JP4570102B2 - Substrate detection method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate detection method that is used in a substrate processing apparatus and can grasp a storage state of a substrate in a substrate storage container.

  Conventionally, as this type of substrate processing apparatus, for example, there is one disclosed in JP-A-3-297156.

  In this substrate processing apparatus, what is called an open cassette is used as a cassette for storing a plurality of substrates. An opening for taking out and storing the substrate is provided on the front side of this open cassette (hereinafter simply referred to as “cassette”), and an opening smaller than the opening is provided on the back side of the cassette. Yes. In addition, grooves for holding the substrate substantially horizontally are engraved in multiple stages on the inner wall of the cassette. The substrates are stored one by one in the groove, and as a result, a plurality of substrates are stored in the cassette.

  The substrate processing apparatus performs a predetermined process on the substrate taken out from the specific groove in the cassette, and grasps in advance the storage state of the substrate in the cassette in order to store the substrate in the specific groove again. The grasping state of the substrate is performed by detection means provided on the placement unit. This detection means is a transmission type sensor composed of a light projecting element and a light receiving element that are arranged to face each other so as to sandwich the cassette from the front and rear. This transmissive sensor detects the presence or absence of a substrate based on whether or not transmission of light performed between a light projecting element and a light receiving element is interrupted. By moving this transmissive sensor in the vertical direction from the uppermost groove in the cassette to the lowermost groove, the presence / absence of a substrate stored in each groove of the cassette, that is, the storage state of the substrate in the cassette is determined. I know.

  However, with the recent increase in the size of substrates, new standards have been agreed on cassettes for storing these substrates. A cassette conforming to this standard is called a FOUP (Front Open Unified Pod) cassette. This FOUP cassette is provided with only a single opening for taking out and storing the substrate, and a detachable lid is attached to this opening. The FOUP cassette is used with the lid removed and the opening opened when the substrate is taken out and stored. However, since the FOUP cassette has only a single opening, it is a transmission type that sandwiches the cassette from the front and the rear as in the past. There is a problem that some sensors cannot detect the presence or absence of a substrate stored in each groove of the cassette.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, Comprising: It aims at providing the board | substrate detection method which can grasp | ascertain the accommodation state of the board | substrate in a board | substrate storage container.

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention has the following configuration.
That is, the invention according to claim 1 includes an opening for taking out and storing the substrate, a lid attached to the opening, a fixing mechanism for attaching and fixing the lid to the opening, and a fixing mechanism for making the lid removable. A substrate detection method for detecting a substrate in a substrate storage container that horizontally stores the substrate, wherein the substrate detection method performs a predetermined process on the mounting portion and the substrate on which the substrate storage container is mounted The substrate is separated from the processing unit by a partition wall, and a passage port for taking out and storing the substrate from the substrate storage container is provided in the partition wall, and the passage port is opened and closed by a shutter member. A process of placing the substrate storage container on the placement unit with a lid attached to the opening; and the substrate storage container placed on the placement unit toward the partition wall. Advance forward A process of bringing the substrate storage container close to the shutter member, a process of connecting and connecting a locking mechanism of the shutter member to a fixing mechanism of the substrate storage container close to the cover member, and moving the lid to a detachable state; The member moves backward and downward while holding the lid, opens the lid of the substrate storage container, and opens the partition passage opening, and opens the partition passage opening and the substrate storage container. And a step of detecting the presence / absence of a substrate in the substrate storage container with a detecting means that moves up and down integrally with the shutter member through the opening.

  The invention according to claim 2 includes an opening for taking out and storing the substrate, a lid attached to the opening, a fixing mechanism for attaching and fixing the lid to the opening, and a detachable state. A substrate detection method for detecting a substrate in a substrate storage container that horizontally stores substrates, wherein the substrate detection method includes a placement unit on which the substrate storage container is placed and a processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the substrate. Are separated from each other by a partition wall, and a passage port for taking out and storing the substrate from the substrate storage container is provided in the partition wall, and the passage port is used in a substrate processing apparatus opened and closed by a shutter member A process of placing the substrate storage container on the placement unit with the lid attached to the opening, and advancing the substrate storage container placed on the placement unit toward the partition The substrate A process of bringing the container close to the shutter member, a process of connecting and connecting the shutter member locking mechanism to the fixing mechanism of the adjacent substrate storage container to shift the lid to a detachable state, and the shutter member Retracting and lowering while holding the lid, opening the lid of the substrate storage container, opening the partition passage, and detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of the substrate in the substrate storage container, The process of moving forward into the opening of the opening of the partition wall and the opening of the substrate storage container and approaching the substrate in the substrate storage container, and the detection means that moves up and down integrally with the shutter member in the substrate storage container And a process for detecting the presence or absence of a substrate.

