JP7748892B2 - Transfer device, polishing equipment, and transfer method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transfer device, a polishing facility, and a transfer method.

A transfer device has been known in the past that transports a combined carrier and workpiece (substrate) onto a rotating surface plate of a polishing unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this transfer device, the carrier is a circular external gear. The workpiece is combined with the carrier by being accommodated in an accommodation hole (through hole) of the carrier.
In the polishing section, a sun gear is installed at the center of the rotating surface plate, and an internal gear is installed on the outer periphery. These mesh with multiple carriers arranged on the rotating surface plate, and the rotational and revolution speeds of the carriers are determined by the rotational speed of each.
The combined carrier and workpiece are transported by a second workpiece transport unit (transfer unit).

Patent No. 4235313

In recent years, the grinding unit has become larger, resulting in a larger stopping error, which is the difference between the target stopping position and the actual stopping position of the moving sun gear and internal gear. Furthermore, this stopping error also occurs in the transfer unit.
If the stopping error becomes large, it becomes difficult to fit the carrier to the internal gear and sun gear, and it becomes difficult to transfer the carrier from a state in which the carrier is fitted to the internal gear and sun gear to outside the polishing section.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide a transfer device that can easily fit a carrier onto the internal gear and sun gear, respectively, even when there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer unit, or that can easily transfer the carrier from a state in which the carrier is fitted onto the internal gear and sun gear, respectively, to outside the polishing unit, as well as polishing equipment equipped with this transfer device and a transfer method.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means.
(1) A first aspect of the present invention is a transfer device that transfers a flat carrier having a plurality of teeth on its outer periphery that can be fitted onto the internal gear and the sun gear, respectively, and a through hole for accommodating the substrate, to a planetary gear type polishing unit that has an internal gear and a sun gear that rotate on the support surface of a base plate and polishes the surface facing the thickness direction of a substrate, the transfer device comprising: a transfer unit that transfers the carrier; an imaging unit that acquires images of at least some of the teeth of the internal gear and at least some of the teeth of the sun gear; and a control unit that controls the transfer unit, and based on the images, the control unit adjusts, by means of the transfer unit, the position of the carrier in the surface direction along the support surface relative to the internal gear and the sun gear, and the orientation of the carrier around an axis perpendicular to the support surface, and the transfer unit engages the teeth of the carrier with the teeth of the internal gear and the teeth of the sun gear, respectively.

In this invention, the image captured by the imaging unit includes images of at least a portion of the teeth of the actual internal gear and at least a portion of the teeth of the actual sun gear at the polishing unit. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer unit, the control unit can use the image to adjust the position of the carrier in the surface direction and the orientation of the carrier around the axis relative to the internal gear and sun gear, making it easier to fit the teeth of the carrier onto the teeth of the internal gear and the teeth of the sun gear, respectively.
Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, the sun gear, and the transfer portion, the carrier can be easily fitted to the internal gear and the sun gear, respectively.

(2) In the transfer device described in (1), the transfer unit may include a plurality of links arranged in a line along a connecting axis, a joint that rotatably connects adjacent links along the connecting axis, and a holding unit provided on a tip link that is the link furthest along the connecting axis among the plurality of links and that detachably holds the carrier, and the link furthest along the connecting axis among the plurality of links is supported by an installation surface, and the joint may allow the holding unit to be transferred in the surface direction and around the axis relative to the internal gear and the sun gear.
In this invention, the carrier held by the holder can be moved relative to the installation surface by driving the joints to move the multiple links. The joints allow the carrier held by the holder to be moved relative to the internal gear and the sun gear in the direction parallel to the surface and around the axis.

(3) In the transfer device described in (2), the imaging unit has a first imaging unit that acquires an image of at least a portion of the plurality of tooth portions of the sun gear, and a second imaging unit that acquires an image of at least a portion of the plurality of tooth portions of the internal gear, and the first imaging unit and the second imaging unit may be provided on the tip link.
In this invention, images of at least a portion of the plurality of teeth of the sun gear and at least a portion of the plurality of teeth of the internal gear can be acquired separately by the first imaging unit and the second imaging unit. Then, by driving the joints of the transfer unit to move the plurality of links, the first imaging unit and the second imaging unit can be moved, and the object captured in the images acquired by the first imaging unit and the second imaging unit can be changed.

(4) In the transfer device described in (3), when the image of at least a portion of the multiple teeth of the sun gear acquired by the first imaging unit when the multiple teeth of the carrier engage with the multiple teeth of the internal gear and the multiple teeth of the sun gear is defined as a first reference image, and the image of at least a portion of the multiple teeth of the internal gear acquired by the second imaging unit is defined as a second reference image, the control unit determines the amount of movement of the carrier along the surface direction relative to the internal gear and the sun gear, and and a rotation amount of the carrier about the axis; and calculate a first movement amount including the movement amount of the carrier along the surface direction relative to the internal gear and the sun gear and the rotation amount of the carrier about the axis based on the difference between the image of at least some of the multiple teeth of the internal gear acquired by the second imaging unit when the carrier has moved and rotated by the first movement amount and the second reference image; and after moving and rotating the carrier by the transfer unit the first movement amount and the second movement amount, the multiple teeth of the carrier are fitted onto the multiple teeth of the internal gear and the multiple teeth of the sun gear, respectively.

In this invention, the transfer unit moves the carrier by a first movement amount calculated by the control unit, thereby transferring the carrier to a position where the plurality of teeth of the carrier engage with the plurality of teeth of the sun gear. Furthermore, the transfer unit moves the carrier by a second movement amount calculated by the control unit, thereby transferring the carrier to a position where the plurality of teeth of the carrier engage with the plurality of teeth of the internal gear.
In this way, after moving and rotating the carrier by the first and second movement amounts, the multiple tooth portions of the carrier are engaged with the multiple tooth portions of the internal gear and the multiple tooth portions of the sun gear, respectively, making it possible to more easily engage the carrier with the internal gear and the sun gear, respectively, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer section.

(5) A second aspect of the present invention is a transfer device that transfers a flat carrier having a plurality of teeth on its outer periphery that fit into the internal gear and the sun gear, respectively, and a through hole for accommodating the substrate, from a planetary gear type polishing unit that has an internal gear and a sun gear that rotate on the support surface of a surface plate and polishes the surface facing the thickness direction of the substrate, to the outside of the polishing unit, the transfer device having a holding unit that detachably holds the carrier, and a transfer unit that transfers the carrier, and at least some of the teeth of the internal gear and at least some of the teeth of the sun gear. and a control unit that controls the transfer unit. Based on the image, the control unit detects the position of the carrier in the surface direction along the support surface relative to the internal gear and the sun gear, and the orientation of the carrier around an axis perpendicular to the support surface, with the multiple teeth of the carrier mating with the multiple teeth of the internal gear and the multiple teeth of the sun gear, respectively. The carrier is held by the holding unit, which has adjusted the position and orientation, and the transfer unit transfers the carrier to outside the polishing unit.

In this invention, the image captured by the imaging unit includes images of at least a portion of the teeth of the actual internal gear and at least a portion of the teeth of the actual sun gear in the polishing unit. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer unit, the control unit can use this image to detect the in-plane position and axial orientation of the carrier that fits with the internal gear and sun gear relative to the internal gear and sun gear. Furthermore, the control unit adjusts the in-plane position and axial orientation of the holding unit based on these positions and orientations, making it easier for the holding unit to hold the carrier. The carrier can then be transferred to the outside of the polishing unit by the transfer unit having the holding unit.
Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer section, the carrier can be easily transferred to the outside of the polishing section from a state in which the carrier is fitted to the internal gear and sun gear, respectively.
The carrier transferred to the outside of the polishing unit is placed with high precision on a table such as a set table by a transfer unit, for example.

(6) A third aspect of the present invention is a polishing facility including the transfer device according to any one of (1) to (5) above and the polishing unit.
In this invention, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer section, a polishing equipment can be constructed using a transfer device that can easily fit the carrier into the internal gear and sun gear, respectively, or can easily transfer the carrier from a state in which the carrier is fitted into the internal gear and sun gear, respectively, to outside the polishing section.

(7) A fourth aspect of the present invention is a transfer method for transferring a flat carrier having a plurality of teeth on its outer periphery that can be fitted with the internal gear and sun gear, respectively, and a through hole for accommodating the substrate, to a planetary gear type polishing unit that has an internal gear and a sun gear that rotate on the support surface of a surface plate and polishes the surface facing the thickness direction of a substrate. Based on images of at least some of the teeth of the internal gear and at least some of the teeth of the sun gear, the position of the carrier in the surface direction along the support surface relative to the internal gear and the sun gear, and the orientation of the carrier around an axis perpendicular to the support surface, are adjusted, and the teeth of the carrier are fitted with the teeth of the internal gear and the teeth of the sun gear, respectively.

