APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING SUBSTRATE, SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING SUBSTRATE, AND METHOD OF TRANSPORTING SUBSTRATE

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.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-210561 filed on Dec. 18, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for transporting a substrate, a system for processing a substrate, and a method of transporting a substrate.

BACKGROUND

A transport apparatus for transporting a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer), which is a substrate for manufacturing a semiconductor device, used in production of a semiconductor device is configured such that a fork for holding the wafer is movable. As a technique for adjusting an inclination of the fork, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-61920 proposes a mechanism for adjusting loosely hanging of the fork according to an installation angle.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a technology capable of adjusting an inclination of a fork.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, 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. The inclination adjusting mechanism includes: three support pins provided to support the fork or the wrist part from a lower surface side and disposed at positions at which vertices of a triangle are formed when seen in a plan view, a height adjusting part which changes height positions of upper ends of the three support pins relative to each other, and a pulling pin disposed inside the triangle to maintain a state in which the upper end of each of the support pins and the lower surface of the fork or the wrist part are in contact with each other, and installed to pull the fork toward a support pin side.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of a system for processing a wafer which is a substrate of the present disclosure (hereinafter, referred to as a “processing system”) will be described with reference toFIG. 1.FIG. 1is a schematic plan view illustrating a configuration example of the processing system1. The processing system1includes a load module11which performs loading and unloading of a wafer that is a substrate, a load lock chamber12, a vacuum transport chamber13, and a plurality of, e.g., four, vacuum processing chambers14. The load module11includes an atmospheric transport chamber15in which a wafer is transported by an atmospheric transport mechanism21and includes a plurality of, e.g., four, load ports16to which a container10(for example, front opening unified pod (FOUP)) accommodating a plurality of wafers is connected. Further, for example, two load lock chambers12are connected to the atmospheric transport chamber15, and the wafer is transported between the container10on the load port16and the load lock chamber12by the atmospheric transport mechanism21. InFIG. 1, a symbol GV refers to a gate valve.

The two load lock chambers12are connected to each of the atmospheric transport chamber15and the vacuum transport chamber13, and the inside of the two load lock chambers12is configured to be adjustable between atmospheric pressure atmosphere and vacuum pressure atmosphere. The vacuum transport chamber13is maintained at a predetermined degree of vacuum and includes a vacuum transport mechanism22which transports a wafer between the load lock chamber12and each of the vacuum processing chambers14. The vacuum processing chamber14is a processing chamber which accommodates the wafer therein and processes the wafer and is configured so that the wafer mounted on a mounting table in the vacuum processing chamber14is subjected to processing such as etching or film formation in a vacuum environment. Each of the vacuum processing chambers14may be modules which perform the same process in a manufacturing process or may be modules which perform different processes.

The processing system1includes a control part100which is a computer, and the control part100has a program. This program is stored in a storage medium such as a compact disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a digital versatile disc (DVD) and is installed in the control part100. The control part100outputs a control signal to each of parts of the processing system1using the program and controls an operation of each of parts. Specifically, this program controls operations such as wafer transport by a substrate transport apparatus2described below in the processing system1and vacuum processing for the wafer in each of the vacuum processing chambers14. Then, according to the program, a group of steps is set up so that an operation of adjusting an inclination of the fork of the substrate transport apparatus2described below or teaching can be performed.

A wafer transport path in the processing system1will be briefly described. First, the atmospheric transport mechanism21takes an unprocessed wafer out of the container10connected to the load port16and transports the wafer to the load lock chamber12in an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. Next, after the load lock chamber12is set to a predetermined degree of vacuum, the wafer is unloaded from the load lock chamber12by the vacuum transport mechanism22and transported to a certain vacuum processing chamber14, and the processing of the wafer is performed in the vacuum processing chamber14. Subsequently, the processed wafer is transported from the vacuum processing chamber14to the load lock chamber12set to the degree of vacuum by the vacuum transport mechanism22. When different processes are performed in the plurality of vacuum processing chambers14during the manufacturing process, the wafer may be transported between the plurality of vacuum processing chambers14before being transported to the load lock chamber12. Next, after the inside of the load lock chamber12is adjusted to an atmospheric pressure atmosphere, the wafer in the load lock chamber12is unloaded by the atmospheric transport mechanism21and is transported to the container10connected to the load port16.

The apparatus2for transporting a substrate of the present disclosure (hereinafter, referred to as a “substrate transport apparatus”) is an apparatus which transports a wafer between a wafer mounting position and the vacuum processing chamber14and is configured as at least one of the atmospheric transport mechanism21and the vacuum transport mechanism22. The above-described mounting position is a position at which the wafer before and after being processed in the vacuum processing chamber14is mounted. Therefore, when the substrate transport apparatus2of the present disclosure is the atmospheric transport mechanism21, the above-described mounting position corresponds to a position at which the wafer is transported by the atmospheric transport mechanism21, for example, a position of the container10on the load port16or a wafer mounting position in the load lock chamber12. Further, when the substrate transport apparatus2of the present disclosure is the vacuum transport mechanism22, the above-described mounting position corresponds to a location at which the wafer is transported by the vacuum transport mechanism22, for example, a wafer mounting position in the load lock chamber12or a position on the mounting table in each of the vacuum processing chambers14.

<First Embodiment of Substrate Transport Apparatus>

With reference toFIGS. 2, 3A and 3B, a first embodiment of the substrate transport apparatus2will be described by taking an example case in which the first embodiment is applied to the atmospheric transport mechanism21. The substrate transport apparatus2includes an end effector3, an arm4, and an inclination adjusting mechanism5.

As illustrated in the drawings, the end effector3includes a fork31which holds a wafer, and a wrist part32which holds a proximal end portion of the fork31. The fork31in this example includes, for example, a tip end portion311, which is formed of a plate-like body substantially having a U-shape in a plan view, and a proximal end portion312, which is connected to the wrist part32, and is configured so that the wafer is mounted on the tip end portion311.

The wrist part32is formed of, for example, a rectangular plate-like body, which is made of aluminum, in a plan view and is connected to the fork31in a state in which the proximal end portion312of the fork31is mounted on a stepped part321formed at a tip end thereof The fork31is installed so that the fork31is also horizontal when the wrist part32is horizontal. In this example, the fork31and the wrist part32are made of separate materials, but the fork31and the wrist part32may be integrally formed.

