JP4886745B2 - Hoop cleaning and drying equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hoop cleaning / drying apparatus for cleaning and drying a hoop which is a transfer container such as a semiconductor wafer.

  Semiconductor wafers and the like are transferred in a transfer container called a FOUP (Front Opening Unify Pod). The hoop includes a hoop main body (also referred to as a shell) having an opening on a front surface portion and a door (also referred to as a lid) that is detachably attached to the front opening of the hoop main body.

  The hoop is preferably cleaned periodically so as not to become a contamination source such as a semiconductor wafer. Therefore, the empty hoop is separated into the hoop main body and the door and placed in the cleaning chamber. The hoop main body and the door are sprayed with cleaning water for cleaning, and after cleaning, dry air is supplied to the hoop main body and the door in the cleaning chamber. There has been proposed a hoop cleaning / drying apparatus which is sprayed and dried (see Patent Document 1).

  The hoop cleaning / drying apparatus includes a load port unit having a mounting table for carrying in and out the hoop, a cleaning unit having a cleaning chamber for cleaning and drying the hoop, and the cleaning unit and the load port unit. And a transfer unit having a transfer robot for transferring the hoop provided therebetween.

JP 2005-109523 A

  However, since the hoop cleaning / drying apparatus is configured as an integral structure in which the load port unit, the cleaning unit, and the transport unit are incorporated into one large base, the hoop cleaning / drying apparatus is, for example, a production line in a semiconductor manufacturing factory. In the case of carrying in, there is a problem that not only the carrying-in route is limited but also the carrying-in work is very difficult. In addition, when troubles that require replacement occur in each part, the replacement work is also difficult.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and can easily carry in a production line in a semiconductor manufacturing factory without limiting the carry-in route and easily replace each part. An object of the present invention is to provide a hoop cleaning and drying apparatus capable of performing the above.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a load port unit having a mounting table for carrying in and out a hoop, a washing unit having a washing chamber for washing and drying the hoop, the washing unit, and the above A hoop cleaning / drying apparatus including a transfer unit having a transfer robot that transfers the hoop provided between the load port unit, the load port unit being a sub frame, the cleaning unit being a first frame, and a transfer unit Is formed as an independent unit having a second frame, the first frame and the second frame have a fan filter unit at the ceiling and an exhaust fan at the bottom, respectively, at the left and right ends of the front lower part of the first frame. A positioning plate for the transfer unit projecting forward to place and position the rear lower part of the second frame is provided, and the rear lower part of the sub frame is mounted at the left and right end positions of the front lower part of the second frame. A positioning plate for the load port part protruding forward for positioning, and a guide for temporary joining opposite to the left and right lower corners of the front part of the first frame and the rear part of the second frame A plate and a hole for main joining, and the guide plate comprises one guide plate having a horizontal slot and the other guide plate having a vertical slot perpendicular to the horizontal slot. A bolt is passed over the horizontal elongated hole and the vertical elongated hole, and a nut is screwed into the bolt to temporarily fix the first frame as a reference frame while correcting the positional deviation between the first frame and the second frame. the bonding operation through the bolt hole for the joint after the Tsu row, the first frame and the second frame and the joining screwed nut on the bolt, the first frame and the second frame is fixed bracket It is fixed to the floor surface .

An opening for loading and unloading the hoop is formed in the front surface of the second frame of the transfer unit, and a front door that is moved from below to above by an air cylinder and is opened from the open state. It is preferable to be provided.

According to the present invention, position-decided Me installation work can be simplified, easily performed that the replacement of each part together can be easily performed without being limited to carrying path the carry to the semiconductor manufacturing plant Can do.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a hoop cleaning / drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part, FIG. 3 is a front view of the hoop cleaning / drying apparatus, and FIG. 4 is a side view of the hoop cleaning / drying apparatus. FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a side view of the main part showing a state where the hoop cleaning / drying apparatus is fixed to the installation surface, FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing the internal configuration of the hoop cleaning / drying apparatus, and FIG. It is a side view which shows an internal structure roughly.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 6 to 7, the hoop cleaning / drying apparatus 1 cleans and dries the hoop 2 with a load port unit 4 having a placement unit 3 for carrying in and out the hoop 2. A cleaning section 6 having a cleaning chamber 5 and a transport section 8 having a transport robot 7 provided between the cleaning section 6 and the load port section 4 for transporting the hoop 2 are provided. The load port unit 4, the cleaning unit 6, and the transport unit 8 are formed in a unit having independent bases 10, 11, and 12. In other words, the load port unit 4, the cleaning unit 6, and the transport unit 8 are configured as units that can be divided into the respective racks 10, 11, and 12. The load port unit 4, the cleaning unit 6, and the transport unit 8 are also referred to as a load port unit, a cleaning unit, and a transport unit, respectively.