In this invention, the image includes images of at least a portion of the teeth of the actual internal gear and at least a portion of the teeth of the actual sun gear at the polishing section. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer section, for example, by adjusting the position of the carrier in the surface direction and the orientation of the carrier around the axis relative to the internal gear and sun gear based on this image, it becomes easier to fit the teeth of the carrier onto the teeth of the internal gear and the teeth of the sun gear, respectively.
Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, the sun gear, and the transfer portion, the carrier can be easily fitted to the internal gear and the sun gear, respectively.

(8) A fifth aspect of the present invention is a transfer method for transferring a flat carrier having an internal gear and a sun gear that rotate on the support surface of a surface plate and that polishes the surface facing the thickness direction of a substrate from a planetary gear type polishing unit that polishes the surface facing the thickness direction of the substrate to the outside of the polishing unit. The method involves detecting the position of the carrier in the surface direction along the support surface relative to the internal gear and the sun gear and the orientation of the carrier around an axis perpendicular to the support surface based on images of at least some of the multiple teeth of the internal gear and at least some of the multiple teeth of the sun gear, with the multiple teeth of the carrier mating with the multiple teeth of the internal gear and the multiple teeth of the sun gear, and then holding the carrier using a holding unit that adjusts the position and orientation, and transferring the carrier to the outside of the polishing unit.

In this invention, the image includes images of at least a portion of the teeth of the actual internal gear and at least a portion of the teeth of the actual sun gear in the polishing unit. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer unit, the image can be used to detect the position of the carrier, which fits into the internal gear and sun gear, relative to the internal gear and sun gear, and its orientation around the axis. Furthermore, by adjusting the position of the holding unit in the position of the carrier and its orientation around the axis based on these positions and orientations, the carrier can be more easily held by the holding unit. Then, by transferring the holding unit, the carrier can be transferred outside the polishing unit.
Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer section, the carrier can be easily transferred to the outside of the polishing section from a state in which the carrier is fitted to the internal gear and sun gear, respectively.

With the transfer device, polishing equipment, and transfer method of the present invention, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear, sun gear, and transfer section, the carrier can be easily fitted to the internal gear and sun gear, respectively, or the carrier can be easily transferred to the outside of the polishing section from a state in which the carrier is fitted to the internal gear and sun gear, respectively.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a polishing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a polishing section in the polishing equipment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second transfer device in the polishing equipment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a holding part in the polishing equipment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part in FIG. 4 . 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the states before and after the suction pad is crushed. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a carrier and a substrate are placed on a set table. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the carrier and the substrate held by the holding portion. FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a polishing method in which a transfer method according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. 3A to 3C are diagrams illustrating a preparation step in the polishing method. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first reference image. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a second reference image. 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a transfer step in the polishing method. 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a first movement amount calculation step in the first transfer method of the polishing method. 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a fitting step in the first transfer method. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positions of the internal gear, the sun gear, and the carrier at the reference position. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which the internal gear and the sun gear are displaced from the reference position. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating another example in which the internal gear and the sun gear are displaced from the reference position. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the revolution of the carrier when the sun gear is fixed. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the rotation of the carrier when the sun gear is fixed. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating coordinates and the like set for each tooth portion. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the distance from the center of the holder to each tooth portion in the reference image, etc. FIG. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a state in which an image of the first tooth portion 37 in the first reference image is made to coincide with an image of the actual first tooth portion. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the positions of the teeth in the first reference image and the actual positions of the teeth before transformation ^e T _e′ is performed. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the positions of the teeth in the first reference image and the actual positions of the teeth after transformation ^e T _e′ is performed. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating distances (d _s1x −d _i1x , d _s1y −d _i1y ). FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an angle (Δψ _i - Δψ _s ).

Below, one embodiment of the polishing equipment and transfer method according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 27.

(1. Polishing equipment)
The polishing equipment 1 shown in Fig. 1 is equipment for polishing a surface of a substrate 200 facing in the thickness direction. For example, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the substrate 200 is formed in a flat plate shape that has a circular shape when viewed in the thickness direction of the substrate 200. For example, the substrate 200 is made of silicon.
2 shows a first holding part 52 and a second holding part 53 that hold a substrate 200 and a carrier 205 (described later). The substrate may be made of glass or the like.
Hereinafter, the substrate 200 before being polished by the polishing equipment 1 will also be referred to as the substrate 200A. The substrate 200 after being polished by the polishing equipment 1 will also be referred to as the substrate 200B. For example, the thickness of the substrate 200A is 780 μm (micrometers). The thickness of the substrate 200B is 770 μm.

The carrier 205 is formed in a flat plate shape that has a circular shape when viewed in the thickness direction of the carrier 205. The carrier 205 is provided with a plurality of through holes 206 (three in this embodiment). The plurality of through holes 206 are formed at equal angular intervals around the central axis of the carrier 205. The plurality of through holes 206 penetrate the carrier 205 in the thickness direction. The diameter of the through holes 206 and the diameter of the substrate 200 are equal to each other. The substrate 200 is accommodated in the through holes 206. At this time, the thickness direction of the carrier 205 and the thickness direction of the substrate 200 coincide with each other.
2, a plurality of teeth 207 are provided on the outer periphery of the carrier 205. The plurality of teeth 207 are external teeth. A semicircular recess 208 is formed between adjacent teeth 207 in the circumferential direction of the carrier 205.

For example, the carrier 205 has an outer diameter of 720 mm and a thickness of 770 μm. The carrier 205 is made of stainless steel or the like.
When the substrate 200 is accommodated in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205 on a flat support surface or the like, the carrier 205 and the substrate 200 are not bent. At this time, the lower surface of the carrier 205 and the lower surface of the substrate 200 are substantially flush with each other, and the upper surface of the carrier 205 and the upper surface of the substrate 200 are substantially flush with each other.
There is no limit to the number of through holes 206 provided in the carrier 205, and the number of through holes 206 may be one.

As shown in FIG. 1, the polishing equipment 1 includes an input basket 10 , an output basket 15 , a set table 20 , a first transport device 25 , a polishing device 30 , and a main control unit 80 .
The input basket 10, containing the substrate 200A, is carried into the polishing equipment 1 by a carry-in device (not shown). The output basket 15, containing the substrate 200B, is carried out of the polishing equipment 1 by a carry-out device (not shown).

The set table 20 is a table on which the substrate 200 and the carrier 205 are placed. As shown in Fig. 7, the upper surface 21 of the set table 20 is along a horizontal plane. The upper surface 21 is flat.
1, the first transfer device 25 is, for example, a manipulator. The first transfer device 25 transfers the substrate 200 between the baskets 10 and 15 and the set table 20.

The polishing apparatus 30 includes a polishing section 31 and a second transport device (transfer device) 46 of this embodiment.
1 and 2, the polishing unit 31 includes a first surface plate (surface plate) 32, a sun gear 33, an internal gear 34, and a second surface plate (not shown).
For example, the first support surface (support surface) 32a of the first base plate 32 is disposed so as to extend along a horizontal plane. The first support surface 32a is flat. Hereinafter, the direction along the first support surface 32a will be referred to as the "creeping direction." The creeping direction includes a first creeping direction, which is a direction along the first support surface 32a, and a second creeping direction, which extends along the first support surface 32a and is perpendicular to the first creeping direction.
The first base plate 32 rotates in a first direction about a first axis O1 that is perpendicular to the first support surface 32a along the vertical direction.

The sun gear 33 is disposed coaxially with the first axis O1 on the first support surface 32a. As shown in FIG. 2 , a plurality of teeth 37 are provided on the outer periphery of the sun gear 33. For example, the plurality of teeth 37 are cylindrical external teeth. The plurality of teeth 37 are disposed at intervals from one another in the circumferential direction of the sun gear 33. The sun gear 33 rotates on the first support surface 32a. The plurality of teeth 37 are fitted with a plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205. The sun gear 33 is inscribed in the carrier 205.
A plurality of teeth 39 are provided on the inner peripheral edge of the internal gear 34. The plurality of teeth 39 are cylindrical internal teeth. The plurality of teeth 39 are arranged at intervals from one another in the circumferential direction of the internal gear 34. The internal gear 34 rotates on the first support surface 32a. The plurality of teeth 39 are engaged with the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205. The internal gear 34 is circumferentially ...

The second base plate can be switched between a clamping state in which it clamps the sun gear 33 and the internal gear 34 together with the first base plate 32, and a retracted state in which it is spaced apart from the sun gear 33 and the internal gear 34.
The second surface plate in the sandwiched state is disposed coaxially with the first axis O1 and rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction around the first axis O1.

