JPH0243130A - Conveyor device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a conveyor device such as not to soil the slickenside of a silicon wafer by providing an actuator capable of having a holding base reversed around a horizontal axis. CONSTITUTION:The mirror like surface of a silicone wafer 22 is faced downward and stopped being drawn toward a chuck face 3 from above a holding base 2. After water or air is emitted out of an exhaust nozzle 4, a vacuum chuck 21 is released so as to have the silicone wafer 22 floated over the chuck face 3. An actuator 9 is operated to move a movable stopper 8 toward the center of the holding base 2 and have the side of the silicone wafer 22 held and chucked. A rotary actuator 1 is operated to reverse the holding base 2 so that the slickenside is faced upward. At the same time, the actuator 9 is reversed, and further operated to move the movable stopper 8 toward the outside of the holding base 2 so that the silicone wafer 22 is placed on the other disposal device 23 by the interaction of the water or air emitted from the exhaust nozzle 4 having the slickenside facing upward.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a transport device, and is particularly used for transporting mirror-finished thin plates, such as silicon wafers and quartz photomasks.

[Conventional technology and its issues]

Conventionally, mirror-finished silicon wafers, quartz photomasks, and the like have been transported by suctioning the mirror surface with a vacuum chuck. However, when a vacuum chuck is used, the mirror surface may become dirty due to dirt or dust adhering to the chuck surface.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device that does not stain the mirror surfaces of silicon wafers and quartz photomasks.

[Means to solve the problem]

The conveyance device of the present invention includes: a holding table having a liquid or gas jetting port; a mechanism for holding and fixing the side surface of a flat plate-shaped object floated by jetting the liquid or gas onto the holding table;
The present invention is characterized by comprising an actuator capable of inverting the holding base around a horizontal axis.

[Effect]

In the conveyance device of the present invention, after water or air is jetted onto the mirror surface of the conveyed object to hold and fix the side surface of the conveyed object in a state where the conveyed object is levitated on the holding table, the actuator is actuated. This makes it possible to invert the holding table around the horizontal axis and place the transported object on another processing device with the mirror surface facing upward. Therefore, since the mirror surface of the conveyed object does not come into contact with the holding table, the mirror surface is not contaminated by dirt or dust adhering to the holding table.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view, partially in section, of a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a holding stand of the conveying device. In FIGS. 1 and 2, a holding stand 2 is attached to a rotary actuator 1, and a chuck surface 3 of this holding stand 2 is provided with a large number of ejection ports 4.
Water or air supplied from an inlet pipe 5 attached to the holding table 2 passes through the internal space of the holding table 2 and is ejected from the spout 4. An arc-shaped stationary stopper 6 is provided at one end of the holding table 4, and an arc-shaped movable stopper 8 is attached to the opposite end via a plate spring 7. An actuator 9 is provided near the leaf spring 7. When the actuator 9 is moved rightward in the figure, its tip comes into contact with the tip of the leaf spring 7, and the movable stopper 8 moves toward the outside of the holding table 4. On the other hand, actuator 9
When the movable stopper 8 is moved to the left in the figure, its tip separates from the tip of the leaf spring 7 and the movable stopper 8 is moved toward the center of the holding base 4 by the force of the leaf spring 7.

A method of transporting a silicon wafer using this transport device will be described with reference to FIGS. 3(a) to 3(d).

First, the mirror-finished silicon wafer 22 that has been suctioned by the vacuum chuck 21 is brought close to the chuck surface 3 from above the holding table 2 with the mirror surface facing downward, and the silicon wafer 22 is moved 0.1 to 50 cm ( Preferably 0.5-10mm
) (as shown in FIG. 3(a)).

Next, after water or air is jetted out from the spout 4 of the chuck surface 3 of the holding table 2, the vacuum chuck 11 is released and the silicon wafer 22 is levitated onto the chuck surface 3. In this state, the actuator 9 is moved to the left in the figure, its tip is separated from the tip of the leaf spring 7, and the movable stopper 8 is moved toward the center of the holding table 2. Hold the side surface and chuck it (as shown in FIG. 3(b)).

Subsequently, the rotary actuator 1 is operated to invert the holding table 2 by 180° about the horizontal axis so that the mirror surface of the silicon wafer 22 is directed upward.

At the same time, move the actuator 9 to 1 around the horizontal axis.
Flip it 80 degrees (as shown in Figure 1(c)).

