Patent ID: 8882431

Claim:
A substrate transfer system comprising: a substrate transfer robot configured to transfer a substrate to/from a substrate processing machine located adjacent to the substrate transfer robot for processing the substrate; a substrate carrying in/out unit located adjacent to the substrate transfer robot and configured to carry in the substrate to a position near the substrate transfer robot as well as carry out the substrate received from the substrate transfer robot; and a temporary storage unit located adjacent to the substrate transfer robot and configured to temporarily store therein the substrate transferred by the substrate transfer robot between the substrate carrying in/out unit and the substrate processing machine, wherein the substrate transfer robot includes an end effector configured to hold a substrate in a substantially horizontal state; a vertical driving unit configured to drive the end effector to move in a vertical direction; a horizontal driving unit configured to drive the vertical driving unit to move in a horizontal direction; and a rotation driving unit configured to rotate the horizontal driving unit about a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction, one end of the vertical driving unit is connected with the horizontal driving unit, the rotation axis is positioned nearer to a rear end of the horizontal driving unit than a central position thereof in a longitudinal direction of the horizontal driving unit, the end effector extends in the horizontal direction and has a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the end effector being attached to the vertical driving unit, the substrate transfer robot is configured such that when the vertical driving unit is positioned at a rear end of the horizontal driving unit, the distal end of the end effector and a distal end of the substrate held on the end effector are positioned on a rear end side relative to a front end of the horizontal driving unit and nearly on the front end of the horizontal driving unit, and the rotation axis is positioned nearly on a central position of the end effector in the horizontal direction and nearly on a central position of the substrate held on the end effector in the horizontal direction, an opened space, which is opened at least on a side facing the substrate transfer robot, is provided in a lower portion of at least one of the substrate processing machine and the temporary storage unit, and the substrate transfer robot is positioned such that when the horizontal driving unit is rotated about the rotation axis, the front end of the horizontal driving unit passes through at least one opened space.