JP2000216225A - Substrate-processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate-processing device provided with a wafer phase matching mechanism which can ensure phase matching and satisfactory maintenance. SOLUTION: A wafer phase matching mechanism, equipped in a substrate processing device has a drive roller 15 which can connect to a wafer 6 within a wafer cassette at the position of matching phases and gives a rotation force on the wafer, a subordinate roller 16 which rotates freely, and a latching mechanism 17. The drive roller 15 is arranged on one side to the central line of the wafer 6, and the subordinate roller is arranged on the other side to the central line of the wafer 6. The latching mechanism 17 has a required number of latch plates 23, which rotate freely and connected individually to the wafer within the wafer cassette. The latch plates 23 have a feature in that they are given energization to make contact with the outer periphery of the wafer.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for forming semiconductor devices by performing various processes such as film formation and etching on the surface of a silicon wafer. To match,
The present invention relates to an improvement in a phase matching mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to manufacture a semiconductor device through a required process such as formation of an oxide film and a metal film or diffusion of an impurity on a silicon wafer surface, the phase of a wafer to be processed in each process is matched. Need to be. The transfer of wafers is performed in a state where a required number of wafers are loaded in the wafer cassette, and the wafer cassette transferred from the outside is placed on the receiving portion of the substrate processing apparatus. Since the wafers in the loaded wafer cassette have different phases, the phases of the wafers are adjusted in the wafer cassette before the processing is started.

[0003] A V-shaped notch is formed at one location around the wafer, and phase matching is performed using this notch.

Referring to FIG. 5, a description will be given of a conventional wafer processing apparatus, particularly a wafer phase matching mechanism.

[0005] As shown in FIG.
Has a box shape with an open upper end, a tapered narrow lower portion, and an open lower end. The wafers 6 are inserted vertically from the upper end side, and a predetermined number of the wafers 6 are stored at required intervals in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface.

[0006] The wafer cassette 1 carried into the substrate processing apparatus is placed on the stage plate 2.

A window hole 3 having substantially the same size as the lower end opening is formed in the stage plate 2 at a position facing the lower end opening of the wafer cassette 1. The window phase 3 is provided with a wafer phase matching mechanism 4, and the wafer phase matching mechanism 4 has the following configuration.

When the wafer cassette 1 is mounted, a drive roller 5 is rotatably provided at a position away from the center of the wafer cassette 1 by a required distance. The drive roller 5 has a rotation axis perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, and has a round bar shape having a length in contact with all the wafers 6 in the wafer cassette 1, and is rotated clockwise in FIG. It is to be done.

A notch aligning plate 7 is provided on the opposite side of the drive roller 5 from the center of the wafer cassette 1. The upper end of the notch aligning plate 7 is in sliding contact with the outer periphery of the wafer 6, and can be fitted into a notch 8 formed on the wafer 6. The notch aligning plate 7 is provided perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, and has a length in contact with all the wafers 6 in the wafer cassette 1 like the drive roller 5.

A support roller 9 is provided between the drive roller 5 and the notch alignment plate 7 on the drive roller 5 side from the center of the wafer cassette. The support roller 9 is parallel to the drive roller 5 and 5, the supporting roller 9 can contact all the wafers 6 in the wafer cassette 1.

The positional relationship between the drive roller 5, the notch alignment plate 7, and the support roller 9 is such that when the notch alignment plate 7 is in contact with the outer periphery of the wafer 6 other than the notch 8, the drive roller 5
The support roller 9 is in contact with the outer periphery of the wafer 6, and the support roller 9 is in contact with the outer periphery of the wafer 6 when the notch aligning plate 7 is fitted in the notch 8. Drive roller 5 is wafer 6
Is away from

A wafer sensor 11 and a wafer guide plate 12 are provided on the opposite side of the notch alignment plate 7. The wafer sensor 11 has a comb shape and is inserted between the wafers 6 to detect the presence or absence of a wafer.
Has a length equivalent to that of the notch alignment plate 7, and comes into contact with the outer periphery of the wafer 6 in a state where the notch alignment plate 7 is fitted to the notch 8.

The wafer phase adjusting mechanism 4 can be moved up and down through the window 3 by an air cylinder (not shown) together with the wafer sensor 11.

Hereinafter, phase matching of a wafer will be described with reference to FIGS.

