Patent Publication Number: US-2010111649-A1

Title: Transfer device and vacuum processing apparatus using the same

Description:
This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/JP2008/058811, filed May 14, 2008, which claims priority to Japan Patent Application No. 2007-128904, filed on May 15, 2007. The entire disclosures of the prior applications are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to a transfer device to transfer a substrate for processing, such as a semiconductor wafer. In particular, the invention relates to a transfer device suitable for a carry-in and carry-out operation of a substrate to be processed in a vacuum processing apparatus having one or more process chambers for performing various processing on the substrate to be processed. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     As a transfer device of this kind, a device disclosed in JPA No. 2005-125479, for example, has heretofore been known. 
       FIGS. 8A to 8C  show the basic configuration of a conventional technology. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 8A to 8C , in a transfer device  200 , a lengthy guide member  202  is fixed to a horizontally rotatable swivel  201 . An end of a first arm  203  is attached to a drive motor (not shown) so as to be rotatable around a spindle  203   a  piercing through a base portion  202   a  of the guide member  202  and the swivel  201 . 
     A linear guide  204  is provided on an extended portion  202   b  of the guide member  202 , and a moving member  205  is disposed so as to move in the direction indicated by the arrow X or the opposite direction along the linear guide  204 . A transfer table  206  for mounting an object to be transferred  300 , such as a wafer or a glass substrate, is attached to a tip of the moving member  205 . 
     In addition, an end of a second arm  207  is pivotally supported with the other end of the first arm  203 . The other end thereof is pivotally supported with the moving member  205 . The base portion  202   a  of the guide member  202  and the moving member  205  are connected to each other through the first and second arms  203  and  207 . 
     In the case of the conventional technology having such a configuration, during the expansion and contraction movement, the first arm  203  rotates, and the second arm  207  also rotates in accordance with the rotation of the first arm  203 . Thereby, the moving member  205  moves linearly along the extended portion  202   b  of the linear guide  204 . 
     Meanwhile, the rotation movement is carried out by activating the drive motor (not shown) and rotating the swivel  201  in a state that the first and second arms  203  and  207  are located at the contraction position. 
     In the conventional technology, because the device is configured so as to sustain the weight of the object to be transferred  300 , including the swivel  201 , and the weight of the moving member  205  by the linear guide  204  and the guide member  202 , a material having a stiffness of an extent enough to move the moving member  205  on the linear guide  204  is used for the first and second arms  203  and  207 ; so that the weight of the object to be transferred  300  and others cannot be sustained by the first and second arms  203  and  207 . 
     As a result, the problem of the conventional technology is that, when the weight of the object to be transferred  300  is heavy, the linear guide section (the first and second arms  203 ,  207  and the moving member  205 ) does not move smoothly and the object to be transferred  300  cannot be transferred to a right position. 
     In a conventional device, it is attempted to overcome the problem by increasing the quantity of a lubricant (grease) fed to the slide portion of the linear guide section or by enlarging the size of the linear guide. However, if the quantity of a lubricant increases, in particular, in the case that the transfer device is used in a vacuum device, excessive grease may contaminate the interior of the vacuum device and the object to be transferred. Furthermore, if the size of the linear guide is increased, the whole weight of the device increases. Thus, the power of the drive motor also has to be increased to that extent, and the overall size of the whole device also increases. 
     Moreover, in the conventional transfer device  200  shown in  FIGS. 8A to 8C , because the extended portion  202   b  of the guide member  202  and the linear guide  204  thereon protrude frontward from the swivel  201 , even when the moving member  205  is located right above the swivel  201 , for example, the rotation radius of the device cannot be shortened beyond the position of the tip of the extended portion  202   b . Consequently, the base area of the device cannot be reduced. 
     Other conventional technologies are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 2001-185596, 2002-362738, 2003-209155, 2004-323165, 2004-130459, 2005-12139, and others. 
     In such a conventional device, the movement of the “elbow portion” of a parallel link arm is controlled by transmitting the movement of an “upper arm” of a parallel link arm mechanism to a “lower arm” using a linear guide. When a large force is imposed on a transfer arm, or when the weight of an object to be transferred increases, there is a problem that the linear guide section does not move smoothly, and that the transferring arm also does not move smoothly so that the object to be transferred cannot be transferred to the right position. 
     In such a conventional device, attempts have been made to overcome the above-described problems by increasing the quantity of a lubricant (grease) fed to the slide portion of the linear guide section or by enlarging the size of the linear guide. However, if the quantity of a lubricant is increased, in cases where the transfer device is used in a vacuum device, excessive grease may contaminate the interior of the vacuum device and the object to be transferred. Further, if the size of the linear guide is increased, the whole weight of the device increases, and the power of the drive motor also has to be increased to the same extent, resulting in the increase of the overall size of the entire device. 
     Sometimes, an apparatus based on the aforementioned conventional technology or another similar conventional technology is used in a corrosive gas ambience. In such a case, corrosion protection is applied to the surfaces of constituent members in the device in order to prevent members from corrosion. However, a technology for the corrosion protection of a linear guide is not yet well established at the present. Thus, the cost for corrosion protection increases, and the production cost of the device also increases. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been established in order to solve the conventional technological problems described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device that does not cause the problem of grease or the like contaminating a vacuum apparatus. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device that does not take up a large space In particular, certain embodiments of the transfer device have a small base area or device footprint. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device that allows a rotary element (a bearing or the like) to undergo corrosion protection easily by an existing technology. The present invention, which is established to attain the above objectives, is generally directed to a transfer device wherein the transfer device includes a transfer section to support and transfer an object to be transferred, a power transmission mechanism to transmit power from a device main body to the transfer section and to move the transfer section toward a direction intersecting with a reference direction, and a guide mechanism disposed between the device main body and the transfer section to guide the direction of the movement of the transfer section; and the guide mechanism has a plurality of pivotally connected guide arms and is configured such that each of the guide arms rotate toward a direction containing the component of the reference direction. 