The second transport device 46 transfers the carrier 205 to the polishing unit 31. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the second transport device 46 has a manipulator (transfer unit) 47, an imaging unit 54, and a first control unit 81 (see Figure 1) described later.
The manipulator 47 transfers the carrier 205 and the plurality of substrates 200. The manipulator 47 is a so-called articulated robot that has a plurality of links 48, a plurality of joints 49, and a holder 50.
3, the multiple links 48 are arranged side by side along the connecting axis O3. Hereinafter, the link 48 of the multiple links 48 that is closest to the first side along the connecting axis O3 will also be referred to as the distal link 48A. The link 48 of the multiple links 48 that is closest to the second side, opposite the first side along the connecting axis O3, will also be referred to as the proximal link 48B.
Each joint 49 rotatably connects the ends of adjacent links 48 along a connecting axis O3. The distal link 48A is provided with a holding portion 50. The proximal link 48B is supported by a mounting surface F.
By using the multiple joints 49, the holding unit 50 can transfer the carrier 205 and multiple substrates 200 relative to the internal gear 34 and sun gear 33 of the polishing unit 31 in the surface direction and around the second axis O5 described below.
There is no limit to the number of joints 49 that the second transport device has.

The holder 50 detachably holds the carrier 205 and the plurality of substrates 200 .
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the holding unit 50 has a frame 51, a first holding unit 52, a second holding unit 53, and a suction unit (not shown).
The frame 51 is formed with multiple rotational symmetry (three-fold symmetry in this embodiment) with respect to the second axis (axis) O5. Note that the first holding portion 52 and the multiple second holding portions 53 are not arranged on the same straight line along the radial direction of the frame 51, but in Fig. 5 the first holding portion 52 and the multiple second holding portions 53 are shown at different positions in the circumferential direction of the holding portion 50.
As shown in FIG. 5 , the frame 51 has a top plate 57 , a first peripheral wall 58 , a second peripheral wall 59 , a first bottom plate 60 , and a second bottom plate 61 .
The top plate 57 is formed in a disk shape and is supported by a plurality of links 48 and a plurality of joints 49 so as to lie along a horizontal plane.

The first peripheral wall 58 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is disposed coaxially with the second axis O5. The first peripheral wall 58 is fixed to the lower surface of the top plate 57.
The second peripheral wall 59 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is disposed coaxially with the second axis O5. The second peripheral wall 59 surrounds the first peripheral wall 58 from the outside and is fixed to the lower surface of the outer periphery of the top plate 57. The lower end of the first peripheral wall 58 protrudes downward beyond the lower end of the second peripheral wall 59.
The first bottom plate 60 is formed in a disk shape and is disposed within the first peripheral wall 58. The first bottom plate 60 is fixed to the middle portion of the first peripheral wall 58 in the up-down direction.
The second bottom plate 61 is formed in an annular shape and is disposed between the first peripheral wall 58 and the second peripheral wall 59. The second bottom plate 61 is fixed to the lower end of the first peripheral wall 58 and the lower end of the second peripheral wall 59. The second bottom plate 61 has a plurality of communication holes 61a formed therein.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the holding unit 50 has a plurality of first holding units 52. The first holding units 52 are spaced apart from one another around the second axis O5. The first holding units 52 hold the outer periphery of the carrier 205 in the thickness direction. The outer periphery here refers to the range (0.4r) from the outer periphery of the circular object to be held toward the center, where r is the radius of the circular object to be held. In this case, the carrier 205 is held by the first holding units 52 so that the central axis of the carrier 205 coincides with the second axis O5 of the frame 51.
5, each of the first holding parts 52 includes a first main body 64 and a first moving part 65. The first moving part 65 includes a suction pad 67 and a movable tube 68.
The suction pad 67 is formed in a cone shape (with a conical surface) from an elastic material such as synthetic rubber, and is arranged so that the outer diameter of the suction pad 67 gradually increases downward.
The movable tube 68 extends upward (toward the other side in the thickness direction) from the suction pad 67. The space inside the movable tube 68 communicates with the recess of the suction pad 67.
For example, a first engagement portion 68a is fixed to the outer circumferential surface at the upper end of the movable tube 68. A portion of the movable tube 68 below the first engagement portion 68a is disposed within the communication hole 61a of the second bottom plate 61.

The first body 64 is tubular, with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the movable tube 68. The first body 64 is bent in an L-shape. The first end 64a of the first body 64 extends in the vertical direction. For example, a second engagement portion 64b is fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the lower end of the first end 64a. The second engagement portion 64b is formed around the entire circumference of the first end 64a of the first body 64. The second engagement portion 64b supports the first engagement portion 68a from below the first engagement portion 68a. The space between the second engagement portion 64b and the movable tube 68 is airtightly sealed. The movable tube 68 can move in the vertical direction relative to the second engagement portion 64b (the first end 64a of the first body 64).
The first main body 64 is fixed to the second bottom plate 61 of the frame 51 or the like. From the state shown in Fig. 5 , the movable tube 68 cannot move downward relative to the first main body 64. On the other hand, from the state shown in Fig. 5 , the movable tube 68 can move upward relative to the first main body 64.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lower end of the suction pad 67 of the first holding portion 52 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the outer periphery of the carrier 205 .
When the air in the recess of the suction pad 67 is sucked, the suction pad 67 is deformed as shown by the two-dot chain line L1, and the carrier 205 that was in contact with the suction pad 67 is held by the suction pad 67.

7 shows a state in which the carrier 205 and the substrate 200 are placed on the upper surface 21 of the set table 20. The substrate 200 is accommodated in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205.
The holder 50 is brought close to the carrier 205 and the substrate 200 in this state from above, and the suction pad 67 of the first holder 52 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the outer periphery of the carrier 205 .
When the air in the recess of the suction pad 67 is sucked out, the collapsed suction pad 67 of the first holding portion 52 holds the outer periphery of the carrier 205. At this time, the first engaging portion 68a of the movable tube 68 moves upward away from the second engaging portion 64b of the first main body 64.
At this time, the position of the lower end of the crushed suction pad 67 relative to the frame 51 is referred to as a reference position _P521 . The reference position _P521 is preferably the average position of the lower end of the crushed suction pad 67 relative to the frame 51 in the circumferential direction of the suction pad 67.

When the manipulator 47 moves the holding unit 50 upward from this state, the carrier 205 held by the first holding unit 52 moves upward away from the upper surface 21 of the set table 20, as shown in Fig. 8. Gravity acting on the carrier 205, the suction pad 67, etc. moves the carrier 205, the suction pad 67, etc. downward relative to the first main body 64 of the first holding unit 52. When the first engaging portion 68a of the movable tube 68 engages with the second engaging portion 64b of the first main body 64 from above the second engaging portion 64b, the carrier 205, the suction pad 67, etc. cannot move further downward relative to the first main body 64 (frame 51).
The position of the lower end of the suction pad 67 relative to the frame 51 when it is crushed while holding the carrier 205 and can no longer move downward relative to the frame 51 is referred to as the lower end position _P522 . The lower end position _P522 is the lower end position of the movement range of the suction pad 67 of the first holding part 52.
6, the reference position _P521 of the suction pad 67 is indicated by a two-dot chain line L4. Hereinafter, the vertical distance between the reference position _P521 and the bottom end position _P522 of the collapsed suction pad 67 is referred to as the extension distance _M52 . The extension distance _M52 is the length that the first holding portion 52 extends downward (to one side in the thickness direction) from a state in which the first holding portion 52 holds the carrier 205.
In this way, the first holding portion 52 can extend downward from the state in which it holds the carrier 205 .

The second holding portion 53 holds the substrate 200 from above and below in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the holding portion 50 has, as the second holding portion 53, second holding portion 53A, second holding portion 53B, and second holding portion 53C.
The second holding portions 53A and 53B have the same configuration as the first holding portion 52 except for the setting of the extension distance _M52 .
As shown in Figure 5, the second holding unit 53A has a second main body 71A, a second moving unit 72A, an adsorption pad 74A, and a movable tube 75A, which have approximately the same configuration as the first main body 64, the first moving unit 65, the adsorption pad 67, and the movable tube 68 of the first holding unit 52.
The second moving part 72A can move up and down relative to the second main body 71 A. The suction pad 74A of the second moving part 72A holds the substrate 200.
Similarly to the reference position _P521 , lower end position _P522 , and extension distance _M52 for the suction pad 67 of the first holding portion 52, the suction pad 74A of the second holding portion 53A also has a reference position _P53A1 , a lower end position _P53A2 , and an extension distance _M53A (see Figures 7 and 8).
The extension distance M _53A is the length that the second holding portion 53A extends downward from the state in which the second holding portion 53A holds the substrate 200 .

The second holding portion 53B has a second main body 71B, a second moving portion 72B, an adsorption pad 74B, and a movable tube 75B, which have approximately the same configuration as the first main body 64, the first moving portion 65, the adsorption pad 67, and the movable tube 68 of the first holding portion 52.
The second moving part 72B can move up and down relative to the second main body 71 B. The suction pad 74B of the second moving part 72B holds the substrate 200.
Similarly to the reference position _P521 , lower end position _P522 , and extension distance M52 for the suction pad 67 of the first holding portion 52, the reference position _P53B1 , lower end position _P53B2 , and extension distance M53B are also defined for the suction pad _74B of the second holding portion _53B (see Figures 7 and 8).
The extension distance M _53B is the length that the second holding portion 53B extends downward from the state in which the second holding portion 53B holds the substrate 200 .

