Substrate conveying method, recording medium in which program is recorded for causing substrate conveying method to be executed, and substrate conveyor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9368384-B2
Application number	US-201213410368-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2012
Priority date	Mar 8, 2011
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

A substrate conveying method conveying a layered body having first and second substrates stacked with a spacer member provided between their respective bottom surfaces facing each other includes receiving the first substrate by holding the first substrate from below its bottom surface using a first holding mechanism provided on a side of a first fork provided above a second fork, and turning the first fork upside down and placing the received first substrate on the second fork; receiving the spacer member held in a substrate holding part by holding the spacer member from above using a second holding mechanism provided on the same side of the first fork as the first holding mechanism, and placing the received spacer member on the first substrate; and holding the second substrate from above its top surface using the first holding mechanism, and placing the received second substrate on the spacer member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate conveying method conveying a layered body having a first substrate and a second substrate stacked in layers with a spacer member provided between respective bottom surfaces thereof facing each other, the substrate conveying method comprising:
receiving the first substrate accommodated in an accommodating part by holding the first substrate from below the bottom surface thereof using a first holding mechanism provided on a side of a first fork provided on a turnable base so as to be positioned above a second fork provided on the turnable base, and turning the first fork upside down and placing the received first substrate on the second fork;
receiving the spacer member held in a substrate holding part by holding the spacer member from above the spacer member using a second holding mechanism provided on the same side of the first fork as the first holding mechanism, and placing the received spacer member on the first substrate placed on the second fork; and
holding the second substrate accommodated in the accommodating part from above a top surface thereof using the first holding mechanism, and placing the received second substrate on the spacer member placed over the second fork.

2. The substrate conveying method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
said holding the first substrate holds the first substrate between a first claw part and a first pressing part of the first holding mechanism by pressing the first substrate toward the first claw part by the first pressing part, the first claw part being fixed to a distal end part of the first fork, the first pressing part being so provided on a proximal end side of the first fork as to be movable toward and away from the first claw part;
said holding the spacer member holds the spacer member between a second claw part and a second pressing part of the second holding mechanism by pressing the spacer member toward the second claw part by the second pressing part, the second claw part being fixed to the distal end part of the second fork, the second pressing part being so provided on the proximal end side of the second fork as to be movable toward and away from the second claw part; and
said holding the second substrate holds the second substrate between the first claw part and the first pressing part of the first holding mechanism by pressing the first substrate toward the first claw part by the first pressing part.

3. The substrate conveying method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said holding the spacer member holds the spacer member from above the spacer member so that the spacer member supported by the second holding mechanism is eccentric to the first substrate supported by the first holding member in said holding the first substrate and the second substrate supported by the first holding member in said holding the second substrate.

4. The substrate conveying method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
aligning the spacer member and an additional spacer member at a same rotational angle inside a housing in which the substrate holding part is provided,
wherein the accommodating part is provided outside the housing.

5. The substrate conveying method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the spacer member has a ring shape.

6. The substrate conveying method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the substrate holding part holds the layered body and an additional layered body so that a first interval between vertically adjacent two of the first and second substrates with bottom surfaces thereof facing each other is narrower than a second interval of vertically adjacent two of the first and second substrates with top surfaces thereof facing each other.

7. The substrate conveying method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
causing one of the first fork and the second fork to vertically move toward and approach another one of the first fork and the second fork in at least one of said placing the received first substrate on the second fork, said placing the received spacer member on the first substrate placed on the second fork, and said placing the received second substrate on the spacer member placed over the second fork.

8. The substrate conveying method as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising:
causing the first fork and the second fork to vertically move together by an elevation mechanism.

Assignees

• Yamagishi Daisuke
• Oyama Katsuhiko
• Sato Masataka
• Takeuchi Yasushi
• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Yamagishi Daisuke
• Oyama Katsuhiko
• Sato Masataka
• Takeuchi Yasushi

Classifications

• H10P72/7602

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

• H10P72/3412

  Batch transfer of wafers · CPC title

• H10P72/0434 Primary

  mainly by convection · CPC title

• H10P72/127

  characterised by the substrate support · CPC title

• H10P72/12

  Vertical boat type carrier whereby the substrates are horizontally supported, e.g. comprising rod-shaped elements · CPC title