JP2004006804A - Treatment apparatus and treatment method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an air-tight state of a partition and a sealed carrier from being broken by stabilizing an attitude of the carrier even when a flow rate of inert gases to be fed is high, for example in a heat treatment apparatus of the case of replacing the inside of the carrier with the inert gases after a lid is opened, while tightly contacting an atmosphere side for carrying in and carrying out the carrier and a loading area side of an inert gas atmosphere with the partition. <P>SOLUTION: On the carry-in/carry-out area side of the partition, a pressing member is provided to be turned around a horizontal shaft between a rising attitude and a falling attitude to press an upper surface of the carrier. After the carrier is tightly contacted to the partition while being placed on a second mounting stand, the pressing member is turned to press the upper surface, for example, of the carrier. In such a state, the lid of the carrier is opened, and the inert gases are fed from an inert gas feeding pipe into the carrier. It is preferable that the pressing member is driven by a small driving force until contacting the carrier and that the driving force is strengthened after contact. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a processing apparatus that takes out an object to be processed from a storage container closed by a lid and performs a predetermined process, for example, a heat treatment.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As one of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses, there is a heat treatment apparatus that performs heat treatment on a large number of semiconductor wafers (hereinafter, referred to as wafers) in a batch. This heat treatment apparatus includes a carry-in / out area in which a carrier containing a plurality of wafers is carried in / out by an automatic feeding robot or an operator, and a wafer in the carrier which is transferred to a wafer boat as a substrate holder and transferred to a heat treatment furnace. And a loading area for carrying in and out.
[0003]
In such a heat treatment apparatus, the loading area is separated from the loading area on the atmosphere side and the loading area in order to make the loading area an atmosphere having a higher degree of cleanness than the loading area and to prevent the occurrence of a natural oxide film on the wafer. The loading area is preferably set to an inert gas atmosphere filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen (N2) gas. Further, in this case, in order to suppress particle contamination of the wafer, it is more preferable to use a closed-type carrier (also called a closed-type carrier) in which a wafer take-out port on the front surface of the carrier body is closed with a lid.
[0004]
FIG. 16 shows a state in which a closed type carrier is brought into contact with the above-mentioned partition wall. Reference numeral 1 denotes a partition separating the loading / unloading area S1 and the loading area S2, 11 denotes an opening formed in the partition 1, and 12 denotes a door that opens and closes the opening 11. After the carrier 2 is mounted on the mounting table 13 provided in the loading / unloading area S1, the mounting table 13 advances, and the peripheral edge on the front side contacts the edge of the opening 11, and then the lid 21 Is opened. In this case, the lid 21 is opened by the lid opening / closing mechanism 14 with the door 12 closed, and the inside of the carrier 2 is replaced with nitrogen gas by nitrogen gas replacement means (not shown), and then the door 12 and the lid 21 are retracted from the opening 11. It is more preferable that the wafer W in the carrier 2 is loaded into the loading area S2 in that the increase in the oxygen concentration in the loading area S2 can be suppressed. Such a technique is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-274267. Has been described.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
On the other hand, since the diameter of the wafer is large, the volume in the cassette is also large. Therefore, when replacing the inside of the carrier 2 with nitrogen gas, it is necessary to increase the supply flow rate of nitrogen gas in order to suppress a decrease in throughput. desirable. However, when the nitrogen gas is supplied into the carrier 2 at a large flow rate, the internal pressure in the carrier increases, and the impact causes the carrier 2 to oscillate, so that a portion of the bottom surface in contact with the mounting table floats from the mounting table (flutters). Sometimes. When the carrier 2 fluctuates in this manner, the airtightness between the carrier 2 and the partition wall 1 deteriorates, the atmosphere in the carrier 2 is not sufficiently replaced, and flows into the loading area S2, thereby affecting the atmosphere in the loading area S2. give. For example, it is conceivable that oxygen, moisture, an organic component, or the like flows in. In addition, there is a possibility that a shift of the wafer W in the carrier 2 may cause a subsequent delivery error.
[0006]
The present invention has been made under such a background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a processing apparatus capable of securing a stable mounting state of a carrier after a hermetically sealed carrier is brought into contact with a partition wall. It is in.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention is directed to a transfer area where a storage container in which a plurality of objects to be processed are stored and a front opening is hermetically closed by a lid is loaded, and a transfer area maintained in a different atmosphere from the loading area. The mounting area side, a partition that divides each area, an opening formed in the partition, a door that opens and closes this opening, and a mounting section that mounts the storage container on the loading area side. A processing apparatus for carrying the object to be processed in the storage container to the transfer area side by opening the door and the lid to contact the opening after the storage container is mounted on the mounting portion, and processing the object. At
A holding means is provided for holding the storage container, which is in contact with the opening, with the mounting portion.