The second holding portion 53C has the same configuration as the first holding portion 52 except for the shape of the first main body 64 and the setting of the extension distance _M52 .
As shown in FIG. 5, the second holding portion 53C has a second moving portion 72C, a suction pad 74C, and a movable tube 75C, which have substantially the same configurations as the first moving portion 65, the suction pad 67, and the movable tube 68 of the first holding portion 52.
The second body 78C of the second holding portion 53C has a straight tubular shape. The second body 78C extends in the vertical direction and is fixed to the first bottom plate 60 of the frame 51.
As described above, the frame 51 connects the first main body 64 and the second main bodies 71A, 71B, 78C to each other.
Similarly to the reference position _P521 , lower end position _P522 , and extension distance M52 for the suction pad 67 of the first holding portion 52, the reference position _P53C1 , lower end position _P53C2 , and extension distance M53C are also defined for the suction pad _74C of the second holding portion _53C (see Figures 7 and 8).
The extension distance M _53C is the length that the second holding portion 53C extends downward from the state in which the second holding portion 53C holds the substrate 200 .

In this way, the second holding portions 53A, 53B, and 53C can each extend downward from the state in which they hold the substrate 200.
Reference positions P _53A1 , P _53B1 , and P _53C1 are located on a two-dot chain line L4 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the second holding portions 53A, 53B, and 53C are disposed at equal angles around the axis of each substrate 200 with respect to the substrate 200.
In this embodiment, the extension distances _M53A , _M53B , and _M53C are equal to each other. The extension distance _M52 is longer than the extension distances _M53A , _M53B , and _M53C by a distance greater than the thickness (length in the thickness direction) of the carrier 205. It is preferable that the extension distance _M52 is longer than the extension distances _M53A , _M53B , and _M53C by more than twice the thickness of the carrier 205.

Although not shown, the suction unit has a suction pump and a plurality of on-off valves.
The suction pump is connected to the first body 64 and the second bodies 71A, 71B, and 71C by tubes (not shown). The suction pump can suck air from the recesses of the suction pads 67, 74A, 74B, and 74C through the tubes, the first body 64, the second bodies 71A, 71B, and 71C, and the movable tubes 68, 75A, 75B, and 75C.
The multiple on-off valves can independently open and close multiple tubes.

4, the second conveyance device 46 has a first imaging unit 54A and a second imaging unit 54B as the imaging unit 54. The imaging units 54A and 54B are fixed to a second peripheral wall 59 of the frame 51. That is, the imaging units 54A and 54B are provided on the tip link 48A of the manipulator 47. The imaging units 54A and 54B are arranged to sandwich the frame 51 in the radial direction of the frame 51.
The imaging units 54A and 54B each have an imaging element (not shown). The imaging units 54A and 54B use the imaging element to acquire images of objects placed below the imaging units 54A and 54B. Specifically, the imaging units 54A and 54B acquire images of at least a portion of the teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and at least a portion of the teeth 37 of the sun gear 33. The images acquired by the imaging units 54A and 54B will be described in detail in the polishing method described below.
The imaging units 54A and 54B send the acquired images to the main control unit 80.

1, a stocker 85 in which a plurality of carriers 205 are stacked is located near each of the second transport device 46 and the set table 20. None of the carriers 205 in the stocker 85 contain substrates 200.
Although not shown, the main control unit 80 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, etc. The memory stores a control program for operating the CPU, etc.
The main control unit 80 is connected to the first transfer device 25 and the polishing device 30 and controls the first transfer device 25 and the polishing device 30 .
The main control unit 80 functionally includes a first control unit (control unit) 81 and a second control unit 82 .
The first control unit 81 controls the second transfer device 46 of the polishing apparatus 30. The second control unit 82 controls the first transfer device 25 and the polishing unit 31 of the polishing apparatus 30.

(2. Polishing method)
Next, a polishing method using the polishing equipment 1 configured as described above will be described. This polishing method uses the first transfer method (transfer method) of this embodiment. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the polishing method S.
A preparation step (step S1 shown in FIG. 9 ) is performed in advance. In the preparation step S1, as shown in FIG. 10 , the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205 are fitted with the plurality of teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the plurality of teeth 37 of the sun gear 33. Note that in FIG. 10 and in FIGS. 13 to 15 described below, the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205 are not shown, and only some of the plurality of teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and some of the plurality of teeth 37 of the sun gear 33 are shown.
The pitch of the plurality of teeth 37 of the sun gear 33 is defined as PS. The pitch of the plurality of teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 is defined as PI. The pitch PS and the pitch PI are equal to each other.
When the carrier 205 is positioned in this orientation around the second axis O5 relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, it is easy to fit the carrier 205 to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, and it is also easy to transfer the carrier 205 to the outside of the polishing section 31 from a state in which the carrier 205 is fitted to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33.

In this embodiment, two circumferentially adjacent toothed portions 37A (at least some of the toothed portions 37 of the sun gear 33) among the toothed portions 37 of the sun gear 33 are used for control by the polishing method. Among the toothed portions 39 of the internal gear 34, one toothed portion 39A (at least some of the toothed portions 39 of the internal gear 34) is used for control by the polishing method.
The imaging range RA of the first imaging unit 54A on the first support surface 32a includes two teeth 37A. That is, the first imaging unit 54A acquires images of the two teeth 37A of the sun gear 33. The images of the two teeth 37A of the sun gear 33 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A are defined as a first reference image IS. An example of the first reference image IS is shown in FIG. 11 .
As shown in Fig. 10, the imaging range RB of the second imaging unit 54B on the first support surface 32a includes one tooth portion 39A. That is, the second imaging unit 54B acquires an image of one tooth portion 39A of the internal gear 34. The image of one tooth portion 39A of the internal gear 34 acquired by the second imaging unit 54B is defined as a second reference image II. An example of the second reference image II is shown in Fig. 12.
Hereinafter, the positions of the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 in the surface direction when the reference images IS and II are acquired will be referred to as the reference position. The orientation of the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 around the second axis O5 when the reference images IS and II are acquired will be referred to as the reference orientation.

At least a portion of the plurality of teeth 37 of the sun gear 33 used for control in the polishing method may be one tooth 37 or three or more tooth portions 37 .
Similarly, at least some of the teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 used for control in the grinding method may be two or more teeth 39 .

Hereinafter, the positions of the internal gear 34, sun gear 33, and carrier 205 that fit together, and the position of the imaging units 54A and 54B where two toothed portions 37A are included in the imaging range RA of the first imaging unit 54A and one toothed portion 39A is included in the imaging range RB of the second imaging unit 54B will be referred to as the reference position. When the imaging units 54A and 54B are in the reference position, the imaging units 54A and 54B are positioned to face the two toothed portions 37A and one toothed portion 39A.
10 shows reference positions _P37A1 and _P39A1 corresponding to two teeth 37A and one tooth 39A, and reference positions _P54A1 and _P54B1 corresponding to imaging units 54A and 54B.

After the reference images IS and II are acquired, the polishing apparatus 30 is used as appropriate, and the internal gear 34 and sun gear 33 of the polishing unit 31 and the imaging unit 54 of the second transport device 46 are placed at the reference positions when the carrier 205 is placed on the polishing unit 31 or when the carrier 205 is transferred to the outside of the polishing unit 31. At this time, a stopping error may occur in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47 relative to the positions when the reference images IS and II were acquired. However, the sum of these stopping errors is smaller than, for example, half the pitch PS of the tooth portion 37.
That is, the two tooth portions 37A and one tooth portion 39A to be controlled do not deviate by more than half the pitch PS within the image capture ranges RA and RB.

The loading basket 10 containing the substrate 200A is transported by the loading device. The second surface plate of the polishing unit 31 is in a retracted state.
The first control unit 81 drives the suction part of the manipulator 47 to close the plurality of on-off valves.

Next, the first transfer method (step S5) is performed. In the first transfer method S5, the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A accommodated in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205 are transferred from the set table 20 to the polishing unit 31.
First, in the first accommodation step (step S6), the second control unit 82 causes the first transport device 25 to accommodate the substrate 200A in the input basket 10 into the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205 on the setting table 20.
When the first storing step S6 is completed, the process proceeds to step S7.

Next, in the transfer step (step S7), the second transport device 46 holds the outer periphery of the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A so that the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A are spaced apart from each other.
7, first control unit 81 causes manipulator 47 to bring holding unit 50 close from above to carrier 205 and substrate 200 on set table 20, and brings suction pad 67 of first holding unit 52 into contact with the upper surface of the outer periphery of carrier 205. Suction pads 74A, 74B, and 74C of second holding units 53A, 53B, and 53C into contact with the upper surface of substrate 200A.
When the multiple on-off valves are opened, air is sucked out from the recesses of the suction pads 67, 74A, 74B, and 74C, causing the suction pads 67, 74A, 74B, and 74C to deform and collapse. The collapsed suction pad 67 of the first holding unit 52 holds the outer periphery of the carrier 205 from above, and the collapsed suction pads 74A, 74B, and 74C of the second holding units 53A, 53B, and 53C hold the outer periphery of the substrate 200A from above.

