JPH0570936B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field] The present invention relates to a wafer transfer jig that can easily transfer wafers between a cartridge and a quartz jig.

[Background technology]

As the degree of integration of semiconductor products increases, circuit patterns are becoming increasingly finer. The minimum line width of an IC pattern has gone through 3 μm, 2 μm, and is about to become less than 1 μm. In semiconductor manufacturing processes under these circumstances, in order to accurately form fine patterns and improve yield (probe yield), it is important to reduce contamination from wafer dust, and sometimes to reduce adhering dust. For example, Electronic Materials, 1982,
“Wafer processing system” by Nagatomo et al. in special issue, pp. 119-116, or Hitachi Hyoron, Vol. 65,
No. 7 (1983), pp. 39-42, in the article entitled "Particle Detection by Surface Inspection Device" by Yakake et al.

The wafer can be handled with tweezers, vacuum tweezers, etc., as described in the article by Ogi entitled "Part Handling System" in Electronic Materials, July issue, 1975, pp. 92-99, or in the article by Nagatomo et al. The wafers are handled by single wafer processing using a wafer transfer device, or by batch processing of all wafers in a cartridge using a transfer machine called a dump transfer device, an index transition device, or the like.

By the way, when processing wafers using the tweezers, etc., when the wafers are placed in and out of the cartridge or quartz jig, the wafers may hit the edges of the storage grooves and be damaged (creating cracks or chips), or new wafers may be created due to the damage. There is a drawback that it causes the generation of foreign substances.
Further, as mentioned above, when the wafer is handled directly, the tweezers come into contact with it, and the periphery of the wafer comes into contact with the cartridge or quartz jig, resulting in foreign matter adhering to the wafer and contaminating the wafer. These are described in the literature by Nagatomo et al. The state of contamination of wafers due to contact with tweezers is described in detail in the above-mentioned document by Yakake et al.

However, since wafer handling using tweezers or the like is a single wafer process, it is time consuming and has low workability. Therefore, the work of transferring wafers between a cartridge and a quartz jig is efficiently performed by batch processing using a transfer machine. Furthermore, the above-mentioned document by Nagatomo et al. shows an example in which chipping around a wafer is caused by a dump transfer, which is superior to a method using tweezers or the like.

Furthermore, increasing the diameter of wafers is being promoted to improve yields. Large-diameter wafers have a large weight, so they are difficult to hold with vacuum tweezers, and holding them requires skill. In addition, there have been accidents in which large-diameter wafers fall off the vacuum tweezers while being held by the tweezers and transferred between cartridge jigs. It has become clear that the yield is decreasing even though

The present invention thus relates to a transfer machine (article transfer jig).

[Purpose of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a wafer transfer jig that hardly causes damage or contamination of wafers during wafer transfer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wafer transfer jig with high wafer transfer efficiency.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[Summary of the invention]

A brief overview of typical inventions disclosed in this application is as follows.

That is, the wafer transfer jig of the present invention lowers the cartridge containing wafers onto the jig set table of the wafer transfer jig from above along the guide of the article transfer jig. The wafer inside is transferred onto a quartz jig placed in advance on the top surface of a jig setting table, and the quartz jig can be handled freely. In addition, since a pair of insertion holes are pre-prepared on the side of the quartz jig, the quartz jig can be carried to the predetermined location by inserting a fork into these insertion holes and carrying the fork to the predetermined location. It is becoming possible to do this. As a result, during the wafer transfer operation, the wafer does not come into direct contact with tools such as tweezers, and contamination of the wafer can be prevented. In addition, by slowly lowering the cartridge to the jig setting table, the shock of contacting the wafer with the quartz jig can be alleviated, thereby preventing damage to the wafer and the generation of foreign matter associated with this. . Furthermore, since the wafer transfer operation is performed by batch processing, which is the transfer of the entire cartridge, high efficiency of the transfer operation can be achieved.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wafer transfer jig according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially sectional view showing a wafer transfer start state, and FIG.
Figure 4 is a plan view showing the jig set, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the wafer being transferred from the cartridge to the quartz jig, and Figure 5 is the quartz jig being transported from the jig setting table to a predetermined location. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wafer transfer jig of the present invention consists of a transfer jig main body 1, a jig setting table 5, and a holding jig 2, all of which are made of metal, such as stainless steel. ing.

The transfer jig main body 1 has a base 3 serving as a rectangular plate-shaped bottom surface, and guides 4 with an elongated L-shaped cross section that are vertically installed at each of the four corners of the base 3.
A jig setting table 5 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the base 3.