     An embodiment of the present invention is directed to a transfer device with the aforementioned features, wherein the guide arms of the guide mechanism are configured such that a guide arm at one end of the guide mechanism may be attached to the device main body and a guide arm at the other end thereof may be attached to the transfer section. 
     An embodiment of the present invention is directed to a transfer device having any combination of the aforementioned features, wherein the guide mechanism has a first guide arm and a second guide arm; an end of the first guide arm is pivotally supported with the device main body in the manner of being rotatable in the vertical direction; an end of the second guide arm is pivotally supported with the other end of the first guide arm in the manner of being rotatable in the vertical direction; and the other end of the second guide arm is pivotally supported with the transfer section in the manner of being rotatable in the vertical direction. 
     An embodiment of the present invention is directed to a transfer device having any combination of the aforementioned features, wherein the power transmission mechanism has a drive arm and a driven arm; an end of the drive arm is fixed to a drive shaft of the device main body in the manner of being rotatable in the horizontal direction; an end of the driven arm is pivotally supported with the other end of the drive arm in the manner of being rotatable in the horizontal direction; and the other end of the driven arm is pivotally supported with the transfer section in the manner of being rotatable in the horizontal direction. 
     An embodiment of the present invention is directed to a transfer device having any combination of the aforementioned features, wherein the power transmission mechanism has a drive-side parallelogram link mechanism having the drive arm and a driven-side parallelogram link mechanism formed with a predetermined link in the drive-side parallelogram link mechanism. 
     An embodiment of the present invention is directed to a transfer device having any combination of the aforementioned features, wherein the guide mechanism is connected to the power transmission mechanism and configured so as to constrain the relative movement of the drive-side parallelogram link mechanism and the driven-side parallelogram link mechanism. 
     An embodiment of the present invention is directed to a transfer device having any combination of the aforementioned features, wherein an end of the power transmission mechanism on the side of the device main body is attached to a rotating section disposed on the device main body. 
     An embodiment of the present invention is directed to a vacuum processing apparatus having a transfer chamber containing any one of the aforementioned transfer devices, and a vacuum processing chamber communicating with the transfer chamber and being configured so as to receive and deliver an object to be processed using the transfer device. 
     In the case of such an embodiment, since a guide mechanism having a plurality of pivotally connected guide arms is installed in place of a linear guide employed in a conventional technology and each of the guide arms is configured so as to rotate in a direction including the component of a reference direction (for example, the component of the vertical direction), it is possible to: avoid increasing the size of the whole device; reduce the base area of the device in particular; and apply corrosion protection easily by an existing technology. Furthermore, it is possible to avoid loading a force onto the guide mechanism in a reference direction, in particular, in the vertical direction. 
     Moreover, since the frictional resistance can be avoided at the slide portion of a linear guide, unlike in the conventional technology, the power transmission mechanism comprising arms and the like moves smoothly and an object to be transferred can be transferred to a right position. 
     Furthermore, because it is not necessary to use a large linear guide, unlike in a conventional technology, it is possible to obtain a transfer device that particularly avoids the increase in the size of the drive motor for rotation and the increase in the production cost. 
     Moreover, when a transfer device according to the present embodiment is used in a vacuum apparatus, there are some cases that grease (oil) cannot be used as a lubricant and a dry lubricant (a solid lubricant) is used instead. Some devices currently use a solid lubricant as the lubricant for a linear guide. However, the load capacity of such a device is small, and the service life is short. 
     However, a bearing technology using a solid lubricant is far more established than the linear guide technology, and the load capacity of a bearing technology tends to be large, and the service life is long. 
     Since a transfer device according to this embodiment is configured only by rotary elements (configured so as to be pivotally supported with bearings), when it is necessary to use a dry lubricant (a solid lubricant), it is possible to use a technologically established dry bearing so that it is possible to provide a transfer device having a large load capacity and a long service life without the contamination of an object to be transferred and the vacuum environment. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, in the case that the guide arms of the guide mechanism are configured such that a guide arm at one end of the guide mechanism is attached to the device main body and a guide arm at the other end thereof is attached to the transfer section, in particular, in the case that: the guide mechanism has a first guide arm and a second guide arm; an end of the first guide arm is pivotally supported with the device main body in the manner of being rotatable in the vertical direction; an end of the second guide arm is pivotally supported with the other end of the first guide arm in the manner of being rotatable in the vertical direction; and the other end of the second guide arm is pivotally supported with the transfer section in the manner of being rotatable in the vertical direction, it is possible to reduce the force loaded on the guide mechanism in the vertical direction and simplify the configuration of the guide mechanism so that it is possible to provide a small transfer device that allows smoother transfer of an object to be transferred. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, in the case that: the power transmission mechanism has a drive arm and a driven arm; an end of the drive arm is fixed to a drive shaft of the device main body in the manner of being rotatable in the horizontal direction; an end of the driven arm is pivotally supported with the other end of the drive arm in the manner of being rotatable in the horizontal direction; and the other end of the driven arm is pivotally supported with the transfer section in the manner of being rotatable in the horizontal direction, a gear is not required at the transfer section in the present invention although, for example in the case of a transfer device of a flog-leg type arm mechanism, a gear is used at the transfer section as a constraint mechanism, and it is possible for this embodiment to provide a transfer device that does not contaminate an object to be transferred (for example, a wafer or a glass substrate) with dust generated from the gear. In an embodiment of the present invention, in the case that the power transmission mechanism has a drive-side parallelogram link mechanism having the drive arm, and a driven-side parallelogram link mechanism formed with a predetermined link in the drive-side parallelogram link mechanism, it is possible to sustain the weight of an object to be transferred and the transfer section by the four arms so that it is possible to provide a compact transfer device without the increase of the thickness of the arms. In addition, because the weight of an object to be transferred and the transfer section is sustained with the four arms, it is possible to reduce the force loaded on the arm joining sections (joints) and provide a transfer device that allows smooth movement of the arm joining sections (joints). 
