JPH0620093B2 - Transfer device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transfer device for transferring a fixed or non-fixed plate-like object such as a semiconductor wafer, and more particularly, to a container for accommodating an object to be transferred. The present invention relates to the loading and unloading of objects to be transferred.

[Conventional technology]

In the semiconductor element processing step, the semiconductor wafer is stored and transported in a wafer cassette, transferred from the wafer cassette to a boat and placed in a heating furnace, and a predetermined heat treatment such as heat diffusion treatment or annealing treatment is performed, and the heat treatment is performed. After that, the semiconductor wafer is being returned from the boat to the wafer cassette.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

By the way, conventionally, these operations have been automated, but they have drawbacks such as a complicated mechanism and insufficient dustproof measures.

In particular, a transport unit for transporting semiconductor wafers has an opening / closing chuck for gripping semiconductor wafers, etc., and the opening / closing mechanism for opening / closing the chuck is complicated and the number of mechanical parts is large. There was a defect that dust was generated in the air and that attention had to be paid to the flow of clean air.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device that simplifies the mechanism to prevent generation of dust and improves transfer efficiency.

[Means for solving problems]

As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer device of the present invention has a positioning means for positioning and fixing a wafer boat composed of four support rods for supporting the wafer in a vertical state, and a positioning means for positioning and horizontally positioning the wafer boat. Is supported by a plurality of support shafts installed in parallel below the wafer boat installed on the wafer boat, and a drive unit is provided below the wafer boat, and the drive unit drives the support shaft along the wafer boat. And a sliding unit that moves horizontally in a horizontal direction, and a wafer insertion groove that is attached to the sliding unit and is installed above the wafer boat to individually sandwich a plurality of wafers so as not to contact each other, and The sliding unit is equipped with two pairs of arms that are parallel to the wafer boat and have four support points for the wafer. A loading arm that moves in the horizontal direction, a loading unit that vertically moves through the loading arm or the inside of the wafer boat and moves up the loading arm or the wafer in the wafer boat, and An elevating mechanism for elevating and lowering the placing part is provided, and the vertical movement of the placing part and the horizontal movement of the placing arm are selectively combined to set the wafer on the placing arm to the wafer. Transfer to a boat,
Alternatively, the wafer on the wafer boat side is transferred to the placing arm side.

[Work]

A wafer boat consisting of four support rods for supporting the wafer in a vertical state is used. This wafer boat is
It is positioned by the positioning means and fixed horizontally.
Below the wafer boat, a sliding unit that moves on two support shafts that are parallel to the wafer is provided. This sliding unit is provided with a drive unit below the wafer boat and moves horizontally along the wafer boat.

This sliding unit is provided with a mounting arm that is parallel to the wafer boat above the wafer boat, and this mounting arm has a wafer insertion groove that individually sandwiches a plurality of wafers so as not to contact each other. It is formed and is parallel to the wafer boat, and is provided with two pairs of arms having four support points for the wafer. The mounting arm moves horizontally by the sliding unit.

A mounting portion is provided which can penetrate the inside of the mounting arm or the wafer boat and can be moved in the vertical direction, and the mounting portion is moved up and down by an elevating mechanism. That is, since the mounting arm and the wafer boat are provided with the space through which the mounting portion can pass, the wafer in the mounting arm or the wafer boat can be pushed up by raising and lowering the mounting portion.

Therefore, according to this transfer device, the wafer on the mounting arm is transferred to the wafer boat or the wafer is transferred by selectively combining the vertical movement of the mounting portion and the horizontal movement of the mounting arm. The wafer on the boat side can be transferred to the mounting arm side.

〔Example〕

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

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the transfer device of the present invention.

This transfer device mounts a wafer boat 6 (hereinafter referred to as “boat 6”), a wafer cassette, etc., as a storage container for storing a semiconductor wafer 4 as an object to be transferred, on the upper surface of the support frame 2. In this case, when the semiconductor wafer 4 is taken in and out, the boat 6 is locked at its front end by a lock mechanism 10 including a spring 8 and the like, and its rear end is moved in the front-rear direction in order to prevent positional displacement due to movement of the boat 6. It is fixed by a lock mechanism 12 whose position and pressure can be adjusted. And this boat 6
As shown in FIG. 2, the storage portion 13 for storing the semiconductor wafer 4 is configured by arranging four shafts 14. Each shaft 14 has a specific groove for sandwiching the semiconductor wafer 4. A space portion 1 formed at a pitch for allowing the mounting portion 18 of the lifting mechanism 16 to pass through between the shafts 1.
9 is provided.

The elevating mechanism 16 divides the length of the storage portion 13 of the semiconductor wafer 4 of the boat 6 into an appropriate length. For example, the mounting portion 18 capable of grasping the divided semiconductor wafer 4 is installed as six divisions. There is. Then, in each of the mounting portions 18, as shown by the arrow a, the mounting portion 18 with respect to the elevating arm 20 is
A lifting drive device 22 such as a cylinder device for moving up and down is individually installed.

In addition, above the support frame 2, a moving mechanism 24 for placing the semiconductor wafer 4 and moving it in the horizontal direction parallel to the boat 6 as shown by an arrow b is installed. This moving mechanism includes two support shafts 2 on the rear surface side of the support frame 2.
6 are provided in parallel, a sliding unit 28 is attached to the support shaft 26, and a mounting arm 30 composed of four shafts for mounting the semiconductor wafer 4 is attached to the sliding unit 28. The sliding unit 28 uses the drive ball screw 32 attached to the support frame 2 to rotate the drive unit 3.
By rotating with 4, it can be moved to a desired position.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mounting arm 30 is composed of four shafts, and a wafer insertion groove 38 for individually sandwiching a plurality of semiconductor wafers 4 on each shaft so as not to contact each other is formed in the boat 6. The mounting arm 30 is formed with a specific pitch corresponding to the pitch of the groove, and the mounting arm 30 is formed with an escape portion 40 for passing through the mounting portion 18 of the elevating mechanism 16 and separating from the mounting portion 18.

