JP2005129706A - Pod clamp unit in pod opener, pod coping with pod clamp unit and clamping mechanism and method employing the pod clamp unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a clamping mechanism or the like having no possibility of contacting with the lower surface of a pod upon mounting the pod on a mounting table in a load port. <P>SOLUTION: The unit for clamping the pod is provided with and constituted of a horizontal cylinder fixed to the rear surface of the mounting table to expand or contract the horizontal cylinder rod into a first direction, a vertical cylinder fixed to the horizontal cylinder rod to expand or contract a vertical cylinder rod into a second direction, and a clamping member fixed to the vertical cylinder rod. In this case, the mounting table is provided with an opening, through which the vertical cylinder rod can be penetrated and which permits the existence of the clamping member on the surface side of the mounting table. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention is a so-called FIMS (front-opening interface mechanical standard) in which a pod is placed and used when a wafer internally held in a transfer container called a pod is transferred to a semiconductor processing apparatus in a semiconductor manufacturing process. About the system. More specifically, in a FIMS system in which a so-called FOUP (front-opening unified pod) is mounted and a semiconductor wafer is transferred from the pod, a pod clamp unit for fixing the pod to the FIMS system, the unit And a clamping mechanism and a clamping method using the unit.

  Previously, the semiconductor manufacturing process was performed in a so-called clean room in which the interior of a room for handling semiconductor wafers was highly cleaned. However, from the viewpoint of increasing the wafer size and reducing the cost required for clean room management, in recent years, only the interior of the processing apparatus, the pod (wafer storage container), and the minute space for transferring the substrate from the pod to the processing apparatus have been increased. A method of keeping it in a clean state has been adopted.

  The pod closes the opening, a main body having a substantially cubic shape having a shelf capable of holding a plurality of wafers in parallel and spaced apart, an opening used for loading and unloading the wafer on one surface thereof, and the pod. It consists of a lid. The pod in which the opening forming surface is arranged on one side surface (front side with respect to a minute space) instead of vertically below the pod is collectively referred to as FOUP (front-opening unified pod), and the present invention uses this FOUP. Is targeted.

  The minute space described above includes a first opening facing the pod opening, a door for closing the first opening, a second opening provided on the semiconductor processing apparatus side, and a first opening. A transfer robot that enters the pod and holds the wafer, and passes the second opening to transport the wafer to the processing apparatus side. The configuration that forms the minute space has a mounting table that supports the pod so that the pod opening faces the front of the door at the same time.

  On the top surface of the mounting table, a positioning pin that fits into a positioning hole provided on the bottom surface of the pod to define the mounting position of the pod and a clamped portion provided on the bottom surface of the pod are engaged with the mounting pod. And a clamp member that is fixed with respect to each other. Usually, the mounting table can move back and forth a predetermined distance with respect to the door direction. When the wafer in the pod is transferred to the processing apparatus, the pod is moved until the lid of the pod comes into contact with the door with the pod being placed, and after the contact, the lid is removed from the pod opening by the door. By these operations, the inside of the pod and the processing apparatus communicate with each other through a minute space, and the wafer transfer operation is repeatedly performed thereafter. FMS (front-opening interface mechanical standard) system including this mounting table, door, first opening, door opening / closing mechanism, wall that forms part of the minute space in which the first opening is configured Collectively.

  The clamp mechanism in the FIMS system is arranged on the mounting table side, with an engagement recess having a clamped part that protrudes toward the center of the recess so as to cover a part of the recess opening provided on the bottom surface of the pod. It is comprised from the clamp member made. As conventional clamp members, configurations disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 are known. The clamp member in the so-called front retaining system disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured by rotatably supporting the central portion of a substantially rod-shaped member having a hook claw formed at one end and connecting the other end to an actuator. The In the said structure, a clamp member is rotated by driving an other end with an actuator, and the key nail | claw becomes a mechanism engaged with the to-be-clamped part of a pod.

