TWI644387B - Substrate transfer system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a substrate transfer system including a belt, a roller, a substrate transfer assembly, a position sensor, and a drive mechanism. The roller is configured to drive the belt to roll. The substrate transfer assembly connects the belts and is used to transport the substrates. The position sensor is configured to detect the position of the belt in the direction of the axle of the roller. The drive mechanism is configured to drive the roller to move in the direction of the axle such that the belt remains within a predetermined range of directions in the direction of the axle.

Description

Substrate transfer system and method

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a semiconductor technology, and more particularly to a substrate transfer system and method.

In the modern industrial society, the automation control system has gradually replaced manpower and become the key to improving production efficiency. Especially in the advanced semiconductor process, a large number of automated control systems are introduced to carry out various precise manufacturing steps to reduce costs and avoid human error. .

For example, a semiconductor device is produced by processing a semiconductor substrate by a series of semiconductor manufacturing machines. Wherein, one or more substrate transfer systems disposed in each manufacturing machine can feed the substrate from the loading port into the processing chamber for a specific process, and after the process ends, the substrate is sent out from the load port. Machine. In addition, some semiconductor manufacturing machines may be provided with a plurality of separate processing chambers and transfer substrates between different processing chambers through a substrate transfer system.

While existing substrate delivery systems and methods are sufficient to achieve their goals, these systems and methods are still not satisfactory in all respects.

The present disclosure provides a substrate transfer system including a belt, a roller, a substrate transfer assembly, a position sensor, and a drive mechanism. The roller is configured to drive the belt to roll. The substrate transfer assembly is connected to the belt, Used to transfer a substrate. The position sensor is configured to detect the position of the belt in the direction of one of the axles of the roller. The drive mechanism is configured to drive the roller to move in the direction of the axle such that the belt remains within a predetermined range of directions in the direction of the axle.

Some embodiments provide a substrate transfer system including a belt, a driving wheel, a driven wheel, a substrate transfer assembly, a first position sensor, a first drive mechanism, a second position sensor, And a second drive mechanism. The driving wheel is configured to rotate by driving of a motor. The driven wheel is configured to cooperate with the driving wheel to drive the belt to roll. The substrate transfer assembly is configured to transport a substrate through the belt. The first position sensor is configured to detect the position of the belt in the direction of one of the axles of the drive wheel. The first drive mechanism is configured to drive the drive wheel to move along its axle direction such that the belt remains within a first range of positions in the direction of the axle of the drive wheel. The second position sensor is configured to detect a position of the belt in an axle direction of the moving wheel. The second driving mechanism is configured to drive the driven wheel to move along the direction of the axle thereof such that the belt is maintained within a second position in the direction of the axle of the driven wheel, wherein the upper boundaries of the first and second ranges are the same At the horizontal level, and the lower boundary of the first and second position ranges is at another same level.

Some embodiments provide a substrate transfer method including transferring at least one substrate by a substrate transfer system, wherein the substrate transfer system includes a belt, a roller and a substrate transfer assembly, the roller is used to drive the belt to roll, and the substrate transfer assembly The at least one substrate is conveyed by the belt. The substrate transfer method further includes detecting a position of the belt in a direction of an axle of the roller during the transfer of the at least one substrate. In addition, the substrate transfer method further includes: when detecting that the belt is offset in the direction of the wheel axis of the roller and exceeds a predetermined position range, Move the roller in the direction of the axle to reset the belt to a predetermined position.

