JP3892494B2 - Substrate transfer device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  The present invention relates to substrate transport for transporting a substrate such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) substrate.apparatusIt is about.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, in the manufacturing process of an LCD substrate, a so-called multi-chamber vacuum is conventionally provided with a plurality of process chambers (vacuum processing containers) for performing predetermined processing such as etching and ashing on an LCD substrate under a reduced pressure atmosphere. A processing unit is being used.
Such a multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus includes a transfer chamber (conveying container) adjacent to each process chamber via a gate valve, and a load lock chamber (vacuum preliminary container) adjacent to the transfer chamber via a gate valve. And a first transfer device such as a transfer arm for taking out the LCD substrates one by one from a cassette placed in an air atmosphere containing a large number of LCD substrates and transferring them to the load lock chamber; And a second transfer device that is provided in a transfer chamber in a reduced-pressure atmosphere and transfers the LCD substrate between the load lock chamber and each process chamber.
[0003]
By the way, in such an LCD substrate vacuum processing apparatus, it is required to process as many substrates as possible within a certain period of time, that is, to increase the throughput as much as possible. This is to improve throughput by processing a plurality of substrates at the same time.
[0004]
Of course, the transport system is also required to improve the throughput. For this reason, for example, in the conventional second transport device, the substrate support portion that directly supports the LCD substrate has a two-stage configuration, and the An unprocessed substrate and a processed substrate are placed on the lower stage to support it. When the processed substrate is transported into the cassette and the next unprocessed substrate is taken out of the cassette, the lower substrate support portion first moves into a predetermined slot in the cassette, and the entire transport arm is lowered by a predetermined amount. Then, the processed substrate is placed on the placement portion in the slot, and then the lower substrate support portion is temporarily retracted out of the cassette. Next, the entire transfer arm is raised, and this time, the upper substrate support portion advances into a predetermined slot, and then the entire transfer arm is further raised to remove the unprocessed substrate placed on the slot placement portion. The upper substrate support unit is supported by the upper substrate support unit, and then the upper substrate support unit is retracted from the cassette.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, there is a limit to the time reduction even in the procedure for storing the processed substrate in the cassette and taking out the unprocessed substrate from the cassette. Therefore, further improvement in throughput has been demanded.
[0006]
  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and a transport system, particularly a storage body such as a cassette or a load lock chamber, storage of a processed substrate in a storage container, and storage of an unprocessed substrate from the storage body or storage container. Substrate transport that can significantly reduce time compared to conventional transport systems with take-outapparatusAnd to solve the above problem.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  According to the present invention, an apparatus for transporting a substrate between a storage body that stores a plurality of substrates in an up-and-down arrangement, and another device,Enter between the substrates stored in alignment in the storage body.Support the substrate,A transport member having a first substrate support portion and a second substrate support portion; and a vertically movable lift shaft for lifting and lowering the entire transport member; and at least one of the first and second substrate support portions Can be moved up and down, and the first and second substrate support portions have a form in which they can be overlapped with each other when viewed in the horizontal direction.
[0008]
  In this case, the first and second substrate support portions are configured such that all of one of the substrate support portions and a part of the other substrate support portion can be overlapped when viewed from the horizontal direction, that is, the first and second substrate support portions. The thickness in the vertical direction of the substrate support portion may be different.
[0009]
  The first and second substrate support portions are partly viewed from the horizontal direction.It may be configured so that it can be polymerized and can enter between the substrates stored in alignment in the storage body even in the polymerization state.
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG.To carry outFIG. 1 shows an overview of a multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus 1 as a processing system, and FIG. The vacuum processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus that performs an etching process and an ashing process on a glass LCD substrate, and a transfer chamber 2 and a load lock chamber 3 are adjacent to each other through a gate valve 4 at the center thereof.
[0022]
The transfer chamber 2 has a substantially square plane, and each of the remaining side surfaces not facing the load lock chamber 3 is provided with three process chambers 8, 9, 10 via gate valves 5, 6, 7, respectively. Are adjacent. Each of these process chambers 8, 9, and 10 can be maintained in a predetermined reduced-pressure atmosphere. In the present embodiment, the same etching process is performed by two of these process chambers, for example, process chambers 8 and 9. The ashing process is performed by the other one process chamber 10. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and appropriate processes can be combined. Anyway, any process such as serial process and parallel process can be performed in a plurality of chambers.
