CN110277338B - Front end module of equipment - Google Patents

Front end module of equipment Download PDF

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Publication number
CN110277338B
CN110277338B CN201910137404.8A CN201910137404A CN110277338B CN 110277338 B CN110277338 B CN 110277338B CN 201910137404 A CN201910137404 A CN 201910137404A CN 110277338 B CN110277338 B CN 110277338B
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CN
China
Prior art keywords
gas
chamber
flow path
upper space
housing
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CN201910137404.8A
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Chinese (zh)
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CN110277338A (en
Inventor
河合俊宏
小仓源五郎
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Sinfonia Technology Co Ltd
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Sinfonia Technology Co Ltd
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Publication of CN110277338A publication Critical patent/CN110277338A/en
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67017—Apparatus for fluid treatment
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67098—Apparatus for thermal treatment
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67739—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations into and out of processing chamber
    • H01L21/67742—Mechanical parts of transfer devices
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67763—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations the wafers being stored in a carrier, involving loading and unloading
    • H01L21/67766—Mechanical parts of transfer devices
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67763—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations the wafers being stored in a carrier, involving loading and unloading
    • H01L21/67772—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations the wafers being stored in a carrier, involving loading and unloading involving removal of lid, door, cover
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67763—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations the wafers being stored in a carrier, involving loading and unloading
    • H01L21/67775—Docking arrangements

Abstract

The present invention provides an EFEM. The inactive gas is easy to flow vertically in the conveying chamber, so that dust is not easy to fly. The EFEM contains: a housing (2) that internally forms a transport chamber; a support plate (37) for forming an FFU installation chamber (42) above the conveyance chamber in the housing (2); a supply pipe (47) for supplying nitrogen to the FFU setting chamber (42); and 3 fans, which are arranged in such a way that the communication ports (37 a) formed on the support plate (37) are respectively covered. The supply pipe (47) has 3 supply ports (47 a) disposed in a dispersed manner in the FFU installation chamber (42).

Description

Front end module of equipment
Technical Field
The present invention relates to an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module ) capable of supplying inactive gas to a closed transfer chamber and replacing the inactive gas atmosphere.
Background
Patent document 1 describes an EFEM including a loading port on which a FOUP (Front-Opening Unified Pod, front-opening pod) containing wafers (semiconductor substrates) is placed, and a housing formed with a transfer chamber for transferring the wafers by connecting the loading port to an opening provided in a Front surface wall and closing the housing, wherein the wafer is transferred between the FOUP and a processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on the wafers.
In the past, oxygen, moisture, and the like in the transfer chamber have had little effect on semiconductor circuits fabricated on wafers, but in recent years, the effect has become apparent as semiconductor circuits are further miniaturized. Then, the EFEM described in patent document 1 is configured to fill the transfer chamber with nitrogen as an inert gas. Specifically, the EFEM includes a circulation flow path for circulating nitrogen in the interior of the housing, a gas supply member for supplying nitrogen to an upper space of the gas return path, a fan provided in the upper space of the gas return path, and a gas discharge member for discharging nitrogen from a lower part of the gas return path. Nitrogen is appropriately supplied and discharged in accordance with the fluctuation of the oxygen concentration and the like in the circulation flow path. This makes it possible to maintain the nitrogen atmosphere in the transfer chamber.
Prior art literature
Patent literature
Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2015-146349
Disclosure of Invention
Problems to be solved by the invention
However, in the EFEM described in patent document 1, since the gas supply member is connected to the upper space of the gas return passage and the inert gas is supplied from the supply port at 1 part which is the connection part, the pressure on the suction side of the fan is uneven for each fan in the upper space, and the supply amount from each fan to the transfer chamber is uneven. That is, in the case where the inert gas is supplied from one side in the arrangement direction of the plurality of fans, although a sufficient amount of the inert gas is supplied to one fan, the amount of the inert gas supplied to the other fan becomes smaller than that of the one fan. That is, in the upper space, the pressure on the suction side of one fan becomes larger than the pressure on the suction side of the other fan, and the supply amount of the inert gas supplied from each fan to the transfer chamber becomes uneven. As a result, the flow of the inert gas in the transport chamber is disturbed, and dust is liable to fly.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an EFEM in which inert gas flows vertically into a transport chamber and dust is not easily flown.
Solution for solving the problem
The EFEM of the present invention includes: a housing which is closed by connecting a loading port to an opening provided in a partition wall, and which forms a transport chamber for transporting a substrate therein; a substrate conveying device which is disposed in the conveying chamber and conveys the substrate; a partition member provided in the housing to constitute an upper space above the transport chamber; an inert gas supply means for supplying inert gas to the upper space; a plurality of communication ports formed in the partition member to communicate the transport chamber with the upper space; a plurality of blowers configured to cover the communication ports, respectively, for delivering the inert gas of the upper space to the delivery chamber via the communication ports; a gas suction port provided at a lower portion of the transport chamber, for sucking inactive gas in the transport chamber; a gas return passage for returning the inert gas sucked from the gas suction port to the upper space; and a gas discharge member for discharging the gas in the transport chamber. The inert gas supply member has a plurality of supply ports for supplying inert gas, which are disposed so as to be dispersed in the upper space.
