Substrate transfer robot

Abstract

This substrate transfer robot (100) is provided with: hands (11, 12) that hold a substrate (101); hand rotation units (21, 22) that rotate the hands (11, 12) around rotation axes extending along the horizontal direction; horizontal movement units (41, 42) that move the hands (11, 12) along the horizontal direction; and support units (31, 32) that are connected to the horizontal movement units (41, 42) and support the hands (11, 12) in a state in which the rotation axes of the hand rotation units (21, 22) are disposed at positions separated by a predetermined distance from the horizontal movement units (41, 42).

Description

Substrate transport robot

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

[0002] Conventionally, substrate transfer robots have been disclosed. The substrate transfer robot disclosed in International Publication No. 2022 / 049789 includes a substrate holding hand that holds a substrate and an arm that moves the substrate holding hand. The arm is a horizontal articulated robot arm that includes a first arm and a second arm that rotate in a horizontal plane. The substrate holding hand also rotates in the horizontal plane relative to the arm.

[0003] International Publication No. 2022 / 049789

[0004] Here, in a substrate transport robot such as that described in International Publication No. 2022 / 049789, the hand may be rotated around a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction. The substrate transport robot described in International Publication No. 2022 / 049789 includes a horizontal articulated robot arm that moves the hand within a horizontal plane. Therefore, in order to rotate the hand around the rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction, the hand must be positioned horizontally offset relative to the arm so that the hand and the arm do not physically interfere with each other. In other words, since it is difficult to rotate the hand around the rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction when the arm is folded, the hand must be rotated around the rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction while being positioned so that it does not overlap with the arm. Therefore, in order to rotate the hand around the rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction, space is required to position the hand so that it does not overlap with the arm, which increases the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot. Therefore, when a substrate transport robot equipped with a horizontal moving part rotates a hand around a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction, it is desirable to make the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot compact.

[0005] This disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one object of this disclosure is to provide a substrate transport robot that is equipped with a horizontal moving part and that can compact the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot when the hand is rotated around a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction.

[0006] A substrate transfer robot according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a hand for holding a substrate, a hand rotation unit for rotating the hand about a rotation axis extending horizontally, a horizontal movement unit for moving the hand horizontally, and a support unit connected to the horizontal movement unit and supporting the hand with the rotation axis of the hand rotation unit positioned a predetermined distance away from the horizontal movement unit. Here, the term "rotation axis extending horizontally" is a broad concept that includes not only a rotation axis extending horizontally but also a rotation axis slightly tilted from the horizontal. For example, "tilt from the horizontal" includes tilt from the horizontal due to the weight of the substrate, tilt due to the weight of the hand itself, tilt of the substrate transfer robot itself, or tilt of the device itself in which the substrate transfer robot is installed. Furthermore, the term "horizontal direction" is a broad concept that includes a direction parallel to the installation surface on which the substrate transfer robot is installed, a direction parallel to the mounting surface of a substrate mounting unit on which a substrate is placed, or a direction parallel to a horizontal plane perpendicular to the vertical direction, i.e., the direction of gravity.

[0007] As described above, a substrate transport robot according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a support unit connected to the horizontal movement unit and configured to support the hand with the rotation axis of the hand rotation unit positioned a predetermined distance away from the horizontal movement unit. This configuration supports the hand with the rotation axis of the hand rotation unit positioned a predetermined distance away from the horizontal movement unit, thereby preventing the hand from physically interfering with the horizontal movement unit when rotating the hand around the rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction. Therefore, it is not necessary to shift the hand horizontally relative to the horizontal movement unit in order to rotate the hand, thereby preventing the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot from increasing in size. As a result, when a substrate transport robot including a horizontal movement unit rotates the hand around the rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction, the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot can be made compact.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, when a hand in a substrate transport robot having a horizontal movement part is rotated around a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction, the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot can be made compact.

[0009] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a substrate processing system including a substrate transport robot according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the substrate transport robot; Fig. 3 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of a hand in the substrate transport robot; Fig. 4 is a side view for explaining the configuration of the substrate transport robot; Fig. 5 is a front view for explaining the configuration of a support unit; Fig. 6 is a side view for explaining the configuration of the substrate transport robot according to a second embodiment; Fig. 7 is a side view for explaining the operation of a horizontal movement unit in the substrate transport robot according to the second embodiment; Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an arrangement of a hand rotation unit and a horizontal movement unit according to modified examples of the first and second embodiments.

[0010] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] A substrate transport robot 100 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG.

[0012] (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 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 robot 100 includes hands 11 and 12 that are spaced apart from each other in the vertical Z direction and each 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, or the like. The processing device 103 is, for example, a device that performs processing such as polishing, etching, or baking on the substrate 101. The hands 11 and 12 are examples of a first hand and a second hand, respectively.

[0013] 2, the substrate transport robot 100 includes hand rotation units 21 and 22, support units 31 and 32, horizontal movement units 41 and 42, a horizontal rotation mechanism unit 50, an elevation unit 60, and a control unit 70. Note that support units 31 and 32 are examples of a first support unit and a second support unit, respectively. Horizontal movement units 41 and 42 are examples of a first horizontal movement unit and a second horizontal movement unit, respectively.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 3 , the hand 11 has a bifurcated shape with a tip that is split into two. The hand 11 has a holding mechanism 11a. The holding mechanism 11a 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 11b disposed at each of the two tips. As the holding mechanism 11a 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 11a and the two claws 11b. 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 the same structure as the hand 11. As shown in FIG. 2 , the hand 12, like the hand 11, has a holding mechanism 12a that moves from the base end of the hand 12 to the tip. The holding mechanism parts 11a and 12a have, for example, an air cylinder as a drive source. The hands 11 and 12 each hold one substrate 101.

[0015] 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. In detail, the hand rotation units 21 and 22 rotate the hands 11 and 12 around a rotation axis that passes through the center of the substrate 101 and is in a direction from the base end toward the tip end of the hands 11 and 12. By rotating the hands 11 and 12, the hand rotation units 21 and 22 tilt the substrate 101 held by the hands 11 and 12 so that the back surface and the front surface are swapped. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , the hand rotation unit 21 rotates the hand 11 180 degrees around the rotation axis A10. The hand rotation unit 22 similarly rotates the hand 12 180 degrees.

[0016] 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.

