240 as a second arm moves hand 212 as a second hand that holds one substrate 101 separately from hand 211. This makes it possible to prevent the configurations of hands 211 and 212 from becoming more complex than when multiple substrates 101 are transported by each of arms 230 and 240.

[0126] [Modification of the First Reference Example] The first reference example disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive.

[0127] For example, in the first reference example described above, an example was shown in which a hand rotation unit 221 was provided as a first hand rotation unit that rotates hand 211 as the first hand, and a hand rotation unit 222 was provided that rotates hand 212 as the second hand, but it is also possible not to provide at least one of the first hand rotation unit that rotates the first hand and the second hand rotation unit that rotates the second hand.

[0128] In the first reference example, the hand 211 as the first hand and the hand 212 as the second hand include holding mechanisms 211a and 212a having air cylinders. However, the holding mechanisms in the first and second hands may include actuators other than air cylinders, such as solenoid coils or motors. The first and second hands may be active hands other than edge grip hands, such as vacuum-type hands. The first and second hands may also be passive hands that do not have a structure for fixing a substrate.

[0129] In the first reference example, the arm 230 as the first arm and the arm 240 as the second arm are arranged side by side below the arm suspension part 250, but the first arm and the second arm may be arranged overlapping each other in the vertical direction. For example, the rotation axis of the first joint part relative to the arm suspension part may be common to the first arm and the second arm.

[0130] In the first reference example, the U-shaped support portion 243 is used to position the first hand 211 and the second hand 212 at a vertical separation. However, the first hand and the second hand may be positioned at a horizontal separation instead of a vertical separation. For example, the first hand and the second hand may be positioned side by side in the horizontal direction in a horizontal plane by arranging the second hand at the tip of the second arm without a support portion. Even when the support portion is used to position the first hand and the second hand at different vertical positions, the first hand and the second hand may be positioned at different positions in a plan view so that the first hand and the second hand are not positioned side by side in the vertical direction. The support portion may be L-shaped or a straight rod-like shape.

[0131] In addition, in the above first reference example, an example was shown in which the horizontal portion 243a as the first horizontal portion extends along the other of the left-right directions by an amount greater than the position of the substrate 101 held by the hand 211 as the first hand, but the first horizontal portion may also extend along the other of the left-right directions by an amount equal to the size of the first hand.

[0132] In addition, in the above first reference example, an example was shown in which hand 211 as the first hand and hand 212 as the second hand each hold one substrate 101, but multiple substrates may be held in at least one of the first hand and the second hand.

[0133] In addition, in the first reference example described above, in arm 230 as the first arm and arm 240 as the second arm, link portion 231 as the first base end link portion and link portion 241 as the second base end link portion have the same shape, and link portion 232 as the first tip link portion and link portion 242 as the second tip link portion have the same shape, but the first arm and second arm may have different shapes.

[0134] In the first reference example described above, hand 211 as a first hand is positioned overlapping arm suspension unit 250 in a plan view, and hand 211 is rotated around rotation axis A210 extending horizontally by hand rotation unit 221 as a first hand rotation unit, while hand 212 as a second hand is positioned overlapping arm suspension unit 250 in a plan view, and hand 212 is rotated around rotation axis A220 extending horizontally by hand rotation unit 222 as a second hand rotation unit. However, the first hand may be rotated in a state where it is not overlapping the arm suspension unit, or the second hand may be rotated in a state where it is not overlapping the arm suspension unit. Furthermore, the first hand and the second hand may be rotated in a state where either the first hand rotation unit or the second hand rotation unit is not overlapping the moving frame unit.

[0135] In the first reference example, the hand 211 as the first hand and the hand 212 as the second hand are overlapped with each other in a plan view, and the hand 211 is rotated about the rotation axis A210, and the hand 212 is rotated about the rotation axis A220. However, the first hand and the second hand may be rotated about a rotation axis along a horizontal plane when they are not overlapped with each other in a plan view. Alternatively, the first hand and the second hand may be rotated about a rotation axis along a horizontal plane when they are partially overlapped with each other in a plan view.

[0136] Furthermore, in the first reference example described above, the arm suspension unit 250 is connected from below to the moving frame unit 280 connected to the columnar unit 261 of the lifting unit 260 so as to rotate along a horizontal plane. However, a moving frame unit may not be provided. That is, the arm suspension unit may be directly connected to the lifting unit. In this case, the arm suspension unit may not rotate relative to the lifting unit. Furthermore, when a moving frame unit connected to the lifting unit is provided, an arm support unit may be provided above or to the side of the moving frame unit. In this case, a base member extending away from the lifting unit may not be provided on the moving frame unit.

[0137] In the first reference example, the link portion 231 as the first base end link portion and the link portion 241 as the second base end link portion are disposed at equal positions in the vertical direction, and the link portion 232 as the first tip end link portion and the link portion 242 as the second tip end link portion are disposed at equal positions in the vertical direction. However, the first base end link portion and the second base end link portion may be disposed offset from each other in the vertical direction, or the first tip end link portion and the second tip end link portion may be disposed offset from each other in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the first arm may be formed of a single link member or may include three or more link members. Similarly, the second arm may be formed of a single link member or may include three or more link members.

[0138] Furthermore, in the first reference example described above, the tip of arm 230 as the first arm is positioned at a position shifted left and right relative to hand 211 as the first hand, and the tip of arm 240 as the second arm is positioned at a position shifted left and right relative to hand 212 as the second hand, but the tip of the first arm may be positioned at the center in the left and right direction relative to the first hand, or the tip of the second arm may be positioned at the center in the left and right direction relative to the second hand.

[0139] In the first reference example, the control unit 270 includes a main CPU that performs overall control of the substrate transport robot 200 and a servo CPU that controls the power supplied to the servo motors, but the control unit may include a single arithmetic device such as a CPU. The operations of the holding mechanisms for the first and second hands, the rotation mechanisms for the first and second hand rotation mechanisms, the drive mechanisms for the first and second arms, the drive mechanisms for the arm support mechanisms, and the drive mechanisms for the lifting and lowering mechanisms may be performed by control units that are arranged as different pieces of hardware, or any of these may be controlled by a common control unit.

[0140] Second Reference Example Next, a substrate transport robot 300 according to a second reference example will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0141] (Substrate Processing System) As shown in FIG. 16 , the substrate transfer robot 300 is disposed in a substrate processing system 302. The substrate processing system 302 includes the substrate transfer robot 300 and a processing device 303. The substrate transfer robot 300 performs a transfer operation that includes both loading and unloading the substrate 101 onto and from the substrate placement unit 304 of the processing device 303. The processing device 303 includes a plurality of substrate placement units 304. The substrate transfer robots 300 are disposed spaced apart from each other in the Z direction, which is the vertical direction, and each include a hand 311 and a hand 312 that hold the substrate 101. The substrate 101 is, for example, a wafer for producing a semiconductor. The substrate 101 has a disk shape. The substrate 101 includes, for example, a silicon wafer, a gallium nitride wafer, a sapphire wafer, etc. The processing device 303 is, for example, a polishing device that polishes the substrate 101. Note that the processing device 303 may also be a device that performs processing such as etching or baking on the substrate 101.

[0142] The substrate transport robot 300 includes a hand rotation unit 321 and a hand rotation unit 322, a support unit 331 and a support unit 332, a slide movement unit 341 and a slide movement unit 342, a horizontal rotation mechanism unit 350, a lifting unit 360, and a control unit 370.

