JP2004022674A - Inlet port mechanism of workpiece and processing system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inlet port mechanism of a workpiece for speedily and smoothly replacing the inert gas, without permitting an atmosphere in a storage container body to adversely affect the workpiece stored inside. <P>SOLUTION: In the introduction port mechanism of the workpiece, the storage container body 2 storing a plurality of workpieces W is placed, and the workpieces in the storage container are taken into a workpiece transport area 46 made into the inert gas atmosphere via an opening gate 62, by removing an opening/closing lid 12 of the storage container body. The mechanism is provided with a mounting stand, the opening/closing door opening/closing the opening gate, a lid opening/closing mechanism 70 for opening/closing the opening/closing lid of the storage container, a gas-jetting means 84 jetting inert gas and low dew-point dry air and an interference member 106, which once applies inert gas and low dew-point dry air, which are jetted from the gas-jetting means, reduces flow speed and makes the opened storage container body flow. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an introduction port mechanism for introducing an object to be processed from a storage container that stores the object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer in a substantially airtight state, and a processing system using the same.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Generally, in order to manufacture a semiconductor integrated circuit such as an IC or an LSI, various film forming processes, oxidation diffusion processes, etching processes, and the like are repeatedly performed on a semiconductor wafer. Need to be transported between devices. In this case, as is well known, it is necessary to avoid the formation of particles or natural oxide films on the surface of the semiconductor wafer in order to improve the yield, so that the demand for high integration and high miniaturization increases, For the transfer, a storage container body capable of storing a plurality of wafers and hermetically sealed inside tends to be used. As this type of storage container, FOUP (registered trademark) is generally known (for example, JP-A-8-279546, JP-A-9-306975, and JP-A-11-274267).
[0003]
The interior of this type of storage container is generally provided with a clean air atmosphere having a high degree of cleanness in order to prevent particles and the like from adhering to the surface of the wafer stored therein.
By the way, in the processing system for handling the storage container, a container transfer area for transferring the storage container by a transfer mechanism, and an opening / closing lid of the storage container are removed and a semiconductor wafer is heat-treated therefrom. Generally, there is an object transfer area for transfer to a wafer boat or the like. Both areas are defined by a partition wall having an opening gate that can be opened and closed to transfer the wafer, and the inside of the processing object transfer area for transferring the processing object in a bare state is on the wafer surface. In order to prevent a natural oxide film or the like from adhering, an inert gas, for example, a nitrogen atmosphere may be used.
[0004]
In this case, when opening the storage container body toward the processing object transfer area through the opening gate, for example, about 25 wafers of 300 mm (12 inches) size are stored depending on the wafer size. Since the capacity of the storage container reaches about 40 to 45 liters, when the interior of the container is opened, the clean air in the storage container flows into the transfer area of the object to be processed under a nitrogen atmosphere. And the advantage of setting the inside of the object transfer area in a nitrogen atmosphere is impaired.
[0005]
Therefore, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-274267, an inert gas replacement means is provided, and before the storage container body is opened toward the inside of the object transfer area, 2. Description of the Related Art It has been practiced to introduce nitrogen gas into a storage container to replace the internal atmosphere with nitrogen gas.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional structure, the introduced inert gas is injected from the gas injection holes or the like and directly hits the wafer itself. Therefore, the force of the injection gas blows the wafer or makes the position of the wafer rattle. It may shift. In order to prevent this, the flow velocity and flow rate of the injection gas must be suppressed, and therefore, the replacement work of the inert gas becomes longer and the throughput is reduced.
In addition, since the introduced inert gas may leak to the work area of the worker, it is also desired to further improve safety in this respect.
The present invention has been devised in view of the above problems and effectively solving the problems. An object of the present invention is to quickly and smoothly replace an atmosphere in a storage container with an inert gas or a low dew point dry air without adversely affecting a processing target stored in the storage container to increase throughput. An object of the present invention is to provide a processing object introduction port mechanism which can be improved and a processing system using the same.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention according to claim 1 is to mount a storage container body which is substantially sealed and contains a plurality of processing objects, removes an opening / closing lid of the storage container body, and cleans the processing object in the storage container body. An introduction port mechanism for introducing an object to be processed into an inert gas atmosphere or an atmosphere of low dew point dry air via an opening gate into an object transfer area, and a mounting table for mounting the storage container body; An opening / closing door for opening and closing the opening gate, a lid opening / closing mechanism for opening / closing the opening / closing lid of the storage container body, and an inert gas or a low dew point dry air provided near the opening gate. A processing object comprising: a gas injection unit; and an interference member for once applying the inert gas injected from the gas injection unit to reduce the flow velocity and then to flow the gas into the open storage container body. Body introduction port A door mechanism.
