TW202110602A - Robot embedded vision apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A substrate transport apparatus includes a transport chamber, a drive section, a robot arm, an imaging system with a camera mounted through a mounting interface of the drive section in a predetermined location with respect to the transport chamber and disposed to image part of the arm, and a controller connected to the imaging system and configured to image, with the camera, the arm moving to or in the predetermined location, the controller effecting capture of a first image of the arm on registry of the arm proximate to or in the predetermined location, the controller is configured to calculate a positional variance of the arm from comparison of the first image with a calibration image of the arm, and determine a motion compensation factor changing an extended position of the arm. Each camera effecting capture of the first image is disposed inside the perimeter of the mounting interface.

Description

Vision equipment embedded in the robot

The exemplary embodiments of the present invention are generally related to substrate processing equipment, and more specifically related to substrate transportation equipment.

Generally speaking, semiconductor automation operates in a vacuum environment, which has unknown and high temperature changes imposed by various processing module stations, such as coupling to or forming cluster tools. Conventional semiconductor automation designs (such as robotic designs) rely on built-in position feedback devices that are positioned away from the position where the substrate is held in space. For example, analog or digital rotary or linear encoders are used to detect the position of the motor actuator, and this information is used to calculate the expected position of the robot end effector in space through the assumed motion model of the robot arm. Because the operating environment of the robot arm (such as thermal effects) causes a large dimensional change in the robot arm link, the actual position of the link and the end effector may not be known.

Generally speaking, different solutions for substrate processing accuracy have been proposed. As an example, a vision system has been used in the processing module station to be able to provide additional position feedback loops. Other types of robot position sensing (such as GPS-based) have also been proposed as a way not only to locate the robot in space but also to find individual processing module stations. Other methods use reflective or penetrating beam laser sensors located near the gate valve of the processing module station to correct the wafer/substrate offset relative to the end effector. These solutions may be referred to as having opposing active thermal compensation of the wafer (A ctive W afer C entering, AWC). Several versions of AWC also compensate for the dimensional changes of the robotic arm linkage due to thermal effects. Compensation methods include using an AWC sensor to track the characteristics of the end effector or the wrist of the robotic arm when the dimensionality of the arm changes in heat. The AWC sensor is, for example, installed at the processing module station or gate valve.

The above-mentioned conventional solutions for substrate processing accuracy may be insufficient because, for example, undesirable changes (for example, due to cost, downtime, etc.) of the cluster tool (or other processing equipment configuration) are required to support additional locations or Temperature feedback information. The sensing technology may not work well in the vicinity of severe environments (such as high temperatures or rusty gases). Sensing technology may not provide enough information to correctly predict thermal growth (or shrinkage).

and

1A-1D depict exemplary schematic diagrams of substrate processing equipment according to aspects of the present disclosure. Although the various aspects of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings, it should be understood that the various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms. In addition, any suitable size, shape or type of elements or materials can be used.

The concept of high-precision substrate processing is derived from the idea that the substrate can be placed in the desired position with minimal position changes regardless of environmental changes. As will be described more clearly below, the aspect of the present disclosure provides an apparatus and method that can be used in a closed or sealed environment (such as the closed or sealed environment found in the substrate processing equipment of FIGS. 1A-1D or any other suitable substrate Improve the accuracy of substrate transportation and placement in the processing equipment/chamber. The aspect of the present disclosure provides an independent solution using a vision-based (and/or other non-contact) sensing system without modifying the substrate processing equipment and its chamber. The aspect of the present disclosure provides a highly accurate feedback and thermal compensation of the position of the substrate transportation equipment in space (for example, the position of the robot arm or the end effector), which does not require modification to the structure of the substrate processing equipment, and no vacuum environment Add new electronic equipment, and have minimal or no impact on the mechanical design of the substrate transport equipment arm and/or robotic arm.

According to the aspect of the present disclosure, a substrate transportation device is provided based on a visual sensor system/located on the normal pressure side of the processing system (for example, outside the vacuum chamber/environment where the arm of the substrate transportation device operates) for use The arm link is used to measure the position of at least one point or index on the arm of the substrate transport equipment in one or more arm link positions in space. The exemplary position of an arm link is the top central posture of the robot (or the fully retracted position/orientation of the arm) or any other suitable predetermined posture of the arm. The top center posture of the robot (or other predetermined arm posture) is set or calibrated when the arm is manufactured (for example, at the original position or the zero position of the motor encoder).

At least one point or index on the arm is imaged based on the baseline temperature of the vision sensor system in the transfer chamber to establish a reference position and temperature (for example, a baseline measurement value). When the arm is operating and the temperature in the transport chamber changes relative to the baseline measurement value, the new measurement value can be used to update the arm motion to provide accurate adjustments to the robot motion model running in the controller of the substrate transfer device. The visual sensor-based system provided in this disclosure will not interfere with the arm of the substrate transportation equipment or interfere with the customer's semiconductor manufacturing process.

1A and 1B, a processing device (such as a semiconductor tool station 11090) is shown according to aspects of the disclosed embodiment. Although the semiconductor tool 11090 is depicted in the drawing, the aspect of the disclosed embodiments described herein can be applied to any tool station or application using a robotic arm. In this example, the tool 11090 is shown as a cluster tool, but the aspect of the disclosed embodiment can be applied to any suitable tool station, such as those shown in FIGS. 1C and 1D and in the US Patent Publication No. 8,398,355 (March 2013). Announcement on the 19th, the linear tool station described in the title "Linearly Distributed Semiconductor Workpiece Processing Tool"), the full text of which is incorporated into this article through its disclosure and reference. The tool station 11090 generally includes a normal pressure front end 11000, a vacuum load lock 11010, and a vacuum back end 11020. In other aspects, the tool station may have any suitable configuration. The components of each of the front end 11000, the load lock 11010, and the back end 11020 can be connected to the controller 11091, which can be part of any appropriate control architecture (such as the control of a cluster structure). The control system can be a closed loop controller with a main controller, a cluster controller and an automated remote controller, for example, US Patent Publication No. 7,904,182 entitled "Scalable Motion Control System" issued on March 8, 2011 In the disclosure, the full text is incorporated into this article by quoting the disclosure. In other aspects, any suitable controller and/or control system can be used. The controller 11091 includes any suitable memory and processor, including non-transitory code, used to run the processing equipment described herein to realize automatic substrate centering and/or automatic positioning of the substrate holding station of the substrate processing equipment , And teach the substrate transportation equipment about the location of the substrate holding station as described in this article. For example, in one aspect, the controller 11091 includes an embedded substrate positioning instruction (for example, for determining the eccentricity between the substrate and the end effector of the substrate transportation device). In one aspect, the substrate positioning command may be an embedded pick/place command for moving the substrate, and the end effector on the holding substrate passes or exceeds one or more automatic substrate centering sensors. The controller is configured to determine the center of the substrate and the reference position of the end effector, and to determine the eccentricity of the substrate relative to the reference position of the end effector. In one aspect, the controller is configured to receive detection signals corresponding to one or more characteristics of the end effector and/or substrate transport equipment/robot's transport arm, and determine that it is caused by, for example, the temperature in the processing module Thermal expansion or contraction of substrate transport equipment or components of substrate transport equipment.

As achievable and will be described herein, in one aspect, the substrate station is located inside a processing module with a vacuum pressure environment therein, and the auto-teaching described herein is in the processing module occur. In one aspect, the vacuum pressure is a ^{high vacuum such as 10 -5} Torr or less. In one aspect, the automatic centering and/or guiding described herein occurs in a substrate station feature located in, for example, a processing module that is in a processing safe state (e.g., for processing substrates). The processing safety state for processing the substrate is a state of the processing module, in which the processing module is sealed in a clean state, and is used to prepare the processing vacuum or atmosphere to be introduced into the processing module, or to introduce the production wafer into the processing module. A state in the processing module.

In one aspect, the front end 11000 generally includes a load port module 11005 and a micro environment 11060 (such as, for example, an equipment front end module (EFEM)). Load port module 11005 can be a 300mm load port, front or bottom opening box/cassette and cassette opener/loader that meets SEMI standards E15.1, E47.1, E62, E19.5 or E1.9 Go to the tool standard (BOLTS) interface. In other aspects, the load port module can be configured as a 200 mm wafer or 450 mm wafer interface, or any other suitable substrate interface (such as larger or smaller wafers, or for flat panel displays). Flat panel). Although two load port modules 11005 are shown in FIG. 1A, in other aspects, any suitable number of load port modules may be incorporated into the front end 11000. The load port module 11005 can be configured to accept the substrate carrier or cassette 11050 from an overhead transportation system, an automated guided vehicle, a personnel guided vehicle, a rail guided vehicle, or any other suitable transportation method. The load port module 11005 can interface with the microenvironment 11060 through the load port 11040. In one aspect, the load port 11040 allows the substrate to pass between the substrate cassette 11050 and the microenvironment 11060.

In one aspect, the microenvironment 11060 generally includes any suitable transfer robot 11013 that incorporates one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments described herein. In one aspect, the robot 11013 may be, for example, the crawler robot described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 6,002,840, the entire disclosure or other aspects of which are incorporated herein by reference, and any other suitable transportation robot has everything The appropriate configuration. The microenvironment 11060 can provide a controlled and clean area for substrate transfer between multiple load port modules.

The vacuum load lock 11010 can be connected to and positioned between the microenvironment 11060 and the back end 11020. Again, the term vacuum as used herein can refer to a high vacuum (such as 10 ^-5 Torr or below) in which the substrate is processed. The load lock 11010 usually includes atmospheric and vacuum tank valves. The slot valve can provide environmental isolation that is used to empty the load lock after loading the substrate from the atmospheric front end and maintain a vacuum in the transport chamber when venting with an inert gas (such as nitrogen). In one aspect, the load lock 11010 includes an aligner 11011 for aligning the base mark of the substrate to a desired position for processing. In other aspects, the vacuum load lock can be positioned in any suitable position of the processing equipment and have any suitable configuration and/or metering equipment.

The vacuum back end 11020 generally includes a transport chamber 11025, one or more processing stations or modules 11030, and any suitable transfer robot or equipment 11014. The transfer robot 11014 will be described below, and the robot may be positioned in the transport chamber 11025 to transport substrates between the load lock 11010 and each processing station 11030. The processing station 11030 can perform operations on the substrate through various deposition, etching, or other types of processing to form electrical circuits or other desired structures on the substrate. Typical processing includes but not limited to thin film processing using vacuum, such as plasma etching or other etching processing, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma vapor deposition (PVD), implantation (for example, ion implantation), metrology, rapid thermal processing (RTP), dry lift-off atomic layer deposition (ALD), oxidation/diffusion, nitride formation, vacuum lithography, epitaxy (EPI), wire bonding and evaporation or other thin film processing using vacuum pressure. The processing station 11030 may be connected to the transport chamber 11025 to allow substrates to be transferred from the transport chamber 11025 to the processing station 11030, and vice versa. In one aspect, the load port module 11005 and the load port 11040 are substantially directly coupled to the vacuum back end 11020, so that the cassette 11050 mounted on the load port is substantially (for example, in one aspect, at least the Micro-environment 11060, and in other aspects, the vacuum load lock 11010 is also omitted, so that the cassette 11050 can be evacuated to a vacuum state in a manner similar to the vacuum load lock 11010) and the processing vacuum and/or delivery of the processing station 11030 The vacuum environment of the chamber 11025 (for example, the processing vacuum and/or the vacuum environment extends therebetween and is common between the processing station 11030 and the cassette 11050) is directly interfaced.

