Tool auto-teach method and apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016129586-A1
Application number	US-201514937676-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 10, 2015
Priority date	Nov 10, 2014
Publication date	May 12, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A substrate transport apparatus auto-teach system for auto-teaching a substrate station location, the system including a frame, a substrate transport connected to the frame, the substrate transport having an end effector configured to support a substrate, and a controller configured to move the substrate transport so that the substrate transport biases the substrate supported on the end effector against a substrate station feature causing a change in eccentricity between the substrate and the end effector, determine the change in eccentricity, and determine the substrate station location based on at least the change in eccentricity between the substrate and the end effector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A process tool comprising:
a frame; a substrate transport connected to the frame and having an end effector configured to support a substrate; and a substrate transport apparatus auto-teach system for auto-teaching a substrate station location, the auto-teach system including a controller configured to
move the substrate transport so that the substrate transport taps the substrate supported on the end effector against a substrate station feature causing a change in eccentricity between the substrate and the end effector,
determine the change in eccentricity, and
determine the substrate station location based on at least the change in eccentricity between the substrate and the end effector.

2 . The process tool of claim 1 , wherein substrate station location is a Z location of the substrate station.

3 . The process tool of claim 1 , further comprising a substrate locating unit connected to the frame and including an automatic wafer center (AWC) unit connected to the frame.

4 . The process tool of claim 1 , wherein the substrate station feature is located inside a process module having a vacuum pressure environment therein.

5 . The process tool of claim 4 , wherein the vacuum pressure environment is a high vacuum.

6 . The process tool of claim 4 , wherein the substrate transport biases the substrate supported on the end effector against a substrate station feature in the vacuum pressure environment.

7 . The process tool of claim 1 , wherein the substrate station feature is located within a process module that is in a state of process security for processing substrates.

8 . The process tool of claim 1 , wherein the controller includes embedded pick/place commands to move the substrate transport and bias the substrate.

9 . The process tool of claim 1 , wherein the controller includes embedded substrate locating commands to determine the substrate eccentricity.

10 . The process tool of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a representative teaching or dummy wafer.

11 . A method for in situ auto-teaching of a substrate station location comprises:
providing deterministic station features on a substrate holding station, the deterministic station features deterministically defining a predetermined position of a substrate in contact with the deterministic station features, which predetermined position has a predetermined relation with and identifying the substrate holding station; determining, through contact between the substrate and at least one deterministic station feature, a common eccentricity of the substrate; and determining a teach location of the substrate holding station based on the common eccentricity.

12 . A substrate transport apparatus auto-teach system for auto-teaching a substrate holding location comprises:
a frame; a substrate holding station connected to the frame and having deterministic station features that deterministically define a predetermined position of a substrate in contact with the deterministic station features, which predetermined position has a predetermined relation with and identifying the substrate holding station; a substrate transport apparatus connected to the frame and being configured to move the substrate; and a controller configured to
determine, through contact between the substrate and at least one deterministic station feature, a common eccentricity of the substrate; and
determine a teach location of the substrate holding station based on the common eccentricity.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
establish a location of the deterministic station features in a coordinate system of the substrate transport apparatus by controlling the substrate transport apparatus so that the substrate contacts the at least one deterministic station feature and determine an eccentricity of the substrate.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
effect iterative contact between the at least one deterministic station feature and the substrate to confirm the eccentricity of the substrate relative to the coordinate system until a change in the eccentricity resolves to the common eccentricity.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to effect an eccentricity determination of the substrate for each iterative contact.

16 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to effect repositioning of the substrate relative to a substrate transport based on the eccentricity determination for each iterative contact.

17 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine the teach location of the substrate holding station, in the coordinate system, from the predetermined position of the substrate with respect to the substrate holding station and a center position of the substrate transport apparatus.

18 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine the predetermined position of the substrate and a center position of the transport apparatus based on the common eccentricity.

19 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the controller is configured to effect contact between the substrate and at least one station feature from a common direction.

20 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the teach location of the substrate holding station is determined in situ to the substrate holding station.

21 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the common eccentricity is an eccentricity within a signal noise of a wafer sensor configured to detect the substrate for determining the common eccentricity.

22 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the substrate transport comprises
an end effector having a center location, the end effector being configured to hold the substrate, and the controller is further configured to determine the center location to effect determining the common eccentricity relative to the center location, where the controller is configured to adjust a location of the center location to compensate for thermal effects on the transport apparatus.

23 . A substrate transport apparatus auto-teach system for auto-teaching a substrate holding location comprising:
a frame; a station fixture connected to the frame and having deterministic station features that deterministically define a predetermined position of a substrate in contact with the deterministic station features, which predetermined position has a predetermined relation with and identifying the substrate holding location of the station fixture; and a substrate transport configured to hold a teaching substrate; and a controller configured move the substrate transport so that the teaching substrate moves relative to the station features in a common direction.

24 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the predetermined position of the teaching substrate and the substrate holding location, where the position of the teaching substrate and the substrate holding location are effected by contact between the teaching substrate and the deterministic station features.

25 . A substrate transport apparatus auto-teach system for auto-teaching a substrate holding location comprises:
a frame; a substrate holding station connected to the frame, the substrate holding station having deterministic station features that deterministically define a predetermined

Assignees

• Brooks Automation Inc

Inventors

• Moura Jairo T
• Gawlik Aaron
• Saeidpourazar Reza

Classifications

• H10P72/7602

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

• H10P72/3411

  involving loading and unloading of wafers · CPC title

• H10P72/3402

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title

• H10P72/0618

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

• H10P72/0608 Primary

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