JP2000033591A - Hand device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To position a hand device of a cassette by a simple structure and at a low cost when the cassette is gripped and lifted by the hand device of a robot. SOLUTION: Left and right arms 22L, 22R which extend in the longitudinal direction, turn around shaft parts 23L, (23R), and are opened and closed are supported on left and right side parts of a hand main body 19, a guide pin 36 engaged with each guide part 65 of a cassette C and forward and backward pawl members 37, 37 which are positioned on both the front and rear sides of each guide pin 36 and engage and support each flange part 66, 66 of the cassette C from below are attached to tip parts of each arm 22L, 22R, and the guide pin 36 is engaged with the guide part 65 and is positioned by utilizing the motion that each pawl member 37 is engaged with the flange part 66 to lift the cassette C.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hand device provided at, for example, a leading end of a robot arm for holding a semiconductor wafer storage cassette, and more particularly to a technical field for positioning and holding the cassette.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various types of hand devices of this type have been known. For example, (1) Tokiko 6-82
As shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 742, an engaging groove in the front-rear direction for engaging the left and right chuck claws of the hand portion is formed in the upper part of the left and right sides of the wafer carrier (cassette) having the front side opening. A carrier engaging portion extending in the left-right direction is formed on the upper surface, and a pressing portion for engaging with the carrier engaging portion is provided on the hand portion, and the pressing portion of the hand portion is engaged with the carrier engaging portion on the carrier side. The state is detected by the limit switch, and then the left and right chuck claws of the hand unit are engaged with the engagement grooves of the carrier and gripped, thereby positioning and restraining the carrier in the front-rear direction, the up-down direction, and the left-right direction. There are things that can be handled.

[0003] (2) In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-213978, a storage box is attached to a drive section of a manipulator, and a hand and a wafer cassette held by the hand are stored and stored in the storage box. By providing an opening / closing door that opens and closes in front of the box according to the position of the storage box, the wafer cassette is put into the storage box in a clean room, transported, and protected from dust. Also, in this one,
The gripping portion of the hand is driven so as to be inclined with respect to the main body, and the wafer cassette is tilted and gripped so that the opening side is higher than the back side, so that the wafer does not jump out of the cassette.

Further, (3) Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 6-18231 discloses that a pair of left and right arms each having a protruding portion (claw portion) at the tip end is provided for a pivotable knob housing (hand). It is pivotally supported by an intermediate pivot located on the left and right center side of the knob housing from the position of the protruding part, and the left and right arms are opened and closed by pivoting around the pivot, and the protruding part at the tip is left and right of the wafer cassette. There is disclosed a device in which a slot formed at an upper end of a side portion is engaged and gripped, and the grip is detected by a microswitch.

[0005] (4) As shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-237883, a finger is provided on the hand body, the tip of which can be separated from the hand, and the finger is pressed against the outer wall of the storage container. The storage container is securely held on the hand main body by providing a rotatable pressing tool that is pressed against the upper end edge of the storage container in accordance with the press-contact of the claw. Are known.

(5) In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 4-107842, a pair of left and right grips for gripping a cassette are connected to drive shafts in a gripper (hand), and these drive shafts and the drive shaft are connected to each other. When a differential mechanism is provided between the motor and the left and right grippers trying to grip the cassette with the left and right centerlines of the gripper displaced from the left and right centerlines of the cassette positioned on the mounting table, the misalignment is caused. Is detected, the drive motor is stopped, and both drive shafts are rotated relative to each other by the differential mechanism to move the gripper so that the left and right center lines substantially coincide with the left and right center lines of the cassette. The cassette is moved away from the mounting table at the positioning position, eliminating friction between the cassette and the mounting table and preventing dust generation in a clean room. .

(6) As shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-149884, left and right hand portions are provided on the main body of the hand such that the tips come into contact with and separate from each other.
A groove-shaped chuck portion is provided for engaging the flanges on the right and left sides of the cassette, and a projection is provided on the chuck portion for engaging a notch on the flange of the cassette. The cassette is positioned by engaging the projection with the notch. There has been known a device that is held by a user.

Further, (7) Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 63-44792.
In the publication, a left and right gripping claws are supported on a hand body rotatable about a horizontal rotation axis so as to be able to contact and separate from each other, and these left and right gripping claws are rotatable about an axis. It is shown that the end is supported by the outer periphery of the rotating plate, while the outer end is connected by a link supported by the gripper.

(8) In Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei 6-2268, a block is attached to a support shaft of a cassette clamping arm of a hand, and a swinging rod is rotatably supported on the block. When the cassette is clamped by the clamping arm by the rotation of the support shaft, the relative movement of the swinging rod accompanying the contact with the cassette at the lower end is detected by the sensor on the block side, and the cassette is accurately adjusted by the clamping arm. The pinching state is detected.

[0010]

In recent years, as one type of the cassette for accommodating the wafer, a wafer inlet / outlet is opened at one of a front side and a rear side. In this cassette, a guide portion extending substantially vertically is provided on both left and right sides of the cassette, and a flange portion extending substantially in the front-rear direction is provided before and after each of the guide portions. (See FIG. 15).

The inventor of the present invention locks such an open type wafer cassette on a mounting table of a traveling carriage in an unmanned transfer device by means of pins or the like so as not to move horizontally, and mounts the cassette in this locked state. We considered that it was grasped by a robot hand device installed on a trolley and lifted and transported. In this case, if the hand device to be gripped is displaced with respect to the cassette, an excessive force is applied between the mounting table and the cassette when the wafer cassette is gripped and lifted. Rubbing occurs between them, causing dust generation, which is a factor of deteriorating the quality of the semiconductor wafer.

Therefore, the above conventional example (5) (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
No. 7843), the left and right grips of the hand device are connected by a differential mechanism, and the relative movement between the two grips prevents the hand device from being displaced from the cassette. Conceivable.

However, in this case, in the structure of the conventional example (5), since a differential mechanism is used, not only the structure is complicated but also the cost is unavoidable.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to hold and lift a cassette while positioning a hand device with respect to an open type wafer cassette as described above. An object of the present invention is to make it possible to perform positioning of the hand device with respect to the wafer cassette with a simple structure and at low cost by adding an improvement corresponding to the structure of the wafer cassette to the gripping structure of the hand device.