  However, in this configuration, when the pod is fixed, the key claw reaches the final stop position while sliding on the clamped portion. For this reason, there is a high possibility that particles and the like are generated, and such a configuration is not used in a FIMS system that extremely hates generation and presence of particles and the like. In recent years, instead of this configuration, a configuration comprising a center retaining (see Patent Document 2) system shown below or a front retaining system disclosed in Patent Document 3 has been used.

  In the center retaining method, a clamp member having a substantially T shape is used. Specifically, after the pod is placed at a predetermined position on the mounting table, the clamp member once rises, stops in a rotation space provided in the pod, rotates approximately 90 degrees, and then descends. Then, it engages with the clamped portion protruding so as to narrow the lower opening of the rotation space. In this configuration, unlike the case of Patent Document 1, the clamping member and the surface of the clamped portion do not rub against each other, so particles and the like resulting from this are greatly reduced.

  The front retaining system disclosed in Patent Document 3 uses a rotary clamp cylinder disclosed in Patent Document 4. In the rotary clamp cylinder, when the extendable piston rod changes from the extended state to the contracted state, the direction of the piston rod in a plane perpendicular to the extension / contraction axis rotates approximately 90 degrees. In practice, a clamping member is fixed to the upper part of the piston rod. In the clamping operation, the clamping member protruding from the surface of the mounting table has already entered the engaging recess with the pod mounted on the mounting table. By contracting the piston rod from this state, the clamping member is engaged with the clamped portion, and the pod is fixed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-164412 US Pat. No. 6,501,070 B1 US Pat. No. 6,281,516 B1 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-52305

  However, the center retaining method disclosed in Patent Document 2 requires a large rotation space for rotating the T-shaped clamp member in the pod. The opening of the rotating space is narrowed by the presence of the clamped portion, and is a space that cannot be directly accessed for cleaning or the like. The existence of such a difficult-to-access space is not preferable for keeping the pod clean.

  In the front retaining system, the presence of the difficult-to-access space as described above can be minimized by increasing the opening of the engaging recess to some extent. However, the rotary clamp cylinder used in the method needs to always extend the piston rod in a state where the pod is not engaged because of its configuration. For this reason, when the pod is placed on the mounting table, before the pod is positioned by the positioning pin, the lower surface of the pod and the clamping member at the tip of the piston rod come into contact with each other, and unnecessary impact is applied to the pod. There is a risk that a problem such as generation of particles or the like that should not be generated or generated should occur.

  This problem is that the T-shaped part protrudes from the surface of the mounting table due to positioning requirements due to the necessity of various configurations for rotating the T-shaped clamp member or the need for a large rotation area. The same can occur in the center retaining method disclosed in Patent Document 2 which must be performed. Furthermore, the clamp member disclosed in Patent Document 2 adopts a configuration that moves up and down with the movement of the mounting table, and from this point, the clamping member necessarily protrudes from the surface of the mounting table.

  In recent years, with an increase in wafer size, the pod itself has been increased in size and weight. For this reason, the possibility of occurrence of the above-described situation such as unnecessary contact and collision between the clamping member and the lower surface of the pod, which has not been a major problem, is becoming apparent. When the weight of the pod itself and all the wafers accommodated in the pod increases, there is a high possibility that the above-described unnecessary impact will increase, and it is necessary to prevent such a situation in advance.

