Patent ID: 8255082
Filing Date: 2012-08-28
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
1. A method for teaching a carrier means, wherein the method is used for a substrate processing apparatus including a table for placing thereon a carrier container storing substrates therein, the carrier means, which has a holding part for holding the carrier container and a drive unit, and is adapted for transferring the carrier container onto the table, a coordinate position monitoring unit adapted for monitoring a coordinate position of the holding part on the coordinates of a drive system, based on an output of an encoder connected with the drive unit of the carrier means, and a carrier control unit adapted for controlling the carrier means, the method comprising the steps of: having the holding part of the carrier means hold a carrier jig, in a predetermined position of the holding part, the carrier jig being provided with an image obtaining means facing downward; having the holding part of the carrier means move to a preset lowering start position, in which the holding part will start to be lowered; and obtaining an image of a marker provided to the table and used for detecting a positional shift, by using the image obtaining means, comparing a position of the marker obtained in a view of the image obtaining means, with the position of the marker in the view of the image obtaining means when the holding part is assumed to be in an ideal position of the lowering start position, calculating a correction amount for the lowering start position, then storing the calculated correction amount in a memory, whereby the preset lowering start position can be corrected with the correction amount, thereby obtaining the coordinate position of the holding part on the coordinates of a drive system, corresponding to the corrected lowering start position of the holding part, wherein the carrier jig is provided with a light radiation part adapted for radiating light onto a region including the marker, and wherein the step of obtaining the image comprises radiating the light onto the region including the marker, so as to obtain an image of a position irradiated with the light in the region including the marker.