JP2004022767A - Wafer transporter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a patch wafer transporter for which forks assembled in multiple stages can be assembled easily and pitch adjustment can be performed easily, and which can be manufactured inexpensively and can eliminate warps or strains which are apt to occur in an integrated large-sized fork. <P>SOLUTION: A wafer clamp section is constituted of fork elements 1 which are symmetrical with respect to the center line, bases 2 which are separately arranged in a horizontal direction in a state where the elements are respectively attached to the bases 2, and a frame to which the bases 2 are attached. Before the pitch adjustment of the form is completed, the bases 2 provided in multiple stages in the frame are supported by means of positioning pins so that the bases 2 may swing independently. After the pitch adjustment is completed, the bases 2 are fixed to the frame with fixing bolts. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[Field of the Invention]
The present invention relates to a batch-type wafer transfer device used to transfer a plurality of wafers at once in a semiconductor manufacturing process.
[Prior art]
In a semiconductor manufacturing process, a plurality of brackets to which a fork holding a wafer is fixed are stacked in a wafer transfer device for holding and transferring a plurality of wafers at a time at a time, as described in JP-A-6-310585, and screwed. Is known. The apparatus of the above-described method is configured to position the brackets to which the forks are attached by the positioning pins, and to stack and fix the forks with screws. Since the apparatus has no adjustment mechanism, the processing accuracy of the brackets varies. In this case, the inclination of the forks and the pitch between the forks vary, causing problems such as interference with the wafers when the forks enter the wafer cassette. Therefore, components processed with extremely high precision are required. .
In addition to the above-mentioned publications, there is also known an apparatus, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-153817, in which a fork is adjusted one by one and assembled in a plurality of stages. In the device having the above-described configuration, when the adjustment of the fork occurs for some reason and the readjustment is required, the fork must be disassembled to the stage where the misalignment has occurred, and all the disassembled stages must be adjusted one by one again. However, re-adjustment requires a very large number of man-hours, making it difficult to easily maintain.
In addition to the above problems, the fork needs to be thin in order to penetrate into a wafer cassette in which a plurality of wafers are stored without interfering with the wafers. The demand for a fork capable of holding large-diameter wafers is increasing, and the fork becomes large and thin, so that the fork itself is likely to be twisted or distorted due to processing, and it is very difficult to adjust when assembling the device. I was
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a batch-type wafer transfer device capable of easily assembling and adjusting a pitch of forks to be assembled in multiple stages.
Means and Action for Solving the Problems
The present invention, as means for solving the above-mentioned problems, comprises a wafer gripping portion, a symmetrical fork element, a base, which is attached to the fork element, and which is disposed in a substantially horizontal direction, and a frame to which the base is mounted. Constructed and supported by positioning pins so that multiple bases arranged in multiple stages in the frame can swing independently, and after the pitch adjustment of the fork is completed, the base is fixed to the frame with fixing bolts To do.
By adopting a device configuration in which the symmetrically-mounted fork element is attached and the base that is arranged in a substantially horizontal direction and can swing independently can be adjusted, the inclination of each fork can be adjusted after assembly. It has become possible.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The batch-type wafer transfer device of the present embodiment includes a frame 3 and a base 2 attached to the frame 3 in a state of being arranged in a substantially horizontal direction and arranged in multiple stages in the frame 3 and fixed to each base. Symmetrical fork element 1.
The frame 3 includes a combination of a side plate 5, a top plate 4, a base plate 7, and a back plate 6. The side plate 5 is provided with a through hole through which a fixing bolt for fixing the base 2 is passed and a positioning pin 8 protruding inside the frame 3.
A screw hole for fixing the base 2 to the side plate 5 and a hole for a positioning pin are provided on a surface of the base 2 attached to the frame 3 in a state where the base plate 2 and the side plate 5 are arranged substantially horizontally apart from each other. The positioning pin 8 is provided and attached to the inner wall surface of the frame 3 so as to protrude therefrom. The base 2 is fixed to the frame 3 by fixing bolts 9 while the base 2 is swingably supported on the positioning pin 8 as a fulcrum. Have been.
A fork element 1 for supporting a wafer is attached to a base 2 attached so as to be separated from the frame in a substantially horizontal direction so as to protrude from a frame.
A wafer receiving seat 10 is mounted on the base side of the fork element 1, and a fixed claw 11 for gripping the wafer is mounted on a tip portion.
Next, a method of adjusting the fork will be described.
When the fixing bolt 9 on the side surface of the frame that fixes the base 2 is loosened, the diameter of the through hole for passing the fixing bolt 9 provided in the frame 3 is set to be slightly larger than the diameter of the normally provided through hole. Therefore, the base 2 to which the fork element 1 is attached can be swung with the positioning pin 8 as a fulcrum, and the fork is set within the swing range of the base 2 caused by the difference between the diameter of the through hole and the diameter of the fixing bolt 9. After the adjustment is completed, the fixing bolt 9 is tightened and the base is fixed to the frame 3 again to complete the adjustment.
【The invention's effect】
The batch-type wafer transfer device of the present invention is configured such that the wafer gripping portion includes a symmetrical fork element, a base to which the fork element is attached, which is disposed in a substantially horizontal direction, and a frame to which the base is attached. The multiple bases arranged in multiple stages can swing independently and the fork can be adjusted after assembly. It became possible to greatly shorten. In addition, since each base can be rocked independently, if the fork located in the middle position needs to be readjusted, it will be disassembled to the stage where the misalignment occurs, and disassembled. Unlike the conventional method, in which all steps must be adjusted one by one again, only the forks that require re-adjustment need to be adjusted, and the equipment configuration is excellent in maintainability and swings independently. Since the possible bases are individually adjusted and fixed to the frame, unlike the conventional method in which the bases are stacked, high-precision processing is not required, and it has become possible to manufacture the base at low cost.
Furthermore, by using a two-piece fork and a device configuration capable of adjusting the position of each fork element, it has become possible to solve the problems of twisting and processing distortion that are likely to occur in an integrated large sized fork.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view with a top plate removed. FIG. 3 is a top view with a top plate and a fork element removed. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional example. Explanation of code]
1 fork element 2 base 3 frame 4 top plate 5 side plate 6 back plate 7 base plate 8 positioning pin 9 fixing bolt 10 receiving seat 11 fixing claw

Claims (1)

In a batch-type wafer transfer device in which a base disposed on a frame substantially horizontally separated from the frame and a wafer holding portion composed of symmetrical fork elements fixed to the base are arranged in multiple stages, A configuration in which multiple bases arranged in multiple stages are supported by positioning pins so that they can swing independently, and the base is fixed to the frame with fixing bolts after pitch adjustment of the fork is completed Batch type wafer transfer device featuring

Images