1‧‧‧Semiconductor manufacturing machine

10‧‧‧Processing chamber

11‧‧‧ Carrying equipment

12‧‧‧ loading

13‧‧‧ sensor

20‧‧‧Substrate transfer system

21‧‧‧Substrate transfer assembly

21A‧‧‧Linear slides

21B‧‧‧ Slider

21C‧‧‧ Robotic arm

21D‧‧‧Support rod

22‧‧‧ Shell

22A‧‧‧ Openings

70‧‧‧Substrate transfer method

71~73‧‧‧ operation

A‧‧‧Axle direction

B‧‧‧Belt

C‧‧‧bearing unit

D‧‧‧ interval

F‧‧‧Flange structure

L‧‧‧ Telescopic rod

M‧‧ motor

M1, M2‧‧‧ drive mechanism

W‧‧‧Substrate

R‧‧‧Roller

R1‧‧‧ drive wheel

R2‧‧‧ driven wheel

S‧‧‧ position sensor

U‧‧‧Control unit

X‧‧‧ offset

AS‧‧‧ warning signal

NP‧‧‧established location range

1 shows a schematic diagram of a semiconductor fabrication machine having a substrate transfer system in accordance with some embodiments.

Figure 2 shows a side view of some of the elements of a substrate transport system in accordance with some embodiments.

Figure 3 shows a top view of some of the components of a substrate transport system in accordance with some embodiments.

Figure 4 shows a side view of some of the elements of a substrate transport system in accordance with some embodiments, wherein the rollers of the substrate transport system can be moved based on the offset of the belt and the belt is reset.

5A, 5B are schematic diagrams showing different forms of position sensors for detecting belt offsets in accordance with some embodiments.

Figure 6 shows a block diagram of some of the components of a substrate transfer system in accordance with some embodiments.

Figure 7 shows a flow chart of a substrate transfer method in accordance with some embodiments.

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or preferred examples to implement various features of the present disclosure. Of course, the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described below. The disclosure of the various components and their arrangement in detail is set forth in the accompanying drawings, and the description of the disclosure will be more fully understood.

Spatially related terms used in the following, such as "below," "below," "lower," "above," "higher," and the like, are used to facilitate the description. The relationship between one element or feature and another element or feature(s). In addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings, these spatially related terms are also intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation. The device may be turned to a different orientation (rotated 90 degrees or other orientation), and the spatially related terms used herein may also be interpreted the same.

It is to be understood that elements not specifically shown or described may be in various forms well known to those skilled in the art. In addition, if a first feature is formed on or above a second feature in the embodiment, it may indicate that the first feature may be in direct contact with the second feature, and may also include additional features. Formed between the first feature and the second feature described above such that the first feature and the second feature are not in direct contact with each other.

The same component numbers and/or characters may be repeated in the following various embodiments, which are for the purpose of simplicity and clarity, and are not intended to limit the specific relationship between the various embodiments and/or structures discussed. In the drawings, the shape or thickness of the structure may be enlarged to simplify or facilitate the marking.

Referring first to Figure 1, there is shown a schematic diagram of a semiconductor fabrication machine 1 having a substrate transfer system 20 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. The semiconductor manufacturing machine 1 includes a processing chamber 10 (eg, a vacuum insulating chamber) for performing one or more specific processing processes on one or more substrates (eg, semiconductor wafers, reticle, or any other substrate material). . In some embodiments, the semiconductor manufacturing machine 1 can be a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) machine, a physical vapor deposition (PVD) machine, and an etch. Etching machine, a thermal oxidation machine, an ion implantation machine, a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) machine, and a rapid thermal annealing , RTA) machine, a photolithography machine, a diffusion machine, or other semiconductor manufacturing machine.

A substrate transfer system 20 is disposed in the semiconductor manufacturing machine 1 and includes a movable robot arm 21C (or jig) for stopping one or more of the load bearing units C on the load cassette 11 of the semiconductor manufacturing machine 1. The substrate W is fed from the loading port 12 of the semiconductor manufacturing machine 1 into the processing chamber 10 to perform the above-described process. After the end of the process, the robot arm 21C sends the substrate W from the load port (not shown) of the semiconductor manufacturing machine 1. The mechanism for driving the robot arm 21C in the substrate transfer system 20 will be further described in a later paragraph.

In some embodiments, a sensor 13 can be disposed in the semiconductor manufacturing machine 1 near the loading port 12, for example, by optically detecting whether the robot arm 21C of the substrate transport system 20 is at the loading port. In the vicinity of 12, the opening and closing timing of the loading port 12 is determined to reduce the chance that the semiconductor manufacturing machine 1 is affected or contaminated by the external environment.