Thus, the inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply member to the upper space can be supplied from the plurality of supply ports in a dispersed manner. Therefore, the inert gas can be supplied to the entire upper space without fail, and the pressure unevenness on the suction side of the plurality of blowers in the upper space can be reduced. Therefore, the supply amount of the inert gas supplied from each blower to the transfer chamber is less likely to be uneven. As a result, the inert gas is easily caused to flow vertically in the transport chamber, and dust is not easily flown.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the supply port is configured to supply the inert gas toward a region of any one of the partition wall of the housing and the partition member that partitions the upper space and the external space, which is closest to the supply port. Thus, the inactive gas supplied from the supply port hits against either one of the partition member and the partition wall, its potential decreases, and the inactive gas flows along either one of the partition member and the partition wall. Therefore, the flow of the air from the air return passage into the upper space where the air flows into the air blower is not easily disturbed, and the pressure unevenness on the suction side of the plurality of air blowers in the upper space is further reduced. Thus, the variation in the supply amount of the inactive gas from each blower to the transfer chamber is further suppressed.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of gas suction ports are provided in a lower portion of the transfer chamber, the gas return passage has a 1 st flow path and a 2 nd flow path, the 1 st flow path is a plurality of gas suction ports, each of the plurality of gas suction ports extends upward, the 2 nd flow path is connected to the plurality of 1 st flow paths, and the EFEM further has an outlet for sending the gas in the 2 nd flow path to the upper space. Thus, the gas from the transfer chamber is caused to flow through the 1 st flow path to the 2 nd flow path once and then to the upper space. By causing the gas from the plurality of 1 st channels to flow to the 2 nd channels once in this manner, it is possible to absorb the unevenness in the flow rate of the gas between the plurality of 1 st channels. Therefore, the amount of gas supplied from the supply port is more stable than when the gas is directly supplied from the 1 st flow path to the upper space, and the variation in the amount of inactive gas supplied from each blower to the transfer chamber is further suppressed.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the 2 nd flow path extends in an arrangement direction of the plurality of 1 st flow paths, and the discharge ports are arranged between two adjacent 1 st flow paths in the arrangement direction. This stabilizes the amount of gas supplied from the supply port to the upper space, and further suppresses variation in the amount of inactive gas supplied from each blower to the transfer chamber.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the outlet be arranged at a position spaced from the supply port by the blower in a crossing direction crossing an arrangement direction of the plurality of blowers. Thus, the flow of the gas from the gas return passage to the upper space where the blowers flow is not easily disturbed, and the variation in the supply amount of the inert gas from each of the blowers to the transfer chamber is further suppressed.
In addition, the EFEM of the present invention, in another aspect, includes: a housing which is closed by connecting a loading port to an opening provided in a partition wall, and which forms a transport chamber for transporting a substrate therein; a partition member provided in the housing to constitute an upper space above the transport chamber; a plurality of communication ports formed in the partition member to communicate the transport chamber with the upper space; a plurality of blowers provided in the communication port for delivering the gas in the upper space to the delivery chamber; a plurality of gas suction ports provided at a lower portion of the transport chamber and sucking gas in the transport chamber; and a gas return passage configured to return the gas sucked from each of the gas suction ports to the upper space. And, the gas return path includes: a 1 st flow path extending from each of the plurality of gas suction ports; and a 2 nd flow path connected to the plurality of 1 st flow paths, the 2 nd flow path allowing the gas to flow in from the 1 st flow path and sending the gas out to the upper space.
Thus, the gas from the transfer chamber is caused to flow through the 1 st flow path to the 2 nd flow path once and then to the upper space. By causing the gas from the plurality of 1 st channels to flow to the 2 nd channels once in this way, it is possible to absorb the unevenness in the flow rate of the gas between the plurality of 1 st channels. Therefore, the amount of gas supplied from the supply port is stabilized, and variation in the amount of gas supplied from each blower to the transfer chamber is suppressed, as compared with the case where gas is directly supplied from each 1 st flow path to the upper space.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the 2 nd flow path extends in a direction intersecting with the extending direction of the 1 st flow path, and that the direction of the gas flow flowing in the gas return path changes when the gas passes through the 2 nd flow path from the 1 st flow path, and also changes when the gas flows into the upper space from the 2 nd flow path. Thus, the flow of the gas in the extending direction of the 1 st flow path can be smoothed in the 2 nd flow path. Therefore, the gas flow in the upper space can be less likely to be disturbed than in the case where the gas is directly flowed into the upper space without changing the direction of the gas flow from the 1 st flow path to the upper space.
In the present invention, the EFEM may further include a substrate transfer device having a base portion and a transfer portion, the base portion being fixed in position, the transfer portion being disposed above the base portion and being configured to transfer the substrate, the substrate transfer device being disposed in the transfer chamber, an object being disposed in the transfer chamber at a position below a transfer area in which the substrate is transferred by the transfer portion, and the gas suction port being disposed at a position not overlapping with both the base portion and the object when viewed in a vertical direction.
ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION
With the EFEM of the present invention, inactive gas can be supplied to the entire upper space without omission, and pressure unevenness on suction sides of a plurality of blowers in the upper space can be reduced. Therefore, the supply amount of the inert gas supplied from each blower to the transfer chamber is less likely to be uneven. As a result, the inert gas is easily caused to flow vertically in the transport chamber, and dust is not easily flown.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic structure of an EFEM and its periphery according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the electrical structure of the EFEM shown in FIG. 1.
Fig. 3 is a front view of the case shown in fig. 1 as viewed from the front.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the IV-IV line shown in fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V shown in fig. 3.
Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the VI-VI line shown in fig. 3.
Fig. 7 is a side sectional view of the load port showing a state after the door is closed.
Fig. 8 is a side sectional view of the load port showing a state after the door is opened.
Description of the reference numerals
1. EFEM; 2. a housing; 3. a transfer robot (substrate transfer device); 4. a loading port; 21a to 24a, a space (1 st flow path); 27a, space (2 nd flow path); 27 f-27 h, and a delivery outlet; 28a, openings (gas suction ports); 33. a partition wall; 33a1, openings; 37. a support plate; 37a, communication ports; 37b, region; 41. a transport chamber; 42. FFU setting room (upper space); 43. regression path (gas regression path); 44a, fans (blowers); 47. a supply pipe (inactive gas supply part); 47a, a supply port; 49. a discharge pipe (gas discharge member); w, wafer (substrate).
Detailed Description
An EFEM 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. For convenience of explanation, the directions shown in fig. 1 are referred to as the front-rear-left-right directions. That is, in the present embodiment, the direction in which EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) 1 and the substrate processing apparatus 6 are arranged is defined as the front-rear direction, the EFEM 1 side is defined as the front, and the substrate processing apparatus 6 side is defined as the rear. The direction in which the plurality of loading ports 4 are arranged orthogonal to the front-rear direction is referred to as the left-right direction. The direction orthogonal to both the front-rear direction and the left-right direction is referred to as the up-down direction.
(EFEM and its outline Structure around the EFEM)
First, a schematic structure of the EFEM 1 and its periphery will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the outline of the EFEM 1 and the periphery thereof according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an electrical structure of the EFEM 1. As shown in fig. 1, the EFEM 1 includes a housing 2, a transfer robot 3 (substrate transfer apparatus), a control apparatus 5, and 3 load ports 4. A substrate processing apparatus 6 for performing a predetermined process on a wafer W (substrate) is disposed behind the EFEM 1. The EFEM 1 transfers the wafer W between the substrate processing apparatus 6 and the FOUP (Front-Opening Unified Pod) 100 placed on the load port 4 by the transfer robot 3 disposed in the housing 2. The FOUP 100 is a container capable of accommodating a plurality of wafers W in a vertically aligned manner, and has a lid 101 provided at a rear end (an end on the housing 2 side in the front-rear direction) thereof so as to be openable and closable. For example, the FOUP 100 is transported by a known OHT (overhead traveling unmanned transport vehicle: not shown). The FOUP 100 is transferred between the OHT and the load port 4.
