Substrate transfer apparatus, substrate transfer method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9627238-B2
Application number	US-201314135988-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2013
Priority date	Dec 25, 2012
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

A substrate transfer apparatus unloads a substrate from a transfer container in which a cover body airtightly closes a substrate unloading opening formed at a front surface of a container main body and multiple substrates are accommodated in the form of shelves. The substrate transfer apparatus includes a load port to which the transfer container is loaded; a detection unit configured to detect an accommodation status of the substrate in the container main body that is loaded to the load port and separated from the cover body; a substrate transfer device configured to enter the container main body and unload the substrate; and a correction device configured to correct the accommodation status of the substrate in the container main body before the substrate is unloaded from the container main body by the substrate transfer device when the detection unit detects abnormality in the accommodation status.

First claim

We claim:

1. A substrate transfer apparatus that unloads a substrate from a transfer container in which a cover body airtightly closes a substrate unloading opening formed at a front surface of a container main body and multiple substrates are accommodated in the form of shelves, the substrate transfer apparatus comprising:
a load port to which the transfer container is loaded;
a detection unit configured to detect an accommodation status including at least one of an inclination angle and a depth position of the substrate in the container main body that is loaded to the load port and separated from the cover body;
a substrate transfer device configured to enter the container main body and unload the substrate;
a control unit including a memory that stores at least one of a first tolerance range of the inclination angle of the substrate and a second tolerance range of the depth position of the substrate; and
a correction device configured to correct the accommodation status of the substrate in the container main body before the substrate is unloaded from the container main body by the substrate transfer device when the detection unit detects abnormality in the accommodation status,
wherein the control unit is configured to determine whether the inclination angle or the depth position of the substrate is out of the first tolerance range or the second tolerance range, and
if the inclination angle or the depth position of the substrate is out of the first tolerance range or the second tolerance range, the control unit is configured to control the correction device to correct the accommodation status of the substrate,
the correction device includes an opening/closing door configured to open and close a transfer opening for the substrate in the load port, and configured to engage the cover body with the container main body and separate the cover body from the container main body,
the opening/closing door is configured to hold the cover body separated from the container main body and move the held cover body back and forth with respect to the substrate unloading opening of the container main body, and
the accommodation status of the substrate is corrected by allowing the cover body held by the opening/closing door to push the substrate toward an inside of the container main body, and
wherein the control unit is configured to control an operation of the opening/closing door and an operation of the substrate transfer device,
when the number of substrates of which the accommodation status detected by the detection unit is abnormal is greater than a predetermined number, the control unit corrects the accommodation status in a lump by using the opening/closing door, and
when the number of substrates of which the accommodation status detected by the detection unit is abnormal is equal to or smaller than the predetermined number, the control unit outputs a control signal to correct the accommodation status individually for each substrate by using the substrate transfer device.

2. The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the correction device includes the substrate transfer device, and
the accommodation status of the substrate is corrected by allowing the substrate transfer device to adjust a position of the substrate with respect to a supporting member that is provided in the container main body and configured to support the substrate.

3. The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the detection unit comprises a sensor pair and a reflection sensor, the sensor pair comprising a light transmitting unit and a light receiving unit for irradiating and receiving a first light, respectively, in a horizontal direction between the light transmitting unit and the light receiving unit, and the reflection sensor configured to irradiate a second light in a horizontal direction toward the back side of the container main body.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Morikawa Katsuhiro
• Sunaka Ikuo
• Nakano Seiji
• Kuratomi Kazunori
• Shimazu Toshio

Classifications

• H10P72/3411

  involving loading and unloading of wafers · CPC title

• H10P72/3406

  involving removal of lid, door or cover · CPC title

• H10P72/0608 Primary

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

• B65G2201/0297

  Wafer cassette · CPC title

• H01L21/67772

  Electricity · mapped topic