JPH0316286Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a wafer transfer device that transfers a wafer housed in a carrier to another carrier.

[Conventional technology]

Generally, wafers are processed through many processing steps, and the most important things during these steps are to prevent the attachment of foreign matter such as dust or contamination, and to prevent damage. Wafers may need to be transferred to another carrier as they move from one processing step to the next. For example, it is necessary to transfer the wafer in order to prevent the processing liquids used in each process from mixing with each other, or to use a carrier made of an appropriate material for the processing liquids.

Conventionally, for these transfers, for example, an empty second carrier 3 is placed over the first carrier 2 containing the wafer 1 as shown in FIG. Wafer 1 when upside down
falls into the second carrier 3 and is transferred. However, this tends to cause damage such as cracking and chipping due to impact. There is also a manual method in which a pair of carrier holders are placed facing each other and the wafer is transferred from one to the other.
24248) has also been proposed, but there was a problem in that the movement within the carrier was caused by the rotation of the carrier, causing it to roll and be easily damaged.

Therefore, there is a method of transferring wafers 1 one by one while simultaneously lowering the first carrier 2 and raising the second carrier 3 using a rubber belt 4 as shown in FIG. 2, but this is not only time consuming but also This was accompanied by problems due to the adhesion of abrasion powder from the rubber belt.

Figure 3 shows another conventional example, in which the first carrier 2
The wafer 1 inside is pushed up by the cylinder 5 and held in the holder 6, the cylinder 5 is retracted to remove the first carrier 2, the second carrier 3 is newly transferred, and the cylinder 5 is extended again to hold the holder 6.
There is also a method of receiving the wafer 1 from a carrier and transferring it to the second carrier 3. However, even in this method, the wafer is easily damaged when it is held in the holder 6, and since the holder 6 is located above, there is a risk that dust from the holder 6 may fall and adhere to the wafer 1.

[The problem that the idea attempts to solve]

In all of these conventional products, the wafer 1 has a straight notch 7, which is an orientation flat, for clarifying the direction of the crystal axis or for positioning during processing. It is necessary to align the notches 7 in the same direction during processing such as pattern printing, but this requires a special alignment device for this purpose, which has the disadvantage of complicating the structure.

The present invention eliminates the drawbacks of the conventional method, enables wafer transfer without the risk of dust adhesion or contamination, and prevents damage. The object of the present invention is to provide a wafer transfer device capable of aligning parts.

[Means to solve the problem]

The present invention includes a first carrier receiver 20 that accommodates a wafer 1 and receives a first carrier 22 having an opening 24, and an opening 25 to which the wafer 1 is transferred.
a second carrier receiver 21 for receiving a second carrier 23, and the openings 24, 25 of each carrier 22, 23 are directed substantially upward so that the wafer can be transferred from one of the carriers 22, 23 to the other. In the wafer transfer device having a carrier moving mechanism for displacing the carriers between a holding position and a position where the carrier opening openings 24 and 25 face each other and abut each other, both carrier receivers 2
0 and 21 are mounted on a tilting table 10 so as to be rotatable by support shafts 17 and 18, respectively, and the support shafts 17 and 18 are connected via transmission members that rotate in different directions. an elevating mechanism 11 including a motor 12, rotatably supported by a shaft 9 such that the tilting table 10 is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and raising and lowering one end of the tilting table 10 about the shaft 9; The wafer 1 in the first carrier 22 is transferred to the second carrier 2.
A transfer drive mechanism 39 is provided for transferring the carrier to the second carrier receiver, and a carrier holder is provided on the second carrier holder via a rotating shaft, and the carrier holder is biased with a spring to engage and disengage from a groove formed in the carrier. This is a wafer transfer device that is characterized by being freely equipped.

〔Example〕

An example of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.
A tilting table 10 is supported by a shaft 9 on a base frame 8 so as to be tiltable in a reciprocating manner so as to be tilted in the opposite direction with respect to a horizontal plane, and is driven by a cylinder 11, a cam mechanism, a link mechanism, or the like.

