JP6429015B2 - Gas purge unit and gas purge device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gas purge unit and a gas purge apparatus used in, for example, a semiconductor manufacturing process.

  In a semiconductor manufacturing process, a wafer accommodated in a wafer transfer container includes, for example, one formed with metal wiring or the like. Such metal wiring may oxidize on the surface, so that desired characteristics may not be obtained when the element is completed. For this reason, it is necessary to keep the oxygen concentration inside the container at a low level.

  However, when the wafer in the pod is brought into various processing apparatuses and subjected to predetermined processing, the inside of the container and the inside of the processing apparatus are always kept in communication. A fan and a filter are arranged in the upper part of the chamber in which the transfer robot is arranged, and clean air in which particles and the like are usually managed is introduced into the room. However, when such air enters the inside of the container, the wafer surface may be oxidized by oxygen or moisture in the air.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 1, for example, a purge gas such as nitrogen gas is introduced toward the inside of the container, and the opening surface of the opening is used to block the introduction of dirty air from the inside of the processing chamber to the inside of the container. It has been proposed to blow gas along.

  However, in the conventional apparatus, the container inward nozzle that blows out the gas toward the inside of the container is disposed on the side portion of the opening.

  Therefore, depending on the design of the chamber in which the transfer robot is arranged, there is a possibility that the carry-out arm of the robot may interfere with the purge unit. Further, in the conventional apparatus, there has been a case where the homogeneous replacement is not sufficiently performed when replacing the gas inside the container. If uniform replacement is not sufficiently performed, for example, the wafer placed at the top of the container and the wafer placed at the bottom of the container have different oxygen or moisture concentrations in the atmosphere, and subsequent manufacturing There are problems such as variations in wafer processing in the process.

WO2005 / 124853 publication

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to purge the inside of the container without obstructing the movement of the robot arm, and to perform gas replacement inside the container uniformly. A gas purge unit and a gas purge device are provided.

In order to achieve the above object, a gas purge unit according to the present invention comprises:
A gas purge unit for introducing a cleaning gas into a purge target container having an opening through the opening,
An upper nozzle member in which an upper nozzle port for blowing cleaning gas from the upper edge of the opening toward the inside of the purge target container is formed;
A lower nozzle member having a lower nozzle port for blowing cleaning gas from the lower side of the opening toward the inside of the purge target container.

  In the gas purge unit of the present invention, gas replacement inside the purge target container is performed by the upper side nozzle member and the lower side nozzle member. Therefore, it is not necessary to arrange a nozzle member on the side part of the opening. For example, the movement of the robot arm for wafer transfer includes a rotation operation, and conventionally, a nozzle member located on the side of the opening may interfere with the rotation operation. In the present invention, since it is not necessary to arrange a nozzle member on the side of the opening, purging can be performed without blocking the movement of the robot arm.

  Further, in the purge unit of the present invention, gas is released from the upper and lower sides of the opening into the container, so that the gas escapes near the center of the opening. On the other hand, in the case of only one from the upper side, there is a risk that gas replacement in the lower part of the container will be insufficient. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to perform gas replacement uniformly in the vertical direction. As a result, the quality of the processing object such as a wafer accommodated in the container can be made uniform.

  The upper side nozzle member may further be formed with an upper side curtain nozzle port for blowing cleaning gas along the opening surface of the opening. The lower nozzle member may further include a lower curtain nozzle port that blows cleaning gas along the opening surface of the opening. By comprising in this way, the conventional curtain nozzle member is also omissible. Moreover, by comprising in this way, a number of parts can be reduced and it contributes to size reduction of a unit.

  In addition, the upper side curtain nozzle port and / or the lower side curtain nozzle port may be formed in a nozzle member different from the upper side nozzle member and the lower side nozzle member, respectively, and arranged near them.

  Preferably, the upper side nozzle port and the lower side nozzle port are formed continuously or intermittently along the longitudinal direction of the upper side portion and the lower side portion of the opening, respectively. These nozzle openings may be slit-like elongated outlets, or may be an aggregate of a plurality of outlets. These nozzle openings may be slit-like through holes formed along the longitudinal direction of the tubular member, circular through holes, or through holes formed inside the nozzle protruding from the tubular member.

