Patent Publication Number: US-2020286752-A1

Title: Container, container partition plate, substrate processing system, and substrate tranfer method

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-041408, filed on Mar. 7, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a container, a partition plate of the container, a system for processing a substrate, and a method of transferring the substrate. 
     BACKGROUND 
     There is known a system in which a carrier accommodating a substrate (e.g., a semiconductor substrate, hereinafter also referred to as “wafer”) is disposed near a substrate processing apparatus and the substrate is automatically transferred from the carrier (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-168715). In addition, it is suggested to use a robot used for loading and unloading a wafer into and from a substrate processing apparatus to also load, unload, and replace a consumable (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-98540). 
     In view of the above, the present disclosure provides a technique capable of preventing the erroneous transfer of a substrate and a consumable. 
     SUMMARY 
     In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a container for consumables, including: multiple holding portions configured to respectively accommodate the consumables, each of which is loaded and unloaded in one direction; a partition plate including a first portion formed to be disposed between a light emitting part and a light receiving part of a detector, the partition plate being accommodated in one of the multiple holding portions; and a fixer configured to fix the container so that the consumables are arranged on a transfer path to be loaded into and unloaded from the multiple holding portions. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The objects and features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of embodiments, given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  schematically shows a system for processing a substrate according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  schematically shows an example of a container according to the embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  schematically shows an example of a partition plate according to the embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  shows a state in which a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP) for wafer is installed at the system according to the embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  shows a state in which wafers are disposed in slots of the FOUP for wafer; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic perspective view of a second transfer mechanism; 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic front view of the second transfer mechanism; and 
         FIG. 8  is a flowchart showing an example of a sequence of a method of transferring the substrate according to the embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the following embodiments are not intended to limit the present disclosure. The following embodiments may be appropriately combined without contradicting processing contents. 
     (System 1 for Processing a Substrate According to Embodiment) 
       FIG. 1  schematically shows a system for processing a substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as system) according to an embodiment. The system 1 includes a plurality of vacuum processing chambers (also referred to as “processing modules”) PMs (PM 1  to PM 8 ), a vacuum transfer chamber  10 , and an atmospheric pressure transfer chamber  20 . The system 1 further includes at least two load-lock modules LLMs (LLM 1  and LLM 2 ), a plurality of load ports LPs (LP 1  to LP 5 ), an aligner AU, and a controller  30 . The number of the vacuum processing chambers PMs, the number of the load-lock modules LLMs, and the number of the load ports LPs of the system 1 are examples and should not be limited to the illustrated numbers in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 1  illustrates eight processing modules PM 1  to PM 8 , two load-lock modules LLM 1  and LLM 2 , and five load ports LP 1  to LP 5 . Hereinafter, the eight processing modules PM 1  to PM 8  will be collectively referred to as “processing modules PM” unless otherwise stated. Similarly, the two load-lock modules LLM 1  and LLM 2  will be collectively referred to as “load-lock modules LLM.” Similarly, the five load ports LP 1  to LP 5  will be collectively referred to as “load ports LP.” The system 1 of the present embodiment includes at least two load-lock modules LLM. 
     In the processing module PM, a wafer W is processed under a reduced atmosphere. The processing module PM performs a variety of treatments such as etching and formation of films, for example. The processing module PM includes a table for supporting the wafer W and an edge ring ER disposed on the table to surround the wafer W. The processing module PM is maintained in a reduced atmosphere during the treatment of the wafer W. Each processing module PM is connected to the vacuum transfer chamber  10  through a gate valve GV. 
     The inside of the vacuum transfer chamber  10  can be maintained in a reduced atmosphere. The wafer W is transferred to each processing module through the vacuum transfer chamber  10 . A wafer W processed in one processing module PM can be transferred to a subsequent processing module PM for performing subsequent processing through the vacuum transfer chamber  10 . The wafer W that has been subjected to all of the processing is transferred to the load-lock module LLM through the vacuum transfer chamber  10 . 
     A first transfer mechanism  15  for transferring the wafer W and the edge ring ER is disposed in the vacuum transfer chamber  10 . The first transfer mechanism  15  transfers the wafer W and the edge ring ER between the processing modules PM 1  to PM 8  and the load-lock modules LLM 1  and LLM 2 . 