The housing 2 is used to connect the substrate processing apparatus 6 with 3 load ports 4. A transfer chamber 41 is formed in the housing 2, and the transfer chamber 41 is substantially closed to the outside space to transfer the wafer W without exposing the wafer W to the outside air. When the EFEM 1 is in operation, the transfer chamber 41 is filled with nitrogen. In the present embodiment, the transfer chamber 41 is filled with nitrogen, but a gas other than nitrogen (for example, argon or the like) may be used as long as it is an inert gas. The housing 2 is configured to circulate nitrogen in an internal space including a transfer chamber 41 (see later for details). A door 2a that can be opened and closed is provided at the rear end of the housing 2, and the transfer chamber 41 is connected to the substrate processing apparatus 6 through the door 2 a.
The transfer robot 3 is disposed in the transfer chamber 41, and transfers the wafer W. The transfer robot 3 includes a base 90 (see fig. 3), an arm mechanism 70 (see fig. 3), and a robot controller 11 (see fig. 2), the position of the base 90 is fixed, and the arm mechanism 70 is disposed above the base 90 to hold and transfer the wafer W. The transfer robot 3 mainly performs an operation of taking out the wafer W in the FOUP 100 and delivering the wafer W to the substrate processing apparatus 6, and an operation of receiving the wafer W processed by the substrate processing apparatus 6 and returning the wafer W to the FOUP 100.
The load port 4 is used to place the FOUP 100 (see fig. 7). As shown in fig. 1 and 5, the plurality of loading ports 4 are arranged in a left-right direction along the partition wall 33 on the front side of the housing 2. Each loading port 4 is closed by a base 51 (see fig. 7) located at the rear end to each of the 3 openings 33a1 (see fig. 4) formed in the partition wall 33 of the housing 2. Thus, the conveyance chamber 41 is configured as a substantially closed space in the housing 2. The load port 4 is configured to be capable of replacing the atmosphere in the FOUP 100 with nitrogen. A door 4a, which is a part of an opening/closing mechanism 54 described later, is provided at the rear end portion of the loading port 4. The door 4a is opened and closed by a door driving mechanism 55 (a part of the opening and closing mechanism 54). The door 4a is configured to be capable of releasing the lock of the lid 101 of the FOUP 100 and capable of holding the lid 101. In a state where the door 4a holds the unlocked cover 101, the door driving mechanism 55 is caused to open the door 4a to open the cover 101. This allows the transfer robot 3 to take out the wafer W in the FOUP 100. The wafer W can be stored in the FOUP 100 by the transfer robot 3.
As shown in fig. 2, the control device 5 is electrically connected to a robot control unit 11 of the transfer robot 3, a load port control unit 12 of the load port 4, and a control unit (not shown) of the substrate processing apparatus 6, and communicates with these control units. The control device 5 is electrically connected to an oxygen concentration meter 85, a pressure meter 86, a hygrometer 87, and the like provided in the housing 2, and receives measurement results of these measurement devices to grasp information about the atmosphere in the housing 2. The control device 5 is electrically connected to a supply valve 112 and a discharge valve 113 (described later), and adjusts the opening degree of these valves to appropriately adjust the nitrogen atmosphere in the case 2.
As shown in fig. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 6 includes, for example, a load lock chamber 6a and a processing chamber 6b. The load lock chamber 6a is a room for temporarily waiting for the wafer W, and is connected to the transfer chamber 41 through the door 2a of the housing 2. The processing chamber 6b is connected to the load lock chamber 6a through a door 6 c. In the processing chamber 6b, a predetermined process is performed on the wafer W by a processing mechanism, not shown.
(Structure of the case and the inside thereof)
Next, the structure of the housing 2 and the inside thereof will be described with reference to fig. 3 to 6. Fig. 3 is a front view of the case 2 viewed from the front. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the IV-IV line shown in fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V shown in fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the VI-VI line shown in fig. 3. In fig. 3 and 6, the partition wall is not shown. In fig. 5, the loading port 4 is indicated by a two-dot chain line, and illustration of the transfer robot 3 and the like is omitted.
The housing 2 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. As shown in fig. 3 to 5, the housing 2 includes columns 21 to 26, a connecting pipe 27, and partition walls 31 to 36. The partition walls 31 to 36 are attached to the columns 21 to 26 extending in the vertical direction, and the internal space (the conveyance chamber 41 and the FFU installation chamber 42) of the casing 2 is configured to be substantially sealed from the external space.
More specifically, as shown in fig. 4, the columns 21 to 24 are disposed in this order from the left side toward the right side at the front end portion of the housing 2. That is, the 4 columns 21 to 24 are arranged in the left-right direction. As shown in fig. 3, the columns 21 to 24 are erected vertically. The column 21 is composed of a 1 st portion 21b disposed on the lower side and a 2 nd portion 21c disposed on the upper side, and the column 24 is composed of a 1 st portion 24b disposed on the lower side and a 2 nd portion 24c disposed on the upper side. The 1 st portions 21b, 24b are erected on the partition wall 31, and the upper ends of the 1 st portions 21b, 24b are connected to the connecting pipe 27. The columns 22 and 23 are also erected on the partition wall 31, and the upper ends of the columns 22 and 23 are connected to the connecting pipe 27. The lengths of the 1 st portions 21b and 24b and the columns 22 and 23 in the up-down direction are substantially the same. The 2 nd portion 21c is vertically provided on the connecting pipe 27 at a position overlapping the 1 st portion 21b in the up-down direction, and the 2 nd portion 24c is vertically provided on the connecting pipe 27 at a position overlapping the 1 st portion 24b in the up-down direction. The two posts 25, 26 are vertically disposed on the left and right sides of the rear end portion of the housing 2. The connecting pipe 27 extends in the left-right direction (the direction in which the 4 columns 21 to 24 are arranged) and connects the 4 columns 21 to 24 to each other.