As described above, since the inert gas or low-dew-point dry air injected from the gas injection means provided at the peripheral portion of the opening gate is applied to the interference member to reduce the flow velocity, and then flows into the storage container body. The atmosphere inside the container can be replaced with a large flow rate of inert gas or low dew point dry air without adversely affecting the body, and the gas replacement operation can be performed quickly to improve the throughput.
[0008]
In this case, for example, the gas injection means is provided on one side of the opening gate.
Further, for example, as defined in claim 3, the gas injection means has a gas injection pipe provided with a plurality of gas injection holes along the longitudinal direction.
[0009]
Further, for example, as defined in claim 4, the interference member comprises a cover provided so as to cover the gas injection pipe, and the cover has a gas outlet.
In this case, for example, as defined in claim 5, the gas outlet is provided facing a substantially central portion in the height direction of the opened storage container body.
According to this, the gas replacement operation in the storage container can be performed more quickly, and the throughput can be further improved.
[0010]
Further, for example, as defined in claim 6, an exhaust mechanism for flowing gas substantially only in an exhaust direction is provided at a bottom portion of the storage container body, and the mounting table is provided with the exhaust mechanism. An exhaust port is provided for drawing in inert gas flowing out through the air or low dew point dry air.
According to this, the pressure inside the storage container increases due to the introduction of a large amount of inert gas or low dew point dry air, and the internal atmosphere is exhausted to the outside via an exhaust mechanism. Since it is sucked out of the system by the exhaust port provided in the system, it is possible to prevent the inert gas (no problem in case of low dew point dry air) from flowing out to the work area of the worker, and its safety Can be improved.
The invention according to claim 7 is a processing system using the introduction port mechanism for the object to be processed, that is, by removing an opening / closing lid from a storage container that is substantially sealed and accommodates a plurality of objects to be processed. The processing system according to any one of the above, wherein the object to be processed is taken out, and the object to be processed is carried into an object transport area in an inert gas atmosphere and subjected to a predetermined heat treatment. A processing object introduction port mechanism, a processing container provided above the processing object transfer area for performing a predetermined heat treatment on the processing object, and provided for mounting the processing object in multiple stages. A processing object boat, a boat elevating mechanism for moving the processing object boat up and down and inserting and removing the processing object boat into and from the processing container, and a processing object boat and the opened storage container body. Said between A workpiece transfer mechanism for transferring the processed, a processing system comprising the.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of an introduction port mechanism for an object to be processed and a processing system using the same according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 is a perspective view showing a storage container body of a general object to be processed, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a storage container body with an opening / closing lid removed, and FIG. 3 is an introduction of the object to be processed according to the present invention. FIG. 4 shows a processing system having a port mechanism, FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a mounting table of an introduction port mechanism, and FIGS. 5 to 7 show operations when removing an open / close lid of a storage container placed on the mounting table. FIG. 8 is a view showing the operation when the storage container body is mounted on the mounting table, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the storage container body mounted on the mounting table, and FIG. And FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an opening gate (without an opening / closing door), FIG. 12 is an assembly process diagram of a gas injection means and an interference member, and FIG. FIG. 14 is a view showing the assembled gas injection means and the interference member. FIG. 14 is a view showing the assembled gas injection means and the interference member. Is an enlarged sectional view showing a.
[0012]
First, the storage container 2 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the storage container body 2 has a box container 6 in which one side is formed as an opening 4 and the other side has a substantially semi-elliptical shape. By providing, for example, a shelf-shaped or groove-shaped support portion 8 on the inner wall surface in multiple stages, and mounting and supporting a peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer W having a diameter of, for example, 300 mm as an object to be processed, The semiconductor wafers W can be accommodated in multiple stages at a pitch. A handle 10 is provided on the ceiling of the box container 6 for grasping the whole. Normally, about 25 or 13 wafers W can be accommodated in one box container 6.
