Patent ID: 7105847
Filing Date: 2006-09-12
Classification: H01L,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A detecting device for detecting presence or absence of multiple substrates to be processed and detecting end positions of the multiple substrates, wherein the substrates are stacked along a substrate stacking direction at different support levels in a cassette while being disposed substantially parallel to each other, comprising: a pair of arms configured to be inserted into the cassette with one of the substrates disposed between them; an optical sensor having a light emitting unit placed in one arm of the pair of arms and a light receiving unit placed in the other arm of the pair of arms, the optical sensor detecting presence of a light blocking object in a path of a light beam irradiated from the light emitting unit to the light receiving unit in a first direction substantially parallel to the substrates; a driving section for moving the pair of arms along the substrate stacking direction and a second direction substantially parallel to the substrates and substantially normal to the first direction; a controller for controlling the driving section, to perform a scanning operation for scanning the light beam, wherein the scanning operation is carried out by moving the pair of arms while being inserted in the cassette, and wherein during the scanning operation ,the pair of arms are scanned along the substrate stacking direction at each of two or more scanning positions spaced apart in the second direction; and an operation unit for determining the presence or absence of the substrates in the cassette and the end positions of the substrates based on data obtained by the scanning operation.