  Since the cleaning unit 6 and the transfer unit 8 are large, they each have a frame (also referred to as a first frame or a second frame) 10, 11 having a box-type frame structure. Since the load port unit 4 is small, the load port unit 4 includes a frame (also referred to as a sub frame) 12 attached to the front portion of the frame 11 of the transport unit 8. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 to 6, the load port unit 4 includes a plurality of, for example, three ports, that is, a mounting unit 3 on which three hoops are mounted. The port is dedicated to unloading.

  Two cleaning chambers 5 are installed on the left and right in the first frame 10. A transfer robot 7 is installed in the center of the second frame 11, and a mounting table (also referred to as a buffer unit) on which a plurality of (for example, four) hoops 2 can be placed on the front side and temporarily stored (standby). 13) is provided. Further, on one side of the inside of the second gantry 11, the hoop 2 is opened and closed in order to separate the hoop 2 into the hoop body 2a and the door 2b, or to attach the door 2b to the hoop body 2a. A hoop opening / closing part 14 to be placed is installed.

  The hoop opening / closing part 14 is provided on the door 2b, a support part 15 that supports the lower surface of the hoop 2 with the door 2b facing downward, a suction holding part 16 that positions and holds the door 2b. There is provided a locking / unlocking mechanism 17 that inserts a key into a key hole of the locking mechanism to unlock or lock the locking mechanism.

  The transfer robot 7 is composed of, for example, an articulated robot having an arm 18 capable of rotating six axes, and a gripped portion 20 or a door 2b protruding from the top of the hoop body 2a is selected at the tip of the arm 18. A gripping mechanism 21 that can be gripped is provided.

  The cleaning chamber 5 has a cleaning chamber main body 5a having an open top, a cylindrical inner lid 22 that is detachably attached to the upper portion of the cleaning chamber main body 5a, and a detachable close contact with the upper portion of the inner lid 22. The outer cover 23 is mainly configured. The inner lid 22 and the outer lid 23 are opened and closed by electric power cylinders 24 and 25, respectively. A door holding portion 26 that sucks and holds the door 2 b is provided on the inner surface of the outer lid 23, and a door rotating mechanism 27 that rotates the door 2 b through the door holding portion 26 when cleaning and drying is provided on the outer surface of the outer lid 23. Is provided.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration inside the cleaning chamber 5. As shown in FIG. 9, a fixed support shaft 28 is provided through the central portion of the bottom of the cleaning chamber body 5 a, and a cylindrical rotary shaft 29 is provided on the outer periphery of the fixed support shaft 28 via a bearing 30. A bearing cylinder 32 is fixed to the bottom of the cleaning chamber main body 5a so as to be rotatable. The bearing cylinder 32 rotatably supports the rotating shaft 29 via a bearing 31. A rotary table 33 is provided at the upper end of the rotary shaft 29, and the rotary table 33 is provided with holding parts 34 for holding the four corners of the hoop body 2a with the opening facing downward. An electric motor 37 for rotating the rotary shaft 29 via a timing belt 35 and belt wheels 36a and 36b is attached to the fixed support shaft 28, so that the hoop body 2a can be rotated during cleaning and drying. .

  The turntable 33 is controlled to stop at a preset origin by an origin sensor 73 that detects and controls the rotational stationary position of the rotary shaft 29, and the transfer robot 7 holds the hoop body 2 a on the turntable 33. It can be surely received and delivered to and from the section 34. An inner cleaning pipe 39 provided with a plurality of nozzles 38 is erected on the upper end portion of the fixed support shaft 28 to clean and dry the inside of the hoop body 2a, and the fixed support shaft 28 communicates with the inner cleaning pipe 39. A supply passage 74 is provided, and a supply passage (not shown) for supplying cleaning water or dry air is connected to the supply passage 74. An outer cleaning pipe 41 having a plurality of nozzles 40 is erected on the inner side of the cleaning chamber main body 5a to clean and dry the outside of the hoop main body 2a. The outer cleaning pipe 41 is supplied with cleaning water or dry air (not shown). Supply pipe is connected.