     Each load-lock module LLM includes a table and support pins for raising and lowering the wafer W and the edge ring ER. An inner atmosphere of the load-lock module LLM can be switched between an atmospheric atmosphere and a reduced atmosphere. The load-lock modules LLMs are disposed side by side along one side of the vacuum transfer chamber  10  where the processing modules PM are not disposed. The load-lock modules LLMs and the vacuum transfer chamber  10  communicate with each other through gate valves GV. The load-lock modules LLMs are connected to the atmospheric pressure transfer chamber  20  on the side remote from the vacuum transfer chamber  10 . The load-lock modules LLMs and the atmospheric pressure transfer chamber  20  communicate with each other through gate valves G. 
     The atmospheric pressure transfer chamber  20  is maintained in an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. The load-lock modules LLMs are disposed along one longitudinal side of the atmospheric pressure transfer chamber  20 . The load ports LPs are disposed along the other longitudinal side of the atmospheric pressure transfer chamber  20 . A second transfer mechanism  25  for transferring a transfer object between the load-lock modules LLMs and the load ports LPs is disposed in the atmospheric pressure transfer chamber  20 . The second transfer mechanism  25  has an arm  25   a . The arm  25   a  is rotatably fixed on a base  25   d . The base  25   d  is fixed near the load port LP 3 . A substantially U-shaped first pick  27   a  and a substantially U-shaped second pick  27   b  are rotatably connected to a tip end of the arm  25   a.    
     At least one of the first pick  27   a  and the second pick  27   b  has mapping sensors MS (see  FIG. 3 ) at the tip end thereof. For example, the mapping sensors MS are disposed at two end portions of the U-shaped tip end of each of the first pick  27   a  and the second pick  27   b . The mapping sensor MS is an example of a detector. For example, the mapping sensor MS detects the presence and the position of the wafer W and the edge ring ER in a Front Opening Unified Pod to be described later, and transmits the detection result to the controller  30  (to be described later). 
     A container (hereinafter also referred to as “Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP)”) accommodating the wafer W or the edge ring ER can be mounted on each load port LP. The FOUP is a container that accommodates the wafer W or the edge ring ER. The FOUP has a lid (not shown). When the FOUP is mounted on the load port LP, the lid of the FOUP and the door of the load port LP are engaged. In this state, if the door of the load port LP is opened, the lid of the FOUP is moved together with the door. Accordingly, the FOUP is opened and the inside of the FOUP communicates with the inside of the atmospheric pressure transfer chamber  20  through the load port LP. The FOUP according to the embodiment includes a wafer FOUP capable of accommodating the wafer W and an edge ring (ER) FOUP capable of accommodating the edge ring ER. The number of holding portions and pitches therebetween in the wafer FOUP are different from those for the ER FOUP. The wafer FOUP has shelf-shaped holding portions and the number of the shelf-shaped holding portions corresponds to the number of wafers W to be accommodated. The ER FOUP is configured to accommodate the edge rings ER such that the number of edge rings ER in the ER FOUP corresponds to the number of the processing modules PM of the system 1, for example. The structure of the container will be described in detail later. 
     Each of the load ports LP can mount both of the wafer FOUP and the ER FOUP. However, it is also possible to provide a load port LP on which the wafer FOUP can be mounted, a load port on which the ER FOUP can be mounted, and a load port LP on which both of the wafer FOUP and the ER FOUP can be mounted. 
     The aligner AU is disposed on one of the short sides of the atmospheric pressure transfer chamber  20 . The aligner AU includes a rotatable table for mounting thereon the wafer W and an optical sensor for optically detecting an outer peripheral edge of the wafer W. The aligner AU aligns the wafer W by detecting, for example, an orientation flat or a notch of the wafer W. 
     The processing modules PMs, the vacuum transfer chamber  10 , the first transfer mechanism  15 , the load-lock modules LLMs, the atmospheric pressure transfer chamber  20 , the second transfer mechanism  25 , the load ports LPs, and the aligner AU are connected to and controlled by the controller  30 . 
     The controller  30  is an information processing device for controlling the respective components of the system 1. The controller  30  may have any configuration and function. The controller  30  includes, for example, a storage unit  31 , a processing unit  32 , an input/output interface (IO I/F)  33 , and a display unit  34 . The storage unit  31  may be any storage device, for example, a hard disk, an optical disk, a semiconductor memory device, or the like. The processing unit  32  may be a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), or a micro processing unit (MPU), for example. The display unit  34  may be a functional unit that displays information such as a liquid crystal screen or a touch panel. The processing unit  32  reads out and executes a program and a recipe stored in the storage unit  31  to control the individual components of the system 1 through the input/output interface  33 . 
