EP1155438A1 - Dispositif destine au transport d'objets - Google Patents

Dispositif destine au transport d'objets

Info

Publication number
EP1155438A1
EP1155438A1 EP00907437A EP00907437A EP1155438A1 EP 1155438 A1 EP1155438 A1 EP 1155438A1 EP 00907437 A EP00907437 A EP 00907437A EP 00907437 A EP00907437 A EP 00907437A EP 1155438 A1 EP1155438 A1 EP 1155438A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
clean room
lock
transport
ceiling
lock chamber
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP00907437A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Heinz Martin Esser
Ronald Hrga
Franc Sodec
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Ortner CLS GmbH
Original Assignee
Ortner CLS GmbH
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Ortner CLS GmbH filed Critical Ortner CLS GmbH
Publication of EP1155438A1 publication Critical patent/EP1155438A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • 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
    • H01L21/67703—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 between different workstations
    • H01L21/67727—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 between different workstations using a general scheme of a conveying path within a factory
    • 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
    • H01L21/67703—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 between different workstations
    • H01L21/6773—Conveying cassettes, containers or carriers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G2249/00—Aspects relating to conveying systems for the manufacture of fragile sheets
    • B65G2249/02—Controlled or contamination-free environments or clean space conditions

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a device for transporting objects, in particular objects are to be transported between a first clean room and a second clean room, the two clean rooms being able to belong to different clean room classes and having different air pressures in them.
  • the transport of the semiconductor products to be processed which are also referred to as so-called “wafers", from or to the individual processing systems or between different processing areas takes place with the aid of transport systems which are located on the same floor of the factory building as the processing systems Technology, the transport between two processing areas is carried out, for example, with the aid of rail-bound vehicles on the ceiling of a floor (so-called “monorails”).
  • Intermediate stores also known as “stockers”, are often also set up in the individual processing areas.
  • the wafers provided for a specific processing area can be temporarily stored in these intermediate stores.
  • the wafers are transported from the aforementioned interim storage facilities to the actual processing systems with the aid of (rail-bound) robots, rail-bound vehicles on the floor of the floor or via driverless vehicles on the floor of the floor, so-called “automated guided vehicles” ( AGV).
  • AGV automated guided vehicles
  • control software required for the known transport systems is complex. This results from the fact that due to the transport and processing operations taking place on the same level, a large number of obstacles (e.g. other components of the transport system or other processing systems) have to be avoided. It is therefore necessary to assign transport priorities in order to ensure that the individual transports run in parallel in a large number of times. For this reason, overtaking, intersections and branches are inevitable in the known transport system.
  • the invention is based on the object of proposing a transport device which reduces the requirements for the control software of the device and, with likewise reduced transport times, enables the objects to be reliably transported to and from the processing stations. Furthermore, the area of a (first) clean room should be usable as much as possible for the actual semiconductor production and, accordingly, should remain free from transport and storage tasks.
  • this object is achieved by a device for transporting objects between a first clean room and a second clean room, which can belong to different clean room classes and in which different air pressures prevail, the device including a vertical conveying device which is guided through an opening in a ceiling of the first clean room and a floor of the second clean room and whose vertically movable conveying element has a first end position located within the first clean room and a second end position located within the second clean room
  • a lock device blocking the cross section of the vertical conveyor device, which has two lock doors spaced apart in the conveying direction, which delimit a lock chamber located between them and
  • At least one transfer device with which an object is transported from a transport system located in the second clean room to the conveyor element located in its second end position and in the opposite direction and / or from the conveyor element located in its first end position to a processing station located in the first clean room and in reverse direction can be transferred, one of the end positions of the conveying element being arranged within the lock chamber,
  • the device according to the invention allows objects to be transported through the ceiling of a first clean room, in order in this way, for example, to be able to arrange processing stations within the first clean room without having to connect these individual processing stations to one another with a transport system arranged within this clean room. Rather, the connection of the individual processing stations takes place via a transport system arranged in the second clean room, whereby an enormous space saving occurs in the first clean room.
  • This space saving results not only from the mere elimination of the transport system from this room, but also from the possibility of dispensing with intermediate storage in this clean room.
  • These interim storage facilities can namely also be accommodated in the second clean room in connection with the transport system arranged there.
  • the objects can advantageously be transferred from the transport system to the conveyor element of the vertical conveyor device and / or from there to a processing station after passing through the clean room ceiling. After the processing has been carried out, the transport process can take place again in the reverse order.
  • an object can be freed from particles adhering to its surface before it passes from the second clean room into the first clean room by means of a blow-off device acting in the lock chamber. This allows the maintenance of lower clean room conditions in the second clean room and thus cost savings without the risk of contamination of the first clean room, which is more critical of its clean room conditions.
  • the lock door facing the first clean room be provided with a positioning bolt, which corresponds to a positioning recess located thereon when an object is removed.
  • the lock device is advantageously arranged in the area of the ceiling of the first clean room and / or above it. This particularly facilitates the blowing off of an object during the transition from the second to the first clean room.
  • the vertical conveyor device is encased at least in sections by a safety shaft.
  • This security shaft is preferably attached to the lock device in a hanging manner and constructed from cage-like profiles and transparent wall parts.
  • a manual control device supplied with emergency voltage can also be provided, with which the conveying element can be moved into the lower end position.
  • the vertical conveyor device have a toothed belt drive or a spindle drive.
  • the vertical conveyor device penetrates the ceiling in a single ceiling grid.