  The inner lid 22 is provided with an upper cleaning pipe 43 that is provided at the boundary with the cleaning chamber body 5a and has an upper and a lower nozzle 42 for cleaning and drying the upper door 2b and the lower hoop body 2a. The upper cleaning pipe 43 is connected to a supply pipe (not shown) for supplying cleaning water or dry air. The cleaning water or dry air is supplied from a supply source outside the hoop cleaning / drying apparatus 1. An exhaust drain 44 is provided at the bottom of the cleaning chamber body 5a, and an exhaust pipe 47 and a drain pipe (not shown) are connected to the exhaust drain 44 via an open / close valve 45 and a gas-liquid separator 46. Yes. Moreover, it is comprised so that drying can be accelerated | stimulated by making the inside of the washing chamber 5 into a negative pressure at the time of drying.

A cover material 48 is attached to the side surface and the back surface of the first frame 10 of the cleaning unit 6 and the side surface of the second frame 11 of the transport unit 8. To form a downward flow of clean air into the FOUP cleaning and drying apparatus 1 in order to keep the high clean space, the ceiling portion of the cleaning part 6及beauty conveyor 8 together with a number of fan filter units 49 is attached Many exhaust fans are attached to the bottom of the apparatus. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an opening 50 for carrying in and out a hoop is formed in the front surface of the second frame 11, and the opening 50 is moved from below to above by an air cylinder 51. A front door 52, which is an open / close shutter that changes from an open state to a closed state, is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the front door 52 includes a vertical frame 53 disposed on the left and right of the front surface of the second frame 11, and a slider supported by each vertical frame 53 via a guide 54 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. 55, a front door 52 formed of a shielding plate attached between both sliders 55 via a bracket 56, and the front door 52 is moved upward from below via the slider 55 to close the opening 50 from the open state. It is mainly composed of an air cylinder 51 to be put into a state.

  The air cylinder 51 is attached to the vertical frame 53 with the piston rod 51a facing upward. In order to form a closed space 57 that accommodates the air cylinder 51, the guide 54, and the slider 55, the vertical frame 53 is formed in a substantially L-shaped cross section, and a cover 58 is attached to the vertical frame 53. The closed space 57 is provided with a slit 59 that allows the bracket 56 to move. The closed space 57 is evacuated, and dust such as metal powder generated in the closed space 57 is prevented from being scattered in the hoop cleaning / drying apparatus 1 and becoming a contamination source of the hoop 2.

  The 1st mount 10 and the 2nd mount 11 can be conveyed by the caster 60 attached to the lower part, or the cart prepared separately. Further, the lower part (four corners, etc.) of the first frame 10 and the second frame 11 is a screw type for supporting the first frame 10 and the second frame 11 with respect to the floor surface F which is the installation surface. An adjustable support leg 61 is attached.

  In order to position the second mount 11 with respect to the reference mount, the first mount 10 is used as a reference mount, and the rear lower portion of the second mount 11 is located at the front lower portion of the first mount 10 as shown in FIG. A positioning plate 62 for positioning (locking) is provided. The positioning plates 62 are respectively attached to the left and right end positions of the front lower portion of the first gantry 10 so as to protrude horizontally forward.

  The first frame 10 and the second frame 11 are provided with guide plates 63 and 64 facing each other at the left and right lower corners as shown in FIGS. ) Is formed with a horizontal slot 63a, and the other (second frame side) guide plate 64 is formed with a vertical slot 64a. Then, a bolt 65 is passed over the horizontal elongated hole 63a and the vertical elongated hole 64a, and a nut 66 is screwed into the bolt 65 and tightened, whereby the position between the first frame 10 and the second frame 11 is secured. Temporary joining work can be easily performed while correcting the deviation.

  The first frame 10 and the second frame 11 facing each other are provided with a hole (bolt hole) 67 for final bonding, and a bolt 68 is passed through the hole 67 after the temporary bonding operation. The first frame 10 and the second frame 11 are finally joined by screwing and tightening the nut 69.

  In order to position the sub frame 12 of the load port unit 4 with respect to the second frame 11, as shown in FIG. 1, the lower rear side of the sub frame 12 of the load port unit 4 is placed on the lower side of the front side of the second frame 11. It is preferable that a positioning plate 70 is provided for positioning. Instead of the positioning plate 70, a positioning bracket 71 having an inverted L-shaped cross section may be provided at the front lower portion of the second mount 11, as shown in FIG. 72 may be attached. As shown in FIGS. 3, 5 to 6, the first mount 10 and the second mount 11 are fixed to the floor surface F by the fixing bracket 73. As shown in FIG. 4, attachment portions 74 for attaching the fixing bracket 73 by bolting are provided on both lower sides of the first frame 10 and the second frame 11.