     (Example of the Container) 
       FIG. 2  schematically shows an example of a container according to the embodiment. The container shown in  FIG. 2  is an ER FOUP  100 . The ER FOUP  100  is configured to accommodate used edge rings ER 1  to ER 6  having a predetermined thickness T 1  and unused edge rings ER 7  to ER 12 . The ER FOUP  100  may be configured to accommodate multiple edge rings ER more or less than the twelve edge rings. The edge rings ER 1  to ER 12  are loaded and unloaded through an opening  105  formed on the front surface of the ER FOUP  100 . The opening  105  is provided with a lid (not shown). The edge rings ER 1  to ER 12  are accommodated one by one in the slots S 1  to S 6  and S 8  to S 13  among the slots S 1  to S 13 , which are arranged at regular intervals on the inner walls on both sides of the ER FOUP  100 . The slots S 1  to S 6  and S 8  to S 13  have, e.g., a substantially V-shaped cross-section, and accommodate the peripheral portions of the edge rings ER 1  to ER 12  with a margin (gap) (see  FIG. 5 ). Each of the slots S 1  to S 13  is an example of the holding portion. 
     A partition plate  110  is inserted into the slot S 7  of the ER FOUP  100 .  FIG. 3  schematically shows an example of the partition plate  110  according to the embodiment. The partition plate  110  has an outer peripheral shape corresponding to the shape of the inner wall of the ER FOUP  100 . A sealing portion  111  is formed at the outer periphery of the partition plate  110  so that the partition plate  110  is brought into close contact with the inner wall of the ER FOUP  100  and divides the inner space of the ER FOUP  100  into two spaces, i.e., a first space SP 1  and a second space SP 2 . The partition plate  110  has a first notch  112   a  and a second notch  112   b  formed at the front surface of the partition plate  110 , i.e., on the opening  105  side of the ER FOUP  100 . The first notch  112   a  and the second notch  112   b  have a shape corresponding to the shape of the tip ends of the pick (the first pick  27   a  or the second pick  27   b ) where the mapping sensor MS of the second transfer mechanism  25  is provided. As shown in  FIG. 3 , a first portion (curved portion)  113  that swells toward the outside is formed between the first notch  112   a  and the second notch  112   b . When a light emitting part  25   p  and a light receiving part  25   r  (both to be described later) of the mapping sensor MS are respectively disposed in the depressed portions of the first notch  112   a  and a second notch  11 , the first portion  113  is disposed between the light emitting part  25   p  and the light receiving part  25   r . The partition plate  110  has a thickness that is greater than a thickness T 2  of the wafer W and substantially the same as the thickness T 1  of the edge ring ER. 
     The wafer FOUP has the same configuration as that of the ER FOUP  100  shown in  FIG. 2 . Since, however, the predetermined thickness T 2  of the wafer W is smaller than the thickness T 1  of the edge ring ER, the number of the slots and the pitches between the slots in the wafer FOUP are different from those in the ER FOUP  100 . For example, the wafer FOUP has 25 slots S 1  to S 25 , and the wafers W 1  to W 25  are respectively accommodated in the slots S 1  to S 25 . The partition plate  110  cannot be accommodated in any of the slots of the wafer FOUP due to the pitch difference between the slots of the wafer FOUP and the slots of the ER FOUP  100 . 
     (Loading/Unloading of the Wafer and Edge Ring) 
       FIG. 4  shows a state in which the wafer FOUP is installed in the system 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. shows a state in which wafers are disposed in slots of the wafer FOUP. The same states are obtained when the ER FOUP is installed in the system 1. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the wafer FOUP is mounted on a table  201  on the load port LP. In a state where the wafer FOUP is mounted on the table  201 , the slots S 1  to S 25  respectively hold the wafers W 1  to W 25  at regular intervals in a vertical direction as shown in  FIG. 4 . At this time, the wafers W 1  to W 25  are held with surfaces (surface on which semiconductor devices are to be formed) as upper surfaces (surfaces facing upward when the wafers W are held horizontally). The peripheral edges of the wafers W 1  to W 25  are respectively held by lower sloped surfaces of the slots S 1  to S 25 , each having the substantially V-shaped cross-section. Therefore, the slots S 1  to S 25  can substantially horizontally hold the wafers W 1  to W 25  each having the predetermined thickness T 2  at predetermined intervals (see  FIG. 5 ). 
