JPH0936196A - Product transfer mechanism in a clean room - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [PROBLEMS] Since a cassette dam for storing products waiting to be processed is installed on the floor surface, it is not possible to secure a distance from an operator, and it is not possible to maintain the cleanliness of the products. The installation space is reduced and the increase in throughput cannot be dealt with. A cassette dam (11) is attached to an overhead shuttle (10) extending along a transfer path on a ceiling of a clean room. Further, a traverser 12 for transferring the wafer cassette 2 between the shuttle running in the overhead shuttle 10 and the cassette dam 11 is attached to the overhead shuttle 10. A lifter 14 is attached to the pillar 13 standing upright from the floor so that the lifter 14 can move up and down. A mounting table 16 is attached to the lower side of the column 13, and the traverser 1 is attached to the mounting table 16.
5 is attached.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a product transfer mechanism in a clean room in a semiconductor device manufacturing line, for which high cleanliness is required.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, since a high degree of cleanliness is required to manufacture a semiconductor device, a manufacturing line is built in a clean room. In this clean room, for example, a HEPA filter is arranged on the ceiling, and punching or grating with a constant aperture ratio is laid on the floor. Then, the air is forcibly pulled from under the floor, and the air is made to flow from the ceiling toward the floor (downflow), and the fine particles floating in the clean room are discharged. Further, the fine particles contained in the air flowing in from the ceiling are removed when passing through the HEPA filter, and the decrease in cleanliness in the clean room is prevented. In this type of semiconductor device manufacturing line, a wafer is sequentially flowed through a processing device in each process and subjected to necessary processing. Each part of the manufacturing line is provided with a cassette dam or a product storage shelf for storing a wafer cassette containing wafers waiting to be processed.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a conventional product storage shelf. In the drawing, 1 is a product storage shelf, 2 is a wafer cassette as a product for storing wafers, and A is an operator. The product storage rack 1 configured in this manner is installed on the floor surface of the clean room at each part of the production line. Then, the worker A carries the wafer cassette 2 to the product placing shelf 1 and places the wafer cassette 2 on the product placing shelf 1 and waits for processing. Therefore, when loading the wafer into the processing apparatus, the worker A takes out the wafer cassette 2 in which the wafers to be processed are stored from the product placing shelf 1 and loads it into the processing apparatus.

However, since the wafer cassette 2 waiting for processing is placed on the conventional product shelf 1 in the exposed state, the wafers stored in the wafer cassette 2 are downflowed. There is a drawback that it is easily affected by the falling particles and the particles generated by the operator A.

As an improvement measure, a cassette dam as shown in FIG. 6 has been proposed. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a conventional cassette dam. In FIG. 6, 3 is a cassette dam for accommodating a wafer cassette 2. The cassette dam 3 has a plurality of shelves 3b in a box-shaped casing 3a having an open front surface. Is, for example, in a merry-go-round style, the front side is lifted from the bottom to the top,
Then, it is installed so that it moves to the back surface side at the upper part, then descends the back surface side from the upper part to the lower part, and then moves to the front surface side at the lower part.

The conventional cassette dam 3 thus constructed is installed on each floor of the production line on the floor of the clean room. Then, the wafer cassette 2 transferred
Is placed on the shelf 3b, stored in the cassette dam 3, and is in a processing waiting state. At this time, the particles falling along the downflow are prevented from adhering to the wafer in the wafer cassette 2 by the housing 3a, and the cleanliness of the wafer is maintained. Therefore, when loading the wafer cassette 2 into the processing apparatus, the wafer cassette 2 in which the wafers to be processed are stored is housed in the housing 3.
The shelf 3b is moved in a merry-go-round manner so as to come to the front of a, and the wafer cassette 2 is taken out and put into the processing apparatus.