The four guides 4 are adapted to guide a plastic cartridge 7 containing 25 wafers 6. That is, each guide 4 has its perpendicular opening portion facing inward, and guides the outer surface of the four corners of the cartridge 7 from the outside. The wafers 6 are accommodated with their peripheral edges inserted into 25 accommodation grooves 9 provided vertically in parallel on the inner walls of a pair of side plates 8 of the cartridge 7 facing each other. As described above, the cartridge 7 consists of a pair of side plates 8 and a connecting portion 10 that connects both end portions of the side plates 8.
Although the upper and lower sides are open, the accommodating groove 9 is provided only up to the vicinity of the lower end of the side plate 8, so that the wafer 6 does not fall out from below the cartridge 7. Therefore, the wafers 6 are taken in and out of the cartridge 7 from above.

The connecting portion 10 connects the pair of side plates 8 to each other at the vertical center of each end.
A jig insertion space 8 a is formed at the end of the cartridge 7 above the connecting portion 10 .

On the other hand, the jig setting table 5 provided at the center of the base 3 has a space area 11 formed by the pair of side plates 8 of the cartridge 7 and the connecting part 10.
The vertical and horizontal dimensions are smaller than the However, the height of the jig setting table 5 is higher than the height of the connecting portion 10 of the cartridge 7, and has a height corresponding to the position of the jig insertion space 8a at the end of the cartridge. As will be described later, when the cartridge 7 is placed on the base 3, the quartz jig 12 placed on the jig setting table 5 is moved by the holding jig 2 to the cartridge insertion space 8a. This is to enable stable holding at a position lower than the upper end surface of 7. A quartz jig 12, which is a heat treatment jig, is placed on the jig setting table 5. This quartz jig 12 includes a pair of rods 13 extending in parallel, a connecting body 14 connecting both ends of these rods 13, and an elongated quartz jig fixed to the upper surface of the rods 13 along the rods 13. Pedestal rod 1
It consists of 5. Further, the pair of pedestal rods 1
The spacing between the rods 5 is wider than the spacing between the rods 13, making it easier to receive the wafer 6. A housing groove 16 (see FIG. 2) is provided on the upper surface of each of the pedestal rods 15 to accommodate 25 wafers 6. Naturally, the pitch of the accommodation groove 16 of the quartz jig 12 and the pitch of the accommodation groove 9 of the cartridge 7 are, for example, 2.5 mm or 5 mm.
is the same as Furthermore, this quartz jig 12
Also, the vertical and horizontal dimensions are smaller than the spatial area 11 of the cartridge 7. As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of positioning pieces 17 are provided on the upper surface of the jig setting table 5, and are fitted into the inner spaces of both ends of the quartz jig 12. ing.

On the other hand, the holding jig 2 has a fork shape. That is, the holding jig 2 has an elongated grip portion 18.
and an elongated insertion part 19 that bifurcates at the tip of the grip part 18 and extends in parallel. The insertion portion 19 of this holding jig 2 is inserted into an insertion hole 20 (see FIG. 2) provided in advance in the quartz jig 12. The insertion hole 20 is formed by making the rod 13 into a tube.

Next, a method of using such a wafer transfer jig will be explained.

First, as shown in FIG.
The cartridge 7 containing the wafer 6 is prepared.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the cartridge 7 is attached to the transfer jig main body 1 using the guide 4. The cartridge 7 is slowly lowered while being guided by the guide 4 on the outer surface of the four corners and placed on the upper surface of the base 3. When this cartridge 7 descends,
The wafer 6 housed in the cartridge 7 is transferred by passing through the jig setting table 5. The cartridge 7 is positioned by the guide 4 of the transfer jig main body 1, and the quartz jig 12 is positioned by the positioning piece 17 provided on the jig set base 5 of the transfer jig main body 1. , the accommodation groove 9 of the cartridge 7 and the accommodation groove 16 of the quartz jig 12 correspond to each other. Therefore, when the wafer 6 is moved from the cartridge 7 to the quartz jig 12, it is accurately placed in the quartz jig 1.
It fits into the housing groove 16 of No. 2. Furthermore, at this time, the quartz jig 12 is exposed above the cartridge 7.

Next, the holding jig 2 is attached to the quartz jig 12. That is, the operator holds the grip part 1 of the holding jig 2.
8 and insert the insertion part 19 into the insertion hole 2 of the quartz jig 12.
Insert into 0. At that time, the holding jig 2 is inserted through the jig insertion space 8a provided at the end of the cartridge 7. Then the fifth
As shown in the figure, the holding jig 2 is moved upward, and the quartz jig 12 is moved to the table 21.
carried upwards. The holding jig 2 is pulled out from the quartz jig 12 on the table 21, and the work of transferring the wafer 6 from the cartridge 7 to the quartz jig 12 is completed.