  The invention according to claim 3 includes an opening for taking out and storing the substrate, a lid attached to the opening, and a fixing mechanism for attaching and fixing the lid to the opening, and a detachable state. A substrate detection method for detecting a substrate in a substrate storage container that horizontally stores substrates, wherein the substrate detection method includes a placement unit on which the substrate storage container is placed and a processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the substrate. Are separated by a partition wall, and a passage port for taking out and storing the substrate from the substrate storage container is provided in the partition wall, and the passage port is used in a substrate processing apparatus that is opened and closed by a shutter member. A process of placing the substrate storage container on the placement unit with the lid attached to the opening, and advancing the substrate storage container placed on the placement unit toward the partition The substrate A process of bringing the container close to the shutter member, a process of connecting and connecting the shutter member locking mechanism to the fixing mechanism of the adjacent substrate storage container to shift the lid to a detachable state, and the shutter member Retreating and descending while holding the lid, opening the lid of the substrate storage container, opening the partition passage opening, through the opened passage opening of the partition wall and the opening of the substrate storage container, A process of detecting the presence / absence of a substrate in the substrate storage container by a detection means that moves up and down integrally with the shutter member, and an electric signal from the detection means while the shutter member is driven to move downward while holding the lid. And storing the presence / absence of the substrate at each position in the substrate storage container.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the following actions and effects can be obtained. When the substrate storage container is placed on the mounting portion with the lid attached to the opening, the substrate storage container is driven forward toward the partition wall and approaches the shutter member. Subsequently, the shutter member lock mechanism is connected to the adjacent substrate storage container fixing mechanism to shift the lid to a detachable state. By moving the shutter member backward and downward while holding the lid, the lid of the substrate storage container and the passage opening of the partition wall are opened. When the shutter member descends while holding the lid, the presence or absence of the substrate in the substrate storage container can be detected by the detection means through the opened opening of the partition wall and the opening of the substrate storage container.

  According to invention of Claim 2, there exist the following effect | action and effect. When the substrate storage container is placed on the mounting portion with the lid attached to the opening, the substrate storage container is driven forward toward the partition wall and approaches the shutter member. Subsequently, the shutter member lock mechanism is connected to the adjacent substrate storage container fixing mechanism to shift the lid to a detachable state. By moving the shutter member backward and downward while holding the lid, the lid of the substrate storage container and the passage opening of the partition wall are opened. When the shutter member descends while holding the lid, the presence / absence of a substrate in the substrate storage container is detected through the opening of the opened partition wall and the opening of the substrate storage container. At this time, the detection means moves forward in the opening of the opened partition wall and the opening of the substrate storage container and approaches the substrate in the substrate storage container, so that the detection accuracy of the substrate is improved.

  According to invention of Claim 3, there exist the following effect | action and effect. When the substrate storage container is placed on the mounting portion with the lid attached to the opening, the substrate storage container is driven forward toward the partition wall and approaches the shutter member. Subsequently, the shutter member lock mechanism is connected to the adjacent substrate storage container fixing mechanism to shift the lid to a detachable state. By moving the shutter member backward and downward while holding the lid, the lid of the substrate storage container and the passage opening of the partition wall are opened. When the shutter member descends while holding the lid, the presence / absence of a substrate in the substrate storage container is detected through the opening of the opened partition wall and the opening of the substrate storage container. Further, while the shutter member is lowered while holding the lid, the electrical signals from the detection means are collected and the presence / absence of the substrate at each position in the substrate storage container is stored. The substrate transport mechanism can be operated based on the stored information on the presence or absence of the substrate.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a main part of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view thereof. The substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment is a substrate processing apparatus corresponding to a cassette called a FOUP (Front Open Unified Pod) cassette in which a lid is attached to an opening for taking out and storing a substrate. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus includes a partition wall 12 that includes a processing unit 20 that takes out a substrate W from a cassette 1 and performs a predetermined process on the substrate W, and a mounting unit 3 on which the cassette 1 is mounted. It is constituted by being separated by. The mounting section 3 is provided with a plurality (four in this embodiment) of cassette stages 2 on which the cassette 1 is mounted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the FOUP cassette 1 (hereinafter referred to as “cassette 1”) includes a container 1a for storing the substrate W and a lid 1b that is detachably fitted into an opening 1c provided in the container 1a. It is configured. A multistage groove 1d is provided on the inner wall of the container 1a so as to face each other. In each groove 1d, the substrate W is stored in a state of being held almost horizontally. The lid 1b is embedded with a fixing mechanism 1e that fixes the lid 1b to the container 1a when fitted into the opening 1c of the container 1a. The fixing mechanism 1e includes two locking members 1f each having a rack carved at a base end portion, and a rotatable pinion 1g that meshes with the rack. A lock mechanism 6 provided in a shutter member 5 described later rotates a pinion 1g near the center of the lid 1b to raise the lock member 1f and fix the lid 1b to the opening 1c of the container 1a. .