     A window  20   b  is formed at a position on a boundary wall  20   a  that corresponds to a position where the wafer FOUP is mounted. A window opening/closing mechanism  20   c  for opening and closing the window  20   b  using, e.g., a shutter is disposed on the atmospheric pressure transfer chamber  20  side of the window  20   b . The window opening/closing mechanism  20   c  can open and close the lid of the wafer FOUP. Thus, the window  20   b  and the lid of the wafer FOUP are opened and closed simultaneously by the window opening/closing mechanism  20   c . If the window  20   b  is opened so that the wafer FOUP communicates with the atmospheric pressure transfer chamber  20 , the second transfer mechanism disposed in the atmospheric pressure transfer chamber  20  can access the wafer FOUP so that the loading and unloading of the wafer W into and from the wafer FOUP can be performed. The window opening/closing mechanism  20   c  is preferably provided with an interlock so that it does not operate when the wafer FOUP is not mounted at a predetermined position on the table  201 . The wafer FOUP has a fixer  202   a  for fixing the wafer FOUP on the table  201  so that the wafers W accommodated in the wafer FOUP can be arranged on a transfer path to the processing module PM. Similarly, the ER FOUP has a fixer  202   b  (see  FIG. 2 ) for fixing the ER FOUP on the table  201  so that the edge rings ER accommodated in the ER FOUP can be arranged on a transfer path to the processing module PM. The mechanism for fixing the ER FOUP and the wafer FOUP on the table  201  may have any configuration. 
       FIG. 6  is a schematic perspective view of the second transfer mechanism  25 .  FIG. 7  is a schematic front view of the second transfer mechanism  25 . On the base  25   d  of the second transfer mechanism  25  in the atmospheric pressure transfer chamber  20 , a rod  25   c  that is raised and lowered by rotation of a servomechanism (not shown) is disposed. An arm  25   a  is connected on the rod  25   c , and thus the arm  25   a  can move in the Z-axis direction (see  FIG. 1 ) by the vertical movement of the rod  25   c . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the arm  25   a  is a multi-joint arm. Thus, the arm  25   a  can also move in the X-Y plane. The first pick  27   a  and the second pick  27   b  are rotatably connected to the tip end of the arm  25   a . Accordingly, the second transfer mechanism  25  can access the entire wafer FOUPs or the entire ER FOUPs  100  mounted on the tables  201  by moving the arm  25   a , the first pick  27   a , and the second pick  27   b . The second transfer mechanism  25  can access the slots S 1  to S 25  in the wafer FOUP or the slots S 1  to S 13  in the ER FOUP  100  at any height. Further, the second transfer mechanism  25  can access the load-lock modules LLM 1  and LLM 2  and transfer the wafer W or the edge ring ER. 
     At least one of the first pick  27   a  and the second pick  27   b , connected to the tip end of the arm  25   a , includes the mapping sensor MS (see  FIG. 3 ). In addition, pads P 1  to P 3  to be in contact with the wafer W during the transfer of the wafer W are disposed on the upper surface of each of the first pick  27   a  and the second pick  27   b  (see  FIG. 3 ). Further, pads P 4  to P 7  to be in contact with the edge ring ER during the transfer of the edge ring ER are disposed on the upper surface of each of the first pick  27   a  and the second pick  27   b  (see  FIG. 3 ). The pads P 1  to P 7  may be composed of any material and have any shape. The pads P 1  to P 7  are preferably configured to prevent the wafer W or the edge ring ER from being damaged or dropped during the transfer of the wafer W or the edge ring ER. The first pick  27   a  and the second pick  27   b  can be independently controlled. Since the first pick  27   a  and the second pick  27   b  have the same configuration, the first pick  27   a  will be mainly described below. 