In the gas purge apparatus of the present invention,
The purge target container is detachably attached from the outside to a wall side opening formed in a wall whose inside is sealed,
The opening of the container to be purged and the wall side opening are communicated in an airtight manner,
The gas purge unit according to any one of the above is attached to the upper side and the lower side of the wall-side opening inside the wall.

FIG. 1A is a partial cross-sectional schematic view of a load port apparatus to which a gas purge unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. 1B is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the load port device shown in FIG. 1A. 1C is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle member of the gas purge unit shown in FIG. 1B. FIG. 1D is a cross-sectional view of a nozzle member used in a gas purge unit according to another embodiment of the present invention. 2A is a perspective view of the nozzle member of the gas purge unit shown in FIG. 1C, FIG. 2B is a perspective view showing a modification of the nozzle member shown in FIG. 2A, and FIG. FIG. 2D is a perspective view showing still another modification of the nozzle member shown in FIG. 2A. FIG. 3A is a schematic view showing a process in which a hoop lid is opened by a load port device. FIG. 3B is a schematic view showing a step subsequent to FIG. 3A. FIG. 3C is a schematic view showing a step subsequent to FIG. 3B. FIG. 3D is a schematic view showing a step subsequent to FIG. 3C. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional schematic view of a load port apparatus to which a gas purge unit according to another embodiment of the present invention is applied.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

First Embodiment As shown in FIG. 1A, a load port device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to an intermediate chamber 60 such as an EFEM. The load port apparatus 10 includes an installation table 12 and a movable table 14 that can move in the X-axis direction with respect to the installation table 12. In the drawings, the X-axis indicates the moving direction of the movable table 14, the Z-axis indicates the vertical direction in the vertical direction, and the Y-axis indicates the direction perpendicular to these X-axis and Z-axis.

  On the upper part of the movable table 14 in the Z-axis direction, a sealed transfer container 2 composed of a pot, a hoop, or the like for sealing, storing, and transferring a plurality of wafers 1 can be detachably mounted. The sealed transport container 2 has a casing 2a. Inside the casing 2a, a space for accommodating the wafer 1 as an object to be processed is formed. The casing 2a has a substantially box-like shape having an opening on any one surface that exists in the horizontal direction.

  The sealed transport container 2 includes a lid 4 for sealing the opening 2b of the casing 2a. A shelf (not shown) having a plurality of steps for stacking the wafer 1 held horizontally inside the casing 2a in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) is arranged, and each wafer 1 placed thereon is arranged. It is accommodated inside the container 2 with the interval kept constant.

  The load port device 10 is an interface device for transferring the wafer 1 accommodated in a sealed state in the sealed transfer container 2 into the intermediate chamber 60 while maintaining a clean state. A single or a plurality of processing chambers 70 are hermetically connected to the intermediate chamber 60. The processing chamber 70 is an apparatus used in a semiconductor manufacturing process, such as a vapor deposition apparatus, a sputtering apparatus, and an etching apparatus, although it is not particularly limited.

  A robot arm 50 is accommodated in the intermediate chamber 60. An FFU (Fan Filter Unit) 40 is mounted on the upper part of the intermediate chamber 60, and clean air is caused to flow from the FFU 40 to the inside of the intermediate chamber 60 by a downflow to create a local clean environment. The cleanliness inside the intermediate chamber 60 is lower than the cleanliness inside the sealed transfer container 2 described below, but higher than the cleanliness in the external environment.

  The load port device 10 includes a door 18 that opens and closes the wall side opening 13 of the wall 11. The wall 11 functions as a part of a casing that seals the inside of the intermediate chamber 60 in a clean state. The movement of the door 18 will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3D.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, when the container 2 is installed on the table 14, the positioning pins 16 are fitted into the recesses of the positioning part 3 provided on the lower surface of the casing 2 a of the container 2, whereby the container 2 and The positional relationship with the movable table 14 is uniquely determined. During the storage and transfer of the wafer 1, the inside of the sealed transfer container 2 is sealed, and the periphery of the wafer 1 is maintained in a clean environment.

