JP2947576B2 - Structure and method for holding storage jig - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a holding structure and a holding method of a storage jig for holding a plurality of wafers.

<Prior Art> A conventional wafer carrier is carried by an operator using a dedicated handle. However, as the integration and miniaturization of semiconductor devices and the diameter of wafers increase,
A clean and dust-free manufacturing environment has been required. For this reason, it has become necessary to automate the manufacturing process and make it unmanned, and a robot has come to transfer a wafer carrier.

In particular, in order for a robot to place a wafer carrier on a loader of a processing apparatus, it is necessary to pinch the wafer carrier with a clamping arm of the robot with high accuracy.

A conventional wafer carrier clamping structure will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in the figure, the conventional wafer carrier 61 has a carrier body 72 formed with a plurality of wafer pockets 71 for accommodating wafers, and flanges 74a, 74b provided on the upper portions of the side walls 73a, 73b of the carrier body 72. It consists of.

A robot (not shown) for transferring the wafer carrier 61
Is provided with a pair of holding arms 62 that are rotatable in the directions indicated by arrows via the robot arm 3. Each holding arm 62 is formed with a hook-shaped portion 81 for hooking the flanges 74a, 74b of the wafer carrier 61.

Next, a method of holding the wafer carrier 61 by the holding arm 62 will be described.

The holding arm 62 is moved to a predetermined position on the wafer carrier 61 in an open state. Next, lower the holding arm 62,
The lower portions of the flanges 74a, 74b of the wafer carrier 61 are sandwiched by the hook portions 81, and the flanges 74a, 74b are hooked. Then, the wafer carrier 61 is held and transported by a robot (not shown).

The transferred wafer carrier 61 is placed at a predetermined position. Then, the holding arm 62 opens to release the wafer carrier 61.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, in the conventional wafer carrier clamping structure described above, since the wafer carrier moves in the longitudinal direction of the clamping arm, the positioning of the wafer carrier with respect to the clamping arm can be performed with high precision. It was difficult to do.

For this reason, the wafer carrier may not be installed at a predetermined position of the loader of the processing apparatus, and the wafer may come out of the wafer carrier, or the wafer carrier installed on the unloader may not be grasped and the wafer may fall from the wafer carrier. I was

<Means for Solving the Problems> The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has an object to provide a holding structure and a holding method of a storage jig such as a wafer carrier having excellent positioning accuracy. And

That is, the feature of the holding structure of the storage jig according to claim 1 is that
A storage jig including a pair of opposed side walls, a storage portion formed inside thereof to store an object to be stored, and a flange provided on an upper portion of the side wall and having a notch; A pair of holding arms provided with a hook-like portion for holding the jig and being openably and closably provided, and when the storage jig is held, the notch is guided to a predetermined position and the notch is formed. A positioning portion engaging with the portion is provided on the holding arm.

A feature of the holding structure of the storage jig according to claim 7 is that in the holding structure of the storage jig, the holding arm is supported to be freely openable and closable and has a holding arm for holding opposing side walls of the storage jig. It has a hook-shaped portion for supporting the jig and a positioning portion for guiding the storage jig to a predetermined position with respect to the support arm.

A feature of the method for clamping a storage jig according to claim 9 is that, in the method for clamping a storage jig in which opposite sides of the storage jig are clamped by clamping arms that are openably and closably supported, the clamping arm is opened. Positioning the storage jig on the opposite side of the storage jig in a state, and closing the holding arm while guiding the storage jig to a predetermined position with respect to the holding arm by a positioning portion provided on the holding arm. And a step of supporting the storage jig with a hook-shaped portion provided on the holding arm.

<Operation> In the holding jig holding structure according to the first aspect, the holding jig and the holding arm are constituted, and the positioning portion that engages with the notch provided in the flange of the storage jig is provided on the holding arm. With this arrangement, when the holding jig is closed and the storage jig is held, the positioning portion engages with the notch to position the storage jig at a predetermined position with respect to the holding arm.

Therefore, the storage jig is accurately positioned with respect to the holding arm.

The holding jig holding structure according to claim 7, wherein the holding jig for holding the holding jig is provided with a positioning portion for guiding the storage jig to a predetermined position with respect to the holding arm. Accordingly, when the holding arm is closed and the storage jig is held, the positioning unit guides the storage jig to a predetermined position and positions the storage jig with respect to the holding arm.

Therefore, the storage jig is accurately positioned with respect to the holding arm.

In the holding jig holding method according to the ninth aspect, the holding jig is positioned on a side wall of the holding jig with the holding arm opened, and the holding jig is guided to a predetermined position with respect to the holding arm by a positioning portion provided on the holding arm. By closing the holding arm while supporting the storage jig with the hook-like portion, the storage jig moves to a predetermined position with respect to the holding arm and is positioned.

Therefore, the storage jig is accurately positioned and supported with respect to the holding arm.

<Embodiment> This embodiment is a perspective view shown in FIG. 1 and a first embodiment shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the ABCD plane in the figure.
1 and 2 show a holding structure of a wafer carrier as an example of a holding structure of a storage jig.