An X direction illustrated inFIGS. 2, 3A and 3Bis a front-rear direction of the end effector3, a Y direction is a left-right direction of the end effector3, the tip end side of the end effector3is the front side, and the proximal end side of the effector3is the rear side. InFIG. 3A, a reference numeral33indicates a roll axis, and a reference numeral34indicates a pitch axis. The roll axis33is a rotation axis when the end effector3is inclined in the left-right direction through the center of each of the fork31and the wrist part32in the left-right direction when the end effector3is seen from the front. The pitch axis34is a rotation axis which is orthogonal to the roll axis33and used when the end effector3is inclined in the front-rear direction.

The arm4includes a mechanism which is installed on the end effector3and moves the fork31. In this example, the arm4has a configuration in which a plurality of arm parts are rotatably connected to each other via a joint part. The plurality of arm parts include a first arm part41, a second arm part42, and a base43. The first arm part41is rotatably supported with respect to the base43via a first joint part44. Further, the second arm part42is rotatably supported with respect to the first arm part41via a second joint part45. Then, the wrist part32of the end effector3is connected to the second arm part42via an inclination adjusting mechanism5and a third joint part46.

Each of the first joint part44, the second joint part45, and the third joint part46includes a rotation mechanism47(in a longitudinally sectional view ofFIG. 2, the rotation mechanism47of the second joint part45and the third joint part46is exemplified). The rotation mechanism47is a mechanism for moving the fork31. The rotation mechanism47will be described by taking an example of the second joint part45, and for example, the rotation mechanism47includes a rotating shaft471connected to a lower surface of the second arm part42, a motor472which is a driving mechanism, and a gear mechanism473which transmits a driving force of the motor472to the rotating shaft471. Due to driving of the motor472in this way, the rotating shaft471rotates around a vertical axis, and the second arm part42is rotatably configured. A similar rotation mechanism is provided in the first joint part44, the first arm part41is rotatably configured, and a similar rotation mechanism47is also provided in the third joint part46, and the end effector3is rotatably configured via the inclination adjusting mechanism5described below. Further, the substrate transport apparatus2includes, for example, an elevating mechanism (not illustrated) which moves the base43upward or downwardso as to move the end effector3upward or downward.

Subsequently, the inclination adjusting mechanism5will be described with reference toFIGS. 3B, 4 and 5. The inclination adjusting mechanism5in this example is installed between the wrist part32and the arm4and adjusts an inclination of the fork31. The inclination adjusting mechanism5is installed so as to support the lower surface of the wrist part32and includes three support pins51,52, and53which are disposed at positions at which vertices of a triangle are formed when seen in a plan view. In this example, when seen in a plan view, one of the support pins51,52, and53is disposed on the roll axis33, and the remaining two support pins52and53are disposed at positions symmetrical with each other in the left-right direction with the roll axis33interposed therebetween. An upper end of each of the support pins51to53is formed, for example, in a substantially hemispherical shape.

As illustrated inFIG. 4, the lower end sides of the support pins52and53are connected to elevating mechanisms521and531. Each of the elevating mechanisms521and531corresponds to a height adjusting part and is configured as, for example, a cylinder motor. In this way, height positions of the upper ends of the three support pins51,52, and53including the fixed support pin51can be changed relative to each other by changing height positions of upper ends of the two support pins52and53disposed on the front side. On the lower surface of the wrist part32supported by the support pins51,52, and53, for example, plate-like constituent members541,542, and543are installed in a region in which the upper ends of the support pins51,52,53are in contact therewith. The constituent members541to543are made of, for example, stainless steel and are configured to be replaceable.

A housing6is installed at the lower side of the wrist part32, and the elevating mechanisms521and531are disposed in the housing6. The housing6constitutes a part of the arm4. A top plate61of the housing6is installed to horizontally face the wrist part32. The support pins52and53connected to the elevating mechanisms521and531are installed to move upward or downward through through holes62and63formed in the top plate61. On the other hand, the support pin51is connected to an upper surface of the top plate61of the housing6and is configured as a fixing pin of which a height position of an upper end does not change.

As described above, in this example, the three support pins51,52, and53are configured of two elevating pins which are movable upward or downward independently of each other by the elevating mechanisms521and531, and one fixing pin of which a height position of an upper end is fixed.

Since the support pin52and the support pin53are installed as the elevating pins, and the support pin51is installed as the fixing pin, the support pins may be referred to as elevating pins52and53and a fixing pin51hereafter.

Further, the inclination adjusting mechanism5includes a pulling pin55. The pulling pin55is installed to pull the fork31toward the support pin51,52, and53in order to maintain a state in which the upper ends of the support pins51,52, and53are in contact with the lower surface of the wrist part32. The pulling pin55is disposed inside a triangle formed by the three support pins51,52, and53when seen in a plan view. In this example, as illustrated inFIGS. 3B and 5, the pulling pin55is disposed at an intersection of the roll axis33and the pitch axis34in a region inside the triangle when seen in a plan view.

The pulling pin55includes a flange-like head part551at an upper end portion. For example, the head part551is configured such that the lower surface side thereof is substantially formed in a hemispherical shape, and a pin extends downward from a lower end of the head part551having the substantially hemispherical shape. On the other hand, in the wrist part32, a through hole322through which the pulling pin55passes is formed in a region facing the second arm part42. Further, an opening part323which is connected to the through hole322and has an upper surface having a substantially hemispherical shape corresponding to a shape of a lower surface of the head part551of the pulling pin55is provided in the wrist part32.

The upper surface of the opening part323is coplanar with an upper surface of the wrist part32which comes into contact with the lower surface of the head part551of the pulling pin55. In this example, a constituent member56in a region with which the pulling pin55comes into contact is made of, for example, stainless steel and is configured to be replaceable. Further, the pulling pin55in this example is configured to be movable upward or downward by an elevating part552so as to change the height position of the upper end of the pulling pin55as the elevating pins52and53move upward or downward. The elevating part552is configured of, for example, a cylinder motor.

The elevating part552is accommodated inside the housing6, and the pulling pin55moves upward or downward through a through hole64of the top plate61of the housing6. Then, the lower surface of the head part551is brought into contact with the upper surface of the opening part323(the upper surface of the wrist part32) formed in the wrist part32, and pulling-down is performed by the elevating part552. Shapes of the head part551and the opening part323are set to be hemispherical so that the pulling-down of the pulling pin55can be performed even in a state in which the lower surface of the wrist part32is inclined with respect to the top plate61of the housing6.