  The cassette stage 2 is provided with cassette detection means (not shown) such as a reflection sensor on the placement surface of the cassette 1 in order to detect that the cassette 1 is placed. The cassette stage 2 is configured to be movable back and forth in the direction of the partition wall 12 (Y direction) by a cassette driving mechanism 4 provided below the cassette stage 2.

  The cassette drive mechanism 4 is configured by a so-called screw feed mechanism that drives a screw shaft 4b that is screwed into a convex portion 2a provided on the lower surface of the cassette stage 2 by an electric motor 4a. When the cassette 1 is placed on the cassette stage 2, the electric motor 4 a rotates the screw shaft 4 b in the forward direction to advance the cassette stage 2 toward the partition wall 12. When the processing of all the substrates W in the cassette 1 is completed, the electric motor 4a rotates the screw shaft 4b in the reverse direction to move the cassette stage 2 backward.

  The partition wall 12 is provided with a passage opening 12 a having the same size as the cassette 1 at a position facing the cassette 1. The passage port 12a is used to take out and store the substrate W from the cassette 1, and when the cassette 1 is not placed, it shields the atmosphere between the processing unit 20 and the placement unit 3. The shutter member 5 is closed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the shutter member 5 includes a convex portion 5a that is fitted into the passage port 12a of the partition wall 12, and a support plate portion 5b on which the convex portion 5a is provided. An electric motor (not shown) and a connecting member 6a connected to the output shaft of the electric motor are embedded in the convex portion 5a.

  By the forward drive of the cassette stage 2 described above, the lid 1b of the cassette 1 is moved to a position close to the convex portion 5a of the shutter member 5, so that the pinion 1g of the lock mechanism 1e provided on the lid 1b is connected. It is connected to the member 6a. In this state, the lock mechanism 6 provided in the shutter member 5 rotates the electric motor to release the lock between the lid 1b and the container 1a, so that the lid 1b can be detached from the container 1a.

  Further, the above-described support plate portion 5b is provided with an “L” -shaped arm 5c extending downward (see FIG. 2). The shutter member 5 is driven back and forth and up and down by a shutter drive mechanism 7 attached to the base end portion of the arm 5c.

  The shutter drive mechanism 7 includes an elevating mechanism 7a that elevates and lowers the shutter member 5 in the Z direction and an advance / retreat mechanism 7b that advances and retracts in the Y direction. The elevating mechanism 7a is configured by a so-called screw feed mechanism in which a screw shaft that is screwed to the base end portion of the arm 5c is driven by an electric motor. Further, an encoder 13a is provided above the lifting mechanism 7a, and detects the position of the shutter member 5 in the Z direction by detecting the rotation amount of the electric motor. The advance / retreat mechanism 7b is constituted by a screw feed mechanism that advances and retracts the elevating mechanism 7a in the Y direction. By the elevating mechanism 7a and the advance / retreat mechanism 7b, the shutter member 5 can advance / retreat and elevate / lower. Hereinafter, the operation of the shutter member 5 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b).