[0013]
A rectangular plate-shaped opening / closing lid 12 is detachably attached to the opening 4 of the box container 6, and the inside of the box container 6 is substantially airtight. Here, the substantially airtight state includes a case where an exhaust port with a check valve or an exhaust port with a thick filter is provided at the bottom of the container as described later. The inside of the box container 6 is made to have a clean air atmosphere.
The opening / closing lid 12 is provided with two lock mechanisms 14. By releasing the locking mechanism 14, the opening / closing lid 12 can be detached from the opening 4 and detached. More specifically, the lock mechanism 14 has a disk-shaped lock plate 16 rotatably mounted substantially at the center of the opening / closing lid 12 in the height direction. The lock plate 16 has an elongated shape. A recessed key groove 18 is formed. The lock plate 16 is provided with a pair of up and down pins 20 connected via a crank mechanism (not shown) for converting a circular motion into a linear motion in a vertical direction. The upper and lower protruding and retracting pins 20 are respectively made to protrude and retract in the vertical direction by being rotated by degrees.
[0014]
At the time of locking, the tip of the retractable pin 20 is inserted into and engaged with a pin hole 22 (only the lower edge is shown in FIG. 2) at the upper and lower edges defining the opening 4 as shown in FIG. The opening / closing lid 12 does not come off from the opening 4. On the inner surface of the opening / closing lid 12, a protrusion preventing member 24 for preventing the wafer W stored in the box container 6 from popping out is provided along the height direction.
At the four corners at the bottom of the box container 6, as shown in FIG. 5, there are provided exhaust mechanisms 26 for flowing gas substantially only in the exhaust direction to the outside of the container. Specifically, the exhaust mechanism 26 has an exhaust port 28 penetrating the container bottom in the up-down direction, and a check valve 30 capable of flowing gas only downward in the exhaust port 28. (See FIG. 9). Thereby, when the pressure in the box container 6 becomes higher than a certain level, the check valve 30 is opened to release the pressure. Instead of the check valve 30, a filter member having a relatively thick, that is, a slightly check valve-like function may be provided.
[0015]
A plurality of positioning recesses 32 (see FIG. 8) are provided on the lower surface of the bottom of the box container 6, and this positioning is performed when the box container 6 is mounted on a mounting table or the like as described later. ing. Further, on the lower surface of the bottom of the box container 6, a lock piece 34 (see FIG. 8) formed in a protruding manner in the concave portion is provided, and as described later, the lock piece 34 is locked when mounted on a mounting table. I can do it.
[0016]
Next, referring to FIG. 3, a processing system having an object introduction port mechanism of the present invention will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 3, the processing system 40 for the object to be processed is entirely surrounded by a housing 42 made of, for example, stainless steel or the like, and the inside thereof is a container for transporting the storage container body 2 described above. The partition wall 48 divides the substrate transfer area 44 into a wafer transfer area 46 as a transfer target transfer area for barely transferring a semiconductor wafer W as a processing target. A downflow of clean air flows through the container transfer area 44, and the wafer transfer area 46 is closed. ₂ Gas and the like are supplied to make an inert gas atmosphere. In addition, the inside of the wafer transfer area 46 has a low dew point dry air atmosphere having a dew point temperature of −50 ° C. or less, preferably −60 ° C. to −100 ° C., which can suppress generation of a natural oxide film. In some cases, it has been done.
The processing system 40 mainly includes a load port 50 for carrying the storage container 2 into and out of the system 40, a stocker 51 for temporarily storing the storage container 2, and a storage container 51. 2. The introduction port mechanism 52 of the present invention which takes in the wafer W in the wafer transfer area 46 into the wafer transfer area 46 and transfers it to, for example, the object boat 54, and the semiconductor wafer transferred and held by the object boat 54 It mainly comprises a processing container 56 for performing a predetermined heat treatment on W.
[0017]
In the load port 50, a box carrying-in / out port 58 which is always open is formed in the housing 42. Outside the box entrance 58, an outer mounting table 60 for mounting the storage container 2 transported from the outside is provided so as to be horizontally movable inward.
