Container, container partition plate, substrate processing system, and substrate tranfer method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020286752-A1
Application number	US-202016809741-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 5, 2020
Priority date	Mar 7, 2019
Publication date	Sep 10, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A container for consumables includes multiple holding portions, a partition plate and a fixer. The multiple holding portions are configured to respectively accommodate the consumables, each of which is loaded into and unloaded from one direction. The partition plate includes a first portion formed to be disposed between a light emitting part and a light receiving part of a detector, and the partition plate is accommodated in one of the multiple holding portions. The fixer is configured to fix the container so that the consumables are arranged on a transfer path to be loaded into and unloaded from the multiple holding portions.

First claim

1 . A container for consumables, comprising:
multiple holding portions configured to respectively accommodate the consumables, each of which is loaded and unloaded in one direction; a partition plate including a first portion formed to be disposed between a light emitting part of a detector and a light receiving part of the detector, wherein the partition plate is accommodated in one of the multiple holding portions; and a fixer configured to fix the container so that the consumables are arranged on a transfer path to be loaded into and unloaded from the multiple holding portions.

2 . The container of claim 1 , wherein the partition plate has a thickness greater than a thickness of a substrate.

3 . The container of claim 1 , wherein the partition plate has substantially the same thickness as a thickness of the consumables.

4 . The container of claim 1 , wherein the partition plate is in close contact with a wall surface of the container and separates an inner space of the container into a first space including a part of the multiple holding portions and a second space including the other part of the multiple holding portions.

5 . The container of claim 1 , wherein the first portion is formed to be disposed between two notches having shapes corresponding to shapes of the light emitting part and the light receiving part, respectively.

6 . The container of claim 2 , wherein the partition plate has substantially the same thickness as a thickness of the consumables.

7 . The container of claim 2 , wherein the partition plate is in close contact with a wall surface of the container and separates an inner space of the container into a first space including a part of the multiple holding portions and a second space including the other part of the multiple holding portions.

8 . The container of claim 2 , wherein the first portion is formed to be disposed between two notches having shapes corresponding to shapes of the light emitting part and the light receiving part, respectively.

9 . The container of claim 6 , wherein the partition plate is in close contact with a wall surface of the container and separates an inner space of the container into a first space including a part of the multiple holding portions and a second space including the other part of the multiple holding portions.

10 . The container of claim 9 , wherein the first portion is formed to be disposed between two notches having shapes corresponding to shapes of the light emitting part and the light receiving part, respectively.

11 . The container of claim 3 , wherein the partition plate is in close contact with a wall surface of the container and separates an inner space of the container into a first space including a part of the multiple holding portions and a second space including the other part of the multiple holding portions.

12 . The container of claim 3 , wherein the first portion is formed to be disposed between two notches having shapes corresponding to shapes of the light emitting part and the light receiving part, respectively.

13 . The container of claim 11 , wherein the first portion is formed to be disposed between two notches having shapes corresponding to shapes of the light emitting part and the light receiving part, respectively.

14 . The container of claim 4 , wherein the first portion is formed to be disposed between two notches having shapes corresponding to shapes of the light emitting part and the light receiving part, respectively.

15 . A partition plate of a container, comprising:
a first portion formed to be disposed between a light emitting part of a detector and a light receiving part of the detector, wherein the partition plate has a thickness greater than a thickness of a substrate, and the partition plate is accommodated, instead of a consumable, in a container for accommodating the consumable to be disposed or disposed in a substrate processing space.

16 . A system of processing a substrate comprising:
a vacuum processing chamber configured to provide a processing space where a consumable is disposed and the substrate is processed; an arm disposed on a transfer path between the vacuum processing chamber and a container configured to accommodate the consumable or the substrate, and configured to transfer the consumable or the substrate; a detector including a light emitting part disposed at a first end of a pick connected to a tip end of the arm and a light receiving part connected to a second end of the pick; and a controller configured to control the detector to detect a thickness of a component in the container and to stop a transfer of the substrate by the arm when the detected thickness exceeds a threshold.

17 . A method of transferring a substrate comprising:
using a detector to detect a thickness of a component in a container configured to accommodate a consumable or a substrate and disposed on a transfer path of the consumable and the substrate; and stopping a transfer of the substrate when the detected thickness exceeds a threshold, wherein the detector includes a light emitting part disposed at a first end of a pick and a light receiving part disposed at a second end of the pick, the pick being configured to transfer the consumable disposed in a vacuum processing chamber and the substrate processed in the vacuum processing chamber.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Toyomaki Toshiaki
• Kaise Seiichi
• Numakura Masahiro
• Takeyama Yuki

Classifications

• H10P72/7602

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

• H10P72/0608

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

• H10P72/0454

  surrounding a central transfer chamber · CPC title

• H10P72/14 Primary

  Vertical carrier comprising wall type elements whereby the substrates are horizontally supported, e.g. comprising sidewalls · CPC title

• H10P72/3402

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title