Then, when the manipulator 47 moves the holder 50 upward, the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A held by the holders 52, 53A, 53B, and 53C move upward away from the upper surface 21 of the set table 20, as shown in FIG.
At this time, extension distance _M52 is longer than extension distances _M53A , _M53B , and _M53C by exceeding the thickness of carrier 205. Therefore, even if carrier 205 held by first holding unit 52 does not bend, carrier 205 moves downward beyond the thickness of carrier 205 relative to substrate 200A, and the upper surface of carrier 205 is positioned at the position indicated by two-dot chain line L5. Carrier 205 held by first holding unit 52 and substrate 200A held by second holding units 53A, 53B, and 53C are separated from each other.

Furthermore, the center portion of the carrier 205 (the center portion when viewed in the thickness direction of the carrier 205) is curved downwardly and convexly due to gravity acting on the carrier 205.
In this case, it has been found from simulations that the maximum displacement of the curved carrier 205 (maximum deflection amount M ₁ shown in FIG. 8) is about 2 mm.
By curving the carrier 205 so as to be convex downward, the carrier 205 held by the first holding portion 52 and the substrate 200A held by the second holding portions 53A, 53B, 53C are spaced further apart from each other.
In this manner, in this embodiment, the substrate 200A is held so as to be positioned above the carrier 205 in the transfer step S7.
13, the imaging units 54A and 54B are arranged to face two toothed portions 37A and one toothed portion 39A, respectively, and the internal gear 34, sun gear 33, carrier 205, and imaging units 54A and 54B are arranged at reference positions. At this time, it is assumed that a stopping error occurs in the internal gear 34, sun gear 33, and manipulator 47. The positions corresponding to the imaging units 54A and 54B when a stopping error occurs are referred to as initial positions _P54A2 and _P54B2 .
When the transfer step S7 is completed, the process proceeds to step S10.

Next, an adjusting/fitting step (step S10) is performed. In the adjusting/fitting step S10, the first control unit 81 adjusts the position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, and the orientation of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5, using the manipulator 47, based on the images acquired by the imaging units 54A and 54B. Then, using the manipulator 47, the multiple teeth 207 of the carrier 205 are fitted onto the multiple teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the multiple teeth 37 of the sun gear 33, respectively.
Specifically, first, in a first movement amount calculation step (step S11), the first imaging unit 54A captures images of the two teeth 37A of the sun gear 33. Then, the second imaging unit 54B captures an image of one tooth 39A of the internal gear 34.
The first control unit 81 calculates a first movement amount including the movement amount of the carrier 205 along the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, and the rotation amount of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5, so that the image of the two tooth portions 37A of the sun gear 33 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A coincides with the first reference image IS.
Details of the formulas for calculating the first movement amount and the second movement amount (to be described later) will be explained in (5) below.

In the first transfer method S5 of this embodiment, the carrier 205 is not actually moved or rotated in the first movement amount calculation step S11, but is moved collectively in the fitting step S13 described below. If the carrier 205 is moved the first movement amount in the first movement amount calculation step S11, the carrier 205 moves in the surface direction and around the second axis O5 relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, as shown in Fig. 14. The positions corresponding to the imaging units 54A, 54B after the carrier 205 has been moved the first movement amount are referred to as first transfer positions _P54A3 , _P54B3 .
The details of the adjustment and fitting step S10 will be explained in (5) below.
In the first movement amount calculation step S11, the carrier 205 may be moved by the first movement amount. In the second movement amount calculation step S12, the second imaging unit 54B may acquire an image of one tooth portion 39A of the internal gear 34.
When the first movement amount calculation step S11 is completed, the process proceeds to step S12.

Next, in the second movement amount calculation process (step S12), a second movement amount including the movement amount of the carrier 205 along the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, and the rotation amount of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5 is calculated based on the difference between the image of one tooth portion 39A of the internal gear 34 acquired by the second imaging unit 54B when moved by the first movement amount and the second reference image II.
In the second movement amount calculation step S12, the carrier 205 is not actually moved, but only the second movement amount is calculated.
When the second movement amount calculation step S12 is completed, the process proceeds to step S13.

Next, in the fitting process (step S13), the manipulator 47 moves the carrier 205 by a first movement amount and a second movement amount. At this time, as shown in Fig. 15, the carrier 205 moves in the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 and rotates around the second axis O5. The positions corresponding to the imaging units 54A and 54B after the carrier 205 has been moved by the first movement amount and the second movement amount are referred to as second transfer positions _P54A4 and _P54B4 .
Then, the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205 are fitted onto the plurality of teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the plurality of teeth 39 of the sun gear 33, respectively.

At this time, the carrier 205 is placed on the first support surface 32a of the first base plate 32 and flattened. Then, when the carrier 205 is flattened, the substrate 200A is spaced above the carrier 205. Specifically, the first control unit 81 causes the manipulator 47 to move the holding unit 50 above the first support surface 32a. Then, by moving the holding unit 50 downward, the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A held by the holding units 52, 53A, 53B, and 53C of the holding unit 50 are lowered onto the first support surface 32a.
When the carrier 205 is placed on the first support surface 32a, the carrier 205 becomes flat as shown by the two-dot chain line L5 in FIG.

Next, on the first support surface 32a, the substrate 200A is placed from above in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205. Specifically, the first control unit 81 causes the manipulator 47 to move the holding unit 50 downward, so that the substrate 200A is placed in the through-hole 206 of the carrier 205.
The multiple on-off valves of the second transfer device 46 are closed, and the carrier 205 and the substrate 200A are released from the holders 52, 53A, 53B, and 53C. The manipulator 47 moves the holder 50 away from the first support surface 32a.
When the fitting step S13 is completed, the entire adjusting and fitting step S10 is completed, and further, all steps of the first transfer method S5 are completed. The first control unit 81 proceeds to step S15.

When the first transfer method S5 is completed, the second control unit 82 clamps the second base plate of the polishing unit 31, rotates the first base plate 32 and the second base plate in a predetermined direction around the first axis O1, and rotates at least one of the sun gear 33 and the internal gear 34 around the first axis O1.
When the first surface plate 32, the second surface plate, etc. are rotated for a predetermined time, the first surface plate 32 and the second surface plate polish the surface of the substrate 200A facing the thickness direction, and the substrate 200A becomes the polished substrate 200B.
The second control unit 82 puts the second surface plate of the polishing unit 31 into a retracted state.
The first control unit 81 transfers the carrier 205 from the polishing unit 31 to the outside of the polishing unit 31 by performing a second transfer method (transfer method, step S15), which is a process that is almost the reverse of the first transfer method S5.
The first control unit 81 uses the manipulator 47 to position the imaging units 54A and 54B in advance so that they face the two toothed portions 37A and one toothed portion 39A, respectively.

In the second transfer method S15, the first control unit 81 adjusts the position and orientation (posture) of the holding unit 50 of the manipulator 47 based on the position and orientation of the carrier 205 on the first support surface 32a of the polishing unit 31. Then, from a state in which the multiple teeth 207 of the carrier 205 are respectively engaged with the multiple teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the multiple teeth 37 of the sun gear 33, the manipulator 47 transfers the carrier 205 to the outside of the polishing unit 31.

Specifically, first, in a first movement amount calculation step (step S17) and a second movement amount calculation step (step S18), the same steps as in the first movement amount calculation step S11 and the second movement amount calculation step S12 are performed to calculate the first movement amount and the second movement amount. That is, in the first movement amount calculation step S17 and the second movement amount calculation step S18, the first movement amount and the second movement amount are found using the formulas described in (5) below.
Next, in the removal process (step S19), the first control unit 81 detects, based on the first reference image IS and the second reference image II, the position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, and the orientation of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5, when the multiple tooth portions 207 of the carrier 205 are engaged with the multiple tooth portions 39 of the internal gear 34 and the multiple tooth portions 37 of the sun gear 33, respectively.
The position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction referred to here can also be considered as a deviation of the position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction from the position of the carrier 205 that fits into the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, which are the reference position and reference orientation. The orientation of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5 referred to here can also be considered as a deviation of the orientation of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5 from the orientation of the carrier 205 that fits into the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, which are the reference position and reference orientation.