In some other embodiments, a plurality of separate processing chambers 10 may be disposed in the semiconductor manufacturing machine 1 and the substrate transfer system 20 is further configured to transfer the substrates W between different processing chambers 10. Further, a plurality of sets of substrate transfer systems 20 may be disposed in the semiconductor manufacturing machine 1.

2 shows a side view of some of the components of substrate transfer system 20 in accordance with some embodiments, and FIG. 3 shows a top view of some of the components of substrate transfer system 20 in accordance with some embodiments. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the substrate The transport system 20 includes a plurality of rollers R, a belt B, a substrate transport assembly 21 (including a linear slide 21A, a slider 21B and a robot arm 21C), and a housing 22 for housing the above components or components ( For the sake of clarity, the linear slide 21A is omitted in Fig. 2 and only a part of the roller R is shown, and the robot arm 21C and the outer casing 22) are omitted in Fig. 3.

In the embodiments of Figs. 2 and 3, a plurality of rollers R are disposed in the housing 22 in an upright manner (i.e., the wheel axis direction A of the roller R is substantially parallel to the Z-axis direction). The belt B is sleeved between the rollers R and can be rolled in the horizontal direction by the roller R. In some embodiments, the belt B is a toothed belt made of plastic material. In conjunction with the position of the roller R, the belt B can constitute an annular shape (Fig. 3), and both ends of the belt B are coupled to the slider 21B of the substrate transfer unit 21. Thus, when the belt B is rolled, the slider 21B is moved by the belt B to be movable along the linear slide 21A, and linearly moves together with the robot arm 21C to which the slider 21B is attached. Further, the outer casing 22 may be formed with an elongated opening portion 22A substantially parallel to the linear sliding rail 21A, allowing one of the mechanical arms 21C to pass through and support the slider 21B. The support rod 21D can also be rotated relative to the slider 21B to cause the robot arm 21C to rotate. As a result, the substrate transfer system 20 can be transported for the purpose of transporting the substrate W.

It should be understood that the roller R further includes a driving wheel R1 and a plurality of driven wheels R2. The driving wheel R1 can be rotated around its axle direction A by driving a motor M (please refer to FIG. 4), and the driven wheels R2 can be wound by the belt B when the driving wheel R1 rotates. The respective axle directions A are rotated (that is, the driven wheels R2 are used to cooperate with the driving wheels R1 to drive the rollers R to roll).

In addition, the belt B is sleeved in a crossover manner (or one after the other) Between the driving wheel R1 and the adjacent driven wheel R2 (Fig. 3), the driving direction of the driving wheel R1 and the driven wheels R2 is opposite. However, there may be other variations or modifications to the number or arrangement of the driving wheels R1, the driven wheels R2 and the belt B, and are not limited to the embodiment shown in FIG. In addition, other features may be added to the substrate transport system 20 (e.g., a stop is disposed at the end of the linear slide 21A to define the travel of the slider 21B), or some implementation of the substrate transfer system 20 In some cases, some of the above features may also be replaced or removed.

Next, referring to FIG. 4, in the process of transporting the substrate W (Fig. 1), the belt B of the substrate transport system 20 may be on the roller R (including the driving wheel) due to factors such as uneven force or material aging due to changes in tension. The wheel axis direction A of the R1 and/or the driven wheel R2) is offset, and friction occurs with the flange structure F located at the upper and lower ends of the roller R, and the belt B may be broken for a long time. Once the belt B suddenly breaks, the action of the robot arm 21C is instantaneously stopped and violently shaken, so that the substrate W may be detached from the robot arm 21C and collide with other components in the semiconductor manufacturing machine 1, causing the substrate W to be damaged or broken. crack.

The embodiment of the present invention provides the following technical features, which can instantly and dynamically compensate the offset of the belt B in the wheel axis direction A of the roller R during the substrate transfer process, so as to avoid friction between the belt B and the flange structure F of the roller R. Thereby extending the service life of the belt B and reducing the chance of the belt B breaking. Further, the scrap ratio of the substrate W can also be lowered, and the yield of each process can be improved.

