Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for transporting a substrate. The apparatus comprises: an end effector including a fork which holds the substrate and a wrist part which holds a proximal end portion of the fork; an arm provided with the end effector installed thereon and a mechanism which moves the fork; and an inclination adjusting mechanism provided between the fork and the wrist part or between the wrist part and the arm to adjust an inclination of the fork.

Abstract: A correction method includes: a placement operation of holding and moving, by a holder, a sensor-equipped substrate equipped with an inclination sensor provided thereon, to a temporary delivery position, and delivering the sensor-equipped substrate from the holder to the stage; an inclination detection operation of detecting, by the inclination sensor, an inclination of the sensor-equipped substrate delivered to the stage; and performing the placement operation and the inclination detection operation on one or a plurality of different temporary delivery positions. The one or plurality of different temporary delivery positions include a position at which a portion of the sensor-equipped substrate is boarded on the stepped portion when the sensor-equipped substrate is delivered from a respective temporary delivery position to the stage. The method further includes: a correction operation of correcting the delivery position based on a detection result in the inclination detection operation.

Abstract: A transfer device is disposed in a vacuum transfer chamber. The transfer device includes a structure body having an inner space isolated from the vacuum transfer chamber, an arm that rotates with respect to the structure body, and a vacuum seal structure configured to airtightly seal a sliding portion between the structure body and the arm. Further, the vacuum seal structure includes one or more seal members disposed at the sliding portion; a sealing portion formed by the structure body, the arm, and the seal members, lubricant being sealed in the sealing portion; and a pressure adjusting unit configured to adjust a pressure in the sealing portion.

Abstract: An control method of a transfer mechanism is provided. The transfer mechanism transfers a substrate and has a holder for holding the substrate. In the control method, an outer edge of the substrate transferred by the transfer mechanism is detected and a center position of the substrate using a preset adjustment value corresponding to a path for transferring the substrate is measured. Further, in the control method, a target position is corrected based on the amount of displacement between the center position of the substrate and a preset reference position of the holder, and the transfer mechanism is controlled such that the reference position of the holder becomes the corrected target position.

Abstract: A method of controlling a substrate transfer system including a transfer mechanism having a holder, and a measurement part that detects an outer periphery of the substrate to measure a center position of the substrate, thereby transferring the substrate to a target position, includes: correcting the target position based on an amount of positional deviation between a reference position of the holder and the center position of the substrate, a first amount of thermal displacement of the reference position of the holder by thermal expansion of the transfer mechanism at a measurement position where the outer periphery of the substrate is detected, and a second amount of thermal displacement of the reference position of the holder by the thermal expansion of the transfer mechanism at the target position; and controlling the transfer mechanism such that the reference position of the holder becomes the corrected target position.

Abstract: A substrate transport system for transporting a substrate in a vacuum atmosphere includes a vacuum chamber, inside of which is configured to be capable of being set to a vacuum atmosphere, a transport arm provided inside the vacuum chamber and configured to hold and transport the substrate, a horizontal movement mechanism configured to move the transport arm in a horizontal direction inside the vacuum chamber, a horizontal duct arm mechanism including therein an accommodation portion having a normal pressure atmosphere, the horizontal duct arm mechanism being configured to be extendable/contractible as the transport arm moves horizontally, a vertical movement mechanism configured to move the transport arm in a vertical direction inside the vacuum chamber, and a vertical duct arm mechanism including therein an accommodation portion having a normal pressure atmosphere, the vertical duct arm mechanism being configured to be extendable/contractible as the transport arm moves vertically.

Abstract: A transfer device is disposed in a vacuum transfer chamber. The transfer device includes a structure body having an inner space isolated from the vacuum transfer chamber, an arm that rotates with respect to the structure body, and a vacuum seal structure configured to airtightly seal a sliding portion between the structure body and the arm. Further, the vacuum seal structure includes one or more seal members disposed at the sliding portion; a sealing portion formed by the structure body, the arm, and the seal members, lubricant being sealed in the sealing portion; and a pressure adjusting unit configured to adjust a pressure in the sealing portion.

Abstract: A teaching method for a transfer mechanism is provided. The teaching method includes (a) placing a first substrate or an edge ring on a fork of the transfer mechanism, transferring the first substrate or the edge ring to a target position, and placing the first substrate or the edge ring onto the target position; (b) placing a second substrate having a position detection sensor on the fork, and transferring the second substrate to a position directly above or below the target position; (c) detecting an amount of deviation between the first substrate or the edge ring and the target position using the position detection sensor of the second substrate; and (d) correcting transfer position data of the transfer mechanism for the first substrate or the edge ring to be transferred next, based on the detected amount of deviation.

Abstract: A transfer device can have a high durability and no limit in an operation of an arm member. An electrostatic pick 44 of a first transfer device 17 is advanced into a process module 12, and a wafer W is electrostatically attracted to and held on the electrostatic pick 44. While the wafer W is being transferred into a load lock module 14 by driving the first transfer device 17, the electrostatic pick 44 is turned into an electrically floating state, so that a state in which the wafer W is electrostatically attracted to and held on the electrostatic pick 44 is maintained. After the transferring of the wafer W to the load lock module 14 is completed, charges of the electrostatic pick 44 are neutralized, so that the wafer W is not electrostatically attracted to and held on the electrostatic pick 44.