As shown in fig. 3, a partition wall 31 is disposed at the bottom of the case 2, and a partition wall 32 is disposed at the top. As shown in fig. 4, the partition wall 33 is disposed at the front end portion, the partition wall 34 is disposed at the rear end portion, the partition wall 35 is disposed at the left end portion, and the partition wall 36 is disposed at the right end portion. The 3 openings 33a1 are formed in the partition wall 33. The 3 openings 33a1 are arranged between the 4 columns 21 to 24 in the left-right direction and are closed by the base 51 of the load port 4. A mounting portion 83 (see fig. 3) on which an aligner 84 described later is mounted is provided at the right end portion of the housing 2. The aligner 84 and the placement section 83 are also housed inside the case 2 (see fig. 4).
As shown in fig. 5, a support plate 37 (partition member) extending in the horizontal direction is disposed at the rear end side of the connecting pipe 27 at the upper portion in the housing 2. Thereby, the inside of the housing 2 is divided into the above-described conveyance chamber 41 and the FFU installation chamber 42 formed above the conveyance chamber 41. That is, the FFU installation chamber 42 is formed as an upper space above the conveyance chamber 41 by the support plate 37 in the inner space of the housing 2.
In the FFU installation chamber 42, 3 FFUs (fan filter units) 44 described later are disposed. At the central portion of the support plate 37 in the front-rear direction and at the position opposed to the FFU 44 in the up-down direction, 3 communication ports 37a for communicating the conveyance chamber 41 with the FFU installation chamber 42 are formed. As shown in fig. 6, the 3 communication ports 37a are arranged in the left-right direction. The 3 communication ports 37a are arranged between the 4 columns 21 to 24 in the left-right direction. The partition walls 33 to 36 of the housing 2 are divided into a lower wall for the conveyance chamber 41 and an upper wall for the FFU installation chamber 42 (see, for example, the partition walls 33a and 33b at the front end and the partition walls 34a and 34b at the rear end in fig. 5). The rotational speed of each FFU 44 is predetermined so that the air flow velocity in the conveyance area 200 described later reaches a desired value. The air flow rate in the transport region 200 is less than 1m/s, preferably 0.1m/s to 0.7m/s, more preferably 0.2m/s to 0.6m/s, and the rotational speed of each FFU is determined according to the target value.
Next, the structure of the interior of the housing 2 will be described. Specifically, the structure for circulating nitrogen in the housing 2, the peripheral structure thereof, and the equipment disposed in the transfer chamber 41 will be described.
The structure for circulating nitrogen in the case 2 and the peripheral structure thereof will be described with reference to fig. 3 to 6. As shown in fig. 5, a circulation passage 40 for circulating nitrogen is formed in the casing 2. The circulation path 40 is constituted by a conveyance chamber 41, an FFU installation chamber 42, and a return path 43 (gas return path). In the circulation passage 40, clean nitrogen is sent downward from the FFU installation chamber 42 through the communication ports 37a, reaches the lower end of the transport chamber 41, and then rises through the return passage 43 to return to the FFU installation chamber 42 (see arrows in fig. 5). Hereinafter, the description will be made in detail.
As shown in fig. 5 and 6, 3 FFUs 44 disposed on the support plate 37 and 3 chemical filters 45 disposed on the FFUs 44 are provided in the FFU installation chamber 42. As shown in fig. 5, each FFU 44 has a fan 44a (blower) and a filter 44b, and is disposed on the support plate 37 so as to cover the communication port 37 a. As shown by arrows in fig. 6, the FFU 44 sucks nitrogen in the FFU installation chamber 42 from the periphery of the FFU 44 by the fan 44a, sends the nitrogen downward, and removes particles (not shown) contained in the nitrogen by the filter 44 b. The chemical filter 45 is used to remove, for example, the reactive gas or the like carried from the substrate processing apparatus 6 into the circulation passage 40. Nitrogen purified by the FFU 44 and the chemical filter 45 is sent from the FFU installation chamber 42 to the transport chamber 41 through the communication port 37a formed in the support plate 37. The nitrogen sent out to the transport chamber 41 forms a laminar flow and flows downward.
The return passage 43 is formed in the connecting pipe 27 and the columns 21 to 24 (in fig. 5, the column 23) disposed at the front end portion of the housing 2. The 1 st portion 21b of the column 21, the 1 st portion 24b of the column 24, the columns 22 and 23, and the connecting pipe 27 are hollow, and a space 21a to a space 24a and a space 27a through which nitrogen can flow are formed, respectively (see fig. 4). As shown in fig. 4, the width of the 1 st portion 21b of the column 21 and the 1 st portion 24b of the column 24 in the left-right direction is larger than the columns 22, 23. That is, the planar dimensions of the spaces 21a, 24a (1 st flow path) (i.e., the opening areas of the 1 st portions 21b, 24 b) are larger than the spaces 22a, 23a (the opening areas of the columns 22, 23). The spaces 21a to 24a (1 st flow path) are formed to extend in the vertical direction, and each extend from the lower ends of the columns 21 to 24 to the position of the connecting pipe 27.
The connecting pipe 27 is disposed at the front end of the housing 2. The space 27a (the 2 nd flow path) of the connecting pipe 27 extends in the left-right direction. As shown in fig. 5 and 6, communication ports 27b to 27e for communicating the spaces 21a to 24a with the space 27a are formed in the lower surface of the connecting pipe 27. As shown in fig. 6, 3 outlets 27f to 27h that open to the FFU installation chamber 42 (i.e., upward) are formed in the upper surface of the connecting pipe 27. The 3 outlets 27f to 27h are arranged between the 4 columns 21 to 24 in the left-right direction, and each has a rectangular planar shape elongated in the left-right direction. The 3 outlets 27f to 27h are arranged at the front end portion of the housing 2. In this way, the connecting pipe 27 is configured to once merge the nitrogen flowing in from the 4 spaces 21a to 24a, and then send the nitrogen from the 3 sending-out ports 27f to 27h to the FFU installation chamber 42. When nitrogen flows from the space 21a to the space 24a to the space 27a, the direction of the air flow is changed from the upper direction to the left and right direction, and when nitrogen flows from the space 27a to the FFU installation chamber 42 through the feed-out ports 27f to 27h, the direction of the air flow is changed from the left and right direction to the upper direction. The regression path 43 is formed by the above-described spaces 21a to 24a and 27 a. The 3 outlets 27f to 27h are arranged at positions overlapping the FFU 44 in the front-rear direction. That is, the discharge ports 27f to 27h adjacent in the front-rear direction correspond to the FFU 44, respectively. The 3 outlets 27f to 27h are formed in a long shape in the left-right direction, and have a relatively large opening area. Therefore, the flow of the gas sent from the respective sending-out ports 27f to 27h to the FFU installation chamber 42 becomes smooth, and the pressure unevenness on the suction side (upper side) of the 3 FFUs 44 is reduced. As shown in fig. 5, the gas sent from the sending-out ports 27f to 27h to the FFU installation chamber 42 flows upward between the partition wall 33 and the FFU 44.