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the cassette 1 placed on the cassette stage 2 (see FIG. 2) is driven forward by a cassette driving mechanism 4 (see FIG. 2). At this time, the shutter member 5 closes the passage opening 12a. As shown in FIG. 5B, when the cassette 1 moves to a position close to the shutter member 5, the shutter member 5 is locked by the lock mechanism 6 (see FIG. 4) to the lid 1b of the cassette 1. Is released and the lid 1b is held. Next, after the shutter member 5 is driven backward by the shutter drive mechanism 7, it is driven downward to a retracted position that does not obstruct the removal and storage of the substrate W from the cassette 1. The process waits at the retreat position until the processing of all the substrates W in the cassette 1 is completed. When the processing of all the substrates W in the cassette 1 is completed, the shutter member 5 is driven to rise and then is driven forward to close the passage port 12a and attach the lid 1b to the cassette 1.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the above-described shutter member 5 is provided with a reflective sensor 10 including a light projecting element portion 10a and a light receiving element portion 10b on an upper portion of a support member 5b. The light projecting element unit 10a and the light receiving element unit 10b are attached to face the point P on the end surface of the substrate W stored in the groove 1d of the cassette 1 when the shutter member 5 is lowered. Therefore, the light projected from the light projecting element portion 10a is reflected at the point P on the end surface of the substrate W accommodated in the groove 1d of the cassette 1, and the reflected light is received by the light receiving element portion 10b. Converted to a signal. That is, the presence or absence of the substrate W accommodated in the groove 1d can be known by detecting whether or not an electric signal is generated in the light receiving element portion 10b.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the reflective sensor 10 is connected to the data collection unit 11. The data collection unit 11 collects electrical signals that have been photoelectrically converted based on the reflected light received by the light receiving element unit 10 b of the reflective sensor 10. The data collection unit 11 collects electrical signals while the shutter member 5 is driven downward. The position detection unit 13 detects the position of the reflective sensor 10 attached to the shutter member 5 based on the rotation amount signal of the electric motor sent from the encoder 13 a attached to the lifting mechanism 7 a of the shutter drive mechanism 7. The processing unit 14 obtains the presence / absence of the substrate W in each groove in the cassette 1 from the position of the reflective sensor 10 detected by the position detection unit 13 and the electrical signal collected by the data collection unit 11, and also stores the memory 15. The presence / absence of the substrate W at each groove position of the cassette 1 is stored.

  Specifically, when the shutter member 5 descends, that is, when the reflective sensor 10 begins to descend, the data collection unit 11 projects light from the light projecting element unit 10a of the reflective sensor 10 and the light receiving element unit 10b. Start collecting electrical signals generated in First, when the reflective sensor 10 comes to the front position of the uppermost groove 1d of the cassette 1 due to the lowering of the reflective sensor 10, if the substrate W is stored in the uppermost groove 1d, the substrate W The light projected from the light projecting element unit 10a is reflected on the end surface of the light. In the light receiving element portion 10b, the received reflected light is photoelectrically converted to generate an electrical signal. Further, since the reflective sensor 10 is lowered, next, when the reflective sensor 10 comes to the front position of the second-stage groove 1d in the cassette 1, the substrate W is stored in the second-stage groove 1d. If not, the light receiving element portion 10b does not receive the reflected light and no electrical signal is generated. The data collection unit 11 continues to collect these electric signals until the descent of the reflective sensor is completed. FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the electrical signal collected by the data collection unit 11 and the passage of time. In the figure, reference numeral 70 indicates each signal when the substrate W is detected.

  On the other hand, the position detection unit 13 determines the position of the reflective sensor 10 from the initial position and the descending amount of the reflective sensor 10 based on the rotation amount of the electric motor sent from the encoder 13a provided in the lifting mechanism 7a. I can grasp it. The position detector 13 detects the time during which the reflective sensor 10 passes through the position facing each groove 1 d of the cassette 1. FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram showing the time for passing through the position facing the groove 1d. In the figure, reference numeral 71 indicates the time during the passage through the position facing the groove 1 d of the cassette 1. Reference numeral 72 indicates the number of the groove 1d. In this groove 1d, the first groove 1d passing through is “1”, and the subsequent grooves are “2”, “3”,. Here, since the cassette 1 can store 25 substrates W, the last number of the groove 1d is “25”.

  Based on the time detected by the position detection unit 13 and passing through the position facing each groove 1d and the information on the presence or absence of the substrate W collected over time collected by the data collection unit 11, the processing unit 14 The presence / absence of the substrate W in each groove 1d is obtained by logical operation for each time of the groove 1d. The processing unit 14 stores the result in the memory 15. In this way, the storage state of the substrates W in the cassette 1 can be grasped.