[0023]
A gate valve 11 that can be opened and closed to the atmosphere side is provided at the upper part of one side surface of the load lock chamber 3, and a support base 12 is installed on the atmosphere side facing the side surface. A transfer arm 21 as a substrate transfer device is supported on the support base 12 via a base 13.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 3, the transfer arm 21 is movable up and down on the base 13 and is rotatable about the vicinity of one end thereof (reciprocating rotation arrow A). The first arm 23 and the second arm 24 as a conveying member, and an upper fork 25 and a lower fork 26 that constitute a substrate support part for directly supporting a substrate.
[0025]
The second arm 24 is rotatable about the vicinity of one end thereof and the vicinity of the other end of the first arm 23 (reciprocating rotation arrow B). The upper fork 25 and the lower fork 26 are Stands near the other endcasing27 is configured to be rotatable around its base portions 25a and 26a (reciprocating rotation arrow C).
[0026]
The lower fork 26 has two support members 26b and 26c that protrude from the base portion 26a in parallel and horizontally at a predetermined interval, and the upper surfaces of the support members 26b and 26c are in direct contact with the substrate to be supported. For example, an appropriate number of contact members 26d made of a material such as a synthetic rubber elastic body or a synthetic resin having a high friction coefficient are provided, and the substrate is prevented from being displaced or dropped while the substrate is supported. .
[0027]
  The upper fork 25 has two support members 25b and 25c that protrude from the base portion 25a in parallel and horizontally at a predetermined interval larger than that of the lower fork 26, and on the upper surface of each support member 25b and 25c. Are provided with an appropriate number of contact members 25d that are in direct contact with the substrate to be supported. Each of the upper and lower forks 25 and 26 has a thickness in the vertical direction that is smaller than a storage interval of a substrate P to be described later in a cassette 42.In other words, each of the upper forks 25 and the lower forks 26 enters between the substrates P accommodated in the cassette 42 and supports the substrates P.
[0028]
The upper fork 25 is movable up and down along the casing 27. When the upper fork 25 moves downward (lowers), it overlaps with the lower fork 26 as seen from the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. It has become. That is, the support members 25b and 25c of the upper fork 25 are located just outside the support members 26b and 26c of the lower fork 26 and reach the same level (height) as the lower fork 26. The casing 27 has a built-in drive mechanism for moving the upper fork 25 up and down. Examples of the drive mechanism include a ball screw / slide member driven by a motor. The atmosphere in the casing 27 is constantly exhausted out of the apparatus by an appropriate suction mechanism so that particles from the driving member such as a ball screw are not floated around and the substrate is contaminated. The form of the casing 27 may be arbitrary, and may be, for example, a form in which a plane integrated with a ball screw covers a rectangular guide, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped. Further, in order to make the vertical movement of the upper fork 25 smoother and more stable, an appropriate sub-guide is further provided between the lower fork 26 and the rear of the casing 27 (in the direction opposite to the support members 25b and 25c). May be erected.
[0029]
A cassette indexer 41 as a storage body support member is provided on the side of the support base 12, and a predetermined number (for example, 25 sheets) of substrates (for example, LCD glass substrates) P is stored on the cassette indexer 41. A cassette 42 is placed via an elevating mechanism 43. Therefore, the cassette 42 can be moved up and down by the elevating mechanism 43, and can be stopped at an arbitrary position.
[0030]
In the vacuum processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the cassette indexer 41 is installed only on one side of the support 12 having the transfer arm 21 as described above, but as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In addition, another cassette indexer 44 can be installed at a position facing the cassette indexer 41 with the support base 12 interposed therebetween. That is, high throughput can be realized by dealing with the exchange and transfer of an appropriate unprocessed substrate and processed substrate according to the processing contents, processing time, etc. of the process chambers 8, 9, 10. .
[0031]
The load lock chamber 3 can be maintained in a predetermined reduced-pressure atmosphere, and as shown in FIG. 5, a buffer rack 50 having a pair of stands 51 and 51 for supporting the substrate P therein. Is arranged. The buffer rack 50 is configured to hold two substrates P at a time, thereby improving the vacuuming and purging efficiency.