Further, the inclination adjusting mechanism5includes a stretchable bellows65provided to connect the wrist part32to the arm4. As illustrated inFIG. 4, the bellows65of this example is provided between the lower surface of the wrist part32and the top plate61of the housing6to surround a region in which the support pins51to53and the pulling pin55are installed. Since the housing6constitutes a part of the arm4as described above, it can be said that the bellows65is provided to connect the wrist part32to the arm4.

Since a region in which the support pins51to53and the pulling pin55move upward or downward is divided by providing the bellows65in this way, it is possible to prevent particles from being mixed into the region. Further, for example, a component contained in a film formed on a surface of a wafer by a film forming process may react with moisture in the atmospheric transport chamber15and may generate a corrosive gas. Even when such a corrosive gas is generated, the intrusion of the corrosive gas into the region in which the support pin51or the like moves upward ordownward is suppressed, and contact between the support pin51or the like and the corrosive gas can be suppressed.

The substrate transport apparatus2is configured so that the control part100controls a movement operation of the fork31due to the arm4and an operation of adjusting the inclination of the fork31due to the inclination adjustment mechanism5.

Subsequently, the adjustment of the inclination of the fork31due to the inclination adjusting mechanism5will be described with reference toFIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D. In the drawings, the wrist part32and the housing6are simplified.

FIGS. 6A and 6Bshow an example in which the wrist part32rotates around the pitch axis34and the fork31is inclined in the front-rear direction.FIG. 6Ais an example in which the inclination is adjusted so that the height position on the tip end side of the fork31is higher than that on the proximal end side thereof. In this case, the height positions of the upper ends of the elevating pins52and53are set to be arranged with each other at a position higher than the height position of the upper end of the fixing pin51.FIG. 6Bis an example in which the inclination is adjusted so that the height position on the tip end side of the fork31is lower than that on the proximal end side. In this case, the height positions of the upper ends of the elevating pins52and53are set to be arranged with each other at a position lower than the height position of the upper end of the fixing pin51.

FIGS. 6C and 6Dshow an example in which the wrist part32rotates around the roll axis33and the fork31is inclined in the left-right direction.FIG. 6Cis an example in which the inclination is adjusted so that the height position on the left side when seen from the front of the fork31is higher than that on the right side, and in this case, the height position of the upper end of the elevating pin53is set to a position higher than the height position of the upper end of the elevating pin52.FIG. 6Dis an example in which the inclination is adjusted so that the height position on the left side when seen from the front of the fork31is lower than that on the right side, and in this case, the height position of the upper end of the elevating pin53is set to a position lower than the height position of the upper end of the elevating pin52.

Further, the fork31may be inclined diagonally in a direction which is not along the axes34and33by combining the rotation around each of the pitch axis34and the roll axis33.

In the inclination adjusting mechanism5, the elevating pins52and53act as push screws for pushing up the lower surface of the wrist part32upward, and the pulling pin55acts as a pulling screw for pulling the wrist part32toward the elevating pin52and the like. Therefore, when the inclination of the fork31is adjusted by the inclination adjusting mechanism5, the lower surface of the wrist part32is maintained in a state of being in contact with the upper end of each of the elevating pins52and53and the fixing pins51. Therefore, a posture of the fork31after the inclination is adjusted can be stably maintained. Further, as illustrated inFIGS. 6A to 6D, since the upper ends of the elevating pins52and53and the fixing pin51are formed in a substantially hemispherical shape, even when the wrist part32is inclined with respect to the housing6, the state in which the upper ends of the elevating pin52and the like are in contact with the lower surface of the wrist part32can be maintained.

The height position of the pulling pin55changes according to the height position of the elevating pins52and53, and thus even when the height positions of the elevating pins52and53change, the pulling pin55can be pulled downward by the elevating part552. For example, the pulling pin55is configured to be pulled downward by the elevating part552with a constant force so that the upper ends of the elevating pins52and53are always in contact with the lower surface of the wrist part32even when the height positions of the elevating pins52and53change.

Further, the height position of the pulling pin55may be controlled together with the other elevating pins52and53. In this case, for example, corresponding data in which the height position of the upper end of the elevating pins52and53and the height position of the upper end of the pulling pin55corresponding thereto are associated with each other is acquired in advance. Then, when the height positions of the elevating pins52and53are set by the control part100, for example, the elevating part552may be controlled so that the height position of the pulling pin55becomes an appropriate position.

Here, when the lower surface of the wrist part32is inclined from the horizontal due to the adjustment of the inclination of the fork31, the positional relationship between the pulling pin55and the wrist part32changes. Therefore, even when the wrist part32is inclined with respect to the housing6, the wrist part32is pulled downward by forming a contact region between the head part551and the wrist part32in a hemispherical shape and allowing the head part551to move with respect to the opening part323.

In this way, the inclination adjusting mechanism5can adjust the inclination of the fork31around the two axes including the pitch axis34and the roll axis33. Further, since one of the three support pins51to53is the fixing pin51of which a height of the upper end is fixed, the fixing pin51serves as a reference for the height position, and the inclination of the fork31can be easily adjusted.

Other Examples

In the substrate transport apparatus2, as illustrated inFIGS. 7A and 7B, a recess for positioning the support pin may be formed in the lower surface of the wrist part32, and the upper end of the support pin may be configured to be fitted into the recess.FIGS. 7A and 7Bshow an example of the recess formed in the lower surface of the wrist part32. The recesses are formed in a lower surface of each of the constituent members541to543provided in a region of the wrist part32in contact with the upper ends of the support pins51to53.

FIG. 7Ashows an example in which a recess73is formed in a conical shape, and the upper ends57of the support pins51to53are formed in a conical shape to be fitted into the recess73. When the inclination of the fork31is adjusted by the inclination adjusting mechanism5, since the positional relationship between the support pins51to53and the wrist part32changes as described above, shapes of both are set to correspond thereto. In this example, since the support pins51to53are positioned when the support pins51to53come into contact with the wrist part32, position accuracy is improved, and the adjustment of the inclination of the fork31due to the inclination adjusting mechanism5can be reliably performed.