A carrier moving mechanism is disposed on this tilting table 10. That is, a first carrier receiver 20 that accommodates the wafer 1 and receives a first carrier 22 with an opening 24, and a second carrier receiver 21 that receives a second carrier 23 with an opening 25 into which the wafer 1 is transferred. a position in which the openings 24, 25 of each carrier 22, 23 are held substantially upward so that the wafer can be moved from one of the carriers 22, 23 to the other; A carrier moving mechanism is provided for displacing the carriers between the opposing and abutting positions.

12 is a motor, a pinion 13, a gear 1
4, 15, and 16, the support shafts 17 and 18 are simultaneously reciprocated in opposite directions. A first carrier receiver 20 and a second carrier receiver 21 are attached to the support shafts 17 and 18 via arms 19, respectively. The first carrier receiver 20 receives the first carrier 22 containing the wafer 1, and the second carrier receiver 21 receives the second carrier 23 onto which the wafer 1 is to be transferred.

Due to the reciprocating rotation of the support shafts 17 and 18 by the motor 12, the first carrier 22 and the second carrier 23 are moved to the first position (solid line in FIG. 4) where the openings 24 and 25 are held substantially upward. , First Carrier 2
2 and the second carrier 23 are held in a second position (fourth (two-dot chain line) in the rotation ranges A and B at the same time.

Since the first and second carriers 22 and 23 and the first and first carrier receivers 20 and 21 have the same or symmetrical structure, the first carrier 22 and the second carrier receiver 21 will be explained. As shown in FIG. 6, a large number of ribs 30 are provided inside the pair of walls 29, and between the ribs 30, a guide groove 31 having a groove bottom 46 tapered is formed. A bottom portion 47 is provided below the guide groove 31 to receive and support the wafer 1. The groove bottom 46 of the guide groove 31 leaves a slight gap between it and the outer periphery of the wafer 1 at the position where the wafer 1 touches the bottom.

The groove bottom 46 is not tapered, but is aligned with the center line 26.
The wafer 1 may be parallel to the wafer 1, but it is easier to take the wafer 1 in and out if it is tapered.

first and second carriers 22 in a second position;
The 23 guide grooves 31 are butted against each other to form a transfer path for the wafer 1.

A carrier presser 32 is provided on a rotating shaft 33 of the second carrier receiver 21, and force is applied by a spring 34 so that the head of the carrier presser 32 enters the groove 35 of the second carrier 23, and the second carrier 23 is moved to the second carrier 23. This prevents it from coming off from the secondary carrier receiver 21.
However, when it is in the first position, the roller 37 at the end of the arm 36 provided on the rotating shaft 33 hits the stopper 38 and removes the carrier presser 32 from the groove 35, allowing the second carrier 23 to be taken out freely. ing.

Reference numeral 39 denotes a cylinder, which extends the rod 40 and drives the wafer 1 in the first carrier 22 in the second position along the transfer path through the guide groove 31 while pushing it forward with the roller 41 or the bar. This is a drive mechanism that is housed in the carrier 23 and performs transfer. Instead of the cylinder 39, a screw shaft, a ball screw shaft, or the like may be used for driving. Further, the drive mechanism such as the cylinder 39 may be provided on the fixed base frame 8 instead of on the tilting table 10.

[Effect]

First, the first carrier receiver 20 and the second carrier receiver 21 are placed in the first position to support the first carrier 22 containing the wafer 1 and the empty second carrier 23, respectively. After that, or initially, the tilting table 10 is tilted to the left as shown in FIG. Next, the motor 12 is driven to drive the first and first carrier receivers 2.
0 and 21 are placed in the second position. At this time,
The tilting table 10 is tilted to the left, and in this state, the guide groove 3 on the lower side of the first carrier 22 and the second carrier 23 is tilted to the left.
Since the groove bottom 46 of the first carrier 22 is oriented downward to the left of the horizontal line 42, the wafer 1 remains in contact with the bottom 47 of the first carrier 22 due to gravity and is held without rolling toward the opening 24. has been done.

