Substrate treatment apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9059226-B2
Application number	US-201213415438-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2012
Priority date	Mar 18, 2011
Publication date	Jun 16, 2015
Grant date	Jun 16, 2015

Abstract

The substrate treatment apparatus includes a first substrate transport robot having a hand which holds a substrate, a second substrate transport robot having a hand which holds the substrate, and a hand cleaning unit which cleans the hand of the first substrate transport robot and the hand of the second substrate transport robot. The hand cleaning unit is configured to be accessible by the hand of the first substrate transport robot and the hand of the second substrate transport robot, and is disposed above or below a substrate transfer place at which the substrate is transferred between the first and second substrate transport robots.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate treatment apparatus comprising:
a first substrate transport robot having a first hand which holds a substrate;
a second substrate transport robot having a second hand which holds the substrate; and
said first and second robots being accessible to a substrate transport passage;
said substrate transport passage being defined between or outside treatment units;
a hand cleaning unit which is accessible by the first hand of the first substrate transport robot and the second hand of the second substrate transport robot, wherein the hand cleaning unit is configured and disposed in a position within said substrate transfer passage for cleaning the first hand and the second hand, being disposed above or below a substrate transfer unit within said substrate transfer passage at which the substrate is transferred between the first hand and the second hand.

2. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a substrate holding unit disposed at the substrate transfer place for holding the substrate.

3. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the hand cleaning unit includes a housing defining a hand treatment space in which the first and second hands are each accommodated to be treated.

4. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the housing has a hand receiving port through which the first and second hands are each inserted into and retracted from the hand treatment space.

5. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the hand receiving port includes a first hand receiving port and a second hand receiving port provided at different positions and configured such that the first hand and the second hand are insertable into and retractable from the hand treatment space through the first receiving port and the second receiving port, respectively.

6. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the first hand receiving port is directed toward the first substrate transport robot, and the second hand receiving port is directed toward the second substrate transport robot.

7. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the housing has a single hand receiving port.

8. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the hand cleaning unit includes a first hand cleaning unit including a first housing defining a first hand treatment space in which the first hand can be accommodated to be treated, and a second hand cleaning unit including a second housing defining a second hand treatment space in which the second hand can be accommodated to be treated,
the first housing has a first hand receiving port through which the first hand can be inserted into and retracted from the first hand treatment space,
the second housing has a second hand receiving port through which the second hand can be inserted into and retracted from the second hand treatment space,
the first hand receiving port is directed toward the first substrate transport robot, and
the second hand receiving port is directed toward the second substrate transport robot.

9. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising a shutter mechanism which opens and closes the hand receiving port.

10. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein an evacuation passage for evacuating the hand treatment space is connected to the housing.

11. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the hand cleaning unit includes a cleaning liquid supply unit which supplies a cleaning liquid to each of the first and second hands inserted into the hand treatment space, and a liquid drain for draining a liquid from the hand treatment space is connected to the housing.

12. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the cleaning liquid supply unit includes a cleaning liquid nozzle disposed in the hand treatment space so as to correspond in position to a substrate contact portion of each of the first and second hands.

13. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising a drying accelerating agent supply unit which supplies a drying accelerating agent to each of the first and second hands inserted into the hand treatment space.

14. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the hand cleaning unit includes a UV lamp which irradiates each of the first and second hands with ultraviolet radiation.

15. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the hand cleaning unit is at least partly overlapped with the substrate transfer place when viewed in plan.

16. A substrate treatment apparatus comprising:
a first substrate transport robot having a first hand which holds a substrate;
a second substrate transport robot having a second hand which holds the substrate; and
said first and second robots being accessible to a substrate transport passage;
said substrate transport passage being defined between or outside treatment units;
a hand cleaning unit which is accessible by the first hand of the first substrate transport robot and the second hand of the second substrate transport robot for cleaning the first hand and the second hand, the hand cleaning unit being disposed in said substrate transport passage through which the substrate is transported, wherein the hand cleaning unit is at least partly overlapped, when viewed in plan, with a substrate transfer unit within the substrate transport passage at which the substrate is transferred between the first hand and the second hand.

17. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the hand cleaning unit is disposed in a substrate transport passage through which the substrate is transported by the first and second substrate transport robots.

18. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the hand cleaning unit is simultaneously accessible by the first hand of the first substrate transport robot and the second hand of the second substrate transport robot.

19. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the first substrate transport robot and the second substrate transport robot are configured to transport the substrate through the substrate transport passage.

20. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the hand cleaning unit is simultaneously accessible by the first hand of the first substrate transport robot and the second hand of the second substrate transport robot.

Assignees

• Muramoto Ryo
• Screen Holdings Co Ltd

Inventors

• Muramoto Ryo

Classifications

• H10P72/3402

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title

• H10P72/0414

  using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles · CPC title

• H10P72/0406 Primary

  for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like · CPC title

• H10P72/3302 Primary

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title

• H01L21/67766

  Electricity · mapped topic