As shown in the figure, the holding structure of the wafer carrier includes a wafer carrier 1 as a storage jig and a pair of holding arms 2 for holding the wafer carrier 1.

The wafer carrier 1 has a plurality of wafer pockets 11.
And the flanges 14a and 14b provided on the upper portions of the side walls 13a and 13b of the carrier body 12. The inside of each of the side walls 13a and 13b serves as a storage section for storing an object to be stored (eg, a wafer).

Notch portions (positioned portions) 15a and 15b are formed in the corner portions at both ends of each of the flanges 14a and 14b as tapered surfaces having a predetermined angle. Grooves 16a, 16b are formed at the outer both ends of each of the side walls 13a, 13b, for example, in a U-shaped cross section.

The wafer carrier 1 is formed of a resin having excellent chemical resistance, for example, a fluorine-based resin such as a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkylvinyl ether copolymer (PFA).

On the other hand, the holding arm 2 is attached to a robot (not shown) via a robot arm 3 so as to be openable and closable in the direction of arrow A. The holding arm 2 is provided with a plurality of L-shaped hooks 21. At the tip of each hook-shaped portion 21, there is provided a projection 22 which engages with the grooves 16a and 16b of the wafer carrier 1 and is formed as a tapered surface. The arms 21a of the hooks 21 engage with the notches 15a and 15b of the wafer carrier 1 and have substantially the same angle as the tapered surfaces of the notches 15a and 15b. A positioning portion 23 formed of a tapered surface is provided.

The holding arm 2 is formed of a resin having excellent chemical resistance, for example, a fluorine-based resin such as a polychlorofluoroethylene (PCTFE) resin, a polyacetal resin, or the like.

Next, the operation of the holding arm 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 (a) to 3 (c) and FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b).

As shown in FIG. 3A, the holding arm 2 is moved to a predetermined position on the wafer carrier 1 via a robot arm 3 provided on a robot (not shown). Then, the holding arm 2 is opened outward.

As shown in FIG. 3 (b), the holding arm 2 is lowered and closed. At this time, the protrusion 22 is inserted into the groove 16a (16b) and the notch 15a (15b) is pressed by the positioning part 23.
Then, the wafer carrier 1 is adjusted to a predetermined position with respect to the holding arm 2, and the hook-like portion 21 is connected to the flange 14a (14b).
To hold the wafer carrier 1.

When the wafer carrier 1 is displaced in the left (right) direction in the drawing with respect to a predetermined position of the holding arm 2 as shown in FIG. 4A, the holding arm 2 is further aligned. Close the notch 15a (15b) to position the positioning
Press to perform. Then, the wafer carrier 1 is moved in the direction of arrow A (C) to align the positions.

Further, when the wafer carrier 1 is displaced upward (downward) in the drawing with respect to a predetermined holding position of the holding arm 2 as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the holding arm 2 is further closed and the notch is formed. The positioning portions 23 press the 15a and 15b. Then, the wafer carrier 1 is moved in the direction of arrow d (e) to perform positioning.

Further, when the wafer carrier 1 is at a position rotated with respect to the holding arm 2, the operations described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B may be performed in combination.

Next, the wafer carrier 1 held by the holding arm 2 is
It is transported to a predetermined position by a robot (not shown).
Then, the holding arm 2 is opened outward as shown in FIG. 3 (c), and the wafer carrier 1 is released.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing another embodiment, and FIG.
This will be described with reference to an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the EFGH plane in FIG. 5 and 6 show a holding structure of a wafer carrier as an example of a holding structure of a storage jig.

The holding structure of the wafer carrier shown in the figure includes a wafer carrier 31 as a storage jig and a pair of holding arms 32 for holding the wafer carrier 31.

The wafer carrier 31 has a plurality of wafer pockets 41.
And a flange 44a, 44b provided on the upper part of each side wall 43a, 43b of the carrier body 42. The inside of each of the side walls 43a and 43b is a storage section for storing an object to be stored (for example, a wafer).

V-shaped grooves 47 (positioned portions) are formed on both sides of the flanges 44a and 44b as grooves having tapered surfaces. Grooves 46a and 46b are formed at the outer both ends of each side 43a and 43b, for example, in a U-shaped cross section.

The wafer carrier 31 is formed of a fluorine resin or the like having excellent chemical resistance.

On the other hand, the holding arm 32 is attached to a robot (not shown) via the robot arm 3 so as to be openable and closable in the direction indicated by the arrow. The holding arm 32 is provided with a plurality of L-shaped hooks 51. At the tip of each hook 51, there is provided a projection 52 which engages with the grooves 46a, 46b of the wafer carrier 31 and is formed as a tapered surface. The arm 51a of each of the hooks 51 is provided with a positioning portion 53 which is formed in a wedge shape and whose leading end engages with the V groove 47.

The holding arm 32 is formed of a resin having excellent chemical resistance, for example, a fluororesin or a polyacetal resin.

Next, the operation of the holding arm 32 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (c) and FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b).