Next, the cylinder 39 is activated and the roller 41 pushes the wafer 1 to the right. horizontal line 42
Since the upward slope of the groove bottom 46 of the guide groove 31 of the first and second carriers 22 and 23 is small, the contact pressure between the roller 41 and the wafer 1 is small. The pushed wafer 1 moves to the right while rolling in the guide groove 31 serving as a transfer path.

As the cylinder 39 extends, the wafer 1 enters the second carrier 23. Just before the wafer 1 hits the bottom 47 of the second carrier 23, the stroke of the cylinder 39 is stopped.

Next, the cylinder 11 is extended and the tilting table 10 is
Conversely, tilt the first carrier 22 downward to the right.
The slope of the groove bottom 46 of the lower guide groove 31 of the second carrier 23 with respect to the horizontal line 42 is downward to the right. Then, the wafer 1 slides slightly due to its own weight, hits the bottom portion 47, and stops. If this rolling distance is short, there will be no impact and there is no risk of damage.

Next, after retracting the cylinder 39, the motor 12
by reversing the first and second carrier receivers 20,
21 back to the first position. At this time, the roller 37 hits the stopper 38, loosening the carrier presser 32, and the empty first carrier 22 can be removed, and the second carrier 23, on which the wafer 1 has been transferred, can be removed and carried away to the next process. .

Next, the first carrier 2 containing the wafer 1
2 and an empty second carrier 23 are installed to return to the initial state, and this is repeated to sequentially transfer the wafers 1.

Since this embodiment is configured and operates as described above,
It is completely automated and can be sealed with a cover during operation, so it is not exposed to dust or contamination from other sources, and wear powder does not fall onto the wafer 1 during operation, so it can be kept clean. Furthermore, since almost no force or impact is applied to the wafer 1, there is no risk of damage.

FIG. 7 shows a carrier moving mechanism of another embodiment, in which a part of the transfer path for the wafer 1 at the second position is formed by an intermediate transfer path 43 provided with a guide groove 48 having a groove bottom 46. On both sides thereof, a first carrier 22 and a second carrier 23 are brought into contact with each other facing each other, so that the transfer distance L of the wafer 1 is longer than the circumferential length of the wafer 1. 44 and 45 are chains.

In the first carrier 22 there is a recess 7 as an orientation flat for the wafer 1.
are not necessarily aligned in direction and are usually inconsistent. In this state, in the second position, the tilting table 10 is in the left-down position, and the first and second carriers 22, 23, and the groove bottom 46 of the intermediate transfer passage are kept at a left-down slope, and the cylinder 39 moves the wafer Drive and make it roll. The wafer 1 rolls in the guide groove 48, and the notch 7 also rotates.
Since the transfer distance L is longer than the circumferential length, the notch 7 of any wafer 1 always faces downward and contacts the groove bottom 46 before reaching the final position. Sliding friction between the wafer 1 and the groove bottom 46, rolling friction between the wafer 1 and the roller 41 (sliding friction in the case of a fixed bar)
If the material and structure are selected to make the notch 7 small,
After the wafer 1 comes into contact with the groove bottom 46, the wafer 1 no longer rolls, but is simply slid and transferred. When the wafers 1 are housed in the second carrier 23, the notches 7 of all the wafers 1 are brought into contact with one of the groove bottoms 46 and aligned in the same direction.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to simultaneously align the directions of the notches 7 during the transfer process without requiring a mechanism for aligning the directions of the notches 7, and a compact device can be achieved with a simple structure. can.