  Information on the presence or absence of the substrate W for each groove 1d stored in the memory 15 is used by a controller that controls a substrate processing apparatus (not shown). For example, the controller operates a substrate transport mechanism 9 to be described later based on the information in the memory 15, and after the processing of the substrate W taken out from the specific groove of the cassette 1 is completed, the controller It is used when returning and storing in the groove.

  After grasping the storage state of the substrate W in the cassette 1, the substrate processing apparatus starts taking out and storing the substrate W from the cassette 1 by the substrate transport mechanism 9.

  The substrate transport mechanism 9 includes an arm 9 a that holds the substrate W. The holding arm 9a has a “I” shape as shown in FIG. 1, but may have a “U” shape, for example. The arm 9a includes a plurality of support pins (not shown) that support the lower surface of the substrate W by point contact, and is a member that makes point contact with the periphery of the substrate W in order to prevent the substrate W from being dropped or displaced. Is provided.

  The substrate transport mechanism 9 is configured as follows. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the arm 9a is configured to be movable back and forth in a horizontal plane by a screw feed mechanism provided on the arm support base 9b. Next, the arm support base 9b is connected and supported by the output shaft of the electric motor built in the arm rotary base 9c. The arm 9a can be rotated in a horizontal plane by the rotation of the electric motor. Further, the arm turntable 9c is configured to be movable up and down by an elevating mechanism 9d configured by a screw feeding mechanism. The elevating mechanism 9d is mounted on a slide drive mechanism 9e that is slidable in the X direction in a horizontal plane.

  With the above-described configuration, the arm 9a operates as follows. The slide moving mechanism 9 e slides the arm 9 a to a position facing the predetermined cassette 1 placed on the placement unit 3. In order to take out the uppermost substrate W in the cassette 1, the arm 9a is raised, the arm 9a is further moved forward to the lower surface of the substrate W, the substrate W is held on the arm 9a, and then the arm 9a is retracted. Then, the substrate W is taken out from the cassette 1. The slide moving mechanism 9e moves the arm 9a to almost the center of the apparatus and delivers the substrate W to a substrate transport robot (not shown) of the processing unit 20. When the processing of the substrate W in the processing unit 20 is completed, the substrate transport mechanism 9 receives the substrate W from the substrate transport robot of the processing unit 20 and stores the substrate W in the cassette 1 that has taken out the substrate W again. This process is performed on all the substrates W in the cassette 1.

  When the processing of all the substrates W in the cassette 1 is completed and all the substrates W are stored in the cassette 1, the shutter member 5 is driven to move upward after being lifted to close the passage port 12a, and the lock mechanism 6 Is operated to fix the lid 1 b to the container 1 a of the cassette 1. When the lid 1b is fixed to the container 1a, the cassette stage 2 is moved backward by the cassette driving mechanism 4 and moved to the cassette picking position.

  The above-described substrate processing apparatus attaches the reflective sensor 10 as the detection means to the upper part of the shutter member 5 and detects the presence or absence of the substrate held in each groove 1d of the cassette 1 as the shutter member 5 is lowered. A drive mechanism that raises and lowers only the detection means is not required. Therefore, an increase in the manufacturing cost of the apparatus due to the attachment of the detection means can be minimized. Further, the detection means can be easily attached using the configuration provided in the apparatus.

  The present invention can be modified as follows.

  (1) In the above embodiment, in order to grasp the storage state of the substrate W in the cassette 1, the reflective sensor is used as a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the substrate W stored in each groove 1 d of the cassette 1. The present invention is not limited to this. For example, instead of the reflective sensor 10, a transmissive sensor having an advance / retreat drive mechanism can be attached. FIG. 8 shows the configuration when this transmission sensor is attached.

  As shown in FIG. 8, an advance / retreat drive mechanism 81 and a transmissive sensor 80 attached to the advance / retreat drive mechanism 81 so as to be capable of advancing / retreating are disposed on the support plate portion 5 b of the shutter member 5. The advancing / retracting drive mechanism 81 is configured by a so-called screw feed mechanism in which a screw shaft 81b screwed to the connecting member 81c is driven by an electric motor 81a.

  The transmissive sensor 80 includes a light projecting member 80a having a light projecting element 83a at a distal end portion and a light receiving member 80b having a light receiving element 83b at a distal end portion, and the base end portions of both the members 80a and 80b are The support member 81c is supported and fixed. Further, the light projecting member 80a and the light receiving member 80b are slidably guided and supported by penetrating the fixing member 82a and the fixing member 82b, respectively, and are disposed so as to face each other with a height shifted vertically. Yes.

