JPH09315521A - Conveying system to stocker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conveying system to a stocker, capable of shortening the time in which a load is transferred from an overhead conveying vehicle to a plurality of stokers and improving the conveying efficiency. SOLUTION: A stocker 1 is provided with storing racks 12, 13 for storing many loads 3, a rack part 14 for delivering the loads 3 to an overhead conveying device 2, and a stocker inside conveying means 11 capable of freely traveling along the storing racks 12, 13 to convey the load between the rack part 14 and the storing racks 12, 13. The rack part 14 is provided with two or more load delivering parts 15 arranged along the traveling direction of the overhead conveying device 2, the overhead conveying device 2 can selectively deliver the load to any one of two or more load delivering parts 15, and the stocker inside conveying device 11 can selectively convey the load in relation to only one of the two or more load delivering parts 15.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transporter having a plurality of stockers and a ceiling transporter which is movably provided so as to sequentially pass through the plurality of stockers and which transfers a load to each of the stockers. The present invention relates to a system, and more particularly to a system for improving the transfer efficiency of a ceiling transfer device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a semiconductor manufacturing clean room, various manufacturing apparatuses are arranged in respective steps called bays, and each manufacturing apparatus performs a unique wafer processing. Normally, since the processing speed of each manufacturing apparatus is different, a stocker having a buffer function and a storage function is provided for each process.

The transportation between the respective steps from the stocker to the stocker is carried out by a ceiling transporting device which is provided so as to be able to travel through a plurality of stockers in sequence and which delivers the load to each of the stockers. It is a system.

A conventional example of such a transport system will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, the transfer system is configured to include a plurality of stockers 101 and a ceiling transfer device 102 that can travel via the plurality of stockers 101 sequentially.

The stocker 101 is a transporter 1 in the stocker.
A first storage rack 105 and a second storage rack 106, which store a large number of loads 103 regularly and vertically and horizontally, are arranged on both sides of the traveling route 04. Then, the second storage shelf 106
The upper corner is cut off, and the cutout portion is provided with a shelf portion 107 for delivering a load. In addition, the load 1 for the manufacturing apparatus in the process is placed at an appropriate position on the second storage shelf 106.
03 entry / exit port 108 is provided. The in-stocker transport means 104 transfers the load 103 to the shelf 107,
It is possible to cope with the transfer of the first storage rack 105 and the second storage rack 106 to a predetermined location and the transfer of the load 103 to the loading / unloading port 108. On the other hand, the ceiling transfer device 102 includes a carriage 111 that can travel along a rail 110.
The chuck 112 is hung up and down.

In the above-described transfer system, the operation when the load 103 carried by the ceiling transfer device 102 is stored in the stocker 101 or is unloaded to the manufacturing apparatus in the process is as follows. First, the carriage 1 of the ceiling transfer device 102
11 is a shelf 10 of a predetermined stocker 101 as shown.
Stop on 7. Then lower the chuck 112,
The load 103 is placed on the shelf 107 and handed over. Next, the in-stocker transport means 104 receives the load 103 from the shelf 107 and stores the load 103 in either of the first storage shelf 105 or the second storage shelf 106, or the storage shelf 105, 1
It is directly transferred to the loading / unloading port 108 without being stored in 06.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional transfer system, a plurality of stockers 101 are used.
Since each of them has a single shelf portion 107, when the load 103 is unloaded from the ceiling transfer device 102 to the specific stocker 101, the ceiling transfer device 102 transfers the load 103 to the specific stocker 101. Even if it is possible, if the cargo 103 happens to remain on the shelf 107 of the stocker 101, or if the in-stocker transfer means 104 is transferring the load 103 on the shelf 107, the ceiling transfer device The load 103 cannot be unloaded from 102, and waiting time for the carriage 111 of the ceiling transfer apparatus 102 occurs. for that reason,
There is a problem that it takes time to transfer the load 103 from the ceiling transfer device 102 to the stocker 101. Further, while the carriage 111 of the ceiling transfer apparatus 102 is stopped, the transfer path of another carriage 111 is closed, which causes a problem that the transfer efficiency of the transfer system is reduced.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a transfer system to a stocker that shortens the transfer time of loads from a ceiling transfer vehicle to a plurality of stockers and improves the transfer efficiency.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is provided with a plurality of stockers and movably so as to sequentially pass through the plurality of stockers, A transport system having a ceiling transport device for delivering a load to each of the stockers,
The stocker is a storage shelf for storing a large number of the loads, a shelf for transferring the loads to and from the ceiling transfer device,
In order to carry a load between the shelving unit and the storage shelf, it is provided with a transporter in the stocker that can travel along the storage shelf, and the shelving unit is in the traveling direction of the ceiling transport device. In the stocker, the ceiling transfer device is capable of selectively delivering a load to any of the two or more load transfer units, and has two or more load transfer units arranged along the line. The carrier device is capable of selectively carrying one of the two or more delivery parts. As a result, when there is a load on the specific transfer section or when the transfer means in the stocker is being transferred to the specific transfer section, the ceiling transfer device changes the stop position in the traveling direction and becomes empty. The cargo is transferred to the existing delivery section.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the traveling direction of the ceiling conveying device and the traveling direction of the in-stocker conveying means are parallel to each other. As a result, the in-stocker transporting unit can be transferred to any of the two or more load transfer units only by changing the stop position in the traveling direction.