  In recent years, there has been a demand to make such a FIMS system compatible with so-called open cassettes. However, the presence of such protruding portions other than the positioning pins on the surface of the mounting table makes it impossible to mount the open cassette on the mounting table.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and when performing a pod clamp for fixing a pod to a FIMS system, a member required for the clamp is not projected on the surface of the mounting table, and the clamped object is clamped. Provided are a pod clamp unit that makes only sliding contact with a part and minimizes an inaccessible region in an engaging recess, a pod corresponding to the unit, and a clamping mechanism or a clamping method using the unit. It is an object.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a pod clamp unit according to the present invention has a pod body that opens on one side surface and a lid that opens and closes the opening, and a pod that can accommodate a wafer therein on the surface of the mounting table. A pod clamp unit that fixes a pod to a mounting table in a pod opener that can be inserted and removed from the pod by opening and closing the lid, and is fixed to the back surface of the mounting table and is a horizontal cylinder rod A horizontal cylinder that supports one end of the cylinder and expands and contracts the horizontal cylinder rod in the first direction, and is fixed to the other end of the horizontal cylinder rod to support one end of the vertical cylinder rod and expands and contracts the vertical cylinder rod in the second direction. And a clamp member fixed to the other end of the vertical cylinder rod, and the vertical cylinder rod can pass through the mounting table. The clamp member has an opening that allows the clamp member to exist on the surface side of the mounting table, and the clamp member has a bottom surface of the pod when the pod is mounted on the mounting table surface when the vertical cylinder rod is contracted. It is characterized by being located at a predetermined height from the surface of the mounting table that does not come into contact with the mounting table.

  In order to solve the above problem, a pod clamp mechanism according to the present invention is a pod clamp mechanism including the above-described pod clamp unit and an engagement recess provided on the bottom surface of the pod. An engagement hole having an internal depth capable of accommodating the clamp member at a predetermined depth, an opening portion communicating with the engagement hole having a width capable of entering the clamp member, and the clamp member is driven in the first direction. Thus, it is possible to engage with a part of the clamp part, and to have a clamped part that closes a part of the engagement hole adjacent to the opening part.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a pod according to the present invention is a pod that has a pod body that opens on one side surface and a lid that opens and closes the opening and can accommodate a wafer therein, and the lid is opened and closed. And an engaging recess that is used when the wafer is placed on and fixed to the mounting table in the pod opener that allows the wafer to be inserted into and removed from the pod. An engagement hole having an internal depth capable of accommodating the clamp member at a predetermined depth, an opening portion communicating with the engagement hole having a width capable of entering the clamp member, and the clamp member being driven in the first direction By doing so, it is possible to engage with a part of the clamp part and to have a clamped part that closes a part of the engagement hole adjacent to the opening part.

  In order to solve the above problems, a pod clamping method according to the present invention includes a pod body that opens on one side surface and a lid that opens and closes the opening, and a pod that can accommodate a wafer therein. A pod clamp method for fixing a pod to a mounting table in a pod opener that allows the wafer to be inserted into and removed from the inside of the pod by opening and closing the lid, and the pod is positioned at a predetermined position on the surface of the mounting table. A step of projecting the clamping member disposed on the mounting table from the mounting table surface into an engaging recess provided on the bottom surface of the pod using the first cylinder, and the clamping member and the first cylinder. Adjacent to the opening of the engagement recess by moving in a direction opposite to the step of moving in a predetermined direction using the second cylinder and the direction of protruding the clamp member using the first cylinder It is characterized by a step of engaging the clamping portion and the clamping member.

  According to the present invention, the clamping member is present below the surface of the mounting table, and when the pod is mounted on the mounting table, the positioning operation using the positioning pins can be easily and smoothly performed. Become. Further, the mechanism required for driving the clamping member can be made simple and small by using an air cylinder or the like. That is, in the present invention, unlike Patent Document 4, the clamp mechanism is configured by using a plurality of small cylinders that can extend and contract the rod only in the position axis direction, so that the outer shape of the clamp unit is reduced and its weight is also reduced. It can be kept small. Therefore, the configuration according to the present invention can be used without greatly changing the arrangement of various mechanisms in the conventional FIMS system. As a result, it is possible to reduce the weight of the mounting table to which the clamp unit is fixed and to simplify the configuration thereof, and to simplify and reduce the weight of the mounting table transfer mechanism and further the configuration of the FIMS system. It becomes possible.