As shown in Fig. 4, in the operation of the substrate transfer system 20, the belt B should ideally be held near the center position in the axle direction A of the driving wheel R1 and the driven wheel R2, that is, the belt B is at the driving wheel R1. And a predetermined position range NP in the axle direction A of the driven wheel R2 (shown by a dotted line in the figure). for example, The predetermined position range NP of the belt B in the axle direction A of the driving wheel R1 and the driven wheel R2 includes the center position of the belt B in the axle direction A of the driving wheel R1 and the driven wheel R2 and the upward and/or downward bias from the center position. The allowable range is shifted, for example, a few millimeters to a few centimeters, depending on the actual demand (the point is that the belt B does not easily rub against the flange structure F of the roller R within the predetermined position range NP). Furthermore, the predetermined position range NP of the belt B in the axle direction A of the driving wheel R1 may be referred to as a first position range, and the predetermined position range NP of the belt B in the axle direction A of the driven wheel R2 may be referred to as a first The two position range, wherein the upper boundaries of the first and second position ranges are at the same level, and the lower boundaries of the first and second position ranges are at another same level.

In some embodiments, in order to detect whether the belt B exceeds the predetermined position range NP in the axle direction A of the driving wheel R1 and the driven wheel R2, a (first) position sensing is respectively disposed on the upper and lower ends of the driving wheel R1. The device S is provided with a (second) position sensor S on the upper and lower ends of the driven wheel R2 (only the position sensor S is omitted in Fig. 4 for the sake of clarity). For example, the position sensor S may be disposed on the upper and lower ends of the driving wheel R1 and the driven wheel R2 in the axle direction A, and just flush the upper and lower boundaries of the predetermined position range NP of the belt B (for example, the 5A Shown in the picture).

According to some embodiments, the position sensor S detects the position of the belt B in a contact or non-contact manner.

For example, the position sensor S in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5A is a light sensor (or photo-sensing device), which can be fixed to the roller R in a surrounding manner (including the driving wheel R1 and/or There is a gap D between the upper and lower flange portions F of the driven wheel R2) and the axle portion of the roller R. The size of the interval D is It is sufficient to allow the belt B to pass without interfering with the position sensor S. When the belt B is offset in the axle direction A of the roller R and exceeds the predetermined position range NP, the position sensor S (photosensor) can optically detect a deviation of the belt B beyond the predetermined position range NP. Shift X. According to some embodiments, the light sensor is composed of a group of light projectors and light receivers, and the light signal obtained by the light change between the light projector and the light receiver can instantly detect the deviation of the belt B beyond the predetermined position range NP. Shift X.

For example, the position sensor S in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5B is a pressure sensor which can be fixed around the roller R, the flange structure F at the lower end, and the roller R. The axle portions are adjacent. When the belt B is offset in the axle direction A of the roller R and exceeds the predetermined position range NP, the position sensor S (pressure sensor) is deformed by force, and the pressure sensed by the position sensor S is caused. The value is proportional to the offset of the belt B. In this way, the position sensor S can also detect the offset X of the belt B beyond the predetermined position range NP. According to some embodiments, the pressure sensor includes a spring kit for generating a reaction force after the force is deformed to achieve the reset.

It should be understood that the above-mentioned photo sensor or pressure sensor is only used as an example of the position sensor S, and is not used to limit the type of the position sensor S. The position sensor S can take any known form of sensor suitable for sensing the position or distance of the item.

Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 6 together, the substrate transfer system 20 also includes a control unit U for receiving a position sensing signal from the position sensor S (ie, the position sensor S can sense the position) The measured optical signal or pressure value is converted into an electrical signal and transmitted to the control unit U), and based on the position sensing signal control The operation of driving mechanisms M1, M2 for driving the driving wheel R1 and the driven wheel R2 to move along the respective axle directions A is described below. The control unit U can also be used to control the operation of the motor M that drives the driving wheel R1.

