JP2006005072A - Substrate carrying and keeping container and its using method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate carrying and keeping container which does not cause any air current and does not suck any contaminated particles when a fan is operated at the time of opening the container by the latching operation performed for fixing the container, and to provide a method of using the container. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate carrying and keeping container houses substrates and, at the same time, is constituted of a container main body having an opening for carrying out and in the substrates and a door which can open and close the opening. The container is provided with an environmental box having a means which contains the fan and forms an air current, a locking mechanism which locks the door, and a sensor which detects the opening and closing locking operation of the locking mechanism. The sensor is attached to the claw of the locking mechanism of the container, and detects the locked state of the door. Before the substrate carrying and keeping container is opened, the operation of the fan contained in the environmental box is stopped by transmitting a stop signal to the fan before the unlocking operation of the locking mechanism is started. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, a door of a substrate transport storage container and a lock of a container body (Pod) suitable for use in storing or transporting a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer, a photomask or a hard disk in an extremely clean atmosphere. More particularly, the present invention relates to a lock mechanism for the substrate transport storage container (pod).

When storing or transporting a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal device, or the like, if fine particles such as dust or gaseous contaminants adhere to the substrate, the substrate is contaminated, leading to a decrease in device manufacturing yield. For this reason, in order to store and transport substrates that require high cleanliness, such as semiconductor wafers and glass substrates, create a clean space free of particulates and other contaminants and gaseous contaminants, and place the substrate in that space. It is necessary to store, store and transport.
Equipped with a fan motor, HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter, and ULPA (ultra low penetration air) filter to create a clean space to accommodate the substrate when transporting and storing the substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or magnetic disk. Substrate transport and storage containers have been developed. In such a substrate transport and storage container, a gaseous impurity removal filter such as a chemical filter is disposed in order to further avoid the adverse effects of gaseous pollutants. Further, a humidity removing means such as a desiccant is disposed to reduce the humidity.

  In order to prevent human mistakes caused by workers and contamination of substrates such as semiconductor wafers by trace amounts of ammonia and organic substances generated by workers, it is effective to keep workers away from the substrate handling space. There is an introduction of automation equipment. The substrate transfer container corresponding to this automation equipment is, for example, a SMIF (Standard Mechanical Interface) container (Pod) as shown in FIG. 3 (a), or a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) as shown in FIG. 3 (b). This transport container is positioned at a predetermined position and used together with a door opener for opening and closing the door from the outside and a transport device for automatic transport. The SMIF container (Pod) and FOUP are sealed containers, and the cleanliness outside the container, that is, cleanliness of the clean room can be relaxed.

As described above, a substrate transfer storage container is used for transferring and storing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a magnetic disk. However, the wafer transfer storage container (substrate transfer storage container) has the following problems. Exists.
(1) The substrate transport and storage container is composed of a container (pod) and a door, and both can be fixed by a claw-shaped locking mechanism, but has a mechanism for detecting whether or not the locked state is present. Absent.
(2) The door opening / closing detection mechanism of the environmental box uses the magnet sensor 15 mounted on the door and the pod as shown in FIG. 5. In this case, the pod (container) and the door overlap each other. Sensor detection is performed only at the open position.
“Patent Document 1” includes an air purifier and / or a dehumidifier, and has a detection sensor in a door and / or container in a substrate transport storage container for storing a substrate, and when the door is open, A substrate transport container equipped with an air purifier and / or a dehumidifier characterized by stopping the operation of the air purifier and / or dehumidifier is described.

(3) However, when the door is opened, the above sensor can detect the open state and stop the fan. However, as shown in FIG. Since the fan cannot be stopped in advance, there is a concern that particles may be sucked or swollen by airflow generated by the operation of the fan at the moment when the door is opened. This is because the seal between the pod (container) and the door becomes ineffective before the sensor detects the opening of the door, as shown in FIG.
In the substrate transfer container of FIG. 4, an example is shown in which the flow of airflow from the fan to the filter and the wafer returns to the fan along the left and right inner wall surfaces of the container.
JP 2002-261159, page 2

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for detecting a locked state of a door and a container (Pod) in a wafer transport / storage container (substrate transport / storage container), which has an unprecedented type. When opening a wafer transfer storage container (substrate transfer storage container), it is desirable that there is no circulating airflow in the container so that no external atmosphere is involved, and the container is opened by detecting a latch operation for fixing the container (Pod). Providing a substrate transport storage container (hereinafter referred to as a substrate transport container) that does not generate airflow when the container is opened, and that does not suck particles or lift up, and its operation method. It is an object to do.
In addition, as the demand for semiconductor products diversifies in the future, it is expected that the proportion of products produced in small quantities and large quantities such as DRAMs and MPUs will increase from products produced in small quantities and quantities such as system LSIs. However, there is a need for equipment capable of easily and quickly rearranging semiconductor processing processes. However, the present invention is an automated semiconductor manufacturing factory for semiconductor devices including semiconductor chips for high-mix low-volume production. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate transport container suitable for use in production or the like and a method for using the same.