[0008]
The pressing means is configured to include a pressing member that rotates around a horizontal axis between, for example, an upright posture along a partition wall and, for example, an inclined posture so as to press the upper surface of the storage container. The holding means may hold the container from the side instead of holding it from above. The loading area side is, for example, an air atmosphere, and the atmosphere on the transfer area side is a clean gas atmosphere, for example, an inert gas atmosphere or a clean dry air atmosphere. Here, the carry-in area includes both an area for carrying in and out the storage container and an area only for carrying in the storage container.
[0009]
For this reason, when replacing the inside of the storage container whose lid is opened with the door closed with a clean gas such as an inert gas or clean dry air, the pressing means presses the storage container before replacing the clean gas. Thereby, fluttering of the storage container is suppressed, and the airtight state between the storage container and the partition is not broken. In addition, after the storage container abuts against the partition wall, the storage container is held down when the lid of the storage container is opened, so that the mounting state of the storage container is stable even if the impact at the time of opening is transmitted to the storage container. In addition, it is possible to prevent the object to be processed from being displaced in the storage container.
[0010]
Further, according to a preferred configuration example of the present invention, the holding means includes a holding member for holding the storage container, and the holding member is driven by the first driving force until the holding member contacts the storage container. Means for applying a second driving force greater than the first driving force to the pressing member after contacting the container. As a specific example, the holding means includes a holding member for holding the storage container, and a drive for applying one of a first driving force and a second driving force larger than the first driving force to the holding member. And a switching means for switching between a first state for generating a first driving force and a second state for generating a second driving force for the driving source. The switching means may be configured to switch to the first state until the pressing member contacts the storage container, and to switch to the second state after the pressing member contacts the storage container. According to such a configuration, since the impact when the pressing member contacts the storage container is small, it is possible to prevent the generation of particles from the storage container or the substrate, and with a large driving force after the pressing member contacts the storage container. The holding container can be reliably held down because it is held down.
[0011]
As a further specific example, an operating portion for operating a pressing member by the driving force of the driving source, a buffering device provided in combination with the operating portion, and a switching device provided in the operating portion and operating the switching device And an operating unit, wherein the operating unit is driven by the first driving force against the restoring action of the buffer unit even after the pressing member contacts the storage container, and the switching operating unit switches during this driving. The means may be configured to switch from the first state to the second state. Further, an operating unit for operating a pressing member by the driving force of the drive source, and a switching operation unit provided in the operating unit and operating the switching unit, the switching unit is operated by the switching operation unit. Thereafter, the first state may be switched to the second state with a delay of a predetermined time. The driving source includes, for example, an air cylinder, the first driving force is a first air pressure, and the second driving force is a second air pressure larger than the first air pressure.
[0012]
According to still another invention, a storage container in which a plurality of objects to be processed are housed and a front opening is hermetically closed by a lid is carried in, and a transfer area side where the atmosphere becomes an atmosphere and a transfer chamber maintained in a clean gas atmosphere. The mounting area side, a partition that divides each area, an opening formed in the partition, a door that opens and closes this opening, and a mounting section that mounts the storage container on the loading area side. A process in which the storage container is placed on a mounting portion and then brought into contact with the opening, the door and the lid are opened, and the object to be processed in the storage container is transported to the transfer area side for processing. In the processing method of the apparatus,
With the door closed, the storage container in contact with the opening is pressed against the mounting portion and the lid of the storage container is opened, and then the storage container is replaced with clean gas.
[0013]
According to still another invention, in a state where the door is closed, the storage container brought into contact with the opening is brought into contact with the first driving force by the pressing means, and then larger than the first driving force by the pressing means. The storage container is pressed against the mounting portion by the second driving force.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a vertical heat treatment apparatus will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overview of a vertical heat treatment apparatus, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are a vertical sectional side view and a schematic plan view showing the inside of the vertical heat treatment apparatus, respectively. Reference numeral 3 in the drawing denotes a housing constituting an exterior body of the apparatus. In the housing 3, a carrier 2 which is a storage container storing a wafer to be processed is carried in and out of the apparatus. And a loading area S2, which is a transfer area for transferring a wafer in the carrier 2 and carrying it into a heat treatment furnace described later. For convenience, in FIG. 1, regions S1 and S2 are denoted by reference numerals outside the housing 3. The loading / unloading area S1 and the loading area S2 are separated by a partition 4. The loading / unloading area S1 is set to an atmospheric atmosphere, and the loading area S2 is set to an inert gas atmosphere such as a nitrogen (N2) gas atmosphere or a clean dry gas (particle and Air with a low organic component and a dew point of −60 ° C. or lower).
