JP2004091196A - Plate-like material transport apparatus and clearance regulating member - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent damage to a plate-like material by securing smooth vertical motion of a bolt to exhibit primary function of a shock absorbing member even if the bolt and a screw hole are shifted in a plate-like material transport apparatus in which the tip of a bolt loosely fitted in a bolt loose fit hole to move up and down is engaged with the screw hole, a suction pad having the screw hole is supported in suspended state through the bolt and the shock absorbing member loosely fitted to the outer peripheral side of the bolt, and in the suction pad, the shock in holding and releasing the plate-like material is softened. <P>SOLUTION: A clearance regulating member 21 is composed of a sliding cylinder part 23 slidably surrounding the periphery of the bolt, a taper part 24 formed like a skirt from one inner peripheral end part 23a of the sliding cylinder part 23 toward the outer peripheral end part 24a with the inner peripheral end part 23a entering between a bolt loose fitting hole 10 and the bolt 18 to thereby restrain looseness of the bolt loose fit hole 10 and the bolt 18, and a pressed part 25 pressed in contact with the end of a compression spring 22 extending from the other inner peripheral end part 23b of the sliding cylinder part 23 to the skirt part of the tapered part 24. The constructed clearance regulating member 21 is interposed in the clearance between the bolt loose fit hole 19 and the bolt 18. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plate-shaped object transfer device that holds and transfers a plate-shaped object, and a gap regulating member provided in the plate-shaped object transfer device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the process of processing a plate-like material, it is necessary to hold and transport the plate-like material when moving from a certain process to the next process or in the middle of a certain process. For example, in a plate-like object transfer device that transfers a thin plate-like object such as a semiconductor wafer, a cushioning material is used to reduce an impact given to the plate-like object during holding and prevent damage. (For example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-8-55896 (page 3, FIG. 2)
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-2000-106390 (page 5, FIG. 3)
[0004]
For example, in Patent Document 1, by forming the outer diameter of the shaft portion smaller than the inner diameter of the mounting hole, the shaft portion loosely fits into the mounting hole, and a gap is formed between the outer circumference of the shaft portion and the inner circumference of the mounting hole. Is formed. With such a configuration, the shaft portion can move up and down with the expansion and contraction of the cushioning material, thereby reducing the impact on the semiconductor wafer and preventing the semiconductor wafer from being damaged.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, usually, the porous member constituting the adsorption portion of Patent Document 1 is formed of porous ceramics, and the portion covering the porous member is formed of ceramics, and both are integrally formed by sintering, so that the heat shrinkage of the ceramics is caused. As a result, the shaft portion and the suction portion may not have a desired positional relationship, and a positional shift may occur.
[0006]
If such a positional shift occurs, the vertical movement of the shaft portion will not be performed smoothly, and the cushioning member will not be able to exhibit its original function, and there is a problem that the semiconductor wafer may be damaged.
[0007]
On the other hand, it is possible to increase the inner diameter of the mounting hole so as to be able to cope with such a displacement, but in this case, rattling occurs between the shaft portion and the mounting hole, so that the semiconductor wafer must be removed. There is a problem that the suction unit cannot be held at a predetermined position and cannot be transported to an appropriate position.
[0008]
Therefore, even if there is a displacement between the shaft part and the suction part, the smooth movement of the shaft part is ensured, and the original function of the cushioning material is prevented, thereby preventing damage to the plate-like material. There is a problem in doing.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As a specific means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a suction pad including a suction plate having a suction surface for sucking and holding a plate-like material, a plate cover covering a portion other than the suction surface of the suction plate, and a suction pad. What is claimed is: 1. A plate-like object transfer device comprising at least a suction pad support means for supporting in a suspended state and a transfer arm connected to the suction pad support means, wherein a screw hole is formed in a plate cover, and the suction pad The support means includes a bolt support portion having a bolt loose fitting hole corresponding to the screw hole, a bolt loosely fitted into the bolt loose fitting hole, supported in a suspended state and screwed into the screw hole, and an outer periphery of the bolt. A compression spring that loosely fits and biases the plate cover and the bolt support in a direction to separate the plate cover and the bolt support; and a compression spring that is interposed between the compression spring and the bolt support and is biased by the compression spring to push the bolt support. A gap regulating member that regulates a gap between the bolt and the inner peripheral surface of the bolt loose fitting hole by being attached, the gap regulating member slidably surrounds the outer periphery of the bolt. And a sliding skirt is formed in a skirt shape from one inner peripheral end to the outer peripheral end, and the inner peripheral end is inserted between the bolt loose fitting hole and the bolt to form the bolt loose fitting hole and the bolt. A plate-shaped object composed of a tapered portion that suppresses rattling, and a pressed portion that is pressed from the other inner peripheral end of the sliding cylindrical portion to the bottom of the tapered portion and in contact with the end of the compression spring. A transport device is provided.