The present invention has solved the above problems by the following means (1) to (5).
(1) A substrate transport and storage container comprising a container main body having an opening for loading and unloading a substrate and a door capable of opening and closing the opening, and the substrate transport and storage container includes a fan A substrate transport and storage container comprising an environmental box having a means for forming an air flow and a lock mechanism for locking the door, and provided with a sensor for detecting an open / close lock operation of the lock mechanism.
(2) The substrate transport storage container according to (1), wherein the sensor is attached to a claw of a lock mechanism of the substrate transport storage container, and the locked state is detected by the sensor.
(3) The substrate according to (1) or (2), wherein the environmental box includes at least a particulate contaminant removal filter, a gaseous impurity trapping filter, a fan motor, a fan, and a dehumidifier unit. Transport storage container.
(4) A stop signal is transmitted to the fan of the environmental box before the unlocking operation of the lock mechanism is started, and the operation of the fan of the environmental box is stopped before the substrate transfer storage container is opened. The substrate carrying and storing container according to any one of (1) to (3), which is characterized in that

(5) An environmental box having a means for accommodating a substrate and having an opening for opening and closing the substrate and a door capable of opening and closing the substrate, and a means for forming an air flow with a built-in fan. And a lock mechanism for locking the door, and a sensor for detecting an open / close lock operation of the lock mechanism, wherein the sensor is attached to the lock mechanism of the substrate transfer storage container. A method of using a substrate transporting and storing container characterized by detecting the start of an open / close lock operation of the, and sending a stop signal to the fan of the environmental box and stopping the operation of the fan before the door is opened to stop the internal airflow.

  According to the present invention, a sensor is attached to a claw or the like that is a lock mechanism for a substrate transport container, and the locked state is detected before the door is opened. Can be opened, and the semiconductor substrate can be transported and stored in a good state.

The best mode for carrying out the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiments and examples.

Next, an embodiment of the substrate transport container of the present invention will be described. First, general functions of the substrate transfer container corresponding to automation will be described. For example, a substrate transfer container for storing a plurality of semiconductor wafers is composed of at least the following parts.
(A) a container body having a square inverted cup shape;
(B) a door that engages with the container body and incorporates a mechanism for opening and closing from the outside;
(C) holding means for holding the substrate in the container at a predetermined interval;
(D) a retainer for preventing wafer vibration;
(E) Grasping means for handling the container.

  The container body is generally made of a polymer material in which a transparent material is partially used for a transparent material or an opaque material from which an internal storage can be confirmed. The door is provided with a positioning hole for guiding an open / close latch pin or the like from the outside, and further includes a mechanism for locking and unlocking in conjunction with the operation of the open / close latch pin from the outside. This latch function has been commercialized to operate by mechanical drive, or to assist fixing by vacuum or compressed air and magnets. The gripping means is disposed on the container ceiling or the side wall, and includes a flange shape having a positioning notch for gripping by a robot and a shape that can be gripped and handled by a person. In the embodiment of the present invention, any method may be adopted as the basic requirement as the automation-compatible container as long as it satisfies the function.

  FIG. 6 shows a specific conceptual diagram of a substrate transfer container for transferring a semiconductor wafer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate transfer container of FIG. 6 includes a container main body 1, a door 2, an environmental box 3, a cassette 4, and a particulate contaminant removal filter 5, a gaseous impurity trapping filter 6, a fan motor 7 and a dehumidifier provided in the environmental box. The unit 8, the arithmetic processing unit 9, the secondary battery 10, and the like are included, but some of them are not shown because they are drawings in one direction. Moreover, although the door opening / closing detection sensor attached to the nail | claw which is a locking mechanism of the container main body 1 is attached to FIG. 6, it is not illustrated.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing the relationship between the door locking mechanism and the sensor as one embodiment of the present invention, and the sensor 11 is attached to the tip of the L-shaped piece at the end of the locking mechanism. When the locking mechanism is opened (released), the L-shaped piece rotates around the hinge 14 to loosen the door 2 from being crimped to the end of the container 1. Since the sensor 11 at the tip of the piece moves, the movement is detected by the sensor 11 arranged on the container 1 side, and the rotation of the fan in the container 1 is stopped. In this case, since the time required for the stop is short, the L-shaped piece moves and the door 2 is crimped to the door seal packing 13 at the end of the container 1 compared to the time until a gap is formed. There will be no problems.