Referring now to FIG. 1C, a schematic plan view of the linear substrate processing system 2010 is shown, in which the tool interface section 2012 is installed to the transport room module 3018, so that the interface section 2012 generally faces toward (eg inward) but from the transport room The longitudinal X axis of 3018 is offset. The transport room module 3018 can be extended in any suitable direction by attaching other transport room modules 3018A, 3018I, 3018J to the interfaces 2050, 2060, 2070, as described in US Patent Publication No. 8,398,355 , Previously incorporated into this article by quoting it. Each transport chamber module 3018, 3019A, 3018I, 3018J includes any suitable substrate transport 2080, which may include one or more of the disclosed embodiments described herein, for transporting substrates through the processing system 2010 and entering and leaving For example, the processing module PM (which in one aspect is substantially similar to the above-mentioned processing station 11030). As can be imagined, each chamber module may be capable of holding isolation or controlling the atmosphere (for example, N2, cleaner, vacuum).

1D, a schematic elevation view of an exemplary processing tool 410 is shown, such as it may be captured along the longitudinal X axis of the linear transport chamber 416. In the aspect of the disclosed embodiment shown in FIG. 1D, the tool interface section 12 may be representatively connected to the transport chamber 416. In this aspect, the interface section 12 can define an end of the tool transport chamber 416. As shown in FIG. 1D, the transport chamber 416 may, for example, have another workpiece entry/exit station 412 at the opposite end of the interface station 12. In other aspects, other entry/exit stations can be provided for inserting/removing workpieces into/from the transport room. In one aspect, the interface section 12 and the entrance/exit station 412 may allow the workpiece to be loaded and unloaded from the tool. In other aspects, the workpiece can be loaded into the tool from one end and removed from the other end. In one aspect, the transport chamber 416 may have one or more transport chamber modules 18B, 18i. Each chamber module may be capable of holding isolation or controlling the atmosphere (for example, N2, cleaner, vacuum). As mentioned above, the configuration/configuration of the transport room modules 18B, 18i, load lock modules 56A, 56 and the workpiece station forming the transport room 416 as shown in FIG. 1D is only illustrative, and in other aspects, the transport The chamber may have more or fewer modules arranged in any desired module configuration. In the aspect shown, station 412 may be a load lock. In other aspects, the load lock module can be positioned between the end entry/exit stations (similar to station 412) or interfaced with the transport room module (similar to module 18i) can be configured to operate like a load lock .

As previously described, the transport room modules 18B, 18i have one or more corresponding transport devices 26B, 26i therein, which may include one or more of the disclosed embodiments described herein. The transportation equipment 26B, 26i of the respective transportation room modules 18B, 18i can cooperate to provide the linearly distributed workpiece transportation system in the transportation room. In this aspect, the transportation device 26B (which may be substantially similar to the transportation devices 11013, 11014 of the cluster tool depicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B) may have a general SCARA arm configuration (although in other aspects, the transportation arm may Have any other desired configuration, for example, a linear sliding arm 214 as shown in FIG. 2B or other suitable arm with any suitable arm linkage mechanism). Suitable examples of arm linkage mechanisms can be found in, for example, U.S. Patent Publication No. 7,578,649 issued on August 25, 2009, 5,794,487 issued on August 18, 1998, 7,946,800 issued on May 24, 2011, November 26, 2002 6,485,250 granted on February 22, 2011, 7,891,935 granted on February 22, 2011, U.S. Patent 8,419,341 granted on April 16, 2013 and filed on November 10, 2011 entitled "Dual Arm Robot (Dual Arm Robot)" "U.S. Patent Application No. 13/293,717" and filed on September 5, 2013 entitled "Linear Vacuum Robot with Z Motion and Articulated Arm" in the United States Found in patent application number 13/861,693, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In the aspect of the disclosed embodiment, at least one transmission arm may be derived from a conventional SCARA (Selectively Compliant Articulated Robotic Arm) type design, which includes an upper arm, a driven forearm and a restrained end effector, or Telescopic arm or any other suitable arm design. Suitable examples of transport arms can be found in, for example, the “Substrate Transport Apparatus with Multiple Movable Arms Utilizing a Mechanical Switch Mechanism” filed on May 8, 2008. It is found in US Patent Application No. 12/117,415 and US Patent No. 7,648,327 issued on January 19, 2010, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The operation of the transfer arm can be independent of each other (for example, the extension/retraction of each arm is independent of other arms), the transfer arm can be operated through the idle motion switch, or the arm can be operably connected in any suitable way to make the arm Share at least one common drive shaft. In still other aspects, the transport arm may have other desired configurations, such as the frog leg arm 216 (FIG. 2A) configuration, the jumping frog arm 217 (FIG. 2D) configuration, the double symmetrical arm 218 (FIG. 2C) configuration, and so on. In another aspect, referring to FIG. 2E, the transmission arm 219 includes at least first and second articulated arms 219A, 219B, wherein each arm 219A, 219B includes an end effector 219E, which is configured to be on a common transmission plane. Hold at least two substrates (S1, S2) side by side on opposite sides (each substrate holding position of the end effector 219E shares a common drive for picking up and placing the substrates S1, S2), where the distance between the substrates S1 and S2 is DX Corresponds to the fixed interval between the side-by-side substrate holding positions. Suitable examples of transport arms can be in the U.S. Patent Publication No. 6,231,297 granted on May 15, 2001, 5,180,276 granted on January 19, 1993, 6,464,448 granted on October 15, 2002, and May 1, 2001 6,224,319, 5,447,409 authorized on September 5, 1995, 7,578,649 authorized on August 25, 2009, 5,794,487 authorized on August 18, 1998, 7,946,800 authorized on May 24, 2011, and authorized on November 26, 2002 6,485,250, 7,891,935 granted on February 22, 2011, and U.S. Patent Application No. 13/293,717 filed on November 10, 2011 entitled "Dual Arm Robot" and in 2011 It is found in U.S. Patent Application No. 13/270,844 entitled "Coaxial Drive Vacuum Robot" filed on October 11, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In one aspect, the various aspects of the disclosed embodiments are incorporated into the transport arm of a linear transport shuttle such as those described in, for example, U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 8,293,066 and 7,988,398, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. in.

In the aspect of the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 1D, the arm of the transport device 26B can be configured to provide a configuration that can be referred to as a "fast swap", which allows fast swapping of wafers from the pick/place position ( For example, picking up a wafer from a substrate holding position and then quickly placing another wafer on the same substrate holding position) for transportation. The transport arm 26B may have any suitable drive section (for example, coaxially arranged drive shafts, side-by-side drive shafts, horizontally adjacent motors, vertically stacked motors, etc.) to provide any appropriate amount of freedom for each arm (For example, independent rotation around the Z-axis movement of the shoulder and elbow joints). As shown in Figure 1D, in this aspect, the modules 56A, 56, 30i can be positioned in the gap between the transfer room modules 18B, 18i, and can define suitable processing modules, load locks LL, buffer stations, metering stations or Any other desired station. For example, gap modules (such as load locks 56A, 56 and workpiece station 30i) may each have static workpiece supports/axes 56S1, 56S2, 30S1, 30S2, which can cooperate with the transport arm to pass linearly along the transport chamber The length of the X-axis transport room is used to realize the transfer of the workpiece. By way of example, the workpiece can be loaded into the transport chamber 416 through the interface section 12. Using the transport arm 15 of the interface section, the workpiece can be set on the support of the load lock module 56A. The workpiece in the load lock module 56A can be moved between the load lock module 56A and the load lock module 56 through the transport arm 26B in the module 18B, and the arm 26i can be used in a similar and continuous manner (in the module 18i) ) Move between the load lock 56 and the workpiece station 30i, and use the arm 26i in the module 18i to move between the station 30i and the station 412. This process can be reversed in whole or in part to move the workpiece in the opposite direction. Therefore, in one aspect, the workpiece can be moved in any direction along the X axis, and the workpiece can be moved to any position along the transport room, and the workpiece can be removed from any desired module (processing or other Or) Unload or load into any desired module. In other aspects, the gap transport room module with static workpiece support or frame may not be disposed between the transport room modules 18B and 18i. In this aspect, the transport arm that joins the transport room module can directly take the workpiece from the end effector or one transport arm and then take it to the end effector of the other transport arm to move the workpiece through the transport room. The processing station module can operate on the substrate through various deposition, etching, or other types of processing to form electrical circuits or other desired structures on the substrate. The processing station module can be connected to the transport chamber module to allow substrates to be transferred from the transport chamber to the processing station, and vice versa. A suitable example of a processing tool having general features similar to the processing device shown in FIG. 1D is described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 8,398,355, which has previously been incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

3, the substrate transportation device 2300 (such as the above) will be described as having at least one multi-link or SCARA arm 2300A. However, this aspect of the present disclosure can also be applied to any suitable transportation arm, such as the above and Including but not limited to jumping frog arm configuration, double symmetrical arm configuration and articulated wrist configuration. Generally speaking, the transportation equipment 2300 includes a SCARA arm 2300A (generally referred to as an arm 2300A), which has an upper arm 23201, a forearm 23202, a substrate holder or end effector 23203 (with a substrate holding station thereon), and a drive section 23204 . The controller 11091 can be connected to the transportation device 2300 to move the arm section of the SCARA arm 2300A as required. In other aspects, the arm assembly may have any other desired general SCARA configuration. For example, the assembly may have multiple forearms and/or multiple substrate holders.

The substrate holder 23203 is rotatably connected to the forearm 23202 at the wrist 23755 of the transportation device 2300 through the shaft assembly 23754. The substrate holder 23203 may be rotatably connected to the forearm 23202 through a support shaft 23698. In one aspect, the substrate holder 23203 may be a bifurcated end effector. The substrate holder 23203 may have active mechanical or passive edge clamps. In other aspects, the substrate holder 23202 may be a paddle type end effector with a vacuum chuck. The forearm 23202 is rotatably connected to the upper arm 23201 at the elbow 23646 of the transportation device 2300 through a coaxial shaft assembly 23675. The substrate holder 23203 has a predetermined center, wherein the end effector is configured to hold the substrate so that the center of the substrate coincides with the predetermined center of the end effector, and is used to transport the substrate in the substrate processing equipment as described herein. The upper arm 23201 is rotatably connected to the driving section 23204 at the shoulder 23652. In this aspect, the upper arm 23201 and the forearm 23202 have the same length, but in other aspects, the upper arm 23201 may be shorter than the forearm 23202, or vice versa.