  When the sealed transport container 2 is positioned and installed on the upper surface of the movable table 14, the air supply port 5 and the exhaust port 6 formed on the lower surface of the sealed transport container 2 are arranged inside the table 14. It is hermetically connected to a bottom purge device. Then, a bottom gas purge is performed through an air supply port 5 and an exhaust port 6 provided at the lower part of the container 2. In the state where the bottom gas purge is performed, as shown in FIG. 3B, the table 14 moves in the X-axis direction, and the opening edge 2c to which the lid 4 that airtightly closes the opening 2b of the container 2 is attached is formed on the wall. 11 inside the wall-side opening 13.

  At the same time, the door 18 located inside the wall 11 (on the side opposite to the table 14) engages with the lid 4 of the container 2. At that time, the gap between the opening edge 2c and the opening edge of the wall side opening 13 is sealed with a gasket or the like, and the gap between these is well sealed. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3C, the door 18 is moved in parallel with the lid 4 in the X-axis direction or is pivotally moved to remove the lid 4 from the opening edge 2c, open the opening 2b, open the opening 2b and the wall. The inside of the container 2 and the inside of the wall 11 are communicated with each other through the side opening 13.

  Also in this case, the bottom gas purge may be continued for operation. In addition to the bottom purge or by stopping the bottom purge, a purge gas (cleaning gas) such as nitrogen gas or other inert gas is blown out from the inside of the wall 11 toward the inside of the container 2 (front purge).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3D, if the door 18 is moved downward in the Z axis inside the wall 11, the opening 2 b of the container 2 opens completely with respect to the inside of the wall 11, and the inside of the wall 11. The wafer 1 is delivered to the inside of the wall 11 through the opening 2b and the wall-side opening 13 by the robot hand 50 (see FIG. 1A) arranged in FIG. Also in this case, the inside of the container 2 and the inside of the wall 11 are shielded from the outside air, and at least the front purge is continued, and the inside of the container 2 is maintained in a clean environment. In order to return the wafer 1 to the inside of the container 2 and remove the container 2 from the table 14, the reverse operation described above may be performed.

  In the drawing, the air supply port 5, the exhaust port 6, the gas purge unit 20, and the like are illustrated in an enlarged manner as compared with the sealed transfer container 2 for easy understanding. Is different.

  Next, the gas purge unit 20 for performing the front purge according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, in this embodiment, the wall-side opening 13 formed in the wall 11 has a rectangular opening surface, and an upper side portion 13b, a lower side portion 13c, and two side portions 13a in the wall 11 are provided. Surrounded by As shown in FIG. 3D, the opening 2 b of the container 2 has a shape corresponding to the wall-side opening 13 and is set to have the same or slightly smaller dimensions as the wall-side opening 13.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, in the present embodiment, the upper side nozzle member 22a and the lower side nozzle member 22b are disposed on the upper side portion 13b and the lower side portion 13c of the wall side opening 13, respectively, so as to avoid the door 18. It is attached to the inner surface. The inner surface of the wall 11 is the surface of the wall 11 opposite to the installation base 12. The upper side nozzle member 22 a and the lower side nozzle member 22 b constitute the gas purge unit 20.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the upper side nozzle member 22a and the lower side nozzle member 22b are arranged on the upper side part 13b and the lower side part 13c of the wall side opening 13 along the Y axis direction, respectively, in the Y axis direction than the opening 2b of the container 2. It is arranged to be long in the direction.

  The nozzle members 22a and 22b are each formed of, for example, a tubular member that is elongated in the Y-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 1C, the nozzle members 22a and 22b each have a blow-out passage 23 having a square cross section inside, and an upper nozzle at one corner. An opening 26a or a lower nozzle opening 26b is formed.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, the upper side nozzle port 26a or the lower side nozzle port 26b is a slit-like through-hole formed continuously in the Y-axis direction of the rectangular tubular nozzle member 22, respectively. It is configured.