The door opening / closing detection sensor is attached to detect the opening / closing of the door and adjust the operation of the fan motor and / or the dehumidifier. When the door is open, the operation is stopped or the rotation speed of the fan motor is adjusted to prevent inhaling contaminated air outside the transport container. The operation of the air purifier may be adjusted by detecting the presence or absence of a cassette and / or wafer instead of opening and closing the door.
Further, in order to manage the wafer ID, history, and status for each batch, a memory chip may be mounted on the substrate transfer container to manage the process data. The container is composed of a container body (pod) 1 and a door 2, which are fixed by, for example, a stopper, a latch mechanism, etc., and block contamination from the outside environment.

FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of the lock mechanism (latch mechanism) of the substrate transport container of FIG. 6 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a substrate transfer container, and a circle 11 indicated by a dotted line indicates that a sensor 11 and a signal line 12 for operating the lock mechanism are attached to a claw of the lock mechanism. In this invention, it was set as the mechanism which detects a locked state with the sensor attached to the said nail | claw. Furthermore, an environment box 3 is provided as an embodiment of the present invention. Although not shown, the environmental box 3 is provided with at least a particulate contaminant removal filter 5, a gaseous impurity trapping filter 6, a fan motor 7 and a dehumidifier unit 8 as in FIG.

FIG. 2A is an enlarged view showing that the lock is in an open state, and FIG. 5B is an enlarged view showing that the container is in a locked state. When the container is unlocked and opened, the sensor detects it and a signal is sent through the signal line 12 to stop the fan. As a result, the internal airflow is stopped before the door is opened. The door lock state can be indicated by an LED by a signal.
FIG. 2C is an enlarged view showing that a sensor for detecting a lock state is installed on the claw of the lock mechanism of the substrate transport container.

As described above, as a result of adopting the locking mechanism of the present invention, the cleaning environment of the substrate transfer container has been remarkably improved by improving the following operating conditions (1) to (4).
(1) Since the sensor is attached to the claw, which is a locking mechanism of the container, and the locking state can be detected, the locking state can be monitored.
(2) The fan can be stopped before the door is opened, and the door can be opened with the internal airflow stopped.
(3) The locked state can be confirmed from the outside by LED display, and it can be confirmed whether or not the pod is locked when manually opening and closing the pod. It can be prevented from lifting or opening.
(4) By communicating the opening / closing state to the container (pod) -door automatic opening / closing opener, it is possible to prevent malfunction of the opening / closing operation.

  Any type of locking mechanism can be used for the substrate transfer container of the present invention. However, the locking mechanism for fixing the door 2 to the container body 1 includes a mechanical locking mechanism provided inside the door, the container, There are those provided with a magnet (electromagnet) on the sealing surface of the door, and those provided with a vacuum chuck on the sealing surface of the container and the door. The vacuum chuck obtains suction capability from a vacuum source, such as a vacuum pump. Moreover, you may attach the door 2 to the container 1 by making the pressure in the whole container into a negative pressure.

  The air inside the substrate transport container is forcibly circulated by the fan motor 7 of the environmental box according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the dehumidifying agent or dehumidifying unit 8, the gaseous impurity capturing filter 6, and the particulate contaminant removing filter. The impurities are positively removed by 5. If particle contamination does not become a problem, the particulate contaminant removal filter 5 may be omitted. A terminal for supplying power from outside may be provided outside the substrate transport container, and power for driving the fan motor and / or dehumidifier may be supplied from outside. It is desirable to reduce the generation of metal particles by usually metal plating (gold plating, copper plating) on the terminal surface. Due to the deterioration due to the continuous use of the terminal, the concern about the generation of metal particles cannot be completely wiped out. Especially when the terminal is near the pot-door opening / closing part, there is a concern about air entrainment around the door when the door is opened, but by sensing the door opening / closing lock mechanism operation while performing metal plating of the terminal, Single layer substrate metal particle contamination can be prevented. When supplying power from the outside, supply power after confirming the existence of the substrate transport container and the necessity of power supply, or confirming that the external power connector and the power supply terminal of the substrate transport container are connected. Is desirable. This is because it is used in a clean room, and sparking between electrical terminals generates metal particles and contaminates the clean room.