  • the cleaning of an object from adhering dust particles can be carried out particularly advantageously if supply air can be introduced into the lock chamber by means of a supply air fan and exhaust air can be discharged from the lock chamber by means of an exhaust air fan or through perforated wall sections.
  • the inlet for the supply air and the outlet for the exhaust air are on opposite sides of the lock chamber and the object is arranged in a blow-off position between them is.
  • a particularly advantageous embodiment of the vertical conveyor device is that its conveyor element is equipped with at least one gripping element which is equipped with a cooperates on an adapted transport flange on the object. In this way, the object hanging on the gripping element can be transported in the vertical conveyor.
  • this lock chamber can be relieved of load, as a result of which the locking mechanism can be carried out correspondingly more simply. Furthermore, the cleaning on the underside of the object can be significantly improved.
  • the transfer device is also provided with at least one gripping element which interacts with the transport flange on the object.
  • the transport flange of the object thus forms a coupling point that is suitable for numerous handling steps.
  • Figure 1 a front view of a transport device in partial section
  • Figure 2 is a side view of the device of Figure 1 in partial section
  • FIG. 3 a section along the line IV-IV through the device according to FIG. 1
  • FIG. 4 shows a section along the line III-III through the device according to FIG. 1
  • the device 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 serves to transport containers 2, referred to as FOUPS, which are used in the production of semiconductor products (so-called wafers).
  • the device 1 penetrates a ceiling 3, which separates a first clean room 4 from a second clean room 5. While the first clean room 4, in which the actual processing of the semiconductor products takes place, belongs to a very high clean room class, the clean room requirements in the second clean room 5 are lower.
  • the air pressure in the first clean room 4 is greater than that in the second clean room 5.
  • the air pressure in the second clean room 5 is also still higher than the atmospheric pressure, in order also from the second clean room 5 to maintain an outward flow of leaks.
  • the device 1 contains a vertical conveyor device 6, which is guided through an opening 7 in the ceiling 3, which also forms the floor of the second clean room 5.
  • the vertical conveyor device 6 has a vertically displaceable conveyor element 8, which is shown in the top and bottom end positions in both FIGS. 1 and 2. This representation is purely for the sake of clarity; in reality there is only a single conveyor element of the vertical conveyor device 6.
  • the device 1 is further provided with a lock device 9 blocking the cross section of the vertical conveyor device 6, which has an upper lock door 10 which can be swiveled upwards and shown in three positions and two lower lock doors which are swiveled downwards and are mounted on the edges of the conveying cross section and also shown in three positions 11 has.
  • the lock doors 10, 11 and a vertical conveyor The surrounding security shaft 12, which is rectangular in cross section, delimits a lock chamber 13 located between the two lock doors.
  • the device 1 also works together with a transfer device, not shown in the figures, with which a container 2 can be transferred from a transport system located in the second clean room 5, also not shown, to the conveyor element 8 located in its upper end position. The transfer can also take place in the opposite direction. Furthermore, the device 1 can be provided with a second transfer device, likewise not shown, by means of which the container 2, starting from the lower end position of the transport element 8, can be transferred to a processing station (not shown) in the first clean room 4 and can be returned in the opposite direction.
  • the container 2 When the container 2 is transferred to the transport element 8, the container 2 is first placed on the lower lock doors 11 in the closed position with the aid of a gripper of the transfer device (not shown).
  • the gripper of the transfer device grips the container on a flange 14 arranged on its upper side.
  • These gripping elements 15 belong to the conveyor element 8 of the vertical conveyor device 6 and can be moved vertically with it.
  • the gripping elements 15, which are shown in FIG. 3 in a maximum open position and in the closed position, are actuated via two parallel levers 16, which can be sheared in a trapezoidal manner.
  • the respective outer lever 16 can be pivoted between the end positions by means of a motor 17 serving as a pivot drive.
  • the entire gripping mechanism is firmly connected to the carriage-like conveyor element 8, which in turn is coupled to the vertical conveyor device 6 designed as a toothed belt drive and can therefore be moved vertically over its entire length.
  • the toothed belt drive is located inside an approximately square guide profile 18 (see FIG. 4) that extends almost over the entire length of the device 1.
  • the drive of the toothed belt drive motor can be seen at the top in FIG. 1 and is designated by 19.
  • the security shaft 12 which is attached to the lock device 9 in a hanging manner, is constructed from cage-like profiles 20 and transparent wall parts 21.
  • a container 2 coming from the second clean room 5 and parked there by the transfer device can be exposed to an air flow after closing the lock doors and slightly lifting the container 2 by means of the conveying element 8 - or its gripping elements 15 - in such a way that possibly particles adhering to the surface of the container 2 are blown off.
  • a supply air fan which is accommodated in a housing 22 and which takes air from the second clean room 5 and blows it into the lock chamber 13 via a special filter 23 (see FIG. 4).
  • the container 2 is only held on its flange 14 by the gripping elements 15, so that almost the entire surface is accessible to the air flow.
  • the best cleaning effect is of course achieved on the front side 24 of the container 2, which is at the front in the direction of flow, which is the side that must have the greatest purity due to the subsequent coupling to the processing station.
  • the air blown into the lock chamber 13 leaves it through exhaust air perforated plates 25 which are connected to the filter 23, i. the air inlet. In this way, an optimal flow through the lock chamber 13 is achieved.
  • the transport of a container 2 from a transport system, not shown, in the second clean room 5 to a processing station, also not shown, in the first clean room 4 proceeds as follows:
  • the container 2 is introduced through the open upper lock door 10 into the lock chamber 13 and placed there on the lower lock doors 11 which are in the closed position.
  • the upper lock door 10 is likewise closed and the gripping elements 15 of the conveying element 8 which are in the open position are moved into the closed position.
  • the container 2 gripped in this way is raised by a small amount by moving the conveying element 8, which on the one hand relieves the lower lock doors 11 and on the other hand also makes the underside of the container 2 accessible to the cleaning air.
  • the container 2 is then blown off in order to remove any adhering particles.
  • the lower lock doors 11 are opened and the transport element 8 of the vertical conveyor device 6 moves the container 2 into the lower end position.
  • the container 2 After loosening the gripping elements 15, the container 2 can then be transported further or fed to a processing station.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Ventilation (AREA)
  • Container, Conveyance, Adherence, Positioning, Of Wafer (AREA)