The regression path 43 is described in further detail with reference to fig. 5. In addition, the column 23 is shown in fig. 5, but the 1 st portion 21b of the other column 21, the 1 st portion 24b of the column 24, and the column 22 are also similar. An introduction pipe 28 for allowing nitrogen in the transfer chamber 41 to easily flow into the return passage 43 (space 23 a) is attached to the lower end portion of the column 23. The other columns 21, 22, 24 are also similarly fitted with inlet channels 28. The columns 21 and 24 are formed wider than the column 23 in the lateral direction, so that the inlet duct 28 is also formed wider, but the same structure is adopted except for this portion. An opening 28a is formed in the introduction duct 28, and nitrogen reaching the lower end portion of the transfer chamber 41 can flow into the return passage 43. That is, the opening 28a is a gas suction port for sucking nitrogen in the transfer chamber 41 into the return passage 43. The opening 28a is formed to face downward. Therefore, the gas that has reached the partition wall 31 from above can be smoothly sucked without disturbing the flow of the gas from above. The gas sucked through the opening 28a can be caused to flow upward without changing the direction of the gas flow.
An enlarged portion 28b that widens rearward as going downward is formed at the upper portion of the introduction duct 28. A fan 46 is disposed below the enlarged portion 28b in the introduction duct 28. The fan 46 is driven by a motor (not shown), sucks nitrogen reaching the lower end of the transport chamber 41 into the return passage 43 (the space 23a in fig. 5), and sends the nitrogen upward, and returns the nitrogen to the FFU installation chamber 42. The nitrogen returned to the FFU installation chamber 42 is sucked from the upper surface of the chemical filter 45 to the FFU 44 side, purified by the FFU 44 and the chemical filter 45, and sent to the transport chamber 41 again through the communication port 37 a. The nitrogen can be circulated in the circulation passage 40 as described above.
As shown in fig. 3, a supply pipe 47 for supplying nitrogen into the FFU installation chamber 42 (circulation passage 40) is disposed at the upper rear end of the FFU installation chamber 42 (i.e., at the rear end of the housing 2). The supply pipe 47 is connected to an external pipe 48 connected to the nitrogen supply source 111. A supply valve 112 capable of changing the supply amount of nitrogen per unit time is provided in a midway portion of the external pipe 48. The inactive gas supply means is constituted by the supply pipe 47, the external pipe 48, the supply valve 112, and the supply source 111. In the case where an inert gas supply line is provided in a factory or the like, the inert gas supply line may be connected to the supply pipe 47. Therefore, the inactive gas supply member may be constituted only by the supply pipe 47.
As shown in fig. 3 and 6, the supply pipe 47 extends in the left-right direction, and 3 supply ports 47a are formed. The 3 supply ports 47a are arranged apart from each other in the left-right direction, and nitrogen is supplied from the supply pipe 47 into the FFU installation chamber 42. As shown in fig. 5 and 6, these 3 supply ports 47a are formed at the lower end of the supply pipe 47, and are configured to supply nitrogen toward a region 37b of the support plate 37 that is opposite to the supply pipe 47 in the up-down direction (i.e., a region of the support plate 37 that is closest to the supply port 47 a). The 3 supply ports 47a are arranged in the left-right direction in the same positional relationship as the FFU 44 holding center. Thus, the 3 supply ports 47a are arranged in the front-rear direction at positions spaced apart from the outlets 27f to 27h by the fan 44 a.
When nitrogen is supplied from the 3 supply ports 47a of the supply pipe 47 to the FFU installation chamber 42, the 3 supply ports 47a are disposed so as to be dispersed in the FFU installation chamber 42, and thus nitrogen is supplied to the entire FFU installation chamber 42 without fail. For example, when nitrogen is directly supplied into the FFU installation chamber 42 from 1 supply port of the external pipe 48 connected to the right end portion of the housing 2, the pressure in the right side portion of the FFU installation chamber 42 increases. That is, the pressure on the suction side of the FFU 44 disposed on the rightmost side becomes greater than the pressure on the suction sides of the other two FFUs 44. When the pressure on the suction side of the FFUs 44 is greatly uneven in this way, the supply amount of nitrogen supplied from the 3 FFUs 44 to the transfer chamber 41 is likely to be uneven. However, in the present embodiment, since nitrogen is supplied from the 3 supply ports 47a arranged apart from each other in the left-right direction, the pressure unevenness on the suction side of the 3 FFUs 44 is reduced. Therefore, the amount of nitrogen supplied from the 3 FFUs 44 to the transfer chamber 41 is stable, and the nitrogen fed to the transfer chamber 41 forms a laminar flow and flows downward.
As shown in fig. 5, a discharge pipe 49 for discharging the gas in the circulation passage 40 is connected to the lower end of the loading port 4. The loading port 4 and a storage chamber 60 in which the door driving mechanism 55 is stored as described later communicate with each other through a slit 51b formed in the base 51 (see fig. 7). The discharge tube 49 is connected to the housing chamber 60. The discharge pipe 49 is connected to, for example, an exhaust port not shown, and a discharge valve 113 capable of changing the discharge amount per unit time of the gas in the circulation path 40 is provided in a midway portion of the discharge pipe 49. The gas discharge means is constituted by the discharge pipe 49 and the discharge valve 113.