  A plurality of silicon wafers W are stored in a wafer carrier (cassette) 4 and stored in a substrate transfer container. A gaseous impurity capturing filter 6 and a dehumidifying agent unit 8 are disposed inside the substrate transport container. As the gaseous impurity trapping filter 6, ion exchange nonwoven fabric, activated carbon fiber, zeolite or the like is used, and gaseous contaminants (impurities) such as hydrocarbons and ammonia in the substrate transport container are removed. For example, silica gel is used as the dehumidifying agent unit 8 to remove moisture in the substrate transport container. It is desirable that these take as much surface area as possible in order to increase the trapping efficiency of gaseous pollutants and the dehumidification efficiency. As the filter shape, a waveform, a fold or the like is desirable. It is desirable that the area of the ion exchange nonwoven fabric or activated carbon fiber has 10% or more, preferably 20% or more, of the surface area inside the substrate transfer container. Desirably, the dehumidifying agent has a moisture absorption capacity of 0.1 g or more and 0.4 g or less, preferably 0.5 g or more and 3 g or less per 1 L of the space volume to be dehumidified in order to reduce replacement frequency.

  The gas flow in the substrate transport container when the substrate is put in is the chemical filter (gaseous impurity trapping filter) 6 and the particulate contaminant removal gas sent from the fan of the environmental box which is an embodiment of the present invention. The cleanest gas is supplied to the wafer W through the filter 5. After passing through the wafer W, it returns to the fan again along the inner wall surface of the container 1. The inner wall surface of the container 1 represents at least one of the upper, lower, left and right surfaces of the container. The box door opening may be provided anywhere. For an automation-compatible substrate transport container, the box door opening is the front or bottom surface.

  The cross section of the substrate transport container may be (a) a square or (b) a circle, but in the case of a square, the curvature R of the four corners is preferably 10 mm in order to clean contaminants. More preferably, the radius is 20 mm or more.

  When storing semiconductor wafers in containers, the most difficult problem is humidity. In the substrate transfer container of this embodiment, the container body and the door are made of a polymer material or a moisture-impermeable material having a water absorption rate of 0.1% or less. The method for measuring the water absorption rate is defined by ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) D570 standard. The water absorption rate of general materials used for transport and storage containers such as semiconductor wafers is as follows: PC (polycarbonate) 0.2%, PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) 0.08%, PEEK (polyether ether ketone) 0.14%, PEI (polyetherimide) 0.25%, PP (polypropylene) 0.03%.

In addition, since the wafer is easily charged when the humidity is low, at least the wafer support member in contact with the wafer and the door to be grounded from the wafer support member to the lower portion of the container are particularly made of a conductive material added with carbon or other conductive material. preferable. In general, a polymer material has a surface resistivity of 1 × 10 ³ to 1 × 10 ⁸ Ω as an electrostatic conductive material, 1 × 10 ⁵ to 1 × 10 ¹² Ω as a static dissipative material, 1 × A material with 10 ¹² Ω or more is classified as an insulating material. Further, a material having a volume resistivity of 1 × 10 ² to 1 × 10 ⁵ Ω · cm is an electrostatic conductive material, and a material having a volume resistivity of 1 × 10 ⁴ to 1 × 10 ¹¹ Ω · cm is an electrostatic diffusive material, 1 × 10 ^11. A material of Ω · cm or more is classified as an insulating material. In the present invention, the surface resistivity is 1 × 10 ¹⁰ Ω or less, the volume resistivity is 1 × 10 ⁹ Ω · cm or less, more preferably the surface resistivity is 1 × 10 ⁸ Ω or less, and the volume resistivity is 1 × 10 ^7. Ω · cm or less is desirable. Furthermore, since the ion-exchange nonwoven fabric and activated carbon used as the gaseous impurity trapping element adsorb water in the state immediately after production, it is preferable to use after dehydration.

  If the inside of a highly airtight container is replaced with a dry gas, that is, an inert gas containing no dry air or moisture, the humidity decreases to a limit humidity of approximately 0% immediately after the replacement. However, if the supply of the dry gas is stopped and left in this state, the moisture retained by the polymer material on the inner wall surface of the container diffuses inside the container due to the humidity gradient. Therefore, the humidity inside the container replaced with the dry gas increases with time. As an example, when a conventional commercially available PC (polycarbonate) container is used, the relative humidity of about 0% after replacement with dry gas is shown to increase to 30% or more after several hours. By using polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) with a water absorption of 0.02%, the relative humidity of approximately 0% immediately after replacement with dry gas remains at approximately 12% even after several hours, and a significant increase in humidity is suppressed. The effect was confirmed. Obviously, this can prevent the humidity in the container during storage and conveyance from rising. In addition, it is known that the growth of the natural oxide film has a suppressing effect when stored in a dark place. For this reason, it is preferable to use a light blocking material rather than a light transmitting material as the material constituting the container body.