  As shown in FIG. 1C, the air supply member 24 may be connected to the nozzle members 22a and 22b, although not necessarily essential. In the present embodiment, the air supply member 24 is formed of a tubular member that is elongated in the Y-axis direction, like the nozzle members 22a and 22b, and has a blow-out passage 25 having a square cross section therein. The communication hole 27 formed in the nozzle members 22 a and 22 b and the communication hole 29 formed in the air supply member 24 are communicated via the filter 21.

  These communication holes 27 and 29 are constituted by, for example, slit-like through holes formed continuously in the Z-axis direction or intermittently formed through holes. The cleaning gas flowing through the air supply passage 25 of the air supply member 24 passes through the communication holes 27 and 29 and the filter 21 and enters the blowout passage 23 of the nozzle members 22a and 22b, and the upper nozzle port 26a or the lower nozzle port. 26b is blown out.

  By using the air supply member 24, the flow rate of the cleaning gas blown out from the upper nozzle port 26a or the lower nozzle port 26b can be made more uniform in the Y-axis direction. Alternatively, by using the air supply member 24, it is possible to intentionally control the flow rate of the cleaning gas blown out from the upper nozzle port 26a or the lower nozzle port 26b along the Y-axis direction.

  Although the gas supply to the nozzle members 22a and 22b through the air supply member 24 or the direct gas supply to the nozzle members 22a and 22b is omitted in the drawing, for example, both are performed from below the Z axis. You may go from the top. In addition, gas may be supplied from below in one nozzle member 22b, and gas may be supplied from above in the other nozzle member 22a. Alternatively, one nozzle member 22b may supply gas from the right in the Y-axis direction, and the other nozzle member 22a may supply gas from the left in the Y-axis direction. Further, both nozzle members 22a and 22b may be supplied with gas from the same side in the Y-axis direction.

  In the present embodiment, the nozzle ports 26a and 26b are configured as slit-like elongated outlets. However, as shown in FIG. 2B, a plurality of outlets may be aggregated. The nozzle openings 26a, 26b are slit-like through holes formed along the longitudinal direction of the tubular member, circular through holes, or through holes formed inside the nozzle protruding from the tubular member. Also good. Furthermore, the nozzle ports 26a and 26b do not necessarily have to be configured by the same type of through holes. For example, the upper nozzle port 26a is configured by a slit-shaped through hole, and the lower nozzle port 26b is a set of a plurality of outlets. It may be composed of a body or vice versa. Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2C and 2D, the nozzle members 22a and 22b22 may be formed in a cylindrical shape or other cylindrical shapes.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3D, the pair of nozzle members 22a and 22b are attached to the inner surface of the wall 11 at the upper side portion 13b and the lower side portion 13c of the wall side opening 13 so as to face each other in the Z-axis direction. It is. Therefore, the blowing direction of the gas blown from the upper side nozzle port 26a is directed from the upper side of the Z axis to the inside of the container 2, and the blowing direction of the gas blown from the lower side nozzle port 26b is set to the inside of the vessel 2 from the lower side of the Z axis. The direction is facing.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, gas replacement inside the purge target container 2 is performed by the upper side nozzle member 22a and the lower side nozzle member 22b. Therefore, it is not necessary to arrange a nozzle member on the side portion 13 a of the opening 13. For example, the movement of the robot arm 50 for wafer transfer shown in FIG. 1A includes a rotation operation in the direction of arrow R, and conventionally, a nozzle member located on the side of the opening 13 becomes an obstacle during the rotation operation. There is. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3D, it is not necessary to arrange a nozzle member on the side of the opening 13, so that the purge can be performed without blocking the movement of the robot arm 50.

  Further, in the purge unit 20 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3D, gas is released from the upper and lower sides of the openings 2b and 13 into the container 2, so that the gas escapes near the center of the opening. On the other hand, in the case of only one from the upper side, there is a possibility that the gas replacement in the lower part of the container 2 may be insufficient. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to perform gas replacement uniformly in the vertical direction. As a result, the quality of the processing object such as the wafer 1 accommodated in the container 2 can be made uniform.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the flow rate of the gas blown out from the nozzle ports 26a and 26b is substantially the same, but it may be different depending on the case.