  Hereinafter, an operation when the transmission type sensor 80 and the advance / retreat driving mechanism 81 are attached to the shutter member 5 will be described. When the transmissive sensor 80 comes to the front position of the upper end of the cassette 1 due to the lowering of the shutter member 5, the advance / retreat drive mechanism 81 drives the electric motor 81a to advance the connecting member 81c. Together with the connecting member 81c, the light projecting member 80a and the light receiving member 80b move forward between the inner surface of the side wall of the cassette 1 and the substrate W. The advance / retreat drive mechanism 81 stops the driving of the electric motor 81a when the leading ends of the light projecting member 80a and the light receiving member 80b reach a predetermined position. This position is a position where the optical axis of the transmissive sensor 80 is blocked by the substrate W when the substrate W is in the groove 1 d of the cassette 1. The transmission type sensor 80 sequentially detects the presence / absence of the substrate W in each groove 1d of the cassette 1 as the shutter member 5 is lowered while the position is held. The timing for detecting the substrate W is the same as that in the above-described embodiment using the reflective sensor.

  When the transmissive sensor 80 comes to the lowermost front surface of the cassette 1, the advance / retreat drive mechanism 81 drives the electric motor 81a in the reverse direction to retract the connecting member 81c. When the tip portions of the light projecting member 80a and the light receiving member 80b are retracted to the fixing members 82a and 82b, the advance / retreat drive mechanism 81 stops driving the electric motor 81a. The reason why the light projecting member 80a and the light receiving member 80b are retracted is to prevent the light projecting member 80a and the light receiving member 80b from being caught by the mounting portion 3 or the like when the shutter member 5 is lowered.

  The above-described advance / retreat driving mechanism 81 can detect the presence or absence of the substrate W by bringing the transmissive sensor 80 serving as the detection means close to the substrate W, and thus the detection accuracy can be improved. Note that the reflection type sensor described in the above-described embodiment may be moved forward and backward by the above-described advance / retreat driving mechanism 81, and the presence or absence of the substrate may be detected by bringing the reflection type sensor close to the substrate.

  (2) The detecting means for detecting the presence / absence of the substrate W accommodated in each groove 1d of the cassette 1 is not limited to the reflection type sensor or the transmission type sensor, and may be a CCD camera for imaging the inside of the cassette 1, for example. .

  For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the CCD camera 90 is placed on the support plate portion 5 b of the shutter member 5. The CCD camera 90 continuously images inside the cassette 1 while the shutter member 5 is lowered. The image data of the cassette 1 obtained by this imaging is collected by the data collection unit 11. The processing unit 14 performs a binarization process on the image data to grasp the storage state of the substrates W in the cassette 1. The CCD camera 90 corresponds to the image pickup means in the present invention.

  With the configuration described above, the inside of the cassette 1 can be captured as an image, so that the state of the substrate can be grasped in more detail.

  (3) In the above modification (2), the CCD camera 90 is used to grasp the storage state of the substrate W in the cassette 1, but for example, as shown in FIG. An optical fiber 95 may be installed on the top of 5b, and the inside of the cassette 1 may be imaged by a CCD camera (not shown) connected to the end of the optical fiber 95.

  With the above-described configuration, the CCD camera can be installed in a vacant place in the apparatus, so that the expansion of the apparatus due to the provision of the detection means can be prevented. Further, since the optical fiber is light, the operation of the shutter member 5 is not affected. Note that the above-described CCD camera 90 and optical fiber 95 may be moved forward and backward by an advancing / retracting drive mechanism 81 as shown in FIG. 8, and the inside of the cassette may be imaged in a state of being close to the substrate.

It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a side view which shows schematic structure of the apparatus which concerns on an Example. It is a perspective view which shows the FOUP cassette of an Example. It is a perspective view which shows the reflection type sensor attached to the shutter member and shutter member of an Example. It is a schematic side view showing operation | movement of the shutter member of an Example. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part of an Example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the detection of the board | substrate of an Example, and the groove position of a cassette. It is a perspective view showing the state where the transmission type sensor concerning modification (1) was attached to the shutter member. It is a perspective view which shows the state with which the CCD camera concerning a modification (2) was attached to the shutter member. It is a perspective view which shows the state in which the optical fiber concerning a modification (3) was attached to the shutter member.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Cassette 2 ... Cassette stage 3 ... Mounting part 4 ... Cassette drive mechanism 5 ... Shutter member 6 ... Locking mechanism 7 ... Shutter drive mechanism 9 ... Substrate conveyance mechanism 10 ... Reflective sensor 11 ... Data collection part 12 ... Partition 12a ... Opening portion 13 ... Position detecting portion 14 ... Processing portion 15 ... Memory 80 ... Transmission type sensor 81 ... Advancing / retracting drive mechanism 90 ... CCD camera 95 ... Optical fiber W ... Substrate