  In order to maintain a clean atmosphere in the container, a seal is required when closing the box and the box door. There is a method of sealing each other through a member. In order to increase mechanical strength, a guide rib may be provided on the inside of the flange in the container main body flange portion in pressure contact with the sealing material disposed on the door 2. Further, a protrusion may be provided at the contact portion with the sealing material so as to have high airtightness with a smaller pressure contact force. The sealing material is preferably a fluorine elastomer, a polyester elastomer, a polyurethane elastomer or a polyolefin elastomer. Further heat treatment increases the effect of preventing degassing from the sealing material. There is also a method of preventing the introduction of contaminants from the external environment by setting the pressure inside the container to a positive pressure. A positive pressure environment is always or regularly created.

Next, the particle removal filter will be described. As the particle removing means, a method using an air filter is common. In the JIS standard, the following four types are roughly classified according to the target particle size and collection efficiency.
(1) Air filter for coarse dust: An air filter mainly used for removing particles larger than 5 μm.
(2) Medium performance filter: An air filter having a medium particle collection efficiency mainly for particles smaller than 5 μm.
(3) HEPA filter: An air filter having a particle collection efficiency of 99.97% or more with respect to particles having a rated air volume of 0.3 μm and a pressure loss of 245 Pa or less.
(4) ULPA filter: An air filter having a particle collection efficiency of 99.9995% or more and a performance of pressure loss of 245 Pa or less with respect to particles having a rated air volume and a particle size of 0.1 μm.

  When creating an advanced clean space like the substrate transfer container of the present invention, it is preferable to use a HEPA filter or a ULPA filter. The ULPA filter generally has a structure in which spacers for securing a flow path are provided in a folded filter medium. The pressure loss of the ULPA filter varies depending on the ventilation resistance of the filter medium, the amount of folding of the filter medium, the uniformity of the flow path, and the like. When the opening area of the filter is structurally small, it is preferable to use a filter with as little pressure loss as possible by increasing the depth dimension and filling more filter material. Various filter media such as glass fibers and fluororesins have been commercialized, and any filter media may be used. However, a fluorine-based resin having excellent chemical resistance, a small amount of generated gas, and a low ventilation resistance is preferable. When the opening area can be increased, it is preferable to reduce the depth dimension and effectively use the limited space.

  Next, the chemical filter (gaseous impurity capturing filter) 6 will be described. Various gaseous impurity removing means can be selected depending on the substance to be removed. As a basic gas removing means, strong acid and weak acid cation exchange nonwoven fabrics or fibers, or strong acid and weak acid cation exchange beads can be efficiently removed. It can also be removed by activated carbon or ceramic impregnated with acidic chemicals. As a means for removing acid gas, boron and phosphorus, strong basic and weak basic anion exchange nonwoven fabrics or fibers, or strong basic and weak basic cation exchange beads can be efficiently removed. It can also be removed by activated carbon or ceramic impregnated with a basic chemical solution. Organic substances can be removed with activated carbon, activated carbon fiber, zeolite, molecular sieve, silica gel, porous ceramic. Ozone can be removed by a medium or activated carbon carrying or attaching granular or sheet-like manganese dioxide. Further, metal ionized in a vapor form, such as copper sulfate, can be removed with an ion exchange nonwoven fabric or ion exchange beads. The composition of the adsorption material can be appropriately selected according to the material to be removed and the allowable dimensions, shape, pressure loss, etc. of the filter.

  Next, the dehumidifying agent and the dehumidifier will be described. In order to remove moisture in the air, for example, there is a method of dehumidifying with a dehumidifying agent mainly composed of silica gel, zeolite (including synthetic zeolite), calcium carbonate, and magnesium chloride. When a dehumidifying agent is used, it is a dehumidifying agent that can be reused by heating and desorbing, such as silica gel, and a cartridge type that can be easily replaced and can be automatically replaced is preferable. A method of cooling the container or inserting a cooled rod into the container for a certain period of time to collect moisture as condensed water is also conceivable. A dehumidifying unit using a solid polymer electrolyte membrane can also be used.

  In any of the methods, dehumidification can be performed in a shorter time by the gas in the container flowing by the fan of the environmental box which is an embodiment of the present invention. In carrying out the present invention, any dehumidifying means may be used as long as it can arrange the devices. In addition, if high-purity nitrogen, inert gas or dry air supply / exhaust ports are installed in the container body or door, and the replacement of the air in the container is used in combination with a dehumidifier, the time to reduce the humidity in the container is reduced. It becomes possible to do.