[0015]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a wafer cassette is provided on both left and right sides of a wafer cassette.
When the guide portion and the flange portions located before and after each guide portion are provided, paying attention to the structure, a claw portion which can be locked and supported on the flange of this cassette from below, and a guide portion An engaging member that can be engaged is provided on the hand device, and when the claw portion of the hand device is locked and supported on the flange portion of the cassette and lifted, the movement is utilized to engage the engaging member with the guide portion of the cassette. The position of the cassette can be corrected with respect to the hand device.

More specifically, according to the first aspect of the present invention, guide portions extending substantially vertically are provided on both left and right sides, and flange portions extending substantially in the front-rear direction are provided on the left and right sides before and after each of the guide portions. The present invention is directed to a hand device for gripping an installed wafer cassette.

The hand device includes left and right arms which are supported on the left and right sides of the hand body so as to be openable and closable and extend substantially in the front-rear direction, and are opposed to the left and right arms in the left-right direction. An engaging member disposed and engaged with each guide portion of the cassette, and left and right arms on the front and rear sides of each of the engaging members are provided so as to face each other in the left-right direction. And a claw member for engaging and supporting the portion from below.

With the above configuration, when the cassette is gripped and lifted by the hand device, the position of the hand device is made to substantially correspond to the cassette with the left and right arms separated and opened, and then the left and right arms are moved closer to each other. close. By the closing operation of the two arms, the front and rear claw members provided on each arm move to the lower positions of the left and right flange portions of the cassette, respectively, and the engaging members are substantially attached to the left and right guide portions of the cassette. Move to the corresponding position. When the hand main body is raised in this state, the engaging member engages with the guide portion of the cassette, and the cassette corrects the position of the cassette with respect to the hand main body (hand device) by this engagement. At substantially the same time as the engagement between the engagement member and the guide portion, the front and rear claw members engage with the respective flange portions of the cassette from below, and the engagement causes the cassette to be engaged by the claw members at the flange portions. It is grasped and lifted. As a result, the cassette is lifted with the position of the cassette corrected with respect to the hand device.

Therefore, even if the cassette before gripping is locked to the mounting table or the like so that it cannot move horizontally, the cassette is not locked on the mounting table or the like until the locked state is released. The wafer is lifted directly above without being shifted from the stop position, so that no dust is generated due to the rubbing caused by the lifting in the shifted state, so that the quality of the wafer can be improved.

Further, as described above, the position of the cassette is corrected with respect to the hand device by the engagement between the engaging member and the guide portion of the cassette in accordance with the movement of the hand device gripping and lifting the cassette with the right and left claw members. Compared with the case where a differential mechanism is used, the structure for positioning is simplified, and the cost can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the cassette is supported by the front and rear claw members being supported by the flange portions engaged with the front and rear claw members, the cassette is moved to either the front side or the rear side. The wafer inlet / outlet opening opening on one side is made different so as to have an inclined posture in which it is positioned above the back side.

When the cassette is supported by engaging the flange portions of the cassette with the front and rear pawl members of the hand device, the cassette is inclined forward or rearward due to the difference in the height position of the front and rear pawl members. To the inclined posture. In this inclined position of the cassette, the wafer entrance / exit side is located above the deeper side, so that the wafers stored in the cassette are:
Due to the weight, the wafer is urged to the inner side in the cassette, so that it is possible to prevent the wafer from jumping out of the wafer entrance during the transfer of the cassette.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the flange is engaged with the front and rear claw members to support the cassette, the inclination stopper for restricting the cassette from inclining more than a predetermined amount in the direction of the inclined posture is provided. Provide. With this, for the cassette supported by the hand device and transported in the inclined posture,
For example, even if an excessive external force acts due to an emergency stop of the transfer of the hand device or the like, the cassette is prevented from being greatly inclined in the inclined posture, and the gripping state of the cassette can be stably maintained.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the cassette is supported by the engagement of the flange portions with the front and rear claw members, the cassette is pushed downward to restrict the flange portion from rising from the claw members. Is provided with a cassette pressing member biased to. With this configuration, the cassette being conveyed by the hand device is pressed downward by the cassette pressing member, and the flange portion of the cassette is pressed against the claw member of the hand device. For this reason, even if an excessive external force acts on the cassette due to an emergency stop of the transfer of the hand device or the like, the flange portion of the cassette becomes difficult to float from the claw member, and the cassette is gripped by the engagement between the flange portion and the claw member. A stable state can be ensured.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the arm is a rotating arm that rotates around a fulcrum axis extending in the front-rear direction. Such a rotating arm does not have a portion that changes in volume during opening and closing operations, for example, as compared with a telescopic arm that opens and closes by sliding in the left-right direction, so that dust generation can be prevented as much as possible.

In this case, according to the invention of claim 6, the fulcrum shaft of the arm is arranged on the center side between the left and right arms with respect to the position of the claw member of the arm, and the flange portion is engaged with the front and rear claw members. When the cassette is supported, the weight of the cassette is applied to the arm as a closing force. With this configuration, when the cassette is lifted by engaging the flange portion with the claw member, the arm is rotated about the fulcrum shaft by the weight of the cassette so that the claw member approaches the claw member side opposed to the left and right. Moment works. As a result, the arm is urged in the closing direction, and the driving force for driving the arm from the outside in the closing direction to grip the cassette is correspondingly small. Moreover, the claw member is engaged with the flange portion of the cassette, and the cassette is lifted, and at the same time, the arm can be rotated in the closing direction to grip the cassette, so that positioning by the claw member can be performed smoothly. .

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the arm and the drive shaft for driving the arm are connected to the drive shaft so as to rotate integrally with the drive shaft, and the base end is integrally fixed to the fulcrum shaft of the arm. The lever member is connected via a link mechanism that is provided between an outer peripheral portion of the driving member and a distal end portion of the lever member, and is provided with a link that can be extended and contracted in a length direction. The link is provided with an urging means for urging the arm in the closing direction.

Thus, even if the hand device is displaced in the left-right direction with respect to the cassette, the link expands and contracts by the urging means, and the arms are urged in the closing direction. It is pushed toward the left and right sides under the flange, and the arm follows the position of the cassette, so that both can be accurately positioned in the left and right direction, and the cassette can be gripped without generating dust. it can.

