Teaching method of transfer device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10840122-B2
Application number	US-201816210364-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2018
Priority date	Dec 12, 2017
Publication date	Nov 17, 2020
Grant date	Nov 17, 2020

Abstract

A teaching method according to an embodiment is for a transfer device including a substrate holding unit including a suction port for holding a substrate by applying suction, an actuation mechanism for moving the substrate holding unit, and a pressure detecting unit for detecting a pressure in a suction path communicating with the suction port. The method includes: moving the substrate holding unit under the substrate; moving the substrate holding unit upward toward the substrate, while applying suction to the suction path and detecting the pressure in the suction path; determining whether or not the substrate holding unit has touched the substrate, based on the pressure in the suction path; and storing, as a standard position, a position of the substrate holding unit at a time of determining that the substrate holding unit has touched the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A teaching method of a transfer device including a substrate holding unit including a suction port for holding a substrate by applying suction, an actuation mechanism configured to move the substrate holding unit, and a pressure detecting unit configured to detect a pressure in a suction path communicating with the suction port, the method comprising:
a first moving step of moving the substrate holding unit under the substrate;
a second moving step of moving the substrate holding unit upward toward the substrate, while applying suction to the suction path and detecting the pressure in the suction path;
a determination step of determining whether or not the substrate holding unit has touched the substrate, based on the pressure in the suction path; and
a storing step of storing, as a standard position, a position of the substrate holding unit at a time of determining that the substrate holding unit has touched the substrate.

2. The teaching method according to claim 1 , wherein, in the second moving step, the substrate holding unit is intermittently moved by a predetermined amount.

3. The teaching method according to claim 2 , wherein, in the determination step, whether or not the substrate holding unit has touched the substrate is determined based on the pressure in the suction path when the substrate holding unit is being stopped.

4. The teaching method according to claim 1 , wherein, in the determination step, it is determined that the substrate holding unit has touched the substrate when the pressure in the suction path is not higher than a threshold.

5. The teaching method according to claim 4 , wherein the threshold is higher than the pressure in the suction path when an upper surface of the substrate holding unit is in contact with a lower surface of the substrate, and the threshold is lower than the pressure in the suction path when the upper surface of the substrate holding unit is apart from the lower surface of the substrate.

6. The teaching method according to claim 3 , wherein, in the determination step, it is determined that the substrate holding unit has touched the substrate when an amount of difference of the pressure in the suction path is not less than a threshold.

7. The teaching method according to claim 1 , wherein the actuation mechanism includes a multi-joint arm.

8. The teaching method according to claim 7 , wherein the second moving step is performed while the multi-joint arm is being stretched.

9. The teaching method according to claim 1 , the method being applied to a substrate processing system including
a process chamber configured to apply a predetermined process to the substrate,
an orienter configured to perform position alignment of the substrate,
a transport container configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates,
a load-lock module configured to be able to change an internal pressure between a vacuum pressure and an atmospheric pressure,
a loader module including the transfer device, the loader module being connected to the transport container, the orienter, and the load-lock module, and being configured to transfer the substrate among the transport container, the orienter, and the load-lock module, by using the transfer device, and
a transfer module including another transfer device, the transfer module being connected to the process chamber and the load-lock module, and being configured to transfer the substrate loaded in the load-lock module by the loader module to the process chamber; wherein
the method is performed in order to determine a vertical position of the substrate holding unit with respect to the substrate placed on a stage in the orienter, on a stage in the load-lock module, or in the transport container.

10. A teaching method of a transfer device including a substrate holding unit including a suction port for holding a substrate by applying suction, an actuation mechanism including a multi-joint arm configured to move the substrate holding unit, and a pressure detecting unit configured to detect a pressure in a suction path communicating with the suction port, the method comprising:
a first moving step of moving the substrate holding unit under the substrate;
a second moving step of intermittently moving the substrate holding unit upward toward the substrate by a predetermined amount, in a state in which the multi-joint arm is being stretched, the second moving step being performed while applying suction to the suction path and detecting the pressure in the suction path;
a determination step of determining whether or not the substrate holding unit has touched the substrate, based on the pressure in the suction path when the substrate holding unit is being stopped; and
a storing step of storing, as a standard position, a position of the substrate holding unit at a time of determining that the substrate holding unit has touched the substrate.

11. The teaching method according to claim 10 , wherein, in the determination step, it is determined that the substrate holding unit has touched the substrate when the pressure in the suction path is not higher than a threshold.

12. The teaching method according to claim 10 , wherein, in the determination step, it is determined that the substrate holding unit has touched the substrate when an amount of difference of the pressure in the suction path is not less than a threshold.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Kobayashi Toshiyuki
• Kitahara Ryu
• Koshiishi Kazuya
• Sato Junya
• Suto Shun
• Chiba Toshimitsu

Classifications

• H10P72/53

  using optical controlling means · CPC title

• H10P72/7602

  the wafers being placed on a robot blade or gripped by a gripper for conveyance · CPC title

• H10P72/3406

  involving removal of lid, door or cover · CPC title

• H10P72/3218

  Conveying cassettes, containers or carriers · CPC title

• H10P72/0608

  of substrates stored in a container, a magazine, a carrier, a boat or the like · CPC title