[0007]

In the conventional semiconductor device manufacturing line, since the cassette dam 3 for storing the wafer cassette 2 waiting for processing is installed on the floor surface, it is necessary to secure an installation space in the manufacturing line. there were. However, as the amount of processing increases, a large number of processing devices are installed and become overcrowded, and the installation of the cassette dam 3 is limited to a limited narrow place. Therefore, since it is installed in a limited narrow space, a sufficient distance from the worker A cannot be secured, and it is easily affected by fine particles generated from the worker A, and it becomes impossible to maintain the cleanliness of the wafer. There is a problem that the installation space of the processing device on the manufacturing line is reduced and it becomes impossible to cope with the increase in the processing amount. In addition, the wafer cassette 2 between the cassette dams 3
Since the above-mentioned is carried out manually, there is a problem that the worker A takes a lot of labor and the carrying time is long.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a dam for storing products waiting to be processed is installed on the ceiling side to secure a distance from the worker, and The purpose of the invention is to obtain a product transfer mechanism in a clean room that can eliminate the influence of dust generation, maintain the cleanliness of the product, suppress the reduction of the installation space of the processing equipment on the manufacturing line, and cope with the increase in the throughput. . Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a product transfer mechanism in a clean room in which a transfer path to a dam is provided to reduce the manual transfer of the product and reduce the labor of the operator and the product transfer time.

[0009]

A product transfer mechanism in a clean room according to a first aspect of the present invention is provided with an overhead shuttle extending along a product transfer path on a ceiling of the clean room, and a product mounted on the overhead shuttle. A carrier that travels in the overhead shuttle, a dam that is arranged in the vicinity of the overhead shuttle and that stores a product, and a first hand mechanism that grips the product and transfers the product between the carrier and the dam.
A column that stands upright on the floor so as to be close to the overhead shuttle, a mounting table that is placed on the lower side of the column, and is vertically mounted on the column so that the product can be gripped between the carrier and the mounting table. And a lifter for transferring the.

Further, a product conveying mechanism in a clean room according to a second invention of the present invention is the second hand mechanism according to the first invention, which grips the product and transfers it between the mounting table and the processing device. It is equipped with.

Further, a product conveying mechanism in a clean room according to a third invention of the present invention is the same as the first or second invention, wherein the dam is provided with a plurality of openings vertically extending therethrough.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a product transport mechanism in a clean room according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same or corresponding parts as those of the conventional product shelf and cassette dam shown in FIGS. The same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted. In the figure, 10 is an overhead shuttle suspended from the ceiling of the clean room along the transfer path of the wafer cassette 2, and 11 is an opening 11.
Reference numeral a is a box-shaped cassette dam as a dam having a plurality of holes formed on the bottom plate, and the cassette dam 11 is attached to a predetermined position of the overhead shuttle 10. Reference numeral 12 is a traverser as a first hand mechanism attached to the overhead shuttle 10 so as to be located in the vicinity of the cassette dam 11. The traverser 12 includes a hand 12a for gripping the wafer cassette 2 and the inside of the overhead shuttle 10. The wafer cassette 2 conveyed is grasped and stored in the cassette dam 11, and the wafer cassette 2 accommodated in the cassette dam 11 is grasped and transferred into the overhead shuttle 10. Reference numeral 13 is a pillar that is erected so as to reach the ceiling from the floor surface close to the processing device through the vicinity of the overhead shuttle 10. Reference numeral 14 is a lifter that is attached to the pillar 13 so as to be vertically movable. A hand 14a for holding the wafer cassette 2 is provided, and a vertical shaft 14b is provided.
It is configured to be rotatable around. Reference numeral 15 is a traverser as a second hand mechanism installed on a mounting table 16 attached to the lower side of the column 13, and reference numeral 15a is a hand of the traverser 15 that holds the wafer cassette 2.

The structure of the overhead shuttle 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The overhead shuttle 10 has a pair of side plates 16 arranged to face each other, and three electromagnets 17 are arranged at predetermined intervals at the bottom of the side plates 16. Each side plate 16 has a rail portion 18 extending in the length direction. Also,
Rollers 20 are attached to both side surfaces of the carrier 19, a mounting table 21 is provided on an upper portion thereof, and an iron plate 2 is further provided on a lower portion thereof.
2 is attached and configured. The carrier 19 is mounted in the overhead shuttle 10 so that the roller 20 travels on the rail portion 18.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In a clean room in which a semiconductor device manufacturing line is constructed, the overhead shuttle 10 moves along the transfer path of the wafer cassette 2 to the ceiling 2
It is suspended from No. 4. The cassette dam 11 and the traverser 12 are attached to the overhead shuttle 10 at predetermined positions. Further, the columns 13 are erected so as to reach the ceiling 24 from the floor surface 23. At this time, in the cassette dam 11, from the ceiling 24 to the floor surface 23
The air flowing toward the air flows through the opening 11a provided in the cassette dam 11, and the downflow in the clean room is maintained without disturbing the air flow.