[0017] 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.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 4 , the support units 31 and 32 support the hands 11 and 12, respectively, at positions spaced apart in the Z direction, which is the up-down direction, from the horizontal movement units 41 and 42. Specifically, the support unit 31 is connected to the horizontal movement unit 41 and supports the hand 11 at a position spaced apart in the Z1 direction, which is the upward direction, from the horizontal movement unit 41. The support unit 31 supports the hand 11 by supporting the hand rotation unit 21. The support unit 32 is connected to the horizontal movement unit 42 and supports the hand 12 at a position spaced apart in the Z2 direction, which is the downward direction, from the horizontal movement unit 42. The support unit 32 supports the hand 12 by supporting the hand rotation unit 22. Details of the arrangement of the support units 31 and 32 will be described later.

[0019] 2, the horizontal movement unit 41 includes a linear movement mechanism 41a, which moves the hand 11 linearly along the horizontal direction, and the horizontal movement unit 42 includes a linear movement mechanism 42a. Each of the linear movement mechanisms 41a and 42a includes, for example, a servo motor as a drive source. Each of the linear movement mechanisms 41a and 42a also includes, for example, a timing belt that transmits the driving force of the motor and a linear guide that guides the linear movement.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 4 , the horizontal movement unit 41 moves the support unit 31 that supports the hand 11, thereby moving the hand 11 in the horizontal direction. The horizontal movement unit 42 moves the support unit 32 that supports the hand 12, thereby moving the hand 12 in the horizontal direction. The horizontal movement units 41 and 42 are disposed separately from each other and operate independently. The horizontal movement units 41 and 42 move the hands 11 and 12 by moving the support units 31 and 32 in the direction from the base end to the tip end of the hands 11 and 12, respectively. The horizontal movement unit 41 has an opening 41b to which the support unit 31 is connected. The opening 41b is disposed on a side surface of the horizontal movement unit 41 so as to extend in the movement direction of the hand 11. The horizontal movement unit 42 has an opening 42b to which the support unit 32 is connected. The opening 42b is disposed on the lower surface of the horizontal movement unit 42, that is, the Z2 direction side, so as to extend in the movement direction of the hand 12.

[0021] The horizontal movement unit 41 and the horizontal movement unit 42 are connected to the horizontal rotation mechanism 50. The horizontal movement unit 41 is connected to the upper side of the horizontal rotation mechanism 50, i.e., the Z1 direction side, and the horizontal movement unit 42 is connected to the lower side of the horizontal rotation mechanism 50. That is, in the substrate transport robot 100, the horizontal movement unit 41, the support unit 31, and the hand rotation unit 21 are arranged in this order above the horizontal rotation mechanism 50, facing upward in the Z1 direction. Also, below the horizontal rotation mechanism 50, the horizontal movement unit 42, the support unit 32, and the hand rotation unit 22 are arranged in this order facing downward in the Z2 direction. The horizontal movement units 41 and 42 rotate independently relative to the horizontal rotation mechanism 50 along a horizontal plane, which is the XY plane. As shown in FIG. 2 , the horizontal rotation mechanism 50 includes a drive unit 50a. The drive unit 50a includes, for example, a servo motor. The horizontal rotation mechanism 50 is driven by the drive unit 50a to individually rotate the horizontal movement unit 41 and the horizontal movement unit 42. The horizontal rotation mechanism 50 rotates the horizontal movement unit 41 and the horizontal movement unit 42 about a common rotation axis A1 shown in Figure 4. The rotation axis A1 is disposed to extend along the Z direction, which is the up-down direction.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 4 , the lifting unit 60 is connected to the horizontal movement unit 41 and the horizontal movement unit 42, and moves the hands 11 and 12 up and down along the Z direction. Specifically, the lifting unit 60 is connected to the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 via the horizontal rotation mechanism 50. The lifting unit 60 moves the hands 11 and 12 up and down in unison by moving the horizontal rotation mechanism 50 up and down. The lifting unit 60 has a columnar housing extending along the Z direction, which is the up and down direction. As shown in FIG. 2 , the lifting unit 60 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 horizontal rotation mechanism 50 is connected to the lifting unit 60 on the Y1 side, and the drive force of the drive unit 60a moves the horizontal rotation mechanism 50 up and down along the Z direction. The lifting unit 60 has an opening 60b to which the horizontal rotation mechanism 50 is connected. The opening 60b is arranged on the side surface of the columnar housing of the lifting unit 60 so as to extend in the up-down direction, which is the movement direction of the horizontal rotation mechanism 50.

[0023] 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 CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 70 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 70 executes control processing using the calculation device based on programs, parameters, and the like stored in the storage device. Specifically, the control unit 70 controls the operation of the holding mechanism unit 11 a and the holding mechanism unit 12 a of the hand 11 and the hand 12, respectively. The control unit 70 also controls the operation of the rotation mechanism 21 a and rotation mechanism 22 a of the hand rotation unit 21 and hand rotation unit 22, the operation of the linear movement mechanism 41 a and linear movement mechanism 42 a of the horizontal movement unit 41 and horizontal movement unit 42, the operation of the drive unit 50 a of the horizontal rotation mechanism 50, and the operation of the drive unit 60 a of the lifting unit 60. For example, the control unit 70 has a main CPU that performs overall control of the substrate transport robot 100, and a servo CPU that controls the power supplied to the servo motors of the rotation mechanism 21 a and 22 a, the linear movement mechanisms 41 a and 42 a, the drive unit 50 a, and the drive unit 60 a. The control unit 70 is disposed separately from the hands 11 and 12, the hand rotation units 21 and 22, the horizontal movement units 41 and 42, the horizontal rotation mechanism 50, and the lifting unit 60, and is connected to the columnar housing of the lifting unit 60 via a cable member. The control unit 70 outputs signals for controlling the operation of each unit via a cable member connected to the lift unit 60 .

[0024] The control unit 70 executes a transport operation of the substrate 101 based on a control amount that has been 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 placement 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 placement unit 104 of the processing device 103 to an unloading position for unloading the substrate 101 from the substrate placement 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.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4 , the control unit 70 causes the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 to move the hands 11 and 12, each holding the substrate 101, to a position where they overlap the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 when viewed from the vertical Z direction, and then causes the lifting unit 60 to lift and lower the hands 11 and 12. That is, the control unit 70 causes the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 to move the hands 11 and 12 toward the lifting unit 60, and then performs the lifting operation using the lifting unit 60. In the example shown in FIG. 4 , the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 are both arranged to translate the hands 11 and 12 along the X direction. In this case, the control unit 70 causes the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 to move the hands 11 and 12 toward the lifting unit 60 in the X2 direction, and then causes the lifting unit 60 to lift and lower the hands 11 and 12 along the Z direction.