Claims (3)

A substrate storage container for horizontally storing a substrate, comprising: an opening for taking out and storing the substrate; a lid attached to the opening; and a fixing mechanism for attaching and fixing the lid to the opening and a detachable state. A substrate detection method for detecting a substrate in a substrate,
In the substrate detection method, a placement unit on which the substrate storage container is placed and a processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the substrate are separated by a partition, and the substrate is taken out and stored in the partition from the substrate storage container. A passage opening is provided for use in a substrate processing apparatus in which the passage opening is opened and closed by a shutter member.
A process of placing the substrate storage container on the placement unit with a lid attached to the opening;
A step of advancing the substrate storage container placed on the mounting portion toward the partition wall to bring the substrate storage container close to the shutter member;
The shutter member locking mechanism is connected to the adjacent fixing mechanism of the substrate storage container and the lid is moved to a detachable state; and
The shutter member moves backward and downward while holding the lid to open the lid of the substrate storage container, and to open the passage opening of the partition wall;
A process of detecting the presence or absence of a substrate in the substrate storage container with a detection means that moves up and down integrally with the shutter member through the opened passage opening of the partition wall and the opening of the substrate storage container;
A substrate detection method comprising: A substrate storage container for horizontally storing a substrate, comprising: an opening for taking out and storing the substrate; a lid attached to the opening; and a fixing mechanism for attaching and fixing the lid to the opening and a detachable state. A substrate detection method for detecting a substrate in a substrate,
In the substrate detection method, a placement unit on which the substrate storage container is placed and a processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the substrate are separated by a partition, and the substrate is taken out and stored in the partition from the substrate storage container. A passage opening is provided for use in a substrate processing apparatus in which the passage opening is opened and closed by a shutter member.
A process of placing the substrate storage container on the placement unit with a lid attached to the opening;
A step of advancing the substrate storage container placed on the mounting portion toward the partition wall to bring the substrate storage container close to the shutter member;
The shutter member locking mechanism is connected to the adjacent fixing mechanism of the substrate storage container and the lid is moved to a detachable state; and
The shutter member moves backward and downward while holding the lid to open the lid of the substrate storage container, and to open the passage opening of the partition wall;
A detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a substrate in the substrate storage container is moved forward into the opened opening of the partition wall and the opening of the substrate storage container to approach the substrate in the substrate storage container;
A process of detecting the presence or absence of a substrate in the substrate storage container by the detection means that moves up and down integrally with the shutter member;
A substrate detection method comprising: A substrate storage container for horizontally storing a substrate, comprising: an opening for taking out and storing the substrate; a lid attached to the opening; and a fixing mechanism for attaching and fixing the lid to the opening and a detachable state. A substrate detection method for detecting a substrate in a substrate,
In the substrate detection method, a placement portion on which the substrate storage container is placed and a processing portion for performing a predetermined process on the substrate are separated by a partition, and the substrate is taken out and stored in the partition from the substrate storage container. A passage opening is provided for use in a substrate processing apparatus in which the passage opening is opened and closed by a shutter member.
A process of placing the substrate storage container on the placement unit with a lid attached to the opening;
A step of advancing the substrate storage container placed on the mounting portion toward the partition wall to bring the substrate storage container close to the shutter member;
The shutter member locking mechanism is connected to the adjacent fixing mechanism of the substrate storage container and the lid is moved to a detachable state; and
The shutter member moves backward and downward while holding the lid to open the lid of the substrate storage container, and to open the passage opening of the partition wall;
A process of detecting the presence or absence of a substrate in the substrate storage container with a detection means that moves up and down integrally with the shutter member through the opened passage opening of the partition wall and the opening of the substrate storage container;
A process of collecting electrical signals from the detection means and storing the presence / absence of a substrate at each position in the substrate storage container while the shutter member is driven downward while holding the lid;
A substrate detection method comprising:

Images