[0015]
The carry-in / carry-out area S1 includes a first area 5 located on the near side and a second area 6 located on the back side when viewed from the front side of the apparatus. In the first area, first mounting tables 51 and 52 disposed on the left and right for mounting the two carriers 2 respectively are provided. As shown in FIG. 4, the carrier 2 accommodates a plurality of wafers W having a diameter of, for example, 300 mm, which are substrates to be processed, arranged in, for example, 25 shelves in a shelf shape. For example, a closed type carrier made of resin is used. The cover 21 has a latch mechanism (not shown) for holding the cover 21 at the take-out port 20 of the carrier 2, and can be removed from the take-out port 20 by releasing the latch mechanism by a cover opening / closing mechanism described later. . A keyhole 21a is inserted into the keyhole 21a, and the key on the lid opening / closing mechanism side is inserted to release the latch mechanism. In addition, a square flange portion 22 is provided on the upper surface of the carrier 2 with a gap therebetween, and a circular concave portion 23 is formed at the center of the flange portion 22.
[0016]
On the mounting surfaces of the first mounting tables 51 and 52, pins 53 (see FIG. 1), which are positioning portions for positioning the carrier 2 by fitting into concave portions provided on the bottom of the carrier 2, are provided at, for example, three places. Is provided. On the front side of the housing 3, a U-shaped panel portion 54 as viewed from above is provided so as to surround the space above the first mounting tables 51 and 52, and is surrounded by the panel portion 54. The lifted area forms an elevating area for transfer between the automatic transfer robot moving along a ceiling (not shown) in the clean room and the first mounting tables 51 and 52.
[0017]
In the second area 6 in the carry-in / carry-out area S1, the second mounting tables 61 and 62, which are the mounting units, are arranged so as to be arranged in a line in front of and behind the first mounting tables 51 and 52, respectively. . Pins 63 (see FIG. 1) as positioning portions for positioning the carrier 2 are provided at three places on the mounting surfaces of the second mounting tables 61 and 62, similarly to the first mounting tables 51 and 52. The mounting tables 61 and 62 are moved back and forth by a driving unit 63a (see FIG. 5), for example, an air cylinder, between a position where the carrier 2 is placed by a carrier transport mechanism described below and a position where the carrier 2 comes into contact with the partition wall 4. It is configured to be movable.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 6, each of the mounting tables 61 and 62 is provided with a key-shaped engaging member 60 that engages with the engaging concave portion 24 on the bottom surface of the carrier 2. The engagement member 60 is configured to be rotatable around a horizontal axis by a driving unit 60a, and is rotated between a position where the engagement member 24 is engaged and a position where the engagement is released. .
[0019]
On the other hand, on the upper side of the second area 6, a carrier storage section 64 for storing the carrier 2 is provided, and in this example, the carrier storage section 64 is constituted by a two-stage, two-row shelf. In the second area 6, a carrier transport mechanism 65 that transports the carrier 2 between the first mounting tables 51 and 52, the second mounting tables 61 and 62, and the carrier storage unit 64 is provided. The carrier transport mechanism 65 includes a guide portion 66 that extends left and right and can move up and down, a moving portion 67 that moves left and right while being guided by the guide portion 66, and a flange provided on the moving portion 67 and provided on the upper surface of the carrier 2. And an articulated arm 68 that holds the unit 22 and transports the carrier 2 in the horizontal direction.
[0020]
An opening 41 is formed in the partition wall 4 to allow the inside of the carrier 2 to communicate with the loading area S2 when the carrier 2 placed on the second mounting table 61 (62) contacts the partition wall 4. A seal member 42 is provided at the edge of the opening 41 on the side of the loading / unloading area S1 so that the carrier 2 abuts (specifically, the edge of the outlet 20 of the carrier 2 abuts). . The seal member 42 forms a part of the partition wall 4 in this specification. On the loading area S2 side of the partition wall 4, a door 43 for opening and closing the opening 41 is provided, and a lid opening / closing mechanism 44 for opening and closing the lid 21 of the carrier 2 with the door 43 closed. After the lid 21 of the carrier 2 is opened, the door 43 is moved upward or downward, for example, by a door opening / closing mechanism (not shown) together with the lid opening / closing mechanism 44 and the lid 21 so as not to obstruct the transfer of the wafer W. It is configured to evacuate.
[0021]
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, a gas supply pipe 45 serving as a nitrogen gas supply means is provided vertically on a side edge of the opening 41 of the partition wall 4. A large number of gas supply holes are drilled up and down so that nitrogen gas is supplied into the opened carrier 2 to replace the air therein. Further, as shown in the figure, at the lower end of the opening 41, an exhaust passage 46 provided with a horizontally long porous body 46a as viewed from the front is provided so that exhaust with less deviation can be performed. The air is exhausted by exhaust means (not shown) through the air passage 46a. In this example, gas supply means is constituted by the gas supply pipe 45 and the exhaust path 46.