     In such a case, if the guide mechanism is connected to the power transmission mechanism and configured so as to constrain the relative movement of the drive-side parallelogram link mechanism and the driven-side parallelogram link mechanism, a linear guide and a gear for constraint are not required in the present invention although, for example, a conventional transfer device having a parallelogram link mechanism type arm (Japanese Patent 2531261 or the likes) is configured so as to constrain the relative movement of the drive-side parallelogram link mechanism and the driven-side parallelogram link mechanism with a linear guide and a gear. Consequently, it is possible to provide a transfer device that does not contaminate an object to be transferred (for example, a wafer or a glass substrate) by oil coming from the lubricant (grease) at the slide portion of a linear guide and dust generated from the gear. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, in the case that the end of the power transmission mechanism on the side of the device main body is attached to a rotating section provided on the device main body, in addition to the above effects, a guide member conventionally required to support and fix a linear guide is not required in a transfer device that can change the direction of the transfer of an object to be transferred by rotation so that it is possible to downsize the drive motor for rotation and resultantly provide a transfer device with a small size and a low production cost. 
     In the meantime, with a vacuum processing apparatus having a transfer chamber containing a transfer device according to the present invention; and a vacuum processing chamber communicating with the transfer chamber and being configured so as to receive and deliver an object to be processed with the transfer device, it is possible to provide a vacuum processing apparatus that has a small size and is hardly contaminated by dust and oil. 
     The present invention makes it possible to provide a transfer device that does not contaminate a vacuum device and others by grease and dust. 
     Further, the present invention makes it possible to provide a transfer device that does not cause the size of the whole device to increase, can reduce the base area of the device in particular, and can apply corrosion protection easily by an existing technology. In addition, the present invention makes it possible to provide a transfer device that can be driven with a motor having a small drive force. 
     As a result, the present invention makes it possible to provide a vacuum processing apparatus that has a small size, and is hardly contaminated by dust and oil, and has a small base area. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1A to 1C  show a general configuration in an embodiment of a transfer device according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 1A  shows a plan view of the transfer device; 
         FIG. 1B  shows a side view of the transfer device; and 
         FIG. 1C  shows a view of an internal constitution of the transfer device. 
         FIG. 2  is an explanatory plan view showing the attachment position of a guide mechanism in the above transfer device. 
         FIGS. 3A to 3C  are explanatory views showing movement in the present embodiment. 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  show a general configuration in another embodiment of a transfer device according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4A  shows a plan view of the transfer device; and 
         FIG. 4B  shows a front view of the transfer device depicted in  FIG. 4A . 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view showing the substantial part of the above transfer device. 
         FIG. 6  is a plan view showing a general configuration in another embodiment of a transfer device according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a plan view schematically showing a configuration in an embodiment of a vacuum processing apparatus having a transfer device according to the present invention. 
         FIGS. 8A to 8C  show a general configuration of a transfer device according to a conventional technology; 
         FIG. 8A  shows a plan view of the conventional technology; 
         FIG. 8B  shows a front view of the conventional technology depicted in  FIG. 8A ; and 
         FIG. 8C  shows a side view of the conventional technology depicted in  FIG. 8A . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Preferable embodiments according to the present invention are hereunder explained in detail in reference to the drawings. It is to be understood that these embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes and that the present invention is not limited by these examples. 
       FIGS. 1A to 1C  show a general configuration in an embodiment of a transfer device according to the present invention.  FIG. 1A  shows a plan view,  FIG. 1B  shows a side view, and  FIG. 1C  is a view showing the internal constitution of the transfer device. Furthermore,  FIG. 2  is an explanatory plan view showing the attachment position of a guide mechanism in the transfer device. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1A to 1C , a transfer device  1  according to the present embodiment has a cylindrical casing  3  functioning as a device main body  2 , and a swivel  4  is contained in the casing  3 . 
     The swivel  4  is formed into a cylindrical shape and attached rotatably to the inner wall of the casing  3  through a bearing  5 . 
     A drive motor  6  is disposed on the bottom face of the casing  3 , and a tip of a rotary shaft  7  disposed above the drive motor  6  is fixed to the swivel  4 . The device is configured such that the swivel  4  rotate (swing) (in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction) around the rotary shaft  7  extending in the vertical direction in the casing  3  by activating the drive motor  6 . 
     The space between the swivel  4  and the inner wall of the casing  3  is partitioned with a shaft seal  8  so as to keep a vacuum state. 
     A drive motor  9  is disposed in the interior of the swivel  4 , a rotary shaft  10  of the drive motor  9  is supported with a bearing  11 , and a tip thereof protrudes from an upper face  4   a  of the swivel  4  in the vertical direction. 
     Furthermore, the space between the rotary shaft  10  of the drive motor  9  and the inner wall of the swivel  4  is partitioned with a shaft seal  12  so as to keep a vacuum state. 
