JPS60202014A - Conveying direction changer for semiconductor wafer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a semiconductor wafer conveyable without any damage to it, by rolling an eccentric pulley on one side of conveying belts being intercrossed, while constituting a point on the other side conveying belt so as to move up and down in describing a curve similar to a sine curve. CONSTITUTION:A conveying belt installed along a conveying passage in an A direction is drived into the upstream side 4a and the downstream side 4b, and each of them is rolled on each pulley 3, while a conveying roller 7 is installed in an interseting point where both these belts 4a and 4b are separated away. On the other hand, a conveying device 8 in a B direction is installed as being intersected with this conveying roller. This conveying device 8 rotates a conveying belt being rolled on between double pulleys 9b and 9b' by a driving motor 10, while it is constituted so as to a wave-motion belt 4e being rolled on between more two double pulleys 9b' and two eccentric pulley 9d. And, the wavemotion belt 4e is made to describe a curve similar to a sine curve whereby a wafer is conveyed after changing its direction from the A direction to the B direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention is directed to changing the direction of conveyance of a semiconductor uni-no while being conveyed by a belt, thereby branching the conveyance route.

It relates to a device that performs merging or merging (or both).

[Background of the invention]

Semiconductor wafers are generally thin plate-like members, and adhesion of foreign substances and sliding contact are extremely disliked. For this reason, the semiconductor wafer is often transported by being placed on two parallel transport belts.

When semiconductor wafers are mass-flow produced according to a complicated process, it is often necessary to change the transport direction and branch or merge the flows.

To change the conveyance direction (a) Butsusha or ←)
Conventionally, either a belt that drives the semiconductor wafer up and down while the belt is being conveyed has been used.

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically drawn to explain the conventional bushing type device.

A pulley mount 1 is installed along the wafer 2 transport path arrow A, and supports a large number of pulleys 3 in a d row. Two conveyor belts 4 are supported by the two rows of pulleys 3, and the wafers 2 are placed thereon and conveyed in the direction of arrow A.

When the wafer 2 is to be transferred onto the conveyor 5 in the direction of the arrow B by branching from the above-mentioned conveyance path arrow A, the conveyor belt 4 is stopped at the point where the wafer 2 approaches the branching point as shown by the chain line, and the conveyor belt 4 is separately installed. The pusher 6 pushes out the wafer 2 in the direction of arrow B'. This device has a separate button, so the entire conveyance device is large.

This is not preferable because it becomes expensive and there is a risk that the wafer 2 on the conveyor belt 4 may be forcibly pushed out to the side and cause scratches on the wafer 2.

Although not shown, a conveyance direction changing device has also been proposed in which two sets of conveyance means, one in the direction of arrow A and the other in the direction of arrow B, are installed to intersect with each other, and both conveyance means are moved up and down with respect to each other to transfer wafers. However, the mechanism is complicated and expensive.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and is a simple and inexpensive semiconductor wafer transport direction changing device that does not apply excessive force to the wafer to be transported and does not cause scratches. This is what we are trying to provide.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the conversion device of the present invention divides and separates one of the intersecting conveyance belts at the intersection, and provides a conveyance roller near the intersection so that the conveyance by the one belt can be continued. constitute, and
The other of the intersecting conveyor belts is wound around an eccentric pulley so that a point on the other belt moves up and down drawing a curve similar to a sine curve, and the crest point of the curve similar to the sine curve is The present invention is characterized in that the top surface of the transport roller is higher than the top surface of the transport roller, and the bottom point of the wave is lower than the top surface of the transport roller.

[Embodiments of the invention]

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

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the conveyance direction changing device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the same.

A conveyance belt provided along the conveyance path in the direction of the arrow is divided near the intersection into an upstream bell) 4a and a downstream bell) 4b, each of which is wound around a pulley 3 to constitute a conveyance means in the direction of the arrow. .

At the intersection where the upstream conveyor belt 4a and the downstream conveyor belt 4b are separated, a conveyor roller 7 having a conveyance function in the direction of the arrow is provided, and the conveyor belt 4a is conveyed in the direction of the arrow by the upstream conveyor belt 4a. The wafer 2 is delivered to the transport roller rough, and further delivered to the downstream transport bell (4b) so that it can pass through the intersection.

A conveyance means 8 in the direction of arrow B is provided intersecting with the conveyance means in the direction of arrow B as described below.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the above-mentioned conveying means 8.
−■Draw a cross section.

9 is a pulley mounting base, one boo IJ9a, one double type goo IJ9b, and two double type pulleys 9b.
'I support this.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a drive motor that drives the double pulley 9b via a drive boo 1) 9c and a drive bell 4c.

A conveyor belt 4d is wound between the double-boot IJ9b and the double-boot IJ9b', and the belt 4d and the double-boot IJ9b' are driven and rotated.