  Moreover, it is preferable that a dehumidifier and a hygroscopic material (activated carbon, ion exchanger, silica gel, etc.) are mounted together as a dehumidifying unit for removing moisture. This is because the hygroscopic material is always dried by the dehumidifier, and the initial state where the hygroscopic material has the highest moisture absorption rate is always maintained. Furthermore, the operation of a container having a means for forcibly supplying gas rapidly dehumidifies in the shortest time. Regardless of whether the means for generating the gas flow is a fan or gas purge, it is desirable to circulate at least once, preferably three times or more after the substrate is stored in the substrate transport container and then taken out again. The number of circulations may be increased according to the environment required for the substrate to be stored and the degree of contamination of the environment outside the container before and after the substrate is stored. When there is no limit on the power consumption of the fan, it is most desirable that the gas flow always circulates. The "environment required by the substrate to be stored" here refers to all or any of pollutants, specifically particulate matter, ions, dopants, organic substances, and moisture that cause yield deterioration as a transport environment between processes. This means that an environment with a reduced concentration below the control concentration is built in the container. The substrate storage box for controlling the environment may be used for, for example, a semiconductor manufacturing process, between processes, between floors in a factory, between factories, and used for storage as well as for transportation. May be.

An axial fan, a sirocco fan, a scroll fan, or the like is used as the blower.
In addition, since the wafer is easily charged when the humidity is low, at least the wafer support member in contact with the wafer and the door that contacts the lower portion of the container from the wafer support member are preferably made of a conductive material to which carbon or the like is added. Furthermore, since the ion-exchange nonwoven fabric and activated carbon used as the gaseous impurity trapping element adsorb water in the state immediately after production, it is preferable to use after dehydration.

  Next, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor element will be described. The semiconductor manufacturing process is divided into a pre-process for forming elements such as transistors and capacitors in a semiconductor chip and connecting them with copper wiring, and a post-process for cutting each chip from the wafer and wiring to external terminals. . FIG. 7 shows a process diagram. In the previous process, after the elements are formed on the wafer, the wiring process is repeated by the number of layers of the multilayer wiring. A silicon wafer on which a transistor (FET), a capacitor, and the like are formed is transferred to a coater or a process apparatus such as a CVD in order to form an insulator film thereon. Here, a low dielectric constant insulating film having a dielectric constant of 3 or less is formed. As the low dielectric constant insulating film, SiOX-based inorganic materials such as porous or honeycomb-shaped materials, PAE (Poly Array Ether) -based or MSQ (Methyl Silses Quioxane) -based organic materials, and organic materials made porous The ones that have been used are about to be used. These low dielectric constant insulating films are easy to absorb moisture, deteriorate due to absorbing moisture, or the dielectric constant of the insulating film increases due to absorbed moisture. Furthermore, it is assumed that the physical properties of the insulating film change due to the influence of impurities such as organic substances, ions, and metals in the environment. Since there is a possibility that stable film formation may not be obtained due to environmental changes, it is essential to provide a stable and clean environment.

  Therefore, a wafer having a low dielectric constant insulating film formed on the surface is accommodated in a substrate transfer container, and is transferred between an insulating film forming apparatus such as a CVD or coater between resist coating apparatuses. As the substrate transport container, the various ones already described can be used, but it is preferable that the substrate transport container has a dehumidifying means inside and can be dehumidified. Further, it is preferable that the air in the substrate transport container is circulated and dehumidified through the dehumidifying means. The humidity in the substrate transfer container is preferably 25% or less, more preferably 10% or less, and further preferably 5% or less.

  When the humidity is low and the destruction of elements due to static electricity becomes a problem, it is preferable to ground each wafer. A wafer support member that accommodates the wafer is made of a conductive material, and the charge on the wafer is neutralized through them. As the conductive material, a polymer material in which carbon, a surfactant, metal, or the like is added to the polymer material is used. For example, in a container having a door at the bottom, it is a box door that supports the wafer support member, and the box door is formed of a conductive material. The box is grounded via the box door when the equipment or station is grounded. The box door may be grounded by using a conductive material as a whole, or by using an object that is conductive only on the surface layer and that conducts from there to the bottom of the box door. Further, only a portion supporting the wafer support member, for example, a conductive polymer or a metal material may be used.

  As another embodiment, a particle removal filter and a fan motor are installed inside the substrate transport container to circulate and clean the gas inside the substrate transport container, thereby preventing cross contamination between the substrates. it can. In addition, by installing both the chemical adsorption filter and the particle filter inside the substrate transport container, particles, ions, and the like can be removed. Of course, only the particle filter may be installed, or only the ion removal filter may be used as the chemical filter. In addition, when a fan motor or the like is installed inside the substrate transport container, an outlet provided on the base member or the like when the substrate transport container is installed on the base member or the like without providing a battery inside the substrate transport container and The fan motor may be rotated by energization.