  Further, at the time of clamping, since the clamping member and the surface of the clamped portion do not move from each other, particles and the like due to rubbing of these members are greatly reduced. Further, the region of the engaging recess that is difficult to access from the outside is only the back surface of the clamped portion having the minimum size, and this portion can be easily cleaned.

  Embodiments of a clamping mechanism according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a clamp mechanism according to the present invention. The clamp mechanism according to the present invention includes an engagement recess 31 provided on the lower surface of the pod body 106 and the clamp unit 1 disposed in the FIMS system 140. The engagement recess 31 provided on the bottom surface of the pod body 6 covers the engagement hole 31b, the opening 31a of the engagement hole, and a part of the engagement hole 31b adjacent to the engagement hole 31b. And a clamped portion 33 protruding toward the center of the engaging recess 31.

  In the present embodiment, the depth of the engagement hole 31b is an internal depth at which a clamp member, which will be described later, can be accommodated at a predetermined depth, and the clamp member can move in the first direction substantially parallel to the mounting table surface. It is said. The pod body 106 is supported by a positioning pin (not shown) on the mounting table 119 and a substantially flat pod receiving surface, and the lower surface of the pod body 106 is the surface of the mounting table 119 as shown in the drawing with respect to the periphery of the clamp mechanism. It is maintained in a more separated state.

  The clamp unit 1 includes a clamp member 3, a vertical cylinder rod 5, a vertical cylinder 7, a vertical motion guide 9, a horizontal cylinder rod 11, a horizontal cylinder 13, and a horizontal cylinder guide 15. The clamp member 3 passes through an opening 119a formed in the mounting table 119 and is fixed to an upper end portion of a vertical cylinder rod 5 that can extend and contract in the vertical direction (the arrow direction indicated by A in the figure). The vertical cylinder rod 5 is clamped at a position where the lower surface of the pod body 106 and the clamp member 3 do not come into contact with each other when the pod body 106 is placed on the placing table 119 at the initial position (position indicated by a dotted line). Holding member 3 and waiting.

  The lower end portion of the vertical cylinder rod 5 is supported by the vertical cylinder 7 and can be expanded and contracted, and the expansion and contraction direction thereof is defined by a vertical motion guide 9 fixed to the vertical cylinder 7 body. The vertical cylinder 7 and the vertical motion guide 9 are disposed in a lower space of the mounting table 119. The vertical cylinder 7 is further fixed to one end of a horizontal cylinder rod 11 that can expand and contract in a direction substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the pod body (the arrow direction indicated by B in the figure). The other end of the horizontal cylinder rod 11 is supported by the horizontal cylinder 13, and its expansion / contraction direction is defined by a horizontal motion guide 15 fixed to the horizontal cylinder 13 or the mounting table 119. The horizontal cylinder 13 is fixed with respect to the mounting table 119.

  By having these configurations, the clamp member 3 stands by at a position where there is no possibility of coming into contact with the lower surface of the pod body 106 in the initial state, and in the clamping operation, the B (vertical) direction and the A (horizontal) direction. It is possible to drive independently in the direction. The horizontal direction and the vertical direction described here are directions that are defined for the lower surface of the pod for convenience, and are appropriately set as first and second directions that are orthogonal to each other according to the shape of the pod. It is desirable.

  Next, the actual clamping operation by these clamping mechanisms will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2A and 2B. The arrangement of the clamp member 3 in a state where the pod main body 106 is placed on the mounting table 119 and the positioning is performed by a positioning pin (not shown) or the like, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. It is located below the lower surface. During the clamping operation, the vertical cylinder rod 5 is extended by the vertical cylinder 7, and the clamp member 3 protrudes and enters the engagement recess 31. Subsequently, the horizontal cylinder rod 11 is shortened by the horizontal cylinder 13, and the clamp member 3 is moved together with the vertical cylinder 7 and the like in the direction in which the clamped portion 33 is disposed. This movement is stopped when the clamp part 3 reaches a predetermined horizontal position where it can be engaged with the clamped part 33. This state is shown in FIG. 2A.