[0022]
On the side of the loading / unloading area S1 in the partition wall 4, two pressing means 7 for pressing the upper surfaces of the carriers 2 mounted on the second mounting tables 61 and 62, respectively, are provided side by side. As shown in FIG. 7, the holding means 7 has a rotating shaft 71 pivotally supported so as to extend horizontally along the partition wall 4 and a base end fixed to the rotating shaft 71. And a holding member 72 that is rotatable. The pressing member 72 uses a plate having a U-shaped plate with the top protruding. The legs 73 a and 73 b of the U-shaped portion 73 are fixed to the rotating shaft 71, and the lower portion of the protruding portion 74 in the horizontal posture is used. A circular protrusion 75 is provided on the surface facing the side. When the holding member 72 falls forward and assumes a substantially horizontal posture, the protrusion 75 fits into the circular concave portion 23 on the upper surface of the flange portion 22 provided on the upper surface of the carrier 2 and fixes the upper surface. It is provided at the position to hold down.
[0023]
Further, the pressing means 7 includes air cylinders 81a and 81b, which form driving portions, respectively, such that the piston rods 80a and 80b vertically advance and retreat at positions above the pressing member 72 in the partition wall 4 and at positions corresponding to both side edges thereof. Is provided. At the lower ends of the piston rods 80a and 80b, there are provided shaft supporting members 82a and 82b, respectively. One end of the operating arms 83a and 83b are supported by the shaft supporting members 82a and 82b, respectively. Are rotatably attached to both side edges of the holding member 72. Therefore, when the piston rods 80a and 80b are retracted by the air cylinders 81a and 81b, the holding member 72 assumes an upright posture along the partition wall 4 as shown by a chain line, and the piston rods 80a and 80b extend downward. Occasionally, as shown by the solid line, the posture becomes substantially horizontal, and the protrusion 75 is fitted into the recess 24 so as to press the upper surface of the carrier 2. The operating arms 83a and 83b are configured such that the lower ends of the operating arms 83a and 83b extend forward when the piston rods 80a and 80b extend from the retracted positions. Note that the shaft support members 82a and 82b and the operation arms 83a and 83b constitute an operation unit for transmitting the driving force of the air cylinders 81a and 81b to the pressing member 72.
[0024]
Here, FIG. 5 shows a control unit 8, which detects that the carrier 2 is mounted on the second mounting table 61 (62), and detects the second mounting table 61 (62). A program created so as to output a control signal for extending the piston rods 80a, 80b to the driving unit of the holding means 7, for example, the air cylinders 81a, 81b, after the 61 (62) advances to the partition wall 4 side. And a program for controlling a sequence of opening and closing operations of the door 43 and the lid 44, a nitrogen gas supply operation of the nitrogen gas supply pipe 45, and the like.
[0025]
Returning to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the loading area S2 will be described. The loading area S2 is provided with a vertical heat treatment furnace 91 having a lower end opened as a furnace port, and a lower side of the vertical heat treatment furnace 91. A wafer boat 92, which is a holder for holding a large number of wafers W in a shelf shape, is placed on a cap 94 via a heat insulating portion 93. The cap 94 is supported on an elevating mechanism 95, and the wafer boat 92 is carried into or out of the heat treatment furnace 91 by the elevating mechanism 95. A wafer transfer mechanism 96 is provided between the wafer boat 92 and the opening 41 of the partition wall 4. The wafer transfer mechanism 96 is configured by providing a plurality of, for example, five advanceable / retractable arms 99 on a moving body 98 which can move along a guide mechanism 97 extending left and right and rotate around a vertical axis. And transports the wafer W between the carrier 2 on the second mounting tables 61 and 62.
[0026]
Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. First, the carrier 2 descends through the internal space of the panel unit 54 by an automatic transfer robot (not shown) that moves along the ceiling of the clean room, and is mounted on the first mounting table 51 (52). Subsequently, the carrier 2 is transported to the second mounting table 61 (62) by the carrier transport mechanism 65. When the carrier 2 is mounted on the second mounting table 61 (62), first, the engaging member 60 shown in FIG. 6 rotates and engages with the engaging concave portion 24 at the bottom of the carrier 2, and then the second The mounting table 61 (62) moves to the partition wall 4 side, and the edge of the outlet 21 of the carrier 2 comes into contact with the seal member 42 around the opening 41 of the partition wall 4 in an airtight manner.