[0143] As shown in FIG. 17 , the hand 311 has a holding mechanism 311 a. As shown in FIG. 18 , the hand 311 has a bifurcated shape with a tip that is split into two. The holding mechanism 311 a moves from the base end of the hand 311 to the tip, thereby contacting the peripheral edge of the substrate 101 held by the hand 311. The hand 311 has claws 311 b disposed at each of the two tips. As the holding mechanism 311 a moves from the base end to the tip of the hand 311, the peripheral edge of the substrate 101 is held by the holding mechanism 311 a and the two claws 311 b. In other words, the hand 311 is an active-type substrate holding hand that securely holds the substrate 101 by edge gripping. While FIG. 18 shows only the hand 311, the structure of the hand 312 is similar to that of the hand 311. 17, like the hand 311, the hand 312 has a holding mechanism 312a that moves in a direction from the base end to the tip end of the hand 312. The holding mechanisms 311a and 312a have, for example, an air cylinder as a drive source. The hands 311 and 312 hold the substrates 101 one by one separately from each other.

[0144] The hand rotation unit 321 and the hand rotation unit 322 rotate the hands 311 and 312, respectively, around a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction. The hand rotation unit 321 and the hand rotation unit 322 rotate the hands 311 and 312, respectively, on a flip axis that rotates the held substrate 101 so as to tilt it. The hand rotation unit 321 and the hand rotation unit 322 rotate the hands 311 and 312 relative to a horizontal plane, with the horizontal direction as the rotation axis. Specifically, the hand rotation unit 321 is connected to the base end of the hand 311 and rotates the hand 311 around the rotation axis extending from the base end to the tip end of the hand 311. The hand rotation unit 322 is connected to the base end of the hand 312 and rotates the hand 312 around the rotation axis extending from the base end to the tip end of the hand 312. Specifically, the hand rotators 321 and 322 rotate the hands 311 and 312 around a rotation axis that passes through the center of the substrate 101 and extends from the base end to the tip end of the hands 311 and 312. By rotating the hands 311 and 312, the hand rotators 321 and 322 tilt the substrate 101 held by the hands 311 and 312 so that the back surface and the front surface are swapped. For example, as shown in FIG. 18 , the hand rotator 321 rotates the hand 311 180 degrees around the rotation axis A310. Also, as shown in FIG. 19 , the hand rotator 322 rotates the hand 312 180 degrees around the rotation axis A320. The rotation axis A310 and the rotation axis A320 each extend horizontally. That is, the rotation axes A310 and A320 extend along the XY plane. 19 , an example of the substrate 101 rotated 90 degrees around the rotation axis A310 and an example of the substrate 101 rotated 90 degrees around the rotation axis A320 are shown by two-dot chain lines. Here, the rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction is a broad concept that includes not only a rotation axis extending horizontally but also a rotation axis that is slightly tilted from the horizontal direction. For example, "tilt from the horizontal direction" includes tilt from the horizontal direction due to tilt due to the weight of the substrate, tilt due to the weight of the hand itself, tilt of the substrate transport robot itself, or tilt of the device in which the substrate transport robot is installed.Furthermore, the term "horizontal direction" is used as a broad concept that includes a direction parallel to the installation surface on which the substrate transport robot is placed, a direction parallel to the installation surface of the substrate installation section on which the substrate is placed, or a direction parallel to a horizontal plane that is perpendicular to the vertical direction, which is the direction of gravity.

[0145] 17 , hand rotation unit 321 has a rotation mechanism 321a that rotates hand 311. Similarly, hand rotation unit 322 has a rotation mechanism 322a that rotates hand 312. Rotation mechanisms 321a and 322a have drive sources for rotating hands 311 and 312. Rotation mechanisms 321a and 322a have, for example, servo motors as drive sources.

[0146] 18 , hand rotation unit 321 includes a seal member 321b that seals rotation mechanism unit 321a from the outside. Seal member 321b has an annular shape to seal any gap between rotation mechanism unit 321a and the outside. Seal member 321b is, for example, an elastic member such as flexible rubber. One example of seal member 321b is an O-ring. While FIG. 18 shows only hand rotation unit 321, hand rotation unit 322 also includes a seal member that seals rotation mechanism unit 322a from the outside, similar to hand rotation unit 321.

[0147] As shown in FIG. 19 , the support units 331 and 332 support the hands 311 and 312, respectively, at positions spaced apart in the Z direction, which is the up-down direction, from the sliding units 341 and 342. Specifically, the support unit 331 is connected to the sliding unit 341 and supports the hand 311 at a position spaced apart in the Z1 direction, which is the upward direction, from the sliding unit 341. The support unit 331 supports the hand 311 by supporting the hand rotation unit 321. The support unit 332 is connected to the sliding unit 342 and supports the hand 312 at a position spaced apart in the Z2 direction, which is the downward direction, from the sliding unit 342. The support unit 332 supports the hand 312 by supporting the hand rotation unit 322. As shown in FIG. 20 , each of the support units 331 and 332 has an L-shape including a portion extending in the up-down direction and a portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the hands 311 and 312 in a horizontal plane. Support unit 331 supports hand 311 at a position spaced above slide movement unit 341 by a distance greater than the amount of rotation of substrate 101 caused by hand rotation unit 321. Support unit 332 supports hand 312 at a position spaced below slide movement unit 342 by a distance greater than the amount of rotation of substrate 101 caused by hand rotation unit 322. Note that in Figure 20, the areas through which substrate 101 held by each of hands 311 and 312 passes when rotating are indicated by two-dot chain lines. The radius of substrate 101 is, for example, 150 mm.

[0148] 17 , the sliding unit 341 and the sliding unit 342 include a linear movement mechanism 341a and a linear movement mechanism 342a that respectively slide the hand 311 and the hand 312 linearly along the horizontal direction. In the second reference example, the sliding unit 341 slides the hand 311 by sliding the hand rotation unit 321. The sliding unit 342 slides the hand 312 by sliding the hand rotation unit 322. Each of the linear movement mechanisms 341a and 342a includes, for example, a servo motor as a drive source. Furthermore, each of the linear movement mechanisms 341a and 342a includes, for example, a timing belt that transmits the driving force of the motor and a linear guide that guides the linear movement. Note that the term "slide movement" used here does not mean linear movement of the hands 311 and 312 by the operation of link members that rotate relative to one another, but means linear movement such that the support parts 331 and 332 that support the hands 311 and 312 slide along the housings of the slide movement parts 341 and 342. In other words, the slide movement means linear movement of the slide movement parts 341 and 342 along the housings.