[0018]
On the other hand, the stocker 51 is provided with, for example, shelves for temporarily placing and storing the storage container bodies 2 in two rows and two stages. In the introduction port mechanism 52, one or a plurality of opening gates 62 having substantially the same size as the opening of the storage container body 2 are formed on the partition wall 48 that partitions between the two areas 44 and 46. At the same time, one mounting table 64 is provided horizontally on the container body transport area 44 side of the open boat 62, and the storage container body 2 can be mounted thereon. The opening gate 62 is provided with an opening / closing door 66 for opening and closing the opening gate. The configuration of this part will be described later in detail. A container body transport mechanism 68 having an elevator function is provided between the mounting table 64 and the load port 50, and the storage container body is provided between the load port 50, the stocker 51, and the mounting table 64. 2 can be arbitrarily conveyed.
[0019]
A lid opening / closing mechanism 70 for opening / closing the opening / closing lid 12 and the opening / closing door 66 of the storage container 2 is provided on the side of the wafer transfer area 46 of the opening gate 62. As the lid opening / closing mechanism 70, for example, the opening / closing mechanism disclosed in JP-A-8-279546 described above, the lid opening / closing mechanism disclosed in JP-A-11-274267, or the like can be used.
In the wafer transfer area 46, a boat elevating mechanism 78 for elevating and lowering the object boat 54 such as a wafer boat is provided. Further, between the boat elevating mechanism 78 and the introduction port mechanism 52, there is provided an object transfer mechanism 74 that can rotate and bend and extend, and the object transfer mechanism 74 is an elevating elevator. It can be moved up and down by 76. Accordingly, the wafer W is transferred between the storage container 2 on the mounting table 64 and the object boat 54 by bending, extending, turning, and vertically moving the arm 74A of the object transfer mechanism 74. You can do it.
[0020]
The object boat 54 is made of, for example, quartz, and is capable of supporting, for example, about 25 to 150 wafers at a predetermined pitch in multiple stages. Above one side of the wafer transfer area 46, the above-mentioned quartz-made cylindrical processing container 56 is disposed, and a predetermined number of wafers W are formed at a time such as film formation and oxidation diffusion. Heat treatment. A cap 80 that can be moved up and down by a boat elevating mechanism 78 is arranged below the processing container 56. The object boat 54 is placed on the cap 80 and raised, thereby The boat 54 can be loaded into the processing container 56 from the lower end opening thereof. At this time, the lower end opening of the processing container 56 is hermetically closed by the cap 80.
[0021]
Further, a shutter 82 is provided at the lower end opening of the processing container 56 so as to be able to slide and close it. A plurality of arms, for example, about five arms 74A of the processing object transfer mechanism 74 are provided, so that a maximum of five wafers can be transferred at a time.
The gas injection means 84 of the present invention is provided near the opening gate 62 of the introduction port mechanism 52, and the mounting table 64 is provided with the exhaust port 86 of the present invention.
[0022]
Hereinafter, the structure of the gas injection means 84, the exhaust port 86, and the like, including the introduction port mechanism 52, will be described in detail.
First, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 8 and 9, the mounting table 64 has a slide base 88 provided on an upper part thereof, and the slide base 88 is provided with a pair of guide rails 90 ( (See FIG. 9) so as to straddle the upper side and be slidable toward the opening gate 62 side. On an upper surface of the slide base 88, a plurality of, in the illustrated example, three projection-shaped positioning projections 92 are provided, and the positioning projections 92 are provided with positioning recesses 32 (see FIG. 8), and the storage container 2 is directly placed on the slide base 88.
[0023]
At the center of the slide base 88, a rotatable rotary hook 93 (see FIG. 4) is provided, and the rotary hook 93 is locked at the bottom of the storage container body 2 as shown in FIG. The storage container 2 can be fixed on the slide base 88 by being hooked on the piece 34. By sliding the slide base 88 toward the opening gate 62 with the storage container body 2 fixed on the slide base 88 in this manner, the front peripheral portion of the storage container body 2 becomes the peripheral edge of the opening gate 62. It can come into contact with the part.
The opening gate 62 is formed in a substantially square shape (see FIG. 11), and a seal member 91 made of, for example, fluorine rubber is formed around the container body transfer area 44 side. The front peripheral portion of the storage container body 2 that has been moved is pressed against the seal member 91 to ensure the sealing property of this portion.
