Material or article handling – Process – Of moving material between zones having different pressures...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-05
2002-05-07
Werner, Frank E. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Process
Of moving material between zones having different pressures...
C414S939000, C414S217000, C414S937000, C414S941000, C414S744500, C414S744600, C414S416030, C118S719000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06382902
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a handling robot control method for use in a multiple chamber type manufacturing system such as for making semiconductors and LCDs in which a plurality of process chambers designed to constitute individual stations or stages are arranged around a single transfer chamber, and a workpiece in the form of a sheet or a thin plate such as a wafer to be worked on and processed in each of the process chambers is transferred by a handling robot from one of the process chambers to another via the transfer chamber.
BACKGROUND ART
A multiple chamber type semiconductor manufacturing system constructed as shown in
FIG. 1
includes a transfer chamber
1
around which a plurality of process chambers stations
2
a
,
2
b
,
2
c
,
2
d
,
2
e
, each comprising a process chamber, and for delivering a workpiece to the outside section of the system workpiece delivery stations
3
are arranged. The inside of the transfer chamber
1
is normally held in vacuum by suitable vacuum equipment.
The transfer chamber
1
is constructed as shown in
FIG. 2
, having a handling robot
A
disposed turnably in its central region. Constituting its peripheral wall as a whole, partition walls
5
that are opposed to the process chamber stations
2
a
,
2
b
,
2
c
,
2
d
,
2
e
and the workpiece delivering stations
3
are formed with gates
6
, respectively, each of which provides an inlet and outlet for a workpiece into and out of each process chamber station. These gates
6
so they may be opened and closed are provided with their respective opening/closing doors (not shown) arranged in opposition thereto, respectively, inside the transfer chamber
2
.
For the handling robot
A
use is typically made of a robot of double arm type, so called “frog leg” type, which is constructed as shown in FIGS.
3
through
FIGS. 6A and 6B
.
As shown, a boss portion B of the handling robot A has a pair of arms
7
a
and
7
b
of an identical length each of which is turnable about a center of rotation. It also has a pair of carrier tables
8
a
and
8
b
of an identical form, disposed at the opposite sides of the center of rotation or turning. The carrier tables
8
a
and
8
b
have their respective bases to each of which respective one ends of a pair of links
9
a
and
9
b
having an identical length are connected. The respective one ends of the two links
9
a
and
9
b
are connected to each of the two carrier tables
8
a
and
8
b
through a frog leg type carrier table posture control mechanism so that the two links may turn completely symmetrically and in opposite directions with respect to each of the carrier tables
8
a
and
8
b
. And, one of the two links
9
a
connected to the carrier tables
8
a
and
8
b
is connected to one of the arms
7
a
while the other link
9
b
is connected to the other arm
7
b.
FIGS. 4A and 4B
show different forms of the frog leg type carrier table posture control mechanism mentioned above. Thus, the respective one ends of the two links
9
a
and
9
b
may be connected to each of the carrier tables
8
a
and
8
b
through a gear structure comprising a pair of gears
9
c
and
9
c
in mesh with each other so that the respective angles of posture &thgr;R and &thgr;L of the links
9
a
and
9
b
with respect to each of the carrier tables
8
a
and
8
b
may always be held identical to each other. This permits each of the carrier tables
8
a
and
8
b
to be oriented and to be operated in a radial direction of the transfer chamber
1
. For the links
9
a
and
9
b
to be connected to the carrier tables
8
a
and
8
b
, in lieu of the gears a crossed belting arrangement
9
d
may be employed as shown in FIG.
4
B.
FIG. 5
shows a conventional mechanism for moving the arms
7
a
and
7
b
to turn independently of each other. The bases of the arms
7
a
and
7
b
are each in the form of a ring and are constituted with ring bosses
10
a
and
10
b
, respectively, which are positioned coaxially about the center of rotation or turning and supported turnably with respect to the transfer chamber
1
.
Inside of each of the ring bosses
10
a
and
10
b
, there is arranged a disk boss
11
a
,
11
b
coaxially therewith and opposed thereto, respectively. Each pair of the ring boss and the disk boss
10
a
and
11
a
,
10
b
and
11
b
that are opposed to each other are magnetically coupled together with a magnetic coupling
12
a
,
12
b
in the rotary direction.
The rotary shafts
13
a
and
13
b
of the disk bosses
11
a
and
11
b
are arranged coaxially with each other and are connected to the output sections of the motor units
14
a
and
14
b
, respectively, which are in turn supported coaxially with each other and axially deviated in position from one to the other on a frame
1
a
of the transfer chamber
1
.
The motor units
14
a
and
14
b
may each be an integral combination of an AC servo motor
15
and a reducer
16
using a harmonic drive (a trade name, the representation which will be repeated hereafter) and having a large reduction ratio in which the output sections of the reducers
16
and
16
are connected to the base ends of the rotary shafts
13
a
and
13
b
, respectively. Because the transfer chamber
1
in which the arms
7
a
and
7
b
are positioned is to be maintained in a vacuum state, sealing partition walls
17
are provided each between the ring boss
10
a
and the disk boss
11
a
and between the ring boss
10
b
and the disk boss
11
b.
FIGS. 6A and 6B
are used to describe an operation of the conventional handling robot A. When the two arms
7
a
and
7
b
lie at diametrically opposed, symmetrical positions about the center of rotation as shown in
FIG. 6A
, the two links
9
a
and
9
b
will each have had turned to have its two legs opened at maximum with respect to the carrier tables
8
a
and
8
b
. The two carrier tables
8
a
and
8
b
will then have been moved towards the center of rotation or turning.
In this state, turning the two arms
7
a
and
7
b
in a given direction will cause the two carrier tables
8
a
and
8
b
to turn jointly about the center of rotation while maintaining their radial positions. Conversely, turning the two arms
7
a
and
7
b
from the state shown in
FIG. 6A
in opposite directions such as to have them approach each other will cause the one carrier table
8
a
of the position where the angle made with the arms
7
a
and
7
b
is decreasing to be pushed by the links
9
a
and
9
b
to move to project radially outwards and thus to be plunged or forced to project into the process chamber of the one of stations
2
a
,
2
b
,
2
c
,
2
d
and
2
e
that is adjacent thereto radially outside of the transfer chamber
1
as shown in FIG.
6
B.
In this case, while the other carrier table is moved towards the center of rotation or turning, the distance of this movement will be small because of the angles that the arms
7
a
and
7
b
are making with the links
9
a
and
9
b.
While a conventional handling robot
A
as described having two carrier tables permits them to be used alternately or successively and is expected to achieve an operation and effects of a double arm robot, in reality it has problems as mentioned below.
Specifically, a sequence of processes is predetermined. Feeding a wafer processed in each process chamber station sequentially into each next station permits a wafer that is being or has been processed to remain in each such station. If, then, a processed wafer in a certain station is to be exchanged with an unprocessed wafer, as shown in
FIGS. 7 through 11
it is the common practice with the conventional handling robot
A
first to support the processed wafer W
1
on one carrier table
8
a
, and then to turn the handling robot
A
to oppose the vacant carrier table
8
b
(
FIG. 7
) to a station
2
e
where the wafer is being exchanged.
Then, the vacant carrier table
8
b
is forced to move into the station
2
e
to accept the processed wafer W
2
thereon (
FIG. 8
) and to be conveyed into the transfer chamber
1
. Thereafter, the handling robot
A
is turned by 180 degrees
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
Komatsu LTD
Werner Frank E.
LandOfFree
Method for controlling handling robot does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method for controlling handling robot, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method for controlling handling robot will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2890912