[0027]
Thereafter, the piston rods 80a, 80b extend downward by the air cylinders 81a, 81b of the holding means 7, and the operating arms 83a, 83b are pushed downward while being regulated by the holding member 72, whereby the holding member 72 rotates. It turns around the shaft 71 and becomes sideways. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the projection 75 of the holding member 72 is fitted into the concave portion 24 of the flange 23 on the upper surface of the carrier 2 and presses and holds the carrier 2. Thereafter, a key (not shown) of the lid opening / closing mechanism 44 is inserted into the keyhole 21a (see FIG. 4) of the lid 21 of the carrier 2 and the lid 21 is removed from the carrier 2 (the state of FIG. 8). An inert gas, such as nitrogen gas, is blown from the pipe 45 horizontally into the carrier 2 at a flow rate of, for example, 50 to 200 l / min. This nitrogen gas flows between the wafers W along the inner wall of the carrier 2, returns to the takeout port 20 side, and is exhausted from the lower exhaust path 46, and thus the space between the carrier 2 and the space between the carrier 2 and the door 43. Is replaced by an inert gas. At this time, since a large flow rate of the inert gas is introduced, the internal pressure in the carrier 2 increases, and the impact at the time of the introduction may impair the airtightness of the edge of the carrier 2 and the seal member 42. Since the carrier 2 is pressed from above, no displacement occurs. Thereafter, the door 43, the lid opening / closing mechanism 44, and the lid 21 rise, for example, and retreat from the opening 41, and the inside of the carrier 2 and the loading area S2 are in communication.
[0028]
Then, the wafers W in the carrier 2 are sequentially taken out by the wafer transfer mechanism 96 and transferred to the wafer boat 92. When the wafer W in the carrier 2 is emptied, the lid 21 of the carrier 2 is closed by the operation reverse to the above, the second mounting table 61 (62) is retracted, the carrier 2 is separated from the partition 4, and the carrier is transported. It is transported to the carrier storage unit 64 by the mechanism 65 and is temporarily stored. On the other hand, when a predetermined number of wafers W are loaded on the wafer boat 92, the wafers W are loaded into the heat treatment furnace 91 and subjected to heat treatment such as CVD, annealing, and oxidation. When the heat treatment is completed, the wafer W is returned into the carrier 2 by an operation reverse to the above. The timing at which the pressing means 7 releases the pressing, that is, the timing at which the pressing member 72 returns to the upright state in this example is, for example, after the outlet 20 of the carrier 2 is closed by the lid 21.
[0029]
According to the above-described embodiment, since the carrier 2 mounted on the second mounting table 61 (62) and in contact with the partition wall 4 is pressed from above, the atmosphere in the carrier 2 is replaced with the inert gas. In this case, even when the flow rate of the inert gas is increased and the impact on the carrier 2 due to the blowing of the gas is increased, the attitude of the carrier 2 is stable without flapping. Therefore, the airtight state between the carrier 2 and the partition wall 4 is not broken, so that the air can be prevented from flowing into the loading area S2 from the loading / unloading area S1, which is the atmosphere side, and an increase in the oxygen concentration in the loading area S2 can be suppressed. Can be Further, since the wafer W does not jump out, there is no problem in the subsequent operation of taking out the wafer W by the wafer transfer mechanism 96. Since the flow rate of the inert gas supplied into the carrier 2 can be increased, the time required for the replacement with the inert gas can be reduced, and the throughput can be improved. Further, even if the impact when opening and closing the lid 21 of the carrier 2 is large, the attitude of the carrier 2 is stabilized by the pressing of the carrier 2 from above.
[0030]
Further, if the pressing member 72 that rotates between a state of standing along the partition wall 4 and a state of lying down is used as the pressing means 7, the pressing member 72 is released when the pressing of the carrier 2 is released. It does not hinder the transfer of the sheet and can have a simple structure.
[0031]
In the above, in the above-described embodiment, an example of the pressing unit that presses the carrier 2 from above is given. However, in the present invention, the pressing unit may press the carrier 2 from the side. FIG. 9 shows such an example. In FIG. 9A, the second mounting table 61 (62) is placed on the second mounting table 61 (62) and is in contact with the partition 4 in front of the second mounting table 61 (62). A pressing member 100 is provided as pressing means for pressing the rear side of the carrier 2 thus pressed against the partition 4. The pressing member 100 is configured to be movable forward and backward, for example, and to be able to move down to a position lower than the mounting surface of the second mounting table 61 (62), for example.
[0032]
In FIG. 9B, a pair of holding members 201 and 202 serving as holding means are provided on both sides of the second mounting table 61 (62), and the carrier 2 mounted on the second mounting table 61 (62) is provided. Are pressed against each other by the pressing members 201 and 202, that is, the carrier 2 is sandwiched and pressed from both sides. Furthermore, the timing when the carrier 2 is pressed by the pressing means may be before the carrier 2 comes into contact with the partition and the lid is opened.