In the invention according to claim 8, the link has a cylindrical portion and a rod portion slidably inserted into the cylindrical portion, and the urging means contracts between the cylindrical portion and the rod portion. Compression spring. In this case, the structure of the telescopic structure of the link and the structure of the urging means can be embodied.

In the ninth aspect of the present invention, the claw member is a roller capable of rolling the lower surface of the flange portion of the cassette in the front-rear direction. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the damage of the flange portion when the claw member is engaged with the flange portion, and reduce dust generation.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the arm can be rolled up and down to regulate the closed position of the arm so that the claw member and the engaging member do not contact the left and right side surfaces of the cassette when the arm is closed. A guide roller is provided. This way,
When the arm is closed to the closed position for gripping the cassette by the hand device, only the guide roller of the arm comes into contact with the left and right sides of the cassette so as to roll vertically, and the claw member and the engagement member are on the same side. Do not abut. Therefore, if the cassette is lifted by raising the hand body with the arm closed, the guide roller only makes contact while rolling on the left and right side surfaces of the cassette, and the claw member and the engaging member do not directly contact the cassette. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cassette from being damaged and the accompanying dust from being generated.

According to the eleventh aspect, when the arm is in the closed state, it is detected that the claw member can be engaged with the flange portion of the cassette and the engaging member can be engaged with the guide portion of the cassette. Provide a sensor. Thus, when the arm is closed, the sensor can detect that the engaging member corresponds to the guide portion of the cassette and the claw member corresponds to the flange portion of the cassette, respectively. It is possible to perform a proper grip.

[0033]

FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 show an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a hand device of a horizontal articulated robot in an unmanned transfer device. Reference numeral 1 denotes a transfer path installed on the floor of a clean room for a semiconductor wafer processing step having a downflow of room air, and the transfer path 1 is connected to a plurality of wafer processing apparatuses (not shown) in the clean room. Are arranged to contact. 2 is the transport path 1
The traveling carriage automatically travels along the path, and the traveling carriage 2 travels along the transport path 1 to carry the wafers between the wafer processing apparatuses.

On the upper surface of the traveling carriage 2, cassette mounting portions 3, 3 (only one is shown) located at both ends in the length direction thereof, and a space between the cassette mounting portions 3, 3 (long length). (A center in the vertical direction), and a robot installation section 4 having a height lower than the cassette mounting sections 3 and 3 is formed. The wafer cassette C is mounted on each cassette mounting section 3 in a locked state. The cassette mounting table 5 is elastically supported. That is, although not shown, for example, three locking pins are arranged at the apexes of the equilateral triangle and project from the upper surface of the cassette mounting table 5. By locking the cassette C in the groove, the cassette C is locked and supported on the cassette mounting table 5 so as to be immovable in the horizontal direction, and the vibration during the traveling movement of the traveling carriage 2 is applied to the cassette C by the elastic support of the cassette mounting table 5. The transmission is reduced.

FIG. 14 and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, an open type wafer opening / closing port 61 is provided on the front side (the left side in FIG. 14), and a plurality of disk-shaped wafers W, Are formed correspondingly at the same height on the left and right side walls and the rear wall. The wafers W, W,... Supported and stored by 62, 62,.

As shown in FIG. 13 on an enlarged scale, a substantially pentagonal guide recess 64 having a predetermined depth and extending in the vertical direction and having a rectangular cross section is formed in the upper portion of the outer surface on both left and right sides of the cassette C. Is formed. This guide recess 64
Is formed in a tapered shape so as to converge upward at one point in the front-rear direction.
A guide portion 65 that guides a guide pin 36 described later toward one taper convergence position as it goes upward is formed by the tapered upper end portion.

On the left and right outer sides of the cassette C, the front and rear sides of the guide recess 64 and above the guide recess 64 (the upper ends of the left and right outer surfaces of the cassette C).
Are provided with front and rear flange portions 66, 66 each having a predetermined length extending in the front-rear direction so as to be continuous at the same height position and in series. Specifically, the outer surfaces of the cassettes C on both front and rear sides of the guide concave portion 64 are cut out in a stepped shape while leaving the upper end portions, so that the upper end portions, which are the notched remaining portions, are formed as flange portions 66, 66 protruding from the notched portions. I have.
Here, 67, 67 are concave grooves formed on the upper side of the flange portions 66, 66 in the front-rear direction.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 again, a horizontal articulated robot 8 is installed in the robot installation section 4 on the upper surface of the traveling vehicle 2. The robot 8 is provided with a base 9 provided on the robot installation section 4, a turntable 10 erected on the base 9 and turned around a vertical axis by a turning drive device (not shown), and supported by the turntable 10. And a lower arm 11 that swings around a horizontal axis by a servo motor (not shown). The lower arm 11 is composed of a parallel link mechanism having a pair of upper and lower link arms 12, 12, and base ends of the upper and lower link arms 12, 12 are vertically spaced above the swivel 10. The swivel 10 is supported so as to be able to swing around horizontal axes parallel to each other passing on a vertical axis. The distal ends of the link arms 12, 12 are supported below the arm support member 13 at intervals in the vertical direction and swingably about horizontal axes parallel to each other passing on a vertical line. A base end of an upper arm 14 is supported on an upper portion of the arm support member 13 so as to swing about a vertical axis by a servo motor (not shown). A lower end of a hand support member 15 is provided at a distal end of the upper arm 14. Fixedly supported. Above the hand support member 15, a hand device 18 is supported by a servo motor (not shown) so as to swing about a vertical axis.