     An end of a linear first arm (drive arm)  13  having a predetermined length is fixed to the tip of the rotary shaft  10  of the drive motor  9 , and the first arm  13  rotates around the rotary shaft  10  in the horizontal direction by activating the drive motor  9 . 
     A second arm (driven arm)  14  similar to the first arm  13  is pivotally supported with the other end of the first arm  13  in the manner of being rotatable around a spindle  15  in the horizontal direction, and the first and second arms  13  and  14  constitute an expandable and contractible link (a power transmission mechanism)  16 . 
     A tabular moving member  17 , for example, is pivotally supported with the other end of the second arm  14  in the manner of being rotatable around a spindle  18  in the horizontal direction. A transfer table  19  for loading an object to be transferred  20 , such as a wafer or a glass substrate, is attached to the front side edge of the moving member  17  in the direction of arm extension (the direction indicated with the arrow X in the figures). The moving member  17  and the transfer table  19  constitute a parallel (horizontally) movable transfer section  21 . 
     Further, the upper face  4   a  of the swivel  4  is connected to the moving member  17  through a guide mechanism  30 . 
     The guide mechanism  30  has a plurality of pivotally connected linear guide arms (first and second two guide arms  31  and  32  in the case of the present embodiment). 
     The first guide arm  31  is pivotally supported at an end thereof with a support member  33  formed on the upper face  4   a  of the swivel  4 , and the first guide arm  31  rotates around a spindle  34  in the vertical direction. 
     A pair of identical second guide arms  32  ( 32   a  and  32   b ) is provided so as to face each other, and one end of the first guide arm  31  is interpose therebetween. The first guide arm  31  is pivotally supported with the other end of the first guide arm  31  in the manner of being rotatable around a spindle  35  in the vertical direction. 
     Moreover, the other ends of the second guide arms  32   a  and  32   b  are pivotally supported in the manner of interposing a support post  36  attached to the side edge of the moving member  17  in the back direction of arm extension and being rotatable around a spindle  37  in the vertical direction. 
     Each of the three spindles  34 ,  35 , and  37  is configured with a bearing and is disposed such that the center axis of rotation may be horizontal and form a right angle to the moving direction of the moving member  17  (the direction indicated by the arrow X or the opposite direction in the figures). 
     In the present embodiment, by this configuration, the range (direction) wherein the first and second guide arms  31  and  32  of the guide mechanism  30  can move is constrained only in the direction parallel to the X direction. 
     Although the present invention is not particularly limited to this embodiment, from the viewpoint of the stability of operation, the spindle  34  of the second guide arm  32  may be positioned on the straight line A passing through the rotation center axis O on the upper face  4   a  of the swivel  4  on the opposite side to the rotary shaft  10  of the drive motor  9  across the rotation center axis O, as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     In this embodiment, as a material for the first arm  13  and the second arm  14 , a material having a stiffness enough to sustain the weight of the transfer table  19  including the object to be transferred  20  and the weight of the moving member  17  is adopted. By this configuration, the force loaded on the guide mechanism  30  in the vertical direction can be avoided. 
       FIGS. 3A to 3C  are explanatory views showing the operation of the present embodiment. 
     In the case of the embodiment having the configuration depicted in  FIGS. 3A to 3C , in expansion and contract ion movement, when the drive motor  9  is activated, the first arm  13  rotates around the rotary shaft  10  in the horizontal direction, the second arm  14  also rotates around the spindles  15  and  18  in the horizontal direction in accordance with the movement of the first arm  13 , and thereby power is transmitted to the moving member  17 . 
     As discussed above, because the movable range of the first and second guide arms  31  and  32  of the guide mechanism  30  is constrained only in the direction parallel to the X direction, the moving member  17  moves parallel in the X direction (or in the opposite direction) as shown in  FIGS. 3A to 3C . 
       FIG. 3A  shows the contracted posture,  FIG. 3B  shows an intermediate posture, and  FIG. 3C  shows the expanded posture. 
     The rotation movement is carried out by activating the drive motor  9  and rotating the swivel  4  in the state that the moving member  17  is in the contracted posture ( FIG. 3A ). 
     As discussed above, because each of the first and second guide arms  31  and  32  constituting the guide mechanism  30  is pivotally supported so as to rotate in the vertical direction, it is possible to avoid increasing the size of the whole device; reduce the base area of the device in particular; and apply corrosion protection easily by an existing technology. Further, the guide mechanism  30  is designed so as to avoid force loaded in the vertical direction. In addition, because the frictional resistance can be avoided at the slide portion of a linear guide unlike a conventional technology, the link  16  consisting of the first and second arms  13  and  14  moves smoothly and an object to be transferred  20  can be transferred to a right position. 
     Further, because it is not necessary to use a large linear guide unlike a conventional technology, it is possible to provide a transfer device  1  that particularly avoids increasing the size of a drive motor  9  for rotation and the production cost. 
     Furthermore, since a transfer device according to the present embodiment includes only rotary elements (configured so as to be pivotally supported with bearings), when it is necessary to use a dry lubricant (a solid lubricant), it is possible to use a technologically established dry bearing and provide a transfer device  1  having a large load capacity and a long service life without the contamination of an object to be transferred  20  and a vacuum environment. 
       FIGS. 4A and 4B  show a general configuration in another embodiment of a transfer device according to the present invention.  FIG. 4A  shows a plan view and  FIG. 4B  shows a front view of the transfer device.  FIG. 5  is a plan view showing the main section of the transfer device. 
     Hereunder, a part corresponding to the part in the aforementioned embodiment is denoted by the same reference numeral and the detailed explanation is omitted. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , a transfer device  50  according to the present embodiment has a cylindrical casing  3  functioning as a device main body  2  similar to the above embodiment and a swivel  4  is contained in the casing  3 . 