  Moreover, although the inside of a board | substrate conveyance container is normally satisfy | filled with air, the oxidation of copper can be prevented by using the inert gas etc. which restrict | limited oxygen amount. The amount of oxygen is preferably 10,000 ppm or less, and more preferably 1000 ppm or less.

  A substrate transfer container containing a substrate (silicon wafer) coated with a low dielectric constant insulating film on the surface is held by a robot by a robot holding means attached to the substrate transfer container, for example, and is a transfer device such as AGV Placed on top. It is desirable that the robot arm has detection means for detecting whether or not the substrate transfer container has been gripped and a lock mechanism for preventing dropping. The AGV detected by the sensor that the substrate transport container is placed at a correct position on the AGV and / or needs a power supply is detected from the battery in the AGV or a part of the power supplied from the outside. Power is supplied to the transport container 1 and the motor fan 7 in the substrate transport container is rotated to circulate the air in the substrate transport container through a dehumidifying agent or an electric dehumidifier. While controlling the concentration below a certain value, it is transferred to a coater, etcher, or copper plating apparatus which is the next process apparatus.

The wafer on which the resist is coated on the surface by the resist coating apparatus is transported from the coater to the exposure apparatus by a substrate transport container in which a chemical filter for absorbing ammonia is required, which needs to reduce the ammonia concentration. . This is because a chemically amplified resist material that has been recently amplified is used as a chemically amplified resist material, and this resist absorbs and reacts with ammonia in the air to generate so-called T-top development. The ammonia concentration in the substrate transfer container during transfer of the silicon wafer in the substrate transfer container is preferably 1 μg / m ³ or less, more preferably 0.5 μg / m ³ or less, and further preferably 0.1 μg / m ³ or less. . Further, the ammonia concentration is reduced not only in the substrate transfer container but also in the atmosphere where the resist on the wafer in the coater, exposure apparatus, developing apparatus, and etching apparatus, which are process apparatuses before and after transfer, is exposed. This environmental management may be performed including a wafer transfer unit having a transfer robot arm.

  The resist after etching the insulating film is removed by the asher, and “T-top” development does not need to be considered. Accordingly, only the humidity in the substrate transfer container needs to be controlled in the transfer of the silicon wafer from the etching apparatus to the asher apparatus, the transfer from the asher apparatus to the CVD (chemical vapor deposition apparatus) which is a metal film forming apparatus, and the plating apparatus. . Furthermore, if chemical contamination on the side of the insulating film groove after etching becomes a problem, transfer from the etching device to the asher metal film forming device is added to the dehumidifier or dehumidifier, and the substrate transfer container in which the chemical filter is installed is used. It may be conveyed.

  Furthermore, a silicon wafer having a copper film formed on the surface is transferred from a metal film forming apparatus such as a CVD / plating apparatus to an CMP apparatus and further to an insulating film forming apparatus such as a coater or CVD by a substrate transfer container. In the case of carrying, oxide film growth can be prevented by providing a dehumidifying means such as a dehumidifier and a dehumidifying agent inside the substrate carrying container to control the humidity inside the substrate carrying container. In this case, the humidity inside the substrate transport container is preferably suppressed to 10% or less, more preferably 5% or less. In order not to cause very slight oxide film growth, it is preferable to reduce to 10% or less within 10 minutes after the container door 2 is closed, and to 10% or less within 3 minutes, more preferably to 5% or less. It is preferable. Also, rapid humidity reduction is desirable from the viewpoint of shortening the clean room operation time. If there is a risk of damage to the element due to the generation of static electricity when the humidity is low, ground the copper film on the surface of each board to release the static electricity and transport / store the board. Is desirable. On the other hand, operation in transport between processes where ion removal is to be performed preferentially, such as exposure process that needs to reduce ammonia concentration and RIE process that wants to suppress acid gas, is not limited to dehumidification, but the performance of the ion exchanger Therefore, it is desirable to operate at least the humidity in the substrate transport container at 10% to 50%.

In addition, when using a substrate transport container having data storage means in the substrate transport container as the substrate transport container, process data such as the process device number passed after completion of the wiring process for all layers. Is transferred to the process management computer and the electrical characteristics of the wiring in the chip are measured. Then, the process management computer performs data processing such as statistical data on the measurement data from the wiring inspection apparatus and the data of the process apparatus via the target wafer, and feeds it back to the production of the next lot.
Usually, a mass production factory has a plurality of process devices, and each device in the same process is often set to a different recipe. For this reason, managing a process that is repeated until the lot becomes a product, including the processing time of information including which process device of each process is processed, is called history management. The recipe here refers to an apparatus related to a process sequence and control parameters (control target values such as temperature, pressure, gas type and gas amount, time, etc.) for each process apparatus set in order to control wafer process processing. It means an individual processing program. The process device described above refers to a semiconductor manufacturing device, but the term “between process devices” means a device including a load port, a transfer device, a transfer device, a device front shelf, a storage, and the like. The substrate transfer container is cleaned / dried, the stored data is cleared, and used for the next processing lot.