[0026] Furthermore, the control unit 70 controls the operation of the hand rotation units 21 and 22 to perform an operation of inverting the front and back surfaces of the substrate 101 held by the hands 11 and 12. In this case, the control unit 70 causes the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 to move the hands 11 and 12 to positions where they overlap with the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 when viewed from the Z direction, which is the up-down direction, and then causes the hand rotation units 21 and 22 to rotate the hands 11 and 12. Note that the control unit 70 performs the operation of rotating the hands 11 and 12 by the hand rotation units 21 and 22 and the operation of moving the hands 11 and 12 by the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 at different timings. This allows the hands 11 and 12 to be rotated by the hand rotation units 21 and 22 while the hands 11 and 12 are moved into a relatively large space by the horizontal movement units 41 and 42. Therefore, when the hands 11 and 12 are rotated around a rotation axis extending horizontally, it is possible to prevent the hands 11 and 12 themselves or the substrate 101 held by the hands 11 and 12 from physically interfering with surrounding components. Furthermore, since vibrations may occur in the hands 11 and 12 if the hands 11 and 12 are rotated and moved simultaneously, the rotation and movement of the hands 11 and 12 are performed at separate times, thereby preventing 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 lift and move the hands 11 and 12 at separate times.

[0027] 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 horizontal movement unit 41. Then, the control unit 70 rotates the hand 11 180 degrees by the hand rotation unit 21 in a state in which the hand 11 is positioned so as to overlap the horizontal movement unit 41 when viewed from the Z direction, which is the up-down direction. The control unit 70, while holding the substrate 101 on the Z2 direction side of the inverted hand 11, 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 hand 11 toward the lifting unit 60 using the horizontal movement unit 41, rotates the hand 11 using the hand rotation unit 21, and then moves the hand 11 to the position of the substrate placement unit 104 using the horizontal movement unit 41. 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 with its main surface tilted 90 degrees so as to be perpendicular to the horizontal plane. Note that in FIG. 4 , an example of the substrate 101 held by each of the hands 11 and 12 in a 90-degree tilted state is shown by two-dot chain lines.

[0028] 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 the transport operation of one of the hands 11 and 12. For example, after performing the operation of holding the substrate 101 in each of the hands 11 and 12, the control unit 70 sequentially performs the operation of placing the substrate 101 held by the hand 11 on the substrate placement unit 104 and the operation of placing the substrate 101 held by the hand 12 on the substrate placement unit 104.

[0029] <Details of Support Unit Arrangement> As shown in FIG. 5 , the support unit 31 has an L-shape including upper and lower portions 31a extending in the Z direction, which is the up-down direction, and a horizontal portion 31b extending from the upper and lower portions 31a along a horizontal plane. The lower ends of the upper and lower portions 31a, which are the ends on the Z2 direction side, are connected to one side of the horizontal movement unit 41. One end of the horizontal portion 31b is connected to the upper ends of the upper and lower portions 31a, which are the ends on the Z1 direction side. The upper and lower portions 31a of the support unit 31 are connected to the side of the horizontal movement unit 41 in a direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the hand 11 by the horizontal movement unit 41 in the horizontal plane. The horizontal portion 31b extends in a direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the hand 11 in the horizontal plane. In the example shown in FIG. 5 , the hand 11 moves horizontally along the X direction. The horizontal portion 31b is arranged to extend in the Y2 direction, overlapping above the horizontal movement unit 41, along the Y direction, which is perpendicular to the movement direction of the hand 11. The Z1 direction side of the horizontal portion 31b supports the lower surface of the hand rotation unit 21 connected to the hand 11.

[0030] Similarly, the support unit 32 also has an L-shape including upper and lower portions 32a extending in the Z direction, which is the up-down direction, and a horizontal portion 32b extending from the upper and lower portions 32a along a horizontal plane. The upper ends of the upper and lower portions 32a, which are the ends on the Z1 direction side, are connected to the surface of the horizontal movement unit 41 on the Z2 direction side. One end of the horizontal portion 32b is connected to the lower ends of the upper and lower portions 32a, which are the ends on the Z2 direction side. The horizontal portion 32b is disposed to extend in a direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the hand 12. The upper surface of the hand rotation unit 21, which is connected to the hand 11, is connected to the Z2 direction side of the horizontal portion 32b.

[0031] In this embodiment, the support unit 31 supports the hand 11 with the rotation axis of the hand rotation unit 21 located at a predetermined distance from the horizontal movement unit 41. The support unit 32 supports the hand 12 with the rotation axis of the hand rotation unit 22 located at a predetermined distance from the horizontal movement unit 42. The support units 31 and 32 support the hands 11 and 12 with the rotation axes of the hand rotation units 21 and 22 located at predetermined distances from the horizontal movement units 41 and 42, respectively, corresponding to the rotation amounts of the hand rotation units 21 and 22. Specifically, the support unit 31 supports the hand 11 with the rotation axis of the hand rotation unit 21 located at a predetermined distance from the horizontal movement unit 41 in the Z1 direction, which is the upper direction in the up-down direction, that is, a distance equal to or greater than the distance corresponding to the radius of the disk-shaped substrate 101 supported by the hand 11. The support unit 32 supports the hand 12 with the rotation axis of the hand rotation unit 22 positioned at a position spaced apart from the horizontal movement unit 42 in the Z2 direction, which is the downward direction in the up-down direction, by a predetermined distance equal to or greater than the distance corresponding to the radius of the disk-shaped substrate 101 supported by the hand 12. In Fig. 5, the area through which the substrate 101 held by each of the hands 11 and 12 passes when it rotates is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The support units 31 and 32 support the hands 11 and 12 so that the distance between the rotation axes of the hand rotation units 21 and 22 and the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 is such that the distance between the position on the rotation axis corresponding to the center of the substrate 101 and the outer surface of the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 is a predetermined distance. That is, the support units 31 and 32 support the hands 11 and 12 while spaced apart from the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 so that the distance between the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 and the position on the rotation axis where the center of the substrate 101 held by the hands 11 and 12 is located is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance. For example, if the diameter of the substrate 101 is 300 mm, the predetermined distance is equal to or greater than 150 mm and equal to or less than 300 mm, which is the radius. The vertical separation distance between the hands 11 and 12 is, for example, 500 mm or less.As an example, the vertical separation distance between the hand 11 and the horizontal movement unit 41 and the vertical separation distance between the hand 12 and the horizontal movement unit 42 are each 150 mm. The total vertical length of the horizontal movement unit 41, the horizontal movement unit 42, and the horizontal rotation mechanism 50 is 200 mm. In this case, the hand pitch, which is the vertical separation distance between the hand 11 and the hand 12, is 150 + 200 + 150 = 500 mm.