The transfer of the semiconductor wafer 4 having the above structure will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

When the semiconductor wafer 4 is loaded into or unloaded from the boat 6, the semiconductor wafer 4 is placed on the mounting arm 30 and transferred to a specific position above the boat 6, as shown in A of FIG. In this case, the semiconductor wafer 4 is placed on the placing arm 30 from the wafer cassette and transferred to the position where the boat 6 should be loaded. At this time, the position to be loaded can be set, for example, in units of length of the loading unit 18 of the lifting mechanism 16, and the loading unit 18 is waiting for the position to be loaded below the boat 6, The mounting portion 18 is raised in the direction indicated by the arrow a.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the mounting portion 18 penetrates the space portion 19 of the boat 6 and hits the semiconductor wafer 4 on the mounting arm 30 from the escape portion 40 of the mounting arm 30, and then C in FIG. The semiconductor wafer 4 is pushed up as shown in FIGS. In this state, the sliding unit 28 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow b in C of FIG. 4 and separates from the mounting portion 18.

Then, as shown in E of FIG.
When lowered in the direction indicated by, as shown in F of FIG. 4,
The semiconductor wafer 4 can be stored in the boat 6,
For example, the semiconductor wafer 4 is transferred to the heating furnace together with the boat 6, and the semiconductor wafer 4 is subjected to a predetermined heat treatment.

The semiconductor wafer 4 on the boat 6 which has been subjected to the predetermined processing is
By carrying out an operation in the opposite direction to the loading of the boat 6, the boat 6 can be transferred to an external wafer cassette, for example.

In transferring the semiconductor wafer 4 as described above, a dummy wafer, a sample wafer, or the like can be directly mounted on the mounting arm 30 of the sliding unit 28 and transferred to the boat 6.

By the way, the wafer cassette 42 can be placed in the transfer device as a storage container in place of the boat 6, and the semiconductor wafer 4 can be put in and taken out of the wafer cassette 42 in the same manner as in the case of the boat 6. In the wafer cassette 42 as a storage container, support walls are formed on the side walls thereof at a specific interval in a comb-like shape, and a space portion 4 for allowing the mounting portion 18 of the elevating mechanism 16 to pass through on the bottom surface portion.
4 are formed, and the semiconductor wafers 4 are housed one by one between the support walls.

When such a wafer cassette 42 is installed on the support frame 2 of the transfer device, as shown in FIG. 5G, the mounting portion 18 is pushed up from below the wafer cassette 42 in the direction indicated by the arrow d, and the mounting portion 18 is moved upward. As indicated by H, the semiconductor wafer 4 is received from the wafer cassette 42 to the mounting portion 18.

Then, as shown in I of FIG. 5, the wafer cassette 4
The semiconductor wafer 4 is placed on the mounting portion 18 through the slot 2 and stands by, and the sliding unit 28 is placed below the mounting portion 18 by the arrow e.
Then, as shown by J in FIG. 5, the mounting arm 30 is made to stand by under the mounting portion 18. In this state, when the mounting portion 18 is lowered in the direction indicated by arrow f in K of FIG. 5, the semiconductor wafer 4 is placed on the mounting arm 30 of the sliding unit 28 as shown in L and M of FIG. Is placed and transferred to an arbitrary position by sliding of the sliding unit 28.

In addition, although the semiconductor wafer 4 is transferred in the embodiment, the present invention can be used for transferring a regular or non-standard plate-shaped object other than the semiconductor wafer 4.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, since the mechanism is simple and there is no opening / closing mechanism such as a chuck, no dust is generated due to the opening / closing, and the drive unit is also located on the lower side of the transfer path. Since it is installed, it can be cleaned and the wafer can be efficiently transferred.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a transfer device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the transfer device shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a mounting arm, and FIG. And FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the operation of the transfer device shown in FIG. 4 ... Semiconductor wafer 6 ... Wafer boat 16 ... Elevating mechanism 18 ... Placement unit 24 ... Moving mechanism 26 ... Support shaft 30 ... Placement arm 34 ... Drive unit 38 ... Wafer insertion groove

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A positioning means for positioning and fixing a wafer boat composed of four support rods for supporting the wafer in a vertical state, and parallel to the lower side of the wafer boat which is positioned by the positioning means and installed horizontally. While being supported by a plurality of support shafts installed in, a drive unit is provided below the wafer boat, and a sliding unit that moves horizontally on the support shaft along the wafer boat by the drive unit, It is attached to this sliding unit and is installed above the wafer boat, and a wafer insertion groove that individually sandwiches a plurality of wafers so as not to contact each other is formed, and the wafer insertion groove is parallel to the wafer boat. A mounting arm that includes two pairs of arms having four support points and that moves horizontally by the sliding unit; A mounting unit that vertically moves through the mounting arm or the inside of the wafer boat to push up the mounting arm or the wafer in the wafer boat; and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the mounting unit. By selectively combining the vertical movement of the placing unit and the horizontal movement of the placing arm, the wafer on the placing arm is transferred to the wafer boat,
Alternatively, a transfer device for transferring the wafer on the wafer boat side to the placing arm side.