JP2004119488A - Vacuum suction apparatus, substrate transport plate, and substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum suction apparatus which can eliminate particles adhered to a placing part or the like of a vacuum suction apparatus without needing manual cleaning work or the like, and can restrain complication of device structure and increase of manufacturing cost by realizing elimination of particles with simple constitution, and to provide a substrate transport plate and substrate processing equipment. <P>SOLUTION: When a semiconductor wafer W is sucked and held and it is conveyed, a changeover value 5 is switched to suction source 4 side, Suction of a suction opening 2c is performed through a suction lateral 1a, and the semiconductor wafer W is sucked and held on the placing part 2. When cleaning of the changeover 2 is performed, the changeover valve 5 is switched to cleaning gas supply source 6 side, and gas for cleaning (e.g. air, nitrogen gas, etc.) is supplied from the cleaning gas supply source 6, through a suction lateral 3 and the suction lateral 1a. The gas is spouted from the suction opening 2c. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vacuum suction device for a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or an LCD substrate, a substrate transfer device, and a substrate processing device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or an LCD substrate is transferred or processed, a vacuum suction device is used as a mechanism for fixing the substrate.
[0003]
That is, in such a vacuum suction device, a suction port connected to a suction source such as a vacuum pump by a suction path is provided in a mounting portion on which a substrate is mounted. Then, by suctioning the suction port from the suction source via the suction path, the substrate mounted on the mounting portion is vacuum-sucked.
[0004]
In the vacuum suction device as described above, by performing suction, surrounding dust (so-called particles) may be attracted to and adhere to a mounting portion provided with a suction port. If the particles adhere to the mounting portion or the like in this manner, a problem occurs in which a vacuum leak occurs to lower the attraction force, or the particles adhere to the substrate to cause contamination.
[0005]
For this reason, in the vacuum suction apparatus, the mounting portion and the like have conventionally been regularly cleaned manually.
[0006]
Further, in a substrate processing apparatus having a substrate transfer apparatus provided with a vacuum suction device, a dedicated cleaning mechanism of a gas supply system or a scrub system is provided in the substrate processing apparatus, and a cleaning portion of the substrate transfer apparatus is cleaned by the cleaning mechanism. There is also one configured to be moved inside and washed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0007]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-10-256345 (page 4-5, FIG. 2-6)
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, in the related art, in order to remove particles attached to a mounting portion of a vacuum suction device or the like, cleaning has been performed manually manually on a regular basis, which causes a reduction in the operation rate of the device. was there. If a dedicated cleaning mechanism is provided, manual cleaning is not required. However, the provision of the dedicated cleaning mechanism increases the number of parts in the entire apparatus, complicates the structure of the apparatus, and increases the manufacturing cost of the apparatus. The problem that cost increases arises.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional situation, and can remove particles attached to a mounting portion or the like of a vacuum suction device without requiring manual cleaning work or the like, and Another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum suction device, a substrate transfer device, and a substrate processing device capable of suppressing the complexity of the device structure and the increase in manufacturing cost by realizing the removal of such particles with a simple configuration. .
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The vacuum suction device according to claim 1 includes a substrate mounting portion on which a substrate is mounted, a suction port provided in the substrate mounting portion, and a suction path connected to the suction port. A vacuum suction device for vacuum-sucking the substrate on the substrate mounting portion by evacuating the substrate through the suction port, wherein a cleaning gas is ejected from the suction port through the suction path, and A cleaning mechanism for removing the attached dust is provided.
[0011]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vacuum suction apparatus of the first aspect, the cleaning mechanism switches between a suction source and a cleaning gas supply source by a switching valve inserted in the middle of the suction path. It is characterized by comprising.
[0012]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vacuum suction apparatus of the first or second aspect, the substrate mounting portion is made of amorphous carbon, SiC, or Si.
[0013]
5. The substrate transfer device according to claim 4, wherein the arm for transferring the substrate, a pick provided at a distal end of the arm and provided with a substrate mounting portion for mounting the substrate, and provided on the substrate mounting portion. A substrate transfer device having a suction port provided and a suction path connected to the suction port, and configured to vacuum-suction the substrate on the substrate mounting portion by evacuating through the suction path. And a cleaning mechanism for ejecting a cleaning gas from the suction port through the suction path to remove dust attached to the substrate mounting portion.
[0014]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer apparatus of the fourth aspect, the cleaning mechanism switches between a suction source and a cleaning gas supply source by a switching valve inserted in the middle of the suction path. It is characterized by comprising.