[0032] Furthermore, the separation distance D1 between the hand 11 and the horizontal moving unit 41 defined by the support unit 31 is greater than the separation distance D2 between the hand 12 and the horizontal moving unit 42 defined by the support unit 32. Note that the separation distance D1 is, for example, the distance between the surface of the hand 11 on which the substrate 101 is placed and the upper surface of the horizontal moving unit 41, and the separation distance D2 is, for example, the distance between the surface of the hand 12 on which the substrate 101 is placed and the lower surface of the horizontal moving unit 42. Because the separation distance D1 defined by the support unit 31 is greater than the separation distance D2 defined by the support unit 32, the hand 11 can be advanced to a higher position. Note that the separation distance D1 between the hand 11 and the horizontal moving unit 41 defined by the support unit 31 and the separation distance D2 between the hand 12 and the horizontal moving unit 42 defined by the support unit 32 are smaller than the diameter of the substrate 101 being held. Note that the lengths of the supports 31 and 32 in the vertical direction are fixed.

[0033] [Effects of the First Embodiment] As described above, the substrate transport robot 100 includes the support unit 31 connected to the horizontal movement unit 41 and supporting the hand 11 with the rotation axis of the hand rotator 21 located a predetermined distance away from the horizontal movement unit 41. The substrate transport robot 100 includes the support unit 32 connected to the horizontal movement unit 42 and supporting the hand 12 with the rotation axis of the hand rotator 22 located a predetermined distance away from the horizontal movement unit 42. As a result, the hands 11 and 12 are supported by the support units 31 and 32 with the rotation axes of the hand rotators 21 and 22 located a predetermined distance away from the horizontal movement units 41 and 42, respectively. This makes it possible to prevent the hands 11 and 12 from physically interfering with the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 when rotating the hands 11 and 12 around their rotation axes extending horizontally. Therefore, in order to rotate the hands 11 and 12, it is not necessary to displace the hands 11 and 12 in the horizontal direction relative to the horizontal movement units 41 and 42, which can prevent an increase in the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot 100. As a result, when the hands 11 and 12 are rotated around a rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction in the substrate transport robot 100 equipped with the horizontal movement units 41 and 42, the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot 100 can be made compact.

[0034] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes a hand 11 as a first hand and a hand 12 as a second hand that are arranged spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction and each hold a substrate 101. The substrate transfer robot 100 includes a support portion 31 as a first support portion that supports the hand 11 at a position spaced apart above the horizontal movement portions 41 and 42, and a support portion 32 as a second support portion that supports the hand 12 as a second hand at a position spaced apart below the horizontal movement portions 41 and 42. This allows the substrate 101 to be held by each of the hands 11 and 12, thereby improving the work efficiency of the substrate 101 transfer operation by the substrate transfer robot 100. Furthermore, because the two hands 11 and 12 are supported by the support portions 31 and 32, respectively, the space occupied by the substrate transfer robot 100 can be made compact even when both the hands 11 and 12 are rotated around rotation axes extending horizontally.

[0035] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes a horizontal movement unit 41 as a first horizontal movement unit that moves the hand 11 as a first hand along the horizontal direction, and a horizontal movement unit 42 as a second horizontal movement unit that moves the hand 12 as a second hand along the horizontal direction. The support unit 31 as a first support unit is connected to the horizontal movement unit 41 and supports the hand 11 at a position spaced above the horizontal movement unit 41. The support unit 32 as a second support unit is connected to the horizontal movement unit 42 and supports the hand 12 at a position spaced below the horizontal movement unit 42. This allows the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 to move the hand 11 and the hand 12 separately along the horizontal direction. Therefore, the hand 11 and the hand 12 can access different positions in the horizontal plane, further improving the work efficiency of the substrate 101 transfer operation by the substrate transfer robot 100. Furthermore, since the support section 31 that supports the hand 11 is connected to the horizontal movement section 41, and the support section 32 that supports the hand 12 is connected to the horizontal movement section 42, even when the hand 11 and the hand 12 are moved separately in the horizontal direction, it is possible to prevent the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot 100 from increasing in size due to the rotation of the hand 11 and the hand 12 about the rotation axis extending in the horizontal direction. As a result, the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot 100 can be effectively made compact.

[0036] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes a horizontal rotation mechanism 50 to which a horizontal movement unit 41 serving as a first horizontal movement unit and a horizontal movement unit 42 serving as a second horizontal movement unit are connected. The horizontal movement units 41 and 42 rotate independently along a horizontal plane relative to the horizontal rotation mechanism 50. This makes it possible to prevent the device configuration from becoming larger than when the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 are connected to different members.

[0037] Horizontal movement unit 41 as the first horizontal movement unit is connected above horizontal rotation mechanism unit 50, and horizontal movement unit 42 as the second horizontal movement unit is connected below horizontal rotation mechanism unit 50. This makes it easy to prevent the operations of horizontal movement unit 41 and horizontal movement unit 42 from interfering with each other, unlike when both horizontal movement unit 41 and horizontal movement unit 42 are arranged in the same vertical direction.

[0038] The support units 31 and 32 support the hands 11 and 12 with the rotation axes of the hand rotation units 21 and 22 positioned at a predetermined distance from the horizontal movement units 41 and 42, the predetermined distance being the amount of rotation by the hand rotation units 21 and 22. In this way, the rotation axes of the hand rotation units 21 and 22 are spaced from the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 by the amount of rotation about the rotation axes extending along the horizontal direction, thereby appropriately preventing the hands 11 and 12 from interfering with the horizontal movement units 41 and 42.

[0039] The support units 31 and 32 support the hands 11 and 12 with the rotation axes of the hand rotation units 21 and 22 positioned at a predetermined distance from the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 that is at least a distance corresponding to the radius of the disk-shaped substrate 101 supported by the hands 11 and 12. This prevents the hands 11 and 12 from interfering with the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 even when the hands 11 and 12 rotate about the rotation axis extending along the horizontal direction while holding the substrate 101. Therefore, even when the hands 11 and 12 are rotated so as to swap the front and back sides of the substrate 101 held by the hands 11 and 12, interference of the substrate 101 held by the hands 11 and 12 with the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 can be prevented, thereby effectively reducing the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot 100.

[0040] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes a control unit 70 that controls the operation of the hand rotation units 21 and 22 and the horizontal movement units 41 and 42. The control unit 70 rotates the hands 11 and 12 using the hand rotation units 21 and 22 while causing the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 to move the hands 11 and 12 to positions where they overlap the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 when viewed from the top and bottom. This allows the operation of the control unit 70 to rotate the hands 11 and 12 about a rotation axis extending horizontally while the hands 11 and 12 are positioned so as not to interfere with the horizontal movement units 41 and 42. Therefore, the hand rotation units 21 and 22 can easily rotate the hands 11 and 12 about the rotation axis extending horizontally while suppressing interference with the horizontal movement units 41 and 42.

