Substrate transport apparatus, and system and method for manufacturing electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9346171-B2
Application number	US-201313752738-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2013
Priority date	Aug 17, 2010
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

A substrate transport apparatus including a first substrate holder and a second substrate holder capable of respectively holding substrates includes a first drive arm which has first and second end portions, and is rotatable with rotation of a first drive shaft, a second drive arm which has a third end portion spaced apart from the first end portion by a first distance, and a fourth end portion spaced apart from the second end portion by a second distance, and is rotatable with rotation of a second drive shaft coaxial with the first drive shaft, two first driven arms coupled to the first substrate holder, and two second driven arms coupled to the second substrate holder.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:
a first substrate holder and a second substrate holder capable of respectively holding substrates;
a first pair of driven arms comprising a first driven arm and a second driven arm, each of which has a first end, which is coupled to said first substrate holder, and a second end;
a second pair of driven arms comprising a third driven arm and a fourth driven arm, each of which has a first end, which is coupled to said second substrate holder, and a second end;
a first drive arm including, at a first end, a first coupling portion which is coupled to the second end of said first driven arm, and at a second end, a second coupling portion which is coupled to the second end of said fourth driven arm;
a second drive arm including, at a first end, a third coupling portion which is coupled to the second end of said second driven arm, and at a second end, a fourth coupling portion which is coupled to the second end of said third driven arm;
a first drive shaft to which said first drive arm is rotatably coupled; and
a second drive shaft which is coaxial with said first drive shaft, and to which said second drive arm is rotatably coupled, independently of said first drive shaft,
wherein, in a case where said first drive arm rotates in a first rotation direction and said second drive arm rotates in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction, one substrate holder of said first substrate holder and said second substrate holder advances in a first direction such that the one substrate holder separates from a rotation axis of said first drive shaft, and the other substrate holder of said first substrate holder and said second substrate holder retreats in a second direction such that the other substrate holder returns to the rotation axis of said first drive shaft,
a first direction axis, defined by a straight line which connects said first coupling portion and said second coupling portion to each other, is spaced apart from the rotation axis of said first drive shaft by a first distance, and
a second direction axis, defined by a straight line which connects said third coupling portion and said fourth coupling portion to each other, is spaced apart from a rotation axis of said second drive shaft by a second distance.

2. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first distance is equal to the second distance.

3. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
said first substrate holder is within a first plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of said first drive shaft, and
said second substrate holder is within a second plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of said first drive shaft,
the second plane being parallel to the first plane, and being different from a position of the first plane in the direction of gravity.

4. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said first substrate holder and said second substrate holder do not overlap each other in a rotation axis direction of said first drive shaft.

5. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first drive unit configured to rotate said first drive shaft;
a second drive unit configured to rotate said second drive shaft;
a first detection unit configured to detect a rotation angle and a rotation speed of said first drive unit;
a second detection unit configured to detect a rotation angle and a rotation speed of said second drive unit; and
a control unit configured to control said first drive unit and said second drive unit based on the detection results obtained by said first detection unit and said second detection unit, respectively.

6. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
said first substrate holder is capable of an advancing/retreating operation of advancing in the first direction, in which said first substrate holder separates from the rotation axis of said first drive shaft, or retreating in the second direction, in which said first substrate holder returns to the rotation axis of said first drive shaft, as said first pair of driven arms move with rotation of said first drive arm and said second drive arm, and
said second substrate holder is capable of an advancing/retreating operation of advancing in a third direction, in which said second substrate holder separates from the rotation axis of said first drive shaft, or retreating in a fourth direction, in which said second substrate holder returns to the rotation axis of said first drive shaft, as said second pair of driven arms move with rotation of said first drive arm and said second drive arm,
the advancing/retreating operations of said first substrate holder and said second substrate holder following different tracks.

7. A system for manufacturing an electronic device, comprising:
a substrate transport apparatus defined in claim 1 ; and
at least one process apparatus which executes a device manufacturing process for a substrate transported by said substrate transport apparatus.

8. A method of manufacturing an electronic device, comprising:
a transport step of transporting a substrate using a substrate transport apparatus defined in claim 1 ; and
a process execution step of executing a device manufacturing process for the substrate, transported in the transport step, in at least one process apparatus.

Assignees

• Canon Anelva Corporeation
• Canon Anelva Corp

Inventors

• Watanabe Kazuhito
• Tashiro Yukihito
• Nakamura Satoshi
• Kobinata Daisuke
• Sasaki Toshiaki
• Nozawa Naoyuki

Classifications

• H10P72/7602

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

• H10P72/3302

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title

• B25J9/107 Primary

  of the froglegs type · CPC title

• B25J11/0095

  Manipulators transporting wafers · CPC title

• H01L21/67742

  Electricity · mapped topic