As shown in FIG. 7A, the holding arm 32 is moved to a predetermined position on the wafer carrier 31 via a robot arm 3 provided on a robot (not shown). And holding arm
Open 32 outward.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, the holding arm 32 is lowered and closed. At this time, the projections 52, 52 are inserted into the grooves 46a, 46b, and the positioning part 53 is inserted into the V groove 47. Then, the wafer carrier 31 is adjusted to a predetermined position with respect to the holding arm 32, and the hooks 51, 51 are hooked on the flanges 44a, 44b to hold the wafer carrier 31.

The alignment of the wafer carrier 31 is performed when the wafer carrier 31 is displaced from the predetermined holding position of the holding arm 32 in the left (right) direction in the drawing as shown in FIG.
The clamping arm 32 is further closed, and the V-groove 47 is pressed by the positioning portion 53 to perform the operation. Then, the wafer carrier 31 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow (h) to align the positions.

When the wafer carrier 31 is displaced upward (downward) from the predetermined holding position of the holding arm 32 as shown in FIG. 8B, the holding arm 32 is further closed and the V-groove 47 is closed.
Is pressed by the positioning part 53. Then, the wafer carrier 31 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow (U) to align the positions.

Further, when the wafer carrier 31 is at a position rotated with respect to the holding arm 32, positioning may be performed by combining the operations described with reference to FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b).

Next, the wafer carrier 31 held between the holding arms 32 is
It is transported to a predetermined position by a robot (not shown).
Then, as shown in FIG. 7 (c), the holding arm 32 is opened in the direction of the arrow C to release the wafer carrier 31.

When holding the large wafer carriers 1 and 31 using the holding arms 2 and 32 described in the second embodiment, the hook-shaped portion 2
It is desirable to add 1,51.

To transport a plurality of wafer carriers 1 and 31 simultaneously,
The same number of clamping arms as the plurality of wafer carriers 1 and 31
2, 32 may be arranged in parallel with the robot arm 3.

<Effect of the Invention> As described above, according to the holding jig of the storage jig according to the first aspect of the present invention, the notch is provided in the flange of the storage jig, and the positioning for engaging with the notch is provided. Since the portion is provided on the holding arm, the positioning accuracy of the storage jig with respect to the holding arm can be improved.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent a mounting error or a holding error of the storage jig due to the holding arm.

According to the holding jig holding structure according to claim 7 of the present invention, since the positioning portion for guiding the holding jig to a predetermined position is provided for the holding arm, the positioning jig of the holding jig for the holding arm is provided by the positioning portion. Positioning accuracy can be improved.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent a mounting error or a holding error of the storage jig due to the holding arm.

According to the holding method of the storage jig according to claim 9 of the present invention, the storage jig is guided to a predetermined position by the positioning portion with respect to the holding arm positioned on the side wall of the storage jig in the open state. Since the holding jig is closed and the storage jig is supported by the hook-like portion, the positioning accuracy of the storage jig with respect to the holding arm can be improved by the positioning portion.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent a mounting error or a holding error of the storage jig due to the holding arm.

[Brief description of the drawings]

 1 is a perspective view of the embodiment, FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the ABCD plane in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3 (a) to 3 (c) show the operation of the holding arm. 4 (a) and 4 (b) are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the holding arm, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment, and FIG. 6 is EFG in FIG. 7 (a) to 7 (c) are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the clamping arm, FIGS. 8 (a) and (b) are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the clamping arm, and FIG. It is a schematic front view of a conventional example. 1,31 wafer carrier, 2,32 clamping arm, 11,41 wafer pocket, 12,42 carrier body, 13a, 13b, 43a, 43b sidewall, 14a, 14b, 44a, 44b ... Flange, 15a, 15b ... Notch (positioned part), 16a, 16b, 46a, 46b ... Groove, 47 ... V-groove (positioned part), 21, 51 ... hook-shaped part, 22 , 52 ... Projection, 23, 53 ... Positioning part.

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pair of side walls facing each other, a storage portion formed inside thereof for storing an object to be stored, and notches provided at upper portions of the side walls and at four corners thereof. And a pair of holding arms provided with hook-shaped portions for holding the holding jig and provided in a freely openable and closable manner. The holding arm holds the holding jig. A positioning portion for guiding the notch to a predetermined position and engaging with the notch is provided corresponding to each of the four corners. Construction. 2. The holding structure of a storage jig according to claim 1, wherein said positioning portion provided on said holding arm is a tapered surface having substantially the same angle as said cutout portion. 3. The holding jig of the storage jig according to claim 1, wherein a groove is formed in the side wall, and the protrusion engaging with the groove is provided with the holding arm. A holding structure for a storage jig, wherein 4. A method of clamping a storage jig, wherein said holding jigs are held by opposing side walls of said storage jig, said holding jigs being held openably and closably on said opposite side walls of said storage jig. Locating the positioning portion provided on the holding arm in contact with notch portions respectively located at four corner portions of a flange provided on the upper part of the storage jig, and Closing the holding arm while guiding the storage jig to a predetermined position, and supporting the storage jig with a hook-shaped portion provided on the holding arm. .