[0041] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes an elevator unit 60 to which the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 are connected and which moves the hands 11 and 12 up and down. This allows the hands 11 and 12 to be moved up and down by the elevator unit 60, thereby increasing the range of access by the hands 11 and 12 in the vertical direction. Furthermore, because the hands 11 and 12 are supported by the support units 31 and 32 at positions spaced apart in the vertical direction from the horizontal movement units 41 and 42, the combination of the elevator unit 60, which moves the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 up and down, and the support units 31 and 32 further increases the range of access by the hands 11 and 12 in the vertical direction.

[0042] The substrate transfer robot 100 includes a lifting unit 60 in which a horizontal moving unit 41 as a first horizontal moving unit and a horizontal moving unit 42 as a second horizontal moving unit are connected via a horizontal rotation mechanism 50, and which lifts and lowers the hand 11 as a first hand and the hand 12 as a second hand in conjunction with each other by lifting and lowering the horizontal rotation mechanism 50. As a result, the lifting unit 60 lifts and lowers the hand 11 and the hand 12 in conjunction with each other, which makes it possible to reduce the complexity of the device configuration compared to when a configuration is used in which the hand 11 and the hand 12 are lifted and lowered separately from each other.

[0043] The hand rotation units 21 and 22 are connected to the base ends of the hands 11 and 12. The support units 31 and 32 support the hands 11 and 12 by supporting the hand rotation units 21 and 22 connected to the base ends of the hands 11 and 12. As a result, because the hand rotation units 21 and 22 are connected to the base ends of the hands 11 and 12, the rotation of the hands 11 and 12 by the hand rotation units 21 and 22 can be made compact. Therefore, the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot 100 can be made more compact.

[0044] The hand rotation units 21 and 22 are connected to the base ends of the hands 11 and 12. The support units 31 and 32 have an L-shape including upper and lower portions 31a and 32a connected to the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 and extending in the vertical direction, and horizontal portions 31b and 32b connected to the hand rotation units 21 and 22 and extending along the horizontal plane from the upper and lower portions 31a and 32a. The horizontal movement units 41 and 42 move the hands 11 and 12 in the horizontal direction by moving the support units 31 and 32 that support the hands 11 and 12. As a result, because the hands 11 and 12 are supported by the L-shaped support units 31 and 32, the hands 11 and 12 can be positioned so as to overlap the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 in the vertical direction. Therefore, the support units 31 and 32 allow the hands 11 and 12 to be easily positioned so as to overlap the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 when viewed from the top-bottom direction, thereby making it possible to compact the area occupied by the substrate transport robot 100 when viewed from the top-bottom direction. Also, because the hands 11 and 12 are supported in a cantilevered manner by the L-shaped support units 31 and 32, the number of connection points between the support units 31 and 32 and the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 can be reduced compared to when the support units 31 and 32 support the hands 11 and 12 in a doubly supported manner. This allows the number of parts at the connection points to be reduced, thereby preventing the device configuration from becoming too complicated.

[0045] Hand rotation unit 21 includes a seal member 21b that seals rotation mechanism 21a that rotates hand 11 from the outside. Hand rotation unit 22 includes a seal member that seals rotation mechanism 22a that rotates hand 12 from the outside. This allows the seal members to prevent foreign matter from entering rotation mechanisms 21a and 22a of hand rotation units 21 and 22 from the outside, and also prevents particles from being generated from inside hand rotation units 21 and 22.

[0046] The horizontal movement unit 41 includes a linear movement mechanism 41a that moves the hand 11 linearly along the horizontal direction. The support unit 31 is connected to the horizontal movement unit 41 that includes the linear movement mechanism 41a. The horizontal movement unit 42 includes a linear movement mechanism 42a that moves the hand 12 linearly along the horizontal direction. The support unit 32 is connected to the horizontal movement unit 41 that includes the linear movement mechanism 42a. As a result, the linear movement mechanisms 41a and 42a that move the hands 11 and 12 linearly generally have higher structural rigidity than a horizontally articulated robot arm, and therefore, by linearly moving the hands 11 and 12 along the horizontal direction using the linear movement mechanisms 41a and 42a, the transport operation of the substrate 101 held by the hands 11 and 12 can be more stably performed.

[0047] 6 and 7, a substrate transfer robot 200 according to a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment in which the substrate transfer robot 100 is provided with horizontal movement units 41 and 42 including linear movement mechanisms 41a and 42a, the substrate transfer robot 200 is provided with horizontal movement units 241 and 242 including horizontally articulated robot arms. In the drawings, parts having the same configuration as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described again.

[0048] 6, the substrate transfer robot 200 according to the second embodiment includes a support unit 231, a support unit 232, a horizontal movement unit 241, a horizontal movement unit 242, and a horizontal rotation mechanism 250. The support units 231 and 232 are examples of a first support unit and a second support unit, respectively. The horizontal movement units 241 and 242 are examples of a first horizontal movement unit and a second horizontal movement unit, respectively.

[0049] Similar to the horizontal movement units 41 and 42 of the first embodiment, the horizontal movement units 241 and 242 move the support units 231 and 232, respectively, to move the hands 11 and 12 along the horizontal direction. Similar to the first embodiment, the horizontal movement unit 241 is connected to the upper part of the horizontal rotation mechanism unit 250, and the horizontal movement unit 242 is connected to the lower part of the horizontal rotation mechanism unit 250. Similar to the horizontal rotation mechanism unit 50 of the first embodiment, the horizontal rotation mechanism unit 250 rotates the horizontal movement units 241 and 242 individually around a common rotation axis A201. Furthermore, the horizontal rotation mechanism unit 250 is connected to the elevator unit 60 and moves up and down by the operation of the elevator unit 60.

[0050] In the second embodiment, the horizontal movement unit 241 and the horizontal movement unit 242 include horizontally articulated robot arms. Specifically, the horizontal movement unit 241 includes a plurality of link members 241c and 241d that rotate relative to each other along the horizontal XY plane. The horizontal movement unit 242 similarly includes a plurality of link members 242c and 242d that rotate relative to each other along the horizontal XY plane. The link members 241c and 241d of the horizontal movement unit 241 and the link members 242c and 242d of the horizontal movement unit 242 are arm members of a robot arm that are arranged to extend horizontally. In the horizontal movement unit 241, the link members 241c and 241d are connected to each other so as to rotate via a joint. In the horizontal movement unit 242, the link members 242c and 242d are connected to each other so as to rotate via a joint.