Then, the wafer cassette 2 for storing the wafers processed by the processing apparatus on the manufacturing line is gripped by the hand 15a of the traverser 15 and moved onto the mounting table 16. Then, the lifter 14 is lowered to a predetermined position, the hand 14a is closed, and the wafer cassette 2 is gripped. Next, the lifter 14 is lifted up, and after being lifted to the uppermost position, it is rotated 90 ° around the vertical shaft 14b.
At this time, the wafer cassette 2 held by the lifter 14
Is a carrier 19 traveling in the overhead shuttle 10.
It is located above the mounting table 21 of. Next, the lifter 14 is lowered until the wafer cassette 2 is mounted on the mounting table 21 of the carrier 19. Then, the hand 14a is opened and the wafer cassette 2 is placed on the placing table 21. Thereafter, the lifter 14 is raised to a position where the hand 14a and the wafer cassette 2 do not interfere with each other, and the vertical shaft 14 is moved there.
It is rotated 90 ° around b.

Therefore, three electromagnets 17 connected in series are provided.
Of these, the electromagnet 17 that is close to the carrier 19 is first excited. Then, a suction force acts on the iron plate 22 below the carrier 19, so that the roller 20 of the carrier 19 moves to the rail portion 1.
Electromagnet 1 guided and excited while rotating 8
Move to the top of 7. Then, the electromagnet 17 is demagnetized, the adjacent electromagnet 17 is excited, and the carrier 19 further moves. In this way three electromagnets 1
By sequentially exciting (demagnetizing) 7, the carrier 19 is accelerated, and when it passes the three electromagnets 17, it travels to the position of the next three electromagnets 17 due to its inertial force. When the carrier 19 arrives at a predetermined place, the traverser 12
Is operated, the wafer cassette 2 mounted on the mounting table 21 is gripped by the hand 12a, and the cassette dam 1
1 to move the wafer cassette 2 to the cassette dam 11
To store.

The wafer cassette 2 for storing the processed wafers is conveyed in this manner and stored in the cassette dam 11, and is in a processing waiting state. Next, when the wafer cassette 2 waiting for processing is processed, the wafer cassette 2 is transferred to the processing apparatus by the operation reverse to the above operation. That is, the wafer cassette 2 to be processed is the hand 12 a of the traverser 12.
It is gripped by and is moved from the inside of the cassette dam 11 onto the mounting table 21 of the carrier 19, and the carrier 19 travels inside the overhead shuttle 10 to a predetermined position. Then, the hand 14a of the lifter 14 holds the support 13
And is moved down onto the mounting table 16. After that, it is gripped by the hand 15a of the traverser 15 and loaded into the processing device.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the cassette dam 11 for accommodating the wafer cassettes 2 waiting to be processed.
Is installed on the ceiling 24 side of the clean room,
Therefore, the installation space of the processing apparatus in the mass production line is secured, the increase of the processing amount can be coped with, and the distance between the wafer cassette 2 waiting for the processing and the worker is sufficiently secured, so that the influence of dust from the worker is reduced. Without receiving, the cleanliness of the wafer cassette 2 can be maintained and the yield can be improved. Further, since the cassette dam 11 is provided with the opening 11a, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of air flow turbulence in the clean room and maintain the downflow.