In the illustrated aspect, the drive section 23204 may have an outer housing 23634H that houses a coaxial shaft assembly 23660 and three motors 23662, 23664, 23666 or drive shafts, each with a separate encoder 570, 571 and 572 are used, for example, to determine the rotation position of the respective stators 23678a-23678c (and the respective drive shafts 23668a-23668c coupled with the stators). In other aspects, the drive section may have more or less than three motors. The drive shaft assembly 23660 has three drive shafts 23668a, 23668b, and 23668c. In other aspects, more or less than three drive shafts can be provided. The first motor 23662 includes a stator 23678a and a rotor 23680a connected to the inner shaft 23668a. The second motor 23662 includes a stator 23678b and a rotor 23680b connected to the central shaft 23668b. The third motor 23666 includes a stator 23678c and a rotor 23680c connected to the outer shaft 23668c. The three stators 23678a, 23678b, 23678c are statically attached to the housing 23634H at different vertical heights or positions along the housing. In this aspect, the first stator 23678a is the bottom stator, the second stator 23678b is the middle stator, and the third stator 23678c is the top stator. Each stator generally contains an electromagnetic coil. The three shafts 23668a, 23668b, and 23668c are arranged as coaxial shafts. The three rotors 23680a, 23680b, and 23680c preferably include permanent magnets, but may alternatively include magnetic induction rotors without permanent magnets. The sleeve 23663 is located between the rotor 23680 and the stator 23678 to allow the transportation device 2300 to be used in a vacuum environment, where the drive shaft assembly 23660 is located in the vacuum environment and the stator 23678 is located outside the vacuum environment. However, if the transportation device 2300 is only intended to be used in a normal pressure environment, the sleeve 23663 does not need to be provided.

The first shaft 23668a is an inner shaft and extends from the bottom stator 23678a. The inner shaft has a first rotor 23680a aligned with the bottom stator 23678a. The central shaft 23668b extends upward from the central stator 23678b. The central axis has a second rotor 23680b aligned with the second stator 23678b. The outer shaft 23668c extends upward from the top stator 23678c. The outer shaft has a third rotor 23680c aligned with an upper stator 23678c. Various bearings are provided around the shaft 23668 and the housing 23634H to allow the shafts to be independently rotatable relative to each other and relative to the housing 23634H. Each shaft 23668 may be provided with an appropriate position sensor (for example, such as respective encoders 570-572) to signal the rotation position of the shaft 23668 relative to each other and/or relative to the housing 23634H to the controller 11091. Any suitable sensor can be used, such as an optical or inductive sensor.

The outer shaft 23668c is fixedly connected to the upper arm 23201 so that the shaft 23668c and the upper arm 23201 rotate together around the Z1 axis as a unit. The central shaft 23668b is connected to the first transmission device 23620 in the upper arm 23201, and the inner shaft 23668a is connected to the second transmission device 23610 in the upper arm 23201, as shown in FIG. The first transmission device 23620 preferably includes a driving pulley 23622, an idle pulley 23624, and a driving cable or belt 23626. The driving pulley 23622 is fixedly installed on the top of the central shaft 23668b and connected to the idle pulley 23624 through a driving belt 23626. The idler pulley 23624 is fixedly mounted to the bottom of the inner shaft 23672 of the coaxial shaft assembly 23675, which connects the forearm 23202 to the upper arm 23201. The second transmission device 23610 in the upper arm 23201 preferably includes a driving pulley 23612, an idle pulley 23614, and a driving cable or belt 23616. The driving pulley 23612 is fixedly mounted to the top of the inner shaft 23668a of the coaxial shaft assembly 23660 in the driving section 23204. The idler pulley 23614 is fixedly mounted to the bottom of the outer shaft 23674 of the coaxial shaft assembly, which connects the forearm 23202 to the upper arm 23201. The drive belt 23616 connects the drive pulley 23612 to the idle pulley 23614. The diameter ratio between the idler of the first transmission device 23626 and the drive pulleys 23624, 23622 (eg, pulley ratio), and the diameter ratio between the idler of the second transmission device 23610 and the drive pulleys 23614, 23612 can be any suitable drive Ratio, as described herein. The drive belts 23616, 23626 are configured so that the respective idle pulleys 23614, 23624 are in the same direction as the corresponding drive pulleys 23612, 23622 (for example, clockwise rotation of the drive pulleys 23612, 23622 will cause the idle pulleys 23614, 23624 to rotate clockwise) Spin.

The coaxial shaft assembly 23675 that connects the forearm 23202 to the upper arm 23201 is rotatably supported from the upper arm 23201 through a suitable bearing, which allows the outer and inner shafts 23674 and 23672 of the shaft assembly to be opposite to each other around the Z2 axis Rotate with respect to each other and with respect to the upper arm 23201. The outer shaft 23674 of the coaxial shaft assembly 23675 is fixedly mounted to the forearm 23202, so that the shaft 23674 and the forearm 23202 can rotate together around the Z2 axis as a unit. When the idle pulley 23614 of the second transmission device 23610 in the upper arm 23201 rotates through the inner shaft 23668a of the driving section 23204, the forearm 23202 rotates around the Z2 axis. Therefore, the inner shaft 23668a of the driving section 23204 is used to independently rotate the forearm 23202 relative to the upper arm 23201.

The inner shaft 23672 of the coaxial shaft assembly is fixedly attached to the driving pulley 23753 of the third transmission device 23752 in the forearm 23202. The third transmission device 23752 in the forearm 23202 preferably includes a driving pulley 23753, an idle pulley 23750, and a driving cable or belt 23751. The idler pulley 23750 is fixedly mounted to the shaft 23698. The drive belt 23751 connects the drive pulley 23753 to the idle pulley 23750. The shaft 23698 is rotatably supported from the forearm 23202 by a suitable bearing that allows the shaft 23698 to rotate relative to the forearm 23202 about the Z3 axis. In this regard, the diameter ratio between the idler of the third transmission device 23752 and the drive pulleys 23750, 23753 can be any suitable drive ratio, as described herein. The drive belt 23751 is configured to rotate the idle pulley 23750 in the same direction as the drive pulley 23753 (for example, clockwise rotation of the drive pulley 23753 will cause the idle pulley 23750 to rotate clockwise).

The shaft 23698 is fixedly mounted to the substrate holder 23203. Therefore, the shaft 23698 and the substrate holder 23203 rotate together as a unit around the Z3 axis. When the idle pulley 23750 of the third transmission device 23752 rotates through the driving pulley 23753, the substrate holder 23203 rotates around the Z3 axis. The driving pulley 23753 is further rotated by the inner shaft 23672 of the coaxial shaft assembly 23675. When the idle pulley 23624 of the first transmission device 23626 in the upper arm 23201 rotates through the middle shaft 23268b of the driving section 23204, the inner shaft 23672 rotates. Therefore, the substrate holder 23203 can independently rotate about the Z3 axis relative to the forearm 23202 and the upper arm 23201.

4, in one aspect, the transportation device 2300 may include two SCARA arms 25155A, 25155B, which are substantially similar to the arm 2300A. For example, each SCARA arm 25155A, 25155B includes upper arm links 25155UA, 25155UB, forearm links 25155FA, 25155FB, and end effectors 25155EA, 25155EB. In this aspect, the end effectors 25155EA and 25155EB follow the upper arm, but in other aspects, the end effectors can be driven independently. Arms 25155A, 25155B (shown as three-link SCARA arms) can be coaxially coupled to drive section 23204, and can be stacked vertically on top of each other to allow independent theta movement (using for example four-axis drive-see Drive Axis 23668d) or coupled theta motion (using, for example, three-axis drive), where the coupled theta motion is the rotation of the robotic arm around the shoulder axis Z1 as a unit without extension or retraction. Each arm 25155A, 25155B is driven by a pair of motors and can have any suitable drive pulley configuration. In one aspect, the diameter ratio between the shoulder pulley, the elbow pulley, and the wrist pulley of each arm may (for non-limiting purposes) be a 1:1:2 ratio or a 2:1:2 ratio. In order to extend each arm with a ratio of 1:1:2, for example, each motor in the pair of motors rotates in substantially equal and opposite directions. To extend each arm using a 2:1:2 ratio, for example, the shoulder pulley is held substantially fixed (e.g., substantially non-rotating), and the motor coupled with the upper arm is rotated to extend the arm. Theta movement is controlled by rotating the motor in the same direction and at substantially the same speed. Where the end effector is on the same plane, the theta movement of the arms relative to each other is restricted, but if the arms move together, the arms can move infinitely in theta. If it can be realized, when each arm is driven independently compared to other arms, such as when using four-axis drive, when the end effector is not on the same plane, each arm can move infinitely in theta.

5, the drive section 23204 is shown as being coupled to the vacuum chamber wall 500 of the vacuum chamber 599 (such as any suitable transport chamber of the substrate processing equipment described herein). It should be noted that although a vacuum chamber is described, the chamber 599 may have any suitable processing environment therein. Here, the driving section 23204 includes a mounting interface 510 hermetically coupled with the vacuum chamber wall 500 to form an isolation barrier that substantially isolates (or seals) the vacuum environment in the vacuum chamber 599 from the normal pressure environment around the vacuum chamber 599. For example, the mounting interface 510 mounts the driving section 23204 to the vacuum chamber 599 and forms a periphery, which separates the inside of the vacuum chamber 599 outside the periphery from the outside of the vacuum chamber 599 inside the periphery 510P . It should be noted that the extension and retraction of the robotic arm 2300A are related to the shoulder axis Z1 located inside the periphery 510P. Here, at least a part of the driving section 23204 is set in a normal pressure environment. The installation interface 510 is configured such that a part of the installation interface 510 of the part 511 is exposed to a vacuum environment, and the other part of the installation interface 510 of the other part 512 is set in a normal pressure environment.