The hand device 18 according to the present invention is described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. The hand device 18 has a substantially T-shaped (see FIG. 2) hand body viewed from above. 19. That is, the hand main body 19 has a substantially closed box-shaped motor accommodating section 20 supported by the hand supporting member 15 and a box-shaped section which is attached to the front end of the motor accommodating section 20 at the left and right central portions and extends in the left and right direction. And the link accommodating portion 21. The left and right ends of the link accommodating portion 21 are horizontally spaced in the front-rear direction at positions equidistant from a left-right center plane CL which is a plane extending in the front-rear direction through a vertical axis serving as a swing axis of the hand device 18. Extending left and right arms 22L and 22R are rotatably supported at their rear portions. That is, each arm 22
L and 22R are rotation arms that rotate around a fulcrum axis extending in the front-rear direction. These left and right arms 22L, 22R
Are shaft members 23L and 23R serving as rear fulcrum shafts that are supported through the link housing portion 21 in a substantially airtight and rotatable manner in the front-rear direction, and the shaft portions 23L and 23R.
A hollow plate-shaped arm main body 24 extending frontward from the front end of the armature, and the front part horizontally extending outward (on the side away from the left-right central plane CL).
L, 24R, and plate-like gripping portions 25L, 25R attached to the outer ends of the arm bodies 24L, 24R at right angles at the upper ends so as to hang down from the arm bodies 24L, 24R.
And Then, both arms 22L, 22R are connected to shaft portions 23L, 2
By rotating around the 3R in synchronization, both arms 22
The left and right grips 25L and 25R at the front end of the left arm 22R and the left arm 22R are opened and closed, as shown in FIG.
The right arm 22R in the counterclockwise direction as viewed from the front side, and the right arm 22R in the same clockwise direction.
When rotated about 3L, 23R, both arms 22
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, on the other hand, when the left arm 22L is rotated clockwise as viewed from the front and the right arm 22R is rotated counterclockwise as shown in FIG. , 22R are closed.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in each of the shaft portions 23L and 23R of the left and right arms 22L and 22R, a lever member 32,
A base end portion of 32 is attached integrally with the rotation. Also,
As shown in FIG. 2, a geared motor 26 capable of rotating forward and reverse is housed and fixed inside the motor housing 20. The front end of the output shaft 26a of the motor 26 has the left and right center plane C
The rear end of the drive shaft 27 located on L is coupling-coupled. The drive shaft 27 includes left and right arms 22L,
The drive shaft 22R is driven so as to open and close in synchronization with the front end of the drive shaft 27. The front end of the drive shaft 27 has a long plate-shaped drive member 28 at the center. It is attached to the rotating body. This driving member 28
Inner ends of left and right links 29, 29 are supported at front ends of the left and right links via link shafts 30, 30 in the front-rear direction, respectively, and the outer end of the left link 29 is connected to the left arm 22L.
The front end of the lever member 32 on the shaft portion 23L, and the outer end of the right link 29 are connected to the front end of the lever member 32 on the shaft portion 23R of the right arm 22R.
It is swingably connected via 31. With this,
Left and right arms 22L, 22R and left and right arms 22L, 22
The drive shaft 27 for driving the R includes a drive member 28 on the drive shaft 27 and the shaft portions 23L, 23R of the arms 22L, 22R.
A link mechanism 3 comprising lever members 32, 32 on the (fulcrum shaft) and links 29, 29 connected between the outer peripheral portions of these driving members 28 and the distal end portions of the lever members 32, 32.
3 and 33, the geared motor 26
The right and left arms 22L and 22R are synchronously opened and closed by rotating the drive shaft 27 in the normal rotation direction or the reverse rotation direction by the normal and reverse rotation driving.

Each link 29 of each link mechanism 33 is split in the length direction and is extendable. That is, in the divided portion in the longitudinal direction of each link 29, a tubular portion 29a located on the lever member 32 side (outside), and slidably inserted into the tubular portion 29a, the drive member 28 side (inside)
And a rod portion 29b positioned at
The link 29 expands and contracts due to the sliding between a and the rod portion 29b. A compression spring 34 as an urging means is contracted between the inner portion of the cylindrical portion 29a and the tip of the rod portion 29b.
Is extended, and the left and right arms 22L, 22R are rotationally biased in the closing direction so that the claw members 37, 37 described later approach the claw members 37, 37 opposed to the left and right directions.

As shown also in FIG.
Left and right central planes C are provided at the lower ends of the inner surfaces (surfaces facing the left and right central planes CL) of the gripping portions 25L and 25R in L and 22R.
Guide pins 36 having a circular cross section protruding toward the L side are arranged and fixed so as to face the guide pins 36 of the mating arms 22R, 22L in the left-right direction, respectively. Each of the guide pins 36 serves as an engagement member that engages with the guide portion 65 at the upper end of each of the guide recesses 64 of the cassette C. The left and right guide pins 36 are respectively connected to the left and right guide recesses 64 of the cassette C. The main body 19 can be properly positioned in the front-rear direction with respect to the cassette C by engaging with the guide portion 65 at the upper end from below.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, lower portions of the inner surfaces of the gripping portions 25L and 25R of the arms 22L and 22R are located on both front and rear sides of the guide pins 36 and slightly above the guide pins 36. The front and rear claw members 37, 37 protruding toward the left and right center plane CL are fixed at predetermined intervals in the front-rear direction, and the front and rear claw members 37, 37 are front and rear claws of the mating arms 22R, 22L, respectively. Members 37, 3
7 is arranged to face the left and right direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the front-rear distance d1 between the front claw member 37 and the guide pin 36 is equal to the rear claw member 37 and the guide pin 36.
Is set smaller than the front-rear distance d2 between them. The front and rear claw members 37, 37 are engaged with and support the flange portions 66, 66 of the cassette C from below, and the shaft portions 38 fixed to the grip portions 25L, 25R. And a pair of engagement rollers 39 rotatably supported by the shaft portion 38 and capable of engaging with the lower surface of the flange portion 66 of the cassette C and rolling the same in the front-rear direction. And
The height position relationship between the front and rear claw members 37 and 37 and the guide pin 36 corresponds to the height position relationship between the front and rear lower flange portions 66 and 66 and the guide portion 65 in the cassette C. And the front and rear claw members 37, substantially synchronously with the engagement of the guide pin 36 with the guide portion 65 of the cassette C,
37 are front and rear flange portions 66, 6 of the cassette C, respectively.
6, the front and rear claw members 3 on each of the left and right sides.
The cassette C is gripped by the hand device 18 by the engagement of the flanges 7 and 37 with the lower surfaces of the flange portions 66 and 66.

As described above, the left and right claw members 37, 37 are connected to the shaft portions 23L, 2 of the arms 22L, 22R.
3R (fulcrum axis), on the opposite side to the left and right center plane CL, in other words, the shaft portions 23L, 23R of the arms 22L, 22R are located at right and left arms 2
Since the cassette C is supported by the flange portions 66, 66 being engaged with the front and rear claw members 37, 37 by being disposed at the center side of the 2L, 22R, the weight of the cassette C is reduced by the arms 22L, 22R. 22R as a closing force (cassette gripping force).