  If the flow rate of the gas blown from the nozzle port 26a is Q1, and the flow rate of the gas blown from the nozzle port 26b is Q2, Q1 / Q2 may be configured to be variable. In order to adjust the flow rate ratio, the opening area may be changed between the nozzle opening 26a and the nozzle opening 26b, a partition plate may be inserted inside the members 22a and 22b, or the number of blowing openings may be changed.

  In this embodiment, the lengths in the Y-axis direction of the upper nozzle port 26a and the lower nozzle port 26b are the same, and are substantially equal to the length in the Y-axis direction of the opening 2b of the container 2 as shown in FIG. 1B. The above is preferable. With this configuration, the cleaning gas flows through the front and back surfaces of all the wafers 1 accommodated in the container 2.

  However, in the present embodiment, the lengths in the Y-axis direction of the upper side nozzle port 26a and the lower side nozzle port 26b do not need to be the same, and may be different. Moreover, the length of the upper side nozzle port 26a and the lower side nozzle port 26b in the Y-axis direction may be formed shorter than the length of the opening 2b of the container 2 in the Y-axis direction, and the position may be shifted along the Y-axis direction.

  The type of gas blown out from the nozzle openings 26a, 26b is not particularly limited, but it is necessary that the gas be at least clean (not including particles, moisture, etc.) than the inner environment of the wall 11, for example, An inert gas such as nitrogen gas is exemplified. The type and cleanliness of the gas blown from the nozzle openings 26a and 26b are preferably the same, but may be changed depending on circumstances.

Second Embodiment As shown in FIG. 4, in a gas purge unit 20A according to another embodiment of the present invention, the upper side nozzle member 22a and the lower side nozzle member 22b have an upper side curtain nozzle port separately from the nozzle ports 26a and 26b. 28a and a lower curtain nozzle port 28b are respectively formed. As shown in FIG. 1D, the curtain nozzle openings 28a, 28b are arranged in the nozzle openings 26a. It is formed in the plane part of the square tubular nozzle member 22 adjacent to each 26b. As shown in FIG. 4, a cleaning gas is blown out from the curtain nozzle ports 28a and 28b in a direction along the opening surfaces of the openings 2b and 13.

  In the present embodiment, the nozzle openings 26a and 26b and the curtain nozzle openings 28a and 28b are configured by slit-like through holes formed continuously in the Y-axis direction of the nozzle members 22a and 22b, respectively. The nozzle ports are parallel to each other at a predetermined interval in the Z axis direction. The nozzle ports 26a and 26b and the curtain nozzle ports 28a and 28b are not necessarily configured by the same type of through holes. For example, the nozzle ports 26a and 26b are configured by slit-shaped through holes, and the curtain nozzle ports 28a and 28b. May be composed of an assembly of a plurality of outlets, or vice versa.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the pair of nozzle members 22 a and 22 b are attached so as to face the inner surface of the wall 11 at the upper side portion 13 b and the lower side portion 13 c of the wall side opening 13. Therefore, the blowing direction of the gas blown from the nozzle ports 26a and 26b is directed to the inside of the container 2, and the blowing direction of the gas blown from the curtain nozzle ports 28a and 28b is in a direction along the opening surfaces of the openings 13 and 2b. It has become.

  In the present embodiment, it is preferable that the flow rate of the gas blown out from the curtain nozzle ports 28, 28 is substantially the same, but it may be different depending on the case.

  In this embodiment, the nozzle ports 26a and 26b and the curtain nozzle ports 28a and 28b do not have to have the same length in the Y-axis direction. For example, the lengths of the curtain nozzle ports 28a and 28b in the Y-axis direction are the same. The nozzle ports 26a and 26b may be longer than the length in the Y-axis direction. In that case, the effect of shielding the dirty gas flow from the inside of the wall 11 to the inside of the container 2 is enhanced.