     The swivel  4  has a cylindrical shape and is attached to the inner wall of the casing  3  through a bearing (not shown) in the manner of being rotatable (swingable). 
     A drive motor (not shown) is provided inside the swivel  4 , and a tip of a rotary shaft  51  of the drive motor protrudes from the upper face  4   a  of the swivel  4  in the vertical direction. 
     In the case of the present embodiment, the drive shaft  51  of the drive motor is positioned at a prescribed distance away backward from the rotation center of the swivel  4  in the substrate transfer direction (the direction indicated by the arrow Y in the figures). 
     An end of a linear first lower arm  61  having a prescribed length is fixed to the tip of the drive shaft  51 , and thereby the first lower arm  61  rotates in the horizontal direction. 
     Further, a driven shaft  52  rotatable in the horizontal direction is provided on the upper face  4   a  of the swivel  4  in the manner of protruding in the vertical direction. 
     In the case of the present embodiment, the driven shaft  52  is positioned at a predetermined distance frontward from the aforementioned drive shaft  51  in the substrate transferring direction (the direction indicated by the arrow Y in the figure). In the present embodiment, the drive shaft  51  and the driven shaft  52  are aligned on a straight line passing through the center (diameter) of the swivel  4 . 
     An end of a linear second lower arm  62  having the same distance between fulcrums as the first lower arm  61 , for example, is fixed to a tip of the driven shaft  52 , and thereby the second lower arm  62  is rotatable in the horizontal direction. 
     In addition, the other end of the first lower arm  61  and the other end of the second lower arm  62  are connected to a junction link member  63  having tabular shape, for example. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4B , in the present embodiment, a first spindle  64  and a second spindle  65  are disposed so as to pierce through the junction link member  63 , the other end of the first lower arm  61  is pivotally supported with the lower portion of the first spindle  64  in the manner of being rotatable, and the other end of the second lower arm  62  is pivotally supported with the lower portion of the second spindle  65  in the manner of being rotatable. 
     In addition, a first (drive-side) parallelogram link mechanism R 1  is configured the first and second lower arms  61  and  62 , the first and second spindles  64  and  65  of the junction link member  63 , and the drive shaft  51  and the driven shaft  52  of the swivel  4 . 
     Furthermore, a linear first upper arm  71  having a longer distance between fulcrums than the first and second lower arms  61  and  62  is pivotally supported with the upper portion of the first spindle  64  of the junction link member  63  at a middle portion of the first upper arm  71  in the manner of being rotatable in the horizontal direction. 
     An end of the first upper arm  71  is pivotally supported with a moving member  73  having a tabular shape, for example, in the manner of being rotatable. 
     A transfer section  77  formed by attaching a transfer table  76  to support an object to be transferred  20  is attached to the portion of the moving member  73  frontward in the substrate transfer direction and, in the present embodiment, the end of the first upper arm  71  is pivotally supported in the manner of being rotatable in horizontal direction around a spindle  74  disposed on the bottom face of the moving member  73 . The distance between the spindle  64  and the spindle  74  of the first upper arm  71  (distance between fulcrums) is set so as to be the same as the distance between the fulcrums of the aforementioned first and second lower arms  61  and  62 . 
     In addition, the other end (the tip of an extended portion  71   a ) of the first upper arm  71  is connected to a guide mechanism  80  that will be described later. 
     Meanwhile, an end of the linear second upper arm  72  is pivotally supported with the upper end of the second spindle  65  of the junction link member  63  in the manner of being rotatable in the horizontal direction. In the case of the present embodiment, the second upper arm  72  has the same distance between fulcrums as the aforementioned first and second lower arms  61  and  62 . 
     Further, the other end of the second upper arm  72  is pivotally supported in the manner of being rotatable around a spindle  75  disposed on the bottom face of the moving member  73  in the horizontal direction. 
     In addition, a second (driven-side) parallelogram link mechanism R 2  is configured with the first and second upper arms  71  and  72 , the junction link member  63 , and the spindles  74  and  75  of the moving member  73 . 
     In the present embodiment, the first and second parallelogram link mechanisms R 1  and R 2  are configured so as to: have an identical configuration; be connected to each other through the junction link member  63  that is shared by them; and be operated. 
     Further, in the present embodiment, a guide mechanism  80  explained below may be installed. 
     The guide mechanism  80  according to the present embodiment comprises an L-shaped base member  81  and a guide link mechanism  90 . 
     The base member  81  is integrally formed by combining a linear main body section  82  and a connector section  83  extending in a direction perpendicular to the main body section  82 . 
     An end of the connector section  83  of the base member  81  is pivotally supported with a spindle  84  disposed on the bottom face of the second lower arm  62  in the manner of being rotatable in the horizontal direction. 
     An end of the main body section  82  of the base member  81  is connected to a guide link mechanism  90  having the following configuration. 
     The guide link mechanism  90  has a linear first guide arm  91 , a linear second guide arm  92 , and a linear third guide arm  93 . 
     The first guide arm  91  is configured with a rod-shaped member and an end thereof is configured so as to rotate around a spindle  94  in the vertical direction in the state of being interposed between a pair of support members  85  ( 85   a  and  85   b ) disposed on the end upper face of the main body section  82  of the base member  81 . 
     The second guide arm  92  is configured with a pair of identical members facing each other in the manner of interposing the other end of the first guide arm  91  and an end thereof is pivotally supported in the manner of being rotatable around a spindle  95  in the vertical direction. 
     Meanwhile, the third guide arm  93  is configured with a rod-shaped member, and an end thereof is configured so as to rotate around a spindle  96  in the vertical direction in the state of being interposed between the second guide arm  92 . 