In addition, when transferring the wafer 6 from the quartz jig 12 to the cartridge 7, the transfer procedure may be reversed to the above-described transfer procedure. That is, first, an empty cartridge 7 is mounted on the transfer jig main body 1, and then the cartridge 7 containing the wafer 6 is placed on the jig setting table 5 by the holding jig 2. Thereafter, the empty cartridge 7 is slowly lifted. Then, when the cartridge 7 passes the quartz jig 12, the wafers 6 accommodated in the quartz jig 12 enter the accommodation groove 9 of the cartridge 7, and all the wafers 6 are transferred to the cartridge 7.

The embodiments described above are particularly effective techniques when handling wafers with large cross sections. When handling a wafer with a large cross section using vacuum tweezers or the like, the wafer itself is heavy and handling is extremely difficult even for experienced users. but,
By using the transfer jig of the present invention, excellent effects are obtained even in handling large diameter wafers.

〔effect〕

1. The wafer transfer jig of the present invention achieves
Since the wafers are automatically transferred from one side to the other, the wafers do not come into contact with the wafers during the wafer transfer operation, and the wafers 6 are not contaminated.

2 According to the present invention, when transferring the wafer 6 between the cartridge 7 and the quartz jig 12, the speed at which the two slide through is sufficiently controlled by the operator, and the wafer 6 is transferred to the other storage groove. Since the shock at the time of contact can be made small, the occurrence of damage such as cracks and chips in the wafer 6 can be reduced, and the manufacturing yield can be improved.

3 Furthermore, according to the present invention, when the cartridge is attached to and detached from the jig main body, the outer surface of the four corners of the cartridge 7 is guided by guides, so that when the operator moves the cartridge up and down during attachment and detachment, In addition, the outer surface of the cartridge can be reliably viewed, resulting in extremely good workability and efficient transfer work.

4 In addition, since the holding jig can be inserted into the rod of the wafer quartz jig in the jig insertion space formed at the end of the cartridge, the top surface of the jig setting table can be set higher than the vertical dimension of the cartridge. It is possible to set the length to be short, and the jig setting table can be lowered to achieve miniaturization of the jig, and the wafer can be stably supported when transferring the wafer.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically explained based on Examples above, the present invention is not limited to the above Examples, and it is understood that various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. Needless to say. For example, even if various commonly used mechanisms are used for the cartridge position guide in the transfer jig main body, the quartz jig holding mechanism, etc., the same effects as in the embodiments described above can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wafer transfer jig according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially sectional view showing a wafer transfer start state, and FIG.
Figure 4 is a plan view showing the jig setting table, Figure 4 is a sectional view showing the state in which a wafer is transferred from the cartridge to the quartz jig, and Figure 5 is a sectional view showing the quartz jig being transferred from the jig setting table to a predetermined location. It is a sectional view showing a state. 1... Transfer jig main body, 2... Holding jig, 3...
Base, 4...Guide, 5...Jig setting table, 6
...Wafer, 7...Cartridge, 8...Side plate,
9... Accommodation groove, 10... Connecting portion, 11... Spatial area, 12... Quartz jig, 13... Rod body, 14...
Connecting body, 15... Pedestal rod, 16... Accommodating groove, 17
... Positioning piece, 18 ... Grip section, 19 ... Insertion section, 20 ... Insertion hole, 21 ... Table.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1 A pair of side plates 8 facing each other, and a connection that connects and holds the side plates 8 at the ends thereof so as to maintain a predetermined distance from each other, and forms a jig insertion space 8a in the upper part. 10, a wafer cartridge 7 which is provided vertically in parallel on opposing surfaces of the pair of side plates 8 to hold wafers, and is open at the top and bottom; a base 3; and the base 3. a jig main body 1 having guides 4 vertically disposed at each of the four corners of the wafer cartridge for guiding and positioning the outer surface of the corner of the wafer cartridge; A jig setting table 5 having almost the same height as the tool insertion space 8a, a pair of pedestal rods 15 located at a predetermined distance from each other and each having a receiving groove 16 for holding a wafer, and the pedestal. A fork-shaped holding jig 2 is integrated with the rod 15 and is composed of a pair of rods 13 having a horizontal insertion hole 20 inserted horizontally through the jig insertion space 8a, and the jig set A wafer quartz jig 12 that is removably placed on the top surface of the table 5, and a jig having the wafer quartz jig 12 set on the top surface of the wafer cartridge 7 containing a plurality of wafers 6. The plurality of wafers 6 are placed in the wafer quartz jig 12 at the height of the jig insertion space 8a by moving the wafer cartridge downward with respect to the setting table 5 while guiding the outer surface of the corner of the wafer cartridge with the guide 4. A wafer transfer jig characterized by being adapted to transfer wafers.