# US 11,309,199 B2 · Substrate transfer apparatus and substrate transfer method

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- Number: US 11,309,199 B2
- Document ID: US11309199B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/919,888
- Filed: 2020-07-02
- Published: 2021-01-07
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2019-07-05
- Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited
- Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited
- Inventors: Keita Horiuchi; Koji Maeda; Morihiro Takanashi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11309199B2

## CPC

- H10P 72/0466: {characterised by the construction of the load-lock chamber}
- B65G 47/90: Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials
- H10P 72/0452: {characterised by the layout of the process chambers}
- H10P 72/0461: {characterised by the presence of two or more transfer chambers}
- H10P 72/0464: {characterised by the construction of the transfer chamber}
- H10P 72/0602: {Temperature monitoring}
- H10P 72/3304: {characterised by movements or sequence of movements of transfer devices}
- H10P 72/7602: {the wafers being placed on a robot blade or gripped by a gripper for conveyance}
- H10P 72/7612: {characterised by lifting arrangements, e.g. lift pins}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D)

## Abstract

A substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate includes a plurality of vacuum transfer chambers, each having therein a substrate transfer mechanism for holding and transferring the substrate, and an intermediate chamber disposed between the vacuum transfer chambers adjacent to each other. When one of the vacuum transfer chambers adjacent to each other is set as a first vacuum transfer chamber and the other is set as a second vacuum transfer chamber, a first substrate loading/unloading port is disposed between the intermediate chamber and the first vacuum transfer chamber and a second substrate loading/unloading port is disposed between the intermediate chamber and the second vacuum transfer chamber. A gate valve is provided only for the second substrate loading/unloading port. Further, the first and the second substrate loading/unloading port have different height positions.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate, comprising:
a plurality of vacuum transfer chambers, each having therein a substrate transfer mechanism for holding and transferring the substrate;
an intermediate chamber disposed between the vacuum transfer chambers adjacent to each other; and
a temperature control chamber that is disposed at a position adjacent to the intermediate chamber between the vacuum transfer chambers adjacent to each other to control a temperature of the substrate,
wherein when one of the vacuum transfer chambers adjacent to each other is set as a first vacuum transfer chamber and the other is set as a second vacuum transfer chamber, the first vacuum transfer chamber, the second vacuum transfer chamber, the intermediate chamber and the temperature control chamber are disposed on the same horizontal plane,
a first substrate loading/unloading port is disposed between the intermediate chamber and the first vacuum transfer chamber and a second substrate loading/unloading port is disposed between the intermediate chamber and the second vacuum transfer chamber,
a gate valve is provided for the second substrate loading/unloading port between the first substrate loading/unloading port and the second substrate loading/unloading port, and
the first substrate loading/unloading port and the second substrate loading/unloading port have different height positions,
wherein when the gate valve is opened, the first vacuum transfer chamber and the second vacuum transfer chamber communicate with each other through the intermediate chamber,
wherein a third substrate loading/unloading port is disposed between the temperature control chamber and only one of the first vacuum transfer chamber and the second vacuum transfer chamber,
a further gate valve is disposed at the third substrate loading/unloading port, and
the third substrate loading/unloading port is disposed between the first vacuum transfer chamber and the temperature control chamber, and a height position of the third substrate loading/unloading port is different from a height position of the first substrate loading/unloading port.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the intermediate chamber includes a substrate support that controls a temperature of the substrate placed thereon.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 2, wherein the gate valve is disposed at an upper portion of the substrate transfer apparatus.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gate valve is disposed at an upper portion of the substrate transfer apparatus.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A substrate transfer method using the substrate transfer apparatus described in claim 1.