According to some embodiments, the control unit U comprises a processor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), other processing elements, or a combination thereof, and may be wired (eg, wire, cable, or fiber optic) or wireless (eg, In the manner of Bluetooth, wifi or Near Field Communication (NFC) transmission, the motor M, the position sensor S and the drive mechanisms M1, M2 are electrically connected. According to some alternative embodiments, the computer control system of the semiconductor manufacturing machine 1 can also be used in place of the function of the control unit U (i.e., the control unit U of the substrate transfer system 20 can also be omitted).

According to some embodiments, the driving mechanisms M1, M2 are, for example, (Z-axis) motors or the like, respectively disposed in the outer casing 22 of the substrate transport system 20 for driving the driving wheel R1 and the driven wheel R2 along respective axle directions. A moves and allows the belt B to be held within a predetermined position range NP in the axle direction A of each roller R.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the belt B is displaced upward along the axle direction A of the driving wheel R1 and exceeds the predetermined position range NP, the (first) driving mechanism M1 is subjected to the control unit U (Fig. 6 The control can drive the driving wheel R1 to move downward along its axle direction A (wherein the driving mechanism M1 can be connected to the motor M through a telescopic rod L, and then connected to the driving wheel R1 through the motor M), and through the driving wheel R1 and the belt The friction between B drives the belt B to return it to the predetermined position range NP (ie, the first position range); similarly, when the belt B is displaced downward along the axle direction A of the driven wheel R2 and When the predetermined position range NP is exceeded, the (second) drive mechanism M2 is controlled by the control unit U (Fig. 6) to drive the driven wheel R2. Moving upward along its axle direction A (wherein the drive mechanism M2 can be connected to the driven wheel R2 through a telescopic rod L), and driving the belt B through the friction between the driven wheel R2 and the belt B to reset it to a predetermined position The range is NP (ie, the second position range). It should be understood that when the shift amount X of the belt B beyond the predetermined position range NP is larger, the amount of movement of the driving mechanism M1, M2 driving the driving wheel R1 and the driven wheel R2 along the axle direction A is also larger. Thereby, the offset of the belt B in the axle direction A of the roller R can be compensated and corrected in an immediate and effective manner.

The embodiment of the present invention also provides a substrate transfer method 70, as shown in the flow chart in FIG. For the sake of explanation, the flowchart will be described together with reference to Figs. 1 to 6. First, the substrate transfer method 70 includes an operation 71: (in a semiconductor manufacturing machine 1) transmitting at least one substrate W by a substrate transfer system 20, wherein the substrate transfer system 20 includes a belt B, a roller R, and a substrate transfer The component 21, the roller R is used to drive the belt B to roll, and the substrate transporting component 21 is configured to transmit at least one substrate W through the belt B. Next, the substrate transfer method 70 further includes an operation 72 of detecting the position of the belt B in the direction A of the wheel axis (in the position sensor S) during the transfer of the at least one substrate W. Further, the substrate transfer method 70 further includes an operation 73: when it is detected that the belt B is displaced in the wheel axis direction A of the roller R and exceeds a predetermined position range NP (based on the position of the belt B obtained by the position sensor S) Sensing the signal, the control unit U controls the drive mechanism M1, M2) to move the roller R along the axle direction A (more specifically, the direction of movement of the roller R along the axle direction A and the offset of the belt B along the axle direction A) The direction is reversed, so that the belt B is reset to the predetermined position range NP.

It will be appreciated that additional operations may be provided before, during and after the methods in the above embodiments, and for methods in different embodiments, Some of the described operations can be replaced or eliminated. For example, the substrate transfer method 70 may further include: in the process of transmitting the at least one substrate W, an alarm is issued when it is detected that the belt B is offset in the wheel axis direction A of the roller R by a predetermined number of times beyond the predetermined position range NP. For example, in the process of transporting the plurality of substrates W, when it is detected that the belt B has occurred multiple times (for example, 5 times, 10 times or more) with respect to the predetermined position range NP in the axle direction A of the roller R. When offset (that is, after a plurality of offsets of the offset of the belt B, and the offset continues to occur), the control unit U can transmit a warning signal AS to the semiconductor manufacturing machine 1 to issue a warning to The operator is notified that the belt B may be abnormal (for example, the material is aged to cause insufficient tension), and the operation of the substrate transfer system 20 and the replacement of the belt B need to be suspended. In this way, the use of the belt B can be effectively and instantly monitored, and the possibility of sudden breakage of the belt B can be reduced.