[0149] As shown in FIG. 19 , the sliding unit 341 moves the support unit 331 that supports the hand 311, thereby moving the hand 311 in the horizontal direction. The sliding unit 342 moves the support unit 332 that supports the hand 312, thereby moving the hand 312 in the horizontal direction. The sliding units 341 and 342 are disposed separately from each other and operate independently. The sliding units 341 and 342 move the hands 311 and 312 by moving the support units 331 and 332 in the direction from the base end to the tip end of the hands 311 and 312, respectively. The sliding unit 341 has an opening 341b to which the support unit 331 is connected. The opening 341b is disposed on a side surface of the sliding unit 341 so as to extend in the direction of movement of the hand 311. The sliding unit 342 has an opening 342b to which the support unit 332 is connected. The opening 342b is arranged on a side surface of the sliding movement unit 342 so as to extend along the movement direction of the hand 312. The side surface on which the opening 341b is arranged and the side surface on which the opening 342b is arranged are aligned along the movement direction of the hands 311 and 312 and face each other. That is, the opening 341b, to which the support unit 331 is connected, is arranged on one side surface in the left-right direction of the sliding movement unit 341. The opening 342b, to which the support unit 332 is connected, is arranged on the other side surface in the left-right direction of the sliding movement unit 342. The left-right direction here refers to the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction of the sliding movement units 341 and 342 when viewed from the movement direction of the hands 311 and 312, respectively. The sliding movement units 341 and 342 have the same shape and are arranged upside-down relative to each other.

[0150] The horizontal rotation mechanism 350 is connected to the slide movement unit 341 and the slide movement unit 342. The slide movement unit 341 is connected to the upper side of the horizontal rotation mechanism 350, i.e., the Z1 direction side, and the slide movement unit 342 is connected to the lower side of the horizontal rotation mechanism 350. That is, in the substrate transport robot 300, the slide movement unit 341, the support unit 331, and the hand rotation unit 321 are arranged in this order above the horizontal rotation mechanism 350, facing upward in the Z1 direction. Furthermore, below the horizontal rotation mechanism 350, the slide movement unit 342, the support unit 332, and the hand rotation unit 322 are arranged in this order facing downward in the Z2 direction. The slide movement unit 341 and the slide movement unit 342 rotate independently of the horizontal rotation mechanism 350 along a horizontal plane, which is the XY plane. As shown in FIG. 17 , the horizontal rotation mechanism 350 includes a drive unit 350a. The drive unit 350a includes, for example, a servo motor. The horizontal rotation mechanism 350 rotates the slide movement unit 341 and the slide movement unit 342 individually by driving the drive unit 350a. The horizontal rotation mechanism 350 rotates the slide movement unit 341 and the slide movement unit 342 about a common rotation axis A301 shown in FIG. 19 . The rotation axis A301 is disposed to extend along the Z direction, which is the up-down direction.

[0151] As shown in FIG. 16 , the lifting unit 360 moves the slide moving units 341 and 342 up and down, thereby moving the hands 311 and 312 up and down in the Z direction. Specifically, the lifting unit 360 is connected to the slide moving units 341 and 342 via the horizontal rotation mechanism 350. The lifting unit 360 moves the hands 311 and 312 up and down in conjunction with each other by moving the horizontal rotation mechanism 350 up and down. The lifting unit 360 has a columnar housing extending in the Z direction, which is the up and down direction. As shown in FIG. 17 , the lifting unit 360 includes a drive unit 360a. The drive unit 360a includes, for example, a servo motor as a drive source. The drive unit 360a also includes, for example, a ball screw mechanism and a linear guide. The horizontal rotation mechanism 350 is connected to the surface of the lifting / lowering unit 360 facing in the Y1 direction, and the driving force of the drive unit 360a moves the horizontal rotation mechanism 350 up and down in the Z direction. The lifting / lowering unit 360 has an opening 360b to which the horizontal rotation mechanism 350 is connected. The opening 360b is arranged on the side surface of the columnar housing of the lifting / lowering unit 360 so as to extend in the up-down direction, which is the movement direction of the horizontal rotation mechanism 350.

[0152] The control unit 370 is a robot controller that controls the operation of each unit of the substrate transfer robot 300. The control unit 370 includes, for example, a calculation device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 370 also includes 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 370 executes control processing using the calculation device based on programs, parameters, and the like stored in the storage device. Specifically, the control unit 370 controls the operation of the holding mechanism units 311 a and 312 a of the hands 311 and 312, respectively. Furthermore, the control unit 370 controls the operation of the rotation mechanism units 321a and 322a of the hand rotation units 321 and 322, the operation of the linear movement mechanisms 341a and 342a of the slide movement units 341 and 342, the operation of the drive unit 350a of the horizontal rotation mechanism unit 350, and the operation of the drive unit 360a of the lift unit 360. For example, the control unit 370 has a main CPU that performs overall control of the substrate transport robot 300, and a servo CPU that controls the power supplied to the servo motors of the rotation mechanism units 321a and 322a, the linear movement mechanisms 341a and 342a, the drive unit 350a, and the drive unit 360a. Control unit 370 is disposed separately from, for example, hands 311 and 312, hand rotation units 321 and 322, slide movement units 341 and 342, horizontal rotation mechanism unit 350, and lifting unit 360, and is connected via a cable member to a columnar housing of lifting unit 360. Control unit 370 outputs signals for controlling the operation of each unit via a cable member connected to lifting unit 360.

[0153] The control unit 370 executes a transport operation of the substrate 101 based on a control amount that is taught and set in advance. For example, the control unit 370 performs a transport operation of transporting the substrate 101 supplied to a supply position of the substrate processing system 302 from the supply position to the substrate placement unit 304 by having the hand 311 or the hand 312 hold the substrate 101. The control unit 370 also performs a transport operation of transporting the substrate 101 placed on the substrate placement unit 304 of the processing device 303 to an unloading position for unloading the substrate 101 from the substrate placement unit 304 by having the hand 311 or the hand 312 hold the substrate 101. The supply position and the unloading position may be the same position or may be different positions. In addition, the control unit 370 causes the hand 311 or the hand 312 to hold the substrate 101 placed on one of the multiple substrate placing units 304 of the processing device 303, and performs a transport operation to transport the held substrate 101 again to the same substrate placing unit 304 or to another substrate placing unit 304 different from the one substrate placing unit 304.

[0154] 19 , the control unit 370 causes the sliding units 341 and 342 to move the hands 311 and 312, which are holding the substrate 101, to positions where they overlap the sliding units 341 and 342 when viewed from the Z direction, which is the up-down direction, and then causes the elevator unit 360 to move the hands 311 and 312 up and down. That is, the control unit 370 causes the elevator unit 360 to perform an elevation operation in a state where the sliding units 341 and 342 have moved the hands 311 and 312 toward the elevator unit 360. In the example shown in FIG. 19 , the sliding units 341 and 342 are both arranged to translate the hands 311 and 312 along the X direction. In this case, the control unit 370 moves the hands 311 and 312 in the X2 direction so as to approach the lifting unit 360 using the slide moving units 341 and 342, and then moves the hands 311 and 312 up and down along the Z direction using the lifting unit 360.