[0051] Specifically, in the horizontal moving unit 241, the link member 241c is connected to a surface of the horizontal rotation mechanism 250 on the Z1 direction side (upper side) via a first joint on the Z2 direction side (lower side of the base end) so as to rotate about the rotation axis A201. The link member 241d is connected to a surface of the link member 241c on the Z1 direction side (upper side of the tip end) via a second joint on the Z2 direction side (lower side of the base end) so as to rotate about the rotation axis A212. The support unit 231 is connected to the Z1 direction side (upper side of the tip end) of the link member 241d via a third joint on the Z1 direction side (upper side) so as to rotate about the rotation axis A213. Similarly, in the horizontal moving unit 242, the link member 242c is connected to a surface of the horizontal rotation mechanism 250 on the Z2 direction side (lower side) so as to rotate about the rotation axis A201 on the Z1 direction side (upper side of the base end). The link member 242d is connected to the surface of the link member 242c, which is located on the Z2 side (upper side of the base end) in the upper Z1 direction, via a second joint so as to rotate about a rotation axis A222. The support member 232 is connected to the surface of the link member 242d, which is located on the Z2 side (lower side of the tip end), in the lower Z2 direction, via a third joint so as to rotate about a rotation axis A223. The horizontal movement units 241 and 242 each have a plurality of joints arranged such that the rotation axes A201, A212, A213, A222, and A223 are parallel to one another and aligned along the Z direction, which is the up-down direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The horizontal movement units 241 and 242 each have a drive unit that rotates each of the plurality of joints. The drive unit may include, for example, a servomotor.

[0052] The support unit 231, like the support unit 31 in the first embodiment, is connected to the horizontal movement unit 241 and supports the hand 11 at a position spaced apart from the horizontal movement unit 241 in the Z1 direction (upward). The support unit 232, like the support unit 32 in the first embodiment, is connected to the horizontal movement unit 242 and supports the hand 12 at a position spaced apart from the horizontal movement unit 242 in the Z2 direction (downward). The support units 231 and 232 are L-shaped, like the support units 31 and 32 in the first embodiment. The support unit 231 is disposed above the link member 241d of the horizontal movement unit 241 in the Z1 direction and supports the hand rotation unit 21 connected to the base end of the hand 11 from below in the Z2 direction. The support unit 232 is disposed below the link member 242d of the horizontal movement unit 242 in the Z2 direction and supports the hand rotation unit 22 connected to the base end of the hand 12 from above in the Z1 direction. Therefore, in the second embodiment, above the horizontal rotation mechanism 250 connected to the lifting / lowering unit 60, the link member 241c, link member 241d, support unit 231, and hand rotation unit 21 of the horizontal movement unit 241 are arranged side by side in this order facing upward in the Z1 direction. Also, below the horizontal rotation mechanism 250, the link member 242c, link member 242d, support unit 232, and hand rotation unit 22 of the horizontal movement unit 242 are arranged side by side in this order facing downward in the Z2 direction.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 7 , similar to the first embodiment, the control unit 70 causes the lifting unit 60 to move the hands 11 and 12 up and down while the hands are close to the lifting unit 60. The control unit 70 also causes the hand rotation units 21 and 22 to rotate the hands 11 and 12 while the hands are close to the lifting unit 60. For example, the control unit 70 causes the lifting and rotation of the hand 11 while the link members 241c and 241d of the horizontal movement unit 241 are positioned so as to overlap each other. The control unit 70 causes the lifting and rotation of the hand 11 while the hand 11 is moved to a position where it overlaps the horizontal movement unit 241 as viewed from the Z direction, which is the up-down direction. Similarly, the control unit 70 causes the lifting and rotation of the hand 12 while the link members 242c and 242d of the horizontal movement unit 242 are positioned so as to overlap each other. The control unit 70 moves the hand 12 to a position where it overlaps with the horizontal movement unit 242 when viewed from the Z direction, which is the up-down direction, and executes the lifting and lowering movement operations and the rotation operation of the hand 12 .

[0054] As in the first embodiment, the support units 231 and 232 support the hands 11 and 12 with the rotation axes of the hand rotation units 21 and 22 located at positions spaced apart from the horizontal movement units 241 and 242 by the amount of rotation by the hand rotation units 21 and 22. The support unit 231 supports the hand 11 at a position spaced apart in the Z1 direction (upward) from the upper surface of the link member 241d of the horizontal movement unit 241 by a distance corresponding to the radius of the substrate 101 or more. The support unit 232 supports the hand 12 at a position spaced apart in the Z2 direction (downward) from the lower surface of the link member 242d of the horizontal movement unit 242 by a distance corresponding to the radius of the substrate 101 or more. The other configurations of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0055] [Effects of the Second Embodiment] In the second embodiment, as described above, the horizontal movement unit 241 includes a plurality of link members 241c and 241d that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane. The horizontal movement unit 242 includes a plurality of link members 242c and 242d that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane. The support unit 231 is connected to the horizontal movement unit 241 that includes a plurality of link members 241c and 241d. The support unit 232 is connected to the horizontal movement unit 242 that includes a plurality of link members 242c and 242d. As a result, the plurality of link members 241c and 241d rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, thereby increasing the range of movement of the hand 11 by the horizontal movement unit 241. Similarly, the plurality of link members 242c and 242d rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, thereby increasing the range of movement of the hand 12 by the horizontal movement unit 242. Therefore, the range accessible by the hands 11 and 12 for transporting the substrate 101 can be increased, and the support parts 231 and 232 allow the hands 11 and 12 to be positioned at positions spaced apart in the vertical direction from the horizontal movement parts 241 and 242, thereby making it possible to compact the spatial area occupied by the substrate transport robot 100. Note that other effects of the second embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment.

[0056] [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.

[0057] For example, in the first and second embodiments described above, an example was shown in which the hand 11 as the first hand and the hand 12 as the second hand were arranged spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the number of hands holding the substrate may be one, or three or more may be arranged. Furthermore, multiple hands may be arranged in the left-right direction rather than the vertical direction, or at positions offset to the left and right with respect to the vertical direction. Furthermore, support parts that are spaced apart from the horizontal movement part may be arranged on only some of the multiple hands.

[0058] In the first and second embodiments, the hand 11 as the first hand and the hand 12 as the second hand include the holding mechanism units 11a and 11b having air cylinders, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the holding mechanism units in the hands may include actuators other than air cylinders, such as solenoid coils or motors. Furthermore, the hands may be active types other than edge grip types, such as vacuum types.