Further,FIG. 7Bshows an example in which a substantially hemispherical recess79is formed and a ball58is provided between the support pins51to53and the recess79. A region59of each of the support pins51to53in contact with the ball58is formed in a spherical shape so as to correspond to the ball58. In this case, since the support pins51to53come into contact with the wrist part32via the ball58, the upper ends of the support pins51to53correspond to the ball58, and the recess79is configured so that the ball58is fitted thereinto. Also in this example, the position accuracy when the support pins51to53come into contact with the wrist part32is improved. Further, since the support pins51to53come into contact with the wrist part32via the rotatable ball58, wear of both can be suppressed as compared with a case in which the recess79and the support pins51to53come into direct contact with each other.

According to the substrate transport apparatus2, in the inclination adjusting mechanism5, the fork31is pulled toward the support pins51to53by the pulling pin55, and the height positions of the upper ends of the support pins51to53are changed relative to each other. Therefore, the inclination of the fork31can be adjusted while the state in which the upper ends of the support pins51to53and the lower surface of the wrist part32are in contact with each other is maintained. As a result, the inclination of the fork31can be adjusted accurately, and the posture of the fork31after the inclination is adjusted can be maintained in a stable state.

In recent years, as a diameter of a semiconductor wafer which is a substrate has increased, the fork31tends to become longer and the inclination (a deflection) of the fork31tends to increase. Further, in order to reduce an occupied area of the processing system1, it is necessary to access wafers stacked in multiple stages at narrow intervals in the vertical direction, and there is an increasing demand for leveling the fork31with higher accuracy than in the past. As described above, since the substrate transport apparatus2of the present disclosure can accurately perform the adjustment of the inclination of the fork31, it can be used even when the fork31has a large inclination, and the fork31can be adjusted horizontally with high accuracy.

Second Embodiment of Substrate Transport Apparatus

Subsequently, with reference toFIG. 8, a second embodiment of the substrate transport apparatus will be described by taking an example case in which the second embodiment is applied to the vacuum transport mechanism22. A substrate transport apparatus2A of this example is configured so that, in the top plate61constituting the housing6, through holes62,63, and64, which are through positions through which the support pins52and53and the pulling pin55pass, are provided with sealing members66(661,662, and663), each of which is, for example, an O-ring. The sealing member66plays a role of separating an internal space of the housing6from the external vacuum atmosphere. The support pins52and53and the pulling pin55are inserted into a vacuum atmosphere region surrounded by bellows65through the top plate61constituting the housing6. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment described above.

According to such a configuration, due to the sealing member66and the bellows65, the elevating mechanisms521and513and the elevating part552are disposed in the housing6separated from the vacuum atmosphere while a region in which the support pins52and53and the pulling pin55move upward or downward are maintained in a vacuum atmosphere. Therefore, compared with a case in which the elevating mechanism521and the like are disposed in the vacuum atmosphere when the inclination of the fork31is adjusted in the vacuum atmosphere, it is not necessary to individually configure the elevating mechanism521and the like for the vacuum atmosphere, and a simple configuration can be achieved.

Third Embodiment of Substrate Transport Apparatus

Subsequently, with reference toFIG. 9, a third embodiment of the substrate transport apparatus will be described by taking an example case in which the third embodiment is applied to the vacuum transport mechanism22. A substrate transport apparatus2B of this example includes a lid member which closes the through hole322of the wrist part32. The through hole322is for the pulling pin55to pass through a wrist part32A, and the lid member is installed at a position above the head part551to close the through hole322. In this example, a member constituting the upper surface of the wrist part32A is installed as a lid member324, and the lower side of the lid member324is a recess35formed in the lower surface of the wrist part32A. The recess35forms the through hole322and also forms an opening part having a shape corresponding to the lower surface of the head part551of the pulling pin55. In this way, the upper side of the head part551can be closed by the lid member324configured as the upper surface of the wrist part32A. With such a configuration, the region surrounded by the bellows65and the internal space of the housing6can be separated from the external vacuum atmosphere. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment described above.

Also in this example, the elevating mechanisms521and531of the support pins52and53and the elevating part552of the pulling pin55are disposed in the housing6separated from the vacuum atmosphere. Therefore, as compared with a case in which the elevating mechanism521and the like are disposed in the vacuum atmosphere when the inclination of the fork31is adjusted in the vacuum atmosphere, the configuration can be simplified. Further, when the bellows65is provided by welding each of the lower surface of the wrist part32and the top plate61of the housing6, an atmosphere having a higher degree of vacuum can be maintained.

Fourth Embodiment of Substrate Transport Apparatus

A fourth embodiment of the substrate transport apparatus will be described with reference toFIG. 10by taking an example case in which the fourth embodiment is applied to the atmospheric transport mechanism21. A substrate transport apparatus2C of this example includes an inclination adjusting mechanism7on the arm part side for adjusting the inclination of the fork31. The inclination adjusting mechanism7on the arm part side adjusts the inclination of the fork31on the tip end side by being connected to one arm part and adjusting the inclination of the other arm part which is disposed closer to the fork31than the one arm part.

Specifically, the substrate transport apparatus2C includes a first arm inclination adjusting mechanism71which adjusts the inclination of the first arm part41, and a second arm inclination adjusting mechanism72which adjusts the inclination of the second arm part42. Further, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the base43constituting a part of the arm4also constitutes an arm part to which the first arm part41is rotatably connected via the first joint part44.

At this time, the first arm inclination adjusting mechanism71is connected to the base43forming one arm part via the first joint part44, and the inclination of the fork31is adjusted by adjusting the inclination of the first arm part41which is the other arm part. The second arm inclination adjusting mechanism72is connected to the first arm part41forming one arm part via the second joint part45, and the inclination of the fork31is adjusted by adjusting the inclination of the second arm part42which is the other arm part.