[0033]
Here, a preferred configuration example of the holding means of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 10, reference numeral 800 denotes an air supply unit that supplies air (air) to the air cylinders 81a and 81b. The air supply section 800 is configured such that when the air cylinders 81a, 81b act to push down the piston rods 80a, 80b, the air pressure is switched between a low air pressure and a high air pressure to be supplied to the air cylinders 81a, 81b. Have been. Here, the low pressure means a pressure sufficient to quickly press down the piston rods 80a and 80b, and the high pressure means a pressure sufficient to press the carrier 2 against the carrier 2. The air supply unit 800 and the air cylinders 81a and 81b constitute a driving source for applying a driving force to the pressing member 72. The low pressure air pressure corresponds to the first driving force, and the high pressure air pressure corresponds to the second pressure. Each corresponds to a driving force.
[0034]
One of the piston rods 80a and 80b penetrates through a through hole 84 provided in the up-down direction in the shaft support member 82a, and a lower end portion thereof is formed as an enlarged diameter portion 85. The enlarged diameter portion 85 is in contact with the lower surface side of the reduced diameter portion 86 formed in the through hole 84 so as not to come out upward. Further, between the upper surface of the reduced diameter portion 86 and the enlarged diameter body portion 87 of the piston rod 80a, for example, a spring 88 as a buffer means is interposed while being fitted to the piston rod 80a. When the piston rod 80a extends downward and the operating arms 83a and 83b are driven, the spring 88 has a spring force that does not retract.
[0035]
The piston rod 80a is provided with a switch operation piece (pressure switching kicker) 89 which is a switching operation section (switch operation section) for operating a switch section described later, and the switch operation piece 89 is bent downward. It is formed in a hook shape, and its lower end is bent inward (toward the shaft support member 82a). 89a is a horizontal portion, 89b is a vertical portion, and 89c is an inclined portion. Note that a horizontal portion 89a of the switch operation piece 89 is externally fitted on the upper surface of the shaft support member 82a, and a guide rod 89d for vertically guiding the horizontal portion 89a is provided.
[0036]
Further, the partition 4 (not shown in FIG. 10) shown in FIG. 7 is provided with stoppers 76a and 76b for regulating the lower limit positions of the shaft supporting members 82a and 82b, respectively, and the switch operation piece 89 is lowered. A switch unit 77 serving as a switching unit is provided at a position where the switch unit 77 interferes with the switch operation piece 89 when the switch operation is performed. The switch portion 77 includes a switch piece 78. The switch piece 78 is in the first state when extending downward and obliquely outward when viewed from the switch section 77, and is in the first state when the lower end portion is pressed and retracted. It is in state 2. The switch unit 77 switches the air pressure between a high pressure and a low pressure when the air supply unit 800 is in a supply state. When the switch piece 78 is in the first state, the low pressure air pressure is reduced. The high pressure air acts on the air cylinders 81a and 81b and acts on the air cylinders 81a and 81b when the switch piece 78 is in the second state.
[0037]
After the shaft supporting member 82a descends and comes into contact with the stopper 76a, the switch operation piece 89 continues to descend until the spring 88 is completely retracted, as described later. The position is set so as to be pressed by the piece 89.
[0038]
Next, the operation of the holding means in this embodiment will be described. Now, assuming that the piston rods 80a and 80b are at the upper limit positions as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 (a), the holding member 72 is in a standing posture as shown in FIG. 11 (b). In this state, when air pressure is applied to the air cylinders 81a and 81b in the direction in which the piston rods 80a and 80b extend from the air supply unit 800, the switch unit 77 is in the first state, and the low pressure air pressure causes the piston rods 80a and 80b to move. It is pushed down to a position where it comes into contact with the stoppers 76a and 76b. FIG. 12A shows a state in which the shaft supporting member 82a is in contact with the stopper 76a. At this time, as shown in FIG. It is in a state of contact, specifically, a state in which the protrusion 75 is fitted into the recess 23 of the flange 22 of the carrier 2. Further, in this state, the switch piece 78 of the switch section 77 is not in a state pressed by the switch operation piece 89, and is still in the first state.
[0039]
Further, as shown in FIG. 13 (a), the piston rod 80a is pushed down against the restoring force of the spring 88 by the air pressure of the air cylinder 81a, whereby the switch operating piece 89 is also lowered. Then, the inclined portion 89c of the switch operation piece 89 comes into contact with the switch piece 78 of the switch portion 77, and when the switch operation piece 89 is further lowered, the switch piece 78 is pressed by the inclined portion 89c, so that the switch portion 77 is in the second state. Become. As a result, the air pressure acting on the air cylinders 81a and 81b from the air supply unit 800 is switched from low pressure to high pressure, and as shown in FIG. 13B, the pressing member 72 presses the carrier with a large pressing force.