[0155] Furthermore, the control unit 370 controls the operation of the hand rotation units 321 and 322 to perform an operation of inverting the front and back surfaces of the substrate 101 held by the hands 311 and 312. In this case, the control unit 370 rotates the hands 311 and 312 using the hand rotation units 321 and 322 while moving the hands 311 and 312 using the slide movement units 341 and 342 to positions where the hands overlap the slide movement units 341 and 342 when viewed from the Z direction, which is the up-down direction. That is, in the second reference example, the control unit 370 rotates the hand 311 using the hand rotation unit 321 about the rotation axis A310 extending along the horizontal direction while the hand 311 is positioned so as to overlap the slide movement unit 341 in a plan view. The control unit 370 rotates the hand 312 by the hand rotation unit 322 around a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction while the hand 312 is positioned so as to overlap the slide movement unit 342 in a plan view. Note that the control unit 370 performs the operation of rotating the hands 311 and 312 by the hand rotation units 321 and 322 and the operation of moving the hands 311 and 312 by the slide movement units 341 and 342 at separate timings. This allows the hands 311 and 312 to be rotated by the hand rotation units 321 and 322 while the slide movement units 341 and 342 have moved the hands 311 and 312 to a relatively large space. Therefore, when the hands 311 and 312 are rotated around the rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction, it is possible to prevent the hands 311 and 312 themselves or the substrate 101 held by the hands 311 and 312 from physically interfering with surrounding components. Furthermore, if the hands 311 and 312 are rotated and moved simultaneously, vibrations may occur in the hands 311 and 312. Therefore, by rotating and moving the hands 311 and 312 at separate times, it is possible to prevent abnormalities in the operation of the hands 311 and 312 due to vibrations.Similarly, the control unit 370 controls the hand rotation units 321 and 322 to rotate the hands 311 and 312 and the lift unit 360 to move the hands 311 and 312 up and down at different times.

[0156] For example, the control unit 370 holds the substrate 101 placed on one of the substrate placement units 304 of the processing device 303 by the surface of the hand 311 on the Z1 direction side. The control unit 370 operates the holding mechanism unit 311a of the hand 311 to hold the substrate 101 in a fixed state on the surface of the hand 311 on the Z1 direction side. The control unit 370 moves the hand 311 holding the substrate 101 toward the lifting unit 360 by the slide moving unit 341. Then, the control unit 370 rotates the hand 311 180 degrees by the hand rotation unit 321 in a state in which the hand 311 is positioned so as to overlap the slide moving unit 341 when viewed from the Z direction, which is the up-down direction. With the substrate 101 held on the Z2 direction side of the inverted hand 311, the control unit 370 places the substrate 101 with its front and back surfaces inverted on another substrate placement unit 304 different from the one substrate placement unit 304 on which the substrate 101 was placed in the processing device 303, or on the same one substrate placement unit 304. That is, the control unit 370 moves the hand 311 toward the lifting unit 360 using the slide movement unit 341, rotates the hand using the hand rotation unit 321, and then moves the hand 311 to the position of the substrate placement unit 304 using the slide movement unit 341. The control unit 370 may also operate the hand rotation unit 321 to tilt the substrate 101 by 90 degrees, thereby placing the substrate 101 on the substrate placement unit 304 with its main surface tilted 90 degrees so as to be perpendicular to the horizontal plane. In FIG. 19, an example of the substrate 101 held by each of the hands 311 and 312 in a state tilted by 90 degrees is shown by a two-dot chain line.

[0157] The control unit 370 controls each of the operation of transporting the substrate 101 by the hand 311 and the operation of transporting the substrate 101 by the hand 312. The operation of holding and transporting the substrate 101 by the hand 311 and the operation of transporting the substrate 101 by the hand 312 may be performed independently at different times, or may be performed in combination with one of the hands 311 and 312 performing a transport operation while the other hand 311 and 312 performs a transport operation. For example, the control unit 370 performs an operation of holding the substrate 101 in each of the hands 311 and 312, and then sequentially performs an operation of placing the substrate 101 held by the hand 311 on the substrate placement unit 304 and an operation of placing the substrate 101 held by the hand 312 on the substrate placement unit 304. For example, in the processing device 303, which is a polishing device, the control unit 370 causes the hand 311 to hold the substrate 101 before processing and the hand 312 to hold the substrate 101 after processing. The processing in the processing device 303 referred to here may be a polishing process of the substrate 101 or a cleaning process of the polished substrate 101. Alternatively, the hand 312 may hold the substrate 101 before processing, and the hand 311 may hold the substrate 101 after processing. In a polishing device that polishes the substrate 101, a chemical for polishing the substrate 101 or a liquid such as a cleaning liquid for cleaning the substrate 101 adheres to the substrate 101. By using the hand 311 and the hand 312 separately before and after processing, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from adhering to the substrate 101 before the polishing process or after the cleaning process.

[0158] 21 , the substrate transport robot 300 of the second reference example includes a liquid receiving portion 381 and a liquid receiving portion 391. The liquid receiving portion 381 is a plate-shaped member arranged along a horizontal plane on the Z2 side below the hand 311. The liquid receiving portion 391 is a plate-shaped member arranged along a horizontal plane on the Z2 side below the hand 312. As described above, in the processing device 303 of the substrate processing system 302, liquid may adhere to the substrates 101 held by the hands 311 and 312. The liquid receiving portions 381 and 391 receive liquid from the substrates 101 held by the hands 311 and 312, respectively. Note that the "liquid" received by the liquid receiving portions 381 and 391 is a broad concept that includes not only liquid but also a mixture of liquid and solid, such as a suspension containing solid particles in a liquid.

[0159] The liquid receiving portion 381 moves integrally with the slide moving portion 341, which rotates relative to the horizontal rotation mechanism 350. The liquid receiving portion 381 is disposed below the hand 311 on the upper surface of the slide moving portion 341 on the Z1 side. Specifically, the liquid receiving portion 381 is a rectangular plate extending along the horizontal XY plane and recessed in the center. The liquid receiving portion 381 is inclined toward the center so that it becomes lower from each side of the rectangle toward the center. A hole 381a for discharging the received liquid is disposed in the center of the liquid receiving portion 381. For example, a tubular hose extending from the interior of the slide moving portion 341 via the lifting portion 360 is connected to the hole 381a. This hose is disposed inside the slide moving portion 341 and the lifting portion 360, along with, for example, a signal line for a control signal and a power line for supplying power. A plate-shaped shielding plate 382 is arranged along the vertical direction on one side of the rectangular liquid receiving portion 381. The shielding plate 382 is arranged to overlap the hand 311 when viewed from the direction of movement of the hand 311 relative to the sliding movement of the hand 311 by the sliding movement portion 341. The shielding plate 382 shields the base end of the hand 311. Specifically, the shielding plate 382 is arranged on the upper surface of the sliding movement portion 341 so as to extend upward at the end of the base end side of the hand 311 that moves from the base end to the tip. The shielding plate 382 is arranged, for example, from the upper surface of the sliding movement portion 341 to a position higher than the hand 311.

[0160] The liquid receiving portion 391 moves integrally with the sliding portion 342, which rotates relative to the horizontal rotation mechanism 350. The liquid receiving portion 391 is fixed below the hand 312 on the Z2 side of the sliding portion 342 via a shielding plate 392 and a side wall portion 393. Like the shielding plate 382, ​​the shielding plate 392 is arranged to overlap the hand 312 when viewed from the direction of movement of the hand 312 relative to the sliding movement of the hand 312 by the sliding portion 342. That is, the shielding plate 392 is arranged on the underside of the sliding portion 342 so as to extend downward at the end of the base end of the hand 312, which moves from the base end to the tip end. The shielding plate 392 is arranged, for example, from the underside of the sliding portion 342 to the position of the liquid receiving portion 391. The side wall portion 393 is also a plate-shaped member arranged from the underside of the sliding portion 342 to the liquid receiving portion 391. The upper ends of the shielding plate 392 and the sidewall 393 are fixed to the sliding movement unit 342. The sidewall 393 is a rectangular plate extending in the movement direction of the hand 312. The sidewall 393 is connected to the sliding movement unit 342 on the side opposite to the side connected to the support unit 332 in the direction intersecting the movement direction of the hand 312. The liquid receiving unit 391 is fixed to the sliding movement unit 342 by being connected to and supported by the shielding plate 392 and the sidewall 393. Like the liquid receiving unit 381, the liquid receiving unit 391 is a rectangular plate extending along the horizontal XY plane and having a recessed central portion. The liquid receiving unit 391 is inclined toward the central portion so that it becomes lower from each side of the rectangle toward the central portion. Also, like the liquid receiving unit 381, a hole 391a for discharging the received liquid is arranged in the central portion of the liquid receiving unit 391. A hose for discharging liquid is connected to the hole 391a, similar to the hole 381a.