The first arm inclination adjusting mechanism71and the second arm inclination adjusting mechanism72are configured in the same manner as the inclination adjusting mechanism5. As illustrated inFIG. 10with an example of the second arm inclination adjusting mechanism72, the second arm part42which is the other arm part is provided to support the lower surface of the second arm part42, and three arm support pins731to733, each of which is disposed at a position at which an apex of a triangle is formed in a plan view, are included. The three arm part support pins731to733are configured so that the height positions of upper ends thereof can be changed relative to each other by the elevating mechanism74forming an arm part height adjusting part. In this example, one of the three arm part support pins731to733is installed as an arm part fixing pin731of which a height position of an upper end does not change. Further, an arm part pulling pin75is disposed inside the triangle. In order to maintain a state in which the upper ends of the three arm part support pins731to733and the lower surface of the second arm part42are in contact with each other, the arm part pulling pin75is provided to pull the second arm part42toward the arm part support pins731to733.

A shape of the head part751at the upper end of the arm part pulling pin75and a shape of the constituent member421installed on the second arm part42side and in contact with the lower surface of the head part751of the arm part pulling pin75are the same as that of the pulling pin55of the first embodiment. Further, inFIG. 10, a reference numeral76indicates an elevating part which changes the height position of the upper end of the arm part pulling pin75, a reference numeral77indicates a housing, a reference numeral78indicates a bellows, which are configured in the same manner as the elevating part552, the housing6, and the bellows65of the first embodiment.

According to such a configuration, the adjustment of the inclination of the fork31can be performed by the inclination adjusting mechanism5and the inclination adjusting mechanism7of the arm part. Therefore, an amount of adjustment can be reduced to easily perform the adjustment by adusting the inclination of the entire arm4with the inclination adjusting mechanism7of the arm part and adjusting the inclination of the fork31with the inclination adjusting mechanism5. Further, even when the fork31has a large inclination, it is possible to divide the roles such as performing rough adjustment on the arm part side and performing fine adjustment on the fork31side by bearing a part of the amount of adjustment on the arm4side. The inclination adjusting mechanism7of the arm part may have a configuration in which at least one of the first arm inclination adjusting mechanism71and the second arm inclination adjusting mechanism72is provided.

Fifth Embodiment of Substrate Transport Apparatus

A fifth embodiment of the substrate transport apparatus will be described with reference toFIG. 11with respect to differences from the above-described embodiment. In this example, in a substrate transport mechanism2D in which a plurality of end effectors, for example, two, are provided, the inclination adjusting mechanism5is provided between a wrist part32C of an effector3C on the lower end side and the arm4(the second arm part42in this example). Each of the effectors3B and3C on the upper and lower end sides is configured in the same manner as the end effector3of the first embodiment, and a wrist part32B of the effector3B on the upper end side is provided on the wrist part32C of the effector3C on the lower end side. The inclination adjusting mechanism5and other constituent members are configured in the same manner as in the above-described first embodiment.

In this configuration, the inclination of the fork31on the lower side can be adjusted from the inclination adjusting mechanism5via the wrist part32C on the lower side. Further, the inclination of the wrist part32B is adjusted by the inclination adjusting mechanism5via the wrist part32C on the lower side, and thus the inclination of the fork31on the upper side can be adjusted at the same time.

Sixth Embodiment of Substrate Transport Apparatus

A sixth embodiment of the substrate transport apparatus will be described with reference toFIGS. 12 and 13with respect to the differences from the above-described embodiment. In a substrate transport apparatus2E of this example, the inclination adjusting mechanism8is configured so that the three support pins81,82, and83can movae upward or downward independently of each other by elevating mechanisms811,821, and831forming the height adjusting part. Further, a pulling pin84is configured as a fixing pin of which a height position of an upper end is fixed and is installed to be fixed to the upper surface of the top plate61of the housing6, for example. This embodiment is configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment except that the support pins81to83are movable upward or downward, and the height of the upper end of the pulling pin84is fixed.

In this configuration, the wrist part32rotates around the pitch axis34, and the inclination of the fork31in the front-rear direction can be adjusted by aligning the height positions of the upper ends of the support pins82and83and changing these height positions relative to the height positions of the upper ends of the support pins81. Further, the wrist part32rotates around the roll axis33, and the inclination of the fork31in the left - right direction can be adjusted, for example, by setting the height position of the upper end of the support pin81to a position when the wrist part32is horizontal and changing the height position of the upper ends of the support pins82and83relatively.

<Control Part of Substrate Transport Apparatus>

Next, a case in which teaching is performed using the substrate transport apparatus2will be described. As described above, since the inclination of the fork31increases as the diameter of the wafer increases, and in the substrate transport apparatus2using an articulated arm, the inclination of the fork31changes according to the posture, it is required to adjust the inclination according to the posture of the fork31during transportation. Further, when the wafer is delivered, the fork31needs to be horizontal, and in order to transport the wafer at high speed and to improve throughput, teaching to make the fork31horizontal is required.

In performing such teaching, the control part100is configured to be able to acquire inclinantion data indicating a direction and magnitude of the inclination from a basic posture from a sensor substrate8described below. Then, the control part100is configured to control the inclination adjusting mechanism5to offset the inclination of the fork31, when the wafer is transported, based on a result of transporting the sensor substrate8from a wafer transport source to a transport destination and acquiring the inclination data. Further, due to use of the sensor substrate8, it is possible to identify deviation between a position of the sensor substrate8grasped by the control part100and an actual position of the sensor substrate8and to perform control to offset the deviation. Delivery of data between the sensor substrate8and the control part100is performed using, for example, wireless communication.

The sensor substrate8is a substrate including an acceleration sensor81which is configured to be transportable in a state of being held by the fork31and detects the direction and magnitude of inclination from the basic posture. As illustrated inFIG. 14, the sensor substrate8is formed in a shape similar to, for example, a wafer, and the acceleration sensor81is provided thereon. As the acceleration sensor81, for example, a configuration described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-264053 is adopted, for example, a movable structure part which is movable in a three-dimensional direction is included, and a change in stress corresponding to movement of the movable structure part is detected as a change in resistance.

Then, the acceleration sensor81detects components of an acceleration acting on the acceleration sensor81in X, Y, and Z axis directions and outputs the components to the control part100. From the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor81, it is possible to detect each vector component of a gravitational acceleration generated by the inclination from the basic posture and to obtain the inclination data indicating the direction and magnitude of the inclination from the basic attitude. The basic posture is a posture of the fork31which is horizontal in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, and when the acceleration sensor81is mounted on the fork31in this posture, the posture of the acceleration sensor81becomes the basic posture. Therefore, the inclination data acquired by the sensor substrate8indicates the direction and magnitude of the inclination of the fork31from the basic posture.