  As described above, when the air purifier and / or the electric dehumidifier is mounted on the container, a driving power source is required. There are two types of driving power sources: a method in which a power source such as a secondary battery is mounted on the transport container itself, and a method in which power is supplied from the outside.

The power supply or charging place of the substrate transfer container is performed when a power supply station is provided in the load port of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and, as a rule, the container is seated at a predetermined position having a power supply / charge terminal. Also, when transporting using a transport device such as PGV, RGV, or AGV, a power supply station is provided in the transport cart, and power is supplied when the container is seated on the power supply station. It is preferable to supply power to the carriage using a contact type terminal or a non-contact type terminal using electromagnetic induction. When using the contact type, it is preferable to have a mechanism for preventing damage to the terminals.
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described with respect to a substrate transport container having a door at the bottom, it is of course applicable to a FOUP having a door at the front.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in the electronics field for storing or transporting an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer, a photomask or a hard disk in a clean atmosphere.

It is a conceptual diagram of the board | substrate conveyance container of this invention, and it shows that the sensor and signal wire | line which operate a lock mechanism are attached to the nail | claw of a lock mechanism in the circle of a dotted line. The enlarged view of the locking mechanism which is one Embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) shows that a lock | rock is in an open state, (b) shows that it is in a locked state. (C) shows the installation position of the sensor of the lock state detection mechanism. It is a conceptual diagram of a conventional substrate transfer container, (a) shows a SMIF type substrate transfer container, (b) shows a FOUP type substrate transfer container. The conceptual diagram which shows the flow of the airflow in the conventional board | substrate conveyance container and the position of the opening / closing sensor of a door is shown, (a) is a top view of a board | substrate conveyance container, (b) is a front view of a board | substrate conveyance container, (c) is a board | substrate. Sectional drawing of a conveyance container is shown. In the conventional board | substrate conveyance container, it is a conceptual diagram which shows that the seal | sticker of a container and a door becomes ineffective before detecting opening of a door with a sensor. The conceptual diagram of the board | substrate conveyance container which is one Embodiment of this invention is shown. It is a figure explaining the general manufacturing process of a semiconductor. It is a figure explaining the example of arrangement | positioning of the lock mechanism and sensor of a door in the board | substrate conveyance container of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Container body (pod)
2 Door (substrate loading / unloading door)
3 Environmental Box 4 Cassette 5 Particulate Contaminant Removal Filter 6 Gaseous Impurity Filter 7 Fan Motor 8 Dehumidification Unit 9 Arithmetic Processing Unit 10 Secondary Battery 11 Sensor (Door Open / Close Detection Sensor)
12 Signal line 13 Door seal packing 14 Hinge 15 Magnet sensor R Lock W Substrate (wafer)

Claims (5)

  In a substrate transport and storage container comprising a container main body having an opening for loading and unloading a substrate and a door capable of opening and closing the opening, the substrate transport and storage container includes a fan. A substrate transport and storage container comprising an environmental box having means for forming an air flow and a lock mechanism for locking the door, and a sensor for detecting an open / close lock operation of the lock mechanism.   The substrate transport storage container according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is attached to a claw of a lock mechanism of the substrate transport storage container, and the locked state is detected by the sensor.   3. The substrate transport and storage container according to claim 1, wherein the environmental box includes at least a particulate contaminant removal filter, a gaseous impurity capturing filter, a fan motor, a fan, and a dehumidifier unit.   A stop signal is transmitted to the fan of the environmental box before the unlocking operation of the lock mechanism is started, and the operation of the fan of the environmental box is stopped before the substrate transfer storage container is opened. The board | substrate conveyance storage container as described in any one of Claims 1-3.   An environmental box having a means for accommodating a substrate and having an opening for opening and closing the substrate and a door capable of opening and closing the opening; A substrate transport storage container provided with a sensor for detecting an opening / closing lock operation of the lock mechanism, and a sensor attached to the lock mechanism of the substrate transport storage container is used to open / close the lock mechanism. A method of using a substrate transporting and storing container, wherein the start of operation is detected, a stop signal is sent to a fan of an environmental box, and the operation of the fan is stopped to stop an internal airflow before the door is opened.

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