Referring to FIG. 6, the transportation device 2300 is depicted as having an arm 2300A installed inside the vacuum chamber 599. As described above, the arm 2300A includes an end effector 23203 at the distal end of the arm 2300A, configured to support a substrate thereon. The arm 2300A is operatively connected to the drive section 23204, which uses the at least one independent drive shaft (above) to generate at least arm movement in the radial direction R (see Figure 7) to extend the arm 2300A And retract, and move the end effector 23203 from the retracted position (for example, the top central posture of the robot depicted in FIG. 7) along the radial direction R to the extended position. The transportation device 2300 includes an imaging system 600, and at least one imaging sensor 601 is installed in a predetermined position relative to the vacuum chamber 599 through the installation interface 510, and the imaging sensor is configured to image at least part of the arm 2300A. Each imaging sensor 601 is positioned adjacent to the shoulder axis relative to the distal position of the end effector 23203 of the robotic arm 2300A of the extended robotic arm 2300A. In one aspect, the imaging sensor 601 is disposed in the sensor housing 610 or otherwise coupled to the sensor housing, the sensor housing includes a window 605 through which the imaging sensor 601 passes Afterwards, its field of view extends into the interior of the vacuum chamber 599. The window 605 may be constructed of glass or other suitable transparent materials, and the window material may be selected depending on the type of vision-based information to be received by the controller 11091 (for example, the optical properties provided by the window may allow imaging sensing The transmission of the wavelength detected by the device and propagates between the vacuum and atmospheric pressure environment). In one aspect, the transparency of the window 605 can form a lens (that is, having an integral lens shape) that is configured for one or more focusing (for example, in a specific part of the vacuum chamber 599 and/or the transportation robot ) In the field of view of the imaging sensor 601, magnifying the field of view of the imaging sensor 601, and changing the direction of the field of view of the imaging sensor 601 to view various/different parts of the vacuum chamber 599, or at least partially defining the imaging sensor 601 Imaging characteristics of the field of view. In other aspects, the window 605 may be configured to receive a lens (that is, the lens may be coupled to the window), wherein the lens (coupled to the window 605) is configured to focus on the imaging sensor with one or more 601 field of view, magnify the field of view of the imaging sensor 601, and change the direction of the field of view of the imaging sensor 601 in a similar manner as described above (for example, the lens may be a wide-angle lens, which is fixed relative to the window 605 or has a variable/adjustable viewing Features, wherein the lens adjustment system can be set on the window 605 outside the vacuum chamber). The window 605 is configured to form a boundary across the pressure differential between the vacuum environment in the vacuum chamber 599 and the atmospheric environment outside the vacuum chamber 599. The window 605 can be aligned with the opening 606 of the mounting interface 510, and the sensor housing 610 and/or the window 605 are sealed with respect to the mounting interface 510 on the portion 512 of the mounting interface 510 exposed to the atmospheric environment. In one aspect, the size of the window 605 (and the opening 606) is not limited to the size of the opening of the imaging sensor 601, so that the window can be larger than the opening of the imaging sensor 601 to provide the imaging sensor 601 with a larger opening. The unrestricted field of view in the vacuum chamber 599. In other aspects, the transparency of the window 605 and the window 605 is too large relative to the mounting interface 510, and the imaging sensor 601 has an opening, so that the window 605 sets the imaging sensor field of view in the vacuum chamber 599 (for example, set A wide field of view or a field of view of any appropriate size). In still other aspects, the sensor housing 610 can be omitted, so that the window 605 can pass through the window clamp ring 615 or other suitable fasteners constructed of any suitable material (for example, acetal homopolymer resin) The mounting portion 512 is fixed against the mounting interface 510. The imaging sensor 601 can be any suitable imaging sensor, such as a CCD or CMOS sensor, an infrared sensor and/or an infrared camera, which is installed to the mounting interface 510 or otherwise arranged in any suitable manner, In this way, the field of view of the imaging sensor 601 extends through the window 605 and the opening 606 and enters the vacuum chamber 599.

The controller 11091 is communicatively connected to the imaging system 600 (for example, through a suitable wired and/or wireless connection) and is configured to use the imaging sensor 601 to image at least part of the arm 2300A (or at least part of the arm 2300A). A set of one or more markers, as described above), the arm moves to or moves in a predetermined repeatable position/posture defined by at least one independent drive shaft (for example, the top central posture of the robot or other predetermined postures), or in other In the aspect, the imaging sensor 601 is used to image the at least part of the robotic arm 2300A (or at least part of the arm is provided with a set of one or more marks, as described above), and the arm is along a path defined by at least one independent drive shaft Move or be in a predetermined location. The controller is configured to read from the first or continuous image and the calibration image of the at least part of the robotic arm 2300A, or the set of one or more marks 701-702 (as described herein) on at least part of the multi-link robotic arm 2300A The calibration images of said) are compared to calculate the position variance of the at least part of the robotic arm 2300A, or the position variance of the substrate holding station of the end effector 23203 of the multi-link robotic arm 2300A, and from the The position variance determines the motion compensation factor for changing the extended position of the robotic arm 2300A, wherein the imaging sensors 601-603 for capturing the first or subsequent images are arranged on the periphery of the installation interface 510 internal. The at least part of the set of one or more marks 701-702 captured in the first or subsequent image determines the position variation of the substrate fixing station of the end effector 23203. The position variance calculated by the controller comparing the first or continuous image with the calibration image of the at least part of the robotic arm 2300A includes: the position variance component in the radial direction; Another variation component in the direction where the radial direction is a non-zero crossing angle; and the motion compensation factor changes the extended position of the robotic arm 2300A in at least one of the radial direction and the angular direction (see at least Figures 10A and 10B described herein). The at least part of the robotic arm 2300A captured in the first or continuous image includes the end effector 23203 with a substrate thereon, wherein the end effector 23203 with the substrate is imaged in the first or continuous image, And the controller 11091 determines the substrate eccentricity relative to the predetermined substrate holding position of the end effector. The determination method is similar to the one submitted on January 25, 2019 entitled "Automatic wafer centering method and apparatus (automatic wafer centering method and apparatus). Method and Device)" US Patent Application No. 16/257,595, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The controller realizes capturing at least part of the first image of the arm 2300A when the arm 2300A approaches or is aligned at or near the predetermined repeatable position or at the predetermined position. The alignment of the arm 2300A can occur when the arm 2300A is mounted to at least one independent drive shaft, where at least one drive shaft is in a predetermined orientation, so that the encoders 570-572 (see also FIG. 5) of the at least one drive shaft can be At the home position or the zero position (for example, the home position or the zero position is the position from which the degree of rotation (and arm extension) of at least one drive shaft is measured). As mentioned above, the original position or the reset position of the at least one drive shaft in one aspect corresponds to the top central posture of the robot. As will be described in this article, by simply referring to FIG. 7, at least one link of the robotic arm 2300A has the characteristics of linear and rotational characteristics describing the position relative to a predetermined plane, wherein the controller 11091 is based on the image captured using the imaging system. The image of the feature is used to record the linear and rotational characteristics of the position. In one aspect, describing or otherwise characterizing the linear and rotational characteristics of the arm position (or at least one link of the multi-link robotic arm 2300A relative to the radial (extended/retracted) direction), including A set of one or more indicators or marks 701-702 on the arm 2300A imaged by the imaging sensor 601 is used to determine the heat and other effects caused to the arm 2300A. When the arm 2300A is aligned (at a predetermined registration/calibration temperature), the imaging sensor 601 images the arm 2300A and the indicators 701-702 to calibrate the arm 2300A and determine the baseline measurement value of the arm 2300A (for example, when it is called the calibration image Medium judgment).

It should be noted that if the arm 2300A is removed and replaced with a different arm, the calibration of the different arms can be simplified by the following methods: by imaging the (one or more) indicators of the different arms on at least one drive shaft in the original position or the zero position , And compare the image of the different arm with the calibration image. In this way, the imaging sensor 601 can be pre-calibrated to the driving section 23204/arm 2300A, and installed to form a unit module with the driving section 23204 substantially. Although this article describes various aspects of the present disclosure for solving the impact of the thermal effect on the transport arm for example, the various aspects of the present disclosure can also be used to monitor the temperature of the arm link, for example, by including the above-mentioned non- Contact thermal sensors (for example, infrared sensors, infrared cameras, etc.) replace or combine the imaging sensor 601, and are installed through the mounting interface/flange 510 in the manner described herein, without intrusion into the vacuum chamber 599 Processing environment.

Referring to Figure 7, an exemplary imaging sensor 601 (or other suitable sensor) location is depicted. In Figure 7, there are three imaging sensors 601-603 coupled to the mounting interface 510 in the manner described herein. At the exemplary locations shown, three imaging sensors 601-603 can be employed to measure points/locations on the arm 2300A that can be identified using any suitable index. For example, referring also to FIGS. 8A and 8B, the targets 700-702 can be located at any suitable position along the arm 2300A, such as along the upper arm 22301, the forearm 23202, and the end effector 23203. For example, the index 700 is set on the upper arm 23201. The index 701 may be set at the wrist bearing position of the forearm 23202 (for example, at the rotation axis of the wrist, the arm couples the end effector 23203 to the forearm 23202). The index 702 can be set on the wrist board 23203P of the end effector 23203. The targets 700-702 are set on the arm and configured to provide the respective positions and orientations of the respective arm links along a predetermined plane in space when imaging by one or more imaging sensors 601-603 ( For example, such as a substrate transport plane or a plane in which the arm linkage is operated). Through the machining/etching/engraving process, the indicators 700-702 are embedded in the respective links of the arm 2300A, or coupled to the arm 2300A in any suitable manner.

As shown in FIG. 8B, the indicators 700-702 may have any suitable configuration, such as a cross configuration 700A, a circular configuration 700B, and a double cross-hair configuration 700C. The targets 700-702 can be configured so that when the respective arm links extend and contract, the imaging system 600 can detect identifiable changes in the shape of the indicators 700-702 (e.g., when compared with baseline measurements, for example, Become longer or shorter). For example, referring also to Fig. 16, the arm 2300A moves to a predetermined repeatable position, such as to a (complete) retracted top central posture of the robot (or other predetermined positions, see Figs. 7, 8A and 8C) (Fig. 16, Block 1601). When in a predetermined repeatable position, the imaging sensor 601 images and the controller 11091 captures at least one successive image of the indicators 700-704 on the arm 2300A (Figure 16, blocks 1602 and 1603). The continuation image is compared with the calibration image (Figure 16, block 1604). The position variance is determined based on the comparison of the two images (Figure 16, block 1605).

In other aspects, the positions of the indicators 700-704 in the field of view of the respective imaging sensors 601-603 may be changed compared to the baseline measurement value. The controller 11091 can recognize/detect the change in the shape or position of the indicators 700-702, and determine the thermal expansion/contraction of the arm link, which is used to modify the control movement of the arm 2300A for picking up and placing the substrate. The measurement value of one or more index positions can be measured at the same time or at different times. For example, referring to FIGS. 8A and 8C, due to arm movement, it may not be possible to obtain all the index measurement values at the same time. However, the measurement values can be measured at different arm positions to adapt to the mechanical and/or movement constraints of the arm 2300A (compared to FIGS. 8A and 8C, where the arm 2300A extends to measure the index 701 at the wrist bearing position). For applications where these measured values are used for thermal expansion compensation of the overall end effector 23203 position, the measured values from different positions can be measured at different times, including the time between measurements taken from different positions on the arm 2300A The interval is limited to part of the time constant of the arm/wafer thermal system.

