Substrate treating apparatus, drive assembly, and drive member controlling method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9915261-B2
Application number	US-201414527936-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2014
Priority date	Oct 31, 2013
Publication date	Mar 13, 2018
Grant date	Mar 13, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a substrate treating apparatus. The substrate treating apparatus includes: a transfer chamber conveying a substrate; a process chamber disposed adjacent to the transfer chamber and performing a treating process o the substrate; and a drive assembly supplying a power by which a component of the transfer chamber or the process chamber operates, wherein the drive assembly includes: a cylinder connected to pipes; a piston disposed to be movable inside the cylinder and connected to the component by a drive shaft; and a pipe control unit automatically adjusting a moving speed of the piston.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate treating apparatus comprising:
an index robot configured to move linearly along an index rail, the index robot configured to unload a substrate from a carrier and configured to load the substrate to a buffer chamber;
a process chamber configured to perform a treating process to the substrate;
a transfer chamber adjacent to the process chamber and configured to convey the substrate from a buffer chamber to the process chamber;
a main robot configured to move linearly along a guide rail, the main robot configured to unload the substrate from the buffer chamber and configured to load the substrate to the processing chamber; and
a drive assembly configured to supply a power to at least one of the index robot or the main robot,
wherein the drive assembly includes
a cylinder connected to at least one pipe,
a piston disposed to be movable inside the cylinder and connected to the one of the index robot or the main robot by a drive shaft,
a first sensor at a first portion of the cylinder configured to transmit a first signal in response to the piston being in a first position inside the cylinder and to not transmit a signal in response to the piston being in a second position inside the cylinder,
a second sensor at a second portion of the cylinder configured to transmit a second signal in response to the piston being in a third position inside the cylinder and to not transmit a signal in response to the piston being in the second position inside the cylinder, and
a pipe control unit configured to automatically adjust a moving speed of the piston.

2. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one pipe includes:
a first pipe connected to an upper portion of the cylinder; and
a second pipe connected to a lower portion of the cylinder,
wherein the pipe control unit is configured to receive at least one of the first signal and the second signal of the sensors at the cylinder.

3. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the pipe control unit includes:
a pipe control module configured to control a fluid flowing through the at least one pipe; and
a module control part configured to adjust an operation of the pipe control module on the basis of the at least one signal of the sensors.

4. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 3 ,
the first sensor is at an upper portion of the cylinder; and
the second sensor at a lower portion of the cylinder.

5. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the module control part is configured to detect a moving speed of the piston through a change of the at least one of the first signal and the second signal transmitted from the first sensor and the second sensor.

6. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the module control part is configured to compares the moving speed and a setting speed of the piston and when the moving speed is out of an error range in relation to the setting speed, is configured to perform an adjustment on the pipe control module.

7. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein when the moving speed is slower than the setting speed, the module control part is configured to adjust the pipe control module to increase a flow rate of a fluid flowing through the first pipe or the second pipe.

8. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein when the moving speed is slower than the setting speed, the module control part is configured to adjust the pipe control module to increase a pressure of a fluid flowing through the first pipe or the second pipe.

9. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein when the moving speed is faster than the setting speed, the module control part is configured to adjust the pipe control module to decrease a flow rate of a fluid flowing through the first pipe or the second pipe.

10. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein when the moving speed is faster than the setting speed, the module control part is configured to adjust the pipe control module to decrease a pressure of a fluid flowing through the first pipe or the second pipe.

11. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pipe control unit includes a piezo actuator.

12. A drive assembly comprising:
a cylinder connected to pipes;
a piston configured to be movable inside the cylinder and having one side where a drive shaft is provided;
a first sensor at a first portion of the cylinder configured to transmit a first signal in response to the piston being in a first position inside the cylinder and to not transmit a signal in response to the piston being in a second position inside the cylinder;
a second sensor at a second portion of the cylinder configured to transmit a second signal in response to the piston being in a third position inside the cylinder and to not transmit a signal in response to the piston being in the second position inside the cylinder; and
a pipe control unit configured to automatically adjust a moving speed of the piston by adjusting at least one of a flow rate of a fluid and a pressure of the fluid,
wherein the drive assembly is configured to power at least one of an index robot and a main robot,
the index robot configured to move linearly along an index rail, the index robot configured to unload a substrate from a carrier and configured to load the substrate to a buffer chamber,
the main robot configured to move linearly along a guide rail, the main robot configured to unload the substrate from the buffer chamber and configured to load the substrate to a processing chamber.

13. The drive assembly of claim 12 , wherein the pipes include:
a first pipe connected to an upper portion of the cylinder; and
a second pipe connected to a lower portion of the cylinder.

14. The drive assembly of claim 13 , wherein the pipe control unit includes:
a pipe control module configured to control a fluid flowing through the pipes; and
a module control part configured to adjust an operation of the pipe control module on the basis of at least one of the first signal and the second signal of the first sensor and the second sensor.

15. The drive assembly of claim 14 , wherein the module control part is configured to detect a moving speed of the piston through a change of the first signal transmitted from the first sensor and the second signal transmitted from the second sensor.

16. The drive assembly of claim 15 , wherein the module control part is configured to compare the moving speed and a setting speed of the piston and when the moving speed is out of an error range in relation to the setting speed, is configured to perform an adjustment on the pipe control module.

17. A method of controlling a drive member for use in driving an index robot of a substrate processing system, the method comprising:
transmitting a first signal from a first sensor in response to a piston being at a first position in a cylinder at a first time;
not transmitting the first signal or a second signal in response to the piston being at a second position in the cylinder;
transmitting the second signal from a second sensor in response to the piston being at a third position in the cylinder at a second time;
detecting a moving speed of a piston moving inside a cylinder as a difference from the second time to the first time;
when it is determined that the moving speed of the piston is out of an error range in relation to a setting speed, automatically adjusting a flow of a fluid supplied to the cylinder when the piston is driven next time;
moving the index robot linearly along a guide rail in

Assignees

• Semes Co Ltd

Inventors

• Choi Jin Ho
• Yoo Ju Mi

Classifications

• H10P72/3302

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title

• H10P72/0606

  Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection · CPC title

• F04B2201/0202

  Linear speed of the piston · CPC title

• F04B2201/0201

  Position of the piston · CPC title

• F04B49/103

  Responsive to speed · CPC title