JP3078041B2 - Positioning device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a positioning device for accurately positioning a work on a vertical stage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in the manufacture of a semiconductor device in a clean room, a rectangular plate-shaped substrate as a work is placed on a holding surface of a vertical stage with a precision of the order of microns. Positioning may be required.

Conventionally, a pre-alignment method has been adopted for such positioning. That is, the pre-alignment device has a horizontal holding surface. A substrate is supplied to the holding surface, and the substrate is provisionally positioned with predetermined accuracy. The provisionally positioned substrate is transported by the transport means, transferred to a vertically formed holding surface of the vertical stage, and positioned on the holding surface.

The positioning accuracy of the substrate on the holding surface of the vertical stage is proportional to the positioning accuracy of the pre-alignment device on the holding surface. However,
The substrate positioned by the pre-alignment device is transferred to a vertical stage via a transfer means. For this reason, a positional shift occurs at the time of delivery, which causes a reduction in positioning accuracy. In order to prevent such a decrease in positioning accuracy, the substrate may be directly positioned on the holding surface of the vertical stage without performing prealignment.

If the substrate is positioned and held in a non-contact manner with respect to the holding surface, dust generation and increase in frictional resistance do not occur. However, since the holding surface of the vertical stage is vertical, it may be difficult to hold and position the substrate in a non-contact manner without dropping the substrate from the holding surface.

[0006]

As described above, conventionally,
No positioning has been performed by holding the work in a non-contact manner on the holding surface of the vertical stage.

The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to perform positioning while holding a work in a non-contact state on a holding surface of a vertical stage, and to perform positioning. It is an object of the present invention to provide a positioning device capable of holding and fixing the worked work to the holding surface so as not to be displaced.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vertical stage in which a holding surface for holding a work is formed substantially vertically, and a work provided protruding from the holding surface and supplied to the holding surface. A plurality of positioning members for positioning; fluid supply means for ejecting pressurized fluid from the holding surface to hold the work in a non-contact state with the holding surface by the flow of the fluid; and a pressing means for a work held in a non-contact state to the surface for positioning against the above positioning member, the workpiece positioned by the pressing means comprises a suction means for attracting and holding the above holding surface, the suction means From the center of the holding surface
A plurality of suction holes provided in order toward the side,
The drawing hole is moved from the suction hole on the central portion side to the suction hole on the peripheral portion side.
Communicate so that suction force is generated sequentially toward
And a plurality of grooves . According to another aspect of the present invention, the positioning member includes a fixing pin provided at a position corresponding to a lower side of the work held on the holding surface, a fixing pin provided at a position corresponding to one side of the work, 2. The positioning device according to claim 1, further comprising a movable pin provided at a position corresponding to the side and sliding in a direction of approaching and separating from the other side.
The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the fixing pin is provided rotatably and movably in the axial direction.
The positioning device described in the above.

[0009]

According to the above construction, the work supplied to the holding surface is prevented from dropping from the holding surface by the positioning member, and is held in a non-contact manner by the fluid jetted from the holding surface in that state. Can be positioned, and then
Can be suction-held on the holding surface.

[0010]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The positioning device shown in FIG. 1 has a hollow box-shaped base 1. One vertical side 1a of the base 1
Is provided with a vertical stage 2 protruding from the one side surface 1a by a predetermined size as shown by A in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of, in this embodiment, four rectangular grooves 3a to 3d are formed on the holding surface 2a of the vertical stage 2 as it goes from the center to the periphery.

The vertical stage 2 has the rectangular grooves 3
A pair of first to fourth suction holes 4a to 4d each having one end communicated with a to 3d are formed symmetrically with respect to the vertical direction of the holding surface 2a. First to fourth suction holes 4a to 4
d is the first to fourth switching control valves 5a to 5d, respectively.
Is connected to the vacuum pump 6. The switching control valves 5a to 5d are controlled to open and close by a control device 7 as described later, and the vacuum pump 6 is also driven and controlled by the control device 7.