In order to accurately track the arm position in space (for example, in an arm processing environment), the imaging system 600 can be used by the controller 11091 to obtain information to achieve tracking changes in the arm 2300A relative to a reference or baseline measurement. At known locations (e.g., reported by appropriate position feedback devices such as encoders 570-572) and conditions (e.g., such as ambient temperature), a reference or baseline can be defined as a measurement value (e.g., image and/or temperature) ). For example, referring to FIG. 5, the encoders 570-572 may be rotary (or other appropriate) encoders, which provide the controller 11091 with the absolute position of each arm drive shaft 23668a-23668c. For illustrative purposes only, at room temperature, the arm may be located at the position shown in FIG. 7. In the position of the arm 2300A shown in Figure 7 and under the measured ambient temperature conditions, as shown in the figure, the position of the drive shaft encoder is recorded by the imaging sensors 600-602 overlapping the upper arm 23201 and the end effector 23203 The index image is uniquely relevant. These images are used by the controller 11091 as "reference or baseline measurements". Since the arm 2300A is used for a period of time and performs high-temperature wafer processing operations, the temperature of the arm 2300A and the end effector 23203 will rise, and the link length will change relative to the reference or baseline conditions. The controller 11091 is configured (for example, programmed) to activate the imaging sensors 601-603 to capture images of the target 700-702 when the position of the drive shaft 23668a-23668c reaches a predetermined reference position. Due to the thermal expansion of the arm 2300A, in terms of position and/or orientation, the position of the index 700-702 and/or the shape of the index 700-702 in the image will change.

Referring again to FIG. 9, the controller 11091 is configured to calculate the translation, deformation, and/or rotation of the indexes 700-702 in the "new" or continued image 901 relative to the reference/baseline image 902, and the changes are each determined by the vector DP Instruct with rotating Rz. The calculation of translation, deformation, and/or rotation amount can be performed on each index 700-702, and the calculation is performed through its respective imaging sensors. According to the aspect of the present disclosure, the controller 11091 (such as the motion solver 11091K of the controller 11091 (see Figure 1A)) can use the measurements reported through the indicators " i " on/in the arm 2300A Change the amount of DPi and rotation Rzi to calculate a more accurate motion model of the substrate transport equipment 2300 (compared to the motion model that does not consider the thermal effect of the arm 2300A). Referring also to FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 11, an exemplary modification of the motion model based on the thermal effect is depicted. In this example, a two-link arm is depicted, but in other aspects, the robotic arm may have more or less than two links. Here, each arm link (for example, such as the upper arm 23201 and the forearm 23202) is affected by thermal expansion relative to the reference ambient temperature. FIG. 10A depicts the motion model (for example, arm length L1, L2, arm angle θ1, θ2, etc.) used by the controller 11091 in the absence of thermal expansion (for example, a baseline motion model). Figure 10B depicts the movement model under the influence of thermal expansion (where dL1 and dL2 represent the changes in the length of the respective arm links compared to the baseline dimension, and DP1 and DP2 represent the indicators 700 and 704 in the upper arm 23201 and the forearm 23202 The change of position). The changes in the positions of the indicators DP1 and DP2 are determined based on the information from the imaging system 600 using the controller 11091. The change values are used to estimate the thermal expansion of the connecting rod dL1 and dL2, so that the motion model can be corrected to better determine the space Position of the arm. For example, referring to FIG. 11, the controller 11091 is configured to have a compensation algorithm 1100 that uses inputs (eg, L1, L2, θ1, θ2, DP1, and DP2) to determine dL1 and dL2, and generate a corrected motion model 1101 to compensate for the thermal effect on the arm 2300A. The controller 11091 uses the corrected motion model 1101 in the motion control algorithm 1102 to generate the motion of the arm 2300A (such as described herein) for picking up and placing the substrate at the substrate holding position of the substrate processing system.

Referring to FIG. 12, an exemplary determination of the change due to thermal expansion in the arm 2300A will be described in more detail below. As mentioned above, the indicators 700-704 each have a configuration. For example, when at least one indicator 700-704 is sensed by the imaging system 600, it can be determined that the temperature of each SCARA arm link 23201, 23202, 23203 is The discrete variance and pulley effect ΔV _{i in the length ΔL i} of the SCARA arm links 23201, 23202, 23203 caused by the change. For example, at least one index 700-704 is set on the SCARA arm 2300A, so that the imaging system 600 detects the index at a predetermined position (for example, in one aspect, real-time detection following the radial movement of the SCARA arm 2300) . Here, the indicators 700-704 determine the different discrete variances of the SCARA arm links 23201, 23202, 23203 due to the different temperature changes ΔT _i in the SCARA arm links 23201, 23202, 23203 (for example, ΔL _i ) The difference between each of them, and therefore the different discrete variances are applied differently to determine the respective pulley variances ΔV _i and the corresponding nonlinear effects (contributions) to the SCARA arm variances. The discrete variance can be expressed by the corresponding scale or expansion factor (K _S(i) ) in a manner similar to the “On the fly automatic wafer centering method and apparatus” filed on July 13, 2016. Method and Apparatus)” described in U.S. Patent Application No. 15/209,497 (the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), the variance is referenced with a predetermined datum (for example, the reference temperature T _REF and the reference temperature The lower initial link length L ₁ ) is related.

The configuration of indicators 700-704 is deterministic (or based on the above deterministic difference, the deterministic distinction between each different discrete variance) to distinguish it from having upper arm link 23201, forearm link 23202 and end Actuator 23203 ters three-link SCARA arm 2300A, but in other aspects, indicators 700-704 may have any suitable for deterministically distinguishing n-link arms (for example, arms with any suitable number of arm links) configuration. The configuration of indicators 700-704 is deterministic, to distinguish different discrete variances (ΔL _i , ΔV _i ) or expansion factor K _S(i) from the positions of sensing indicators 700-704, which will be related in the following Give a more detailed explanation in equations [1]-[4].

In one aspect, the controller 11091 (or the motion solver 11091K of the controller) is configured to determine the different dispersion corresponding to each arm link 23201, 23202, 23203 from the detection of at least the indicators 700-704 The variation number ΔLi, and the SCARA arm variation number is determined at the reference position EEC from the shoulder axis Z1 to the end effector 23203 (ie, the wafer/end effector center position) (for example, ΔX, ΔY depending on the coordinate system used) Or R, θ) make a distinction between different discrete variances. As mentioned earlier, in the case where the variance is expressed as the expansion factor K _S(i) corresponding to each arm link 23201, 23202, 23203, the controller 11091 is configured to determine each The discrete relationship between the different expansion factors K _S(i) of the corresponding arm links 23201, 23202, 23203, by determining the variance of the reference position EEC of the end effector 23203, in the different corresponding arm links 23201, 23202 , 23203 different expansion factors K _{S (i)} are distinguished. In other words, the controller includes a motion effect solver, which is configured to determine from the detection of at least one index 700-704 performed through the imaging system 600 to determine the scale factor K _S(i) and each of the relative to the SCARA arm 2300A _{The discrete relationship between the different discrete variances ΔL i} of the different arm links 23201, 23202, 23203 can be used to quickly determine the variance of the SCARA arm with the radial movement of the SCARA arm 2300A. From the detection of at least one index 700-704, the controller 11091 is configured to scan the SCARA arm 2300 once through the respective imaging sensor 601 of the imaging system 600 to determine the variance ΔX and ΔY of the SCARA arm 2300A. In addition, the controller 11091 (or motion solver 11091K) via resolver configured to respective pulleys due to temperature variation ΔT _i of the result (e.g. see FIG. 3 of the pulley) of the nonlinear motion effects ΔV _i, which is due to the arm The temperatures at the joints or pulley axes Z1, Z2, and Z3 are different, so as to distinguish the different nonlinear motion effects ΔVi of each pulley. The pulley variance corresponding to the nonlinear motion effect ΔV _i can be expressed as the pulley driving ratio of the pulley at the opposite ends of the respective arm links 23201, 23202, 23203.

12, for illustrative purposes and convenience, the transportation device is depicted as having a single SCARA arm, where the arm and forearm links 23201, 23202 on the SCARA arm 2300A are depicted as having the same length L _{at the reference temperature T REF} However, in other aspects, the upper arm and forearm link may have unequal lengths. Among other aspects, the aspect of the present disclosure can be applied to any appropriate arm. In addition, for illustrative purposes and convenience, the SCARA arm links are constructed with similar materials to have similar thermal expansion coefficients, but in other aspects, the arm links can be made of different materials in order to have different thermal expansion coefficients. . In one aspect, for illustrative purposes only, the upper arm link 23201 and the forearm link 23202 are driven by separate motor shafts, and the end effector 23203 is driven by the upper arm link 23201. It is depicted in FIG. 12, under the same motor position, the SCARA arm 2300A before and after thermal expansion (the thermal expansion arm is depicted in dashed lines). The general movement of the SCARA arm can be written as:

At reference temperature:

After temperature heating and thermal expansion:

among them:

And G ₁ and G ₂ are the pulley gear ratios for the elbow of the upper arm and the elbow of the wrist.

At the calibration temperature T _REF , the upper arm link 23201 and the forearm link 23202 each have a length L. After the temperature changes, the length of the upper arm link 23201 is marked as L1, and the length of the forearm link 23202 is marked as length L2.

At the same motor position, assuming that the temperature of the upper arm changes by ΔT ₁ , the temperature of the forearm changes by ΔT ₂ , and the thermal expansion coefficient for the upper arm link 23201 is α ₁ and the thermal expansion coefficient for the forearm link 23020 is α ₂ , then The upper arm length L1 and the forearm length L2 after thermal expansion are:

Among them, the expansion factor is defined as:

Since the temperature is distributed from the end effector 23203 to the shoulder axis Z1 of the SCARA arm 2300A, especially during the temperature increase to a steady state, the distributed temperature changes at the joint of the SCARA arm (for example, Z1, Z2, Z3 axis). Pulley ratio, this is because the pulleys thermally expand at different speeds. The thermal expansion of this pulley will change the included angle and end effector orientation. Referring again to Figure 27, an example of the simulation results showing the impact of the change in the pulley drive ratio on the EEC of the end effector center assumes that the pulleys are at different temperatures but the connecting rod length remains the same.

The following table depicts an exemplary pulley drive ratio for the pulley of the SCARA arm 2300A, where the position of the pulley is identified and the diameter is expressed in a common measurement unit. position diameter UA shoulder 2 UA elbow 1 FA elbow 1 FA wrist 2

For the SCARA arm 2300A, the shoulder axis Z1 is connected to the elbow axis Z2 through a transmission including a pulley with a driving ratio of 2:1, and the wrist axis Z3 is connected to the elbow through a transmission including a pulley with a driving ratio of 2:1 Axis Z2 is connected.