The supply valve 112 and the discharge valve 113 are electrically connected to the control device 5 (see fig. 2). This makes it possible to appropriately supply and discharge nitrogen to and from the circulation passage 40. For example, when the oxygen concentration in the circulation passage 40 increases during startup of the EFEM 1 (including, for example, when the startup is performed after the EFME1 is maintained), nitrogen is supplied from the supply source 111 to the circulation passage 40 via the external pipe 48 and the supply pipe 47, and the gas (gas: including nitrogen, oxygen, and the like) in the circulation passage 40 and the storage chamber 60 is discharged via the discharge pipe 49, whereby the oxygen concentration can be reduced. That is, the circulation passage 40 and the storage chamber 60 can be replaced with a nitrogen atmosphere. When the oxygen concentration in the circulation passage 40 increases while the EFEM 1 is operating, a large amount of nitrogen is temporarily supplied to the circulation passage 40, and oxygen is discharged together with the nitrogen through the discharge pipe 49, so that the oxygen concentration can be reduced. For example, in the EFEM 1 of the type in which nitrogen is circulated, in order to suppress leakage of nitrogen from the circulation passage 40 to the outside and to reliably suppress entry of the atmosphere from the outside to the circulation passage 40, it is necessary to maintain the pressure in the circulation passage 40 slightly higher than the pressure of the outside. Specifically, the pressure is in the range of 1Pa (G) to 3000Pa (G), preferably 3Pa (G) to 500Pa (G), and more preferably 5Pa (G) to 100Pa (G). Therefore, when the pressure in the circulation passage 40 is not within the predetermined range, the control device 5 changes the discharge flow rate of nitrogen by changing the opening degree of the discharge valve 113, and adjusts the pressure to reach the predetermined target pressure. In this way, the supply flow rate of nitrogen is adjusted based on the oxygen concentration, and the discharge flow rate of nitrogen is adjusted based on the pressure, thereby controlling the oxygen concentration and the pressure. In this embodiment, the pressure difference is adjusted to 10Pa (G).
Next, an apparatus or the like disposed in the transfer chamber 41 will be described with reference to fig. 3 and 4. As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the above-described transfer robot 3, control unit storage box 81, measurement device storage box 82, and aligner 84 are disposed in the transfer chamber 41. The control unit storage box 81 is provided, for example, on the left side of the base unit 90 (see fig. 3) of the transfer robot 3, and is disposed below the transfer area 200 in which the wafer W is transferred by the arm mechanism 70 (see fig. 3). The robot control unit 11 and the load port control unit 12 are stored in the control unit storage box 81. The measuring instrument storage box 82 is disposed, for example, on the right side of the base portion 90, and is disposed below the conveying area 200 of the arm mechanism 70. The measuring equipment such as the oxygen concentration meter 85, the pressure meter 86, and the hygrometer 87 (see fig. 2) can be accommodated in the measuring equipment accommodation box 82. The control unit housing box 81 and the measuring device housing box 82 correspond to the arrangement of the present invention. The introduction duct 28 (see fig. 4) is disposed in front of the base portion 90, the control portion housing box 81, and the measuring instrument housing box 82. That is, the opening 28a is disposed at a position not overlapping with the base portion 90, the control portion housing box 81, and the measuring instrument housing box 82 when viewed from the up-down direction (vertical direction) (see fig. 4 and 5).
The aligner 84 detects how much the holding position of the wafer W held by the arm mechanism 70 (see fig. 3) of the transfer robot 3 is deviated from the target holding position. For example, the wafer W may slightly move inside the FOUP 100 (see fig. 1) transported by the OHT (not shown). Then, the transfer robot 3 temporarily mounts the wafer W before processing taken out from the FOUP 100 on the aligner 84. The aligner 84 measures how much the wafer W is held at a position deviated from the target holding position by the transfer robot 3, and sends the measurement result to the robot controller 11. The robot control unit 11 corrects the holding position of the arm mechanism 70 based on the measurement result, and controls the arm mechanism 70 to hold the wafer W at the target holding position and convey the wafer W to the load lock chamber 6a of the substrate processing apparatus 6. This enables the substrate processing apparatus 6 to process the wafer W normally.
(Structure of load port)
Next, the structure of the load port will be described with reference to fig. 7 and 8. Fig. 7 is a side sectional view of the load port showing a state after the door is closed. Fig. 8 is a side sectional view of the load port showing a state after the door is opened. Fig. 7 and 8 are drawn with the outer cover 4b (see fig. 5) located below the mounting table 53 removed.
As shown in fig. 7, the loading port 4 includes a base 51 and a horizontal base 52, the base 51 is plate-shaped and is erected in the vertical direction, and the horizontal base 52 is formed so as to protrude forward from a central portion of the base 51 in the vertical direction. A stage 53 for placing the FOUP 100 thereon is provided above the horizontal base 52. The stage 53 is movable in the front-rear direction by a stage driving section (not shown) in a state where the FOUP 100 is placed thereon.
The base 51 forms a part of the partition wall 33 that separates the transport chamber 41 from the external space. The base 51 has a substantially rectangular planar shape elongated in the up-down direction as viewed from the front. The base 51 has a window 51a formed at a position facing the FOUP 100 placed thereon in the front-rear direction. The base 51 has a slit 51b extending in the up-down direction, which is provided below the horizontal base 52 in the up-down direction and through which a support frame 56 described later can move. The slit 51b is formed only in a range in which the support frame 56 can move up and down while penetrating the base 51, and the opening width in the lateral direction is reduced. Therefore, particles in the storage chamber 60 are less likely to enter the transport chamber 41 from the slit 51b.
The load port 4 has an opening and closing mechanism 54 capable of opening and closing the lid 101 of the FOUP 100. The opening and closing mechanism 54 has a door 4a capable of closing the window 51a, and a door driving mechanism 55 for driving the door 4 a. The door 4a is configured to be able to close the window 51a. The door 4a is configured to be capable of releasing the lock of the lid 101 of the FOUP 100 and to be capable of holding the lid 101. The door driving mechanism 55 includes a support frame 56, a movable block 58, and a slide rail 59, the support frame 56 supporting the door 4a, the movable block 58 supporting the support frame 56 to be movable in the front-rear direction via a slide support member 57, and the slide rail 59 supporting the movable block 58 to be movable in the up-down direction with respect to the base 51.
The support frame 56 supports the rear lower portion of the door 4a, and is a substantially crank-shaped plate-like member extending downward and then protruding forward of the base 51 through a slit 51b provided in the base 51. A slide support member 57 for supporting the support frame 56, a movable block 58, and a slide rail 59 are provided in front of the base 51. That is, the driving portion for moving the door 4a is accommodated in the accommodation chamber 60 provided outside the housing 2 and below the horizontal base 52. The housing chamber 60 is surrounded by the horizontal base 52, the cover 61, and the base 51, and in a substantially closed state, the cover 61 has a substantially box shape and extends downward from the horizontal base 52.