[0015]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer apparatus of the fourth or fifth aspect, the substrate mounting portion is made of amorphous carbon, SiC, or Si.
[0016]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer apparatus according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects, when the cleaning mechanism causes the cleaning gas to be ejected from the suction port, the suction port faces the suction port. It has a cleaning gas reflecting member that can be arranged.
[0017]
In the substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 8, in the substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 7, a plurality of the picks are provided at intervals in a vertical direction, and a plurality of the members for reflecting the cleaning gas are provided corresponding to the picks. It is characterized by having been done.
[0018]
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transporting apparatus of the seventh or eighth aspect, the substrate is used as the cleaning gas reflecting member.
[0019]
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising: the substrate transporting device according to any one of the fourth to ninth aspects; and a substrate processing mechanism configured to perform a predetermined process on the substrate transported by the substrate transporting device. And
[0020]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0021]
FIG. 1 shows a main configuration of an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a semiconductor wafer W. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a semiconductor wafer W (not shown in FIG. 1). Shows a pick for holding. The pick 1 is disposed at the tip of loader arms LA1 and LA2, which will be described later. The semiconductor wafer held on the pick 1 by rotating, expanding and contracting, moving horizontally and vertically moving the loader arms LA1 and LA2. W is transported.
[0022]
The pick 1 is made of a thin plate-like member, and has a fork-like shape having two fingers at the tip end side. On the upper side surface of the pick 1, mounting portions 2 are provided at a total of three places, namely, a tip portion of a portion corresponding to two fingers and a root portion of these fingers.
[0023]
The mounting portion 2 is made of a conductive material and has a certain degree of hardness, for example, amorphous carbon, SiC, Si, or the like.
[0024]
The placement section 2 is made of a conductive material as described above in order to prevent particles from adsorbing to the placement section 2 due to static electricity. In addition, the mounting portion 2 is made of a material having a certain degree of hardness. When the mounting portion 2 is made of a soft material having a low hardness, a state in which particles are embedded in the surface of the mounting portion 2 is obtained. Therefore, it may be difficult to remove particles, and this is to prevent such a state.
[0025]
The shape of the mounting portion 2 is not limited to the shape shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and can be changed as appropriate. However, it is preferable that the contact area with the semiconductor wafer W is small, and It is preferable that the semiconductor wafer W has a shape that can reliably attract the semiconductor wafer W. In the case of the mounting portion 2 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outer diameter is substantially disc-shaped, and the outer circumferential mounting surface 2a and the inner portion of the outer circumferential mounting surface 2a are spaced from each other. The semiconductor wafer W is configured to be held by a concentrically double mounting surface including the provided inner peripheral mounting surface 2b.
[0026]
In addition, a suction port 2c is provided at the center of the mounting portion 2, and the suction port 2c is connected to a suction path 1a provided in the main body of the pick 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the suction passages 1a are provided corresponding to the respective mounting portions 2, and these suction passages 1a are communicated with each other in the manifold 1b. The manifold 1b and the suction source 4 including a vacuum pump and the like are connected by one suction path 3.
[0027]
A switching valve 5 is provided in the middle of the suction path 3, and the switching valve 5 can switch between the suction source 4 and the cleaning gas supply source 6.
[0028]
When the semiconductor wafer W is suction-held and transferred, the switching valve 5 shown in FIG. 1 is switched to the suction source 4 side, and the suction port 2c is suctioned through the suction path 3 and the suction path 1a. As shown by arrows in FIG. 4, the semiconductor wafer W is suction-held on the mounting portion 2.
[0029]
On the other hand, when cleaning the mounting section 2, the switching valve 5 shown in FIG. 1 is switched to the cleaning gas supply source 6 side, and the cleaning gas supply source 6 is switched to the cleaning gas supply source 6 via the suction path 3 and the suction path 1a. To supply a cleaning gas (for example, air, nitrogen gas, etc.), and eject the gas from the suction port 2c. Then, particles adhering to the mounting portion 2 are removed by an air flow of the cleaning gas ejected from the suction port 2c.
[0030]
When performing the cleaning of the mounting section 2 as described above, as shown in FIG. 5, the pick 1 is brought into close proximity to the cleaning gas reflecting member 10 and ejected from the suction port 2c as shown by the arrow in the figure. By causing the cleaning gas thus reflected to be reflected by the cleaning gas reflecting member 10 and impinge on the receiver 2, particles attached to the receiver 2 can be more efficiently and reliably removed.
