Patent ID: 9728434
Date: 2017-08-08
CPC Classifications: B65G,H01L

Claim:
1. A substrate processing apparatus arranged to perform given processing on substrates, comprising: a storage device in and from which a substrate storing container storing a plurality of said substrates is carried; a main body arranged to take out the substrates from the substrate storing container carried in the storage device, perform the given processing on the taken out substrates, and store the substrates after the processing in the substrate storing container; and a controller arranged to control an operation of the storage device, wherein the storage device includes: a plurality of platforms on which the substrate storing container is to be placed; and a transport device arranged to transport the substrate storing container among the plurality of platforms, the transport device includes first and second holders configured to be capable of holding an upper portion of the substrate storing container and moving independently from each other among the plurality of platforms, the second holder is provided below the first holder, and the controller sets a distance in a vertical direction between the first holder and the second holder to be larger than a height of the substrate storing container such that the substrate storing container held by the first holder is positioned between the first holder and the second holder when the substrate storing container is transferred between the first holder and any of the plurality of platforms, and sets the distance in the vertical direction between the first holder and the second holder to be smaller than the height of the substrate storing container when the substrate storing container is transferred between the second holder and a platform arranged at a highest position; wherein the plurality of platforms are arranged to line up in a horizontal direction, and the transport device further includes: a horizontal moving mechanism arranged to move the first and second holders in the horizontal direction in which the plurality of platforms line up; and a vertical moving mechanism arranged to move the first and second holders independently from each other in a vertical direction; wherein the vertical moving mechanism includes: a support body arranged to support the first and second holders such that the first and second holders can move in the vertical direction; a support body vertical moving mechanism arranged to move the support body in the vertical direction; and first and second holder moving mechanisms arranged to move the first and second holders, respectively, relative to the support body in the vertical direction, and the horizontal moving mechanism moves the support body in the direction in which the plurality of platforms line up; and wherein the support body includes first and second support members provided at a distance from each other in the horizontal direction and provided to extend in the vertical direction, the first holder moving mechanism moves the first holder along the first support member, the second holder moving mechanism moves the second holder along the second support member, and the first and second holders are configured to be capable of advancing/retreating between a position sandwiched by the first and second support members and each of positions of the plurality of platforms.