[0161] [Effects of the Second Reference Example] As described above, the substrate transport robot 300 includes the slide moving unit 341 as a first slide moving unit that slides the hand 311 as a first hand along the horizontal direction, and the slide moving unit 342 as a second slide moving unit that is arranged separately from the slide moving unit 341 and slides the hand 312 as a second hand along the horizontal direction. This allows the slide moving units 341 and 342 to linearly move the hands 311 and 312, respectively, without any rotational movement, thereby improving the positional accuracy of the linear movement compared to when the hands are moved using a robot arm that rotates along the horizontal direction. As a result, when the substrate 101 is transported by moving the two hands, the hands 311 and 312, in the horizontal direction, the positional accuracy of the transport operation can be improved. Furthermore, compared to moving the hands 311 and 312 horizontally using a robot arm connecting link members, moving the hands 311 and 312 by sliding movement can reduce the number of parts in the configuration for moving the hands 311 and 312. Furthermore, unlike when a rotational movement is combined, the hands 311 and 312 can be moved linearly by a simple sliding movement alone, so the movement time required for moving the hands 311 and 312 linearly can be shortened.

[0162] The hand 311 as the first hand and the hand 312 as the second hand are arranged spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction. As a result, the hands 311 and 312 can easily access a common position simply by moving them up and down using the lifting unit 360.

[0163] The substrate transfer robot 300 includes a horizontal rotation mechanism 350 to which a first sliding unit 341 and a second sliding unit 342 are connected. The horizontal rotation mechanism 350 rotates the sliding units 341 and 342 independently along a horizontal plane. This reduces the size of the device configuration compared to when the sliding units 341 and 342 are connected to different components. Furthermore, by rotating the sliding units 341 and 342 using the horizontal rotation mechanism 350, the direction of sliding movement of the sliding units 341 and 342 can be easily changed, thereby easily expanding the accessible area of ​​the hands 311 and 312.

[0164] The slide moving unit 341 serving as the first slide moving unit is connected above the horizontal rotation mechanism 350. The slide moving unit 342 serving as the second slide moving unit is connected below the horizontal rotation mechanism 350. As a result, the slide moving units 341 and 342 are arranged above and below the horizontal rotation mechanism 350, so that the area in which the substrate transport robot 300 is arranged can be made compact in plan view. Furthermore, unlike when both the slide moving units 341 and 342 are arranged in the same vertical direction relative to the horizontal rotation mechanism 350, interference between the operations of the slide moving units 341 and 342 can be easily prevented.

[0165] Horizontal rotation mechanism 350 is connected to elevator 360. Elevator 360 moves hand 311 (as a first hand) and hand 312 (as a second hand) up and down in unison by raising and lowering horizontal rotation mechanism 350. As a result, by raising and lowering horizontal rotation mechanism 350 using elevator 360, hands 311 and 312 move up and down in unison, which makes it possible to suppress an increase in the size of the device configuration compared to when hands 311 and 312 are raised and lowered individually.

[0166] The substrate transfer robot 300 includes a hand rotation unit 321 serving as a first hand rotation unit connected to a base end of a hand 311 serving as a first hand and rotating the hand 311 around a rotation axis A310 extending along the horizontal direction, and a hand rotation unit 322 serving as a second hand rotation unit connected to a base end of a hand 312 serving as a second hand and rotating the hand 312 around a rotation axis A320 extending along the horizontal direction. The slide movement unit 341 serving as a first slide movement unit slides the hand 311 by sliding the hand rotation unit 321. The slide movement unit 342 serving as a second slide movement unit slides the hand 312 by sliding the hand rotation unit 322. As a result, the substrate 101 held by each of the hands 311 and 312 can be rotated by the hand rotation unit 321 and the hand rotation unit 322, respectively, so that the front and back sides of the substrate 101 can be swapped and positioned.

[0167] The substrate transport robot 300 includes a control unit 370 that controls the operation of a slide mover 341 serving as a first slide mover and a slide mover 342 serving as a second slide mover. When the hand 311 serving as a first hand is positioned to overlap the slide mover 341 in a plan view, the control unit 370 rotates the hand 311 by a hand rotation unit 321 serving as a first hand rotation unit about a rotation axis A310 extending along the horizontal direction, and when the hand 312 serving as a second hand is positioned to overlap the slide mover 342 in a plan view, the control unit 370 rotates the hand 312 by a hand rotation unit 322 serving as a second hand rotation unit about a rotation axis A320 extending along the horizontal direction. As a result, the hands 311 and 312 rotate while overlapping the slide mover 341 and the slide mover 342, respectively, in a plan view, thereby making it possible to compact the area required to rotate the hands 311 and 312 in a plan view. Therefore, the arrangement area of ​​the substrate transport robot 300 in a plan view can be prevented from becoming large, and the hands 311 and 312 can be easily rotated about the rotation axes A310 and A320 extending along the horizontal direction.

[0168] The substrate transfer robot 300 includes a plate-shaped liquid receiving portion 381 serving as a first liquid receiving portion and arranged along a horizontal plane below the hand 311 serving as a first hand, and a plate-shaped liquid receiving portion 391 serving as a second liquid receiving portion and arranged along a horizontal plane below the hand 312 serving as a second hand. This allows the plate-shaped liquid receiving portions 381 and 391 to receive liquid adhering to the substrate 101, thereby preventing the liquid adhering to the substrate 101 from scattering around. This prevents abnormalities in the processing of the substrate 101 or the operation of the substrate transfer robot 300 caused by the scattering of liquid. Furthermore, because the liquid receiving portion 381 is arranged below the hand 311 and the liquid receiving portion 391 is arranged below the hand 312, the liquid adhering to the substrate 101 can be effectively received even when the hands 311 and 312 are operated independently.

[0169] Liquid receiving portion 381 as the first liquid receiving portion moves integrally with sliding portion 341 as the first sliding portion. Liquid receiving portion 391 as the second liquid receiving portion moves integrally with sliding portion 342 as the second sliding portion. As a result, liquid receiving portion 381 and liquid receiving portion 391 move integrally with sliding portion 341 and sliding portion 342, respectively, and therefore liquid receiving portion 381 and liquid receiving portion 391 can be prevented from interfering with the movement of sliding portion 341 and sliding portion 342 even when sliding portion 341 and sliding portion 342 rotate along the horizontal direction. Therefore, even when sliding portion 341 and sliding portion 342 are moved, liquid receiving portion 381 and liquid receiving portion 391 can effectively receive liquid adhering to substrate 101.