The invention of claim 3 is the same as claim 1 or 2.
In, the delivery of the selective load of the ceiling transfer device,
The selective transfer of the load by the in-stocker transfer means is performed by a control device that can recognize the delivery position of a specific load. With this, information processing of the availability of shelves of a plurality of stockers and which receiving portion of the shelves of each stocker has a load is performed by a control device such as a main computer that supervises the plurality of stockers and the ceiling transfer device. Is performed based on predetermined software, and the delivery position of a specific load is recognized so that confusion of loads does not occur.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the load is a cassette or a container for storing wafers. As a result, the stocker that loads the cassette or the container that stores the wafers is installed in the clean room, and in order to effectively utilize the limited space, it is necessary to improve the transfer efficiency of the ceiling transfer device.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to illustrated examples. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of a device constituting the system of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a specific form of a load, and FIG. 3 is a layout diagram showing a device configuration of the system of the present invention. Is.

In FIG. 1, a transfer system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described by exemplifying one of a plurality of stockers 1 installed for each process of a semiconductor manufacturing clean room.

That is, the transfer system is mainly composed of a plurality of stockers 1 and a ceiling transfer device 2 which can travel via the plurality of stockers 1 in sequence.

The ceiling transfer device 2 allows one or more carriages 32 to travel freely along the rail 31.
Chuck means 3 hung up and down on each of 2
3 are provided.

The truck 32 runs while the chuck means 33 holds the load 3 and raises it to the upper limit position of the truck 32. When the truck 32 travels along the rail 31 and stops at a predetermined position, the chuck means 33 for holding the load 3 is lowered from the truck 32, and when the chuck 33 is released, the load 3 is passed. Also, a trolley 32 in which an empty chuck means 33 is suspended.
When the vehicle travels along the rail 31 and stops at a predetermined position, the released chuck means 33 is lowered from the carriage 32 and the load 3 is gripped, so that the load 3 can be received. In this way, the ceiling transfer device 2 is configured to be able to deliver the load 3 at a predetermined position.

A plurality of stockers 1 are sequentially arranged along the circulating rail 3, but only one stocker 1 is shown in the illustrated example. The stocker 1 includes a first storage rack 12 and a second storage rack 12 for storing a large number of loads 3 regularly arranged vertically and horizontally on both sides of the traveling path of the in-stocker transport means 11.
A storage shelf 13 is provided. Then, the first storage shelf 12
The entire uppermost row of the second storage shelves 13 facing each other is omitted, and the entire upper plate of the second storage shelves 13 is the shelf portion 14. In the illustrated example, the shelf portion 14 is divided into seven transfer portions 15 from number to. This division only divides the flat shelf portion 14, and the number of the transfer portions 15 can be set arbitrarily. For example, the numbers up to the number can be used as a part of the second storage rack 13, and two of the numbers can be used as the delivery unit 15. Such proper use can be set by an input to the main computer described later.

The shelves 14 are the carriages 3 of the ceiling transfer device 2.
It is provided in parallel with the traveling direction of the second rail 31, and the shelf portion 14 is located directly below the chuck means 33 of the carriage 32. As a result, the dolly 32 is moved to the shelf 1
Just stop on any of the 4 ~ numbers,
The above-described delivery of the load 3 selectively to any one of the delivery portions 15 of the shelf portion 14 is possible. 16
Is a loading / unloading port that is provided at an appropriate position on the second storage shelf 13 and enables loading / unloading of the load 3 to / from the manufacturing apparatus in the process.

