Substrate conveying system in exposure apparatus

A substrate conveying system for conveying a substrate contained in an accommodating container having a supporting member for supporting the substrate, said substrate conveying system comprising:

• a hand for holding the substrate;
• a driving mechanism for moving said hand toward and away from the container, along a direction approximately parallel to the surface of the substrate, said driving mechanism being operable to move the hand to below the substrate;
• an elevation mechanism for moving the hand relative to the container, along a direction approximately perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, said elevation mechanism being operable to move the hand upwardly relative to the supporting member, for transfer of the substrate from the supporting member to the hand;
• and
• an obstacle detecting system for detecting the presence/absence of an obstacle within a movement range of the hand defined by said driving mechanism and/or said elevation mechanism, by use of a light beam having an optical axis approximately parallel to the movement direction of the hand defined by said driving mechanism,
• wherein the container has a positioning member for positioning the substrate within the container, and
• wherein said driving mechanism moves the hand from between the supporting member and the positioning member to beneath the substrate.

A substrate conveying system for conveying a substrate contained in an accommodating container having a supporting member for supporting the substrate, said substrate conveying system comprising:

• a hand for holding the substrate;
• a driving mechanism for moving said hand toward and away from the container, along a direction approximately parallel to the surface of the substrate, said driving mechanism being operable to move the hand to below the substrate;
• an elevation mechanism for moving the hand relative to the container, along a direction approximately perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, said elevation mechanism being operable to move the hand upwardly relative to the supporting member, for transfer of the substrate from the supporting member to the hand;
• and
• an obstacle detecting system for detecting the presence/absence of an obstacle within a movement range of the hand defined by said driving mechanism and/or said elevation mechanism, by use of a light beam having an optical axis approximately parallel to the movement direction of the hand defined by said driving mechanism,
• wherein the light beam is projected from a light projecting unit and passes between the supporting member and a movement region of the hand determined by said driving mechanism and is reflected by a reflection member, and
• wherein the reflected light beam passes between a positioning member for positioning the substrate within the container and the movement region of the hand determined by said driving mechanism and is received by a light receiving unit.

A substrate conveying system for conveying a substrate contained in an accommodating container having a supporting member for supporting the substrate, said substrate conveying system comprising:

• a hand for holding the substrate;
• a driving mechanism for moving said hand toward and away from the container, along a direction approximately parallel to the surface of the substrate, said driving mechanism being operable to move the hand to below the substrate;
• an elevation mechanism for moving the hand relative to the container, along a direction approximately perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, said elevation mechanism being operable to move the hand upwardly relative to the supporting member, for transfer of the substrate from the supporting member to the hand;
• an obstacle detecting system for detecting the presence/absence of an obstacle within a movement range of the hand defined by said driving mechanism and/or said elevation mechanism, by use of a light beam having an optical axis approximately parallel to the movement direction of the hand defined by said driving mechanism;
• and
• memory means for storing an output of said obstacle detecting system in relation to an amount of upward or downward motion of said obstacle detecting system.