The two double pulleys 9b' are coaxially fixed to each other and rotate together, and the conveyor belt 4d' shown in FIG. 2 is also driven together.

The two pulleys 9d are eccentric pulleys and are supported by a pulley shaft 9d-1.

The above two double pulleys 9b' and the two eccentric pulleys 1J9
d and wind the wave bell) 4e respectively.

As shown in FIG. 3, the eccentric goo IJ9d reciprocates between the dotted line position and the dashed-dotted line position as it rotates.

Figure 4 is a side view schematically drawn to explain the operation.
The right half of FIG. 3 is shown.

As the eccentric pulley rotates, it is driven to rotate counterclockwise in the figure while reciprocating between the 9d-u position shown by the broken line and the 9d-d position shown by the dashed-dotted line. Reference numeral 7 denotes a roller for conveyance in the direction indicated by the arrow, which was explained with reference to FIG.

Since the eccentric boot +79d reciprocates up and down, the upper side of the wave bell (4e) wound around it is sent to the left while moving up and down between the dashed line position and the dashed line position shown in the figure.

When observing the locus of one point A on wave bell) 4e, the above vertical movement and leftward movement are combined, and it resembles a sine curve as shown by the two-dot chain line A99B and H2. Draw a waveform.

As a result of the above operation, if a wafer is placed on the transport roller ruff, it is lifted up and sent to the left, then lowered and placed on the transport roller 27, and is intermittently sent to the left. Transfer bell) 4d.

A method of using the transport direction changing device configured as described above will be described below with reference to FIG. 2.

A sensor 11 is provided to detect when the wafer 2 being transported in the direction of arrow A approaches an intersection. When the wafer 11 detects the wafer 2, the conveyance in the direction of the arrow A is stopped.

Next, the motor 10 is operated to cause the wave bell (4e) to perform an operation similar to a sine curve to intermittently convey the ueno S2 in the direction of arrow B.

According to this embodiment, the wafer 2 being transported in the direction of arrow A can be branched in the direction of arrow B using a simple device.

Further, by using the same device and rotating the motor 10 in the reverse direction, the wafer can be fed in the opposite direction of arrow B and merged into the transport path in the direction of arrow A. Then, when the wafer is directly transported in the direction of the arrow B without branching to the transport path arrow B, or when the wafer is fed in the opposite direction of arrow B and the wafer is transported in the direction of arrow A or opposite arrow A. is eccentric goo I
It is also possible to stop JQd at the position 9d-d in Fig. 4 and smoothly transport the wafer in the direction of arrow A or in the opposite direction of the arrow without the wave bell 4c interfering with the wafer on the transport bells 4a and 4b. can.

In the above embodiment, the eccentric pulley 9d was attached to the straight pulley shaft 9d-1, but a crank-shaped pulley shaft (
Even if the pulley is fixed concentrically to the end of the (not shown), an eccentric pulley is constructed, and the same operation and effect as in the previous embodiment can be obtained.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As detailed above, according to the present invention, the conveying direction can be changed with a simple configuration without applying excessive force to the semiconductor wafer, which is the object to be conveyed, and without the risk of causing scratches. .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically drawn to explain a conventional bushing type conveyance direction changing device. 2 to 4 show one embodiment of the conveyance direction changing device according to the invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line ■-■ of FIG. 2, and FIG. It is an action explanatory diagram schematically depicting the right hand part of. 1... Pulley mounting base, 2... Ueno leak, 3... Pulley, 4-... Conveyor belt, 4a... Upstream belt,
4b...downstream belt, 4C...drive bell), 4d
, 4d'...conveyor bell), 4e... wave belt, 5
... Conveyor, 6 ... Button, 7 ... Conveyance roller, 8 ... Conveyance means in the direction of arrow B, 9a ... Pulley, 9b, 9b' ... Double pulley, 9c ... Drive Pulley, 9d... Eccentric pulley, 9d-1... Pulley shaft, 10... Motor, ll... Sensor. Figure 1

Claims (1)

[Claims] In at least one of a device that branches the semiconductor unit in the middle of belt conveyance from the above-mentioned conveyance path and carries it out to the side, and a device that carries the semiconductor Unino from the side into the middle of the above-mentioned conveyance path, intersecting conveyance belts are used. Divide one side at an intersection
5. The belts are separated from each other and conveyance rollers are provided near the intersection so that conveyance by one of the belts can be continued.5. In addition, the other of the intersecting conveyor belts is wound around an eccentric pulley so that a point on the other belt moves vertically in a curve similar to a sine curve, and the crest of the wave of the curve similar to the sine curve is A device for changing the conveyance direction of a semiconductor wafer, characterized in that the point is higher than the upper surface of the conveyor roller, and the point of the wave bottom is lower than the upper surface of the conveyor roller.