[0031]
Although the cleaning gas reflection member 10 shown in FIG. 5 has a flat plate shape, the shape of the cleaning gas reflection member 10 is not limited to the flat plate shape, but may be appropriately uneven. And those provided with an inclined surface can be used. As described above, by changing the shape of the reflecting surface of the cleaning gas reflecting member 10, the airflow hitting the mounting portion 2 can be controlled.
[0032]
Further, the semiconductor wafer W held by the pick 1 can be used as the cleaning gas reflecting member 10. In other words, the switching valve 5 is switched to the cleaning gas supply source 6 in a state where the semiconductor wafer W is sucked and held by the pick 1, and the cleaning gas from the cleaning gas supply source 6 is directed to the back surface of the semiconductor wafer W. Let it squirt. At this time, the supply pressure of the cleaning gas needs to be controlled to such an extent that the semiconductor wafer W does not separate from the pick 1.
[0033]
Further, as a method of supplying the cleaning gas, for example, two of the three mounting portions 2 are connected to the suction source 4, and the semiconductor wafer W is sucked and held by these two mounting portions 2. On the other hand, the remaining mounting sections 2 are connected to the cleaning gas supply source 6 to clean particles adhering to one mounting section 2, and by repeating such a process, each mounting section 2 is cleaned. May be selectively cleaned.
[0034]
Next, a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus provided with the substrate transport device configured as described above will be described.
[0035]
As shown in FIG. 6, the substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of (two in the apparatus shown in FIG. 6) process ships PS1 and PS2 constituting a processing unit for performing a predetermined process on the semiconductor wafer W, and the semiconductor wafer W is transferred to these. It is configured in combination with a loader module LM to be transported.
[0036]
The loader module LM includes a plurality (three in the apparatus of FIG. 6) of load ports LP1 to LP3 for accommodating the semiconductor wafer W, a transfer chamber TR for transferring the semiconductor wafer W, and a substrate positioning device for positioning the semiconductor wafer W. (Orienter) OR.
[0037]
An orienter OR is connected to the transfer chamber TR, process ships PS1 and PS2 are connected via load lock doors LG1 and LG2, and load ports LP1 to LP3 are connected via load port doors CG1 to CG3. Have been. In the load ports LP1 to LP3, cassettes or FOUPs CS1 to CS3 (hereinafter, the case of cassettes) for storing unprocessed semiconductor wafers W and processed semiconductor wafers W are installed.
[0038]
In the transfer chamber TR, the substrate transfer device having the above-described configuration is provided, and the substrate transfer device is provided with two-stage loader arms LA1 and LA2. The pick 1 described above is disposed at the distal ends of the loader arms LA1 and LA2.
[0039]
The cleaning gas reflecting member 10 described above is disposed at an end in the transfer chamber TR. In the present embodiment, as described above, the loader arms LA1 and LA2 have a two-stage configuration, and the pick 1 is also provided in each of the loader arms LA1 and LA2, so that the pick-up arm has a two-stage configuration. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7, the cleaning gas reflecting member 10 is also provided in two upper and lower stages, so that the two picks 1 of the loader arms LA1 and LA2 can be cleaned simultaneously.
[0040]
The loader arms LA1 and LA2 carry the semiconductor wafer W between the load ports LP1 to LP3 and the process ships PS1 and PS2 (load lock chambers LL1 and LL2) and between the load ports LP1 and LP2 and the orienter OR (FIG. 6). (1) (2) (6) transport). The loader arms LA1 and LA2 have a two-stage configuration, so that one loader arm LA1 (LA2) carries in the semiconductor wafer W and the other loader arm LA2 (LA1) carries out the semiconductor wafer W. This allows the semiconductor wafer W to be exchanged efficiently.
[0041]
The process ships PS1 and PS2 are provided with load lock chambers LL1 and LL2 and process chambers PM1 and PM2. The load lock chambers LL1 and LL2 and the process chambers PM1 and PM2 are connected to each other via process gates PG1 and PG2. ing.
[0042]
The load lock chambers LL1 and LL2 are provided with wafer mounting tables B11, B12, B21 and B22 and load lock arms LR1 and LR2, respectively. The semiconductor wafer W loaded from the loader module LM is loaded into the wafer mounting tables B11 and B21. Is placed, and the semiconductor wafer W carried out from the load lock chambers LL1 and LL2 is placed.