Assuming that the temperature change at the shoulder axis Z1 is ΔT1, and the temperature change at the elbow axis is ΔT2, and α is the thermal coefficient of the arm link material, the pulley ratio of the shoulder axis Z1 to the elbow axis Z2 can be expressed as:

Use equations [3] and [4]:

Therefore, after the pulley ratio is changed, the angle is:

Assuming that the temperature change on the end effector is ΔT ₃ , the pulley ratio between the wrist axis Z3 and the forearm axis Z2 can be expressed as:

And, the expansion factor can be defined as:

then:

Among them, the angle change of the end effector 23203 can be expressed as:

Such as the above-mentioned "compensation algorithm" and the one depicted in Figure 11 can be realized through analysis and export or machine learning. The training grid can be implemented with the aid of external measurement devices, and the external measurement devices can accurately monitor The actual position of the robot end effector in space. FIG. 13 shows an example of a machine learning model related to obtaining training grid data to develop a machine learning model for error compensation of a robot arm. Given the environmental conditions and available measurement values, the external device 1300 (for example, a camera or other appropriate sensors) can be used to measure the actual end effector position for various input conditions, in order to provide information for proper training based on Machine learning model.

In another aspect, FIGS. 14A and 14B show an example of analysis and derivation, which relates to how to calculate the thermal expansion of the connecting rod between the upper arm 230201 and the forearm 23202 based on the measured values DP1 and DP2 of the imaging sensors. It should be noted that the analysis and derivation can use the calculated thermal expansion dL1 and dL2 of the connecting rod to correct the robot motion model to accurately determine the position of the robot end effector in space.

Referring now to FIG. 15, an exemplary operation of the aspect of the present disclosure will be described. In one aspect, the method 1300 includes setting up a transportation room (such as the above) of a substrate transportation device (such as the above) (FIG. 15, block 1301). The transport chamber has a substrate transport opening 125OP, which communicates with a substrate station module (such as a vacuum chamber or other suitable substrate holding positions). The method further includes providing a drive section 23204, which has a mounting flange or interface mount 510 connected to the transport chamber (FIG. 15, block 1302), and a motor (such as The above), the mounting flange 510 installs the driving section 23204 to the transport room and forms a periphery, which separates the inside of the transport room outside the periphery from the outside of the transport room inside the periphery. The method 1300 further includes setting up a robotic arm 2300A, which has an end effector 23203 installed inside the transport chamber (FIG. 15, block 1303 ). The robotic arm 2300A is operatively connected to the drive section 23204, which utilizes the at least one independent drive shaft to generate arm motion in at least the radial direction R to extend and retract the robotic arm 2300A and make the end effector 23203 moves from the retracted position to the extended position along the radial direction R. When the robotic arm 2300A is at one of the predetermined repeatable positions (defined by at least one independent drive shaft) described herein, the imaging system 600 uses one or more imaging sensors 601 installed through the mounting flange 510 -603 to image at least part of the robotic arm 2300A (Figure 15, block 1304). The imaging system 600 is carried on the installation interface 510 in a predetermined position relative to the transport room, and images the robotic arm 2300A to move to a predetermined repeatable position (center) or to a predetermined position (center). The controller 11091 captures at least part of the continuous image of the robotic arm 2300A when the robotic arm 2300A approaches or is aligned at or near the predetermined repeatable position or at the predetermined position (FIG. 15, block 1305 ). _{Through the use of continuous imaging, the position variation Δ PV} (Figure 15, block 1306) can be identified from the comparison between the continuous image and the calibration image to determine the motion compensation factor, which changes the extended position of the robotic arm 2300A. The imaging sensors captured by the first imaging are arranged inside the periphery of the mounting flange, as described above.

It should be noted that although the aspect of the present disclosure is described in relation to the arm 2300A retracted or in the retracted position, the aspect of the present disclosure can also be applied to the extension of the arm 2300A. For example, the arm 2300A may have a repeatable extension position that is selected during the calibration of the arm 2300A. The repeatable extension position may be, for example, a substrate holding position in the processing module, the substrate holding position having a predetermined rotation position (theta rotation of the drive shaft) that is known compared to the reference of the drive shaft encoder. When the encoder reaches a known predetermined rotational position, the controller 11091 receives a signal from the encoder to indicate that the arm 2300A is in the repeatable extension position. Once in the repeatable extension position, motion compensation is determined in a substantially similar manner to the above with respect to the arm 2300A in the retracted position (ie, the image is captured and compared with the pre-programmed calibration image).

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the substrate transportation equipment includes:

The transport room has a substrate transport opening configured to communicate with the substrate station module;

A drive section, which has an installation interface connected to the transport room, and a motor defining at least one independent drive shaft, the installation interface installs the drive section to the transport room and forms a perimeter, which will be located outside the perimeter The inside of the transport room is separated from the outside of the transport room inside the periphery;

A robotic arm is installed inside the transport chamber and has an end effector at the distal end of the robotic arm. The robotic arm is configured to support a substrate thereon and operatively connected to the drive section. The drive The section uses the at least one independent drive shaft to generate at least arm movement in the radial direction to extend and retract the robotic arm, and to move the end effector from the retracted position to the extended position in the radial direction ；

An imaging system, which is equipped with a camera in a predetermined position relative to the transport room through the installation interface, the camera is set to image at least part of the robotic arm; and

A controller, which is communicatively connected with the imaging system and configured to use the camera to image the at least part of the robotic arm, the robotic arm moving along a path defined by the at least one independent drive shaft or in the predetermined position, The controller captures the first image of the at least part of the robotic arm when the at least part of the robotic arm is approaching or aligned at the predetermined position,

Wherein, the controller is configured to compare the first image with the calibration image of the at least part of the robotic arm to calculate the position variance of the at least part of the robotic arm, and determine the position variance from the position variance The motion compensation factor for changing the extension position of the robotic arm, wherein the cameras for capturing the first image are arranged inside the periphery of the installation interface.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the position variance calculated by the controller from the first image and the calibration image of the at least part of the robotic arm includes: the position variance in the radial direction Component; and another variance component in a direction that has a non-zero crossing angle with the radial direction; and the motion compensation factor changes the extension of the robotic arm in at least one of the radial direction and the angular direction position.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the at least part of the robotic arm captured in the first image includes the end effector with a substrate thereon, wherein the end effector with the substrate is imaged on the first image And the controller determines the substrate eccentricity relative to the predetermined substrate holding position of the end effector.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, at least one link of the robotic arm has a characteristic of linear and rotational characteristics describing a position relative to a predetermined plane, wherein the controller records the characteristic according to the image of the characteristic captured by the imaging system The linear and rotational characteristics of the position.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the robotic arm extends and retracts relative to the shoulder axis of the robotic arm, and the shoulder axis is located inside the periphery.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the cameras are positioned adjacent to the shoulder axis relative to the distal position of the robotic arm end effector of the extended robotic arm.

According to one or more aspects of this disclosure, the method includes:

Set up a transportation room for substrate transportation equipment, the transportation room having a substrate transportation opening configured to communicate with the substrate station module;

A drive section is provided, which has a mounting flange connected to the transport room, and a motor defining at least one independent drive shaft. The mounting flange mounts the drive section to the transport room and forms a periphery, which will be in the The inside of the transport room outside the periphery is separated from the outside of the transport room inside the periphery;

Set up a robotic arm, which is installed inside the transport chamber and has an end effector at the distal end of the robotic arm, the robotic arm is configured to support a substrate thereon and be operable to be connected to the drive section;

Utilizing the at least one independent drive shaft to generate at least a radial direction of the robotic arm movement to extend and retract the robotic arm, and to move the end effector from the retracted position to the extended position in the radial direction;

The camera of the imaging system installed by the mounting flange in a predetermined position relative to the transport room is used to move along a path defined by the at least one independent drive shaft to reach or be moved by the at least one independent drive shaft. At least a part of the robotic arm in the defined predetermined position is imaged;

Using a controller communicably connected with the imaging system to capture the first image of the at least part of the robotic arm when the at least part of the robotic arm is approaching or aligned at the predetermined position; and

Use the controller to compare the first image with the calibration image of the at least part of the robotic arm to calculate the position variance of the at least part of the robotic arm, and determine the robotic arm from the location variance The motion compensation factor for changing the extension position, wherein the cameras for capturing the first image are arranged inside the periphery of the mounting flange.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the method further includes: comparing the first image with the calibration image of the at least part of the robotic arm using the controller, and calculating the positional variance includes: comparing the radial The positional variance component in the direction and another variance component in the direction that has a non-zero crossing angle with the radial direction; and the motion compensation factor changes the radial direction and the angular direction in at least one of the directions The extended position of the robotic arm.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the at least part of the robotic arm captured in the first image includes the end effector with a substrate thereon, wherein the end effector with the substrate is imaged on the first image Wherein, the method further includes using the controller to determine the substrate eccentricity relative to the predetermined substrate holding position of the end effector.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, at least one link of the robotic arm has characteristics of linear and rotational characteristics describing a position relative to a predetermined plane, and the method further includes using the controller to capture the characteristics according to the imaging system The image to record the linear and rotational characteristics of the position.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the robotic arm extends and retracts relative to the shoulder axis of the robotic arm, and the shoulder axis is located inside the periphery.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the cameras are positioned adjacent to the shoulder axis relative to the distal position of the robotic arm end effector of the extended robotic arm.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the substrate transportation equipment includes:

The transport room has a substrate transport opening configured to communicate with the substrate station module;

A drive section, which has an installation interface connected to the transport room, and a motor that defines at least one independent drive shaft;

A multi-link robotic arm is installed inside the transport chamber and has an end effector at the distal end of the multi-link robotic arm. The multi-link robotic arm is configured to support a substrate on it and is operable to Connected to the drive section, the drive section uses the at least one independent drive shaft to generate at least arm movement in the radial direction to extend and retract the multi-link robotic arm and make the end effector from The retracted position moves along the radial direction to the extended position;

A group of one or more marks on the multi-link robotic arm, which characterizes both linear and rotational characteristics of at least one link of the multi-link robotic arm with respect to the radial direction;

An imaging system, which is equipped with at least one imaging sensor in a predetermined position relative to the transport room through the installation interface, and the imaging sensor is configured to image at least part of the group of one or Multiple markers; and

The controller is communicatively connected with the imaging system and configured to use the at least one imaging sensor to image the set of one or more marks on the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm, and the multi-link robotic arm is along The path defined by the at least one independent drive shaft moves or in the predetermined position, the controller captures the at least part of the multi-link robot when the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm approaches or is aligned at the predetermined position. The first image of the group of one or more marks on the link robot arm,

Wherein, the controller is configured to compare the first image with the calibration image of the set of one or more marks on the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm to calculate the end execution of the multi-link robotic arm The position variation of the substrate holding station of the device, and the motion compensation factor determined from the position variation to change the extension position of the multi-link robotic arm, wherein the at least one imaging sensing for capturing the first image is performed Each device is arranged inside the periphery of the installation interface.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the installation interface installs the drive section to the transport room and forms a periphery, which separates the inside of the transport room outside the periphery from the outside of the transport room inside the periphery.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the at least part of the set of one or more marks captured in the first image determines the position variance of the substrate fixing station of the end effector.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the controller compares the first image with the calibration image of the set of one or more marks on the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm, and the position variance calculated by the controller includes : The position variance component in the radial direction; and another variance component in the direction that has a non-zero crossing angle with the radial direction; and the motion compensation factor changes between the radial direction and the angular direction The extended position of the multi-link robotic arm in at least one direction.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the set of one or more marks on the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm captured in the first image includes the end effector having a substrate thereon, and the end effector having a substrate The end effector is imaged in the first image, and the controller determines the substrate eccentricity relative to the predetermined substrate holding position of the end effector.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the set of one or more marks on the multi-link robotic arm describe the linear and rotational characteristics of the position relative to a predetermined plane, wherein the controller is based on the set of one or more captured by the imaging system. Mark the image to record the linear and rotational characteristics of the position.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the multi-link robotic arm extends and retracts relative to the shoulder axis of the multi-link robotic arm, and the shoulder axis is located inside the periphery.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, each of the at least one imaging sensor is positioned adjacent to the shoulder axis relative to the distal position of the end effector of the robotic arm of the extended multi-link robotic arm.

