Substrate transfer apparatus and substrate transfer method
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorsAkinori Shimamura, Hiroki Oka
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is a substrate transfer apparatus comprising: a circular tube having a tube axis extending in a lateral direction and having a transfer region for a substrate in the circular tube; a magnetic field generating portion having a magnetic field generating surface facing the transfer region and configured to generate a magnetic field on the magnetic field generating surface; and a transfer body configured to transfer the substrate while moving in a plane direction of the magnetic field generating surface in a state that the transfer body is distant from the magnetic field generating surface by the magnetic field.
Claims17
A substrate transfer apparatus comprising:
- a circular tube having a tube axis extending in a lateral direction and having a transfer region for a substrate in the circular tube;
- a magnetic field generating portion having a magnetic field generating surface facing the transfer region and configured to generate a magnetic field on the magnetic field generating surface;
- a transfer body configured to transfer the substrate while moving in a plane direction of the magnetic field generating surface in a state that the transfer body is distant from the magnetic field generating surface by the magnetic field;
- and
- a guide member configured to guide the relative movement of the magnetic field generating portion along the tube axis with respect to the circular tube to attach and detach the magnetic field generating portion to and from the circular tube through a tube opening of the circular tube,
- wherein the movement of the transfer body, by the magnetic field, in the plane direction of the magnetic field generating surface includes movement in the lateral direction and movement in a longitudinal direction orthogonal to the lateral direction.
A substrate transfer method comprising:
- generating a magnetic field on a magnetic field generating surface facing a transfer region for a substrate, in a magnetic field generating portion disposed in a circular tube that extends in a lateral direction and have therein the transfer region;
- transferring the substrate by moving a transfer body in a plane direction of the magnetic field generating surface in a state that the transfer body is distant from the magnetic field generating surface by the magnetic field;
- and
- guiding the relative movement of the magnetic field generating portion by a guide member along the tube axis with respect to the circular tube to attach and detach the magnetic field generating portion to and from the circular tube through a tube opening of the circular tube,
- wherein the movement of the transfer body, by the magnetic field, in the plane direction of the magnetic field generating surface includes movement in the lateral direction and movement in a longitudinal direction orthogonal to the lateral direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.