The height position of the front claw member 37 in each of the left and right is slightly higher than the rear claw member 37, and the height positions of the front and rear claw members 37, 37 are different. When the cassettes C are supported by the flange portions 66, 66 engaging with the front and rear claw members 37, 37, respectively, the cassette C is inclined backward by a predetermined angle (for example, 2 °) with respect to the horizontal plane. It is in a tilted posture, and the front side of the wafer entrance 61 is positioned above the rear side (back side) (see FIG. 14).

As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 and FIG. 9, a position directly above the guide pin 36 (an intermediate position between the front and rear claw members 37, 37) is located approximately at the center of the left and right grips 25L, 25R. The front and rear openings 41, 41 are formed on the front and rear sides, respectively.
2 and 42 are gripping portions 25L and 25R between the openings 41 and 41.
And is rotatably supported and disposed by a horizontal shaft 43 extending in the front-rear direction. The guide rollers 42 before and after this,
When the arms 22L, 22R are closed, the right and left sides of the cassette C contact the outer surfaces of the front and rear sides of the guide recess 64 so that they can roll in the vertical direction. In the contact state, between the tip of the shaft portion 38 of each claw member 37 and the outer surface below the flange portion 66 on the left and right sides of the cassette C, and between the tip of each guide pin 36 and the bottom surface of the guide recess 64. A slight gap is formed between the pawl members 37 and the guide pins 3.
6 restricts the closed positions of the arms 22L and 22R so that they do not directly contact the left and right side surfaces of the cassette C.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 10, the upper end of each of the left and right grips 25L, 25R (the connection with the arm bodies 24L, 24R) has an opening 45 at a position directly above the guide pin 36. A rocking member 46 bent in a substantially L shape along the arm bodies 24L, 24R or the grip portions 25L, 25R is rocked in the opening 45 by a horizontal shaft 47 in the front-rear direction at the bending corner. It is arranged to be supported as possible. At the lower end of the swinging member 46, two rollers 48 that can roll on the left and right outer surfaces of the cassette C are rotatably supported by a horizontal shaft 49 in the front-rear direction. The inner ends of the swing members 46 are arm bodies 24L and 24R.
And the lower surfaces of the inner ends thereof and the arm bodies 24L, 24
A spring 50 is compressed between the inner bottom surface of R and the spring 50, and the spring 50 biases the swing member 46 so that the roller 48 at the lower end is directed toward the left and right central plane CL. The swing member 4 is provided in the arm bodies 24L and 24R.
A sensor 51 for detecting the presence or absence of the proximity state of the inner end of the arm 6 is provided.
When the L and 22R are in the closed state, the front and rear claw members 3
It is detected that the guide pins 7 and 37 can be engaged with the flange portions 66 and 66 of the cassette C from below, and the guide pin 36 is in the guide recess 64 of the cassette C and can be engaged with the guide portion 65 at the upper end thereof. I am trying to do it. Specifically, the guide rollers 42 at the lower ends of the gripping portions 25L, 25R abut against the outer surfaces of the front and rear sides of the guide recess 64 of the cassette C, and the left and right arms 22L, 22R are regulated to the closed position,
When the front and rear claw members 37 and 37 are respectively inserted below the left and right flange portions 66 and 66 of the cassette C, and when the guide pin 36 is inserted into the guide recess 64, respectively, the lower end of the swing member 46 The roller 48 contacts the outer surface of the left and right sides of the cassette C, and the swinging member 46 rotates from the state shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 3 in the direction to contract the spring 50 as shown by the solid line. The sensor 51 detects that the inner end has approached due to the rotation of the swing member 46.
To detect.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, a cylindrical support member 53 extending forward along the left and right center plane CL is attached and fixed to the front surface of the link housing portion 21 of the hand main body 19. A tilt stopper 5 is provided at the front end of the support member 53.
4 is attached. The height position of the inclined stopper 54 is determined by the front and rear claw members 37, 37 and the flange portions 66, 6.
When the cassette 6 is engaged and the cassette C is supported in the backward inclined posture, a predetermined interval (for example, 5 mm) is formed between the front end of the upper surface of the cassette C and the inclined stopper 54. This restricts the cassette C from further inclining backward from a predetermined backward inclining posture due to the difference between the height positions of the front and rear claw members 37, 37.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, on the front surface of the link housing portion 21 of the hand body 19, plate members 56, 56 extending forward are attached to the left and right arms 22L, 22R, respectively. The front end of a leaf spring 57 is attached and fixed to the lower surface of the front end of each plate member 56. The leaf spring 57 is inclined so as to face rearward and downward with no load, and a cassette pressing roller 58 as a cassette pressing member is provided at the rear end of the leaf spring 57 with an axial center in the left-right horizontal direction. It is rotatably supported. And
When the flanges 66, 66 are engaged with the front and rear claw members 37, 37, and the cassette C is supported in a backwardly inclined state, each cassette pressing roller 58 is supported by the rear end of the upper surface of the cassette C.
Is pressed upward and the leaf spring 57 is biased upward, and the elastic force of the leaf spring 57 urges the cassette pressing roller 58 downward. In the supporting state of the cassette C, the rear end of the upper surface of the cassette C is pressed downward by the left and right cassette pressing rollers 58, 58 which are urged downward, so that the claw members 37, 37 of the flange portions 66, 66 are displaced. Of the cassette C is prevented, and the cassette C is prevented from rotating forward, especially from the backward inclined posture.

Next, in the above embodiment, the robot 8
The operation of holding the cassette C by the hand device 18 will be described. Now, the cassette C is supported by a pin so as to be immovable in the horizontal direction by a pin on a cassette mounting table 5 in each of the cassette mounting sections 3 on the upper surface of the traveling vehicle 2. Considering the case where the hand device 18 grips and lifts the wafer and transfers it to a predetermined wafer processing apparatus, first, as shown in FIG.
By driving the geared motor 26 in the hand body 19 in the above, the drive shaft 27 is rotated clockwise as viewed from the front side to open the left and right arms 22L and 22R, and in this state, the left and right arms 22L and 22R of the hand device 18 are moved. Cassette C
Then, the swivel 10 and the lower and upper arms 11 and 14 of the robot 8 are moved so as to be located almost right above the position of the hand device 18 with respect to the cassette C. Then, FIG.
As shown in FIG.
Is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from the front side to close the left and right arms 22L and 22R (see FIG. 11). By the closing operation of both arms 22L, 22R, each arm 22L, 22R,
The front and rear claw members 37, 37 provided at the lower ends of the grip portions 25L, 25R at the front end of the 22R move to the lower positions of the left and right flange portions 66, 66 of the cassette C, respectively. The guide pins 36 located between the guide portions 37 are located at lower positions of the guide portions 65 (for example, from the guide portions 65 to 1
(Position of 0 to 15 mm).