[0010]
In this plate-like object transporting device, the suction plate is formed of porous ceramics, the plate cover is formed of ceramics, and the plate cover is formed with a fitting recess in which a nut having a screw hole is fitted. An additional requirement is that the nut is fixed to the concave portion via a bonding agent to form a suction pad, and that the gap regulating member is made of tetrafluoroethylene resin.
[0011]
The present invention is also a gap regulating member for regulating a gap between a bolt and an inner peripheral surface of a bolt loose fitting hole for loosely fitting the bolt, wherein the sliding cylinder portion slidably surrounds the outer periphery of the bolt. And a tapered portion formed in a skirt shape from one inner peripheral end to the outer peripheral end of the sliding cylindrical portion, and compressed from the other inner peripheral end of the sliding cylindrical portion to the skirt of the tapered portion. Provided is a gap regulating member including a pressed part which is pressed by contacting an end of a spring.
[0012]
According to the plate-shaped object conveyance device and the gap regulating member configured as described above, even if the position of the screw hole is shifted, the rattle between the bolt and the bolt loose fitting hole can be eliminated by the action of the gap regulating member. In addition, the sliding between the bolt and the gap regulating member can be ensured, and the compression spring interposed between the suction pad and the bolt supporting portion can function as a buffer member.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
As an example of an embodiment of the present invention, a plate-like object transfer device 10 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. Parts that are configured in the same manner as in the conventional example will be described with the same reference numerals.
[0014]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the plate-shaped object transfer device 10 is configured by connecting a suction pad 11 and a transfer arm 13 with bolts 18. As shown in FIG. 1, a gap regulating member 21 slides on the outer peripheral side of the bolt 18, and a compression spring 22 fits loosely.
[0015]
A bolt support portion 20 is formed at the distal end portion of the transfer arm 13, and the bolt support portion 20 has at least three bolt loose fitting holes 19 that penetrate vertically and loosely fit the bolt 18. .
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 3, the suction pad 11 has a suction plate 14 formed of porous porous ceramics and having a suction surface for sucking and holding a plate-like material, and a portion other than the suction surface of the suction plate 14 formed of ceramics. And a plate cover 15 supported in a covered state.
[0017]
Three concave portions 16 are formed on the upper surface of the plate cover 15, and a nut 17 having a screw hole 17 a is embedded in the concave portion 16 and fixed by a bonding agent. A suction path 15a communicating with a suction source is formed at the center of the plate cover 15. As shown in FIG. 4, the suction path 18 communicates with the suction plate 14, and the tube 15b shown in FIG. A suction force is supplied to the suction plate 14 from a suction source that communicates with the suction plate.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 5, the shaft 18 a of the bolt 18 is loosely fitted in the bolt loose fitting hole 19, and the bolt 18 is supported by the bolt support 20 in a suspended state. A male screw portion 18 b formed at the tip of the bolt 18 is screwed into a screw hole of a nut 17 embedded in the recess 16.
[0019]
A gap is formed between the shaft portion 18a of the bolt 18 and the inner peripheral surface of the bolt loose fitting hole 19, and a gap regulating member 21 is interposed in this gap. A compression spring 22 is loosely fitted on the outer peripheral side of the bolt 18 between the bolt support 20 and the suction pad 11, and the compression spring 22 is connected to the plate cover 15 and the bolt support 20. Are urged in a direction to separate them.
[0020]
The gap regulating member 21 is made of a member having a low coefficient of friction, for example, Teflon (registered trademark) which is a tetrafluoroethylene resin, and has a substantially triangular cross section in the illustrated example, as shown in FIG. , A sliding cylindrical portion 23 slidably surrounding the outer periphery of the bolt 18, a tapered portion 24 formed in a skirt shape from one inner peripheral end 23a toward the outer peripheral end 24a, and the other inner peripheral end. A portion to be pressed 25 is formed from the portion 23b to the skirt of the tapered portion 24, contacts the end of the compression spring 22, and is pressed upward by the urging force of the compression spring 22, as shown in FIG. As described above, the tapered portion 24 suppresses the rattle between the bolt loose fitting hole 19 and the bolt 18 by the inner peripheral end portion 23a entering between the inner circumferential surface of the bolt loose fitting hole 19 and the shaft portion 18a of the bolt 18. I do.