Abstract

Dispositif (1) destiné au transport d'objets entre une première salle blanche (4) et une seconde salle blanche (5) pouvant appartenir à des classes de salles blanches différentes et dans lesquelles règnent des pressions de l'air différentes. Ledit dispositif comporte une installation de transport verticale (6) qui est guidée dans une ouverture (7) ménagée dans un plafond (3) de la première salle blanche (4) et dans un plancher de la seconde salle blanche (5) et dont l'élément de transport mobile (8) possède une première position terminale se trouvant à l'intérieur de la première salle blanche (4) et une seconde position terminale se trouvant à l'intérieur de la seconde salle blanche (5). Ledit dispositif comporte également un ensemble sas (9), obstruant la section transversale de l'installation de transport verticale (6), qui possède au moins deux portes (10, 11) de sas situées à une certaine distance l'une de l'autre dans le sens de transport et délimitant entre elles une chambre (13) de sas. Ledit dispositif comporte enfin au moins un ensemble de transfert à l'aide duquel un objet est transféré d'un système de transport se trouvant dans la seconde salle blanche (5) à l'élément de transport (8) se trouvant dans sa seconde position terminale et dans le sens opposé, et/ou à l'aide duquel un objet est transféré de l'élément de transport (8) se trouvant dans sa première position terminale à un poste de traitement situé dans la première salle blanche (4) et dans le sens opposé, l'une des positions terminales de l'élément de transport (8) se trouvant à l'intérieur de la chambre de sas.
EP00907437A 1999-02-11 2000-01-22 Dispositif destine au transport d'objets Withdrawn EP1155438A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE19905882 1999-02-11
DE1999105882 DE19905882C1 (de) 1999-02-11 1999-02-11 Vorrichtung zum Transport von Gegenständen, insbesondere von Wafern und/oder Waferbehältern
PCT/DE2000/000187 WO2000048233A1 (fr) 1999-02-11 2000-01-22 Dispositif destine au transport d'objets

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1155438A1 true EP1155438A1 (fr) 2001-11-21

Family

ID=7897297

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP00907437A Withdrawn EP1155438A1 (fr) 1999-02-11 2000-01-22 Dispositif destine au transport d'objets