As described above, the claw members 37, 37
The guide rollers 42 at the lower ends of the gripping portions 25L, 25R are connected to the cassette C when the guide pins 36 are inserted into the lower portions of the flange portions 66, 66 and the guide pins 36, respectively.
Abuts on the outer surfaces of the front and rear sides of the guide concave portion 64, and the movement of the arms 22L and 22R is restricted to the closed position. The flange portions 6 of the claw members 37, 37
6 and 66, and the insertion state of the guide pin 36 into the guide recess 64, the grip portions 25L, 25
The roller 48 at the lower end of each swing member 46 supported by R is pushed back to the left and right outer surfaces of the cassette C, and each swing member 46 rotates, and the rotation of each swing member 46 is detected by a sensor. 5
1 is detected. By the detection of the sensor 51, each of the guide pins 36 is in the guide recess 64 of the cassette C and can be engaged with the guide portion 65 when the arms 22L and 22R are closed, and the front and rear claw members 37 and 37 are moved. Each of the cassettes C can be determined to be below the flange portions 66, 66 and engageable therewith, and the hand device 18 can reliably hold the cassette C.

When the detection signals are output from the left and right sensors 51, 51, the lower arm 11 of the robot 8 is output.
Moves upward, the hand body 19 of the hand device 18 rises, and the guide pin 36 inserted into the guide recess 64 of the cassette C is moved to the guide portion 6 at the upper end of the guide recess 64.
5 is engaged. Since the guide portion 65 is formed in a tapered shape so as to converge upward at one point in the front-rear direction, the relative position between the hand device 18 and the cassette C is slightly shifted in the front-rear direction or the circumferential direction. However, when the guide pins 36 are engaged with the guide portions 65, the position of the cassette C is corrected with respect to the hand device 18. The position of the cassette C with respect to the hand device 18 is corrected by, for example, moving the arms 11 and 14 of the robot 8.

At this time, the guide rollers 42 are rotatably supported in the vertical direction at the lower ends of the gripping portions 25L, 25R of the arms 22L, 22R.
When the guide roller 42R is closed, only the guide roller 42 comes into contact with the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls of the cassette C, and the abutment of the guide roller 42 regulates the closing position of the arms 22L and 22R, thereby causing the claw members 37 and 37 and the guide pin 36 does not directly contact the left and right sides of the cassette C (the flange 66,
66 and the guide portion 65 can be engaged from below.)
Thus, when the hand body 19 is lifted and the cassette C is lifted with the arms 22L and 22R closed, only the guide rollers 42 roll while contacting with each other. 36 does not contact the cassette C, which can prevent the cassette C from being damaged and dust generated thereby.

The guide pin 36 and the guide portion 6
Almost simultaneously with the engagement with the cassette 5, the front and rear pawl members 37, 37 are engaged with the left and right flange portions 66, 66 of the cassette C from below.
The guide pin 36 is engaged with the guide portion 65 at the time of lifting, but contributes to the load support for lifting the cassette C at the time of lifting. Absent). As a result, the cassette C is lifted while the hand device 18 is accurately positioned on the cassette C. At this time, since each of the claw members 37 is composed of the engagement roller 39 that can roll on the lower surface of the flange portion 66 of the cassette C in the front-rear direction, when the claw member 37 engages with the flange portion 66, Even if the two move relative to each other to correct the positional deviation, only the engagement roller 39 rolls on the lower surface of the flange 66, and it is possible to suppress damage to the flange 66 and reduce dust generation.

After that, the cassette C gripped and lifted by the hand device 18 is transferred from the traveling carriage 2 to a predetermined wafer processing apparatus by the operation of the robot 8.

Therefore, even if the cassette C to be grasped and the hand device 18 of the robot 8 are relatively displaced in this way, if the cassette C is lifted, the cassette C is moved relative to the hand device 18. The position is corrected. That is, the cassette C, which is locked on the cassette mounting table 5 so as not to be horizontally movable by the locking pin, does not shift from the locked position of the cassette mounting table 5 until the locked state is released. .. Can be lifted directly above, so that no dust is generated due to the rubbing caused by the lifting in the state of displacement, so that the product quality of the wafers W, W,... Can be improved.

Further, as described above, the hand device 18 is engaged with the guide pin 36 and the guide portion 65 of the cassette C in accordance with the movement of the hand device 18 grasping and lifting the cassette C by the right and left claw members 37, 37. Is positioned in the cassette C, so that the structure for positioning is simpler than when a differential mechanism is used, and the cost can be reduced.

The left and right front and rear claw members 37, 37
The height position of the front claw member 37 is the rear claw member 37.
And the front and rear claw members 37, 37 are engaged with the front and rear flange portions 66, 66, respectively.
When the is lifted, the cassette C slightly tilts backward. In this rearwardly inclined posture, the front side of the wafer entrance 61 of the cassette C is located above the rear side (the back side), so that the wafers W, W,.
Are urged toward the inner side of the cassette C by the weight thereof to be stored, and the wafers W,
Can be prevented from jumping out of the wafer entrance 61.

The hand body 1 of the hand device 18
Since the inclination stopper 54 is fixed to the front end of the support member 53 extending forward from the cassette 9, the cassette C is lifted in the backward inclined posture by the engagement of the flanges 66, 66 with the claw members 37, 37 and is in the transport state. On the other hand, even if an excessive external force acts due to, for example, an emergency stop of the robot 8 and the cassette C attempts to further largely lean backward from the normal backward inclination posture, the front end of the upper surface of the cassette C is inclined to the inclined stopper 54. And further backward tilting operation is regulated. Moreover, the rear end of the upper surface of the cassette C gripped and lifted by the hand device 18 is pressed downward by the left and right cassette pressing rollers 58, 58 urged by the leaf spring 57, and Flange 66,
Since the lifting from the pawl members 37, 37 of the cassette C is restricted, the cassette C
Even if an excessive external force acts on the flange portions 66, 66,
And the engagement of the pawl members 37, 37 are ensured. By these synergistic actions, the holding state of the cassette C can be stably maintained. In particular, the left and right cassette holding rollers 5
8, 58 push the rear end of the upper surface of the cassette C downward, so that the cassette C can also be prevented from rotating forward from the backward tilted posture, and the wafers W,
W can be prevented from jumping out of the wafer entrance 61.

