Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method
US5664254A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 31, 1996 |
| Grant date | Sep 2, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 31, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L21/68707
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A wafer processing apparatus includes a common path, extending in a Y-axis direction, in which one wafer or a plurality of wafers are conveyed, a plurality of process units stacked on both sides of the common path to constitute multi-stage structures, a main handler moved in the common path in the Y-axis direction and rotated about a Z axis at an angle .theta. to load/unload the wafer into/from the process units, an arm section arranged to move in the main handler in the Z-axis direction, a plurality of holding arms arranged in the arm section to constitute a multi-stage structure so as to respectively hold the wafers, each holding arm being advanced and retreated on an X-Y plane from the arm section, an optical sensor, arranged in the arm section, for detecting a holding state of the wafer in each of the plurality of holding arms, and a controller for controlling an operation of the main handler, an operation of the arm section, and operations of the plurality of holding arms on the basis of a detection result from the optical sensor, wherein the controller advances or retreats each holding arm while operating at least one of the main handler and the arm section, and causes the op…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.