The drain tube 49 is connected to the bottom wall 61a of the cover 61. That is, the housing chamber 60 is connected to the discharge tube 49. In the present embodiment, the housing chamber 60 is connected to the discharge tube 49 at any one of the 3 loading ports 4. This allows the gas in the circulation passage 40 to be discharged from the discharge pipe 49 through the storage chamber 60. When the gas is discharged from the discharge pipe 49, the particles existing in the storage chamber 60 can be discharged together with the gas. A fan 62 is provided in the housing chamber 60 at the bottom wall 61a so as to face the discharge pipe 49. By providing the fan 62 in the housing chamber 60 in this way, the particles are easily prevented from flying, and the gas is easily discharged from the housing chamber 60 to the discharge pipe 49. If a fan is provided to send the gas in the transport chamber 41 toward the storage chamber 60, the airflow in the transport chamber 41 is likely to be disturbed, and particles in the transport chamber 41 are likely to fly, but in the present embodiment, the fan 62 is disposed in the storage chamber 60, so that the particles in the transport chamber 41 can be suppressed from flying.
Next, opening and closing operations of the lid 101 and the door 4a of the FOUP 100 will be described below. First, as shown in fig. 7, the table 53 is moved rearward, and the FOUP 100 mounted on the table 53 in a state separated from the base 51 is brought into contact with the cover 101 and the door 4 a. At this time, the door 4a of the opening and closing mechanism 54 releases the lock of the cover 101 of the FOUP 100, and holds the cover 101.
Next, as shown in fig. 8, the support frame 56 is moved rearward. Thereby, the door 4a and the cover 101 move rearward. By so doing, the lid 101 of the FOUP 100 is opened and the door 4a is opened, and the conveyance chamber 41 of the housing 2 communicates with the FOUP 100.
Next, as shown in fig. 8, the support frame 56 is moved downward. Thereby, the door 4a and the cover 101 move downward. Thus, the FOUP 100 can be opened to a large extent as a carry-out port, and the wafer W can be moved between the FOUP 100 and the EFEM 1. When the cover 101 and the door 4a are closed, the operation may be performed in reverse to the above. Further, a series of operations of the load port 4 are controlled by the load port control unit 12.
As described above, with the EFEM 1 of the present embodiment, since the 3 supply ports 47a are arranged so as to be dispersed in the FFU installation chamber 42, nitrogen can be supplied to the entire FFU installation chamber 42 without omission. Therefore, the unevenness in pressure on the suction side of the fans 44a (blowers) of the 3 FFUs 44 in the FFU setting chamber 42 is reduced. Therefore, the amount of nitrogen supplied from each fan 44a to the transfer chamber 41 is stable, and the nitrogen tends to flow vertically (nitrogen forms a laminar flow) in the transfer chamber 41, so that dust is less likely to fly.
The discharge pipe 49 is connected to the housing chamber 60 of each loading port 4, and discharges the gas to the outside of the circulation passage 40 through the plurality of discharge pipes 49 and the plurality of housing chambers 60. Therefore, compared with the case where only 1 discharge tube 49 is provided, the downward gas flowing in the transport chamber 41 can be discharged without omission. Thereby, the influence on the laminar flow formed by nitrogen in the transport chamber 41 is reduced. The laminar flow of nitrogen in the transfer chamber 41 may be formed at least in the transfer region 200 of the wafer W and above the transfer region.
The control unit storage box 81 and the measuring instrument storage box 82 (installation object) are disposed below the transport region 200 in the transport chamber 41, and the opening 28a may be provided at a position not overlapping with both the base portion 90 and the installation object when viewed in the vertical direction.
Further, the inventors of the present application examined the formation state of the laminar flow by measuring the air flow velocity at 3 points (see points 201, 202, and 203 in fig. 3) above the transfer robot 3, above the control unit housing box 81, and above the measuring device housing box 82 through experiments of the laminar flow visualization. In the present embodiment, the rotational speed of each FFU is determined in advance so that the air flow speed in the transport region reaches 0.3m/s. As a result, it was confirmed that the reverse flow of the gas to the transport region 200 caused by the collision of the gas with the transport robot 3 or the like did not occur. It was also confirmed that the difference in gas flow rate was less than 30% between the above 3 positions even when the amount of nitrogen supplied from the supply source 111 (see fig. 3) and the rotation speed of the fan 46 (see fig. 5) were changed. That is, it was confirmed that even if the setting object is provided in the transport region 200, a stable laminar flow is formed at least in the transport region 200 and above.
The supply port 47a is configured to supply nitrogen to the region 37b of the support plate 37 closest to the supply port 47 a. Thereby, the nitrogen supplied from the supply port 47a first hits the region 37b of the support plate 37, its potential decreases, and flows along the support plate 37. Therefore, the air flow in the FFU installation chamber 42 flowing from the outlet 27f to the outlet 27h to the FFU 44 is less likely to be disturbed, and the pressure on the suction side of the FFU 44 in the FFU installation chamber 42 is reduced. Thus, the variation in the amount of nitrogen supplied from the fan 44a of each FFU 44 to the transfer chamber 41 is further suppressed.
As a modification, the supply port 47a may be configured to supply nitrogen toward the partition wall 32 at the top or the partition wall 34 at the rear end of the case 2. In this case, as well, the nitrogen supplied from the supply port 47a flows so as to reduce the momentum, and the variation in the amount of nitrogen supplied from the fan 44a of each FFU 44 to the transfer chamber 41 is further suppressed.
The return passage 43 has a space 27a (the 2 nd flow path) connected to the 4 spaces 21a to 24a (the 1 st flow path), and a delivery port 27f to a delivery port 27h are formed in the connecting pipe 27 having the space 27a, so that the gas from the delivery chamber 41 flows into the space 27a once through the 4 spaces 21a to 24a and then flows into the FFU installation chamber 42. More specifically, as shown in fig. 6, the gas from the space 21a flows through the space 27a toward the outlet 27f, the gas from the space 22a flows through the space 27a toward the left and right outlets 27f, 27g, and the gas from the space 23a flows through the space 27a toward the left and right outlets 27g, 27h, and the gas from the space 24a flows through the space 27a toward the outlet 27 h. By thus flowing the gas from the 4 spaces 21a to 24a to the space 27a once, the unevenness in the flow rate of the gas between the 4 spaces 21a to 24a can be absorbed. In the present embodiment, the opening area of the spaces 21a and 24a is larger than that of the spaces 22a and 23a, and the flow rate of the gas in the spaces 21a and 24a is increased, and the gas from the spaces 21a to 24a is merged in the space 27a and sent from the respective outlets 27f to 27h to the FFU installation chamber 42. Therefore, as compared with the case where the gas is directly supplied from the spaces 21a to 24a to the FFU installation chamber 42, the amount of gas supplied from the supply ports 27f to 27h is stabilized, and the variation in the pressure on the suction side of the fans 44a is suppressed, and the variation in the amount of nitrogen supplied from the fans 44a to the transfer chamber 41 is further suppressed.