Further, the left and right arms 22L and 22R of the hand device 18 have shaft portions 23 extending in the front-rear direction.
L, 23R (fulcrum axis). This rotating arm has no portion that changes its volume during opening and closing operations, such as a telescopic arm that slides to the left and right to open and close. In addition, dust generation when opening and closing the arms 22L and 22R can be prevented as much as possible.

The left and right arms 22L, 22
The shaft portions 23L, 23R of the R are positioned closer to the arms 22L, 2 than the positions of the claw members 37, 37 before and after the arms 22L, 22R.
Since it is arranged at the center side between the 2Rs, the front and rear claw members 3
When the cassette C is lifted by engaging the flanges 66 and 66 with the cassettes 7 and 37, the arm 2
Moments around the shaft portions 23L and 23R for moving the claw members 37 and 37 toward the left and right sides of the cassette C by causing the claw members 37 and 37 to approach the left and right opposing claw members 37 and 37 act on the 2L and 22R. As a result, the arms 22L and 22R are urged in the closing direction, and the driving force of the geared motor 26 for driving the arms 22L and 22R in the closing direction from outside and holding the cassette C can be reduced. Moreover, the claw members 37, 37 are engaged with the flange portions 66, 66 of the cassette C to lift the cassette C, and at the same time, the arms 22L, 22R.
Can be rotated in the closing direction to grip the cassette C, and the right and left positioning by the claw members 37, 37 can be performed smoothly.

The drive shaft 27 connected by the geared motor 26 and the shaft portions 23L, 23R of the left and right arms 22L, 22R are connected via link mechanisms 30, 30, respectively. 29 is a cylindrical portion 29a connected to the shaft portions 23L and 23R of the arms 22L and 22R, and a rod portion 2 connected to the drive shaft 27 side.
9b, the compression spring 34 is contracted between the cylindrical portion 29a and the rod portion 29b. 22R is urged in the closing direction, and the claw members 37, 37 at the distal end thereof are
6, 66 are pushed toward the left and right side portions below (specifically, the guide roller 42 is pressed against the left and right side outer surfaces of the cassette C). Thus, even if the hand device 18 is displaced in the left-right direction with respect to the cassette C, the hand device 18 can follow the position of the cassette C, and the positioning of the hand device 18 and the cassette C in the left-right direction can be performed. Is performed accurately, and the cassette C can be gripped without generating dust.

(Other Embodiments) The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but includes various other modifications.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the wafer entrance 61 is opened at the front side of the cassette C, and the cassette C is inclined backward and lifted so that the height of the front side where the wafer entrance 61 is located is higher than the rear side. Conversely, the wafer entrance 61 may be opened at the rear side of the cassette C, and the cassette C may be inclined forward and lifted so that the height of the rear side where the wafer entrance 61 is located is higher than the front side. It can be selected appropriately according to the structure of the robot and the use state of the cassette C.

In the above embodiment, the hand device 18
The rear end of the upper surface of the cassette C lifted by the above is pushed downward by the cassette pressing roller 58 urged by the leaf spring 57, so that the flange portions 66 of the cassette C from the claw members 37 of the hand device 18 are disengaged. Although the lift is regulated, such a cassette holding roller 58
May also be arranged on the front side to push the front part of the upper surface of the cassette C.

In the above embodiment, a tapered guide portion 65 is formed at the upper end of the guide recess 64 of the cassette C, and the guide pin 36 of the hand device 18 is engaged with the guide recess 65 for positioning. However, another structure can be adopted as an engagement structure between the guide portion of the cassette C and the engagement member of the hand device.

Further, the left and right arms 22L and 22R in the hand device 18 are not limited to the rotating arms, and other arms that can be opened / closed by the contact / separation operation may be used. However, as described above, the pivot type arm is preferable because there is no portion that changes its volume during the opening and closing operation and dust generation can be prevented.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention relates to a hand device 18 of the horizontal articulated robot 8 in an unmanned transfer device.
However, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to other hand devices such as robot devices and manipulators.

[0068]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, substantially vertical guide portions are provided on both left and right sides.
As a hand device for gripping a wafer cassette provided with a flange portion in a substantially front-rear direction before and after each of the guide portions, left and right arms are provided on the left and right sides of the hand main body so as to contact and separate from each other and open and close. The arm is provided with an engaging member that engages with each guide portion of the cassette in the left and right direction, and the flanges of the cassette are respectively supported on the arms on both front and rear sides of the engaging member from below to support the arm. By providing the front and rear claw members to face each other in the left-right direction, the position of the cassette with respect to the hand device can be corrected with a simple structure and at low cost. In other words, the cassette before gripping can be lifted directly upward without shifting from the locked position until the locked state of the mounting table or the like is released. Wafer quality can be improved by simplifying the process and reducing dust generation.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the height positions of the front and rear claw members are made different from each other, and when the flange portion is engaged and supported by the claw members, the wafer inlet / outlet side where the cassette opens to the front side or the rear side is set. Since the inclined position is positioned higher than the inner side, the wafer in the cassette can be prevented from jumping out of the wafer entrance / exit.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the cassette is prevented from inclining in the direction of the inclined posture by a predetermined amount or more, the gripping state of the cassette in the inclined posture can be ensured stably.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the cassette is pushed downward, so that the flange of the cassette is prevented from rising from the claw member of the hand device. A stable gripping state can be ensured.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the arm is a rotating arm that rotates about a fulcrum axis extending in the front-rear direction, dust generation is more effective than, for example, a telescopic arm that opens and closes by sliding. Can be prevented.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the fulcrum shaft of the rotating arm is disposed on the center side between the left and right arms with respect to the position of the claw member, the flange is engaged with the claw member to support the cassette. When this is done, the weight of the cassette is added as the arm closing force, so that the external driving force for gripping the cassette is reduced, and at the same time the arm is lifted by engaging the flange with the claw member and the arm is moved. By rotating in the closing direction, the positioning by the claw member can be smoothed.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the arm and its drive shaft are connected to the drive shaft so as to rotate integrally with the arm, the lever member rotatably and integrally mounted to the fulcrum shaft of the arm, and the drive member. The cassette is provided by providing an urging means for urging the arm in the closing direction, which is provided between the outer peripheral portion and the distal end portion of the lever member and is connected via a link which can be extended and contracted in the longitudinal direction. The arm, which is displaced in the left-right direction, can follow the cassette position and be positioned accurately, thereby preventing dust generation when the cassette is gripped.