[0170] Hand 311 as a first hand is disposed above slide movement section 341 as a first slide movement section. Liquid receiving section 381 as a first liquid receiving section is disposed below hand 311 on the upper surface of slide movement section 341. Hand 312 as a second hand is disposed below slide movement section 342 as a second slide movement section. Liquid receiving section 391 as a second liquid receiving section is fixed to slide movement section 342 below hand 312 via a shielding plate 392 and a side wall section 393 as support members. This allows liquid receiving section 381 to receive liquid from a substrate 101 held by hand 311 disposed above slide movement section 341, and liquid receiving section 391 to receive liquid from a substrate 101 held by hand 312 disposed below slide movement section 342. Therefore, by placing hand 311 above slide moving section 341 and hand 312 below slide moving section 342, the area in which substrate transport robot 300 is placed can be made compact when viewed in a plane, and liquid from substrates 101 held by each of hands 311 and 312 can be effectively received.

[0171] Each of liquid receiving portion 381 as the first liquid receiving portion and liquid receiving portion 391 as the second liquid receiving portion is a rectangular plate with a recessed center, which makes it possible to easily collect liquid from substrate 101 received by liquid receiving portion 381 and liquid receiving portion 391.

[0172] The substrate transport robot 300 includes a shielding plate 382 as a first shielding plate that is arranged to overlap the hand 311 as seen from the movement direction of the hand 311 with respect to the sliding movement of the hand 311 as a first hand by the sliding movement unit 341 as a first sliding movement unit, and that shields the base end of the hand 311. The substrate transport robot 300 also includes a second shielding plate that is arranged to overlap the hand 312 as seen from the movement direction of the hand 312 with respect to the sliding movement of the hand 312 as a second hand by the sliding movement unit 342 as a second sliding movement unit, and that shields the base end of the hand 312. As a result, the shielding plates 382 and 392 are respectively disposed on the base end sides of the hands 311 and 312, so that when the hands 311 and 312 are moved toward their base ends, the liquid from the substrates 101 held by the hands 311 and 312 can be received by the shielding plates 382 and 392. This makes it possible to prevent the liquid from the substrates 101 from scattering around, thereby preventing abnormalities in the processing of the substrates 101 or the operation of the substrate transport robot 300 caused by the scattering of the liquid.

[0173] Each of the hand 311 as a first hand and the hand 312 as a second hand holds the substrate 101 in a polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate 101. This improves the positional accuracy of the transport operation when the substrate 101 is transported by the hand 311 and the hand 312 in the polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate 101. Furthermore, in the polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate 101, liquids such as chemicals for polishing the substrate 101 or cleaning liquids for cleaning the substrate 101 adhere to the substrate 101. Therefore, by disposing two hands, the hand 311 and the hand 312, as in the second reference example, the substrate 101 before and after processing can be held by different hands, the hand 311 and the hand 312. This prevents abnormalities in the processing of the substrate 101 caused by liquids such as chemicals for polishing the substrate 101 or cleaning liquids for cleaning the substrate 101.

[0174] Sliding unit 341 as a first sliding unit moves hand 311 as a first hand that holds one substrate 101. Sliding unit 342 as a second sliding unit moves hand 312 as a second hand that holds one substrate 101 separately from hand 311. This makes it possible to prevent the configurations of hands 311 and 312 from becoming more complex than when sliding unit 341 and sliding unit 342 each transport a plurality of substrates 101.

[0175] [Modification of the Second Reference Example] The second reference example disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive.

[0176] For example, in the second reference example, the hand 311 as the first hand and the hand 312 as the second hand are arranged so as to be spaced apart in the vertical direction, but the first hand and the second hand may be arranged so as to be spaced apart in the horizontal plane.Furthermore, the first hand and the second hand may be arranged so as to be spaced apart in the vertical direction and offset in the horizontal direction.

[0177] In the second reference example, the sliding unit 341 as the first sliding unit is connected above the horizontal rotation mechanism 350, and the sliding unit 342 as the second sliding unit is connected below the horizontal rotation mechanism 350, and the sliding units 341 and 342 are rotated individually by the horizontal rotation mechanism 350. However, both the first sliding unit and the second sliding unit may be disposed above or below the horizontal rotation mechanism. The first sliding unit and the second sliding unit may also be disposed side by side. The configuration for rotating the first sliding unit and the configuration for rotating the second sliding unit may also be disposed separately. The horizontal rotation mechanism may also rotate both the first sliding unit and the second sliding unit.

[0178] In the second reference example, the lifting unit 360 lifts and lowers the horizontal rotation mechanism 350, thereby causing the hand 311 as the first hand and the hand 312 as the second hand to lift and lower in conjunction with each other. However, the first hand and the second hand may be lifted and lowered individually. In that case, the first sliding unit that moves the first hand and the second sliding unit that moves the second hand may be lifted and lowered individually.

[0179] In addition, in the second reference example described above, an example was shown in which a hand rotation unit 321 serving as a first hand rotation unit that rotates hand 311 as a first hand, and a hand rotation unit 322 that rotates hand 312 as a second hand, were provided, but it is also possible not to provide at least one of the first hand rotation unit that rotates the first hand and the second hand rotation unit that rotates the second hand.

[0180] In the second reference example, the hand 311 as the first hand and the hand 312 as the second hand include holding mechanisms 311a and 312a having air cylinders. However, the holding mechanisms in the first and second hands may include actuators other than air cylinders, such as solenoid coils or motors. The first and second hands may be active hands other than edge grip hands, such as vacuum-type hands. The first and second hands may also be passive hands that do not have a structure for fixing a substrate.

[0181] In addition, in the above second reference example, an example was shown in which hand 311 as the first hand and hand 312 as the second hand each hold one substrate 101, but multiple substrates may be held in at least one of the first hand and the second hand.

[0182] Furthermore, in the second reference example described above, an example was shown in which the sliding movement portion 341 as the first sliding movement portion and the sliding movement portion 342 as the second sliding movement portion have the same shape, but the first sliding movement portion and the second sliding movement portion may have different shapes.

[0183] In addition, in the above second reference example, an example was shown in which, when viewed in a plane, hand 311 as the first hand is positioned so that it overlaps with slide movement section 341 as the first slide movement section, and hand 311 is rotated around rotation axis A310 extending horizontally by hand rotation section 321 as the first hand rotation section, and hand 312 as the second hand is positioned so that it overlaps with slide movement section 342 as the second slide movement section, and hand 312 is rotated around rotation axis A320 extending horizontally by hand rotation section 322 as the second hand rotation section, but the first hand may be rotated in a state in which it does not overlap with the first slide movement section, or the second hand may be rotated in a state in which it does not overlap with the second slide movement section.

[0184] In the second reference example described above, the liquid receiving portion 381 as the first liquid receiving portion is disposed on the upper surface of the sliding portion 341 as the first sliding portion, and the liquid receiving portion 391 as the second liquid receiving portion is connected to the sliding portion 342 as the second sliding portion via the shielding plate 392 and the side wall portion 393 as support members. However, the first liquid receiving portion may be attached to the horizontal rotation mechanism, or the second liquid receiving portion may be attached to the horizontal rotation mechanism. Furthermore, the first liquid receiving portion may be disposed on the first hand or the first hand rotation portion, or the first liquid receiving portion may be disposed on the second hand or the second hand rotation portion. That is, the first liquid receiving portion may not move when the first sliding portion moves, or the second liquid receiving portion may not move when the second sliding portion moves.