Since the delivery ports 27f to 27h are disposed between the adjacent two spaces 21a to 24a in the lateral direction, even if there is an uneven flow rate of the gas from the adjacent two spaces 21a to 24a, the delivery amount of the gas delivered from the delivery ports 27f to 27h can be stabilized. Therefore, the variation in the amount of nitrogen supplied from the fan 44a to the transfer chamber 41 is further suppressed.
The outlet ports 27f to 27h are disposed at positions spaced apart from the supply port 47a by the fan 44a in the front-rear direction. Thus, the air flow in the FFU installation chamber 42 flowing through the autoregressive passage 43 to the fans 44a is not easily disturbed, and the variation in the amount of nitrogen supplied from each fan 44a to the transfer chamber 41 is further suppressed.
While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. In the above-described embodiment, the 3 supply ports 47a formed in the supply pipe 47 are arranged so as to be dispersed in the FFU installation chamber 42, but the supply pipe 47 may be arranged so as to be dispersed in two or more than 4 supply ports 47a in the FFU installation chamber 42. In addition, a porous tube (e.g., a bubble stone) may be disposed in the FFU installation chamber 42 instead of the supply tube 47. In this case, too, the plurality of supply ports of the porous tube are arranged in the FFU installation chamber 42 so as to be dispersed, and the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.
The plurality of supply ports 47a may be disposed at any position in the FFU installation chamber 42. That is, the present invention may be disposed on the distal end side of the housing 2. The opening 28a as the gas suction port may be disposed above the lower portion of the transfer chamber 41. The return passage 43 may be constituted only by the spaces 21a to 24a as the 1 st flow path, and the gas may be directly sent from each of the spaces 21a to 24a to the FFU installation chamber 42. In this case, the 1 st flow path may have 1 to 3 or 5 or more spaces. In the case where the regression passage 43 has the space 27a as the 2 nd flow path, the space as the 1 st flow path may be 2, 3, or 5 or more.
The outlet ports 27f to 27h may not be disposed between two adjacent spaces among the spaces 21a to 24a in the lateral direction. The number of fans 44a (FFU 44) may be 2 or 4 or more. In this case, the communication port 37a may be formed in the support plate 37 in correspondence with the fan 44 a.
Instead of the outlet ports 27f to 27h, for example, a metal punched net (not shown) having a plurality of holes formed on the entire upper surface of the connecting pipe 27 may be provided to change the flow of the gas.
The space 21a to the space 24a, 27a formed in the column 21 to the column 24 and the connecting pipe 27 are the return passages 43, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the return passage 43 may be formed of other members.

Claims (5)

1. A front-end module of a device is characterized in that,
the device front end module includes:
a housing which is closed by connecting a loading port to an opening provided in a partition wall, and which forms a transport chamber for transporting a substrate therein;
a substrate conveying device which is disposed in the conveying chamber and conveys the substrate;
a partition member provided in the housing to constitute an upper space above the transport chamber;
an inert gas supply means for supplying inert gas to the upper space;
a plurality of communication ports formed in the partition member to communicate the transport chamber with the upper space;
a plurality of blowers configured to cover the communication ports, respectively, for delivering the inert gas of the upper space to the delivery chamber via the communication ports;
a gas suction port provided at a lower portion of the transport chamber, for sucking inactive gas in the transport chamber;
A gas return passage for returning the inert gas sucked from the gas suction port to the upper space; and
a gas discharge member for discharging gas in the transport chamber,
the inactive gas supply part has a plurality of supply ports for supplying inactive gas which are dispersedly arranged in the upper space,
the gas suction ports are arranged at the lower part of the conveying chamber,
the gas return passage has a 1 st flow path and a 2 nd flow path, the 1 st flow path is a plurality of the gas suction ports extending upward from each of the plurality of the gas suction ports, the 2 nd flow path is connected with the plurality of 1 st flow paths,
the equipment front-end module further has a delivery outlet for delivering the gas in the 2 nd flow path to the upper space,
the 2 nd flow path extends in the arrangement direction of the plurality of 1 st flow paths,
the outlets are arranged between two adjacent 1 st flow paths in the arrangement direction.
2. The equipment front-end module of claim 1, wherein,
the supply port is configured to supply an inert gas toward a region of any one of a partition wall of the housing and the partition member that partitions the upper space and the external space, the region being closest to the supply port.
3. The equipment front-end module according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that,
the outlet is disposed at a position spaced from the supply port by the blower in a crossing direction crossing an arrangement direction of the plurality of blowers.
4. A front-end module of a device is characterized in that,
the device front end module includes:
a housing which is closed by connecting a loading port to an opening provided in a partition wall, and which forms a transport chamber for transporting a substrate therein;
a partition member provided in the housing to constitute an upper space above the transport chamber;
a plurality of communication ports formed in the partition member to communicate the transport chamber with the upper space;
a plurality of blowers provided in the communication port for delivering the gas in the upper space to the delivery chamber;
a plurality of gas suction ports provided at a lower portion of the transport chamber and sucking gas in the transport chamber; and
a gas return passage for returning the gas sucked from each of the gas suction ports to the upper space,
the gas regression path includes:
a 1 st flow path extending from each of the plurality of gas suction ports; and
A 2 nd flow path connected to the 1 st flow paths, for allowing the gas to flow in from the 1 st flow path and for sending the gas out to the upper space,
the 2 nd flow path extends in a direction intersecting with the extending direction of the 1 st flow path,
the gas flowing in the gas return passage changes its direction of gas flow when passing from the 1 st flow path to the 2 nd flow path, and changes its direction when flowing from the 2 nd flow path to the upper space.
5. The equipment front-end module of claim 4, wherein,
the equipment front-end module further comprises a substrate conveying device, the substrate conveying device is provided with a base station part and a conveying part, the position of the base station part is fixed, the conveying part is arranged above the base station part and is used for conveying the substrate, the substrate conveying device is arranged in the conveying chamber,
an object is disposed in the transport chamber at a position below a transport region in which the substrate is transported by the transport section,
the gas suction port is disposed at a position not overlapping with both the base portion and the installation object when viewed from the vertical direction.
CN201910137404.8A 2018-03-15 2019-02-25 Front end module of equipment Active CN110277338B (en)

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