Further, from the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor81, it is possible to obtain acceleration data indicating the direction and magnitude in which an inertial force is applied as the sensor substrate8moves. Position data of the sensor substrate8can be obtained from the above acceleration data. The position data is, for example, positions of the sensor substrate8transported by the fork31in the X, Y, and Z axis directions. The position data can be grasped by obtaining a moving speed based on the acceleration data acting in each axial direction and integrating the moving speed over time.

For example, in the inclination data, regarding the inclination and magnitude in the front-rear direction around the pitch axis34, the inclination is set as “0” in the basic posture (the horizontal), the inclination in which the forward direction is lowered is set as a positive inclination, and the inclination in which the forward direction is raised is set as a negative inclination. Further, regarding the inclination and magnitude in the left-right direction aroud the roll axis33, the inclination is set as “0” in the basic posture, the inclination in which the left direction is lowered is set as a negative inclination, and the inclination in which the left direction is raised is set as a positive inclination. The direction of each of the inclinations is also illustrated inFIGS. 3A, 5 and 13.

FIRST EXAMPLE OF TEACHING

Subsequently, a first example of teaching performed in a state in which the sensor substrate8is mounted on the substrate transport apparatus2of the present disclosure will be described. This teaching is for moving the fork31along a preset transport path while the basic posture (the horizontal) is maintained when the wafer is transported from the transport source to the transport destination. The teaching is performed, for example, at the time of starting up the apparatus or after maintenance is completed. In this teaching, the sensor substrate8including, for example, the acceleration sensor81has the same load as the wafer.

In the following example, a case in which a step of holding the sensor substrate8with the fork31, transporting the sensor substrate8with the atmospheric transport mechanism21which is the substrate transport apparatus2, and acquiring the inclination data is performed will be described. As the transport path, a case in which the wafer is transported from the container10of the load port16which is the transport source of the wafer to the load lock chamber12which is the transport destination will be described. In addition, a step of setting the transport source of the wafer to the load lock chamber12, transporting the sensor substrate8with the vacuum transport mechanism22which is the substrate transport apparatus2to the transport destination, for example, one of the vacuum processing chambers14, and acquiring the inclination data may be performed. In this step, for example, the atmospheric transport mechanism21takes the sensor substrate8out of the container10and transports the sensor substrate8from the transport source to the transport destination at a preset height position in a state in which the sensor substrate8is mounted on the fork31. At this time, the sensor substrate8constantly detects the acceleration acting on the sensor substrate8and outputs the acceleration to the control part100.

Then, the control part100obtains the above-described inclination data, acceleration data, and position data based on the acceleration obtained from the sensor substrate8and acting in each direction. After that, a step of controlling the inclination adjusting mechanism5is performed to offset the inclination of the fork31when the wafer is transported. The deviation between the position on the transport path (hereinafter, it may be referred to as a “transport position”) grasped by the control part100and the actual position data is offset by controlling the rotation mechanism47of the fork31and the arm4and the elevating mechanism and the moving mechanism of the base43.

An example of control of the inclination adjusting mechanism5will be described. For example, the control part100acquires the inclination data acquired from the sensor substrate8in association with position information of the sensor substrate8held by the atmospheric transport mechanism21. As described above, the position of the sensor substrate8can be identified by the position information for performing the transport control of the atmospheric transport mechanism21by the control part100and the position data acquired using the acceleration sensor81.

Further, here, when the arm4and the fork31are inclined, the sensor substrate8may not reach a preset height position even though the base43is raised to the preset height position. In this case, deviation occurs between the position information related to the transport control of the atmospheric transport mechanism21and the position data grasped by the acceleration sensor81. Therefore, in this teaching, this deviation is grasped and used for correction of the position information related to the transport control.

The position information on the control part100side is grasped based on an expansion and contraction amount and a rotation amount of the arm4and the fork31, and an elevating amount and a movement amount of the base43. The inclination data and the position data obtained by the sensor substrate8are associated with the transport position identified by the control part100. From the inclination data, it is possible to grasp the direction and magnitude of the inclination of the fork31from the basic posture at each position on the transport path. Further, the actual position of the sensor substrate8held by the fork31is obtained based on the position data of the sensor substrate8. Then, at each transport position, the direction and magnitude of the inclination of the fork31at that position and the direction and amount of deviation between the actual position of the sensor substrate8and the transport position grasped by the control part100are identified. After that, the inclination and the amount of deviation of the transport position are offset, and correction data in which the fork31has the basic posture at a correct transport position is created.

As described above, the control part100has acquired the inclination data capable of identifying the direction and magnitude of the inclination with respect to the inclination in the front-rear direction. Therefore, correction data for performing control so that an amount of correction of the inclination is equal to the magnitude of the inclination and a correction direction is controlled to be opposite to the inclination data is created. Similarly, the control part100acquires the inclination data capable of identifying the direction and magnitude of the inclination even with respect to the inclination in the left-right direction. Then, the correction data in which the amount of correction of the inclination is equal to the magnitude of the inclination and the correction direction is controlled to be opposite to the inclination data is created. In this way, the correction data of the inclination adjusting mechanism5at each transport position is created.

Further, with respect to the deviation between the transport position grasped by the control part100and the position data of the sensor substrate8, correction data which offsets the deviation is created.

As an example, a case in which bending (loosely hanging) of each of the arms4toward the fork31side occurs due to a load of the sensor substrate8when the arm4is extended will be described. In this case, it is not always possible to correct deviation of a holding height of the wafer due to the bending of the arm4only by adjusting the pitch direction with the inclination adjusting mechanism5. Therefore, the correction data is creataed so that the fork31is adjusted to be horizontal by the inclination adjusting mechanism5and a height of the fork31in the Z-axis direction is corrected by the elevating mechanism of the base43, as described above.

Subsequently, in order to confirm a result of the above-described correction, while the sensor substrate8is held by the fork31of the atmospheric transport mechanism21, and the inclination adjusting mechanism5and the like are controlled based on the created correction data, the sensor substrate8is transported from the transport source (the container10) to the transport destination (the load lock chamber12). Then, at each transport position, it is confirmed that the inclination in each of the roll direction and the pitch direction is within an allowable inclination range and the fork31is substantially in the basic posture (the horizontal), and then the teaching is completed.