  After the movement of the clamp member 3 and the like by the horizontal cylinder 13 is completed, the vertical cylinder rod 5 is shortened. This shortening operation is stopped when the clamp part 3a of the clamp member 3 and the engagement surface 33a of the clamped part 33 contact and engage. In this stop operation, it is preferable that the vertical cylinder 7 is automatically stopped together with the engagement by using a cylinder that cannot be driven beyond a predetermined load. By applying a predetermined load by the vertical cylinder 7 between the clamp portion 3a and the engagement surface 33a, the pod body 106 is fixed to the mounting table 119 with a predetermined load. .

  Note that the shapes of the clamp member 3 and the clamped portion 33 in the above-described embodiment are not limited to those shown in the drawings, but are shapes that are point-contacted with an appropriate load and do not slide or the like, The arrangement is not limited to this. In addition, since it is easy to avoid the application of an overload, each member is driven by an air operation method using a cylinder. However, the present invention is not limited to such an operation method, and may be used as those composed of various fibrillation methods that facilitate load control, position control, and the like.

  A FIMS system that actually has a clamp mechanism according to the present invention, a pod mounted on the FIMS system, a wafer transfer device to which the FIMS system is attached, and the like will be described below with reference to FIGS. Will be described. FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of a system for transferring from a pod such as a wafer to a processing apparatus including all these configurations. The system shown in FIG. 1 includes a micro space 105 in which a wafer transfer robot 114 is arranged in the center and kept in a highly clean state, and a substrate receiving stage on a processing apparatus side (not shown) provided on one wall of the space 105. 131, and a FIMS system 140 provided on the other wall of the space 105.

  The FIMS system 140 includes the other wall of the minute space 105, the opening 102, the door 103, and the mounting table 119. The opening 102 is provided on the other wall of the minute space 105. The door 103 allows the opening 102 to be closed from the inside of the space 105 and moved downward when the opening 102 is opened by a driving mechanism (not shown). The mounting table 119 can be mounted with the opening surface of the pod 106 facing the opening 102, and the pod 106 is moved close to or spaced from the opening 102 by the mounting table driving device 115 (see FIG. 4). It is possible. The pod 106 accommodates a plurality of wafers 7 at regular intervals in the vertical direction. A lid 104 for closing the pod 106 is fixed to the opening surface of the pod 106, and the lid 104 is held by the door 103 and moved downward together with the door 103 when inserting and removing the wafer in the FIMS system.

  FIG. 4 shows a schematic cross-sectional state of the mounting table 119, the opening 102, the door 103, and the configuration associated therewith in the FIMS system 140. The mounting table 119 is disposed on a table 109 integrated with the wall 110 in which the opening 102 is formed. The mounting table 119 is connected to the air cylinder 115 via the support member 123. The air cylinder 115 is fixed to the table 109 inside a rectangular hole 124 provided in the table 109, and is used to move the mounting table 119 toward or away from the wall 110. The amount of movement of the mounting table 119 in the direction of the wall 110 is regulated by the contact member 122 contacting the end of the rectangular hole 124.

  The horizontal cylinder 13 is fixed to the lower surface of the mounting table 119 as described above. Note that the arrangement and relationship of the elements constituting the horizontal cylinder and other clamping mechanisms are not particularly different from the contents described in the embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted here. By using the clamp mechanism having the above-described configuration, the surface of the mounting table 119 does not have a member protruding on the upper surface other than the positioning pins. Therefore, unnecessary contact between the bottom surface of the pod and the surface of the mounting table and accompanying wear of the bottom of the pod can be eliminated. Further, since the surface of the mounting table is substantially flat, it is possible to cope with an open cassette.