[0185] In the second reference example, the liquid receiving portion 381 as the first liquid receiving portion and the liquid receiving portion 391 as the second liquid receiving portion are each a rectangular plate with a recessed center, but the first liquid receiving portion and the second liquid receiving portion may each be a plate-like member with an inclined surface that slopes in one direction, or may be tapered toward the periphery. Furthermore, the first liquid receiving portion and the second liquid receiving portion may each have a groove-shaped guide portion that guides the received liquid.

[0186] In the second reference example, the shielding plate 382 serving as the first shielding plate shielding the base end of the hand 311 serving as the first hand is disposed on the slide moving unit 341 serving as the first slide moving unit, and the shielding plate 392 serving as the second shielding plate shielding the base end of the hand 312 serving as the second hand is disposed on the slide moving unit 342 serving as the second slide moving unit. However, the first shielding plate and the second shielding plate may be disposed on the horizontal rotation mechanism unit or the lifting unit. Furthermore, the first shielding plate may be disposed on the first hand rotation unit disposed on the base end side of the first hand. The second shielding plate may be disposed on the second hand rotation unit disposed on the base end side of the second hand.

[0187] In the second reference example, the control unit 370 includes a main CPU that performs overall control of the substrate transport robot 300 and a servo CPU that controls the power supplied to the servo motors, but the control unit may include a single arithmetic unit such as a CPU. The operations of the holding mechanisms for the first and second hands, the rotation mechanisms for the first and second hand rotation mechanisms, the first and second slide movement mechanisms, the drive mechanisms for the horizontal rotation mechanism, and the drive mechanisms for the lifting mechanism may be performed by control units arranged as different pieces of hardware, or any of these may be controlled by a common control unit.

[0188] [Examples of Embodiments] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above-described illustrative first and second reference examples are specific examples of the following examples of embodiments.

[0189] (Example 1) A substrate transport robot comprising: a first hand and a second hand each for holding a substrate; a horizontally articulated first arm that moves the first hand along a horizontal direction; a horizontally articulated second arm that is arranged separately from the first arm and moves the second hand along a horizontal direction; an arm suspension unit that suspends and supports the first arm and the second arm downward; and a lifting unit that raises and lowers the first hand and the second hand by raising and lowering the arm suspension unit.

[0190] (Example 2) A substrate transport robot as described in Example 1, wherein the first arm is positioned below the arm hanging portion on one side of the left and right in a horizontal plane, and the second arm is positioned below the arm hanging portion on the other side of the left and right in a horizontal plane, alongside the first arm.

[0191] (Example 3) The substrate transport robot according to Example 2, further comprising a support portion disposed at the tip of the second arm and supporting the second hand below the first hand, wherein the first hand and the second hand are disposed spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction.

[0192] (Example 4) The substrate transport robot described in Example 3 has a U-shape formed by the first horizontal portion, the upper and lower portions, and the second horizontal portion, and the first horizontal portion, the upper and lower portions, and the second horizontal portion, and the first horizontal portion, the upper and lower portions, and the second horizontal portion, and the supporting portion includes a first horizontal portion extending from the tip of the second arm along the other of the left and right directions, an upper horizontal portion extending downward from the other end of the first horizontal portion in the left and right directions, and ... the substrate transport robot described in Example 3 has a U-shape formed by the first horizontal portion, the upper and lower portions, and the second horizontal portion.

[0193] (Example 5) A substrate transport robot as described in Example 4, wherein the first horizontal portion extends along the other of the left and right directions by an amount greater than the position of the substrate held by the first hand, and the upper and lower portions extend downward from the first horizontal portion at a position spaced apart in the other of the left and right directions from the substrate held by the first hand.

[0194] (Example 6) A substrate transport robot described in any of Example 1 to Example 5, further comprising: a first hand rotation unit connected to a base end of the first hand and rotating the first hand around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction; and a second hand rotation unit connected to a base end of the second hand and rotating the second hand around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction.

[0195] (Example 7) A substrate transport robot as described in Example 6, further comprising a control unit that controls the operation of the first arm and the second arm, wherein the control unit: rotates the first hand by the first hand rotation unit about a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction when the first hand is positioned in a position overlapping the arm hanging unit in a planar view; and rotates the second hand by the second hand rotation unit about a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction when the second hand is positioned in a position overlapping the arm hanging unit in a planar view.

[0196] (Example 8) The substrate transport robot described in Example 7, wherein the control unit rotates each of the first hand and the second hand around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction while the first hand and the second hand are positioned in a position where they overlap each other in a planar view.

[0197] (Example 9) A substrate transport robot according to any one of Examples 1 to 8, further comprising a moving frame part connected to the lifting part and moved up and down by the lifting part, wherein the arm hanging part is connected to the moving frame part.

[0198] (Aspect 10) The substrate transport robot according to Aspect 9, wherein the arm suspension unit rotates in a horizontal plane relative to the moving frame unit.

[0199] (Example 11) A substrate transport robot as described in Example 9 or Example 10, wherein the lifting section includes a columnar section extending in the vertical direction, the moving frame section includes upper and lower frame members connected to the side of the columnar section and arranged along the columnar section, and a base member extending from the top of the upper and lower frame members in a direction away from the columnar section, and the arm hanging section is connected below the base member.

[0200] (Example 12) A substrate transport robot described in any of Examples 3 to 5, wherein the first arm includes a first base end link portion and a first tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, the second arm includes a second base end link portion and a second tip end link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and the first base end link portion and the second base end link portion, and the first tip end link portion and the second tip end link portion are arranged at equal positions relative to each other in the vertical direction.

[0201] (Example 13) A substrate transport robot described in any of Examples 3 to 5, wherein the first hand rotates along a horizontal plane around a first tip rotation axis located at the tip of the first arm, the second hand rotates along a horizontal plane around a second tip rotation axis located at the tip of the second arm, the tip of the first arm is located at a position shifted to one side in the left-right direction relative to the first hand, and the tip of the second arm is located at a position shifted to the other side in the left-right direction relative to the second hand.

[0202] (Example 14) The substrate transport robot according to any one of Examples 1 to 13, wherein each of the first hand and the second hand holds the substrate in a polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate.

[0203] (Example 15) A substrate transport robot described in any of Examples 1 to 14, wherein the first arm moves one of the first hands that holds one of the substrates, and the second arm moves one of the second hands that holds one of the substrates separately from the first hand.

[0204] (Example 16) A substrate transport robot comprising: a first hand and a second hand, each of which holds a substrate; a first sliding movement unit that slides the first hand along a horizontal direction; a second sliding movement unit that is arranged separately from the first sliding movement unit and slides the second hand along the horizontal direction; and a lifting unit that lifts and lowers the first hand and the second hand by lifting and lowering the first sliding movement unit and the second sliding movement unit.

[0205] (Example 17) The substrate transport robot according to Example 16, wherein the first hand and the second hand are arranged spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction.

[0206] (Example 18) A substrate transport robot as described in Example 16 or Example 17, further comprising a horizontal rotation mechanism to which the first sliding movement unit and the second sliding movement unit are each connected, wherein the horizontal rotation mechanism rotates the first sliding movement unit and the second sliding movement unit individually along a horizontal plane.

