US 12,362,215 B2
Apparatus for transferring substrate and method for transferring substrate
Takehiro Shindo, Yamanashi (JP); Dongwei Li, Yamanashi (JP); Lingxin Jiang, Yamanashi (JP); Shinya Okano, Yamanashi (JP); Toshiaki Kodama, Yamanashi (JP); and Wataru Matsumoto, Yamanashi (JP)
Assigned to Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Nov. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/991,345.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-193577 (JP), filed on Nov. 29, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0170239 A1, Jun. 1, 2023
Int. Cl. H01L 21/67 (2006.01); H01L 21/673 (2006.01); H01L 21/677 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/67748 (2013.01) [H01L 21/67265 (2013.01); H01L 21/67333 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for transferring a substrate to a substrate processing chamber, the apparatus comprising:
a substrate transfer chamber having a floor provided with first magnets and a side wall connected to the substrate processing chamber and formed with an opening through which the substrate is loaded into and unloaded from the substrate processing chamber;
a substrate transfer module comprising a holder configured to hold each of a plurality of types of objects to be transferred, which are the substrate or equipment used in the substrate transfer chamber or the substrate processing chamber, and second magnets having a repulsive force acting on the first magnets, the substrate transfer module being configured to be movable in the substrate transfer chamber by magnetic levitation using the repulsive force; and
a controller configured to control an operating force for moving the substrate transfer module using feedforward control by adjusting a magnetic force of the first magnets to change the repulsive force,
wherein the controller comprises:
a parameter storage configured to store at least one model parameter for expressing a relationship between an operating force applied to a control model in which the object to be transferred and the substrate transfer module are integrated and a movement of the control model, said at least one model parameter being stored in association with each of the plurality of types of objects to be transferred;
a control schedule creating section configured to acquire identification information for identifying the object to be transferred and a movement schedule defining a movement of the substrate transfer module along a time axis, to obtain the operating force to be applied when the substrate transfer module holding the object to be transferred corresponding to the identification information is moved based on the movement schedule using the model parameter of the control model corresponding to the identification information stored in the parameter storage, and to output a control schedule defining the operating force along the time axis; and
a magnetic force adjusting section configured to perform the feedforward control by adjusting the magnetic force of the first magnets so that the operating force based on the control schedule is applied to the substrate transfer module transferring the object to be transferred corresponding to the identification information.