Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12027402-B2
Application number	US-202117140780-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2021
Priority date	Jan 6, 2020
Publication date	Jul 2, 2024
Grant date	Jul 2, 2024

Abstract

An adjusting system is controlled such that an arrangement of the substrate is adjusted based on detection by a first sensor, and a second sensor is controlled to detect a characteristic point formed in advance on a plate surface of the substrate, wherein the arrangement of the substrate has been adjusted based on the detection by the first sensor. Moreover, it is checked whether a position of the characteristic point detected by the second sensor is within an allowable range, and the adjusting system is controlled to adjust the arrangement of the substrate based on the detection by the second sensor when the position of the characteristic point detected by the second sensor is within the allowable range, and the attaching/detaching system is controlled to attach the substrate to the substrate holder after the arrangement of the substrate is adjusted based on the detection by the second sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a substrate holder which holds a substrate;
an attaching/detaching system which attaches the substrate to the substrate holder;
a first sensor which detects an arrangement of the substrate based on an outer shape of the substrate;
a second sensor which detects a characteristic point formed in advance on a plate surface of the substrate;
an adjusting system configured to adjust the arrangement of the substrate; and
a controller,
wherein the controller controls the adjusting system to adjust the arrangement of the substrate based on detection by the first sensor,
the controller controls the second sensor to detect the characteristic point formed in advance on the plate surface of the substrate, wherein the arrangement of the substrate has been adjusted based on the detection by the first sensor,
the controller checks whether a position of the characteristic point detected by the second sensor is within an allowable range,
the controller controls the adjusting system to adjust the arrangement of the substrate based on detection by the second sensor when the position of the characteristic point detected by the second sensor is within the allowable range, and
the controller controls the attaching/detaching system to attach the substrate to the substrate holder after the arrangement of the substrate is adjusted based on the detection by the second sensor,
wherein the adjusting system includes a first adjusting module which adjusts the arrangement of the substrate based on the detection by the first sensor and a second adjusting module which adjusts the arrangement of the substrate based on the detection by the second sensor,
wherein the second adjusting module is a substrate transport equipment which holds and transfers the substrate between the first adjusting module and the attaching/detaching system.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller allows the substrate to be transferred to a predetermined place which is different from the substrate holder when the position of the characteristic point detected by the second sensor is out of the allowable range.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller allows the substrate to be transferred to a predetermined place which is different from the substrate holder when a dimension of the substrate obtained by the detection by the first sensor is out of a predetermined standard range.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a cassette which houses the substrate; and
a substrate transporter which transfers the substrate housed in the cassette to the adjusting system,
wherein the predetermined place is the cassette.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the adjusting system includes a substrate transport equipment which holds and transfers the substrate.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second sensor is provided to the attaching/detaching system, and
the controller controls the second sensor to detect the characteristic point of the substrate held by the substrate transport equipment.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the adjusting system has a stage configured to be able to perform horizontal movement and/or rotational movement of the substrate mounted.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first sensor is a laser sensor.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second sensor is an image sensor.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller notifies abnormality when the position of the characteristic point detected by the second sensor is out of the allowable range.

11. A substrate processing method in a substrate processing apparatus including a substrate holder which holds a substrate, an attaching/detaching system which attaches the substrate to the substrate holder, a first adjusting module configured to adjust an arrangement of the substrate, and a second adjusting module configured to hold and transfer the substrate between the first adjusting module and the attaching/detaching system, the method comprising:
a first detecting step of detecting the arrangement of the substrate based on an outer shape of the substrate;
a first adjusting step of controlling the first adjusting module to adjust the arrangement of the substrate based on detection in the first detecting step;
a second detecting step of detecting a characteristic point formed in advance on a plate surface of the substrate, wherein the arrangement of the substrate has been adjusted in the first adjusting step;
a second adjusting step of controlling the second adjusting module to adjust the arrangement of the substrate based on detection in the second detecting step when a position of the characteristic point detected in the second detecting step is within an allowable range after checking whether the position of the characteristic point detected is within the allowable range; and
an attaching step of controlling the attaching/detaching system to attach the substrate to the substrate holder after the second adjusting step.

Assignees

• Ebara Corp

Inventors

• Yokoyama Toshio
• Hirao Tomonori
• Tsushima Takuya
• Ohashi Hirotaka

Classifications

• H10P72/3306

  Horizontal transfer of a single workpiece · CPC title

• H10P72/0606 Primary

  Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection · CPC title

• H10P72/50

  for positioning, orientation or alignment · CPC title

• H10P72/53 Primary

  using optical controlling means · CPC title

• H10P72/0618

  using identification means, e.g. labels on substrates or labels on containers · CPC title