[0207] (Example 19) The substrate transport robot according to Example 18, wherein the first slide moving part is connected above the horizontal rotation mechanism part, and the second slide moving part is connected below the horizontal rotation mechanism part.

[0208] (Example 20) The substrate transport robot according to Example 18 or Example 19, wherein the horizontal rotation mechanism is connected to the lifting unit, and the lifting unit moves the first hand and the second hand up and down in conjunction with each other by moving the horizontal rotation mechanism up and down.

[0209] (Example 21) A substrate transport robot as described in any of Examples 16 to 20, further comprising: a first hand rotation unit connected to a base end of the first hand and rotating the first hand around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction; and a second hand rotation unit connected to a base end of the second hand and rotating the second hand around a rotation axis extending along a horizontal direction, wherein the first sliding unit slides the first hand by sliding the first hand rotation unit, and the second sliding unit slides the second hand by sliding the second hand rotation unit.

[0210] (Example 22) A substrate transport robot as described in Example 21, further comprising a control unit that controls the operation of the first slide movement unit and the second slide movement unit, wherein the control unit: rotates the first hand by the first hand rotation unit around a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction when the first hand is positioned in a position that overlaps the first slide movement unit in a planar view; and rotates the second hand by the second hand rotation unit around a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction when the second hand is positioned in a position that overlaps the second slide movement unit in a planar view.

[0211] (Example 23) A substrate transport robot described in any of Examples 16 to 22, further comprising: a plate-shaped first liquid receiving portion arranged along a horizontal plane below the first hand; and a plate-shaped second liquid receiving portion arranged along a horizontal plane below the second hand.

[0212] (Aspect 24) The substrate transport robot according to Aspect 23, wherein the first liquid receiving portion moves integrally with the first slide moving portion, and the second liquid receiving portion moves integrally with the second slide moving portion.

[0213] (Example 25) A substrate transport robot as described in Example 24, wherein the first hand is positioned above the first sliding movement part, the first liquid receiving part is positioned below the first hand on the upper surface of the first sliding movement part, the second hand is positioned below the second sliding movement part, and the second liquid receiving part is fixed to the second sliding movement part below the second hand via a support member.

[0214] (Example 26) The substrate transport robot according to any one of Examples 23 to 25, wherein each of the first liquid receiving portion and the second liquid receiving portion is a rectangular plate having a recessed central portion.

[0215] (Example 27) A substrate transport robot described in any of Examples 16 to 26, further comprising: a first shielding plate that is positioned overlapping the first hand when viewed from the direction of movement of the first hand relative to the sliding movement of the first hand by the first sliding movement unit, and that shields the base end of the first hand; and a second shielding plate that is positioned overlapping the second hand when viewed from the direction of movement of the second hand relative to the sliding movement of the second hand by the second sliding movement unit, and that shields the base end of the second hand.

[0216] (Example 28) The substrate transport robot according to any one of Examples 16 to 27, wherein each of the first hand and the second hand holds the substrate in a polishing apparatus that polishes the substrate.

[0217] (Example 29) A substrate transport robot described in any of Examples 16 to 28, wherein the first slide moving unit moves one of the first hands that holds one of the substrates, and the second slide moving unit moves one of the second hands that holds one of the substrates separately from the first hand.

Claims

1. A substrate transport robot comprising: an upper hand and a lower hand each for holding a substrate; an upper arm with a horizontal articulation, which includes an upper base end link section and an upper tip end link section that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and which moves the upper hand along the horizontal direction; a lower arm with a horizontal articulation, which is arranged separately from the upper arm, and which includes a lower base end link section and a lower tip end link section that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and which moves the lower hand along the horizontal direction; an arm support section to which the upper arm is connected above and to which the lower arm is connected below; and an elevator section that raises and lowers the upper hand and the lower hand by raising and lowering the arm support section.

2. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 1, further comprising: an upper hand rotation unit connected to the base end of the upper hand and rotating the upper hand around a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction; and a lower hand rotation unit connected to the base end of the lower hand and rotating the lower hand around a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction.

3. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 2, wherein the upper hand rotation unit is connected above the upper arm and supports the upper hand at a position spaced apart from the upper arm in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than the radius of the substrate held by the upper hand, and the lower hand rotation unit is connected below the lower arm and supports the lower hand at a position spaced apart from the lower arm in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than the radius of the substrate held by the lower hand.

4. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 3, wherein the upper hand rotation unit supports the upper hand at a position spaced apart from the upper base end link unit of the upper arm in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than the radius of the substrate held by the upper hand, and the lower hand rotation unit supports the lower hand at a position spaced apart from the lower base end link unit of the lower arm in the vertical direction by a distance smaller than the radius of the substrate held by the lower hand.

5. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 1, wherein the lifting section includes a pillar-shaped section extending in the vertical direction and moves the arm support section up and down along the pillar-shaped section, the arm support section is arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to a side surface of the pillar-shaped section of the lifting section in a plan view, and each of the upper arm and the lower arm is connected to the arm support section at a position separated by a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction from the pillar-shaped section of the lifting section.

6. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 5, wherein the upper base end link portion is connected above the arm support portion, and the length from the position where the upper base end link portion is connected to the arm support portion to its tip is smaller than the specified distance, and the lower base end link portion is connected below the arm support portion, and the length from the position where the lower base end link portion is connected to the arm support portion to its tip is smaller than the specified distance.

7. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 2, further comprising a control unit that controls the operation of the upper arm and the lower arm, wherein the control unit causes the upper hand rotation unit to rotate the upper hand about a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction when the upper hand rotation unit is positioned in a position overlapping the arm support unit in a plan view, and causes the lower hand rotation unit to rotate the lower hand about a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction when the lower hand rotation unit is positioned in a position overlapping the arm support unit in a plan view.

8. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 7, wherein the control unit rotates the upper hand by the upper hand rotation unit about a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction when the upper tip link unit is positioned closer to the lifting unit than the upper base end link unit in a planar view, and rotates the lower hand by the lower hand rotation unit about a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction when the lower tip link unit is positioned closer to the lifting unit than the lower base end link unit in a planar view.

9. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, further comprising: an upper liquid receiving portion in the form of a plate arranged along a horizontal plane below the upper hand; and a lower liquid receiving portion in the form of a plate arranged along a horizontal plane below the lower hand.

10. The substrate transport robot according to claim 9, wherein the upper liquid receiving section is connected above the arm support section, and the lower liquid receiving section is connected below the arm support section.

11. The substrate transport robot according to claim 9, wherein each of the upper liquid receiving section and the lower liquid receiving section has an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the lifting section while following a horizontal plane.

12. The substrate transport robot described in claim 11, wherein the lifting section includes a columnar section extending in the vertical direction, and further includes a liquid guide section arranged along the columnar section and guiding liquid from the upper liquid receiving section and the lower liquid receiving section downward.

13. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, wherein each of the upper hand and the lower hand holds the substrate in a polishing device that polishes the substrate.

14. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, wherein the upper arm moves one of the upper hands that holds one of the substrates, and the lower arm moves one of the lower hands that holds one of the substrates separately from the upper hand.

15. A substrate transport robot comprising: a hand for holding a substrate; a horizontally articulated arm including a base link portion and a tip link portion that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and that moves the hand along a horizontal direction; an arm support portion to which the arm is connected below; and an elevator portion that moves the hand up and down by moving the arm support portion up and down.

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