Substrate Transport Abnormality Detection via Rotation Stage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing apparatuses face challenges in accurately detecting abnormalities in the transport portion without increasing costs by adding additional devices, leading to potential uncorrectable positional deviations.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an abnormality detection unit within the substrate transport apparatus that utilizes measurement data from a sensor on a rotation stage to detect abnormalities in the transport portion, leveraging existing measurement data for positional correction, thereby avoiding the need for additional devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate device (sensor) is provided to detect abnormalities in the transport portion, then detection reliability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement portion, originally designed solely for measuring substrate position during transport, is made multi-functional by enabling it to detect abnormalities in the transport portion. The same sensor and rotation stage used for positional measurement are leveraged to identify transport defects through pattern recognition in measurement data, eliminating the need for separate detection devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement portion serves itself by using its existing measurement capabilities to detect abnormalities in the transport portion. The system reuses its own sensor and rotation stage infrastructure to perform detection functions, making the measurement portion self-sufficient and eliminating dependency on additional dedicated detection hardware.
2Manufacturing precision
If frequent positional deviation correction is performed, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Abnormalities in the transport portion are detected in advance using measurement data from the rotation stage, before they cause uncorrectable positional deviations. By identifying transport defects early, the system can take preventive actions to maintain substrate positioning accuracy without requiring frequent corrective interventions during processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors measurement data from the rotation stage to detect patterns indicating transport abnormalities. This feedback mechanism enables real-time identification of transport issues, allowing for timely corrections that maintain precision while reducing the frequency of disruptive repositioning operations.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed substrate transport apparatus includes a substrate storage portion that stores a substrate, a measurement portion including a rotation stage on which the substrate is to be placed and a sensor that measures the position of the outer edge of the substrate on the rotation stage, a transport portion that takes out a substrate from the substrate storage portion and places the substrate on the rotation stage, and an abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality in the transport portion. The abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality in the transport portion based on measurement data acquired by the sensor while the rotation stage is rotated in the measurement portion.