Before the wafer cassette 1 is mounted on the stage plate 2, the wafer phase adjusting mechanism 4 is located at a lower position than the stage plate 2, and the wafer cassette 1 for accommodating the wafer 6 is placed on the stage plate 2. When the wafer is placed, the wafer phase aligning mechanism 4 is raised by an air cylinder (not shown), and the drive roller 5 and the notch aligning plate 7 come into contact with the outer periphery of the wafer 6 in the wafer cassette 1. The guide plate 12 and the wafer 6 are not in contact. The wafer 6 is supported by the drive roller 5 and the notch alignment plate 7. When the wafer 6 is supported by the drive roller 5 and the notch alignment plate 7, the side edge of the notch side of the wafer 6 (the right end in the figure) and the side wall of the wafer cassette 1 A gap g is formed between them.

The drive roller 5 is rotated. The rotation of the drive roller 5 causes the wafer 6 to rotate counterclockwise while sliding with respect to the notch alignment plate 7. When the wafer 6 rotates and the notch 8 matches the notch alignment plate 7, the tip of the notch alignment plate 7 fits into the notch 8 by the weight of the wafer. When the notch aligning plate 7 is fitted into the notch 8, the wafer 6 is vertically displaced by the depth of the notch 8, and the entire wafer 6 moves rightward. Supported by the wafer guide plate 12, the drive roller 5 is separated from the outer periphery of the wafer 6 (see FIG. 6).

Thus, the rotational force of the drive roller 5 does not act on the wafer in which the notch aligning plate 7 is fitted into the notch 8, and the phase alignment of the wafer 6 is completed. The insertion posture of the wafer 6 into the wafer cassette 1 varies, but if at least the drive roller 5 rotates the wafer 6 once, all the wafers 6 are aligned.

[0018]

In the above-described conventional wafer phase matching mechanism, the wafer needs to be displaced in the horizontal direction, and the gap g between the wafer and the wafer cassette is indispensable to allow the horizontal displacement. Therefore, the shape accuracy of the wafer cassette 1 and the position accuracy of the wafer phase adjusting mechanism 4 with respect to the wafer cassette 1 are required. However, if the gap g is not formed or the gap g is insufficient due to deformation of the wafer cassette 1 or assembly error of the wafer phase adjusting mechanism 4, the movement of the wafer is interfered by the wafer cassette. Phenomenon occurs.
For this reason, the notch aligning plate 7 may not match the notch 8, or the wafer 6 may not separate from the drive roller 5 with the notch 8 fitted to the notch aligning plate 7. When the notch aligning plate 7 does not fit into the notch 8, the wafer cannot be phase-aligned, and when the notch 8 fits into the notch aligning plate 7 and the rotation of the wafer 6 is restricted, the drive roller 5 is rotated. If rotated, the drive roller 5 will wear out early. Further, the wafer guide plate 12 supports the wafer 6 and slides on the outer periphery during the phase matching operation, so that the wear is large. For this reason, there is a problem that the drive roller 5 and the wafer guide plate 12 must be replaced periodically.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has a small horizontal displacement in the process of wafer phase alignment, enables a wafer to be reliably phase aligned without requiring a high shape accuracy of a wafer cassette, and has good maintainability. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus provided with a phase matching mechanism.

[0020]

According to the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus provided with at least a wafer phase adjusting mechanism for adjusting the phase of a wafer in a wafer cassette received on a stage plate. A driving roller capable of abutting on the wafer in the wafer cassette at the alignment position and applying a rotational force to the wafer, a rotatable driven roller, and a latch mechanism, wherein the driving roller is on one side with respect to the center line of the wafer; The driven roller is disposed on the other side with respect to the center line of the wafer, and the latch mechanism is disposed between the driving roller and the driven roller on the one side with respect to the center line of the wafer. The latch mechanism has a required number of rotatable latch plates capable of individually contacting wafers in a wafer cassette. Over DOO is engageable to the wafer notch with the biased as to contact the outer periphery of the wafer,
The latch plate is related to a substrate processing apparatus in which the engagement position is restrained from rotating beyond the upright position of the latch plate, and in the restrained position, the wafer is pushed up by a predetermined amount, and the latch plate engages with the notch. As a result, when the notch reaches a predetermined position, the rotation of the wafer is restricted, and when the wafer is pushed up, the rotational force from the driving roller is cut off.

[0021]

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

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a main part of the present invention and a wafer phase adjusting mechanism. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the same components as those shown in FIG. is there.