[0040]
According to such an embodiment, since the pressing member 72 is driven with low air pressure until the pressing member 72 contacts the carrier 2, the impact when the pressing member 72 contacts the carrier 2 is small, Generation of particles from the carrier 2 and the wafer can be prevented. Since the air pressure acting on the air cylinders 81a and 81b is switched from low pressure to high pressure after the pressing member 72 comes into contact with the carrier 2, the carrier 2 can be reliably pressed with a large pressing force by the pressing member 72. When the atmosphere in the carrier 2 is replaced with an inert gas, the carrier 2 can be prevented from fluttering.
[0041]
Further, in the present invention, the switch piece 78 is pressed by the switch operation piece 89 before the shaft support member 82a reaches the stopper 76a as shown in FIG. The switch unit 77 is configured to switch from one of the ON and OFF states to the other state, and the switch unit 77 is switched from one of the ON and OFF states by combining the switch unit 77 with a delay unit, for example, a timer. After switching to the other state, the switch unit 77 may be configured to switch from the first state to the second state with a delay of a predetermined time. Note that the delay unit here is included in the switch unit 77 even if it is provided separately from the main body of the switch unit 77 in terms of structure. In this case, the delay time (predetermined time) is set to such a length that the switch unit 77 switches from the first state to the second state after the shaft support member 82a reaches the stopper 76a.
[0042]
Further, in the present invention, the timing of switching the air pressure applied to the air cylinders 81a and 81b from low pressure to high pressure may be before the pressing member 72 contacts the carrier 2, and in this case, the position of the pressing member 72 and the magnitude of the air pressure The relationship with is represented, for example, as shown in FIG. However, with such a configuration, when the pressing member 72 comes into contact with the carrier 2, a large impact force is generated. Therefore, from the viewpoint of suppressing the generation of particles, the above-described example is more preferable.
[0043]
The present invention can be applied not only to the vertical heat treatment apparatus but also to an apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a substrate to be processed, such as a single-wafer heat treatment apparatus, an apparatus for applying and developing a resist, and an ion implantation apparatus. Further, the loading area S2 is not limited to the inert gas, but may be clean dry air. In this case, after the carrier 2 contacts the partition wall 3, clean dry air is supplied into the carrier 2 to reduce the atmosphere in the carrier 2. It may be replaced. In addition, the present invention can be applied to an apparatus in which a region for carrying in the carrier 2 and a region for carrying out the carrier 2 are provided at different places.
[0044]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, since the storage container placed on the placement portion is pressed against the placement portion, the placement state is stabilized. For this reason, when replacing the inside of the storage container with the lid closed with a clean gas such as an inert gas or clean dry air, fluttering of the storage container is suppressed, and the airtightness between the storage container and the partition wall is suppressed. The state is not broken. In addition, by pressing the storage container when opening the lid of the storage container, it is possible to prevent the object to be processed from jumping out of the storage container even if an impact upon opening is transmitted to the storage container.
[0045]
The pressing member is driven by the first driving force until the pressing member contacts the storage container, and a second driving force larger than the first driving force is applied to the pressing member after the pressing member contacts the storage container. With this configuration, since the impact when the pressing member contacts the storage container is small, generation of particles from the storage container and the substrate can be prevented, and the storage container can be reliably pressed by the pressing member.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overview of a vertical heat treatment apparatus which is an embodiment of a treatment apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view showing a schematic configuration inside the above vertical heat treatment apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a schematic configuration inside the vertical heat treatment apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a carrier used in the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an opening of a partition used in the vertical heat treatment apparatus and the periphery thereof.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the bottom of the carrier and an engaging member provided on the mounting table are engaged.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a pressing means used in this embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional side view and a cross-sectional plan view showing a state where a carrier is in contact with a partition used in the vertical heat treatment apparatus.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing another example of the pressing means.
FIG. 10 is a front view showing still another example of the holding means.
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the pressing means.
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the pressing means.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the pressing means.
FIG. 14 is a front view showing still another example of the holding means.
