JPH034443B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a workpiece conveyance device in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, a workpiece is taken out from a supply tray, transported and sent to the manufacturing equipment, a predetermined manufacturing operation of semiconductor elements is performed, and then the workpiece is placed in the same position in the supplied tray again without changing its direction. It was stored in. FIG. 6 shows a conventional work transfer device used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment. As shown in FIG. 6, the conventional work transfer device lowers the tray 2 one pitch at a time using a feed screw 4 that is vertically supported on the base plate 1, and first transfers the semiconductor element (hereinafter referred to as the work) 6 at the lowest stage. The tray 2 is lowered to the supply height position, the tray 2 is made to stand by at that height position, the lowermost workpiece 6 is taken out from the tray 2, and the workpiece 6 is supported by the transport rails 5 on both sides of the lower part, and transferred to the processing section. (not shown)
send to. In this state, wait until the processing of the semiconductor elements is completed, and then transfer the processed workpiece 6 to the transport rail 5.
Then put it back in its original position. When the storage of the workpiece 6 is completed, the tray 2 is lowered by rotating the feed screw 4, and the workpiece 7 in the second stage in the workpiece 2 is lowered to the height of the transport rail, and the feed screw 4 is lowered. rotates and stops, performs a feeding operation of the workpiece 7, and after the workpiece 7 is supplied to the transport rail 5 and performs a predetermined manufacturing operation, performs a storing operation again. The above operations are performed from the bottom workpiece 6 to the top workpiece 11.
The processing of the workpieces in the tray 2 is completed by sequentially performing the processing up to the step up to this step.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

Conventional workpiece conveyance devices have to operate in the sequence of storing the workpiece, lowering the tray, and feeding the workpiece after completing the specified manufacturing operation of the workpiece and moving on to the next workpiece. The drawback was that it took a considerable amount of time to replace it.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and provides a device that can shorten the replacement time in order to increase the operating time of the manufacturing device.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention raises or lowers a tray on which semiconductor elements are mounted in multiple stages one above the other, one pitch at a time, takes out the semiconductor elements from the tray, supports the semiconductor elements on both sides of the lower part of the tray with conveyor rails, and supplies the semiconductor elements to a processing section. , in a workpiece transfer device that stores semiconductor devices after processing back into their original positions on a tray, the tray-side end of the transfer rail is connected to a supply rail that transfers and receives semiconductor devices taken out from the tray to and from a subsequent transfer rail; , and a storage rail that transfers processed semiconductor devices reversely transported from the subsequent transport rail to and from the supply rail, and the storage rail is installed so as to be able to rise and fall to the height of the supply rail, and the supply rail This is a work transfer device for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, characterized in that a rail is installed so that it can be expanded in the horizontal direction.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, a feed screw 4 is vertically attached to a base plate 1, a tray holder 3 is supported on the feed screw 4 so as to be movable up and down, and works 6 to 11 are attached to the holder 3.
A tray 2 is set in which the trays are loaded in multiple stages above and below.

A transport rail 5 is installed horizontally at the height of the workpiece supply, and the end of the transport rail 5 on the tray side is divided into two, a supply rail 12 and a storage rail 13, and a part of the storage rail 13 is placed between the supply rail 12. are arranged, and the supply rail 12 and the storage rail 13 are arranged and installed one after the other. Furthermore, the supply rail 12 is installed horizontally at the same height position as the transport rail 5 and is installed so that it can be expanded left and right, and the storage rail 13 is installed so that it can be raised and lowered to the height position of the supply rail 12.

Next, the sequence of workpiece supply and storage operations based on the operations of the supply rail and the storage rail will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 2, the supplied workpiece 6 is taken out onto the supply rail 12. In this case, one storage rail 13 is lowered. The workpiece 6 on the supply rail 12 is transferred onto the transport rail 5 and sent to the processing section.

As shown in FIG. 3, after a predetermined manufacturing operation has been completed, the workpiece 6 is conveyed back onto the supply rail 12 through the conveyance rail 5. On the other hand, the storage rail 13 rises to the level of the supply rail 12, at which point the supply rail 12 moves outward, and the workpiece 6 is transferred from the supply rail 12 to the storage rail 13.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the storage rail 13 on which the workpiece 6 has been transferred descends, the supply rail 13
moves to its original inner position. In this state, the workpiece 6 is in a position where it can be stored, and the supply rail 12 is in a position where it can supply the next workpiece. During this time, the tray 2 is lowered by one pitch.

As shown in FIG. 5, the workpiece 6 placed on the storage rail 13 is stored in the original position within the tray 2, and the next workpiece 7 is supplied to the supply rail 12.

The above operations are repeated to process the works 6 to 11 in the tray 2.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention allows the operation of taking out the workpiece from the tray and the operation of storing the workpiece into the tray to proceed simultaneously, reducing the time required for replacing the workpiece, and thus improving the manufacturing apparatus. This has the effect of improving the operating rate of the system.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
5 to 5 are operation explanatory diagrams, and FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing a conventional example. 2...Tray, 5...Transportation rail, 6-11...
...Work, 12... Supply rail, 13... Storage rail.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Raise or lower a tray on which semiconductor elements are loaded in multiple stages vertically one pitch at a time, take out semiconductor elements from the tray, support the semiconductor elements on both sides of the lower part of the tray with conveyor rails, and supply them to the processing section for processing. In a workpiece transfer device that stores a subsequent semiconductor device back into its original position on a tray, the tray-side end of the transfer rail is connected to a supply rail that transfers a semiconductor device taken out from the tray to and from a subsequent transfer rail, and a subsequent transfer rail. The storage rail is divided into a storage rail and a storage rail that transfers processed semiconductor devices reversely transported from the transport rail to and from the supply rail, and the storage rail is installed so that it can be raised and lowered to a height position of the supply rail, and the supply rail is A workpiece transfer device for semiconductor manufacturing equipment characterized by being installed so that it can be expanded in the horizontal direction.