[0032]
Each of these stands 51, 51 is provided with two buffers 52, 53 at the top and bottom, which are set at a distance that fits within the distance between the upper fork 25 and the lower fork 26 that can move up and down in the transfer arm 21. Thus, a horizontal two-stage substrate support level is formed. In this embodiment, it is set larger than the support interval of the substrate P in the cassette 42. Further, a projection 54 made of synthetic rubber having a high friction coefficient is provided on the upper surface of each of the buffers 52 and 53, thereby preventing the substrate from being displaced and dropped.
[0033]
The stands 51 and 51 can be moved up and down integrally, and one of the two substrates can be selected without raising or lowering the transfer arm 60 provided in the transfer chamber 2 by raising or lowering the buffer rack 50. Can be taken out.
[0034]
In the load lock chamber 3, a pair of positioners 55 and 55 for aligning two substrates at a time and an optical sensor (not shown) for confirming completion of alignment of the substrates are arranged. The pair of positioners 55 and 55 are disposed so as to face each other on an extension of the diagonal line of the substrate. Each of the positioners 55, 55 includes a base 56 that can be activated in the direction of the reciprocating arrow A in the figure, and a pair of rollers 57, 57 supported on the base 56 so as to be freely rotatable.
[0035]
The positioner 55 aligns the substrates in such a manner as to sandwich the two substrates supported by the buffer rack 50 in a diagonal direction. Therefore, the roller 57 is aligned by pressing the side surface of the substrate P at four points, and is particularly suitable for aligning a substantially rectangular substrate. The roller 57 is detachably mounted on the base 56 and can be appropriately replaced according to the dimensions of the LCD substrate to be processed.
[0036]
The transfer chamber 2 adjacent to the load lock chamber 3 can also be set and maintained in a predetermined reduced-pressure atmosphere, and a vacuum transfer arm 60 is provided therein as shown in FIG. ing. The transfer arm 60 includes a substrate support portion (not shown) on which substrates can be placed vertically and a buffer 61 that temporarily holds a plurality of substrates. Then, for example, the substrate after the etching process is taken out of the process chamber and held in the temporary buffer 61, and the unprocessed substrate is immediately carried into the process chamber for performing the etching process, and then the substrate held in the buffer 61 is subjected to the ashing process. Efficient serial processing can be performed by, for example, carrying it in.
[0037]
  The vacuum processing apparatus 1 isNext, the operation and the like will be described. First, when a cassette 42 containing a plurality of unprocessed substrates, for example, substrates P1 to P25, is placed on the cassette indexer 41, the transfer arm 21 is moved. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, facing the take-out opening of the cassette 42, the substrate P1 accommodated in the lowermost part is taken. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper fork 25 is lowered to the same level as the lower fork 26, so that both are integrated.
[0038]
In this state, the upper fork 25 and the lower fork 26, which are at the same level due to the rotation of the first arm 23, the second arm 24 and the upper fork 25, the lower fork 26, etc., are at the bottom as shown in FIG. Enters under the substrate P1. The level adjustment of the substrate P1, the upper fork 25, and the lower fork 26 at this time is performed on the lifting mechanism 43 side of the cassette 42. Usually, since processing is performed from the lowermost substrate P1, a procedure is adopted in which the cassette 42 is once raised to a predetermined height by the elevating mechanism 43 and then lowered sequentially. Of course, such level adjustment may be performed on the lifting shaft 22 side of the transfer arm 21.
[0039]
After the upper fork 25 and the lower fork 26 at the same level enter a predetermined position below the substrate P1, the entire transport arm 21 is raised by a predetermined height by the elevating shaft 22, and the mounting portion in the cassette 42 is placed. The upper fork 25 and the lower fork 26 support the substrate P1 on which the peripheral edge is placed. In this case, the cassette 42 side may be lowered by a predetermined amount. Thereafter, the upper fork 25 and the lower fork 26 are retracted from the cassette 42.