Further, the actuator 9 is moved rightward in the figure, its tip is brought into contact with the tip of the temporary spring 7, and the movable stopper 8 is moved toward the outside of the holding table 2, and the spout 4 of the chuck surface 3 of the holding table 2 is moved. The silicon wafer 22 is placed on another processing device 23 with the mirror surface facing upward by the action of water or air spouted from the silicon wafer 22 (as shown in FIG. 3(d)).

According to such a transfer device, the mirror surface of the silicon wafer 22 does not come into contact with the holding table 2, so that the mirror surface is not contaminated by dirt or dust attached to the holding table 2.

Incidentally, regarding the conveyance device according to the present invention, a modification example shown in FIG. 4, for example, can also be considered. In FIG. 4, a holder 2 is attached to the rotary actuator 1, and a chuck surface 3 of the holder 2 is provided with a large number of spouts 4.
Water or air supplied from an introduction pipe 5 attached to the holding table 2 passes through the internal space of the holding table 2 and is ejected from the spout 4. A water or air absorption/spouting pipe 10 is attached to the holding table 2 at a position corresponding to the side surface of a transferred object such as a silicon wafer 22 floating on the chuck surface 3. Further, a second holder 12 is attached to the rotary actuator 1 so as to oppose the holder 2 via the rotating shaft 11, and a large number of jet ports 14 are provided on the chuck surface 13 of the holder 12. Introduction pipe 15 attached to holding table 12
Water or air supplied from the holding table 12 passes through the internal space of the holding table 12 and is ejected from the ejection port 14 .

A method of transporting a silicon wafer using the transport device shown in FIG. 4 will be described. First, as in FIG. 3(a), a mirror-finished silicon wafer 22 is brought close to the chuck surface 3 from above the holding table 2 with its mirror surface facing downward, and is placed at a distance of several 11 m from the chuck surface 3. Stop it across the road. Next, water or air is jetted out from the spout 4 of the chuck surface 3 of the holding table 2 to levitate the silicon wafer 22 onto the chuck surface 3. Subsequently, the rotating shaft 11 is rotated to place the second holder 12 above the silicon wafer 22, and water or air is ejected from the spout 14 of the chuck surface 13 of the second holder 12. As a result, the silicon wafer 22 floats to a position corresponding to the height of the absorption/ejection tube 10 between the holding table 2 and the second holding table 12. Next, when water or air is absorbed from the absorption/ejection pipe 10, the absorption/ejection pipe IO
The sides of the silicon wafer 22 are held by. Next, the rotary actuator 1 is operated, and the holding table 2 and the second holding table 12 are rotated 180 degrees around the horizontal axis.
Turn it over so that the mirror surface of the silicone Ueno ＼22 faces upward. Further, the rotating shaft 11 is rotated to move the second holding table 12 from below the silicon wafer 22, and the silicon wafer 22 is transported above the other processing apparatus. Subsequently, when water or air is ejected from the absorption/ejection tube 10, the silicon wafer 122 floats to a position corresponding to the height of the absorption/ejection tube IO, and is ejected from the ejection port 4 of the chuck surface 3 of the holding table 2. By the action of water or air, the silicon wafer 22 is placed on another processing device with its mirror surface facing upward.

Even with such a conveying device, the same effects as in the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described in detail above, according to the transport device of the present invention, the mirror surface of the object to be transported, such as a silicon wafer or a quartz photomask, is not contaminated, and quality deterioration due to dirt can be prevented.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a partial cross section of a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a holding table of the same conveying device, and FIGS. FIG. 4 is a side view, partially in cross section, of a transfer device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 1... Rotary actuator, 2... Holding stand,
3... Chuck surface, 4... Jet outlet, 5... Introducing pipe, 6... Stationary stopper, 7... Leaf spring, 8... Movable stopper, 9... Actuator, IO・...Absorption/ejection pipe, 11...Rotation shaft, 12...Second holding stand, 13...Chuck surface, 14...Ejection port, 15...
・Introduction pipe, 21... Vacuum chuck, 22...
Silicon wafer, 23...processing equipment. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue Houki 1 Man's Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure

Claims (1)

[Claims] a holding table having a liquid or gas spout; a mechanism for holding and fixing the side surface of a flat plate-shaped object floated by jetting liquid or gas on the holding table; 1. A conveying device comprising: an actuator capable of reversing the vehicle.