# US 12,224,194 B2 · Substrate processing system and method for controlling substrate processing system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,224,194 B2 - Document ID: US12224194B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/595,631 - Filed: 2020-05-25 - Published: 2022-07-21 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2019-05-28 - Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited - Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited - Inventors: Atsushi Kubo - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12224194B2 ## CPC - H10P 72/3302: {Mechanical parts of transfer devices} - H10P 72/50: for positioning, orientation or alignment - C23C 16/44: characterised by the method of coating (C23C16/04 takes precedence) - C23C 16/458: characterised by the method used for supporting substrates in the reaction chamber - H10P 14/60: of insulating materials - H10P 72/0458: {vertical arrangement} - H10P 72/0462: {characterised by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers} - H10P 72/0464: {characterised by the construction of the transfer chamber} - H10P 72/0466: {characterised by the construction of the load-lock chamber} - H10P 72/0606: {Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection} - H10P 72/0616: {Monitoring of warpages, curvatures, damages, defects or the like} - H10P 72/3311: {Horizontal transfer of a batch of workpieces} - H10P 72/78: using vacuum or suction, e.g. Bernoulli chucks - H10P 72/0454: {surrounding a central transfer chamber} - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) ## Abstract A substrate processing system, which includes a transfer device configured to simultaneously transfer a plurality of substrates and suitably corrects positions of the substrate, and a method of controlling the substrate processing system are provided. The substrate processing system includes: a process chamber in which a plurality of substrates is processed; a vacuum transfer chamber connected to the process chamber; a transfer device provided in the vacuum transfer chamber and configured to simultaneously transfer a plurality of substrates; a module connected to the vacuum transfer chamber and having a plurality of stages on which substrates are placed; and a controller. The controller is configured to measure an amount of change of an arm of the transfer device that has transferred processed substrates, and to correct positions of the stages based on the amount of change of the arm of the transfer device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A substrate processing system comprising: a process chamber in which a plurality of substrates is processed; a vacuum transfer chamber connected to the process chamber; a transfer device provided in the vacuum transfer chamber and configured to simultaneously transfer a plurality of substrates; a module connected to the vacuum transfer chamber and having a plurality of stages on which substrates are placed; a sensor configured to detect, while the transfer device transfers processed substrates from the process chamber to the module, an elongation amount of an arm of the transfer device, which is a thermally elongated amount of the arm due to heat in the process chamber; and a controller, wherein the controller is configured to correct positions of the stages in the module based on the elongation amount detected by the sensor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the stages are configured to magnetically levitate. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The substrate processing system of claim 2, wherein the module is a load lock chamber. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The substrate processing system of claim 3, wherein the load lock chamber includes: a first load lock chamber that has the stages of which positions are corrected based on the elongation amount detected by the sensor; and a second load lock chamber that has fixed stages. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The substrate processing system of claim 4, wherein the first load lock chamber and the second load lock chamber are vertically arranged. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The substrate processing system of claim 2, wherein the module is an alignment device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The substrate processing system of claim 2, wherein the module is a pass module. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the module is a load lock chamber. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the module is an alignment device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the module is a pass module. ### Claim 11 A method of controlling a substrate processing system including a process chamber in which a plurality of substrates is processed, a vacuum transfer chamber connected to the process chamber, a transfer device provided in the vacuum transfer chamber and configured to simultaneously transfer a plurality of substrates, and a module connected to the vacuum transfer chamber and having a plurality of stages on which substrates are placed, the method comprising: detecting, while the transfer device transfers processed substrates from the process chamber to the module, an elongation amount of an arm of the transfer device, which is a thermally elongated amount of the arm due to heat in the process chamber; and correcting positions of the stages in the module based on the detected elongation amount.