[0040]
Next, the upper fork 25 and the lower fork 26 of the transfer arm 21 supporting the substrate P1 enter the load lock chamber 3, and the entire transfer arm 21 is lowered by a predetermined amount so that the substrate P1 is placed in the buffer 52 on the upper side of the stand 51. Place. Thereafter, the upper fork 25 and the lower fork 26 are retracted from the load lock chamber 3, and after the inside of the load lock chamber 3 is evacuated to a predetermined pressure reduction level, the vacuum transfer arm 60 takes out the substrate P1, and this Is transferred to a predetermined process chamber, for example, the process chamber 8, where the substrate P1 is subjected to, for example, an etching process.
[0041]
In the present embodiment, two substrates can be placed in the load lock chamber 3, and the vacuum transfer arm 60 can also transfer two substrates simultaneously. Instead of taking the substrate P1 with the upper fork 25 and the lower fork 26 at the same level, the upper fork 25 is stopped at a position higher than the lower fork 26 by a predetermined amount (for example, the storage interval of the substrate P in the cassette 42). Alternatively, the lower fork 26 may be simultaneously supported by the upper fork 25 at the same time as the lower fork 26 at the same time as the substrate P 1, and may be transferred to the load lock chamber 3 at the same time. Then, throughput can be improved even in the initial state.
[0042]
In any case, since the vacuum processing apparatus 1 is a multi-chamber type having a plurality of process chambers 8, 9, and 10, unprocessed substrates pass through the load lock chamber 3 and the transfer chamber 2 one after another in the initial stage. Then, the substrate which has been transferred to the process chambers 8 and 9 and has been subjected to the etching process there is transferred to the process chamber 10 where the ashing process is performed as it is via the transfer chamber 2, so that the transfer arm 21 is Only the unprocessed substrate is taken out of the cassette 42 and transported.
[0043]
Then, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the fifth substrate P5 is taken out and transferred to the load lock chamber 3, it is processed in the lower buffer in the load lock chamber 3 as shown in FIG. When the finished substrate P1 is already placed, the upper fork 25 is raised and separated from the lower fork 26, for example, during transfer to the load lock chamber 3. Then, the unprocessed substrate P5 is supported only by the upper fork 25.
[0044]
In this state, the upper fork 25 and the lower fork 26 enter the load lock chamber 3, and the upper fork 25 enters above the upper buffer 52 and the lower fork 26 enters below the lower buffer 53. Then, after entering a predetermined position, as shown in FIG. 9, the upper fork 25 is lowered relative to the upper buffer 52 (arrow D), and the lower fork 26 is relative to the lower buffer. (Arrow E). As a result, the unprocessed substrate P5 is placed on the upper buff 52, and at the same time the processed substrate P1 is supported by the lower fork 26. Such an operation is realized by raising the lifting shaft 22 of the transfer arm 21 and lowering the upper fork 25.
[0045]
By so-called parallel delivery, the time required for loading an unprocessed substrate into the load lock chamber 3 and taking out the processed substrate stored in the load lock chamber 3 is greatly reduced, and the throughput is correspondingly reduced. improves.
[0046]
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10, the lower fork 26 and the upper fork 25 supporting the processed substrate P1 are withdrawn from the load lock chamber 3, and as shown in FIG. This time, it faces the cassette 42 as shown in FIG.
[0047]
Next, the lower fork 26 and the upper fork 25 that support the processed substrate P1 enter the cassette 42 as shown in FIG. At this time, the lower fork 26 enters a predetermined position above the lowermost mounting portion in the cassette 42, and the upper fork 25 enters a predetermined position below the next unprocessed substrate P6.
[0048]
Thereafter, this time, the upper fork 25 rises relative to the cassette 42 (more specifically, the substrate P6 placed) (arrow F in FIGS. 13 and 14), while The lower fork 26 supporting the processed substrate P1 descends relative to the cassette 42 (more specifically, relative to the lowermost mounting portion) (arrow G in FIGS. 13 and 14). . As a result, the unprocessed substrate P6 is supported by the upper fork 25, and the simultaneously processed substrate P1 is placed on the lowermost placement portion of the cassette 42. Such an operation is realized by lowering the lifting shaft 22 of the transport arm 21 and raising the upper fork 25. Note that the cassette 42 may be raised by the elevating mechanism 43 instead of lowering the elevating shaft 22.