The in-stocker conveying means 11 transfers the load 3 to a predetermined transfer section 15 of the shelf section 14, and the first storage shelf 12
The transfer of the load 3 to a predetermined position of the second storage shelf 13 and the transfer of the load 3 to the loading / unloading port 16 provided at an appropriate position of the second storage shelf 13 are possible. Therefore, the transporter 11 in the stocker has a track rail 21 between the first storage rack 12 and the second storage rack 13, a traveling body 22 that can travel along the raceway 21, and up and down along the traveling body 22. The traveling body 22 is movable in any direction, is rotatable toward the first storage shelf 12 or the second storage shelf 13, and is movable back and forth toward the first storage shelf 12 or the second storage shelf 13 as necessary. And chuck means 23 provided in the. The rail 31 of the ceiling transfer device 3 and the track 21 of the in-stocker transfer means 11 are parallel to each other. Therefore, only by changing the position where the traveling body 22 stops along the track way 21, it is possible to selectively transfer the load 3 to any one of the seven transfer units 15 up to the number.

Next, the operation of the above-described transfer system will be described, particularly when the load 3 is transferred from the ceiling transfer device 2 to the stocker 1. First, the truck 32 of the ceiling transfer device 2 that has carried the load 3 recognizes an empty place in the delivery section 15 of the shelf section 14 and stops there. In the illustrated example, the number transfer unit 15 is vacant, and the dolly 32 is stopped on the lower number. Next, when the chuck means 33 that holds the load 3 from the carriage 32 is lowered and the load 3 is placed on the delivery unit 15,
The chuck means 33 is released to complete the transfer of the load 3. After the transfer is completed, the chuck means 33 is raised to move the carriage 32.
Starts traveling for delivery of the next load 3. The in-stocker transfer means 11 travels along the track stand 21 with respect to the transfer parts 15 other than the transfer part 15 where the load 3 is transferred by the ceiling transfer device 2. Then, the in-stocker transfer device 11 stops in front of the predetermined transfer part 15 to receive the load 3, the in-stocker transfer device 11 travels, and the chuck means 23 is moved to a predetermined position to set the first storage rack 12 or the second storage rack. Either store the load 3 in one of the vacant places 13 or
Direct entry / exit 16 without storing in these storage shelves 12, 13.
The load 3 is transferred to.

Therefore, even when the in-stocker conveying means 11 transfers the load 3 at the number transfer section 15, the ceiling transfer apparatus 2 transfers the load 3 to the transfer section 15 which is vacant like the number. Since delivery is possible, the delivery of the load 3 between the stocker 1 and the ceiling transfer device 2 is free, and the stocker 1 is busy (the delivery unit 15 has already delivered the load 3).
There is no waiting time of the trolley 32 of the ceiling transfer device 2 due to the presence or absence of the stocker or when the in-stocker transfer means 11 is working in the delivery section 15. Further, if the number of delivery parts 15 of the shelf portion 14 is increased to three or more as shown in the illustrated example, the number of delivery parts 15 can be increased or decreased as necessary to increase the degree of freedom of the system.

Next, the form of the load 3 handled in the semiconductor manufacturing clean room will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
The load is called a cassette 41. Wafer 4
Each of the two cassettes is housed with a gap therebetween, and each cassette 41 can be immersed in the liquid as it is for wafer processing. The cassette 41 has a structure in which each wafer 42 can be taken in and out and held by the chuck means described above. The load of the part (b) is called a container 43, and stores a plurality of wafers 41 in a hermetically sealed container to maintain the internal environment. The wafer 41 taken out from the container is processed as it is or after being transferred to the cassette 41. Either the cassette 41 or the container 43 is selected and used according to the specifications in the clean room.

Further, referring to FIG. 3, the entire transfer system in the semiconductor manufacturing clean room will be described. For wafer processing, four processes (bays) from process A to process C are arranged, and each process A to C is provided with stockers 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D having both a buffer function and a storage function. There is. The cassette 41 or the container 43 between the steps A to C (by the ceiling transfer device 2 as an inter-step transfer means arranged so as to circulate through the four stockers 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D sequentially). 2) is carried.