In this example, the control of the inclination adjusting mechanism5is performed based on the inclination data of the fork31acquired by transporting the sensor substrate8from the transport source of the wafer to the transport destination. Therefore, the inclination of the fork31can be grasped even in the posture in which the substrate transport apparatus2is transporting the wafer. Then, since the control of the inclination adjusting mechanism5is performed to offset the inclination of the fork31when the wafer is transported, the teaching for all postures when the wafer is transported can be performed by a simple method.

In this teaching, the inclination of the fork31around the pitch axis34and the inclination thereof around the roll axis33may also be adjusted by the inclination adjusting mechanism5.

Further, in this teaching, position deviation from the position information on the transport path obtained from the control part100is grasped based on the position data of the sensor substrate8. Then, the elevating mechanism of the arm4and the base43of the substrate transport apparatus2is controlled to offset the position deviation. Thus, even when the arm4is bent by a load of the wafer having the same load as the sensor substrate8, the wafer can be transported along the preset transport path. Therefore, it is possible to prevent occurrence of problems such as the wafer coming into contact with other parts due to the occurrence of bending and thus transport along a path deviating from the correct transport path.

Further, since the teaching can be performed by transporting the sensor substrate8, time required for the teaching can be shortened. Further, when a worker performs the teaching, the teaching may not be performed in a narrow space in the processing system1in which the worker cannot enter. On the other hand, according to the method of this example, since the teaching can be performed by the substrate transport mechanism2D holding and transporting the sensor substrate8, the teaching can be performed for all paths for transporting the wafer.

SECOND EXAMPLE OF TEACHING

Further, the control part100may be configured to correct an amount of offset of the inclination of the fork31according to a load of the wafer or other objects to be transported based on the inclination data acquired using the sensor substrate8as described above. In the following description, for example, it is assumed that the sensor substrate8with the acceleration sensor81is configured as a substrate which is heavier than the wafer.

In this case, teaching is performed at least twice by changing the load of the object to be transported. For example, in the first teaching, the sensor substrate8is mounted on the fork31and transported from the transport source to the transport destination, and the acceleration data and the inclination data are acquired from the sensor substrate8in the same manner as in the above-described first example. The position data of the sensor substrate8can be acquired from the acceleration data. Then, the acceleration data, the inclination data, and the position data are associated with the position information of the sensor substrate8. Here, the point that the position information of the sensor substrate8is obtained from the control part100, and as described above, the position information, can be grasped based on the expansion and contraction amount and rotation amount of the arm4and the fork31, and the elevating amount and movement amount of the base43is the same as in the first example. Next, the second teaching is performed by the same method as the first teaching except that the sensor substrate8on which a weight is mounted is held by the fork31. As a result, the acceleration data, the inclination data, and the position data can be associated with the position information of the sensor substrate8under a condition in which the load of the object to be transported is different from that in the first time.

FIG. 15shows the inclination data with respect to the inclination in the pitch direction acquired in the above-described two teachings. InFIG. 15, a horizontal axis represents a distance (a transport position) from a postion of the transport destination (a start position) along the transport path, and a vertical axis represents the inclination in the pitch direction. InFIG. 15, a solid line is inclination data D1acquired using the sensor substrate8, and an alternate long and short dash line is inclination data D2acquired using the sensor substrate8on which a weight is mounted.

The inclination in the pitch direction is a direction in which the tip end of the fork31hangs loosely in a plus (+) direction, and as a value becomes larger, the loosely hanging increases. For example, the loosely hanging of the fork31tends to increase when the arm4is extended and decreases when the arm4is retracted. Further, fromFIG. 5, it can be seen that when the load of the object to be transported is large, the loosely hanging tends to be large, and when the load is small, the loosely hanging tends to be small.

FIG. 15is data for convenience of explanation and does not show a change of state of the loosely hanging which occurs in the actual fork31.

As described above, although there is a correlation between the load of the object to be transported mounted on the fork31and the inclination data, and the inclination direction of the fork31is the same at each transport position, as described above, as the load of the object to be transported becomes heavier, the inclination tends to increase. Therefore, the relationship between the load and the inclination data can be grasped by acquiring the inclination data when the sensor substrate8is transported and when the sensor substrate8on which the weight is mounted is transported. Thus, it is possible to acquire an estimated value of the inclination data of the fork31according to the load of the object to be transported which has a weight different from that of the sensor substrate8.

InFIG. 15, a dotted line D3is an estimated value of the inclination data of the wafer lighter than the sensor substrate8, and a dashed line D4is an estimated value of the inclination data of the object to be transported which is heavier than the sensor substrate8. An example of the object to be transported, which is heavier than the sensor substrate8, is a case in which a replacement member such as a focus ring installed on a mounting table of the vacuum processing chamber14is transported by the substrate transport apparatus2.

Then, the control part100is configured to correct the amount of offset of the inclination of the fork31due to the inclination adjusting mechanism5based on the inclination data acquired according to the load of the object to be transported. The correction of the amount of offset of the inclination of the fork31can be performed, for example, by obtaining the amount of offset of the inclination of the fork due to the inclination adjusting mechanism5when the object to be transported is transported based on the estimated value of the inclination data.

For example, a case is considered in which an inclination θ in the pitch direction in the two acquired inclination data D1and D2changes linearly according to a load w of the object to be transported. For example, the load of the sensor substrate8is W1, a load of the weight is W, the inclination of the inclination data D1at a certain transport position is θ (D1), and the inclination of the inclination data D2is θ (D2). In this case, the inclination0of the fork31at a desired transport position when the object to be transported is transported can be expressed by the following Equation (1).

The control part100creates correction data for the posture of the fork31to offset the inclination θ estimated by the above-described method. Here, the example in which the inclination in the pitch direction is adjusted has been described, but regarding the inclination in the roll direction, the inclination of the fork31can also be corrected by the inclination adjusting mechanism5according to the load of the object to be transported.

Next, a method of correcting the position deviation from the position information on the transport path obtained from the control part100based on the position data obtained by the above-described two teachings will be described. For example, when an output of a motor of the rotation mechanism47for driving the arm4, the elevating mechanism of the base43, and the moving mechanism is constant, as the load of the object to be transported is heavier, the acceleration acting on the object to be transported descreases. Therefore, it is possible to grasp correspondence relationship between the load of the object to be transported and the acceleration acting on the object to be transported from the two teachings. Thus, even when the actual load of the object to be transported is different from a load at the time of the two teachings, the acceleration data acting on the object to be transported can be estimated at each transport position. For example, the estimated value of the acceleration data can be obtained by interpolation and extrapolation from a change of the correspondence relationship at the time of the teaching.