[0049]
By so-called parallel delivery, the time required for loading processed substrates into the cassette 42 and taking out unprocessed substrates stored in the cassette 42 is greatly reduced, and the throughput is improved accordingly.
[0050]
Thereafter, the upper fork 25 and the lower fork 26 supporting the unprocessed substrate P6 are retracted from the cassette 42 and conveyed again to the load lock chamber 3 as shown in FIG. The substrate P2 is replaced with the processed substrate P2 by the parallel transfer operation in FIG.
[0051]
The parallel transfer of the unprocessed substrate and the processed substrate in a state where the upper fork 25 and the lower fork 26 are separated is performed while the unprocessed substrate remains in the cassette 42 (intermediate state).
[0052]
When there is no unprocessed substrate in the cassette 42 (final state), the upper fork 25 descends to the same level as the lower fork 26 as shown in FIG. . In this state, the processed substrate is received from the load lock chamber 3, and as shown in FIG. 16, the processed substrate is transferred to and stored in the cassette 42.
[0053]
  As explained above,AboveIn the vacuum processing apparatus 1, the processed substrate is taken out from the load lock chamber 3 and the unprocessed substrate is stored in the load lock chamber 3, and the unprocessed substrate is taken out from the cassette 42 and processed into the cassette 42. Storage is performed in parallel in each case, so compared to the case where the conventional take-out and storage are performed consecutively by separate operations, the time is reduced to approximately ½, and the throughput is correspondingly reduced. Greatly improved.
[0054]
  In the embodiment, the upper fork 25 and the lower fork 26 are of the same type in the upper and lower thickness, and in an integrated state (the state shown in FIG. 4), they overlap each other when viewed from the horizontal direction. Although it is a form, not only this but the form which only one part superpose | polymerizes may be sufficient. In any case, the thickness may be smaller than the alignment interval of the substrates P of the cassette 42.That is, it is only necessary to be able to enter between the substrates P accommodated in the cassette 42 even in the superposed state.By doing so, the form of the upper fork 25 and the lower fork 26 constituting the substrate support portion can be freely designed, and sufficient strength can be given even if the substrate becomes large.
[0055]
The transfer arm 21 in the above embodiment has a so-called multi-joint structure in which the first arm 23 and the second arm 24 are configured to be rotatable with respect to each other in the vicinity of one end portion. As shown, a transfer arm 71 may be used in which the rotation system is one place and the others are linear sliding systems.
[0056]
The transport arm 71 is mounted on the base 72 and is slidable along the longitudinal direction of the base 72 (reciprocating arrow L in the figure), and is mounted on the slide base 73. Then, it can freely move up and down along a rotation support member 74 that can freely rotate on the slide base 73 (reciprocating rotation arrow M in the figure) and a stand 74a that is erected on one side of the rotation support member 74 ( And a lift base 75 which is a reciprocating arrow N) in the figure. The lower fork 76 is slidable along the longitudinal direction on the lift base 75 (reciprocating arrow Q in the figure). The upper fork 77 is movable up and down (a reciprocating arrow R in the figure) along a sub stand 76a erected on one side of the base of the lower fork 76. Accordingly, the upper fork 77 is also slidable as shown by a reciprocating arrow Q in the drawing as the lower fork 76 slides. When the upper fork 77 is lowered most, the substrate support portion 77a of the upper fork 77 partially overlaps with the substrate support portion 76b of the lower fork 76 as viewed from the horizontal direction.
[0057]
Even when the transfer arm 71 having such a configuration is used, the processed substrate can be stored in the cassette 42 and the unprocessed substrate can be taken out from the cassette in parallel at the same time as the transfer arm 21 used in the above embodiment. Therefore, the throughput is improved as compared with the conventional case. In addition, since there is only one rotating system and all others are linear sliding systems, it is possible to realize a higher speed and more stable operation than the transfer arm 21.
[0058]
Further, the vacuum processing apparatus 1 can perform continuous processing of etching and ashing, and the throughput is also high in this respect. In this case, by changing the program or the like, various processes corresponding to the user's needs such as etching, continuous etching process, and single etching process can be performed, and the apparatus is extremely versatile.