In addition, in some alternative embodiments, based on the warnings issued by the control unit U or the semiconductor manufacturing machine 1, the substrate transfer method 70 can also directly stop the operation of the substrate transfer system 20, including causing the robot arm 21C to no longer be in semiconductor manufacturing. The loading port 12 of the machine 1 receives the substrate W while reducing the moving speed of the robot arm 21C (that is, the rolling speed of the belt B), and returns the robot arm 21C to its home position for the operator to wait for the operator. To carry out the inspection or replacement of the belt B. This automatic protection method can also increase the reliability of the substrate transfer system 20.

In summary, the disclosed embodiment has the following advantages: by instantaneously monitoring and dynamically adjusting the belt position of the substrate transport system, friction between the belt and the flange end of the roller can be avoided, thereby prolonging the service life of the belt. And reduce the chance of a sudden break in the belt (ie, improve the substrate transfer system) Reliability and availability). Further, the rejection rate of the substrate can also be reduced, and the yield of each process can be improved.

In accordance with some embodiments, a substrate transfer system is provided that includes a belt, a roller, a substrate transfer assembly, a position sensor, and a drive mechanism. The roller is configured to drive the belt to roll. The substrate transfer assembly is coupled to the belt for transporting a substrate. The position sensor is configured to detect the position of the belt in the direction of one of the axles of the roller. The drive mechanism is configured to drive the roller to move in the direction of the axle and to maintain the belt within a predetermined range of positions in the direction of the axle.

According to some embodiments, the substrate transfer system further includes a control unit configured to receive a position sensing signal from the position sensor and to control operation of the driving mechanism based on the position sensing signal.

According to some embodiments, the position sensor is disposed at one end of the roller in the direction of the axle to detect whether the belt exceeds a predetermined position range in the direction of the axle.

According to some embodiments, the position sensor is further configured to detect an offset of the belt beyond the predetermined position range in the direction of the axle.

According to some embodiments, the substrate transfer assembly includes a linear slide, a slider, and a robotic arm. The robot arm is connected to the slider for transferring the substrate. The slider is configured to move along the linear slide by the belt.

According to some embodiments, a substrate transfer system includes a belt, a driving wheel, a driven wheel, a substrate transfer assembly, a first position sensor, a first drive mechanism, a second position sensor, And a second drive mechanism. The driving wheel is configured to rotate by driving of a motor. The driven wheel is configured to cooperate with the driving wheel to drive the belt to roll. The substrate transfer component is configured to be used A substrate is conveyed by the belt. The first position sensor is configured to detect the position of the belt in the direction of one of the axles of the drive wheel. The first drive mechanism is configured to drive the drive wheel to move along its axle direction such that the belt remains within a first range of positions in the direction of the axle of the drive wheel. The second position sensor is configured to detect a position of the belt in an axle direction of the moving wheel. The second driving mechanism is configured to drive the driven wheel to move along the direction of the axle thereof such that the belt is maintained within a second position in the direction of the axle of the driven wheel, wherein the upper boundaries of the first and second ranges are the same At the horizontal level, and the lower boundary of the first and second position ranges is at another same level.

According to some embodiments, the motor is coupled to the drive wheel and the first drive mechanism is coupled to the motor.