Once the estimated value of the acceleration data is obtained, the position data can be estimated by obtaining a moving speed of the object to be transported and integrating the moving speed over time. Then, the point that the direction and amount of deviation between the transport position grasped by the control part100and the position data of the object to be transported is identified and the correction data is created to offset the deviation is the same as the teaching according to the first example.

According to the second example, even when the inclination data is not acquired using the sensor substrate8having the same load as the object to be transported, the amount of offset of the inclination of the fork31due to the inclination adjusting mechanism5can be grasped, and the teaching can be easily performed.

<Example of Wafer Transport Method>

This example is performed to suppress the movement of the wafer from a preset holding position due to the inertial force acting on the wafer when the wafer held by the fork31is moved in a transverse direction. The transverse direction means a horizontal direction and includes both the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. In this example, the control part100is configured to control the fork31to be inclined by the inclination adjusting mechanism5so that the height position of the wafer on the front end side is lower than the height position thereof on the rear end side when seen in a transport direction of the wafer.

As illustrated inFIG. 16A, when the wafer is held by the fork31and the arm4is advanced forward, acceleration may be applied to the wafer, an inertial force may act, and thus the wafer may move rearward from a holding position. In such a case, as illustrated inFIG. 16B, the fork31is controlled to be inclined by the inclination adjusting mechanism5so that the height position of the wafer on the front end side is lower than the height position thereof on the rear end side. When the fork31is inclined in this way, the inertial force which tries to move rearward becomes a force which pushes the wafer against the fork31, and the movement from the holding position can be suppressed even when acceleration is applied to the wafer. In this example, when the fork31holding the wafer is moved in a state in which acceleration is applied, an amount of inclination of the fork31which suppresses the movement from the holding position to the rear is grasped by a preliminary experiment or the like. Then, data corresponding to the acceleration, the position to which the acceleration is applied, and the amount of inclination may be acquired, and based on this data, the fork31may be controlled to be inclined by the inclination adjusting mechanism5at a position at which acceleration which may cause the wafer to move is added.

Further, for example, when the wafer is held by the fork31and the arm4is retracted rearward, the wafer may move forward from the holding position due to the inertial force. Therefore, in order to suppress this, the control part100is configured to control the fork31to be inclined by the inclination adjusting mechanism5so that the height position of the wafer on the front end side is higher than the height position thereof on the rear end side. In this way, by inclining the fork31so that a direction in which the wafer moves is higher due to the inertial force, it is possible to make the wafer difficult to move forward and to suppress the movement of the wafer from the holding position.

Further, for example, when the wafer is held by the fork31and the arm4is turned, the wafer may move from the holding position in a direction opposite to a turning direction due to the inertial force. In order to suppress this, the control part100is configured to control the fork31to be inclined in the left-right direction by the inclination adjusting mechanism5so that the height position on the front end side in the turning direction is lower than the height position on the rear end side when seen in the transport direction (the turning direction) of the wafer.

In recent years, a rear surface of a wafer may be held by ceramics as a measure against particle contamination and organic pollution on the transport and a measure for transporting a high-temperature wafer. However, in this configuration, the wafer is slippery, and it is difficult to transport the wafer at high speed.

On the other hand, in this example, the fork31is controlled to be inclined by the inclination adjusting mechanism5in order to suppress the movement of the wafer on the fork31due to the inertial force. Therefore, even when the transport speed of the wafer is increased and a large inertial force is applied to the wafer, the movement of the wafer due to the inertial force can be suppressed, and the transport accuracy is improved. Thus, the wafer transport at high speed can be realized, which is advantageous in improving throughput.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the inclination adjusting mechanism may be installed between the fork and the wrist part in the substrate transport apparatus. In this case, the support pin is installed to support the fork from the lower surface side. Further, when the pulling pin includes a head part which spreads like a flange, the pulling pin is to pass through the fork which faces the wrist part and to bring the lower surface of the head part into contact with the upper surface of the fork to pull the head part downward. Further, as illustrated inFIGS. 7A and 7B, when the recess for positioning the support pin is provided, it is installed on the lower surface of the fork, and the bellows is installed to connect the fork to the wrist part.

Further, the support pins may be disposed at positions at which vertices of a triangle are formed when seen in a plan view, and the pulling pin may be disposed inside the triangle. In the above-described example, the case in which the fixed pin is disposed on the roll axis when seen in a plan view and the pulling pin is disposed on a point on which the roll axis and the pitch axis intersect when seen in a plan view is described, but the present disclosure is not limited to such an arrangement. For example, the pulling pin may be disposed on the point on which the roll axis and the pitch axis intersect when seen in a plan view, and the three support pins may be disposed at positions deviated from a direction along the roll axis when seen in a plan view. Further, all of the support pins and the pulling pin may be disosed at positions deviated from the directions along the roll axis and the pitch axis when seen in a plan view. In addition, in a case in which that there are four or more support pins, when there is an arrangement relationship in which there are support pins which are disposed at positions at which vertices of a triangle are formed when seen in a plan view, and the pulling pin is in the triangle, it is within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

Further, in the above-described example, the pulling pin is configured to change the height position of the upper end thereof by the elevating part, but the pulling pin may be configured to be pulled toward the support pin side by a spring. Further, instead of the example in which the lower surface of the head part of the pulling pin is formed in a spherical shape, the lower surface of the head part may be formed in a conical shape, and a curved surface which receives the conical lower surface of the head part may be formed in the wrist part.

In addition, the arm may include one arm part, and the shape of the fork is not limited to the U-shape in a plan view. Further, it is not essential to provide a rotation mechanism between the end effector and the arm part. Furthermore, when the substrate transport apparatus is an atmospheric transport mechanism and the influence of particle contamination is small, it is not essential to provide a bellows which connects the fork to the wrist part or connects the wrist part to the arm. Further, the above-described embodiments may be configured in combination with each other.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and should be considered as being not restrictive. Some of the above embodiments may be omitted, replaced, or modified in various forms without departing from the scope of the appended claims and the gist thereof