The first control unit 81 holds the carrier 205 using the holding unit 50 whose position and orientation have been adjusted. Specifically, the carrier 205 and the substrate 200B are held by the holding units 52, 53A, 53B, and 53C of the holding unit 50. By adjusting the position and orientation of the holding unit 50, the carrier 205 can be reliably held by the first holding unit 52, and the substrate 200B can be reliably held by the second holding units 53A, 53B, and 53C.
The manipulator 47 moves the holder 50 by a first movement amount and a second movement amount, and transfers the carrier 205 and the substrate 200 B onto the upper surface 21 of the set table 20 outside the polishing unit 31 .
When the removing step S19 is completed, all steps of the second transfer method S15 are completed. The second control unit 8 proceeds to step S25.

Next, in the second storage step (step S25), the second control unit 82 causes the first transport device 25 to store the substrate 200B on the set table 20 in the output basket 15. The output basket 15 containing the substrate 200B is then removed from the polishing equipment 1 by an appropriate output device.

By repeating the first transfer method S5 and the second transfer method S15, the substrate 200A is continuously polished by the polishing equipment 1.

As described above, in the second conveyance device 46 of this embodiment, the image acquired by the imaging unit 54 includes images of one tooth portion 39A of the actual internal gear 34 and two tooth portions 37A of the actual sun gear 33 in the polishing unit 31. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, for example, the first control unit 81 can use the manipulator 47 to adjust the position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 and the orientation of the carrier 205 about the second axis O5 based on this image, thereby making it easier to fit the multiple tooth portions 207 of the carrier 205 with the multiple tooth portions 39 of the internal gear 34 and the multiple tooth portions 37 of the sun gear 33, respectively.
Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, the carrier 205 can be easily fitted to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, respectively.

The manipulator 47 has a plurality of links 48, a plurality of joints 49, and a plurality of holding units 50. Therefore, by driving the plurality of joints 49 to move the plurality of links 48, the carrier 205 held by the holding units 50 can be transferred onto the installation surface F. Then, by using the plurality of joints 49, the carrier 205 held by the holding units 50 can be transferred onto the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 in the surface direction and around the second axis O5.
The first imaging unit 54A and the second imaging unit 54B of the imaging unit 54 are provided on the tip link 48A. Therefore, images of the two teeth 37A of the sun gear 33 and an image of the one tooth 39A of the internal gear 34 can be acquired separately by the first imaging unit 54A and the second imaging unit 54B. By driving the multiple joints 49 of the manipulator 47 to move the multiple links 48, the first imaging unit 54A and the second imaging unit 54B can be moved, and the object captured in the images acquired by the first imaging unit 54A and the second imaging unit 54B can be changed.

The first control unit 81 calculates the first movement amount and the second movement amount, and then moves and rotates the carrier 205 by the first movement amount and the second movement amount using the manipulator 47, and then fits the plurality of teeth 207 of the carrier 205 into the plurality of teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 and the plurality of teeth 37 of the sun gear 33, respectively.
By using the manipulator 47 to move the carrier 205 a first movement amount calculated by the first control unit 81, it is possible to transfer the carrier 205 to a position where the plurality of tooth portions 207 of the carrier 205 fit with the plurality of tooth portions 37 of the sun gear 33. Furthermore, by using the manipulator 47 to move the carrier 205 a second movement amount calculated by the first control unit 81, it is possible to transfer the carrier 205 to a position where the plurality of tooth portions 207 of the carrier 205 fit with the plurality of tooth portions 39 of the internal gear 34.
In this way, after moving the carrier 205 by the first movement amount and the second movement amount, the multiple tooth portions 207 of the carrier 205 are engaged with the multiple tooth portions 39 of the internal gear 34 and the multiple tooth portions 37 of the sun gear 33, respectively, so that even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, the carrier 205 can be more easily engaged with the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, respectively.

The second transport device 46 also transfers the carrier 205 from the polishing unit 31 to the outside of the polishing unit 31. The image acquired by the imaging unit 54 includes images of one tooth portion 39A of the actual internal gear 34 and two teeth portions 37A of the actual sun gear 33 in the polishing unit 31. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, the first control unit 81 can detect the surface position of the carrier 205, which fits with the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, and its orientation about the second axis O5 based on this image. Furthermore, the first control unit 81 adjusts the surface position of the holding unit 50 and its orientation about the second axis O5 based on these positions and orientations, thereby making it easier for the holding unit 50 to hold the carrier 205. The manipulator 47 having the holding unit 50 can then transfer the carrier 205 to the outside of the polishing unit 31.
Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, the carrier 205 can be easily transferred to the outside of the polishing section 31 from a state in which the carrier 205 is engaged with the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, respectively.
The carrier 205 transferred to the outside of the polishing section 31 is placed on the set table 20 with high precision by the manipulator 47 .

Furthermore, in the polishing equipment 1 of this embodiment, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, sun gear 33, and manipulator 47, the polishing equipment 1 can be configured using a second conveying device 46 that can easily fit the carrier 205 to the internal gear 34 and sun gear 33, respectively.

Furthermore, in the first transfer method S5 of this embodiment, the image includes images of one tooth portion 39A of the actual internal gear 34 and two tooth portions 37A of the actual sun gear 33 in the polishing section 31. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, for example, by adjusting the position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 and the orientation of the carrier 205 about the second axis O5 based on this image, it becomes easier to fit the multiple tooth portions 207 of the carrier 205 with the multiple tooth portions 39 of the internal gear 34 and the multiple tooth portions 37 of the sun gear 33, respectively.
Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, the carrier 205 can be easily fitted to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, respectively.

Furthermore, in the second transfer method S15 of this embodiment, the image includes images of one tooth portion 39A of the actual internal gear 34 and two tooth portions 37A of the actual sun gear 33 in the polishing unit 31. Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, the position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 and its orientation about the second axis O5 are detected based on this image. Furthermore, by adjusting the position of the holding unit 50 in the surface direction and its orientation about the second axis O5 based on these positions and orientations, the carrier 205 can be more easily held by the holding unit 50. Then, by transferring the holding unit 50, the carrier 205 can be transferred to the outside of the polishing unit 31.
Therefore, even if there is a stopping error in the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the manipulator 47, the carrier 205 can be easily transferred to the outside of the polishing section 31 from a state in which the carrier 205 is engaged with the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33, respectively.

The second conveying device 46 only needs to be able to fit the carrier 205 into the internal gear 34 and sun gear 33, or to transfer the carrier 205 from the polishing unit 31 to the outside of the polishing unit 31.

In the adjusting/fitting process, first, a second movement amount including the movement amount of the carrier 205 along the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 and the movement amount of the carrier 205 about the second axis O5 may be calculated so that the image of at least a portion of the plurality of teeth 39 of the internal gear 34 acquired by the second imaging unit 54B coincides with the second reference image II. Then, a first movement amount including the movement amount of the carrier 205 along the surface direction relative to the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 and the rotation amount of the carrier 205 about the second axis O5 may be calculated based on the difference between the first reference image and an image of at least a portion of the plurality of teeth 37 of the sun gear 33 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A when moved by the second movement amount.
Then, after moving the carrier 205 by the second movement amount and the first movement amount using the manipulator 47, the multiple tooth portions 207 of the carrier 205 may be fitted into the multiple tooth portions 39 of the internal gear 34 and the multiple tooth portions 37 of the sun gear 33, respectively.

The outer edge of the cross section of the plurality of teeth of the sun gear 33 that is perpendicular to the first axis O1 may be an involute curve. The same applies to the plurality of teeth of the internal gear 34, and the plurality of teeth of the carrier 205 are formed to fit with the plurality of teeth of the sun gear 33 and the internal gear 34, respectively.
The second conveying device 46 has been described as having two imaging units 54A and 54B. However, the number of imaging units included in the second conveying device is not limited to this, and may be one, or three or more.

(3. Adjusting the position and orientation of the carrier to address stopping errors of the internal gear and sun gear)
For example, a case where there is no stopping error of the manipulator 47 will be described. It is assumed that the positions of the internal gear 34, the sun gear 33, and the carrier 205 at the reference position are as shown in Fig. 16. The orientation of the carrier 205 is represented by the orientation of the letter "C."
17, for example, the internal gear 34 has a clockwise stopping error with respect to the first axis O1, and the sun gear 33 has a clockwise stopping error with respect to the reference position shown in Fig. 16. The carrier 205 revolves clockwise with respect to the first axis O1, but the orientation of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5 remains almost unchanged (the carrier 205 hardly rotates on its own axis).
In this case, the first control unit 81 adjusts the position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction using the manipulator 47 .

On the other hand, with respect to the reference position shown in Fig. 16, for example, suppose that the internal gear 34 has a stopping error in the counterclockwise direction with respect to the first axis O1 and the sun gear 33 has a stopping error in the clockwise direction with respect to the first axis O1, as shown in Fig. 18. The carrier 205 hardly revolves around the first axis O1, but the orientation of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5 changes (the carrier 205 rotates).
In this case, the first control unit 81 adjusts the orientation of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5 using the manipulator 47.