[Effect of idea]

In the present invention, both carrier receivers 20 and 21 are provided on a tilting table 10 so as to be rotatable by support shafts 17 and 18, respectively, and the support shafts 17 and 18 are connected to each other via a transmission member that rotates in different directions. A motor 12 of a drive mechanism for reverse rotation is provided, and the tilting table 10 is rotatably supported by a shaft 9 so as to be inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and one end of the tilting table 10 is moved up and down about the shaft 9. and a transfer drive mechanism 39 for transferring the wafer 1 in the first carrier 22 to the second carrier 23, and further a carrier presser is provided on the second carrier receiver via a rotation shaft. By equipping the carrier holder with a spring bias so that it can be freely engaged and detached from the groove formed in the carrier, wafer transfer is fully automated, and wafers can be transferred accurately and safely without dust or contamination during wafer operation. This method prevents troubles caused by dust and contamination, and enables stable wafer transfer without the risk of damage.Furthermore, since the wafer movement is carried out by a downwardly sloped guide path, the wafer carrier can be easily transported. The wafer can be easily transferred without causing wear and shavings, and in combination with the transfer drive mechanism, the wafer can be placed at the bottom of the carrier without impact, eliminating the risk of damage, and it can be moved back and forth from one side of the carrier to the other. The moving transfer drive mechanism makes it easy to align the orientation of the wafers in relation to the tilting table, which greatly simplifies post-processing of wafers, and also allows safe operation without the carrier coming off the carrier holder. The automatic operation that rotates around the spindle without rattling can be performed stably, and by making the transfer distance longer than the wafer circumference, it is possible to transfer the alignment of the notch without using a special alignment device. It can be carried out at the same time as printing, which has extremely great practical effects.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1a, b, 2, and 3 are explanatory diagrams of the conventional example, and FIG. 4 is a partially sectional front view of the embodiment of the present invention,
Figure 5 is the right side view, Figure 6 is the − of Figure 4.
FIG. 7 is a partially sectional front view of another embodiment. 1... Wafer, 2, 22... First carrier,
3, 23...Second carrier, 4...Rubber belt,
5, 11, 39...Cylinder, 6...Holder,
7... Notch, 8... Base frame, 9...
Axis, 10...Tilt table, 12...Motor, 13...
Pinion, 14, 15, 16... Gear, 17, 1
8... Support shaft, 19, 36... Arm, 20... First carrier receiver, 21... Second carrier receiver, 2
4, 25...Open opening, 26, 27...Center line, 2
8... Straight line, 29... Wall, 30... Rib, 31,
48... Guide groove, 32... Carrier presser, 33...
...Rotation axis, 34...Spring, 35...Groove, 37,4
1...Roller, 38...Stopper, 40...Rod, 42...Horizontal line, 43...Intermediate transfer passage, 4
4, 45...Chain, 46...Groove bottom, 47...
bottom.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A first carrier receiver 20 that accommodates a wafer 1 and receives a first carrier 22 having an opening 24, and a second carrier 23 having an opening 25 into which the wafer 1 is transferred. a second carrier receiver 21 to receive the wafer, and a position where the openings 24, 25 of each carrier 22, 23 are held substantially upward so that the wafer can be moved from one of the carriers 22, 23 to the other; Each carrier opening 2
In the wafer transfer device having a carrier moving mechanism for displacing the carrier receivers 20 and 25 to positions where they face each other and come into contact with each other, the carrier receivers 20 and 21 are respectively moved to the support shaft 1
7 and 18 are rotatably provided on the tilting table 10, and are provided with a motor 12 of a drive mechanism for forward and reverse rotation, which is connected via a transmission member that rotates the support shafts 17 and 18 in different directions. The tilting table 10 is rotatably supported by a shaft 9 so as to be inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and an elevating function 11 for raising and lowering one end of the tilting table 10 about the shaft 9; and a wafer in the first carrier 22. 1 to the second carrier 23, and a transfer drive mechanism 39 for transferring the second carrier receiver 2
0,21 via the rotation shaft 33 to the carrier presser 32.
A wafer transfer device characterized in that the carrier presser 32 is biased by a spring 34 and is detachably attached to grooves 35 formed in the carriers 22 and 23.