[0024]
In addition, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the exhaust port 86 having a suction port 94 formed in a rectangular shape, for example, is provided in the upper part of the mounting table 64 in two rows on the left and right. The rectangular suction port 94 can efficiently suck the gas exhausted from the exhaust port 28 at the bottom of the storage container 2 placed on the slide base 88. The exhaust port 86 is connected to a factory exhaust duct (not shown) or the like, and is constantly sucked through the exhaust port.
[0025]
On the other hand, from the wafer transfer area 46 side of the opening gate 62, there is provided the opening / closing door 66 for opening and closing the door. The opening / closing door 66 has a box-like shape with one side opened as shown in FIG. 10 and is set slightly larger than the opening dimension of the opening gate 62. A seal member 96 made of, for example, fluorine rubber or the like is formed around the distal end side of the opening / closing door 66. When the seal member 96 comes into contact with the peripheral portion of the opening gate 62, the sealing property of this portion is improved. It is designed to increase. The opening / closing door 66 is attached and fixed to the tip of a rod 97A of an actuator 97 (see FIG. 3). Here, the rod 97A can move up and down and horizontally by a predetermined distance in the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively, as shown by an arrow 98 in FIG.
[0026]
The lid opening / closing mechanism 70 is provided integrally with the opening / closing door 66 (see FIG. 4). The lid opening / closing mechanism 70 is for opening / closing the opening / closing lid 12 of the storage container body 2. Specifically, the lid opening / closing mechanism 70 has a base 102 that can independently advance and retreat. , A pair of rotatable keys 104 are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction. The lock mechanism 14 can be locked and unlocked by fitting the key 104 into the key groove 18 (see FIG. 2) of the opening / closing lid 12 and rotating the key forward and reverse.
On one side of the opening gate 62, the gas injection means 84 and the interference member 106, which are features of the present invention, are provided. Specifically, the gas injection means 84 includes a gas injection pipe 108 (see FIG. 12) having a diameter of about 5 mm and erected on one side of the opening gate 62. A plurality of gas injection holes 110 are formed at predetermined intervals along the width direction, and the upper end is sealed. From the gas injection pipe 108, for example, nitrogen gas can be injected in the horizontal direction as an inert gas. Note that, as the inert gas, an Ar gas, a He gas, or the like may be used instead of the nitrogen gas. Also, when the atmosphere in the wafer transfer area 46 is in a low dew point dry air atmosphere, this gas injection is performed. The means 84 injects the aforementioned low dew point dry air, that is, low dew point dry air having a dew point temperature of −50 ° C. or less, preferably in a range of −60 ° C. to −100 ° C.
[0027]
Further, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the interference member 106 includes a cover 112 having a rectangular cross section provided so as to surround and cover the entirety of the gas injection pipe 108. The upper end is open and a plurality of gas outlets 114 having a large opening area in FIGS. 12 and 13 are formed in the middle thereof. The important point here is that, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 14, the gas injection holes 110 and the gas outlets 114 are not arranged on a straight line, but are provided with their directions shifted from each other. As a result, the nitrogen gas injected at a high speed from the gas injection holes 110 collides with the cover 112 and interferes with the cover 112, so that the power or the speed is reduced and the nitrogen gas flows out from the gas outlet 114. It has become. In this case, the gas outlet 114 is provided so as to face the storage container body 2 as shown in FIG. 5, and furthermore, as shown in FIGS. It is provided at a position facing the substantially central portion in the direction so as to face this, and improves the gas replacement efficiency as described later. In the illustrated example, the cross-sectional shape of the cover 112 is rectangular, but is not limited to this, and it is a matter of course that the shape may be another shape such as a circle.
[0028]
Next, the operation of the processing system configured as described above will be described.
First, the overall flow of the semiconductor wafer W will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the storage container 2 placed on the load port 50 from the outside is brought into a clean air atmosphere by the container transfer mechanism 68. After being taken into the container transport area 44 and temporarily stored in the stocker 51, or directly on the mounting table 64 of the introduction port mechanism 52.
