KR-20260064063-A - SUBSTRATE TRANSFER APPARATUS AND PROCESS AUTOMATION SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SAME

Abstract

A substrate removal device is disclosed. A substrate removal device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a conveyor unit capable of conveying a substrate load in a first direction, and a plurality of the conveyor units are provided on different regions, and the plurality of regions may be arranged along the first direction. A process automation system is disclosed. A process automation system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a process section capable of performing a process on a substrate on a substrate stack within a process chamber; an output section capable of outputting the substrate stack; and a logistics robot capable of gripping and transporting the substrate stack between the process section and the output section, wherein the logistics robot includes a hand extended from one end of an arm, and the hand is capable of supporting the substrate stack on at least three sides, and the output section may be equipped with a substrate output device.

Inventors

• 홍진오
• 정태환

Assignees

• (주)에스티아이

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20241031

Claims (7)

1. It includes a conveyor unit capable of transporting a substrate load in a first direction, and A substrate removal device comprising a plurality of conveyor units, wherein the plurality of said areas are provided on different regions and the plurality of said regions are arranged along the first direction.
2. In Article 1, The above conveyor unit is, First conveyor; A second conveyor provided parallel to the first conveyor and in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; and A substrate removal device comprising a conveyor drive unit capable of providing driving force in the first direction to the first conveyor and the second conveyor in the above area.
3. In Article 2, The above area includes an export area, and A substrate removal device further comprising a stopper provided on the removal area and capable of restricting the positional movement of the first conveyor by contacting the end of the first conveyor.
4. In Article 1, The above conveyor unit is, A substrate removal device comprising a detection sensor capable of detecting whether the substrate load is located on the area.
5. In Article 1, The above area includes an export area, and A substrate removal device further comprising a removal unit provided on the above removal area and removing the substrate load from the conveyor unit in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction.
6. In Article 5, The above-mentioned outgoing unit is, A support plate capable of supporting the above substrate load; and A substrate removal device comprising a cylinder that raises and lowers the support plate in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction.
7. A process section capable of performing a process on the substrate on the substrate load within a process chamber; An outflow section capable of removing the above substrate load; and It includes a logistics robot capable of gripping and transporting the substrate load between the above process section and the above outbound section, The above logistics robot includes a hand extended from one end of an arm, and The above hand is capable of supporting the substrate load on at least three sides, and The above-mentioned outgoing section is equipped with a substrate outgoing device, and A process automation system in which the above-mentioned substrate removal device is a substrate removal device of any one of claims 1 to 6.

Description

Substrate Transfer Apparatus and Process Automation System Including the Same The present invention relates to automation technology, and more specifically, to a substrate removal device and a process automation system including the same. As semiconductor production volume increases and manufacturing processes become more miniaturized, semiconductor factories are increasingly trending toward larger scale. Substrates are essential basic components for semiconductor manufacturing and are produced through various processes utilizing different substrate processing units. Each substrate moves between various types of substrate processing units to perform a series of processes. To enhance efficiency, the process is carried out by grouping stacks of multiple substrates into unit groups. Since workspaces and workflows vary depending on the process, it is inevitable that the number of substrates that can be processed within a unit group differs across processes. This disparity in the number of substrates that can be processed between processes acts as a critical variable in optimizing the overall work throughput. When transporting circuit boards in individual loads, it is important to optimize the transport routes and layout to maximize transport efficiency within limited space and time. Meanwhile, as part of efforts to improve process efficiency, a device for automatically ejecting processed substrates is required, but to date, no such device has been developed to automatically eject processed substrates. FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a process automation system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2(a) and FIGS. 2(b) are plan views showing the operating range of a logistics robot in a process automation system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing a substrate removal device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing a conveyor unit on a first region according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a front view schematically showing a substrate removal device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a substrate load moving along a substrate removal device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view schematically showing a portion of a conveyor unit and a discharge unit on a discharge area according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a right side view schematically showing a lifting and lowering discharge unit equipped with a substrate load according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 9(a) and FIGS. 9(b) are planar perspective views schematically showing a hand among a logistics robot according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view schematically showing a hand among logistics robots in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a hand supporting a substrate load according to one embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments introduced herein are provided to ensure that the disclosed content is thorough and complete and to ensure that the concept of the present invention is sufficiently conveyed to a person skilled in the art. In this specification, when a component is described as being on another component, it means that it may be formed directly on the other component or that a third component may be interposed between them. Additionally, in the drawings, shapes and sizes are exaggerated for the effective description of the technical content. Additionally, although terms such as first, second, third, etc., have been used to describe various components in the various embodiments of this specification, these components should not be limited by such terms. These terms are used merely to distinguish one component from another. Accordingly, what is referred to as the first component in one embodiment may be referred to as the second component in another embodiment. Each embodiment described and illustrated herein also includes its complementary embodiment. Furthermore, in this specification, "and/or" is used to mean including at least one of the components listed before and after it. In the specification, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, terms such as "include" or "have" are intended to specify the existence of the features, numbers, steps, components, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should not be understood as excluding the existence or addition of one or more