According to one or more aspects of this disclosure, the method includes:

Set up a transportation room for substrate transportation equipment, the transportation room having a substrate transportation opening configured to communicate with the substrate station module;

Providing a drive section, which has a mounting flange connected to the transport chamber, and a motor that defines at least one independent drive shaft;

A multi-link robotic arm is provided, which is installed inside the transport chamber, and has an end effector at the distal end of the multi-link robotic arm, and the multi-link robotic arm is configured to support the substrate on it and be operable To connect to the drive section;

Utilize the at least one independent drive shaft to generate movement of the multi-link robotic arm in at least the radial direction, so as to extend and retract the multi-link robotic arm, and make the end effector move along the radial direction from the retracted position Move the direction to the extended position;

A set of one or more marks is arranged on the multi-link robotic arm, which characterizes both linear and rotational characteristics of at least one link of the multi-link robotic arm with respect to the radial direction;

Use at least one imaging system of the imaging system installed in a predetermined position relative to the transport room through the mounting flange to move the imaging system along a path defined by the at least one independent drive shaft to or in the predetermined position At least part of the multi-link robot arm is imaged with the group of one or more marks;

A controller communicatively connected with the imaging system is used to capture the group of one or the other on the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm when the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm approaches or is aligned at the predetermined position. The first image with multiple markers; and

Use the controller to compare the first image with the calibration image of the set of one or more marks on the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm to calculate the position variance of the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm , And determining the motion compensation factor for changing the extended position of the multi-link robotic arm from the position variance, wherein the at least one imaging sensor for capturing the first image is each arranged on the mounting flange It's the inside of the perimeter.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the mounting flange installs the drive section to the transport room and forms a periphery, which separates the inside of the transport room outside the periphery from the outside of the transport room inside the periphery .

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the at least part of the set of one or more marks captured in the first image determines the position variance of the substrate fixing station of the end effector.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the method further includes: using the controller to compare the first image with the calibration image of the set of one or more marks on the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm to calculate The position variation of includes: comparing the position variation component in the radial direction and another variation component in the direction that has a non-zero crossing angle with the radial direction; and the motion compensation factor changes in the radial direction The extension position of the multi-link robotic arm in at least one of the angular directions.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the set of one or more marks on the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm captured in the first image includes the end effector having a substrate thereon, and the end effector having a substrate The end effector is imaged in the first image, and the method further includes using the controller to determine a substrate eccentricity relative to a predetermined substrate holding position of the end effector.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the set of one or more marks on the multi-link robotic arm describe the linear and rotational characteristics of the position relative to a predetermined plane, and the method further includes using the controller according to the image captured by the imaging system Group one or more mark images to record the linear and rotational characteristics of the position.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the multi-link robotic arm extends and retracts relative to the shoulder axis of the multi-link robotic arm, and the shoulder axis is located inside the periphery.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, each of the at least one imaging sensor is positioned adjacent to the shoulder axis relative to the distal position of the end effector of the robotic arm of the extended multi-link robotic arm.

It should be understood that the foregoing description is only an exemplification of the present disclosure. Various alternatives and modifications can be considered by those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field without departing from the aspect of this disclosure. Accordingly, the purpose of this disclosure is to cover all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the patent application attached to this article. In addition, the mere fact that different features are recorded in mutually different subsidiary items or independent items does not mean that the combination of these features cannot be used to advantage, and this combination remains within the scope of the present disclosure.

12: Interface section 15: Transport arm 18B: Transport room module 18i: Transport room module 26B: Transport arm 26i: Transport arm 30i: Workpiece station 30S1: Static workpiece support/shaft 30S2: Static workpiece support/shaft 56A: Load lock module 56S1: Static workpiece support/shaft 56S2: Static workpiece support/shaft 56: Load lock module 199A1: Interface section 199A2: Interface section 199A3: Interface section 199A4: Interface section 199A5: Interface section 199A6: Interface section 199A7: Interface section 214: Linear sliding arm 216A: Frog Leg Arm 216B: Frog Leg Arm 216: Frog Leg Arm 217: Leapfrog Arm 218A: Double symmetrical arms 218B: Double symmetrical arms 218: Double Symmetrical Arm 219A: First articulated arm 219B: Second articulated arm 219E: End effector 219: Teleport Arm 410: Processing Tools 412: Entrance/Exit Station 416: Transport Room 500: vacuum chamber wall 510P: Peripheral 510: Installation interface 511: Part of the installation interface 512: part of the installation interface 570: encoder 571: encoder 572: encoder 599: vacuum chamber 600: imaging system 601: imaging sensor 602: Imaging Sensor 603: Imaging Sensor 605: window 606: open 610: sensor housing 615: Window Clamping Ring 700A: Cross configuration 700B: Circular configuration 700C: Double crosshair configuration 700: indicator 701: indicator 702: indicator 901: Image 902: Baseline image 1100: Compensation algorithm 1101: Correct the motion model 1102: Motion control algorithm 1300: External device 1301: block 1302: block 1303: block 1304: block 1305: block 1306: block 1601: block 1602: block 1603: block 1604: block 1605: block 2010: Linear substrate processing system 2012: Interface section 2050: Interface 2060: Interface 2070: Interface 2080: substrate transportation 2300A: arm 2300: substrate transportation equipment 3018A: Transport room module 3018I: Transport room module 3018J: Transport room module 3018: Transport room module 11000: Atmospheric front end 11005: Load port module 11010: Vacuum load lock 11011: Aligner 11013: Transportation equipment 11014: Transportation equipment 11020: Vacuum back end 11025: Transport room 11030: processing station 11040: Load port 11050: film cassette 11060: microenvironment 11090: Tool Station 11091K: Motion solver 11091: Controller 23000: Transportation equipment 23201: upper arm 23202: forearm 23203P: Wrist board 23203: End effector 23204: drive section 23598: Axis 23610: second transmission device 23612: Drive pulley 23614: idler pulley 23616: belt 23620: the first transmission 23622: drive pulley 23624: idler pulley 23626: belt 23634H: shell 23646: elbow 23652: Shoulder 23660: Coaxial shaft assembly 23662: Motor 23663: Sleeve 23664: Motor 23666: Motor 23668a: inner shaft 23668b: bottom bracket 23668c: Outer shaft 23668d: drive shaft 23672: inner shaft 23674: Outer shaft 23675: Coaxial shaft assembly 23678a: stator 23678b: stator 23678c: stator 23680a: Rotor 23680b: Rotor 23680c: Rotor 23698: Axis 23750: idler pulley 23751: belt 23752: third transmission device 23753: drive pulley 23754: idler pulley 23755: belt 25115A: SCARA arm 25115B: SCARA arm 25115EA: End effector 25155EB: End effector 25155FA: Forearm Link 25155FB: Forearm Link 25155UA: Upper arm link 25155UB: upper arm link dL1: length change dL2: length change DP: Vector DP1: position change DP2: position change θ1: Arm angle θ2: Arm angle L: arm length L1: arm length L2: arm length LL: Load lock PM: processing module R: radial direction R1: radial direction Rz: Rotate S1: Substrate S2: Substrate X: axis Y: axis Z: axis Z1: axis Z2: axis Z3: axis

The foregoing aspects and other features of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In these drawings:

[FIGS. 1A-1D] are schematic diagrams of substrate processing equipment incorporating aspects of the present disclosure;

[Figure 2A-2E] is a schematic diagram of a transport arm with the disclosed aspect;

[Fig. 3] is a schematic diagram of a part of substrate processing equipment according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[FIG. 4] is a schematic diagram of a part of substrate processing equipment according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[Fig. 5] is a schematic diagram of a part of substrate processing equipment according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[Fig. 6] is a schematic diagram of a part of substrate processing equipment according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[FIG. 7] is a schematic diagram of the substrate transportation of the substrate processing equipment according to the aspect of the present disclosure;

[FIG. 8A] is a schematic diagram of substrate transportation of the substrate processing equipment according to the aspect of the present disclosure;

[FIG. 8B] is a schematic diagram of an exemplary target for substrate transportation according to an aspect of the present disclosure;

[FIG. 8C] is a schematic diagram of substrate transportation of the substrate processing equipment according to the aspect of the present disclosure;

[Fig. 9] is a schematic diagram of index position conversion due to thermal effects according to the aspect of the present disclosure;

[FIG. 10A] is a schematic diagram of the motion model of the substrate transport arm under the baseline condition according to the aspect of the present disclosure;

[FIG. 10B] is a schematic diagram of the motion model of the substrate transport arm under non-baseline conditions according to the aspect of the present disclosure;

[FIG. 11] is an exemplary schematic controller flow chart for motion model calibration according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[Fig. 12] is a schematic diagram of the expansion of the arm link for substrate transportation according to the aspect of the present disclosure;

[Figure 13] is a schematic diagram of training data collection for machine learning thermal compensation models according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[FIGS. 14A and 14B] are exemplary diagrams for deriving the length expansion of the connecting rod depending on the camera measurement according to the aspect of the present disclosure;

[FIG. 15] is a flowchart of the operation method of the substrate transportation equipment according to one or more of the embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[FIG. 16] is a flowchart of the operation method of the substrate transportation equipment according to one or more aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

500: vacuum chamber wall

510: Installation interface

511: Part of the installation interface

512: part of the installation interface

570: encoder

571: encoder

572: encoder

599: vacuum chamber

600: imaging system

601: imaging sensor

605: window

606: open

610: sensor housing

615: Window Clamping Ring

2300A: arm

11091: Controller

23000: Transportation equipment

23201: upper arm

23202: forearm

23203: End effector

23204: drive section

Claims (28)

