| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten a time required for transferring a substrate by a method, wherein a region where a substrate support pin and a substrate transfer robot interface with each other is set, and then a substrate transfer-robot advancing in the interference region is moved back, when the substrate support pin has passed through the interference region. SOLUTION: From the condition that light which is emitted from a light- emitting device 16-2A is made undetectable with a photodetector 16-2B, shielded by a descending substrate-supporting pin 3, it is discriminated that a substrate support pin 3 has reached the lower limit position (C) of an interference region. As a result of this setup, a robot arm 1 is moved back soon after the substrate support pin 3 has passed through the lower limit position (C) of an interference region. By this setup, in a conventional substrate transfer mechanism, the robot arm 1 is required to wait for starting to move back until the substrate support pin 3 reaches to a lower limit position (D), after it has passed through the lower limit position (C) of the interference region, but it is not necessary that the robot arm 1 wait in this new transfer mechanism, so that time required for loading or unloading (transferring) a substrate can be shortened. |