     Furthermore, the other end of the third guide arm  93  is pivotally supported in the manner of being rotatable in the horizontal direction around a spindle  97  disposed at the lower portion of the end of the extended portion  71   a  of the first upper arm  71 . 
     Each of the three spindles  94 ,  95 , and  96  of the guide link mechanism  90  is configured with a bearing. In addition, the shape and size of the L-shaped base member  81 , the position of the spindle  84 , and the length of the extended portion  71   a  of the first upper arm  71  are set so that the center axis of rotation of the spindles may always be identical to the moving direction of the moving member  73  (the direction indicated with the arrow Y or the opposite direction in the figures) and be horizontal. 
     By such a configuration, the range (direction) wherein the first to third guide arms  91 ,  92 , and  93  of the guide link mechanism  90  are movable in the present embodiment is constrained only in the direction parallel to the X direction. 
     In the present embodiment further, the device is configured such that the direction of the rotation of the first parallelogram link mechanism R 1  is opposite to the direction of the rotation of the second parallelogram link mechanism R 2  and the angles formed with the Y direction are identical. 
     In the case of an embodiment having such a configuration, at expansion and contraction movement, when the drive shaft  51  is activated, the first lower arm  61  rotates around the drive shaft  51  in the horizontal direction, for example in a clockwise direction, resulting in the second lower arm  62  rotating around the driven shaft  52  in the horizontal direction, so that the first parallelogram link mechanism R 1  moves in the horizontal direction while the junction link member  63  keeps the posture parallel to the Y direction. 
     In the present embodiment, because the range wherein the first to third guide arms  91 ,  92 , and  93  of the guide  1  ink mechanism  90  are movable is constrained only in the direction parallel to the X direction and the second parallelogram link mechanism R 2  rotates in the direction opposite to the direction of the first parallelogram link mechanism R 1  so as to equalize the angles formed with the Y direction, the moving member  73  moves parallel in the Y direction (or the opposite direction) by activating the drive shaft  51 . 
     In the present embodiment, the rotation movement is carried out by rotating the swivel  4  in the state that the moving member  73  is contracted. 
     In the present embodiment, in the same way as for the aforementioned embodiment, it is possible to provide a vacuum processing apparatus that has a small size and is hardly contaminated by grease, dust, and others. 
     Furthermore, in the present embodiment, because the guide link mechanism  90  of the guide mechanism  80  is configured with a plurality of guide arms  91  to  93  in particular, it is possible to apply corrosion protection easily by an existing technology. 
       FIG. 6  is a plan view showing a general configuration in another embodiment of a transfer device according to the present invention. Parts corresponding to the parts described in the aforementioned embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals as in  FIG. 6 , and their detailed explanations are omitted. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , a transfer device  60  according to the present embodiment is configured by combining the aforementioned guide link mechanism  90  with a transfer mechanism  100  that is explained below. 
     Firstly, the transfer mechanism  100  has a first parallelogram linkage  101  and a second parallelogram linkage  102 . 
     The first parallelogram linkage  101  has fulcrums A to D and is configured with a link  110 , a link  111 , a link  112 , and a link  113 . As the links  111  and  113 , members longer than the links  110  and  112  are used. 
     On the other hand, the second parallelogram linkage  102  shares the link  110  between the fulcrums A and D with the first parallelogram linkage  101  and is configured with the link  110  and a link  114 , a link  115 , and a link  116 , the lengths of which are identical. 
     The link  110  shared by the first parallelogram linkage  101  and the second parallelogram linkage  102  is attached in the manner of being rotatable in the horizontal direction at both the edges thereof around the fulcrums A and D. The link  112  facing the link  110  in the first parallelogram linkage is attached in the manner of being rotatable in the horizontal direction at both the edges thereof around the fulcrums B and C. 
     The link  111  constituting the first parallelogram linkage and the link  114  constituting the second parallelogram linkage are configured so as to rotate around the fulcrum A at an end of the link  110  shared by the first and second parallelogram linkages  101  and  102  in the state of being constrained at an angle of 90 degrees, for example. 
     That is, an L-shaped link is formed by fastening the links  111  and  114 , and the fastened portion is attached in the manner of being rotatable around the fulcrum A in the horizontal direction. 
     In addition, the device is configured such that a rotation drive force may be loaded on the L-shaped link consisting of the links  111  and  114  in the horizontal direction at the fulcrum A, for example. 
     Furthermore, the link  113  constituting the first parallelogram linkage and the link  116  constituting the second parallelogram linkage are configured so as to rotate around the fulcrum D at the other end of the link  110  shared by the first and second parallelogram linkages  101  and  102  in the state of being constrained at an angle of 90 degrees, for example. 
     That is, an L-shaped link is formed by fastening the link  113  constituting the first parallelogram linkage  101  and the link  116  constituting the second parallelogram linkage  102 , and the fastened portion is attached in the manner of being rotatable around the fulcrum D in the horizontal direction. 
     Meanwhile, in the second parallelogram linkage  102 , an end of the link  115  facing the aforementioned link  110  is attached in the manner of being rotatable around the fulcrum E located at the other end of the link  114  in the horizontal direction. 
     Further, an end of the link  116  constituting the aforementioned L-shaped link is attached to the other end of the aforementioned link  115  in the manner of being rotatable around the fulcrum F in the horizontal direction. 
     The fulcrum F is formed at a tip of the third guide arm  93  of the guide link mechanism  90  as it is explained below. 