An ejection hole 8 is formed in the center of the holding surface 2a. The outlet 8 is connected to a supply pump 11 for supplying compressed air via an opening / closing control valve 9.
The opening / closing control valve 9 and the supply pump 11 are controlled by the control device 7 as described later.

The base 1 has a pair of fixing pins 12a protruding from a portion corresponding to the lower side of the holding surface 2a, and one fixing pin 12b protruding from a portion corresponding to one side. ing. As shown in FIG. 2, the fixing pins 12a and 12b have side walls 1b on which the one side surface 1a of the base 1 is formed.
Are supported by a ball bush 13 so as to be rotatable and slidable in the axial direction. Fixing pins 12a, 12b
A nut 14 for preventing each fixing pin from being pulled out of the base 1 is provided at one end located inside the base 1, and a flange 15 is provided at the other end protruding toward the holding surface 2a. Is formed. A spring 16 is provided between the flange 15 and the end face of the ball bush 13 for urging the fixing pins 12a and 12b in the projecting direction.

An elongated guide hole 17 is formed in a portion corresponding to the other side of the holding surface 2a of the base 1 along the horizontal direction of the base 1. A movable pin 18 is slidably provided in the guide hole 17. One end of the movable pin 18 located in the base 1 has a connecting piece 1
The connecting piece 19 is connected to a rod 22 of a drive cylinder 21 controlled by the control device 7. The movable pin 18 is connected to the drive cylinder 21.
Thus, it is driven in a direction along the guide hole 17.

Next, the operation of positioning and fixing the rectangular substrate W, which is a work, to the holding surface 2a by the positioning device having the above-described structure will be described. First, the movable pin 18 is
The substrate W is supplied to the holding surface 2a by a transfer device (not shown) in a state where the substrate W is driven in a direction to retreat from the position a.
At the same time, the supply pump 11 and the opening / closing control valve 9 are operated, and compressed air is ejected from the ejection hole 8 formed in the center of the holding surface 2a. The compressed air flows out from the peripheral portion of the substrate W through the space between the holding surface 2a and the facing surface of the substrate W. As a result, a so-called Bernoulli effect occurs, in which the pressure on one surface side of the substrate W facing the holding surface 2a is lower than that on the other surface side, and the pressure difference causes the substrate W to be held on the holding surface 2a. It is kept in contact.

The substrate W held in a non-contact state with the holding surface 2a tends to slide in the falling direction by its own weight, but a pair of fixing pins 1 provided on the lower side of the holding surface 2a.
2a prevents falling from the holding surface 2a.

When the substrate W is held in a non-contact state with the holding surface 2a, the driving pin 21 is operated to drive the movable pins 18 in the direction of the substrate W while maintaining the state. The movable pin 18 presses one side of the substrate W and presses the lower side and the other side of the substrate W against the fixing pins 12a and 12b, respectively, so that the substrate W is positioned at a predetermined position on the holding surface 2a.

Next, the supply pump 11 and the opening / closing control valve 9
To stop the ejection of the compressed air from the ejection hole 8,
Activates the empty pump 6 and switches the switching valves 5a to 5d.
By sequentially switching with a fixed time delay, a suction force is sequentially generated in the first to fourth suction holes 4a to 4d, and the suction force reaches the rectangular grooves 3a to 3d communicating with the suction holes 4a to 4d. The substrate W is fixed by suction to the holding surface 2a.

When the substrate W is positioned by the movable pins 18, the substrate W moves while being in contact with the pair of fixed pins 12a. However, since the fixed pins 12a are rotatably provided, a large space is provided between them. No frictional force is generated. When the substrate W is sucked by the holding surface 2a, the substrate W moves while being in contact with the fixing pins 12a, 12b. However, since the fixing pins 12a, 12b are provided so as to be movable in the axial direction. In this case, no frictional force is generated between the substrate and the substrate W.