According to the invention of claim 8, the link is
The structure has a cylindrical portion and a rod portion slidably inserted into the cylindrical portion, and the biasing means is a compression spring compressed between the cylindrical portion and the rod portion. The structure of the biasing means can be embodied.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the claw member is a roller that can roll in the front-rear direction on the lower surface of the flange portion of the cassette, thereby preventing damage to the flange portion when engaging with the flange portion of the claw member. It is possible to suppress generation of dust while suppressing the generation of dust.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the roller which can roll in the vertical direction for regulating the closed position of the arm so that the claw member and the engaging member do not contact the left and right side surfaces of the cassette in the closed state. When the cassette is lifted by raising the hand main body with the arm closed, it is possible to contact only the roller with the cassette to eliminate the contact of the claw member and the engagement member, and to prevent the cassette from being damaged or damaged. Accordingly, dust generation can be prevented.

According to the eleventh aspect, when the arm is in the closed state, the claw member is attached to the flange portion of the cassette.
In addition, by detecting with a sensor that the engagement member can be engaged with the guide portion of the cassette, respectively,
When the arm is closed, the cassette can be reliably held by the hand device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along line II of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view of the hand device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5, showing a state in which an arm is opened.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line IX-IX of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a side view showing a state before the robot grips the cassette.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing a state where the robot grips and lifts the cassette with the hand device.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged side view of the upper part of the side outer surface of the wafer cassette.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the wafer cassette.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a wafer cassette.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 8 Robot 18 Hand device 19 Hand body 22L, 22R Arm 23L, 23R Shaft (fulcrum shaft) 25L, 25R Gripping portion 26 Geared motor 27 Drive shaft 28 Drive member 29 Link 29a Tube portion 29b Rod portion 32 Lever member 34 Compression spring ( Urging means) 36 guide pin (engaging member) 37 pawl member 39 engaging roller 42 guide roller 51 sensor 54 inclination stopper 58 cassette holding roller (cassette holding member) C wafer cassette 61 wafer entrance 65 guide section 66 flange section W semiconductor Wafer

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Tomoyuki Matsuyama 1-1, Shinmeiwa-cho, Takarazuka-shi, Hyogo Shinmeiwa Industry Co., Ltd. Industrial Machinery Systems Division (72) Inventor Takuo Akiyama Oji Hashizume, Inayama-shi, Aichi Prefecture No. 2 Nakajima Murata Machinery Co., Ltd. Inuyama Plant F-term (reference) 3F061 AA01 BA04 BB08 BC09 BD01 BD04 BD10 BE01 BE43 BE47 BF00 DB04 5F031 BB01 CC04 CC12 CC32 CC33 CC34 CC43 EE03 EE04 GG02

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A wafer cassette provided with guide portions extending substantially vertically in left and right sides thereof and having flange portions projecting substantially in front and rear directions on left and right sides before and after each of the guide portions. A left and right arm which are supported on the left and right sides of the hand body so as to be openable and closable in contact with each other, and extend substantially in the front-rear direction, and are disposed on the left and right arms so as to face each other in the left and right directions. An engaging member that engages with each guide portion of the cassette, and left and right arms on both front and rear sides of each of the engaging members are provided so as to oppose each other in the left-right direction. A hand device comprising: front and rear claw members engaged and supported from the side. 2. The hand device according to claim 1, wherein the height position of the front and rear claw members is such that when the flange portion is engaged with the front and rear claw members to support the cassette, the cassette is moved forward or rearward. The hand device is characterized in that the wafer inlet / outlet opening opening to any one of the hand devices is inclined so that the wafer entrance / exit side is positioned above the back side. 3. The hand device according to claim 2, wherein when the flange is engaged with the front and rear claw members to support the cassette, the cassette restricts the cassette from tilting more than a predetermined amount in the direction of the tilting posture. A hand device provided with a stopper. 4. The hand device according to claim 1, wherein when the flange is engaged with the front and rear claw members to support the cassette, the cassette is pushed downward to prevent the flange portion from rising from the claw member. And a cassette holding member urged downward. 5. The hand device according to claim 1, wherein the arm is a turning arm that turns around a fulcrum axis that extends in the front-rear direction. 6. The hand device according to claim 5, wherein the fulcrum shaft of the arm is disposed on the center side between the left and right arms with respect to the position of the claw member of the arm, and the flange portion is engaged with the front and rear claw members. A hand device configured to apply a weight of the cassette to the arm as a closing force when the cassette is supported. 7. The hand device according to claim 5, wherein the arm and a drive shaft for driving the arm are integrally formed with a drive member rotatably attached to the drive shaft and a base end portion integrally rotated with a fulcrum shaft of the arm. An attached lever member, provided between an outer peripheral portion of the driving member and a distal end portion of the lever member,
A hand device, which is connected via a link mechanism including a link that can be extended and contracted in a length direction, wherein the link is provided with a biasing unit that biases the arm in a closing direction. 8. The hand device according to claim 7, wherein the link has a tubular portion and a rod portion slidably inserted into the tubular portion, and a biasing means is provided between the tubular portion and the rod portion. A hand device comprising a compressed spring that has been compressed. 9. The hand device according to claim 1, wherein the claw member is a roller that can roll on the lower surface of the flange portion of the cassette in the front-rear direction. 10. The hand device according to claim 1, wherein the arm is turned up and down to regulate the closed position of the arm so that the claw member and the engaging member do not contact the left and right side surfaces of the cassette when the arm is closed. A hand device comprising a movable guide roller. 11. The hand device according to claim 1, wherein when the arm is in a closed state, the claw member is engageable with the flange portion of the cassette, and the engagement member is engageable with the guide portion of the cassette. A hand device provided with a sensor for detecting