Abstract: This extendable device includes: a base member; a first ball screw that is provided to the base member and that rotates according to a driving force supplied from a drive source; a first movable member that is coupled to the base member via the first ball screw and that moves relative to the base member as the first ball screw rotates; a second ball screw that is provided to the first movable member and that rotates as the first movable member moves; a third ball screw that is provided to the first movable member; a transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation of the second ball screw to the third ball screw; and a second movable member that is coupled to the first movable member via the third ball screw and that moves relative to the first movable member as the third ball screw rotates.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a transfer device, having a first pick configured to hold the substrate, configured to transfer a substrate; a detecting device configured to detect a position of the substrate; a susceptor configured to place the substrate thereon; an elevating device configured to move the substrate up and down; and a control device. The control device comprises an adjuster configured to perform a teaching processing; a detector configured to deliver the substrate from the first pick to the susceptor and from the susceptor to the first pick, and configured to detect a first position of the substrate, which is delivered from the susceptor to the first pick, by the detecting device; and a corrector configured to correct the position of the first pick based on a deviation amount between the first position of the substrate and a reference position.

Abstract: A vacuum transfer module, to which a load-lock module and a plurality of processing modules for processing substrate in a vacuum atmosphere are connected, has therein a substrate transfer unit for transferring the substrate between the load-lock module and the plurality of processing modules. The vacuum transfer module includes: a housing in which a vacuum atmosphere is generated; and a plurality of adaptor attaching portions to which one of a first adaptor for connecting the load-lock module and a second adaptor for connecting the plurality of processing modules is attached, provided at a sidewall of the housing. The adaptor attaching portions are common for the first adaptor and the second adaptor.

Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing apparatus that includes: a polygonal transfer chamber; a process chamber connected to the polygonal transfer chamber via a transfer port through which a substrate is transferred; and a transfer mechanism provided in the polygonal transfer chamber and configured to transfer the substrate between the polygonal transfer chamber and the process chamber via the transfer port, wherein the polygonal transfer chamber and the process chamber have regions overlapping each other when viewed from the top.

Abstract: There is provided a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus including: a stage including a shaft provided to a surface opposite a mounting surface on which a substrate is mounted, and configured to be rotated by a driving force of a motor using the shaft as a rotation axis; a storage part storing a correction information on a rotational angle of the stage for each number of rotations in a plurality of rotations of the stage, the plurality of rotations corresponding to a cycle; and a rotation control part configured to control the motor based on the correction information and control the rotation of the stage.

Abstract: A transfer device can have a high durability and no limit in an operation of an arm member. An electrostatic pick 44 of a first transfer device 17 is advanced into a process module 12, and a wafer W is electrostatically attracted to and held on the electrostatic pick 44. While the wafer W is being transferred into a load lock module 14 by driving the first transfer device 17, the electrostatic pick 44 is turned into an electrically floating state, so that a state in which the wafer W is electrostatically attracted to and held on the electrostatic pick 44 is maintained. After the transferring of the wafer W to the load lock module 14 is completed, charges of the electrostatic pick 44 are neutralized, so that the wafer W is not electrostatically attracted to and held on the electrostatic pick 44.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a transfer device, having a first pick configured to hold the substrate, configured to transfer a substrate; a detecting device configured to detect a position of the substrate; a susceptor configured to place the substrate thereon; an elevating device configured to move the substrate up and down; and a control device. The control device comprises an adjuster configured to perform a teaching processing; a detector configured to deliver the substrate from the first pick to the susceptor and from the susceptor to the first pick, and configured to detect a first position of the substrate, which is delivered from the susceptor to the first pick, by the detecting device; and a corrector configured to correct the position of the first pick based on a deviation amount between the first position of the substrate and a reference position.

Abstract: There is provided a transport apparatus including: an articulated arm including: a first arm in which a drive motor is installed; a second arm configured to be driven by the first arm; a transmission portion configured to convert a rotation of the drive motor into a rotation of the second arm via a joint; a first detector configured to detect a first sensor value corresponding to a rotation angle of an input shaft of the transmission portion; and a second detector configured to detect a second sensor value corresponding to a rotation angle of the second arm; and a controller configured to control the articulated arm, wherein the controller is further configured to control the second arm to a target rotation angle based on the first sensor value and the second sensor value.

Abstract: A transfer device can have a high durability and no limit in an operation of an arm member. An electrostatic pick 44 of a first transfer device 17 is advanced into a process module 12, and a wafer W is electrostatically attracted to and held on the electrostatic pick 44. While the wafer W is being transferred into a load lock module 14 by driving the first transfer device 17, the electrostatic pick 44 is turned into an electrically floating state, so that a state in which the wafer W is electrostatically attracted to and held on the electrostatic pick 44 is maintained. After the transferring of the wafer W to the load lock module 14 is completed, charges of the electrostatic pick 44 are neutralized, so that the wafer W is not electrostatically attracted to and held on the electrostatic pick 44.

Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing apparatus that includes: a polygonal transfer chamber; a process chamber connected to the polygonal transfer chamber via a transfer port through which a substrate is transferred; and a transfer mechanism provided in the polygonal transfer chamber and configured to transfer the substrate between the polygonal transfer chamber and the process chamber via the transfer port, wherein the polygonal transfer chamber and the process chamber have regions overlapping each other when viewed from the top.

Abstract: A vacuum transfer module, to which a load-lock module and a plurality of processing modules for processing substrate in a vacuum atmosphere are connected, has therein a substrate transfer unit for transferring the substrate between the load-lock module and the plurality of processing modules. The vacuum transfer module includes: a housing in which a vacuum atmosphere is generated; and a plurality of adaptor attaching portions to which one of a first adaptor for connecting the load-lock module and a second adaptor for connecting the plurality of processing modules is attached, provided at a sidewall of the housing. The adaptor attaching portions are common for the first adaptor and the second adaptor.