An elevating cylinder (not shown) is attached to the elevating substrate 14, and the wafer phase adjusting mechanism is moved up and down through the window hole 3 by expansion and contraction of the elevating cylinder.

A drive roller 15 (not shown) is provided at one position (left side of the center line in FIG. 1) with respect to the center line of the wafer cassette 1 on which the lifting substrate 14 is mounted.
The driven roller 16 is rotatably provided via a bearing (not shown) or the like with respect to the center line on the other side. The drive roller 15 has an axis perpendicular to the paper surface, and the axis length is
The driven roller 16 has an axis parallel to the driving roller 15, and the axial length is equal to the length of all the wafers 6 stored in the wafer cassette 1. It is a length that can be contacted.

A wafer sensor 11 is provided on the opposite center side of the driven roller 16, and the wafer sensor 11 is provided on the elevating substrate 14. A latch mechanism 17 is provided between the driving roller 15 and the driven roller 16,
The latch mechanism 17 is provided on the elevating substrate 14 and can move up and down together with the driving roller 15 and the driven roller 16.

The latch mechanism 17 will be described with reference to FIGS.

A pivot 1 extending parallel to the drive roller 15
A support block 19 is rotatably provided on the elevating substrate 14 through the intermediary 8. A torsion coil spring (not shown) is provided between the pivot 18 and the support block 19 to urge the support block 19 clockwise. The support block 19
An engagement pin 20 perpendicular to the plane of the drawing is projected from both end surfaces of the stage plate 2 so that the engagement pin 20 can contact the lower surface of the stage plate 2.

The support block 19 has a substantially L-shaped vertical section, and a stopper 22 projecting in the horizontal direction is formed at the upper end of a vertical piece 21 forming the L-shape. The support block 19 extends in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing,
It has a length substantially equal to that of the drive roller 15.

The same number of latch plates 23 as the number of wafers 6 that can be stored in the wafer cassette 1
Is provided rotatably on the support block 19 via
With the wafer cassette 1 placed on the stage plate 2, the latch plate 23 is disposed at a position where it can come into contact with the wafer 6 in the wafer cassette 1. The latch plate 23 has a V-shape so that the upper end can be fitted into the notch 8 of the wafer 6, and the base of the latch plate 23 has a hook shape.

For each of the latch plates 23,
A compression coil spring 25 is provided at the base of the latch plate 23 to exert an upward repulsive force, and urges each latch plate 23 in a counterclockwise direction. The compression coil spring 25 has a low spring constant, and is set so as to generate a biasing force sufficient to rotate the latch plate 23 over the weight of the latch plate 23 and frictional force. When no external force acts on the stopper 23, the latch plate 23 is brought into contact with the stopper 22. When the latch plate 23 is in contact with the stopper 22, the tip of the latch plate 23 has been rotated to a position beyond the center of the support shaft 24 (a position beyond the upright position of the latch plate 23).

The operation will be described below with reference to FIGS.

When the lifting board 14 is at the lowered position and the engaging pins 20 are not in contact with the stage plate 2, the support block 19 is urged clockwise and rotated by a required angle clockwise ( FIG. 3).

When the wafer cassette 1 is placed on the stage plate 2 and the phase adjustment is started, a lifting cylinder (not shown) is extended, and the lifting substrate 14 is raised.
When the lifting board 14 moves up, the latch mechanism 17 moves up together with the driving roller 15 and the driven roller 16. During the ascending process, the engaging pins 20 come into contact with the lower surface of the stage plate 2, and the latch plates 23 come into contact with the lower peripheral edge of the wafer 6.

Further, when the lifting board 14 is raised, the engagement pins 20 are restrained from rising by the stage plate 2, so that the support block 19 rotates counterclockwise about the pivot 18. At this time, the latch plate 23
Abuts on the wafer 6 and is restrained from rotating, so that the latch plate 23 rotates clockwise relative to the support block 19 about the support shaft 24. Elevating board 1
4 rises to the top dead center, the driving roller 15 and the driven roller 16 come into contact with the outer periphery of the wafer 6, and the support block 19 becomes an upright posture as shown in FIG.
The latch plate 23 is rotated clockwise by a required angle due to the weight of the wafer 6.

Normally, the notch 8 does not coincide with the upper end of the latch plate 23.