  The type and cleanliness of the gas blown out from the side nozzle port 26 and the curtain nozzle port 28 are preferably the same, but may be changed depending on circumstances.

  In the gas purge unit 20A of the present embodiment, the curtain nozzle ports 28a and 28b for blowing the cleaning gas along the opening surface of the opening 13 are arranged inside the wall 11 along the upper side portion 13b and the lower side portion 13c of the opening 13, respectively. It is. For this reason, the flow of the gas blown out from each curtain nozzle port 28a, 28b constitutes a curtain flow that blocks the flow that tries to enter the inside of the container 2 from the outside of the container 2 (inside the wall 11) through the opening 13.

  In the present embodiment, nozzle ports 26a and 26b and curtain nozzle ports 28a and 28b are formed in a single nozzle member 22a and 22b. By forming it on the single nozzle members 22a and 22b, the number of parts can be reduced, which contributes to the downsizing of the unit 20A.

  In the present embodiment, since the curtain flow can be formed using the curtain nozzle ports 28a and 28b, the down flow type curtain nozzle 30 attached to the upper side in the Z-axis direction from the upper nozzle member 22a shown in FIG. Can also be eliminated. However, this downflow curtain nozzle 30 may be used in combination.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the upper side curtain nozzle port 28a and / or the lower side curtain nozzle port 28b are formed on nozzle members different from the upper side nozzle member 22a and the lower side nozzle member 22b, respectively, and are arranged near them. Also good.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration and operational effects similar to those of the first embodiment are obtained except for those described above. In addition, description of members and symbols common to the first embodiment is omitted.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the gas purge unit of the present invention is applied to the load port device 10, but may be applied to other devices. For example, the gas purge unit of the present invention may be installed in another device or place where a clean environment is required.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Wafer 2 ... Sealed conveyance container 2a ... Casing 2b ... Opening 2c ... Opening edge 3 ... Positioning part 4 ... Lid 5 ... Air supply port 6 ... Exhaust port 10 ... Load port apparatus 11 ... Wall 12 ... Installation stand 13 ... Wall side Opening 13a ... Side 13b ... Upper 13b ... Lower 14 ... Movable table 16 ... Positioning pin 18 ... Door 20, 20A ... Gas purge unit 21 ... Filter 22a ... Upper nozzle member 22b ... Lower nozzle member 23 ... Blowout flow path 24 Air supply member 25 Air supply passage 26a Upper nozzle port 26b Lower nozzle port 27 Communication hole 28a Upper curtain nozzle port 28b Lower curtain nozzle port 29 Communication hole 30 Curtain nozzle 40 FFU
50 ... Robot arm 60 ... Intermediate room 70 ... Processing room

Claims (4)

An upper nozzle member in which an upper nozzle port is formed through which the cleaning gas is blown obliquely from top to bottom from the upper side of the opening toward the inside of the purge target container through the opening inside the purge target container having an opening. When,
A gas purge apparatus comprising a gas purge unit having a lower nozzle member formed with a lower nozzle port that blows a cleaning gas obliquely from below to above from the lower edge of the opening toward the inside of the purge target container. ,
The container to be purged is detachably attached from the outside to a wall side opening formed in a wall whose inside is sealed,
The opening of the container to be purged and the wall side opening are communicated in an airtight manner,
The gas purge unit, wherein the gas purge unit is attached to the upper side and the lower side of the wall-side opening inside the wall. Each of the upper side nozzle member and the lower side nozzle member is formed of an elongated tubular member, and has a rectangular cross-section blowing channel inside, and the upper side nozzle port or the lower side nozzle port is formed at one corner. Yes,
The gas purge device according to claim 1, wherein the upper nozzle port and the lower nozzle port are formed continuously or intermittently along the longitudinal direction of the upper and lower sides of the opening, respectively. The gas purging device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper side nozzle member is further formed with an upper side curtain nozzle port for blowing cleaning gas along the opening surface of the opening. The gas purging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lower nozzle member is further formed with a lower curtain nozzle port for blowing cleaning gas along the opening surface of the opening.

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