It is a side view which shows the schematic structure regarding the clamp mechanism concerning embodiment of this invention. (A) It is a figure which shows the operation state regarding the clamp mechanism shown in FIG. (B) It is a figure which shows the operation state regarding the clamp mechanism shown in FIG. It is the schematic which shows the Example of the FIMS system etc. which used the clamp mechanism concerning the present invention. It is a side view including the partial cross section of the principal part of the FIMS system shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1: Clamp unit 3: Clamp member 5: Vertical cylinder rod 7: Vertical cylinder 9: Vertical guide 11: Horizontal cylinder rod 13: Horizontal cylinder 15: Horizontal guide 31: Engaging recess 33: Clamped portion 102: Opening 103 : Door 104: Lid 105: Micro space 106: Pod body 107: Wafer 109: Table 110: Wall 112: Mounting table 114: Transfer robot 115: Air cylinder 122: Contact member 123: Support member 124: Rectangular hole 131: Wafer receiving stage

Claims (4)

A pod body that opens to one side surface and a lid that opens and closes the opening, and a pod that can accommodate a wafer therein is fixed on the surface of the mounting table, and the lid is opened and closed to open the wafer into the pod. In the pod opener that enables insertion and removal of the pod, a pod clamp unit that fixes the pod to the mounting table,
A horizontal cylinder fixed to the back surface of the mounting table and supporting one end of the horizontal cylinder rod and extending and contracting the horizontal cylinder rod in a first direction;
A vertical cylinder fixed to the other end of the horizontal cylinder rod, supporting one end of the vertical cylinder rod and extending and contracting the vertical cylinder rod in a second direction;
A clamp member fixed to the other end of the vertical cylinder rod;
The mounting table further has an opening through which the vertical cylinder rod can pass and allows the clamp member to be present on the surface side of the mounting table.
The clamp member is positioned at a predetermined height from the mounting table surface that does not contact the bottom surface of the pod when the pod is mounted on the mounting table surface when the vertical cylinder rod is contracted. A featured pod clamp unit. A pod clamp mechanism comprising the pod clamp unit according to claim 1 and an engagement recess provided on a bottom surface of the pod,
The engagement recess includes an engagement hole having an internal depth capable of accommodating the clamp member at a predetermined depth, an opening portion communicating with the engagement hole having a width into which the clamp member can enter, The clamp member is driven in the first direction so that it can be engaged with a part of the clamp part and has a clamped part that closes a part of the engagement hole adjacent to the opening part. Features a pod clamp mechanism. A pod having a pod body that opens on one side surface and a lid that opens and closes the opening and that can accommodate a wafer therein,
Having an engagement recess used when being mounted on the mounting table in the pod opener that opens and closes the lid and allows the wafer to be inserted into and removed from the pod, and is fixed to the mounting table,
The engaging recess includes an engaging hole having an internal depth capable of accommodating the clamp member in the pod opener at a predetermined depth, and an opening portion communicating with the engaging hole having a width into which the clamp member can enter. And a clamped portion that can be engaged with a portion of the clamp portion by driving the clamp member in the first direction and closes a portion of the engagement hole adjacent to the opening portion. Pod characterized by that. A pod body that opens to one side surface and a lid that opens and closes the opening, and a pod that can accommodate a wafer therein is fixed on the surface of the mounting table, and the lid is opened and closed to open the wafer into the pod. In the pod opener that enables insertion and removal of the pod, a pod clamp method for fixing the pod to the mounting table,
Placing the pod at a predetermined position on the surface of the mounting table;
A step of projecting the clamping member disposed on the mounting table from the surface of the mounting table on the bottom surface of the pod using the first cylinder;
Moving the clamp member and the first cylinder in a predetermined direction using a second cylinder;
Engaging the clamp member with the clamped portion adjacent to the opening of the engagement recess by moving the clamp member in a direction opposite to the projecting direction using the first cylinder; A pod clamping method comprising:

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