The driving roller 15 is rotated counterclockwise. The wafer 6 is supported by the driving roller 15 and the driven roller 16, rotates clockwise, and
Moves according to the rotation of the wafer 6.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the notch 8 coincides with the upper end of the latch plate 23, the urging force of the compression coil spring 25 causes the upper end of the latch plate 23 to engage with the notch 8 as the wafer 6 rotates. . When further rotated, the latch plate 23 and the wafer 6 rotate synchronously by the same operation as the rotation of the one-tooth gear. Next, the latch plate 23 comes into contact with the stopper 22 at a position beyond the center line of the wafer 6 to restrict the rotation.

When the latch plate 23 is in contact with the stopper 22 (see FIG. 2), the upper end of the latch plate 23 is positioned at the bottom of the notch 8 while the wafer 6 is supported by the driving roller 15 and the driven roller 16. Therefore, the latch plate 23 forcibly pushes up the wafer 6 slightly. The wafer 6 separates from the driving roller 15 and is supported by the driven roller 16 and the latch plate 23. In this state, the center of gravity of the wafer 6 is located between the latch plate 23 and the driven roller 16 and is supported by the latch plate 23 and the driven roller 16.
Does not act on the wafer 6, and the wafer 6 stops.

Since the latch plate 23 is restrained at a position further rotated in the counterclockwise direction from the vertical state, a rotational force in the counterclockwise direction acts on the latch plate 23 by the weight of the wafer 6, and The state of FIG. 2 in which the abutment 23 contacts the stopper 22 is stably maintained.
That is, the phase adjustment for one wafer 6 is completed.

The drive roller 15 causes the wafer 6
Is rotated by at least one rotation and the amount of rotation of the latch plate 23 from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. 2, so that the phase adjustment of all the wafers 6 is completed.

Since the latch plate 23 pushes up the wafer 6 near the center by the above-described phase matching operation, the horizontal displacement of the wafer 6 is extremely small, and the driving roller 15 supports the wafer 6 during the alignment. And driven roller 1
6, the wafer 6 and the driving roller 15 and the driven roller 16 are in rolling contact with each other. Although the latch plate 23 and the wafer 6 are in sliding contact with each other, the contact force is due to the repulsive force of the compression coil spring 25, and is weak, and the abrasion of the latch plate 23 is extremely small.

In the above embodiment, the latch plate 23
Although the support block 19 is provided rotatably with respect to the elevating board 14 in order to rotate the board relative to the supporting block 19, the elevating board 14 may be rotated so as to enter and exit the window hole 3. The lifting substrate 14 may be slid sideways after ascending.

[0043]

As described above, according to the present invention, the wafer is pushed up by the latch plate because the horizontal displacement of the wafer is small and the wafer is forcibly pushed up.
Even when the gap between the wafer cassette and the wafer is small, the phase can be surely adjusted, and the latch plate slides with a slight contact pressure against the wafer, so that the latch plate slides with a small amount of wear and has excellent effects such as good maintainability. Demonstrate.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a phase matching unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a latch mechanism portion of the phase matching section.

FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory view of the front latch mechanism.

FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory view of the front latch mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a conventional phase matching unit.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a conventional phase matching unit, showing a state where phase matching has been completed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wafer cassette 2 Stage plate 6 Wafer 8 Notch 14 Elevating substrate 15 Drive roller 16 Follower roller 17 Latch mechanism 19 Support block 23 Latch plate 25 Compression coil spring

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Toru Kagaya 3-14-20 Higashinakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo Kokusai Denki Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 5F031 CA02 DA01 FA09 KA04 KA14 5H303 AA06 BB01 BB06 BB14 CC10 DD01 DD22 DD26 DD30

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a substrate processing apparatus having at least a wafer phase adjusting mechanism for adjusting the phase of a wafer of a wafer cassette received on a stage plate, the wafer phase adjusting mechanism may adjust a wafer in the wafer cassette at a phase adjusting position. A driving roller capable of abutting against and applying a rotational force to the wafer, a rotatable driven roller, and a latch mechanism, wherein the driving roller is disposed on one side with respect to a center line of the wafer, and the driven roller Is disposed on the other side with respect to the center line of the wafer, the latch mechanism is disposed on the one side with respect to the center line of the wafer between a driving roller and a driven roller, and the latch mechanism is It has a required number of rotatable latch plates capable of individually contacting the wafers in the cassette, and the latch plates contact the outer periphery of the wafers. The latch plate is urged to touch and can be engaged with a notch of the wafer, and the latch plate is configured so that the engagement position is restricted from rotating beyond the upright position of the latch plate, and the wafer is pushed up by a predetermined amount in the restricted position. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.