Conveyance Apparatus Driving Error Correction for Lithography
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyance apparatuses in lithography systems experience positional shifts due to environmental changes, leading to unintended contact between hands and members, causing damage.
Innovation Solution
A conveyance apparatus with a support member and driver system that adjusts the height of multiple hands based on detected driving errors, ensuring accurate positioning through a controller that corrects for errors using sensors and feedback mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a driver drives a support member supporting multiple hands in the height direction, then the hands can be positioned at target heights, but driving errors cause the actual positions to shift from design positions due to environmental changes
Solution Approach 1:
The system measures the actual position of each hand using detectors (such as encoders or position sensors) and compares it with the target position. The controller then calculates the deviation and generates correction amounts to compensate for driving errors, creating a closed-loop feedback system that maintains positioning accuracy despite environmental changes
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary positioning by moving hands to target heights using the driver, then performs a second correction phase by adjusting each hand's position based on measured deviations. This two-stage approach ensures accurate positioning by addressing driving errors after the initial positioning is complete
2Productivity
If hands are driven to target positions, then conveyance can be performed, but positional shifts may cause hands or members to unintentionally contact other members causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the actual position of hands and members during conveyance operations. When positional deviations are detected that could lead to unintended contact, the controller generates correction commands to adjust hand positions, preventing harmful contacts while maintaining conveyance operations
Solution Approach 2:
The system proactively compensates for potential positioning errors by calculating correction amounts based on measured deviations before harmful contact can occur. This preliminary correction action prevents the harmful effect of unintended contact between hands or members
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a conveyance apparatus comprising: a first hand configured to hold a first member; a second hand configured to hold a second member; a controller configured to control a first process of conveying the first member to a first holder with the first hand and a second process of conveying the second member to a second holder with the second hand, wherein in the first process, after the first hand is driven, the first holder is moved so as to bring the first member into contact with the first holder, and the controller is configured to control driving of the second hand in the second process, based on a driving error in the driver which is determined from movement of the first holder in the first process.