     The first pick  27   a  is a plate having a width and a length that allow the wafer W to be mounted on the upper surface thereof. The first pick  27   a  is movable in a forward-backward direction (Y-axis direction in  FIG. 1 ) and in a left-right direction (X-axis direction in  FIG. 1 ) with respect to the base  25   d  through the arm  25   a  by a driving unit (not shown). Since the first pick  27   a  is disposed on the rod  25   c  that can be raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction by the rotation of the servo motor of the above-described servo mechanism (not shown), the first pick  20   a  can be moved in the Z-axis direction shown in  FIG. 1 . When the first pick  27   a  is moved horizontally to a lower rear position in the FOUP through the gap between the wafers W and then raised vertically from the lower rear position, the pads P 1  to P 3  disposed on the pick  27   a  are brought into contact with the backside of the wafer W positioned at an upper side of the pick  27   a . In other words, the wafer W can be mounted on the first pick  27   a  by bringing the pads P 1  to P 3  into contact with the wafer W. The edge ring ER can be loaded and unloaded in the same manner as the loading and unloading of the wafer W. However, during the loading and unloading of the edge ring ER, the edge ring ER is brought into contact with the pads P 4  to P 7  on the first pick  27   a.    
     Next, the mapping sensor MS will be described. The mapping sensor MS is the detector including the light emitting part  25   p  and the light receiving part  25   r .  FIG. 3  shows an example in which the light emitting part  25   p  is disposed at a first end of the first pick  27   a  and the light receiving part  25   r  is disposed at a second end of the first pick  27   a . The light emitting part  25   p  is a light emitting element, for example, a light emitting diode such as a laser diode or an LED. The light receiving part  25   r  is a light receiving element such as a phototransistor or a photodiode. The light emitting part  25   p  and the light receiving part  25   r  are driven by a driving circuit (not shown). When no object exists between the light emitting part  25   p  and the light receiving part  25   r , the light beam emitted from the light emitting part  25   p  is incident on the light receiving part  25   r  and a “H” level output signal is outputted from the light receiving part  25   r , for example. On the other hand, when an object exists between the light emitting part  25   p  and the light receiving part  25   r , the light beam emitted from the light emitting part  25   p  is interrupted by the object. Therefore, the light beam is not incident on the light receiving part  25   r  and an “L” level output signal is outputted from the light receiving part  25   r . The output signals from the light receiving part  25   r  are transmitted to the controller  30  as sensor detection signals. The mapping sensor MS is configured to detect the thickness of the object based on a value corresponding to the length of the period in which the L level output signal is detected. Further, by setting the output signal of the mapping sensor MS to a pulse signal of a predetermined cycle, the controller  30  can detect the movement amount and the current position of the first pick  27   a  based on the pulse signals. For example, the controller  30  detects the position of the first pick  27   a  moved from the initial position based on the number of pulse signals. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the size of the distance between the light emitting part  25   p  and the light receiving part  25   r  is selected such that the first pick  27   a  can enter the inner side of the sidewalls of the wafer FOUP and the ER FOUP and the wafer W and the edge ring ER can be partially disposed horizontally between the light emitting part  25   p  and the light receiving part  25   r . Accordingly, the light emitting part  25   p  and the light receiving part  25   r  are configured to detect information on the thickness and the position of each of the wafers W 1  to W 25  accommodated in the wafer FOUP and the thickness and the position of each of the edge rings ER 1  to ER 12  accommodated in the ER FOUP. 
     The controller  30  may use a threshold to determine a thickness of an object detected by the mapping sensor MS. For example, the mapping sensor MS switches the threshold for detecting the thickness between the transfer of the wafer W and the transfer of the edge ring ER. Generally, the thickness T 2  of the wafer W is smaller than the thickness T 1  of the edge ring ER. For example, the thickness T 2  of the wafer W is 1 mm or less, and the thickness T 1  of the edge ring ER is 3 mm or more. Therefore, in the case of transferring the wafer W, the threshold of the mapping sensor MS may be set depending on the thickness T 2 . In the case of transferring the edge ring ER, the threshold of the mapping sensor MS may be switched to a threshold set depending on the thickness T 1 . 
     Accordingly, when the operator mistakenly attempts to load the wafer W in the ER FOUP during the transfer of the wafer W while the edge ring ER is accommodated in the ER FOUP, the mapping sensor MS detects an object having a thickness greater than a set threshold. When the object having the thickness greater than the threshold is detected, the controller  30  stops the operation of the second transfer mechanism  25  based on information transmitted from the mapping sensor MS to the controller  30 . The controller  30  may display a warning on the display unit  34 . 