[0059]
  The present inventionAccording to the above, it has been possible to carry out in parallel the conventional process of transferring and taking out the substrate to and from the storage body and the storage container, and the throughput is improved accordingly.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overview of a vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG.
3 is a perspective view showing an overview of a transfer arm used in the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG.
4 is a perspective view showing a state where an upper fork and a lower fork are separated from each other in the transfer arm of FIG. 3;
5 is a perspective view showing the inside of a load lock chamber in the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG.
6 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the upper fork and the lower fork of the transfer arm are integrated and the untreated substrate is taken out from the cassette in the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. 1;
7 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the upper fork and the lower fork of the transfer arm are integrated and the unprocessed substrate is taken out from the cassette in the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. 1;
8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation of exchanging an unprocessed substrate and a processed substrate in a load lock chamber in a state where an upper fork and a lower fork are separated from each other in the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. It is.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation of exchanging an unprocessed substrate and a processed substrate in a load lock chamber in a state where the upper fork and the lower fork of the transfer arm are separated in the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. 1; It is.
10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation of exchanging an unprocessed substrate and a processed substrate in a load lock chamber in a state where an upper fork and a lower fork are separated from each other in the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. 1; It is.
11 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the operation of replacing the unprocessed substrate and the processed substrate is completed in the load lock chamber in a state where the upper fork and the lower fork of the transfer arm are separated in the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG.
12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation of exchanging a processed substrate and an unprocessed substrate in a cassette in a state where an upper fork and a lower fork are separated from each other in the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. 1; .
13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation of exchanging a processed substrate and an unprocessed substrate in a cassette in a state where an upper fork and a lower fork are separated from each other in the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. 1; .
14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation of replacing a processed substrate and an unprocessed substrate in a cassette in a state where an upper fork and a lower fork are separated from each other in the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. 1; .
15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation of exchanging a processed substrate and an unprocessed substrate in a cassette in a state where an upper fork and a lower fork are separated from each other in the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. 1; .
16 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the processed substrate is stored in the cassette by integrating the upper and lower forks of the transfer arm in the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing another example of a transfer arm.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Vacuum processing equipment
2 Transfer chamber
3 Load lock chamber
4, 5, 6, 7, 11 Gate valve
8, 9, 10 Process chamber
12 Support stand
13 base
21 Transfer arm
22 Lifting shaft
23 First arm
24 Second arm
25 upper fork
26 Lower fork
27 Casing
50 buffer racks
52, 53 buffers
41 Cassette indexer
42 cassette
43 Lifting mechanism
71 Transfer arm
72 base
73 Slide base
74 Rotating support member
75 Lifting platform
76 Lower fork
77 upper fork
P substrate

Claims (3)

An apparatus for transporting a substrate between a storage body that stores a plurality of substrates aligned in the vertical direction, and another device,
Supporting the substrate enters between the substrates housed in alignment with the housing body, a conveying member having a first substrate support portion and the second substrate supporting portion,
A vertically movable shaft that moves up and down the entire conveying member;
With
At least one of the first and second substrate support portions is movable up and down;
The first and second substrate support portions have a form in which they can be superposed on each other when viewed from the horizontal direction. An apparatus for transporting a substrate between a storage body that stores a plurality of substrates aligned in the vertical direction, and another device,
Supporting the substrate enters between the substrates housed in alignment with the housing body, a conveying member having a first substrate support portion and the second substrate supporting portion,
A vertically movable shaft that moves up and down the entire conveying member, and
At least one of the first and second substrate support portions is movable up and down;
These first and second substrate support portions are in a form in which all of one of the substrate support portions and a part of the other substrate support portion can be overlapped when viewed from the horizontal direction. Conveying device. An apparatus for transporting a substrate between a storage body that stores a plurality of substrates aligned in the vertical direction, and another device,
Supporting the substrate enters between the substrates housed in alignment with the housing body, a conveying member having a first substrate support portion and the second substrate supporting portion, vertical movement for lifting the entire conveying member A flexible lifting shaft,
With
At least one of the first and second substrate support portions is movable up and down;
These first and second substrate support portions are configured such that a part thereof can be polymerized when viewed from the horizontal direction, and between the substrates stored in alignment in the storage body even in the polymerization state. A substrate transfer device capable of entering into the substrate.

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