[0043]
Further, the semiconductor wafer W carried into the process chambers PM1 and PM2 is mounted on the wafer mounting tables B12 and B22. The load lock arms LR1 and LR2 transfer the semiconductor wafer W between the load lock chambers LL1 and LL2 and the process chambers PM1 and PM2 (transfer of (3), (4) and (5) in FIG. 6). .
[0044]
The transfer chamber TR is opened to the atmosphere, and the load port doors CG1 to CG3 are kept open. Further, in order to prevent contamination, the process chambers PM1 and PM2 are maintained at a predetermined degree of vacuum. For this reason, in the load lock chambers LL1 and LL2, supply and exhaust are performed to correspond to the respective degrees of vacuum according to the transfer between the transfer chamber TR and the transfer between the process chambers PM1 and PM2. .
[0045]
Hereinafter, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus will be described by taking, as an example, a case where the transfer is performed between the load port LP1 and the process ship PS1.
[0046]
First, the loader arms LA1 and LA2 take out the semiconductor wafer W from the cassette CS1 placed on the load port LP1 and carry it into the orienter OR ((1)).
[0047]
When the steps such as the positioning of the semiconductor wafer W in the orienter OR are completed, the loader arms LA1 and LA2 take out the semiconductor wafer W from the orienter OR. Then, the load lock door LG1 of the load lock chamber LL1 is opened, and the loader arms LA1 and LA2 carry the semiconductor wafer W into the load lock chamber LL1 and mount the semiconductor wafer W on the wafer mounting table B11 ((2)). .
[0048]
When the semiconductor wafer W is mounted on the wafer mounting table B11, the load lock door LG1 is closed, the interior of the load lock chamber LL1 is evacuated, and the load lock arm LR1 moves the semiconductor wafer on the wafer mounting table B11. W is transferred to the wafer mounting table B12 ((3)).
[0049]
When the semiconductor wafer W is transferred to the wafer mounting table B12 and the semiconductor wafer W can be carried into the process chamber PM1, the process gate PG1 of the process chamber PM1 is opened, and the load lock arm LR1 is moved to the position above the wafer mounting table B12. The semiconductor wafer W is carried into the process chamber PM1 ([4]).
[0050]
When the semiconductor wafer W is carried into the process chamber PM1, the process gate PG1 is closed, and a predetermined process is performed on the semiconductor wafer W in the process chamber PM1. The predetermined processing is, for example, processing such as etching and film formation.
[0051]
When the processing of the semiconductor wafer W in the process chamber PM1 is completed and the semiconductor wafer W can be carried out to the load lock chamber LL1, the process gate PG1 is opened, and the load lock arm LR1 moves the semiconductor lock in the process chamber PM1. The wafer W is transferred to the wafer mounting table B11 ([5]).
[0052]
Then, the process gate PG1 is closed, and the atmosphere in the load lock chamber LL1 is opened. When the opening of the load lock chamber LL1 to the atmosphere is completed, the load lock door LG1 is opened according to the next loading timing of the semiconductor wafer W, and one of the loader arms LA1 and LA2 loads the semiconductor wafer W on the wafer mounting table B11. While being carried out to the port LP1 ([6]), the other loader arms LA1 and LA2 carry in the next semiconductor wafer W positioned by the orienter OR into the load lock chamber LL1 ([2]).
[0053]
When cleaning the mounting portion 2 of the pick 1, as shown in FIG. 7, the pick 1 of the loader arms LA1 and LA2 is connected to the two-stage cleaning gas reflection provided at the end of the transfer chamber TR. Is moved below the use member 10.
[0054]
Then, by switching the switching valve 5 shown in FIG. 1 to the cleaning gas supply source 6 side, the cleaning gas (for example, air, nitrogen gas, etc.) from the cleaning gas supply source 6 is changed as shown in FIG. Then, the mounting portion 2 of the two picks 1 of the loader arms LA1 and LA2 is cleaned at the same time by being ejected from the suction port 2c.
[0055]
Note that the particles removed from the mounting portion 2 of the pick 1 in this manner are immediately discharged from the transfer chamber TR due to the downflow formed in the transfer chamber TR, and may not be reattached to other parts. Is prevented.
[0056]
The above-described cleaning is preferably configured to be automatically performed at a predetermined timing set in advance, but is preferably configured to be performed at an arbitrary timing by a button operation or the like by an operator. .