Further, the overhead shuttle 10 is extended to the ceiling 24 along the transfer path of the wafer cassette 2, and the carrier 19 for transferring the wafer cassette 2 is movably arranged in the overhead shuttle 10 to transfer the wafer cassette 2 to the wafer cassette 2. The overhead shuttle 10 is provided with a traverser 12 for gripping and transferring between the carrier 19 and the dam 11.
The column 13 is erected on the floor surface 23 so as to be close to the table 13. The mounting table 16 is attached to the lower side of the column 13, and the lifter 14 holds the wafer cassette 2 and transfers it between the carrier 19 and the mounting table 16. Since the wafer cassette 2 is attached to the column 13 so as to be able to move up and down, the wafer cassette 2 waiting for processing can be transferred to the cassette dam 11 without being transferred by the operator, and the labor of the operator and the product transfer time can be reduced. Further, since the traverser 15 is provided on the mounting table 16, the wafer cassette 2 can be transferred between the mounting table 16 and the processing apparatus without the operator having to transport the wafer cassette 2, and the transfer of the wafer cassette 2 can be automated, thereby improving efficiency. It can be transported well.

Here, so-called robot hands can be used as the traversers 12, 15. Also, lifter 1
The opening / closing mechanism of the hand 14a of No. 4 can be performed using an actuator, for example. In addition, the lifting mechanism of the lifter 14 includes, for example, a screw rod arranged vertically in the support column 13, a screw hole is screwed into an end portion of the lifter 14, and the screw hole is screwed into the screw rod to screw it. A mechanism for converting the rotation torque of the rod into the lifting torque can be used. The drive of each mechanism is
It can be performed by a controller (not shown).

[0021]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has the following effects.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the overhead shuttle is provided on the ceiling of the clean room along the transfer route of the product, the carrier carrying the product and traveling in the overhead shuttle, and the overhead shuttle. A dam that is arranged in close proximity to store the product, a first hand mechanism that grips the product and transfers it between the carrier and the dam, and a pillar that is erected on the floor so as to be close to the overhead shuttle. And a mounting table arranged on the lower side of the supporting column, and a lifter mounted on the supporting column so as to be able to move up and down so as to grip the product and transfer it between the carrier and the mounting table. The installation space of the device is secured,
It is possible to cope with an increase in the processing amount, a sufficient distance is secured between the product waiting to be processed and the worker, the yield is increased without being affected by dust generated by the worker, and the worker can transport the product. It is possible to obtain a product transfer mechanism in a clean room that can transfer the product waiting to be processed to the dam without doing so and reduce the labor of the worker and the product transfer time.

Further, according to the second invention of the present invention, in the first invention, since the second hand mechanism for gripping the product and transferring it between the mounting table and the processing device is provided, This makes it possible to automate the transportation of products, eliminates the need for transportation by workers, greatly shortens the transportation time, and enables efficient transportation.

Further, according to the third invention of the present invention, in the first or second invention, since the dam is provided with a plurality of openings penetrating in the vertical direction, the downflow in the clean room is maintained. be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a product transfer mechanism in a clean room according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an overhead shuttle in the product transfer mechanism in the clean room according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the operation of the product transfer mechanism in the clean room according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a conventional product storage shelf.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a conventional cassette dam.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 wafer cassette (product), 10 overhead shuttle, 11 cassette dam (dam), 11a opening, 1
2 traverser (first hand mechanism), 13 columns, 14
Lifter, 15 traverser (second hand mechanism), 1
6 table, 19 carriers, 23 floors, 24 ceilings.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An overhead shuttle extending along a product transfer path on a ceiling of a clean room, a carrier that carries the product and travels in the overhead shuttle, and is arranged in proximity to the overhead shuttle. And a dam for accommodating the product, a first hand mechanism for gripping the product and transferring the carrier between the carrier and the dam, and a pillar standing on the floor so as to be close to the overhead shuttle. A mounting table arranged on the lower side of the column, and a lifter mounted on the column so as to be able to move up and down to grip the product and transfer the carrier between the carrier and the mounting table. A product transfer mechanism in a clean room. 2. The product transfer mechanism in a clean room according to claim 1, further comprising a second hand mechanism for gripping the product and transferring the product between the mounting table and the processing device. 3. The product transfer mechanism in a clean room according to claim 1, wherein the dam is provided with a plurality of openings extending vertically.