Processing object transport system, and substrate inspection system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016163576-A1
Application number	US-201615041118-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 11, 2016
Priority date	Sep 20, 2013
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A substrate inspection system includes a plurality of processing units, and each processing unit is provided with a transport mechanism configured to transport an substrate to be inspected along a transport passage which extends substantially horizontally, a lift mechanism configured to lift the substrate to be inspected to a height position, at a set position on the transport passage, and processors each configured to perform a predetermined process on the substrate to be inspected positioned at the height position. The processing units are arranged such that transport passages thereof are aligned and such that the transport directions thereof are the same direction. Between two adjacent transport passages, the substrate to be inspected is delivered from the transport passage on an upstream side to the transport passage on a downstream side.

First claim

1 - 6 . (canceled)

7 . A processing unit comprising:
a transport mechanism comprising:
a conveyor for horizontally transporting work plates on a transport passage, in a transport direction, the work plates having a length in the transport direction and a width orthogonal to the transport direction; and
wherein the transport passage occupies a planar area extending to the width of the work plates and extending in the transport direction for at least the length of the conveyor; and
a transfer mechanism comprising:
at least one plate holder for transferring said work plates from a set position to a retracted position comprising:
a holder main body positioned outside the transport passage and extending in the transport direction; and
at least one projection extending from the holder main body into the transport passage,
wherein the set position occupies a planar area extending across the width of the transport passage for a length extending from a first end of said at least one projection to a second end of said at least one projection in the transport direction, and
wherein the length of the set position is less than or equal to the length of the work plates;

at least one vertical shaft connected to the plate holder; and
a lift mechanism connected to the vertical shaft.

8 . The processing unit of claim 7 , wherein the lift mechanism is operable to vertically displace the plate holder from the set position such that the at least one projection passes vertically through the set position during a transfer.

9 . The processing unit of claim 8 , wherein the transport mechanism is configured to convey a second work plate independently of a first work plate when the first work plate is in the retracted position.

10 . The processing unit of claim 9 , wherein the conveyor comprises a plurality of rollers each having an upper apex, the rollers arranged in parallel at intervals defined by a distance (d), the planar area of the transport passage defined by the upper apexes; and
wherein distance (d) is less than the length of the work plates.

11 . The processing unit of claim 10 , wherein the transfer mechanism comprises at least two of said at least one plate holder, each positioned on opposite sides of the set position.

12 . The processing unit of claim 11 , wherein each of the at least two plate holders comprise a pair of said at least one projection the length of the set portion defined by the outside edges of each pair of projections in the transport direction.

13 . The processing unit of claim 12 , wherein each of said projections has a dimension in the transport direction less than distance (d) and wherein each of said projections extends toward the transport passage in a space defined by one of said intervals.

14 . The processing unit of claim 9 , wherein the retracted position is located vertically above the transport passage, and wherein a predetermined process is performed on a first object positioned on the first work plate while the first work plate is in the retracted position.

15 . The processing unit of claim 14 , wherein a second object positioned on the second work plate may be moved by the transport mechanism along the transport path while said predetermined process is being performed.

16 . The processing unit of claim 15 , wherein the first object is a circuit board and the predetermined process is an inspection process.

17 . A processing object transport system comprising:
a first processing unit comprising:
a transport mechanism comprising:
a conveyor at a first vertical height for horizontally transporting work plates on a transport passage, in a transport direction, the work plates having a length in the transport direction and a width orthogonal to the transport direction; and
wherein the transport passage occupies a planar area extending to the width of the work plates and extending in the transport direction for at least the length of the conveyor; and

a transfer mechanism comprising:
at least one plate holder for transferring said work plates from a set poition to a retracted position comprising:
a holder main body positioned outside the transport passage and extending in the transport direction; and
at least one projection extending from the holder main body into the transport passage,
wherein the set position occupies a planar area extending across the width of the transport passage for a length extending from a first end of said at least one projection to a second end of said at least one projection in the transport direction, and
wherein the length of the set position is less than or equal to the length of the work plates;

at least one vertical shaft connected to the plate holder; and
a lift mechanism connected to the vertical shaft; and

at least one second processing unit comprising:
a transport mechanism comprising:
a conveyor arranged at said first height to receive said work plates from the first processing unit and for horizontally transporting the work plates in the transport direction along the transport passage within the second processing unit;

wherein the transport mechanism of the first processing unit and/or the transport mechanism of the at least one second processing unit is configured to convey a second work plate independently of a first work plate when the first work plate is in the retracted position.

18 . The processing object transport system of claim 17 , wherein at least one of the conveyor of the first processing unit and/or at least one of the at least one second processing unit comprises a plurality of rollers each having an upper apex, the rollers arranged in parallel at intervals defined by a distance (d), the planar area of the transport passage defined by the upper apexes;
wherein the distance (d) is less than the length of the work plates; and wherein the at least one projection can be positioned within at least one interval, respectively, by operation of the lift mechanism.

19 . The processing object transport system claim 18 , wherein the retracted position is positioned above the transport passage, and wherein a predetermined process is performed on a first object positioned on the first work plate while the first work plate is in the retracted position.

20 . The processing object transport system of claim 19 , wherein the second work plate may be moved by the transport mechanism from the first processing unit to the second processing unit along the transport path while said predetermined process is being performed.

21 . The processing object transport system claim 20 wherein the at least one second processing unit further comprises:
a transfer mechanism comprising:
at least one plate holder for transferring said work plates from a set position to a retracted position comprising:
a holder main body positioned outside the transport passage and extending in the transport direction; and
at least one projection extending from the holder main body into the transport passage,
wherein the set position occupies a planar area extending across the width of the transport passage for a length extending from a first end of said at least one projection to a second end of said at least one projection in the transport direction, and
wherein the length of the set position is less than or equal to the length of the work plates;

at least one vertical shaft connected to the plate holder; and

a lift mechanism connected to the vertical shaft.

22 . The processing object transport system of claim 21 wherein said predetermined process is an inspection process.

Assignees

• Nidec Read Corp

Inventors

• Nakagawa Takashi
• Matsukawa Toshihide
• Hikita Osamu
• Ogata Akira
• Kaida Michio

Classifications

• H10P72/3314

  Continuous loading and unloading into and out of a processing chamber, e.g. transporting belts within processing chambers · CPC title

• H10P72/3306

  Horizontal transfer of a single workpiece · CPC title

• H10P72/0604

  Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring · CPC title

• H10P72/0456 Primary

  in-line arrangement · CPC title

• H10P72/32

  between different workstations · CPC title