[0021]
In this manner, the bolt 18 is supported in a suspended state by the bolt support portion 20, and the male screw portion 18 b of the bolt 18 is screwed into the screw hole of the nut 17, so that the suction pad 11 is supported. , The bolt support 20, the compression spring 22, and the gap regulating member 21 constitute the suction pad support 12. The suction pad supporting means 12 is connected to the transfer arm 13.
[0022]
When the suction plate 14 and the plate cover 15 are integrally formed by sintering, and the horizontal position of the recess 16 is shifted, the vertical position of the screw hole of the nut 17 and the bolt loose fitting hole 19 is shifted accordingly. Therefore, the bolt 18 is suspended at a position shifted from the center of the bolt loose fitting hole 19.
[0023]
However, even if the bolt 18 is slightly deviated due to a vertical displacement between the screw hole of the nut 17 and the bolt loose fitting hole 19, the gap restricting member 21 can prevent the bolt loose fitting hole 19 from forming at the tapered portion 24. Since it is in contact with the inner peripheral surface, the gap regulating member 21 also deviates accordingly, and smooth sliding between the bolt 18 and the sliding cylinder 23 can be secured.
[0024]
Further, since the pressed portion 25 is pushed upward by the compression spring 22, even when the bolt 18 is deviated as described above, the contact between the pressed portion 25 and the compression spring 22 is ensured, and the suction pad 11 and the bolt A force acts between the support portion 20 and the support portion 20 in a direction away from each other. Therefore, also in this case, the function of the compression spring 22 as a buffer member is secured, and damage to the semiconductor wafer can be prevented.
[0025]
Further, when the gap regulating member 21 is pushed up by the compression spring 22, a force to move the gap regulating member 21 toward the center of the bolt loose fitting hole 19 acts on the gap regulating member 21. While maintaining the slidable state, the bolt 18 moves toward the center of the bolt loose fitting hole 19, and the suction pad 11 does not rattle against the bolt support portion 20.
[0026]
The plate-like object transfer device 10 configured as described above is mounted on, for example, the grinding device 30 shown in FIG. 7 or used alone.
[0027]
The grinding device 30 is a device for grinding a surface of a plate-like object such as a semiconductor wafer. A plate-like object to be ground, for example, a semiconductor wafer W is housed in a cassette 31 and is temporarily stored by a loading / unloading means 32. After being carried out to 33, it is adsorbed by the first plate-like object transfer device 10 arranged in the vicinity thereof and transferred to the chuck table 35 rotatably supported by the turntable 34.
[0028]
When the semiconductor wafer placed on the temporary placing table 33 is sucked and the sucked semiconductor wafer is placed on the chuck table 35, the horizontal rotation of the transfer arm 13 and the lowering of the suction pad 11 cause the semiconductor wafer shown in FIG. 5 is in contact with the semiconductor wafer. At this time, the impact is alleviated by the compression spring 22 and even if the position of the screw hole of the nut 17 and the position of the bolt 18 are shifted, the sliding of the bolt 18 and the sliding cylinder portion 23 is performed by the action of the gap regulating member 21. Since the movement is performed smoothly and the compression spring 22 functions as a buffer member, damage to the semiconductor wafer can be prevented.
[0029]
The semiconductor wafer held on the chuck table 35 is sequentially positioned immediately below the first grinding means 36 and the second grinding means 37 by the rotation of the turntable 34, and a rotating grinding wheel 38 constituting each grinding means, After being ground to a desired thickness by 39, the turntable 34 is rotated to be positioned near the second plate-like material transfer device 10.
[0030]
Then, the suction plate 14 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 comes into contact with the ground semiconductor wafer held by the chuck table 35 and is sucked by the rotation of the transfer arm 13 in the horizontal direction and the lowering of the suction pad 11. At this time as well, the impact is alleviated by the compression spring 22 and even if the position of the nut 17 and the position of the bolt 18 are shifted, the sliding of the bolt 18 and the sliding cylinder portion 23 is smoothly performed by the action of the gap regulating member 21. Since the compression spring 22 functions as a buffer member, damage to the semiconductor wafer can be prevented.