Here, after the opening / closing lid 12 of the storage container body 2 is opened by the lid opening / closing mechanism 70, the clean air in the storage container body 2 is replaced by nitrogen gas injected from the gas injection means 84, and thereafter, When the door 66 descends, the opening gate 62 is opened. As a result, the inside of the storage container 2 is opened to the wafer transfer area 46 in a nitrogen gas atmosphere.
[0029]
Next, the plurality of semiconductor wafers W in the storage container body 2 are transferred to the processing object boat 54 by the processing object transfer mechanism 74, and when the transfer of the wafers is completed, the boat lifting mechanism 78 is moved. By driving, the wafer W is introduced into the upper processing container 56, where a predetermined heat treatment is performed on the wafer W.
Then, the wafer after the heat treatment is carried out of the processing system via a route opposite to the above-described route.
[0030]
Next, the operation of the introduction port mechanism 52 will be described in detail.
First, when the storage container body 2 is mounted on the mounting table 64, as shown in FIG. 8, the storage container body 2 is directly mounted on the slide base 88. At this time, the slide base 88 The positioning recesses 32 at the bottom of the storage container body 2 are fitted into the positioning projections 92 of the storage container body 2 so that the storage container body 2 is aligned.
Then, the rotation of the rotating hook 93 is coupled to the lock piece 34 of the storage container body 2, and both are integrally fixed. Then, the slide base 88 is moved horizontally to the opening gate 62 side, and the peripheral portion of the storage container 2 is brought into contact with the seal member 91 provided on the opening gate 62. FIG. 5 shows the state at this time. At this point, the opening gate 62 is still completely closed by the opening / closing door 66.
[0031]
Next, the lock mechanism 14 is released by driving the lid opening / closing mechanism 70 provided on the opening / closing door 66 and inserting the key 104 into the key groove 18 (see FIG. 2) of the opening / closing lid 12 and rotating. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the opening / closing lid 12 is removed, and the inside of the storage container body 2 is opened.
Next, a large amount of nitrogen gas is supplied as an inert gas into the gas injection pipe 108 of the gas injection means 84, and this nitrogen gas is injected vigorously from the injection holes 110 (see FIGS. 12 to 14) of each gas. . After the vigorously injected nitrogen gas hits the interference member 106 and interferes with it, the force of the nitrogen gas is weakened and the flow velocity is reduced. Then, the nitrogen gas exits from the gas outlet 114 and enters the storage container 2 already opened. It will flow in. At this time, the flow rate of the nitrogen gas is large, for example, about 100 to 200 liters / minute while the capacity of the storage container body 2 is about 40 to 45 liters. As a result, the pressure in the storage container body 2 into which a large amount of nitrogen gas is introduced rises, and the atmosphere in the container body is lowered through the exhaust port 28 (see FIG. 9) provided together with the check valve 30 at the bottom. Thus, the atmosphere in the storage container 2 can be quickly replaced with nitrogen gas without causing a wafer displacement or the like.
[0032]
At this time, the gas outlet 114 provided in the interference member 106 is disposed so as to face a substantially central portion of the storage container body 2 in the height direction (see FIGS. 9 and 11). Since the atmosphere can be efficiently or effectively guided to the exhaust port 28 side, the nitrogen gas replacement operation can be performed more quickly. This will be described later. The set pressure of the check valve 30 is, for example, 0.1 kg / cm. ² ~ 1kg / cm ² Within the range.
Then, the nitrogen gas discharged from each of the exhaust ports 28 is absorbed by an exhaust port 86 provided on the mounting table 64 and discharged to the outside of the system. Therefore, the nitrogen gas discharged from each of the exhaust ports 28 does not leak to the area where the worker works, and the safety can be maintained at a high level.
[0033]
After the atmosphere in the storage container body 2 has been replaced with the nitrogen gas in this manner, the actuator (see FIG. 3) that moves the opening / closing door 66 is driven to open and close the container as shown in FIG. The door 66 is moved in the horizontal direction by a predetermined distance while the opening / closing lid 12 is held, and is further lowered downward, so that the inside of the storage container 2 is transferred to the wafer in a nitrogen gas atmosphere. It is opened to the area 46 side. Subsequent transfer of the wafer W is as described above.