[0057]
Further, the above-mentioned predetermined timing is preferably set for every fixed processing time or every fixed number of processed semiconductor wafers W. From the viewpoint of throughput, for example, processing of one lot is completed, It is preferable that the setting is made such that the processing is performed in a vacant time until the start of the processing of the next lot or in a vacant time in which the semiconductor wafer W is processed in the process chambers PM1 and PM2 and the transfer of the semiconductor wafer W is not required.
[0058]
By performing the cleaning of the mounting portion 2 as described above, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the suction force of vacuum suction due to the particles adhering to the mounting portion 2 and to prevent the particles from being attached to the semiconductor wafer W. Can be prevented from adhering and causing a defect. In addition, since a manual cleaning operation or the like is not required, it is possible to reduce labor and improve an operation rate.
[0059]
In addition, since a simple configuration can be achieved by using a suction path for vacuum suction, it is possible to suppress the complexity of the device structure and the increase in manufacturing cost.
[0060]
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to the case where the semiconductor wafer W is vacuum-sucked and transferred is described. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and may be applied to any vacuum suction device. It is possible to apply. Further, the substrate used in substrate processing and substrate transport is not limited to the semiconductor wafer W, but may be applied to any substrate such as an LCD substrate.
[0061]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to remove particles adhered to the mounting portion of the vacuum suction device without the need for manual cleaning work and the like, and to achieve a simple By realizing such particle removal by the configuration, it is possible to suppress the complexity of the device structure and the increase in manufacturing cost.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a schematic configuration of a main part of a substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a main part of the substrate transfer device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a view showing a vertical sectional configuration of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a suction operation of the substrate transfer device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a cleaning operation of the substrate transfer device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus provided with the substrate transfer apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating a main configuration of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 6;
[Explanation of symbols]
W ... Semiconductor wafer, 1 ... Pick, 1a ... Suction path, 2 ... Placement section, 2c ... Suction port, 3 ... Suction path, 4 ... Suction source, 5 ... Switching valve, 6 ... ... Purifying gas supply source.

Claims (10)

A substrate mounting portion on which the substrate is mounted, a suction port provided in the substrate mounting portion, and a suction path connected to the suction port, and by evacuating through the suction path, A vacuum suction device for vacuum suctioning the substrate on a substrate mounting portion,
A vacuum suction device, comprising: a cleaning mechanism for ejecting a cleaning gas from the suction port through the suction path to remove dust adhered to the substrate mounting portion. The vacuum suction device according to claim 1,
The vacuum suction device, wherein the cleaning mechanism is configured to switch between a suction source and a cleaning gas supply source by a switching valve inserted in the middle of the suction path. The vacuum suction device according to claim 1 or 2,
A vacuum suction device, wherein the substrate mounting portion is made of amorphous carbon, SiC, or Si. An arm for transporting the substrate, a pick provided at the distal end of the arm and provided with a substrate mounting portion for mounting the substrate, a suction port provided on the substrate mounting portion, and a suction port provided on the substrate mounting portion. A suction path connected thereto, and a substrate transfer device configured to vacuum-suction the substrate on the substrate mounting portion by evacuating through the suction path,
A substrate transport device, comprising: a cleaning mechanism for ejecting a cleaning gas from the suction port through the suction path to remove dust adhered to the substrate mounting portion. The substrate transfer device according to claim 4,
The substrate transport apparatus, wherein the cleaning mechanism is configured to switch between a suction source and a cleaning gas supply source by a switching valve inserted in the middle of the suction path. The substrate transfer device according to claim 4 or 5,
The substrate transfer device, wherein the substrate mounting portion is made of amorphous carbon, SiC, or Si. The substrate transfer device according to any one of claims 4 to 6,
A substrate transport device, comprising: a cleaning gas reflecting member that can be disposed so that the suction ports are opposed to each other when the cleaning gas is ejected from the suction ports by the cleaning mechanism. The substrate transfer device according to claim 7,
A substrate transport apparatus, wherein a plurality of the picks are provided at intervals in a vertical direction, and a plurality of the cleaning gas reflecting members are provided corresponding to the picks. The substrate transfer device according to claim 7, wherein
A substrate transport device, wherein the substrate is used as the cleaning gas reflecting member. 10. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: the substrate transfer device according to claim 4; and a substrate processing mechanism configured to perform a predetermined process on a substrate transferred by the substrate transfer device.

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