  According to the hoop cleaning / drying apparatus having the above-described configuration, the load port unit 4, the cleaning unit 6, and the transport unit 8 are formed in units having independent bases 10, 11, and 12, respectively. It is possible to easily carry in a production line in a semiconductor manufacturing factory without limiting the carry-in route, and even if a trouble occurs in any part (for example, the transport unit 8) Each unit can be replaced, and replacement work can be easily performed. Further, by dividing the gantry, the weight can be reduced as compared with the conventional monolithic gantry.

  The gantry (first gantry) 10 of the cleaning unit 6 is used as a reference gantry, and a positioning plate 62 for positioning the gantry (second gantry) 11 of the transport unit 8 is provided below the first gantry 10 as the reference gantry. Therefore, the positioning installation work can be simplified.

  The first frame 10 that is the reference frame and the second frame 11 of the transport unit 8 are provided with guide plates 63 and 64 that face each other, and one guide plate 63 is formed with a horizontal slot 63a. The other guide plate 64 is formed with a vertical elongated hole 64a. A bolt 65 is passed over the elongated holes 63a and 64a, and a nut 66 is screwed into the bolt 65 and tightened. Therefore, the work of joining the bases 10 and 11 can be facilitated or simplified.

  An opening 50 for loading and unloading the hoop 2 is formed on the front surface of the second frame 11 of the transport unit 8. The opening 50 is moved from below to above by an air cylinder 51 and closed from an open state. Unlike the case where the front door 52 is moved from the lower side to the upper side by the air cylinder 51 and the front door 52 is changed from the closed state to the open state by the air cylinder 51, the supply of air from the air supply source is lowered. Even at that time, the front door 52 is only opened by its own weight, and the accident of pinching a work (hoop) by the weight of the front door 52 can be eliminated.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various design change is possible within the range of the summary of this invention.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the hoop washing | cleaning drying apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part. It is a front view of a hoop washing | cleaning drying apparatus. It is a side view of a hoop cleaning drying apparatus. It is a principal part side view which shows the state which fixed the hoop washing | cleaning drying apparatus to the installation surface. It is a top view which shows roughly the structure inside a hoop washing | cleaning drying apparatus. It is a side view which shows roughly the structure inside a hoop washing | cleaning drying apparatus. The figure which shows a front door, (a) is a front view, (b) is the BB sectional drawing of (a). It is sectional drawing which shows the structure inside a washing chamber schematically.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hoop washing | cleaning drying apparatus 2 Hoop 3 Mounting part 4 Load port 5 Cleaning chamber 6 Cleaning part 7 Transfer robot 8 Transfer part 10, 11, 12 Mount 62 Positioning plate 63, 64 Guide plate 63a Horizontal long hole 64a Vertical long hole 65 bolts 66 nuts 50 openings 51 air cylinders 52 front doors

Claims (2)

A load port unit having a mounting table for carrying in and out of the hoop, a cleaning unit having a cleaning chamber for cleaning and drying the hoop, and the hoop provided between the cleaning unit and the load port unit. A hoop cleaning / drying apparatus including a transport unit having a transport robot for transporting, wherein the load port unit is formed as an independent unit having a sub frame, the cleaning unit is a first frame, and the transport unit is a second frame. The first frame and the second frame each have a fan filter unit at the ceiling and an exhaust fan at the bottom. Position the rear lower part of the second frame at the left and right ends of the front lower part of the first frame. A positioning plate for the transport unit protruding forward is provided, and the front lower portion of the second frame is protruded forward for positioning by positioning the rear lower portion of the sub frame at the left and right end positions. A positioning plate for the first port is provided, and a temporary joining guide plate and a hole for main joining are provided opposite to the left and right lower corners of the front part of the first frame and the rear part of the second frame. The guide plate comprises one guide plate having a horizontal slot and the other guide plate having a vertical slot perpendicular to the horizontal slot. The horizontal slot and the vertical slot are across through the bolt, for the joining with correct the positional deviation of the temporary joining work after Tsu line between the first frame and the second frame of the first frame as the reference frame is screwed to a nut to the bolt A bolt is passed through the hole, a nut is screwed into the bolt and the first frame and the second frame are fully joined, and the first frame and the second frame are fixed to the floor surface by a fixing bracket. Hoop cleaning and drying equipment. An opening for loading and unloading the hoop is formed in the front surface of the second frame of the transfer unit, and a front door that is moved from below to above by an air cylinder and is opened from the open state. hoop cleaning and drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the provided.

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