[0034]
As described above, in the present invention, when replacing the atmosphere in the storage container body 2 with the nitrogen gas, the nitrogen gas injected from the gas injection holes 110 of the gas injection means 84 is directly directed into the storage container body 2. Rather than injecting, the injected gas is caused to once collide with the interference member 106 to reduce its flow rate and then to be guided into the storage container body 2. The replacement operation with the nitrogen gas can be performed quickly without causing the wafer W in the body 2 to be displaced or lifted.
[0035]
Further, in the present embodiment, the gas injection means 84 is provided in a state where the gas injection means 84 is set up on one side of the opening gate 62. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the gas injection means 84 is set up on both sides of the opening gate 62. You may do so. However, the results of experiments were conducted with the gas supply means 84 provided on one side of the opening gate 62 (the case described above) and the gas injection means 84 provided on both sides with the same supply amount of nitrogen gas. The nitrogen gas replacement could be performed more quickly when provided on one side than when provided on both sides. The reason is that when the gas injection means 84 is provided on both sides of the opening gate 62, nitrogen gas supplied from different directions collides in the storage container body 2 to generate turbulence and the like. It is thought that this cannot be done efficiently.
[0036]
Next, a simulation was performed on the optimal position of the gas outlet 114 of the cover 112 of the interference member 106, and the evaluation results will be described.
FIG. 15 shows a diagram when a simulation for obtaining an optimum position of the gas outlet of the cover of the interference member is performed. As shown in the figure, here, a large number of gas injection holes 110 are provided over the entire region in the longitudinal direction of the gas injection pipe 108, and four gas outlets 114A to 114D are provided in a cover 112 covering the periphery thereof in the vertical direction. They are provided in order. Here, the uppermost gas outlet 114A corresponds to the upper portion of the storage container 2, the gas outlet 114B corresponds to the upper middle portion, the gas outlet 114C corresponds to the lower middle portion, and the lowermost gas outlet 114D corresponds to the lower portion. Corresponds to the department. In this simulation, each of the gas outlets 114A to 114D was selectively closed with tape to create various combinations of gas outlets.
[0037]
As a result, when any one of the gas outlets is opened and the other three gas outlets are closed, the flow rate of nitrogen gas from one of the opened gas outlets becomes too fast, and the wafer is exposed to the wind pressure. Undesirable vibration occurred. When only the two gas outlets 114B and 114C at the center are opened and the gas outlets 114A and 114D at the upper and lower ends are closed, for example, any three gas outlets are opened more than in any other combination. In this case, the oxygen concentration in the storage container 2 decreases faster than when only the upper two gas outlets 114A and 114B are opened, or when only the lower two gas outlets 114C and 114D are opened. It was found that nitrogen gas replacement was possible in the shortest time, which was preferable.
[0038]
Further, the processing system in the above embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to a processing system as shown in FIG. 16 as an example of another processing system. The processing system shown in FIG. 16 shows an embodiment in which the components related to the container transport area 44 in the preceding stage are almost omitted from the processing system shown in FIG. The stocker 51 is provided without being omitted. In this processing system, the worker and the automatic transport mechanism directly install the storage container 2 on the mounting table 64 (slide base 88) of the introduction port mechanism 52.
In addition, although a semiconductor wafer has been described as an example of an object to be processed, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the present invention can be applied to a glass substrate, an LCD substrate, and the like.
[0039]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the object introduction port mechanism of the present invention and the processing system using the same, the following excellent operational effects can be exhibited.
According to the invention according to Claims 1 to 4, the storage container after the inert gas or the low dew point dry air injected from the gas injection means provided on the peripheral portion of the opening gate is applied to the interference member to reduce the flow velocity, and Since it is made to flow into the body, the atmosphere in the storage container body can be replaced with a large flow of inert gas or low dew point dry air without adversely affecting the object to be processed, and the gas replacement operation can be performed quickly. Throughput can be improved.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, since the gas outlet is provided so as to face the substantially central portion of the opened storage container body in the height direction, the gas replacement operation in the storage container body can be performed more quickly. Thus, the throughput can be further improved.