     In the case of the present embodiment, the guide mechanism  90  has the first to third guide arms  91  to  93  configured so as to rotate in the vertical direction respectively, and is disposed on a transfer reference line  120  which passes through the above-discussed fulcrum A and is parallel to the X axis, and the aforementioned support member  85  ( 85   a  and  85   b ) is fixed to a base member (not shown). 
     Further, the aforementioned fulcrum A is provided on a base member identical to the guide link mechanism  90 , and thereby the device is configured so as not to change the relative positional relationship of the guide link mechanism  90  to the fulcrum A. 
     By such a configuration, the guide link mechanism  90  and the second parallelogram linkage  102  expand and contract, and the fulcrum F at a tip of the third guide arm  93  moves on the transferring reference line  120  in the X direction or in the opposite direction. 
     Further, a parallel link type link mechanism  126  that is described below is connected to the aforementioned first and second parallelogram linkages  101  and  102 . 
     The parallel link type link mechanism  126  has an upper arm linkage  127  and a lower arm linkage  128 . 
     The upper arm linkage  127  shares the link  111  of the aforementioned first parallelogram linkage  101  and comprises the links  111  and  117 , and the links  123  and  124 , which face each other and are parallel to each other, respectively. Meanwhile, the lower arm linkage  128  is configured with links  118  and  119  and the link  124  and a transfer table  140  (fulcrums I and J), which face each other and are parallel to each other, respectively. 
     The links  123  and  124  are attached in the manner of being rotatable in the horizontal direction around the fulcrums A and B, respectively, at both the ends of the aforementioned link  111 , and further the link  117  is attached in the manner of being rotatable in the horizontal direction around the fulcrums G and H, respectively, at the ends of the links  123  and  124  on the opposite side from the fulcrums A and B. 
     The fulcrum G is disposed on the aforementioned transfer reference line  120 . Further, the fulcrum G is disposed on the same base member (not shown in the figure) as the fulcrum A, for example, and is configured so as not to change the relative positional relationship to the fulcrum A. 
     Meanwhile, the link  118  of the lower arm linkage  128  constitutes an L-shaped link by being fastened to the aforementioned link  112  at an angle of 90 degrees for example and the fastened portion is attached in the manner of being rotatable around the fulcrum B in the horizontal direction. 
     The link  119  facing the link  118  is attached in the manner of being rotatable around the fulcrum H of the upper arm linkage  127  in the horizontal direction and the tips of the links  118  and  119  are attached in the manner of being rotatable around the fulcrums I and J disposed on the transfer table  140  in the horizontal direction. 
     In the case of the present embodiment, the lengths of the links  123  and  124  (distances between fulcrums) and the distance between fulcrums (distance between fulcrums I and J) of the transfer table  140  are configured so as to be identical with each other, respectively. The lengths (distances between fulcrums) of the links  111  and  117 , the links  118  and  119  are also configured so as to be identical with each other respectively. By this configuration, the fulcrums I and J on the transfer table  140  are located on the transfer reference line  120 . 
     An end effector  125  to load an object to be transferred such as a wafer is attached to a tip of the transfer table  140 . 
     In the present embodiment, a dead point passing mechanism  135 , which is described below, to pass through a fixed point (dead point) is disposed. 
     A link  130  that is integrated with the link  112  and rotatable around the fulcrum B in the horizontal direction is attached to the connector section of the L-shaped arm consisting of the links  112  and  118 , and further a link  131  that is integrated with the link  110  and rotatable around the fulcrum A in the horizontal direction is attached. 
     The mounting angle of the link  131  to the link  110  and the mounting angle of the link  130  to the link  112  are configured so as to be identical. 
     Further, a link  134  is attached in the manner of being rotatable in the horizontal direction around a fulcrum K at the end opposite to the fulcrum B of the link  130  and a fulcrum L at the end opposite to the fulcrum A of the link  131 , respectively. The length of the link  134  is identical to the length of the link  111  (the distances between fulcrums are the same). 
     The links  111 ,  130 ,  134 , and  131  constitute the dead point passing mechanism  135 . 
     In the case of the present embodiment, it is desirable to decide the mounting angle of the link  131  to the link  110  and the mounting angle of the link  130  to the link  112  so as to be most appropriate from the viewpoint of the device configuration, the moving range, and other conditions. From the viewpoint of passing through the dead point stably, a preferable mounting angle is in the range of about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees. 
     In an embodiment having such a configuration, when the L-shaped links  111  and  114  rotate at an angle of θ around the fulcrum A in a clockwise direction, the link  114  rotates at an angle of θ around the fulcrum A in a clockwise direction together with the link  111 . 
     In this case, the fulcrum F moves with the guide link mechanism  90  linearly toward the fulcrum A along the transfer reference line  120  in synchronization with the movement of the links  114  and  116 . 
     By so doing, the second parallelogram linkage  102  changes the shape while keeping the shape of the parallelogram and the link  110  rotates at an angle of θ around the fulcrum A in a counterclockwise direction. 
     In the case of the present embodiment, because the links  110 ,  111 ,  112 , and  113  constitute the first parallelogram linkage  101 , when the link  110  rotates at an angle of θ around the fulcrum A in a counterclockwise direction, the link  112  rotates at an angle of θ around the fulcrum B in a counterclockwise direction, and thereby the link  118 , together with the link  112 , rotates at an angle of θ around the fulcrum B in a counterclockwise direction. 
     If it is viewed with reference to the fulcrum B, the series of movement means that, because the link  111  rotates at an angle of θ around the fulcrum B in a clockwise direction and simultaneously the link  118  rotates at an angle of θ around the fulcrum B in a counterclockwise direction, the link  118  rotates at an angle of 2θ with the link  111  around the fulcrum B in a counterclockwise direction. 