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1155438A1 (fr)
AU (1) AU2902800A (fr)
DE (2) DE19905882C1 (fr)
WO (1) WO2000048233A1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102004010599B4 (de) * 2004-03-02 2005-12-29 Asys Automatic Systems Gmbh & Co. Kg Übergabeeinrichtung in Handhabungs- und/oder Bearbeitungszentren
DE102004041633A1 (de) † 2004-08-27 2006-03-02 Fockele, Matthias, Dr. Vorrichtung zur Herstellung von Formkörpern
DE202008004228U1 (de) 2008-03-27 2008-05-29 Grenzebach Maschinenbau Gmbh Vorrichtung zur Fixierung und den Weitertransport stoßempfindlicher Platten in Sputter-Beschichtungsanlagen

Family Cites Families (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3637880C2 (de) * 1986-11-06 1994-09-01 Meissner & Wurst Transportierbares Behältnis zur Handhabung von Halbleiterelementen während ihrer Herstellung sowie Verfahren zur partikelfreien Übergabe von Produkten
DE3915038A1 (de) * 1989-05-08 1990-11-22 Balzers Hochvakuum Halte- und transportvorrichtung fuer eine scheibe
DE3931985A1 (de) * 1989-09-26 1991-04-04 Hls Halbleiter Produktionstech Transportspeicher fuer waferscheiben
DE4017006A1 (de) * 1990-05-26 1991-11-28 Hls Halbleiter Produktionstech Foerdersystem fuer waferscheiben
DE4332657C2 (de) * 1993-09-27 1996-10-17 Gentischer Josef Dipl Ing Fh Vorrichtung zum Handhaben von Substraten in Reinsträumen und mit einer derartigen Vorrichtung versehene Schleuseneinrichtung
JPH09321120A (ja) * 1996-03-04 1997-12-12 Applied Materials Inc 半導体加工部材を処理するシステムおよび方法
US5674039A (en) * 1996-07-12 1997-10-07 Fusion Systems Corporation System for transferring articles between controlled environments

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO0048233A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU2902800A (en) 2000-08-29
WO2000048233A1 (fr) 2000-08-17
DE19905882C1 (de) 2000-12-21
DE10080316D2 (de) 2002-03-07

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
DE19901426B4 (de) Mehrkammersystem einer Ätzeinrichtung zur Herstellung von Halbleiterbauelementen
DE3637880C2 (de) Transportierbares Behältnis zur Handhabung von Halbleiterelementen während ihrer Herstellung sowie Verfahren zur partikelfreien Übergabe von Produkten
DE69633487T2 (de) Vakuumbehandlungsvorrichtung und Halbleiter-Fertigungslinie die diese verwendet
EP3486589B1 (fr) Dispositif de séchage et / ou de nettoyage de caisses
DE3442844A1 (de) Vorrichtung und anlage fuer die durchfuehrung einer behandlung unter vakuum
EP1947242A2 (fr) Voie suspendue à un rail
EP0587845B1 (fr) Installation et procede permettant la manipulation d'objets
EP0158904A2 (fr) Dispositif pour le nettoyage d'objets avec des jets d'air
WO2000048233A1 (fr) Dispositif destine au transport d'objets
WO2021063444A1 (fr) Installation de traitement et procédé de traitement
EP2228130A1 (fr) Salle blanche modulaire
DE102020205506A1 (de) Aufzugssystem mit mehreren Aufzugskabinen
DE19641524C2 (de) Beschichtungsanlage für Großteile, insbesondere für die Oberflächenbehandlung von Metall- und Kunststoffteilen
DE3402143A1 (de) Foerderverfahren und foerderanlage
WO2001025694A1 (fr) Procede et dispositif pour conduire de l'air dans un espace de travail
EP0678336A2 (fr) Cabine de poudrage
DE3826925A1 (de) Einrichtung zur handhabung und behandlung kontaminationsempfindlicher gegenstaende, wie halbleiterteile (wafers) oder aehnlicher produkte
DE10214262B4 (de) Reinraumsystem für Teileträger, insbesondere von Microsystemen
DE102007034024A1 (de) Vorrichtung zur Lagerung und/oder Verteilung von Karosserien von Kraftfahrzeugen
DE3712064A1 (de) Einrichtung zum bearbeiten von werkstuecken, insbesondere von wafern in einem reinraum einer halbleiterfertigung
DE19913886A1 (de) Anlage zur Fertigung von Halbleiterprodukten
DE19714271C2 (de) Transporteinrichtung für eine Schleusenkammer
EP1446826B1 (fr) Dispositif de stockage
DE2230717C3 (de) Hubeinrichtung für durch Fertigungslinien laufende Werkstücke
DE4017006A1 (de) Foerdersystem fuer waferscheiben

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 20010716

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE

AX Request for extension of the european patent

Free format text: AL;LT;LV;MK;RO;SI

GRAP Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR1

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN

18D Application deemed to be withdrawn

Effective date: 20041012