     However, when the operator mistakenly attempts to load the wafer W into the ER FOUP while neither the edge ring ER nor the wafer W is accommodated in the FOUP, no object is detected by the mapping sensor MS and the controller  30  cannot stop the operation of the second transfer mechanism  25 . Therefore, in the present embodiment, the partition plate  110  having a thickness greater than the thickness of the wafer W is disposed in the ER FOUP. Further, in order to perform the detection of the mapping sensor MS, the partition plate  110  is provided with the first notch  112   a  and the second notch  112   b.    
     The partition plate  110  is preferably positioned at the slot S 7  of the ER FOUP  100 . This is because if unused edge rings ER are to be accommodated in the upper slots S 8  to S 13  and used edge rings ER are to be accommodated in the lower slots S 1  to S 6 , it is possible to suppress contamination of the unused edge rings ER from a gas released from the used edge rings ER or the like. However, the arrangement position of the partition plate  110  is not particularly limited thereto, and the partition plate  110  may be inserted into any slot. 
     The partition plate  110  may have a thickness that allows erroneous transfer to be detected depending on the setting of the threshold of the mapping sensor MS. For example, the thickness of the partition plate  110  may be set to be greater than the threshold for the wafer W and the threshold for the edge ring ER. Further, the thickness of the partition plate  110  may be set to be greater than the threshold for the wafer W and smaller than or equal to the threshold for the edge ring ER. However, if an upper limit and a lower limit are set for the threshold for the wafer W, when the thickness of the partition plate  110  is smaller than or equal to the lower limit, the rigidity of the partition plate  110  is decreased. Therefore, it is preferred to set the thickness of the partition wall  110  to be greater than the upper limit of the threshold. 
     The FOUP may be made of transparent antistatic polycarbonate, for example. The sidewall of the FOUP is antistatic. 
     In the above-described embodiment, the mapping sensor MS is disposed on the pick of the second transfer mechanism  25 . However, the position of the mapping sensor MS is not limited thereto. For example, the mapping sensor MS may be disposed at the left side and the right side of the opening of the FOUP (for example, at the left inner wall and the right inner wall of the FOUP) and transmit the detection result to the controller  30 . 
     Further, the sealing portion for bringing the partition plate  110  into close contact with the inner wall of the FOUP may be disposed at the partition plate  110  or at the inner wall of the FOUP. 
     The consumable that is accommodated in the FOUP and transferred into and from the FOUP is not limited to the edge ring ER. In the case of transferring a different consumable in the same manner, the threshold of the mapping sensor MS and the thickness of the partition plate  110  are appropriately adjusted. 
     (Transfer Method According to the Embodiment) 
       FIG. 8  is a flowchart showing an example of a sequence of a method of transferring the substrate according to the embodiment. For example, when an operator manually operates the second transfer mechanism  25  to load the wafer W into the FOUP, the processes illustrated in  FIG. 8  are performed under the control of the controller  30 . 
     First, the FOUP is installed at the load port LP by the operator (step S 81 ). When the FOUP is installed, the operator specifies the type of the FOUP and stores the specified FOUP type in the system 1. Then, the second transfer mechanism  25  transfers the wafer W in response to an instruction inputted by the operator. For example, the second transfer mechanism  25  receives the wafer from the load-lock module LLM and transfers the wafer W to the opening of the FOUP mounted on the load port LP. In the case of transferring the wafer W, the threshold of the mapping sensor MS is preset to be a threshold for the wafer (step S 82 ). Next, the first pick  27   a  of the second transfer mechanism  25  enters the FOUP through the opening of the FOUP. The second transfer mechanism  25  stops moving forward when the light emitting part  25   p  and the light receiving part  25   r  of the first pick  27   a  reach the positions shown in  FIG. 3 . Then, the first pick  27   a  detects the thickness of the object in the FOUP while moving in the Z-axis direction in front of the FOUP (step S 83 ). The information on the detected thickness is transmitted to the controller  30 . The controller  30  determines whether or not the thickness detected by the mapping sensor MS exceeds the threshold (step S 84 ). When it is determined that the thickness exceeding the threshold is detected (YES in step S 84 ), the controller  30  stops the operation of the second transfer mechanism  25  (step S 85 ). On the other hand, when it is determined that the thickness exceeding the threshold is not detected (NO in step S 84 ), the controller  30  completes the processing. Then, the operator can continue the transfer of the wafer W. 