A substrate transportation equipment, which includes: The transport room has a substrate transport opening configured to communicate with the substrate station module; A drive section, which has an installation interface connected to the transport room, and a motor defining at least one independent drive shaft, the installation interface installs the drive section to the transport room and forms a perimeter, which will be located outside the perimeter The inside of the transport room is separated from the outside of the transport room inside the periphery; A robotic arm is installed inside the transport chamber and has an end effector at the distal end of the robotic arm. The robotic arm is configured to support a substrate on it and operably connect to the drive section, using The at least one independent drive shaft to generate arm movement in at least a radial direction to extend and retract the robotic arm, and to move the end effector from the retracted position to the extended position in the radial direction; An imaging system, which is equipped with a camera in a predetermined position relative to the transport room through the installation interface, the camera is set to image at least part of the robotic arm; and A controller, which is communicatively connected with the imaging system and configured to use the camera to image the at least part of the robotic arm, the robotic arm moving along a path defined by the at least one independent drive shaft or in the predetermined position, The controller captures the first image of the at least part of the robotic arm when the at least part of the robotic arm is approaching or aligned at the predetermined position, Wherein, the controller is configured to compare the first image with the calibration image of the at least part of the robotic arm to calculate the position variation of the at least part of the robotic arm, and determine the position variation from the position variation The motion compensation factor for changing the extended position of the robotic arm, wherein each of the cameras for capturing the first image is set inside the periphery of the installation interface. The substrate transportation device according to claim 1, wherein the position variance calculated by the controller from the first image and the calibration image of the at least part of the robot arm includes: in the radial direction The positional variance component of the; and another variance component in the direction that has a non-zero crossing angle with the radial direction; and the motion compensation factor changes the machine in at least one of the radial direction and the angular direction The extended position of the arm. The substrate transportation device according to claim 1, wherein the at least part of the robotic arm captured in the first image includes the end effector having a substrate thereon, and the end effector having the substrate is imaged on the In the first image, and the controller determines the substrate eccentricity relative to the predetermined substrate holding position of the end effector. The substrate transportation device according to claim 1, wherein at least one link of the robotic arm has a feature of describing linear and rotational characteristics of a position relative to a predetermined plane, wherein the controller is based on the characteristics captured by the imaging system Image to record the linear and rotational characteristics of the position. The substrate transportation device according to claim 1, wherein the robotic arm extends and retracts relative to a shoulder axis of the robotic arm, and the shoulder axis is located inside the periphery. The substrate transportation device according to claim 5, wherein the cameras are positioned adjacent to the shoulder axis with respect to the distal position of the end effector of the robotic arm of the extended robotic arm. A method that includes: Provide a transportation room for substrate transportation equipment, the transportation room having a substrate transportation opening configured to communicate with the substrate station module; Provide a drive section, which has a mounting flange connected to the transport room, and a motor that defines at least one independent drive shaft, the mounting flange mounts the drive section to the transport room and forms a perimeter, which will be in the The inside of the transport room outside the periphery is separated from the outside of the transport room inside the periphery; Provide a robotic arm, which is installed inside the transport chamber and has an end effector at the distal end of the robotic arm, the robotic arm is configured to support a substrate thereon and operable to be connected to the drive section; Utilizing the at least one independent drive shaft to generate movement of the robot arm in at least a radial direction to extend and retract the robot arm, and to move the end effector from the retracted position to the extended position in the radial direction; The camera of the imaging system installed in a predetermined position relative to the transport room through the mounting flange is used to move at least part of the imaging system along a path defined by the at least one independent drive shaft to or in the predetermined position The robotic arm is imaging; Using a controller communicably connected with the imaging system to capture the first image of the at least part of the robotic arm when the at least part of the robotic arm is approaching or aligned at the predetermined position; and Use the controller to compare the first image with the calibration image of the at least part of the robotic arm to calculate the position variance of the at least part of the robotic arm, and determine the robotic arm from the location variance The motion compensation factor for changing the extension position, wherein each of the cameras for capturing the first image is arranged inside the periphery of the mounting flange. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: comparing the first image with the calibration image of the at least part of the robotic arm using the controller, and calculating the position variance comprises: comparing the radial direction The position variance component on the radial direction and the other variance component in the direction that has a non-zero crossing angle with the radial direction; and the motion compensation factor changes the machine in at least one of the radial direction and the angular direction The extended position of the arm. The method according to claim 7, wherein the at least part of the robotic arm captured in the first image includes the end effector having a substrate thereon, and the end effector having the substrate is imaged on the first In the image, the method further includes using the controller to determine the substrate eccentricity relative to the predetermined substrate holding position of the end effector. The method according to claim 7, wherein at least one link of the robotic arm has characteristics of describing linear and rotational characteristics of a position relative to a predetermined plane, and the method further comprises using the controller to capture data based on the imaging system The image of the feature is used to record the linear and rotational characteristics of the position. The method according to claim 7, wherein the robotic arm extends and retracts relative to a shoulder axis of the robotic arm, and the shoulder axis is located inside the periphery. The method according to claim 11, wherein the cameras are positioned adjacent to the shoulder axis with respect to the distal position of the end effector of the robotic arm of the extended robotic arm. A substrate transportation equipment, which includes: The transport room has a substrate transport opening configured to communicate with the substrate station module; A drive section, which has an installation interface connected to the transport room, and a motor that defines at least one independent drive shaft; A multi-link robotic arm is installed inside the transport chamber and has an end effector at the distal end of the multi-link robotic arm. The multi-link robotic arm is configured to support a substrate on it and be operable In order to be connected to the drive section, the at least one independent drive shaft is used to generate arm movement in at least a radial direction to extend and retract the multi-link robotic arm, and to make the end effector from the retracted position Move along the radial direction to the extended position; A group of one or more marks on the multi-link robotic arm, which characterizes both linear and rotational characteristics of at least one link of the multi-link robotic arm with respect to the radial direction; An imaging system, which is equipped with at least one imaging sensor in a predetermined position relative to the transport room through the installation interface, and the imaging sensor is configured to image at least part of the group of one or Multiple markers; and The controller is communicatively connected with the imaging system and configured to use the at least one imaging sensor to image the set of one or more marks on the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm, and the multi-link robotic arm is along The path defined by the at least one independent drive shaft moves or in the predetermined position, the controller captures the at least part of the multi-link robot when the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm approaches or is aligned at the predetermined position. The first image of the group of one or more marks on the link robot arm, Wherein, the controller is configured to compare the first image with the calibration image of the set of one or more marks on the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm to calculate the end execution of the multi-link robotic arm The position variation of the substrate holding station of the device, and the motion compensation factor determined from the position variation to change the extension position of the multi-link robotic arm, wherein the at least one imaging sensing for capturing the first image is performed Each device is arranged inside the periphery of the installation interface. The substrate transportation device according to claim 13, wherein the installation interface installs the drive section to the transportation room and forms a periphery, which separates the inside of the transportation room outside the periphery from the transportation room inside the periphery的外。 The outside. The substrate transportation device according to claim 13, wherein the at least part of the set of one or more marks captured in the first image determines the position variance of the substrate fixing station of the end effector. The substrate transportation device according to claim 13, wherein the controller compares the first image with the calibration image of the set of one or more marks on the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm to calculate The position variance includes: a position variance component in the radial direction; and another variance component in a direction that has a non-zero crossing angle with the radial direction; and the motion compensation factor changes in the radial direction and The extension position of the multi-link robotic arm in at least one of the angular directions. The substrate transportation device according to claim 13, wherein the set of one or more marks on the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm captured in the first image includes the end effector with the substrate thereon, and The end effector of the substrate is imaged in the first image, and the controller determines the substrate eccentricity relative to the predetermined substrate holding position of the end effector. The substrate transportation device according to claim 13, wherein the set of one or more marks on the multi-link robotic arm describe the linear and rotational characteristics of the position relative to a predetermined plane, wherein the controller is based on the image captured by the imaging system Group one or more mark images to record the linear and rotational characteristics of the position. The substrate transportation device according to claim 13, wherein the multi-link robotic arm extends and retracts relative to a shoulder axis of the multi-link robotic arm, and the shoulder axis is located inside the periphery. The substrate transportation device according to claim 19, wherein each of the at least one imaging sensor is positioned adjacent to the shoulder axis relative to the distal position of the end effector of the robotic arm of the extended multi-link robotic arm. A method that includes: Provide a transportation room for substrate transportation equipment, the transportation room having a substrate transportation opening configured to communicate with the substrate station module; Provide a drive section, which has a mounting flange connected to the transport chamber, and a motor that defines at least one independent drive shaft; A multi-link robotic arm is provided, which is installed inside the transport chamber and has an end effector at the distal end of the multi-link robotic arm. The multi-link robotic arm is configured to support a substrate on it and can Operate to connect to the drive section; The at least one independent drive shaft is used to generate movement of the multi-link robotic arm in at least the radial direction, so that the multi-link robotic arm is extended and retracted, and the end effector is moved along the radial direction from the retracted position. Move the direction to the extended position; A set of one or more marks is arranged on the multi-link robotic arm, which characterizes both linear and rotational characteristics of at least one link of the multi-link robotic arm with respect to the radial direction; Use at least one imaging system of the imaging system installed in a predetermined position relative to the transport room through the mounting flange to move the imaging system along a path defined by the at least one independent drive shaft to or in the predetermined position At least part of the multi-link robot arm is imaged with the group of one or more marks; A controller communicatively connected with the imaging system is used to capture the group of one or the other on the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm when the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm approaches or is aligned at the predetermined position. The first image with multiple markers; and Use the controller to compare the first image with the calibration image of the set of one or more marks on the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm to calculate the position variance of the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm , And determining the motion compensation factor for changing the extended position of the multi-link robotic arm from the position variance, wherein the at least one imaging sensor for capturing the first image is each arranged on the mounting flange It's the inside of the perimeter. The method of claim 21, wherein the mounting flange installs the drive section to the transport room and forms a periphery, which separates the inside of the transport room outside the periphery from the inside of the transportation room inside the periphery external. The method according to claim 21, wherein the at least part of the set of one or more marks captured in the first image determines the position variation of the substrate fixing station of the end effector. The method of claim 21, further comprising: comparing the first image with the calibration image of the set of one or more marks on the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm using the controller to calculate The position variation includes: comparing the position variation component in the radial direction with another variation component in the direction that has a non-zero crossing angle with the radial direction; and the motion compensation factor changes in the radial direction and The extension position of the multi-link robotic arm in at least one of the angular directions. The method according to claim 21, wherein the set of one or more marks on the at least part of the multi-link robotic arm captured in the first image includes the end effector with a substrate thereon, and The end effector is imaged in the first image, and the method further includes using the controller to determine a substrate eccentricity relative to a predetermined substrate holding position of the end effector. The method according to claim 21, wherein the set of one or more marks on the multi-link robotic arm describe the linear and rotational characteristics of the position relative to a predetermined plane, and the method further comprises using the controller to capture The set of one or more mark images to record the linear and rotational characteristics of the position. The method according to claim 21, wherein the multi-link robotic arm extends and retracts relative to a shoulder axis of the multi-link robotic arm, and the shoulder axis is located inside the periphery. The method according to claim 27, wherein each of the at least one imaging sensor is positioned adjacent to the shoulder axis with respect to the distal position of the end effector of the robotic arm of the extended multi-link robotic arm.

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