[0059] In the first and second embodiments, the hand 11 as the first hand and the hand 12 as the second hand are horizontally moved by the horizontal movement units 41 and 241 as the first horizontal movement unit and the horizontal movement units 42 and 242 as the second horizontal movement unit, respectively. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the first hand and the second hand may be horizontally moved by a common horizontal movement unit. For example, the first hand and the second hand may be arranged on a single robot arm. In this case, the first support unit that supports the first hand and the second support unit that supports the second hand may be arranged at the tip of a common robot arm, or only one of the first support unit or the second support unit may be arranged. Furthermore, the first hand and the second hand may be arranged either above or below the common horizontal movement unit, or one first hand and one second hand may be arranged above and one below.

[0060] In the above first and second embodiments, the horizontal movement units 41 and 241 as the first horizontal movement units are connected above the horizontal rotation mechanism units 50 and 250, and the horizontal movement units 42 and 242 as the second horizontal movement units are connected below the horizontal rotation mechanism units 50 and 250, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, both the first horizontal movement unit and the second horizontal movement unit may be disposed above or below the horizontal rotation mechanism unit. Furthermore, the first horizontal movement unit and the second horizontal movement unit may be disposed side by side.

[0061] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, examples have been shown in which the horizontal rotation mechanism 50 or 250 is provided to individually rotate the horizontal movement unit 41 or 241 as the first horizontal movement unit and the horizontal movement unit 42 or 242 as the second horizontal movement unit, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the horizontal rotation mechanism may rotate the first horizontal movement unit and the second horizontal movement unit together. Furthermore, the first horizontal movement unit and the second horizontal movement unit may each rotate relative to the horizontal rotation mechanism by the operation of the first horizontal movement unit and the second horizontal movement unit, rather than by the operation of the horizontal rotation mechanism.

[0062] In the first and second embodiments, the support units 31, 32, 231, and 232 support the hands 11 and 12 at positions spaced apart from the horizontal movement units 41, 42, 241, and 242 in the vertical direction by a distance equal to or greater than the radius of the disk-shaped substrate 101 supported by the hands 11 and 12. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the support units may support the hands with the rotation axis of the hand rotation unit positioned at a distance equal to or greater than the radius of rotation of the hand by the hand rotation unit. Alternatively, the hands may be positioned with the rotation axis of the hand rotation unit positioned at a distance smaller than the radius of rotation of the hand. For example, when the hand is rotated by the hand rotation unit without holding a substrate, the support units may support the hands at a distance equal to or greater than the radius of rotation of the hand itself from the horizontal movement unit. Alternatively, the support unit may support the hand with the rotation axis of the hand rotation unit positioned at a predetermined distance from the horizontal movement unit in a direction diagonally offset from the vertical direction. For example, as in the modified support unit 331 shown in Figure 8, when the hand is positioned to be rotated by the hand rotation unit 321, the hand may be supported with the distance from the outer surface of the horizontal movement unit 341 to a position on the rotation axis of the hand rotation unit 321 that corresponds to the center position of the substrate 101 being a predetermined distance D300. In this case, the distance in the vertical direction between the rotation axis of the hand rotation unit 321 and the horizontal movement unit 341 is smaller than the predetermined distance D300.

[0063] In the first and second embodiments, the control unit 70 rotates the hands 11 and 12 using the hand rotation units 21 and 22 while moving the hands 11 and 12 to positions overlapping the horizontal movement units 41, 42, 241, and 242 when viewed from the top and bottom. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the hands may be rotated while shifted from positions overlapping the horizontal movement units. For example, the hands may be rotated while positioned in a position where they do not protrude from the horizontal movement units, such as a position close to the lifting unit. Furthermore, if the horizontal movement unit is a horizontally articulated robot arm having multiple link members, the hand rotation unit may rotate the hands while the robot arm is folded rather than extended.

[0064] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, an example was shown in which the elevator unit 60 was provided that raised and lowered the hand 11 as the first hand and the hand 12 as the second hand in conjunction with each other by raising and lowering the horizontal rotation mechanism units 50 and 250, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the first hand and the second hand may be raised and lowered separately. In this case, the first horizontal movement unit that moves the first hand and the second horizontal movement unit that moves the second hand may be raised and lowered separately by the elevator unit.

[0065] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, examples have been described in which the support units 31, 32, 231, and 232 are L-shaped and connected to the horizontal movement units 41, 42, 241, and 242 in a cantilevered manner, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the support units may be linear rather than L-shaped. That is, the support units may be columnar members extending vertically from the parallel movement unit. Furthermore, the support units may be arranged so that they are connected to the horizontal movement unit in a cantilevered manner by combining two L-shaped members. Furthermore, the support units may be formed integrally with the hand rotation unit connected to the base end of the hand.

[0066] In the first and second embodiments, the hand rotation unit 21 includes the seal member 21b that seals the rotation mechanism unit 21a that rotates the hand 11 from the outside, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the present disclosure, the seal member may not be provided on the hand rotation unit. Alternatively, the seal member may be provided on a portion other than the hand rotation unit.

[0067] In the first and second embodiments, the control unit 70 includes a main CPU that performs overall control of the substrate transport robots 100 and 200 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 hand holding mechanism, the hand rotation mechanism, the horizontal movement mechanism or drive mechanism, the horizontal rotation mechanism drive mechanism, and the lifting mechanism 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] 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.

[0069] Aspects It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments described above are examples of the following aspects.

[0070] (Aspect 1) A substrate transport robot comprising: a hand that holds a substrate; a hand rotation unit that rotates the hand around a rotation axis that extends along a horizontal direction; a horizontal movement unit that moves the hand along the horizontal direction; and a support unit that is connected to the horizontal movement unit and supports the hand with the rotation axis of the hand rotation unit positioned at a position a predetermined distance away from the horizontal movement unit.

[0071] (Aspect 2) A substrate transport robot as described in Aspect 1, wherein the hands include a first hand and a second hand arranged spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, each holding the substrate, and the support portion includes a first support portion that supports the first hand at a position spaced apart above the horizontal movement portion, and a second support portion that supports the second hand at a position spaced apart below the horizontal movement portion.

[0072] (Aspect 3) The substrate transport robot according to Aspect 2, wherein the horizontal movement unit includes a first horizontal movement unit that moves the first hand along a horizontal direction and a second horizontal movement unit that moves the second hand along a horizontal direction, the first support unit is connected to the first horizontal movement unit and supports the first hand at a position spaced above the first horizontal movement unit, and the second support unit is connected to the second horizontal movement unit and supports the second hand at a position spaced below the second horizontal movement unit.

[0073] (Aspect 4) The substrate transport robot according to Aspect 3, further comprising a horizontal rotation mechanism to which the first horizontal movement unit and the second horizontal movement unit are each connected, wherein the first horizontal movement unit and the second horizontal movement unit rotate independently relative to the horizontal rotation mechanism along a horizontal plane.

[0074] (Aspect 5) The substrate transfer robot according to aspect 4, wherein the first horizontal movement unit is connected above the horizontal rotation mechanism unit, and the second horizontal movement unit is connected below the horizontal rotation mechanism unit.

[0075] (Aspect 6) A substrate transport robot according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, wherein the support unit supports the hand in a state where the axis of rotation of the hand rotation unit is positioned at a position spaced apart from the horizontal movement unit by the amount of rotation caused by the hand rotation unit, as the predetermined distance.

[0076] (Aspect 7) A substrate transport robot as described in Aspect 6, wherein the support portion supports the hand in a state in which the rotation axis of the hand rotation portion is positioned at a position spaced apart from the horizontal movement portion by at least a distance corresponding to the radius of the circular plate-shaped substrate supported by the hand, as the predetermined distance.

[0077] (Aspect 8) A substrate transport robot according to any one of Aspects 1 to 7, further comprising a control unit that controls the operation of the hand rotation unit and the horizontal movement unit, wherein the control unit rotates the hand using the hand rotation unit while the horizontal movement unit moves the hand to a position where it overlaps the horizontal movement unit when viewed from above.

[0078] (Aspect 9) The substrate transport robot according to any one of aspects 1 to 8, further comprising an elevator unit connected to the horizontal movement unit and configured to move the hand up and down.

[0079] (Aspect 10) A substrate transport robot according to aspect 4 or aspect 5, further comprising an elevator unit that raises and lowers the first hand and the second hand in conjunction with each other by raising and lowering the horizontal rotation mechanism unit, and in which the horizontal movement units including the first horizontal movement unit and the second horizontal movement unit are connected via the horizontal rotation mechanism unit.

[0080] (Aspect 11) The substrate transport robot according to any one of Aspects 1 to 10, wherein the hand rotation unit is connected to a base end of the hand, and the support unit supports the hand by supporting the hand rotation unit connected to the base end of the hand.

[0081] (Aspect 12) A substrate transport robot according to any one of Aspects 1 to 11, wherein the hand rotation unit is connected to the base end of the hand, the support unit has an L-shape including upper and lower portions connected to the horizontal movement unit and extending along the vertical direction, and a horizontal portion connected to the hand rotation unit and extending along a horizontal plane from the upper and lower portions, and the horizontal movement unit moves the hand along the horizontal direction by moving the support unit that supports the hand.

[0082] (Aspect 13) The substrate transport robot according to any one of Aspects 1 to 12, wherein the hand rotation unit includes a seal member that seals a rotation mechanism that rotates the hand from the outside.

[0083] (Aspect 14) The substrate transport robot according to any one of Aspects 1 to 13, wherein the horizontal movement unit includes a linear movement mechanism that moves the hand linearly along a horizontal direction, and the support unit is connected to the horizontal movement unit that includes the linear movement mechanism.

[0084] (Aspect 15) The substrate transport robot according to any one of Aspects 1 to 13, wherein the horizontal movement unit includes a plurality of link members that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and the support unit is connected to the horizontal movement unit that includes the plurality of link members.

Claims

1. A substrate transport robot comprising: a hand that holds a substrate; a hand rotation unit that rotates the hand around a rotation axis that extends horizontally; a horizontal movement unit that moves the hand horizontally; and a support unit that is connected to the horizontal movement unit and supports the hand with the rotation axis of the hand rotation unit positioned at a predetermined distance from the horizontal movement unit.

2. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 1, wherein the hands include a first hand and a second hand arranged spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, each holding the substrate, and the support section includes a first support section that supports the first hand at a position spaced apart above the horizontal movement section, and a second support section that supports the second hand at a position spaced apart below the horizontal movement section.

3. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 2, wherein the horizontal movement unit includes a first horizontal movement unit that moves the first hand along the horizontal direction and a second horizontal movement unit that moves the second hand along the horizontal direction, the first support unit is connected to the first horizontal movement unit and supports the first hand at a position spaced above the first horizontal movement unit, and the second support unit is connected to the second horizontal movement unit and supports the second hand at a position spaced below the second horizontal movement unit.

4. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 3, further comprising a horizontal rotation mechanism to which the first horizontal movement unit and the second horizontal movement unit are each connected, and the first horizontal movement unit and the second horizontal movement unit rotate independently relative to the horizontal rotation mechanism along a horizontal plane.

5. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 4, wherein the first horizontal movement unit is connected above the horizontal rotation mechanism unit, and the second horizontal movement unit is connected below the horizontal rotation mechanism unit.

6. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 1, wherein the support unit supports the hand with the axis of rotation of the hand rotation unit positioned at a position spaced from the horizontal movement unit by the amount of rotation caused by the hand rotation unit, as the predetermined distance.

7. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 6, wherein the support part supports the hand with the rotation axis of the hand rotation part positioned at a position spaced apart from the horizontal movement part by at least a distance corresponding to the radius of the disk-shaped substrate supported by the hand, as the predetermined distance.

8. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls the operation of the hand rotation unit and the horizontal movement unit, wherein the control unit rotates the hand using the hand rotation unit while the horizontal movement unit has moved the hand to a position where it overlaps with the horizontal movement unit when viewed from above.

9. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, further comprising an elevator unit connected to said horizontal moving unit for moving said hand up and down.

10. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 4, wherein the horizontal movement units including the first horizontal movement unit and the second horizontal movement unit are connected via the horizontal rotation mechanism unit, and further comprising an elevator unit that raises and lowers the first hand and the second hand in conjunction with each other by raising and lowering the horizontal rotation mechanism unit.

11. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, wherein the hand rotation unit is connected to the base end of the hand, and the support unit supports the hand by supporting the hand rotation unit connected to the base end of the hand.

12. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 1, wherein the hand rotation unit is connected to the base end of the hand, the support unit has an L-shape including upper and lower portions connected to the horizontal movement unit and extending along the vertical direction, and a horizontal portion connected to the hand rotation unit and extending along a horizontal plane from the upper and lower portions, and the horizontal movement unit moves the hand along the horizontal direction by moving the support unit that supports the hand.

13. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, wherein the hand rotation unit includes a seal member that seals a rotation mechanism that rotates the hand from the outside.

14. The substrate transport robot according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal movement unit includes a linear movement mechanism that moves the hand linearly along a horizontal direction, and the support unit is connected to the horizontal movement unit that includes the linear movement mechanism.

15. A substrate transport robot as described in claim 1, wherein the horizontal movement unit includes a plurality of link members that rotate relative to each other along a horizontal plane, and the support unit is connected to the horizontal movement unit that includes the plurality of link members.

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