A main computer 4 as a control device controls the operation of the stockers 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D and the ceiling transfer device 2. The main computer 4 recognizes the availability of the transfer section 15 in each of the stockers 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and enables the overhead transfer device 2 to selectively transfer the load to the empty transfer section 15, and The stockers 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D can be selectively conveyed to the delivery unit 15 after the presence or absence of a load is confirmed. Such selective delivery or transportation is judged according to the output of the sensor for detecting the vacant condition of each stocker 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and the input / output command signal of the load, and the predetermined instruction is given. Easy to implement based on software.

Further, in-process transfer means 5A, 5B, 5C, for the loading / unloading port 16 of the stockers 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D.
5D is provided, and in-process transfer means 5A, 5B, 5
Manufacturing equipment 6A1, 6A2, 6A3, 6 for each of C and 5D
A4, 6B1, 6B2, 6B3, 6B4, 6C1, 6C
2,6C3,6C4,6D1,6D2,6D3,6D4
Are arranged. In-process transfer means 5A, 5B, 5
For C and 5D, a mobile robot equipped with an arm, a carriage with an arm that travels on a track, or the like is used.

As described above, when the transport system of the above-described embodiment is used for transporting the cassette or container in the semiconductor manufacturing clean room, one or more trucks of the ceiling transport apparatus 2 constituting the inter-process transport means are operated. The efficiency is improved, and it is possible to increase the transport amount per unit time, which is most important as the transport system. Particularly in a semiconductor manufacturing clean room, the installation area in the room is limited, and it is effective to construct an efficient transfer system.

[0028]

As described above, according to the invention of claim 1 of the present invention, the stocker has the shelving portion composed of the two or more load transfer portions arranged in a row in the traveling of the ceiling transfer device. If there is a load on a specific transfer section or if the in-stocker transfer means is transferring to the specific transfer section, you can transfer the load by changing the stop position in the traveling direction of the ceiling transfer device. It is not necessary for the ceiling transfer device to wait for the shelves to be empty in front of a specific stocker, and the transfer efficiency of the ceiling transfer device for a plurality of stockers can be improved.

According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, since the in-stocker conveying means can be transferred to any of the plurality of transfer parts at the stop position in the traveling direction,
This has the effect of simplifying the structure of the in-stocker conveying means.

According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1 or 2, the selective transfer of the load by the ceiling transfer device and the selective transfer of the load by the in-stocker transfer means are performed.
This has the effect that it can be easily performed with a software-compatible control device.

According to the invention of claim 4, the effects of the inventions of claims 1 to 3 are effective in a transfer system in a clean room in which a cassette or container for storing wafers is used as a load and equipment is installed in a limited space. To be demonstrated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of a device constituting a system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a specific form of a load.

FIG. 3 is a layout diagram showing a device configuration of the system of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part of a device constituting a conventional system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 stocker 2 ceiling transfer device 3 load 4 main computer (control device) 11 in-stocker transfer device 12 first storage shelf 13 first storage shelf 14 shelf section 15 delivery section 21 rail (parallel to rail) 31 rail 41 cassette 43 container

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A transfer system comprising a plurality of stockers and a ceiling transfer device which is movably provided so as to sequentially pass through the plurality of stockers and which transfers a load to each of the stockers. The stocker is a storage shelf for storing a large number of the loads, a shelf for transferring the loads to and from the ceiling transfer device,
In order to carry a load between the shelving unit and the storage shelf, the storage unit can be transported along the storage shelf, and the shelving unit is in the traveling direction of the ceiling transporting device. The stacker has two or more load transfer parts arranged along the line, and the ceiling transfer device can selectively transfer the load to any one of the two or more load transfer parts. The transfer device is a transfer system to a stocker that can selectively transfer to one of two or more delivery parts. 2. The transport system for a stocker according to claim 1, wherein the traveling direction of the ceiling transport device and the traveling direction of the in-stocker transport means are parallel to each other. 3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the selective transfer of the load by the ceiling transfer device and the selective transfer of the load by the in-stocker transfer means are capable of recognizing a specific transfer position of the load. Transport system to stocker. 4. The transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the load is a cassette or a stocker that is a container for storing wafers.