According to some embodiments, a substrate transfer method is provided, including transmitting at least one substrate by a substrate transfer system, wherein the substrate transfer system includes a belt, a roller and a substrate transfer assembly, the roller is used to drive the belt to roll, and the substrate transfer assembly The at least one substrate is conveyed by the belt. The substrate transfer method further includes detecting a position of the belt in a direction of an axle of the roller during the transfer of the at least one substrate. In addition, the substrate transfer method further includes moving the roller along the axle direction when the belt is detected to be offset in the direction of the wheel axis of the roller and beyond a predetermined position range, so that the belt is reset to a predetermined position range.

According to some embodiments, the substrate transfer method further includes issuing a warning when the transfer of the at least one substrate is detected, and when the belt is detected to be offset in the direction of the axle by a predetermined number of times.

According to some embodiments, the substrate transfer method further includes stopping the operation of the substrate transfer system based on the alert.

The embodiments and their advantages are described in detail above, and it is understood that various changes, substitutions and modifications may be made in the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Further, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments of the process, the machine, the manufacture, the material composition, the tool, the method and the steps described in the specification. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that, in accordance with the present disclosure, substantially the same functions or implementations as those of the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized. The resulting process, machine, manufacturing, material composition, tool, method or procedure. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims is intended to cover such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, tools, methods or steps. In addition, each patent application scope constitutes a separate embodiment, and combinations of different application patent scopes and embodiments are within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims (10)

A substrate transport system comprising: a belt; a roller configured to drive the belt to roll; a substrate transport assembly coupled to the belt for transporting a substrate; and a position sensor configured to detect the belt a position of the roller in an axle direction; and a driving mechanism configured to drive the roller to move along the axle direction such that the belt is maintained within a predetermined position range in the direction of the axle. The substrate transfer system of claim 1, further comprising a control unit configured to receive a position sensing signal from the position sensor and control the operation of the driving mechanism based on the position sensing signal . The substrate transport system of claim 1, wherein the position sensor is disposed at one end of the roller in the direction of the axle to detect whether the belt exceeds the predetermined position in the direction of the axle. . The substrate transfer system of claim 3, wherein the position sensor is further configured to detect an offset of the belt beyond the predetermined position range in the direction of the axle. The substrate transfer system of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the substrate transfer assembly comprises: a linear slide rail; and a slider configured to be driven along the linear slide through the belt Rail movement; and a robot arm coupled to the slider for transporting the substrate. A substrate transfer system comprising: a belt; a driving wheel configured to rotate by driving of a motor; a driven wheel configured to cooperate with the driving wheel to drive the belt to roll; a substrate transfer component, configured Transmitting a substrate through the belt; a first position sensor configured to detect a position of the belt in an axle direction of the driving wheel; a first driving mechanism configured to drive the active Moving the wheel in the direction of the axle such that the belt is maintained in a first predetermined position range of the driving wheel in the direction of the axle; a second position sensor configured to detect the belt in the driven wheel a position in the direction of the axle; and a second driving mechanism configured to drive the driven wheel to move along the axle direction such that the belt is held in a second predetermined position range of the driven wheel in the direction of the axle, wherein the The upper boundaries of the first and second predetermined position ranges are at a same level, and the lower boundaries of the first and second position ranges are at another same level. The substrate transfer system of claim 6, wherein the motor is coupled to the drive wheel and the first drive mechanism is coupled to the motor. A substrate transfer method includes: transferring at least one substrate by a substrate transfer system, wherein the substrate transfer system includes a belt, a roller and a substrate transfer assembly, the roller is used to drive the belt to roll, and the substrate transfer assembly is used for the substrate transfer assembly Drive through the belt Transmitting the at least one substrate; detecting a position of the belt in an axle direction of the roller during the conveying of the at least one substrate; and detecting that the belt is offset in the direction of the wheel axis of the roller When the predetermined position range is exceeded, the roller is moved along the axle direction, so that the belt is reset to the predetermined position range. The substrate transfer method of claim 8, further comprising: transmitting, during the transferring the at least one substrate, when detecting that the belt is offset in the direction of the axle beyond the predetermined position range by a certain number of times A warning. The substrate transfer method of claim 9, further comprising: stopping the operation of the substrate transfer system based on the warning.