According to the invention according to claim 6, the pressure inside the storage container increases due to the introduction of a large amount of inert gas or low-dew-point dry air, and the internal atmosphere is discharged to the outside via an exhaust mechanism. Exhaust gas is sucked through the exhaust port provided on the mounting table and is removed to the outside of the system, preventing the inert gas (no problem in the case of low dew point dry air) from flowing out to the worker's work area. And its safety can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a general storage container body for an object to be processed.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the storage container body with an opening / closing lid removed.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a processing system having an object introduction port mechanism according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a mounting table of the introduction port mechanism.
FIG. 5 is a view showing the operation when the opening / closing lid of the storage container placed on the mounting table is removed.
FIG. 6 is a view showing an operation when removing an opening / closing lid of a storage container placed on a mounting table.
FIG. 7 is a view showing the operation when the opening / closing lid of the storage container placed on the mounting table is removed.
FIG. 8 is a view showing an operation when the storage container body is mounted on the mounting table.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a storage container body mounted on a mounting table.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an opening / closing door for closing an opening gate and a lid opening / closing mechanism for attaching / detaching an opening / closing lid.
FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an opening gate (without opening / closing door).
FIG. 12 is an assembly process diagram showing a gas injection unit and an interference member.
FIG. 13 is a view showing the assembled gas injection means and interference member.
FIG. 14 is an enlarged sectional view showing the gas injection unit and the interference member after assembly.
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a state when a simulation for obtaining an optimum position of a gas outlet of a cover of an interference member is performed.
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of another processing system to which the present invention can be applied.
[Explanation of symbols]
2 Storage container
12 Opening / closing lid
40 processing system
44 Container transport area
46 Wafer transfer area (workpiece transfer area)
52 Introduction port mechanism
54 Object boat
56 Processing container
62 Open gate
64 mounting table
70 Lid opening and closing mechanism
74 Workpiece transfer mechanism
78 Boat lifting mechanism
84 gas injection means
86 Exhaust port
88 slide base
106 Interference member
108 gas injection tube
110 gas injection hole
112 Cover
114 Gas outlet
W Semiconductor wafer (workpiece)

Claims (7)

A storage container, which is substantially sealed and contains a plurality of objects to be processed, is placed, and the opening / closing lid of the storage container is removed, and the object to be processed in the storage container is opened with an inert gas through an opening gate. In the introduction port mechanism of the object to be taken into the atmosphere or the atmosphere of the low dew point dry air to be taken into the object transfer area,
A mounting table for mounting the storage container body,
An opening / closing door that closes the opening gate so that it can be opened and closed,
A lid opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing the opening and closing lid of the storage container body,
Gas injection means for injecting an inert gas or a low dew point dry air provided near the opening gate,
And an interference member for flowing the inert gas injected from the gas injection means once to reduce the flow velocity and then to flow into the opened storage container body. . 2. The introduction port mechanism for an object to be processed according to claim 1, wherein the gas injection unit is provided on one side of the opening gate. 3. The introduction port mechanism for an object to be processed according to claim 1, wherein the gas injection unit has a gas injection pipe provided with a plurality of gas injection holes along a longitudinal direction thereof. 4. 4. The introduction port mechanism for an object to be processed according to claim 3, wherein the interference member is formed of a cover provided so as to cover the gas injection pipe, and the cover has a gas outlet. 5. The introduction port mechanism for an object to be processed according to claim 4, wherein the gas outlet is provided so as to face a substantially central portion of the opened storage container body in a height direction. An exhaust mechanism for flowing gas substantially only in the exhaust direction is provided at the bottom of the storage container body, and the mounting table is provided with an inert gas flowing out through the exhaust mechanism or a low dew point drying. 6. The introduction port mechanism for an object to be processed according to claim 1, further comprising an exhaust port for sucking air. The open / close lid is removed from the storage container that is substantially sealed and contains a plurality of objects to be processed, the object to be processed is taken out, and the object to be processed is placed in an inert gas atmosphere or a low dew point dry air atmosphere. In a processing system in which a predetermined heat treatment is carried out by being carried into the performed object transfer area,
An introduction port mechanism for an object to be processed according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A processing container provided above the workpiece transfer area and configured to perform a predetermined heat treatment on the workpiece,
An object boat provided for mounting the object in multiple stages,
A boat elevating mechanism for lifting and lowering the object boat and inserting and removing the object boat into and from the processing container;
An object transfer mechanism that transfers the object between the object boat and the opened storage container body;
A processing system comprising:

Images