     As described above, the system 1 of the present embodiment can continue or stop the transfer operation depending on the thickness of the object in the FOUP. Therefore, even when the type of the FOUP stored in the system 1 by the operator is incorrect, the system 1 can prevent the wafer W from being erroneously transferred and damaged. In  FIG. 8 , the case where the transfer operation is performed based on the instruction inputted by the operator has been described as an example. However, the transfer operation of  FIG. 8  may also be performed in the case where the FOUP is installed at the load port LP and the controller  30  automatically reads, for example, an identifier indicating the type of the FOUP from the FOUP. For example, even when the controller  30  misreads the type of FOUP and attempts to load the wafer W into the ER FOUP, the erroneous transfer can be prevented by the processes illustrated in  FIG. 8 . The controller  30  may notify the operator of the information on empty slots based on information detected by the mapping sensor MS while performing the processes illustrated in  FIG. 8 . Further, the controller  30  may update the information on the FOUP stored in the storage unit  31  based on the detection result while performing the processes illustrated in  FIG. 8 . 
     (Effect of the Embodiment) 
     As described above, the container for consumables according to the embodiment includes the multiple holding portions, the partition plate, and the fixer. Each of the holding portions is configured to accommodate one consumable that is loaded and unloaded in one direction. The partition plate includes the first portion formed to be disposed between the light emitting part and the light receiving part of the detector. The partition plate is accommodated in one of the multiple holding portions. The fixer is configured to fix the container so that the consumables are arranged on a transfer path to be loaded into and unloaded from the multiple holding portions. Therefore, the detector can detect the presence of the partition plate in the container. 
     Further, the partition plate has a thickness greater than a thickness of the substrate. Therefore, the detector can detect that the container is not the container for the substrate. 
     Further, the partition plate has substantially the same thickness as that of the consumable. Therefore, the detector can detect that the container is the container for the consumable. 
     Further, the partition plate is in close contact with the wall surface of the container and separates the inner space of the container into the first space including a part of the multiple holding portions and the second space including the other part of the multiple holding portions. Therefore, the partition plate can prevent unused consumables from being contaminated by used consumables stored in the container. 
     Further, the first portion of the partition plate is formed to be disposed between the two notches having shapes corresponding to the shapes of the light emitting part and the light receiving part, respectively. Therefore, the detection can be performed without being interrupted by the partition plate. 
     The partition plate of the container according to the embodiment is thicker than the substrate, and the first portion of the partition plate is formed to be disposed between the light emitting part and the light receiving part of the detector. Further, the partition plate of the container can be accommodated, instead of the consumable, in the container for accommodating the consumable to be disposed in the substrate processing space. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the substrate from being loaded into the container for the consumable without changing the configuration of the container. Accordingly, the substrate can be prevented from being damaged due to erroneous transfer. 
     The system according to the embodiment includes the vacuum processing chamber, the arm, the detector, and the controller. The vacuum processing chamber provides the processing space where the consumable is disposed and the substrate is processed. The arm is disposed on the transfer path between the vacuum processing chamber and the container that accommodates the consumable or the substrate. The arm transfers the consumable or the substrate. The detector includes the light emitting part disposed at the first end of the pick connected to the tip end of the arm and the light receiving part connected to the second end of the pick. The controller controls the detector to detect the thickness of the component disposed in the container and stops the transfer of the substrate by the arm when the detected thickness exceeds the threshold. Therefore, the system can prevent erroneous transfer of the substrate. 
     The method of transferring a substrate according to the embodiment includes: using the detector to detect the thickness of the component in the container that is disposed on the transfer path of the consumable and the substrate and configured to store the consumable or the substrate, the detector including the light receiving part disposed at the first end of the pick for transferring the consumable disposed in the vacuum processing chamber and the substrate processed in the vacuum processing chamber, and the light emitting part disposed at the second end of the pick; and stopping the transfer of the substrate when the detected thickness exceeds the threshold. Therefore, the method can prevent erroneous transfer of the substrate. 
     The embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive. The above-described embodiments can be embodied in various forms. Further, the above-described embodiments may be omitted, replaced, or changed in various forms without departing from the scope of the appended claims and the gist thereof. 
     While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosures. Indeed, the embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made departing from the spirit of the disclosures. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosures.