JP2001024045A - Transfer apparatus and exposing apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate leakage of the gas into an atmospheric container from a gap of an arm by accommodating the arm within the atmospheric container and sucking the gas in the internal space formed in the arm with a transfer robot of the structure including the arm. SOLUTION: A through-hole 17b communicated with an internal space 17a in the upper/lower moving part 17 is formed in the upper/lower moving part 17 of a transfer robot 13, the gas in a sucking chamber 67 is sucked with a vacuum pump 71 to evacuate the internal spaces 21a, 23a in the arm 15. Namely, the gas in the internal spaces 21a, 23a formed in the arm 15 of the transfer robot 13 is sucked with the vacuum pump 71. As a result, the possibility that the gas existing in the space in the internal side of the arm 15 is leaked to the atmospheric container 11 from the gap of the arm 15 can surely be eliminated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transfer apparatus in which a transfer robot is disposed in an atmosphere container and transfers a sample or the like by the transfer robot and an exposure apparatus using the transfer apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a transfer robot is disposed in a predetermined atmosphere container, and a transfer of a sample or the like is performed by the transfer robot. FIG. 8 shows a conventional transfer apparatus. In this transfer apparatus, an arm 3 of a transfer robot 2 is housed in an atmosphere container 1.

The inside of the atmosphere container 1 is suctioned by a vacuum pump 4 to be in a vacuum atmosphere. The arm 3 of the transfer robot 2 is supported by a body 6 disposed outside the atmosphere container 1 via a vertically moving unit 5. A bellows 7 is arranged between the lower end of the arm 3 and the opening 1a of the atmosphere container 1, and the inside of the atmosphere container 1 is sealed.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional transfer device, since the atmosphere container 1 is in a vacuum state, gas such as air existing in the space inside the arm 3 is There is a problem that there is a possibility that the gas leaks into the atmosphere container 1 from the gap.

The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and reliably eliminates the possibility that gas present in the space inside the arm leaks into the atmosphere container from the gap between the arms. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transfer device capable of performing the above-described operations and an exposure apparatus using the same.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transfer apparatus comprising:
An atmosphere container for forming a predetermined atmosphere, a transfer robot having a configuration in which the arm portion is contained in the atmosphere container and including the arm portion, and suction means for sucking gas in an internal space formed in the arm portion. It is characterized by having.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the transport apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the inside of the atmosphere container is set to a high vacuum.
Wherein the suction means is a second vacuum pump for reducing the internal space of the arm section to a low vacuum. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the transport device according to the first aspect, further comprising a supply unit configured to supply a predetermined gas into the atmosphere container, wherein the internal space has a negative pressure with respect to a pressure in the atmosphere container. It is characterized by the following.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the transport apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the transport robot includes a motor for rotating the arm.
A through hole is formed along the central axis of the motor to be a part of the internal space. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the transporting apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the transporting robot includes a seal member that seals the internal space at a rotating part of the arm unit. It is characterized by having.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the transfer apparatus of the second aspect, the transfer robot includes a moving unit that moves the arm unit in a direction of a rotation center axis, and the moving unit includes the moving unit. The suction chamber is housed in a suction chamber that is sucked by the vacuum pump, and the suction chamber is sealed from the inside of the atmosphere container via a resin bellows that expands and contracts by the movement of the moving unit.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the transporting device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the holding means holds the sample carried through the transport robot in the atmosphere container. Are arranged. An exposure apparatus according to claim 8 is an exposure apparatus including the transport apparatus according to claim 7 and an exposure optical system, wherein the sample is a photosensitive substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus, and the transport robot includes: The photosensitive substrate is used to transport the photosensitive substrate to the holding unit facing the exposure optical system.

In the transfer device according to the first aspect, the gas in the internal space formed in the arm of the transfer robot is sucked by the suction means, so that the gas in the internal space of the arm leaks into the atmosphere container. Will not be done. In the transfer device according to the second aspect, the inside of the atmosphere container is made high vacuum by the first vacuum pump, and the inside space of the arm portion is made low vacuum by the second vacuum pump. Is very small.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the predetermined gas is supplied into the atmosphere container by the supply means, and the internal space of the arm portion is made to have a negative pressure with respect to the pressure in the atmosphere container. In the transfer device according to the fourth aspect, a through hole that is a part of the internal space is formed along the central axis of the motor that rotates the arm portion, and wiring, piping, and the like are inserted into the through hole. In the transfer device according to the fifth aspect, a seal member that seals the internal space of the arm portion is disposed at the rotating portion of the arm portion, and the internal space of the arm portion is sealed.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the moving part of the transfer robot which moves the arm in the direction of the center axis of rotation is accommodated in the suction chamber sucked by the second vacuum pump. Then, the suction chamber is sealed with the inside of the atmosphere container via a resin bellows that expands and contracts by the movement of the moving unit.

In the transfer device of the present invention, the holding means for holding the sample carried in via the transfer robot is directly disposed in the atmosphere container. In the exposure apparatus according to the eighth aspect, the photosensitive substrate is transported by the transport robot to the holding unit facing the exposure optical system.

[0015]

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

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of a transfer apparatus according to the present invention. In this embodiment, an arm 15 of a transfer robot 13 is accommodated in an atmosphere container 11. . FIG. 2 shows a state in which the arm 15 has been moved downward from the state shown in FIG.

The transfer robot 13 is, as shown in FIG.
It has a vertical moving unit 17 that moves the arm unit 15 up and down. The lower portion of the vertical moving unit 17 is accommodated in the body 19 and can be moved in the vertical direction by a driving device (not shown) disposed in the body 19. The arm unit 15 is configured by sequentially connecting the first arm 21, the second arm 23, and the hand 25.

As shown in FIG. 1, one end of the first arm 21 is rotatably disposed at the upper end of the vertical moving unit 17 via a first turning mechanism 27. First turning mechanism 27
A bearing 29 for rotatably supporting one end of the first arm 21 and a first
, And a seal member 33 for sealing between the vertical movement unit 17 and the first arm 21.

The first motor 31 is a hollow motor, and a through hole 31a is formed in the center of the first motor 31. The stator 31b of the first motor 31 is fixed to the vertical moving unit 17, and the rotor 31c of the first motor 31
Is fixed to one end of the first arm 21. At one end of the first arm 21, one end of the second arm
It is arranged rotatably via the turning mechanism 35 of the.

The second swivel mechanism 35 includes the second arm 23
A bearing for rotatably supporting one end of the first arm, a second motor 39 disposed above the first arm 21, and a seal member for sealing between the first arm 21 and the second arm 23 41. The second motor 39 is a hollow motor, and the center of the second motor 39 has a through hole 3.
9a are formed.

The stator 39b of the second motor 39 is fixed to the first arm 21, and the rotor 39c of the second motor 39 is fixed to one end of the second arm 23.
At the tip of the second arm 23, a hand 25 is rotatably arranged via a third turning mechanism 43. The third turning mechanism 43 includes a bearing 45 that rotatably supports the hand 25 and a third turning mechanism 43 that is disposed above the second arm 23.
And a seal member 49 for sealing between the second arm 23 and the hand 25.

The third motor 47 is a hollow motor, and a through hole 47a is formed at the center of the third motor 47. The stator 47b of the third motor 47 is fixed to the second arm 23, and the rotor 47c of the third motor 47
Is fixed to the hand 25. In this embodiment,
The hand 25 is configured to be able to hold a sample by an electrostatic chuck.

The hand 25 is connected to a wiring 51 for an electrostatic chuck. The wiring 51 includes a through hole 47a of the third motor 47, an internal space 23a of the second arm 23, a through hole 39a of the second motor 39, an internal space 21a of the first arm 21, and a first motor 31. Through the through hole 31a, and extends into the internal space 17a of the vertical moving unit 17.

The wiring 53 of the third motor 47 is
The internal space 23a of the second arm 23, the second motor 39
Through hole 39a, the internal space 21a of the first arm 21,
The vertical moving unit 17 passes through the through hole 31a of the first motor 31.
In the internal space 17a. Second motor 39
The wiring 55 extends through the internal space 21 a of the first arm 21 and the through hole 31 a of the first motor 31 into the internal space 17 a of the vertical moving unit 17.

The wiring 57 of the third motor 31 extends directly into the internal space 17a of the vertical moving unit 17.
In this embodiment, an opening 11 a through which the vertical moving unit 17 of the transfer robot 13 is inserted is provided below the atmosphere container 11.
Are formed. The robot chamber 59 is arranged so as to cover the opening 11a from the outside.

The robot section chamber 59 is airtightly connected to the atmosphere container 11 via an O-ring 61. The body part 19 of the transfer robot 13 is housed in the robot part chamber 59. In the robot chamber 59, the pipe 51 and the wires 53, 55,
A connector 63 is provided for leading the airbag 57 out in an airtight state.

A bellows 65 made of, for example, a fluorine-based resin is disposed between the robot chamber 59 and the upper part of the vertical moving unit 17. The bellows 65 isolates the inside of the atmosphere container 11 from the robot section chamber 59, and the bellows 65 and the robot section chamber 59 form a suction chamber 67.

In this embodiment, an opening 11b is formed on the lower surface of the atmosphere container 11, and this opening 11b is provided with, for example,
A first vacuum pump 69 composed of a turbo pump is arranged. Further, a second vacuum pump 71 composed of, for example, a dry pump for lowering the internal space 21a, 23a of the arm unit 15 to a low vacuum is arranged on a side surface of the robot unit chamber 59.

That is, a through-hole 17b communicating with the internal space 17a in the up-down moving section 17 is formed in the up-down moving section 17 of the transfer robot 13, so that the gas in the suction chamber 67 is transferred to the second section 17a.
, The internal spaces 21a and 23a of the arm 15 are evacuated to a low vacuum. In the transfer device described above, the internal space 21 formed in the arm portion 15 of the transfer robot 13 is moved by the second vacuum pump 71.
Since the gases a and 23a are sucked, the possibility that the gas existing in the space inside the arm portion 15 leaks into the atmosphere container 11 from the gap of the arm portion 15 can be reliably eliminated.

Further, in the above-described transfer device, the inside of the atmosphere container 11 is set to a high vacuum by the first vacuum pump 69, and the internal spaces 21a and 23a of the arm 15 are set to the low vacuum by the second vacuum pump 71. The pressure difference between the inside of the atmosphere container 11 and the internal spaces 21a, 23a of the arm 15 becomes very small, and the sealing members 33, 41, 49, which are the sealing mechanism of the arm 15, are simplified. For example, a resin-based sealing member can be used.

Further, a simple magnetic seal can be employed. Further, in the above-described transfer device, the through-hole 31 which becomes a part of the internal space 21a, 23a along the central axis of the motor 31, 39, 47 for rotating the arm 15 is provided.
a, 39a, and 47a are formed,
a, 39a, 47a, wiring 53, 55, 57, wiring 5
1 etc. can be inserted, and the wires 53, 55, 5
7. It is possible to easily manage the piping 51 and the like.

Further, in the above-described transfer device, the arm 1
5 are provided with the internal spaces 21a and 23a of the arm 15
Since the seal members 33, 41, and 49 are disposed, the possibility that gas existing in the space inside the arm portion 15 leaks into the atmosphere container 11 from the gap between the arm portions 15 can be reliably eliminated. . In the above-described transfer device, the suction chamber 67 is sealed with the inside of the atmosphere container 11 through the bellows 65 that expands and contracts by the movement of the vertical moving unit 17. Since the difference is very small, the pressure acting on the bellows 65 is small, and it is possible to use a resin bellows having relatively low strength.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the transfer apparatus of the present invention. In this embodiment, a first embodiment is provided between a robot unit chamber 59 and the upper part of the vertical moving unit 17. The bellows 65 is not arranged, and a seal member 73 is arranged at the upper end of the robot chamber 59. A through hole 73a is formed in the seal member 73, and the vertical moving unit 17 is disposed in the through hole 73a so as to be vertically movable.

Since the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment except for the above, the same members as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the detailed description is omitted. In this embodiment, substantially the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained. FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the transport apparatus of the present invention. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to an electron beam (EB) exposure apparatus or an electron beam (EB).
Applied to inspection / measurement / observation equipment.

In this embodiment, a stage chamber 75 is arranged adjacent to the atmosphere container 11. An opening 75a is formed in the lower part of the stage chamber 75, and a third vacuum pump 77 is disposed in the opening 75a. The third vacuum pump 77 is, for example, a turbo pump, and the inside of the stage chamber 75 is constantly evacuated to a high vacuum.

In the stage chamber 75, the stage 7
9 are arranged. The stage 79 is configured by mounting a Y stage 83 and an X stage 85 on a base plate 81, and a sample holder 89 for mounting a sample 87 on the upper surface of the X stage 85 is arranged. . And
An electron lens barrel 91 is arranged above the sample holder 89.

The electron lens barrel 91 is disposed so as to pass through the upper surface of the stage chamber 75.
The airtight state is fixed. A partition member 93 is disposed between the stage chamber 75 and the atmosphere container 11, and the partition member 93 has an opening 93a for transporting the sample 87.

The opening 93a can be opened and closed by a gate valve 95 disposed on the partition member 93.
An opening 11 c for transporting the sample 87 is formed on the surface of the atmosphere container 11 facing the partition member 93. The opening 11c can be opened and closed by a gate valve 97 arranged outside the atmosphere container 11.

Outside the gate valve 97, a sample carrier 99 for accommodating a sample 87 is provided. Except for the above, the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same members as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted. In the transport device of this embodiment,
The transfer of the sample 87 from the sample carrier 99 into the atmosphere container 11 is performed by opening the gate valve 97 with the first vacuum pump 69 and the second vacuum pump 71 stopped and moving the sample 87 by the hand of the transfer robot 13. 25, and is conveyed into the atmosphere container 11, after which the first vacuum pump 69
And by operating the second vacuum pump 71.

When the sample 87 is transferred from the atmosphere container 11 to the sample holder 89, after confirming that the inside of the atmosphere container 11 has reached a sufficient vacuum, the gate valve 95 is opened, and the sample 87 is transferred from the opening 93a. It is transported to the sample holder 89, and thereafter, the hand 25 is moved into the atmosphere container 11, and
This is performed by closing the gate valve 95. In addition,
The unloading of the sample 87 from the sample holder 89 is performed by the same operation.

Here, the first vacuum pump 69 and the second vacuum pump 69
When it takes time to operate and stop the vacuum pump 71, the pumps 69 and 71 are provided with open / close valves (not shown),
It is desirable to open and close the on-off valve. Further, in this embodiment, by installing a place where the sample 87 is stocked in the atmosphere container 11 and a positioning unit, a more efficient transfer can be performed.

The positioning unit may be provided near the sample holder 89. In this embodiment, substantially the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained. FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the transfer apparatus of the present invention. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to an exposure apparatus such as a stepper using a special gas atmosphere of helium, nitrogen, fluorine or the like. Is done.

In this embodiment, a first gas supply pump 101 for supplying a special gas such as helium to the atmosphere container 11 is provided instead of the first vacuum pump 69 shown in FIG. Further, the third vacuum pump 77 shown in FIG.
Instead, a second gas supply pump 103 that supplies a special gas such as helium to the atmosphere container 11 is provided.

Further, the second vacuum pump 7 shown in FIG.
Instead of 1, an exhaust fan 105 for exhausting the gas in the robot chamber 59 is provided. The gas in the robot unit chamber 59 is exhausted by the exhaust fan 105, so that the arm unit 15 of the transfer robot 13 is exhausted.
The pressures in the internal spaces 21 a and 23 a are set to be lower than the pressure of the special gas in the atmosphere container 11.

An exposure lens device 107 is provided instead of the electronic lens barrel 91 shown in FIG. The hand 25 is configured to hold a sample by vacuum suction, and a pipe for vacuum suction is connected to the hand 25. Since the configuration is the same as that of the third embodiment except for the above, the same members as those of the third embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted.

In the transfer apparatus of this embodiment, the transfer of the sample 87 such as a wafer as a photosensitive substrate from the sample carrier 99 into the atmosphere container 11 is performed by the first gas supply pump 10.
1 is stopped, and the gate valve 97 is opened.
7 is adsorbed by the hand 25 of the transfer robot 13 and transferred into the atmosphere container 11, and thereafter, the first gas supply pump 10
1 is performed to fill the atmosphere container 11 with a special gas.

The transfer of the sample 87 from the atmosphere container 11 to the sample holder 89 is performed after confirming that the atmosphere container 11 is sufficiently filled with the special gas.
Is opened, the sample 87 is transferred from the opening 93a to the sample holder 89, and then the hand 25 is moved into the atmosphere container 11, the gate valve 95 is closed, and the second gas supply pump 1 is opened.
03 is operated to fill the stage chamber 75 with a special gas.

In this embodiment, since the pressure in the internal spaces 21 a and 23 a of the arm 15 of the transfer robot 13 is set to be lower than the pressure of the gas in the atmosphere container 11, the pressure in the space inside the arm 15 is There is no possibility that the generated gas leaks into the atmosphere container 11 from the gap of the arm 15, and the purity of the special gas in the atmosphere container 11 can be reliably maintained.

In the third and fourth embodiments, since the gate valve 95 is provided between the stage chamber 75 and the transfer robot 13, the volume in the stage chamber 75 can be reduced. The degree of vacuum or the purity of the special gas can be reliably maintained.
FIG. 7 shows a fifth embodiment of the transport device of the present invention. In this embodiment, the atmosphere container 11 shown in FIG.
There is no partition member 93 and gate valve 95 for partitioning the stage chamber 75 from the stage chamber 75, and the atmosphere container 11 and the stage chamber 75 shown in FIG. 6 form the atmosphere container 11A.

Further, the second gas supply pump 103 and the opening 75a shown in FIG. 6 are eliminated. Since the configuration is the same as that of the fourth embodiment except for the above, the same members as those of the fourth embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted. In this embodiment, since the stage 79 for holding the sample 87 loaded via the transfer robot 13 is directly disposed in the atmosphere container 11A, the sample 87 can be easily held on the sample holder 89.

In the embodiment described above, the motor 3
Although examples using a hollow motor are described in 1, 39 and 47, the present invention is not limited to this, and a normal motor may be used, or a hollow motor with a reduction gear may be used. .

Then, an encoder function may be added to the motor, or an origin detection function such as a photo sensor may be added. In the fourth embodiment, the example in which the hand 25 has a function of performing vacuum suction has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, even if an electrostatic chuck is used. good.

[0053]

As described above, in the transfer device according to the first aspect, the gas in the internal space formed in the arm portion of the transfer robot is sucked by the suction means, so that the space inside the arm portion is sucked. Can be reliably prevented from leaking into the atmosphere container from the gap of the arm portion.

In the transfer device according to the second aspect, the inside of the atmosphere container is made high vacuum by the first vacuum pump and the inside space of the arm is made low vacuum by the second vacuum pump. The pressure difference between the inner space and the inner space becomes very small, and the seal mechanism of the arm portion can be simplified. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the pressure in the internal space of the arm portion is set to a negative pressure than the pressure of the gas in the atmosphere container, the gas present in the space inside the arm portion is released from the gap between the arm portions into the atmosphere. There is no possibility of leakage into the container, and the purity of the gas in the atmosphere container can be reliably maintained.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the through-hole that forms a part of the internal space is formed along the central axis of the motor that rotates the arm, wiring, piping, and the like are inserted into this through-hole. This makes it possible to easily manage wiring, piping, and the like. In the transfer device according to claim 5,
Since the seal member that seals the internal space of the arm portion is disposed at the rotating portion of the arm portion, it is ensured that gas present in the space inside the arm portion leaks into the atmosphere container from the gap between the arm portions. Can be eliminated.

In the transfer device according to the sixth aspect, the suction chamber is sealed with the inside of the atmosphere container through the bellows which expands and contracts by the movement of the moving portion, but the pressure difference between the inside of the atmosphere container and the suction chamber is extremely small. Since it is small, the pressure acting on the bellows is small, and a resin bellow having relatively low strength can be used. According to the transfer device of claim 7, since the holding means for holding the sample carried in via the transfer robot is directly disposed in the atmosphere container, the sample can be easily held.

In the exposure apparatus according to the eighth aspect, the photosensitive substrate is transferred to the holding means for holding the sample carried in via the transfer robot in the atmosphere container. The lens and the gas atmosphere can always be kept in a special gas atmosphere.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of a transport device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a vertical moving unit of the transfer robot of FIG. 1 has been moved downward.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the transfer robot of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the transport device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a third embodiment of the transport device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a fourth embodiment of the transport device of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a fifth embodiment of the transport device of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional transport device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Atmosphere container 13 Transfer robot 15 Arm part 17 Vertical movement part 19 Body part 31 1st motor 39 2nd motor 47 3rd motor 65 Bellows 67 Suction chamber 69 1st vacuum pump 71 2nd vacuum pump

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An atmosphere container for forming a predetermined atmosphere, a transfer robot having an arm unit housed in the atmosphere container and including the arm unit, and sucking gas in an internal space formed in the arm unit. A transfer device, comprising: 2. The transfer device according to claim 1, further comprising: a first vacuum pump for increasing the inside of the atmosphere container to a high vacuum, and wherein the suction unit reduces an inner space of the arm unit to a low vacuum. A transfer device characterized by being a vacuum pump. 3. The transfer device according to claim 1, further comprising a supply unit that supplies a predetermined gas into the atmosphere container, wherein the internal space has a negative pressure with respect to the pressure in the atmosphere container. Transfer device. 4. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer robot includes a motor that rotates the arm portion, and the internal space extends along a center axis of the motor. A through-hole formed as a part of the transfer device. 5. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer robot includes a seal member that seals the internal space at a rotating portion of the arm unit. A conveying device characterized by the above-mentioned. 6. The transfer device according to claim 2, wherein the transfer robot includes a moving unit that moves the arm unit in a direction of a rotation center axis, and the moving unit is suctioned by the second vacuum pump. A transfer apparatus, wherein the suction chamber is housed in a suction chamber, and the suction chamber is sealed from the inside of the atmosphere container via a resin bellows that expands and contracts by movement of the moving unit. 7. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein holding means for holding a sample carried in via the transfer robot is arranged in the atmosphere container. A conveying device characterized by the above-mentioned. 8. An exposure apparatus comprising: the transport device according to claim 7; and an exposure optical system, wherein the sample is a photosensitive substrate exposed by the exposure device, and wherein the transport robot includes the exposure optical system. An exposure apparatus used for transferring the photosensitive substrate to the holding unit facing a system.