FIG. 15 is a side view showing a state in which a pressing member presses a carrier in an embodiment different from the examples of FIGS. 11 to 13;
FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional side view showing a state in which a carrier is in contact with a partition wall of a conventional vertical heat treatment apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
W semiconductor wafer
2 career
20 Outlet
21 Lid
22 Flange
23 recess
3 Case
41 Opening
42 Seal part
43 door
44 Lid opening and closing mechanism
45 Gas supply pipe
S1 Loading / unloading area
S2 loading area
5 First area
51, 52 First mounting table
6 Second area
61, 62 second mounting table
53, 63 Pins for positioning
65 Carrier transport mechanism
7 Holding means
71 Rotation axis
72 Holding member
75 Projection
76a, 76b Stopper
77 Switch section
78 Switch piece
8 Control part
800 Air supply unit
88 Spring
89 Switch operation piece
91 Vertical heat treatment furnace
92 wafer boat
96 Wafer transfer mechanism
100, 201, 202 Holding member

Claims (12)

A carry-in area side into which a storage container in which a plurality of objects to be processed are housed and the front-side outlet is hermetically closed by a lid is carried in, and a transfer area side maintained in a different atmosphere from the carry-in area side. A partition for partitioning each region, an opening formed in the partition, a door for opening and closing the opening, and a placement portion for placing the storage container on the carry-in region side; In the processing apparatus, in which the container is placed on the placement portion and then brought into contact with the opening, the door and the lid are opened, and the object to be processed in the storage container is transported to the transfer area side for processing.
A processing apparatus, further comprising a holding means for holding the storage container, which is in contact with the opening, with a mounting portion. 2. The holding device according to claim 1, wherein the holding unit includes a holding member that rotates around a horizontal axis between a position standing along the partition and a position holding the upper surface of the storage container. 3. Processing equipment. The atmosphere on the loading area side and the transfer area side are an air atmosphere and a clean gas atmosphere, respectively.
The processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a gas replacement unit configured to open a lid of the storage container with the door closed and replace the inside of the storage container with clean gas. 4. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the atmosphere on the transfer area side is an inert gas or clean dry air. The pressing means drives the pressing member with a first driving force until the pressing member contacts the storage container, and a pressing member that presses the storage container, and the first driving force after the pressing member contacts the storage container. 2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: means for applying a second driving force to the pressing member, which is also large. A holding member for holding the storage container, a driving source for applying one of a first driving force and a second driving force larger than the first driving force to the holding member, and the driving source Switching means for switching between a first state for generating a first driving force and a second state for generating a second driving force.
2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the switching unit switches to the first state until the pressing member contacts the storage container, and switches to the second state after the pressing member contacts the storage container. apparatus. An operation unit that operates the pressing member by the driving force of the driving source, a buffer unit provided in combination with the operation unit, and a switching operation unit provided in the operation unit and operating the switching unit,
The operating section is driven by the first driving force against the restoring action of the buffer means even after the pressing member contacts the storage container, and during this driving, the switching operation section changes the switching means from the first state. 7. The processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the state is switched to the second state. An operation unit that operates a pressing member by a driving force of the driving source, and a switching operation unit that is provided in the operation unit and operates the switching unit,
7. The processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the switching unit switches from the first state to the second state with a delay of a predetermined time after being operated by the switching operation unit. The driving source includes an air cylinder, the first driving force is a first air pressure, and the second driving force is a second air pressure larger than the first air pressure. 9. The processing apparatus according to any one of 8. A storage area in which a plurality of objects to be processed are housed, and a storage container in which a front outlet is hermetically closed by a lid is carried in, and a carry-in area side in which an atmosphere is provided, and a transfer area side in which a clean gas atmosphere is maintained. A partition that partitions the area, an opening formed in the partition, a door that opens and closes this opening, and a placement unit that places the storage container on the carry-in area side. In the processing method of the processing apparatus, which is placed on the mounting portion, is brought into contact with the opening, the door and the lid are opened, and the processing target in the storage container is transported to the transfer area side and processed.
In a state where the door is closed, the storage container in contact with the opening is pressed against the mounting portion, the lid of the storage container is opened, and then the storage container is replaced with clean gas. . A storage area in which a plurality of objects to be processed are housed, and a storage container in which a front outlet is hermetically closed by a lid is carried in, and a carry-in area side in which an atmosphere is provided, and a transfer area side in which a clean gas atmosphere is maintained. A partition that partitions the area, an opening formed in the partition, a door that opens and closes this opening, and a placement unit that places the storage container on the carry-in area side. In the processing method of the processing apparatus, which is placed on the mounting portion, is brought into contact with the opening, the door and the lid are opened, and the processing target in the storage container is transported to the transfer area side and processed.
In a state where the door is closed, the storage container brought into contact with the opening is brought into contact with the first driving force by the pressing means, and then stored by the pressing means with the second driving force larger than the first driving force. A processing method, wherein a container is held on a receiver. 12. The processing method according to claim 10, wherein the atmosphere on the transfer area side is an inert gas or clean dry air.

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