A general stopping error of the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33 is a stopping error that is a combination of the stopping error shown in FIG. 17 and the stopping error shown in FIG.
The first control unit 81 adjusts the position of the carrier 205 in the surface direction using the manipulator 47, and further adjusts the orientation of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5, thereby responding to general stopping errors of the internal gear 34 and the sun gear 33.

(4. Calculation method when the sun gear is fixed)
In the first transfer method S5 of this embodiment, the carrier 205 is moved a first distance so that the images of the two tooth portions 37A of the sun gear 33 coincide with the first reference image IS, and then a second distance is calculated.
Here, the number of teeth of the internal gear 34 (total number of toothed portions 39) is defined as z _i . The number of teeth of the sun gear 33 is defined as z _s . The number of teeth of the carrier 205 is defined as z _c . For example, it is assumed that the number of teeth z _i is 360. It is assumed that the number of teeth z _s is 120 and the number of teeth z _c is 120.

As shown in FIG. 19, a case will be described in which the sun gear 33 is fixed and the internal gear 34 rotates counterclockwise about the first axis O1.
In this case, the number of revolutions of the carrier 205 is 3/4 rotations according to equation (1).
z _i /(z _s + z _i )
= 360 / (120 + 360)
= 3/4 (1)

At this time, the direction (rotation angle) of the carrier 205 is, as shown in FIG. 20, 1.5 (3/2) rotations in the forward direction (counterclockwise).
As described above, when the internal gear 34 rotates by _θI , the carrier 205 revolves by (3/4) _θI and rotates by (3/2) _θI .

(5. Details of the adjustment and fitting process)
In the following, the state when viewed from the first axis O1 will be described without taking into consideration the distance in the direction along the first axis O1.

(5.1. Summary of control formulas)
21 , of the two toothed portions 37A of the sun gear 33, the toothed portion 37A on the counterclockwise side (inner side) will be referred to as the first toothed portion 37A1 hereinafter. Of the two toothed portions 37A of the sun gear 33, the toothed portion 37A on the clockwise side (outer side) will be referred to as the second toothed portion 37A2 hereinafter.
In the following example, one tooth portion 39A1 of the tooth portion 39A of the internal gear 34 is set as the control target.
Axes that run along the first support surface 32a and are perpendicular to each other are referred to as the x-axis and y-axis.
The coordinates of the center of the holding portion 50 of the manipulator 47 are defined as (x _e , y _e ), and the rotation angle around the second axis O5 is defined as ψ _e . The _{x e} axis and y _e axis are aligned along the first support surface 32 a (along the surface direction).

As shown in Tables 1 and 2, the symbols, setting values, and number of teeth for each item are specified.

As shown in Table 1, the symbol for the radius of the orbital circle of the carrier 205 is defined as r _i-c . For example, the design value of the radius of the orbital circle of the carrier 205 is set to 720 mm. The coordinates of the first tooth portion 37A1 in the first reference image IS are defined as (x _s1 , y _s1 ). The coordinates of the first tooth portion 39A1 in the second reference image II are defined as (x _i1 , y _i1 ).
As shown in Table 2, for example, the number of teeth _zc of the carrier 205 is set to 120.

The coordinates (x _e , y _e ) and the rotation angle ψ _e are controlled based on equation (4), where (x _e , y _e , ψ _e ) is the combined movement amount of the first movement amount and the second movement amount.

where r _c is the radius of the pitch circle of the carrier 205. Δx _e is the amount of movement of the carrier 205 in the x _e axis direction, and Δy _e is the amount of movement of the carrier 205 in the y _e axis direction. Δψ _e is the amount of rotation of the carrier 205 around the second axis O5. The second amount of movement includes amounts of movement Δx _e , Δy _e , and Δψ _e .
The movement amount Δx _s1 is the distance in the x-axis direction between the actual image of the first teeth portion 37A1 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A and the image of the first teeth portion 37A1 in the first reference image IS. The movement amount Δy _s1 is the distance in the y-axis direction between the actual image of the first teeth portion 37A1 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A and the image of the first teeth portion 37A1 in the first reference image IS.

Δx _s2 is the distance in the x-axis direction between the actual image of the second teeth portion 37A2 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A and the image of the second teeth portion 37A2 in the first reference image IS. Δy _s2 is the distance in the y-axis direction between the actual image of the second teeth portion 37A2 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A and the image of the second teeth portion 37A2 in the first reference image IS.
Δx _i1 is the distance in the x-axis direction between the actual image of the first teeth portion 39A1 acquired by the second imaging unit 54B and the image of the first teeth portion 39A1 in the second reference image II. Δy _i1 is the distance in the y-axis direction between the actual image of the first teeth portion 39A1 acquired by the second imaging unit 54B and the image of the first teeth portion 39A1 in the second reference image II.

The distance (vector) from the center of the holder 50 (the end on the first side of the manipulator 47) to each tooth portion in the reference images IS and II is a constant as follows:
The distance from the center of the holder 50 to the first tooth portion 37A1 in the first reference image IS is expressed by equation (7).
The distance from the center of the holder 50 to the second tooth portion 37A2 in the first reference image IS is expressed by equation (8).
The distance from the center of the holder 50 to the first tooth portion 39A1 in the second reference image II is expressed by equation (9).

The phase difference α (rad) between the actual image of the first tooth portion 37A1 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A and the image of the first tooth portion 37A1 in the first reference image IS is expressed by equation (12).

Note that atan2(x, y) means the inverse function of tan, which is defined as a value greater than or equal to 0 and less than 2π.
When the image of the two tooth portions 37A of the sun gear 33 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A coincides with the image of the two tooth portions 37A in the first reference image IS, the distance between the image of the first tooth portion 39A1 acquired by the second imaging unit 54B and the image of the first tooth portion 39A1 in the second reference image II is expressed by equation (15).

In the above case, the phase difference (rad) between the image of the first tooth portion 39A1 acquired by the second imaging unit 54B and the image of the first tooth portion 39A1 in the second reference image II is expressed by equation (16).

Here, (Δψ _i , Δψ _s ) is the phase difference between the carrier 205 and the internal gear 34 after the carrier 205 has moved by the first movement amount.
When p _iy is positive, (Δψ _i −Δψ _s ) is positive, and when p _iy is negative, (Δψ _i −Δψ _s ) is negative.
The movement amounts Δx _e , Δy _e , and Δψ _e are expressed by equations (17) and (18).

The error in the distance from the center of the holder 50 to each tooth portion is expressed by the following formula.
The error in the distance from the center of the holding portion 50 to the first tooth portion 37A1 is expressed by equation (26).
The error in the distance from the center of the holding portion 50 to the second tooth portion 37A2 is expressed by equation (27).
The error in the distance from the center of the holding portion 50 to the first tooth portion 39A1 is expressed by equation (28).

After the holding unit 50 of the manipulator 47 moves to the position where the carrier 205 is loaded and unloaded relative to the polishing unit 31, the errors according to equations (26) to (28) are first detected.

(5.2. Details of control content)
The transformation for matching the image of the first teeth portion 37A1 of the sun gear 33 in the first reference image IS with the actual image of the first teeth portion 37A1 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A is expressed by equation (31). The transformation according to equation (31) is performed as control for the manipulator 47.

After the alignment is achieved, the distance between the image of the second tooth portion 37A2 in the first reference image IS and the actual image of the second tooth portion 37A2 acquired by the second imaging unit 54B is expressed by equation (32).

The distance from the first tooth portion 37A1 to the second tooth portion 37A2 is expressed by equation (33).

At this point, as shown in FIG. 23, the image of the actual first tooth portion 37A1 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A and the image of the first tooth portion 37A1 in the first reference image IS coincide with each other at the coordinates (x _s1 , y _s1 ).
The coordinates of the image of the second tooth portion 37A2 in the first reference image IS are (x _s2 , y _s2 ).
The actual coordinates of the second tooth portion 37A2 are (x _s2 +(Δx _s2 -Δx _s1 ), y _s2 +(Δy _s2 -Δy _s1 )).

The angle α formed between the line connecting the images of tooth portions 37A1 and 37A2 in the first reference image IS and the line connecting the images of the actual tooth portions 37A1 and 37A2 shown in Figure 23 is expressed by equation (12) above.

The transformation that controls the manipulator 47 to match the image of the teeth 37A1, 37A2 in the first reference image IS with the actual image of the teeth 37A1, 37A2 acquired by the first imaging unit 54A is expressed by equation (37), where the coordinates (x _e , y _e ) of the center of the holding unit 50 of the manipulator 47 are used as the reference.
It should be noted that equation (37) represents the first movement amount.

Before the transformation ^e T _e′ is performed, as shown in FIG. 24, the positions P _37A11 and P _37A21 of the teeth 37A1 and 37A2 in the first reference image IS are different from the actual positions P _37A12 and P 37A22 of the teeth 37A1 _{and 37A2} , respectively.
By performing the transformation ^e T _e' from the state shown in FIG. 24, the positions P _37A11 and P 37A21 of the teeth 37A1 and _37A2 in the first reference image IS coincide with the actual positions P 37A12 and P 37A22 of the teeth _37A1 and _37A2 , respectively, as shown in FIG. 25.