     Further, in the present embodiment, since links  111 ,  117 ,  123 , and  124  constitute the parallelogram upper arm linkage  127 , when the link  111  rotates at an angle of θ around the fulcrum A in a clockwise direction, the link  117  also rotates at an angle of θ around the fulcrum G in a clockwise direction, and thereby the link  124  moves while keeping the posture parallel to the link  123 . 
     At the same time, as discussed above, the link  118  rotates at an angle of 2θ to the link  111  around the fulcrum B in a counterclockwise direction. 
     When the link  111  rotates at an angle of θ around the fulcrum A in a clockwise direction, the positions of the links  118  and  124  are fixed, the shape of the parallelogram of the lower arm linkage  128  is fixed unambiguously so that the transfer mechanism  100  carries out expansion movement. 
     As a result, the end effector  125  moves on the transferring reference line  120  in the X direction. 
     When the end effector  125  moves on the transfer reference line  120  in the direction opposite to the X direction, the link  111  rotates in the direction opposite to the direction of the aforementioned movement (in a counterclockwise direction). 
     By rotating the link  111  and thus carrying out the expansion and contraction movement of the transfer mechanism  100 , it is possible to translate the transfer table  140  and the end effector  125  on the transfer reference line  120 . 
     In the case of rotating the link  111  around the fulcrum A in a clockwise direction, although the link  110  rotates in a counterclockwise direction by the function of the guide link mechanism  90 , the direction of the rotation of the link  112  cannot mandatorily be decided so that whether the link  112  rotates around the fulcrum B in a clockwise direction or in a counterclockwise direction is not determined. 
     In the case of the present embodiment, because the dead point passing mechanism  135  is installed and the link  131  is configured so as to be integrated with the movement of the link  110  and rotate around the fulcrum A in a counterclockwise direction, the link  130  rotates around the fulcrum B in a counterclockwise direction. 
     As a result, since the link  112  rotates around the fulcrum B in a counterclockwise direction in the manner of being integrated with the link  130 , it is possible to escape from the dead point. 
     Likewise, when the links  111 ,  134 ,  130 , and  131  constituting the dead point passing mechanism  135  are aligned on a straight line (on the dead point), the link  130  can escape from the dead point by the movement of the links  110  to  113  constituting the first parallelogram linkage  101 . 
     As discussed above, in the present embodiment, the link  118  can stably rotate around the fulcrum B without the direction of rotation being indeterminate at the dead point. 
     As explained above, in the present embodiment, in the same way as the aforementioned embodiments, it is possible to provide a vacuum processing apparatus that has a small size and is hardly contaminated by grease, dust, and others. 
     In the present embodiment further, since the guide link mechanism  90  of the guide mechanism  80  is configured with a plurality of guide arms  91  to  93  in particular, it is possible to apply corrosion protection easily by an existing technology. 
     Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the dead point passing mechanism  135  is configured so as to share the link  111  constituting the first parallelogram linkage  101 , the link  118  rotates stably around the fulcrum B without being indeterminate the rotation at the dead point, and as a result, the lower arm linkage  128  can move stably beyond the fixed point position. 
     Other configuration and operational effects are identical to those in the aforementioned embodiments so that their detailed explanations are omitted. 
       FIG. 7  is a plan view schematically showing a configuration in an embodiment of a vacuum processing apparatus having a transfer device according to the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , in a vacuum processing apparatus  40  according to the present embodiment, process chambers  42 ,  43 , and  44  to carry out vacuum processing, such as, film forming in parallel, a carry-in chamber  45  to carry a wafer as an object to be transferred in, and a carry-out chamber  46  to carry a wafer out are installed around a transfer chamber  41  where an aforementioned transfer device  1  is installed through gate valves not shown in the figure. 
     The process chambers  42 ,  43 , and  44 , the carry-in chamber  45 , and the carry-out chamber  46  are connected to an evacuation system (not shown). 
     In a vacuum processing apparatus  40  having such a configuration, an unprocessed wafer  47  contained in the carry-in chamber  45  is taken in with the transfer device  1  and is transferred to the process chamber  43 , for example. 
     The transfer device  1  receives a processed wafer  48  from the process chamber  43  by, for example, performing the above operation and transfers the processed wafer  48  to another process chamber  42 . 
     Successively, in the same way with the transfer device  1 , an unprocessed wafer  47  and a processed wafer  48  are received and delivered between the process chambers  42  to  44 , the carry-in chamber  45 , and the carry-out chamber  46 . 
     In the case of using another aforementioned transfer device  50  or  60  in place of the transfer device  1 , the same operations are carried out. 
     In the present embodiment having such a configuration, it is possible to provide a vacuum processing apparatus that can smoothly transfer an object to be transferred and has a small size and a small base area. Further, it is possible to provide a vacuum processing apparatus that is hardly contaminated by dust, oil, and others. 
     The present invention can be variously modified without being limited to the aforementioned embodiments. 
     For example, although the guide mechanism includes arms pivotally supported in the manner of being rotatable in the vertical direction in the aforementioned embodiments, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. The direction of the rotation of the arms is not limited to the vertical direction but it is also possible for the direction of the rotation of the arms to incline from the vertical direction. 
     Further, the number of the guide arms of the guide mechanism is not limited to two or three, and the guide mechanism may include more than three guide arms. In such a case, the shape of the guide arms is not limited to a linear shape. 
     In the meantime, although the power transmission mechanism consisting of link arms pivotally supported in the manner of being rotatable in the horizontal direction is used in the aforementioned embodiments, it is possible to incline the direction of the rotation of the arms and the like at an arbitrary angle to the horizontal direction.