[0031]
Next, the semiconductor wafer W is transferred to the cleaning unit 40 by the rotation of the transfer arm 13, and is placed on the holding table 41. At this time, the impact is alleviated by the compression spring 22 in the same manner as described above, and even if the position of the nut 17 and the bolt 18 is shifted, the bolt 18 and the sliding cylinder 23 Is smoothly performed, and the compression spring 22 functions as a buffer member, so that damage to the semiconductor wafer can be prevented.
[0032]
Finally, the semiconductor wafer W cleaned by the cleaning unit 40 is stored in the cassette 42 by the loading / unloading unit 21.
[0033]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the plate-shaped object conveying device and the gap regulating member according to the present invention, even when the position of the screw hole is shifted, the rattle between the bolt and the bolt loose fitting hole is eliminated by the action of the gap regulating member. As well as securing the sliding between the bolt and the gap regulating member and allowing the compression spring interposed between the suction pad and the bolt support to function as a cushioning member, preventing damage to the semiconductor wafer. can do.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a plate-like object transfer device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the plate-like object transfer device.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a suction pad.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the suction pad.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a support state of the suction pad.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of a gap regulating member according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a grinding device which is an example of a device on which the plate-like object transfer device according to the present invention is mounted.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Plate-like object conveyance apparatus 11 ... Suction pad 12 ... Suction pad support means 13 ... Transfer arm 14 ... Suction plate 15 ... Plate cover 16 ... Depression 17 ... Nut 18 ... Suction path 18a ... Shaft part 18b ... Male screw part 19 ... Bolt loose fitting hole 20 Bolt support 21 Gap regulating member 22 Compression spring 23 Sliding cylinder 23a Inner peripheral end 24 Tapered part 24a Outer peripheral end 25 Pressed part 30 Grinding device 31 Cassette 32 ... Carry-in / out means 33 ... Temporary placing table 34 ... Turntable 35 ... Chuck table 36 ... First grinding means 37 ... Second grinding means 38, 39 ... Grinding wheel 40 ... Cleaning means 41 ... Holding table 42 ... Cassette

Claims (4)

A suction pad including a suction plate having a suction surface for suction holding the plate-like material and a plate cover covering a portion other than the suction surface of the suction plate; suction pad support means for supporting the suction pad in a suspended state; A plate-shaped object transfer device including at least a transfer arm connected to the suction pad support means,
Screw holes are formed in the plate cover,
The suction pad support means, a bolt support portion formed with a bolt loose fitting hole corresponding to the screw hole,
A bolt loosely fitted in the bolt loose fitting hole and supported in a suspended state and screwed into the screw hole; and a bolt loosely fitted on the outer periphery of the bolt to separate the plate cover from the bolt supporting portion. A compression spring that urges
The gap between the bolt and the inner peripheral surface of the bolt loose fitting hole is interposed between the compression spring and the bolt support, and is urged by the compression spring and pressed against the bolt support. And a gap regulating member that regulates
A sliding cylinder portion that slidably surrounds an outer periphery of the bolt;
The sliding cylindrical portion is formed in a skirt shape from one inner peripheral end to the outer peripheral end, and the inner peripheral end is inserted between the bolt loose fitting hole and the bolt to form the bolt loose fitting hole. And a tapered portion for suppressing backlash between the bolt and
A plate-like object conveying device comprising: a pressed portion which extends from the other inner peripheral end of the sliding cylinder portion to the skirt portion of the tapered portion and is pressed in contact with the end of the compression spring. The suction plate is formed of porous ceramics, the plate cover is formed of ceramics, and the plate cover is formed with a fitting recess in which a nut having a screw hole is fitted, and the fitting recess is formed through a bonding agent. The plate-like object conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the suction pad is formed by fixing the nut. 3. The plate-like object conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the gap regulating member is formed of a tetrafluoroethylene resin. A gap regulating member that regulates a gap between a bolt and an inner peripheral surface of a bolt loose fitting hole for loosely fitting the bolt,
A sliding cylinder portion slidably surrounding the outer periphery of the bolt,
A tapered portion formed in a skirt shape from one inner peripheral end to the outer peripheral end of the sliding cylindrical portion,
And a pressed portion which is pressed from the other inner peripheral end of the sliding cylindrical portion to the skirt of the tapered portion so as to contact and press the end of the compression spring.

Images