On the other hand, each of the switching valves 5a to 5d is operated with a time delay. Thereby, the holding surface 2a is sequentially provided with the outer rectangular grooves 3b from the inner rectangular grooves 3a,
Attraction force is generated to 3c and 3d. As a result, the substrate W is attracted and held on the holding surface 2a without causing the substrate 2a to be distorted because the suction force acts on the peripheral portion sequentially after the center portion is attracted to the holding surface 2a. be able to.

In the above embodiment, the ejection hole and the suction hole are separately formed on the holding surface. However, one through hole is formed in the substrate, and a switching valve for switching between the vacuum pump and the suction pump is provided in the through hole. It is good also as a structure which can be selectively made to communicate via. Further, a rectangular groove communicating with the suction hole may not be formed on the holding surface, and when it is formed, a shape other than a rectangle, such as a circular shape, may be used.

Further, the number and arrangement of the fixing pins provided on the holding surface are not limited at all, and the sliding direction of the movable pin is not limited to the horizontal direction, and the movable pin may slide diagonally downward. In short, it is sufficient that the substrate can be positioned by pressing the substrate against the fixing pin.

Although a rectangular substrate has been described as a work, the present invention can be applied to the positioning of a wafer with an orientation flat, for example, a work having another shape.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention, the positioning member and the pressing means are provided on the holding surface for holding the work formed on the vertical stage, and the work is mounted on the holding surface. The workpiece is pressed against the positioning member by the pressing means in a state where the workpiece is held in a non-contact state, and then the work is vacuum-adsorbed onto the holding surface to be held and fixed.

Therefore, the work can be positioned without generating a frictional force between the work and the holding surface, so that there is no occurrence of dust or a decrease in the positioning accuracy due to the frictional force. Further, in a state where the work is held in a non-contact state with the holding surface, the work is prevented from tacking from the holding surface by its own weight by the positioning member, so that the work is securely positioned and fixed on the holding surface of the vertical stage. It becomes possible. Suction to hold the work on the holding surface
The means absorbs the central part of the work and then sequentially moves to the peripheral part.
Since the suction force acts, the work may be distorted.
It is possible to hold by suction on the holding surface without
I do.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a base on which a vertical stage is formed.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a control system for selectively generating a positive pressure and a negative pressure on a holding surface.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 vertical stage, 2a holding surface, 4a to 4d suction hole (adsorption means), 6 vacuum pump (adsorption means), 8 ejection hole (fluid supply means), 11 supply pump (fluid supply) Means), 12a, 12b ... fixed pin (positioning member), 1
8: movable pin (pressing means), W: work.

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-62-297010 (JP, A) JP-A-63-1647 (JP, A) JP-A-61-100338 (JP, A) JP-A-51-134861 (JP) JP-A-61-270045 (JP, A) JP-A-63-216355 (JP, A) JP-A-63-147238 (JP, U) JP-A-1-95741 (JP, U) 1-160838 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B23Q 3/18

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] A vertical stage having a holding surface for holding a work formed substantially vertically; a plurality of positioning members projecting from the holding surface for positioning the work supplied to the holding surface; A fluid supply means for ejecting a pressurized fluid from the holding surface and holding the work in a non-contact state with the holding surface by the flow of the fluid, and a work held in a non-contact state with the holding surface by the fluid supply means. A pressing means for pressing the positioning member against the positioning member; and a suction means for suction-holding the work positioned by the pressing means on the holding surface, wherein the suction means moves from the center of the holding surface to the peripheral portion. hand
A plurality of suction holes provided in order, and
Sequentially from the suction holes on the side of the head toward the suction holes on the side of the periphery
A plurality of grooves communicating with each other so that suction force is generated
A positioning device, comprising: The positioning member includes: a fixing pin provided at a position corresponding to a lower side of the work held on the holding surface; a fixing pin provided at a position corresponding to one side of the work;
2. The positioning device according to claim 1, further comprising a movable pin provided at a position corresponding to the other side of the work and slidable in a direction of contacting and separating from the other side. 3. The positioning device according to claim 2, wherein the fixing pin is provided rotatably and movably in an axial direction.