Tokyo Electron Limited

Haruoki Nakamura

Takashi Asakawa

Masayuki Enomoto

Katsuyuki Hishiya

Kiichi Takahashi

In a substrate processing apparatus, before a carrier is carried by a carrier arm, a carrier jig is held by a holding part provided to the carrier arm. First, the carrier arm is actuated to move the holding part of the carrier arm to a preset lowering start position. Then, an image including an opening in a table is taken. Thereafter, a distance between a central position of the opening and a central position of a region of the image is calculated, so as to obtain an amount of horizontal positional shift between the preset lowering start position and an ideal position. The lowering start position of the holding part is corrected by the positional shift as a correction value, whereafter the carrier is placed on the table at the corrected lowering start position.

Method for teaching carrier means, storage medium and substrate processing apparatus

The present invention is intended to achieve more accurate and facilitated positioning of a carrier onto a table, in a substrate processing apparatus configured for placing the carrier storing multiple sheets of wafers therein, on the table, by using a carrier arm. Before the carrier is actually carried by the carrier arm, a carrier jig having the same shape as the carrier is held by a holding part provided to the carrier arm. The carrier jig is provided with a camera, such that a central position of a region of an image taken by the camera will be coincident with a central position of an opening formed in the table, if the carrier jig is accurately located in an ideal position above the table. First, the carrier arm is actuated to move the holding part of the carrier arm to a preset lowering start position. Then, the image of the region including the opening is taken by the camera. Thereafter, a distance between the central position of the opening and the central position of the region of the image taken by the camera is calculated, so as to obtain an amount of a positional shift, in a horizontal direction, between the preset lowering start position and the ideal position. Consequently, the lowering start position of the holding part is corrected, by using the so-obtained amount of the positional shift as a correction value. Finally, the carrier is placed on the table, based on the so-corrected lowering start position.

A workpiece transfer mechanismtransfers workpieces W to a workpiece boathaving ringlike tables. The transfer mechanismincludes a fork main bodybeing movable forward and rearward with the workpiece W placed thereon; stopper membersprovided at the end portion of the fork main body; clamp meansprovided on the proximal end side of the fork main bodyand having a pressing portioncoming into contact with the circumferential edge of the workpiece W and pressing the workpiece W toward the stopper memberfor clamping; and fork elevating meansfor lifting and lowering the fork main body. When the workpieces W are transferred to a workpiece boat, the pressing portionof the clamp meansis controlled so as not to be inserted into a gap between tables. Thus, although the pitch between the tablesis small, the pressing portionof the clamp meansdoes not interfere with the workpiece boat

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Oshu, Japan

Haruoki Nakamura