In reality, the holding portion 50 (carrier 205) is not moved, but after the images of the tooth portions 37A1 and 37A2 in the first reference image IS are aligned with the actual tooth portions 37A1 and 37A2, respectively, the distance p _i between the image of the first tooth portion 39A1 in the second reference image II and the actual first tooth portion 39A1 is calculated.
The movement of the coordinates of the second imaging unit 54B (the movement of the coordinates of the first tooth portion 39A1) is expressed by equation (40).
However, the distance (d _s1x - d _i1x , d _s1y - _{d i1y} ) is the distance from the first tooth portion 39A1 to the first tooth portion 37A1, as shown in FIG.

Therefore, the distance (p _ix , p _iy ) in the xy coordinates of the distance p _i is expressed by the above equation (15).

27, the position of the first tooth portion 39A1 in the second reference image II is defined as _P39A11 , and the actual position of the first tooth portion 39A1 is defined as _P39A12 .
At this time, the angle (Δψ _i - Δψ _{s )} formed by the line connecting the center of the sun gear 33 (second axis O5) and position _P39A11 and the line connecting the center of the sun gear 33 and position _P39A12 is expressed by the above equation (16).
At this point, the positions of the two teeth 37A of the sun gear 33 coincide with the positions of the first reference image IS. Therefore, the state in which there is an error in the position of the teeth 39A1 of the internal gear 34 between the actual object and the second reference image II can be regarded as being rotated like a solar-type planetary gear (sun gear fixed, internal gear rotating by (△ψ _i - △ψ _s )).
Therefore, the rotation and revolution angles of the carrier 205 can be determined from the rotation ratio of the solar type planetary gear.
The manipulator 47 can be controlled accordingly.

The ratio of the rotation angles of the internal gear 34 and other components in the solar type, in which the sun gear 33 is fixed, is shown in Table 3.

For example, when the internal gear 34 rotates by _θi , the carrier 205 rotates by ((z _i z _c + z _s )/(z _c z _i + z _s )) _θi and revolves by (z _i /(z _i + z _s )) _θi .

As described above, the transformation matrix (the sum of the first movement amount and the second movement amount) for the manipulator 47, which is performed after the positions of the tooth portions 37A1, 37A2, and 39A1 are first detected by the imaging units 54A and 54B, is expressed by equation (44).
In the equation (44), "C" represents "cos" and "S" represents "sin."

The coordinates (x _e , y _e ) and the rotation angle ψ _e for the manipulator 47 are expressed by the above equation (4).

1 Polishing equipment 31 Polishing section 32 First surface plate (surface plate)
32a First support surface (support surface)
33 Sun gear 34 Internal gear 37, 39, 207 Tooth portion 46 Second conveying device (transfer device)
47 Manipulator (transfer part)
48 Link 49 Joint 50 Holding portion 54 Imaging portion 54A First imaging portion 54B Second imaging portion 200 Substrate 205 Carrier 206 Through-hole F Installation surface II Second reference image IS First reference image O5 Second axis (axis)
S5 1st transfer method (transfer method)
S15 Second transfer method (transfer method)

Claims (8)

A transfer device for transferring a flat carrier having a plurality of teeth provided on an outer periphery thereof that can be fitted onto the internal gear and the sun gear, respectively, and a through hole for accommodating the substrate, to a planetary gear type polishing unit that has an internal gear and a sun gear that rotate on a support surface of a surface plate and that polishes a surface facing in a thickness direction of the substrate,
a transfer unit that transfers the carrier;
an imaging unit that captures images of at least some of the teeth of the internal gear and at least some of the teeth of the sun gear;
a control unit that controls the transfer unit;
Equipped with
The control unit
adjusting, by the transfer unit, a position of the carrier in a surface direction along the support surface and an orientation of the carrier around an axis perpendicular to the support surface relative to the internal gear and the sun gear based on the image;
a transfer device that uses the transfer unit to fit the plurality of teeth of the carrier onto the plurality of teeth of the internal gear and the plurality of teeth of the sun gear, respectively. The transfer unit is
a plurality of links arranged side by side along a connecting shaft;
a joint that rotatably connects the plurality of links adjacent to each other along the connecting shaft;
a holding portion provided on a tip link that is the link furthest along the connecting shaft among the plurality of links and that detachably holds the carrier;
and
The link closest to the second side along the connecting shaft among the plurality of links is supported by an installation surface,
The transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein the joints allow the holding portion to be transferred relative to the internal gear and the sun gear in the surface direction and around the axis. The imaging unit
a first imaging unit that captures the image of at least a portion of the plurality of teeth of the sun gear; and a second imaging unit that captures the image of at least a portion of the plurality of teeth of the internal gear.
and
The transfer device according to claim 2 , wherein the first imaging unit and the second imaging unit are provided on the tip link. When the plurality of teeth of the carrier are fitted to the plurality of teeth of the internal gear and the plurality of teeth of the sun gear,
the image of at least a portion of the plurality of teeth of the sun gear acquired by the first imaging unit is defined as a first reference image,
When the image of at least a part of the plurality of teeth of the internal gear acquired by the second imaging unit is defined as a second reference image,
The control unit
calculating a first movement amount including a movement amount of the carrier along the surface direction and a rotation amount of the carrier around the axis line relative to the internal gear and the sun gear so that the image of at least a portion of the plurality of teeth of the sun gear acquired by the first imaging unit coincides with the first reference image;
calculate a second movement amount including a movement amount of the carrier along the surface direction and a rotation amount of the carrier around the axis line relative to the internal gear and the sun gear, based on a difference between the image of at least a portion of the plurality of tooth portions of the internal gear acquired by the second imaging unit when the internal gear has moved and rotated by the first movement amount and the second reference image;
4. The transfer device according to claim 3, wherein after the transfer unit moves and rotates the carrier by the first movement amount and the second movement amount, the plurality of teeth of the carrier are fitted with the plurality of teeth of the internal gear and the plurality of teeth of the sun gear, respectively. A transfer device for transferring a flat carrier having a plurality of teeth provided on an outer periphery thereof that engage with the internal gear and the sun gear, respectively, and having a through hole for accommodating the substrate, from a planetary gear type polishing unit that has an internal gear and a sun gear that rotate on a support surface of a surface plate and that polishes a surface facing in the thickness direction of the substrate, to the outside of the polishing unit,
a transfer unit that has a holding unit that detachably holds the carrier and transfers the carrier;
an imaging unit that captures images of at least some of the teeth of the internal gear and at least some of the teeth of the sun gear;
a control unit that controls the transfer unit;
Equipped with
The control unit
based on the image, detecting a position of the carrier in a surface direction along the support surface and an orientation of the carrier around an axis perpendicular to the support surface relative to the internal gear and the sun gear in a state in which the plurality of teeth of the carrier are engaged with the plurality of teeth of the internal gear and the plurality of teeth of the sun gear, respectively;
holding the carrier by the holding portion whose position and orientation have been adjusted;
a transfer device for transferring the carrier to the outside of the polishing unit by the transfer unit; The transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
The polishing unit;
Polishing equipment. A method of transferring a flat carrier having a plurality of teeth provided on an outer periphery thereof that can be fitted onto the internal gear and the sun gear, respectively, and a through hole for accommodating the substrate, to a planetary gear type polishing unit that has an internal gear and a sun gear that rotate on a support surface of a surface plate and that polishes a surface facing in a thickness direction of the substrate, the method comprising:
adjusting a position of the carrier in a surface direction along the support surface and an orientation of the carrier around an axis perpendicular to the support surface, relative to the internal gear and the sun gear, based on images of at least a portion of the plurality of teeth of the internal gear and at least a portion of the plurality of teeth of the sun gear;
a transfer method in which the plurality of teeth of the carrier are fitted onto the plurality of teeth of the internal gear and the plurality of teeth of the sun gear, respectively. A method for transferring a flat carrier having a plurality of teeth on an outer periphery thereof that are fitted with the internal gear and the sun gear, respectively, and a through hole for accommodating the substrate, from a planetary gear type polishing unit that polishes a surface facing a thickness direction of a substrate, the carrier having an internal gear and a sun gear that rotate on a support surface of a surface plate, to outside the polishing unit, the method comprising:
detecting a position of the carrier in a surface direction along the support surface and an orientation of the carrier around an axis perpendicular to the support surface relative to the internal gear and the sun gear based on images of at least some of the multiple teeth of the internal gear and at least some of the multiple teeth of the sun gear in a state in which the multiple teeth of the carrier are engaged with the multiple teeth of the internal gear and the multiple teeth of the sun gear, respectively;
holding the carrier by the holding part whose position and orientation have been adjusted;
A transfer method for transferring the carrier to the outside of the polishing unit.