JP2006041423A - Transport device for precision thin-sheet material - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transport device for a precision thin-sheet material that can minimize impacts, when a gripping member grips an edge part of the precision thin-sheet material. <P>SOLUTION: A speed reduction means 7 is installed that slows down the movement speed of multiple gripping members (10A, 10B, 11A, 11B, 32A, 32B, and 33) gripping an edge of a precision thin-sheet material (15), immediately prior to touching the edge of the precision thin sheet material (15). By adopting such a structure, the movement speed can be slowed down, immediately before the touching of the precision thin sheet material by the gripping members; and so, the impact of the gripping members to the precision thin sheet material lessens, and as a result, occurrence of particles damaged due to the impact can be minimized. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a precision thin plate material transport device, and in particular, a precision thin plate material transport device used in a manufacturing device or an inspection device of a precision thin plate material such as a wafer of a semiconductor device that does not like adhesion of dust or a glass substrate of a flat panel display device. Relates to the device.

  When dust or the like adheres to the precision thin plate material, there is a problem that the wiring pattern processed on the precision thin plate material is interrupted or short-circuited by the dust attached thereto, resulting in a defective product. Therefore, as a precision thin plate material conveying device that dislikes the adhesion of dust, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a plurality of edges of a precision thin plate material are formed without bringing a gripping member into contact with the plate surface of the precision thin plate material. A transport device that grips with a gripping member has already been proposed.

JP 2002-134586 A

  As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a conveying device that grips the edge of a precision thin plate material with a plurality of gripping members does not contact the gripping member with the plate surface of the precision thin plate material. It is possible to prevent adhesion of dust due to contact of the plate material with the plate surface. However, due to the collision force when the gripping member contacts the edge of the precision thin plate material, the edge of the precision thin plate material is slightly damaged, and damaged particles scatter from the edge of the precision thin plate material and adhere to the plate surface of the precision thin plate material. There is a problem to do.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for transporting a precision thin plate material that can reduce a collision force when the gripping member grips an edge portion of the precision thin plate material.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is provided with a decelerating means for decelerating the moving speed of a plurality of gripping members that grip the edge of the precision thin plate material immediately before contacting the edge of the precision thin plate material.

  With the above configuration, since the moving speed of the gripping member immediately before contact with the precision thin plate material becomes slow, the collision force of the gripping member with respect to the precision thin plate material becomes small, and as a result, damaged particles from the precision thin plate material due to the collision. Can be reduced.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a precision thin plate material transport device that can reduce the collision force when the gripping member grips the edge portion of the precision thin plate material.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The precision thin plate material described here is a wafer of a semiconductor device, and the precision thin plate material transfer device is a wafer transfer device for transferring the wafer to an inspection device.

  A wafer transfer apparatus 1 according to the present invention generally includes a base 2 fixed to a transfer device (not shown), an actuator 3 fixed to the base 2, for example, an air cylinder or a vacuum cylinder, A power conversion mechanism 4 fixed to the base 2 and transmitting the driving force of the actuator 3 in two directions, a first hand frame 5 and a second hand frame 6 connected to the power conversion mechanism 4, and the base 2 And a decelerating means 7 for decelerating the driving force of the actuator 3.

  The actuator 3 protrudes so that the drive shaft 8 advances and retreats in one direction, and the drive shaft 8 is provided with a connecting tool 9 through which the drive shaft 8 moves forward and backward. It is transmitted to the conversion mechanism 4. The power conversion mechanism 4 converts the one-way advance / retreat operation of the drive shaft 8 into two reverse advance / retreat operations, and the two reverse advance / retreat operations are converted into the first hand frame 5 and the first By transmitting to the two-hand frame 6, the first hand frame 5 and the second hand frame 6 are driven back and forth along the plate surface of the wafer 15 to be described later and in opposite directions.

  The first hand frame 5 is formed in a U-shape, and drum-shaped gripping claws 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B each having a middle portion of a cylinder confined to the U-shaped tip are fixed. Further, the second hand frame 6 is formed in a C-shape shorter than the first hand frame 5, and is parallel to the first hand frame 5 with a slight gap above the first hand frame 5. Has been placed. The second hand frame 6 also has drum-shaped gripping claws 11A and 11B each having a cylindrical middle portion confined to a C-shaped tip. The gripping claws 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B are gripping members according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the speed reduction means 7 includes a first magnet 12 supported on the extended end of the drive shaft 8, a second magnet 13 disposed at a position facing the first magnet 12, And an adjustment base 14 for fixing the second magnet 13 to the base 2. The first magnet 12 and the second magnet 13 are made of, for example, permanent magnets and are in positions apart from each other before the wafer 15 is gripped by the gripping claws 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B (FIG. 3). When they do, they are in a positional relationship such that they approach each other (FIG. 4). The first magnet 12 and the second magnet 13 are arranged such that, for example, the N poles (or S poles) are separated or approached so that the same poles face each other so that a magnetic repulsive force acts. is doing. Further, the adjustment base 14 is configured so that the facing distance from the first magnet 12 can be adjusted by adjusting the fixed position of the second magnet 13 in the advancing / retreating direction of the drive shaft 8 with respect to the base 2. ing.

  In the wafer transfer apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, when a gripping command for the wafer 15 is issued for transfer to the inspection apparatus, the actuator 3 operates to drive the drive shaft 8 in the arrow A direction. This movement of the drive shaft 8 moves the first hand frame 5 in the direction of arrow B and the second hand frame 6 in the direction of arrow C via the power conversion mechanism 4 in directions facing each other. By the movement of the first hand frame 5 and the second hand frame 6 in the arrow B direction and the arrow C direction, the gripping claws 10A and 10B and the gripping claws 11A and 11B narrow the interval and grip the edge of the wafer 15. On the contrary, when the gripping of the wafer 15 is released, by driving the drive shaft 8 in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow A, each component moves in the reverse direction and the gripping of the wafer 15 is released.

  Next, a series of gripping operations of the wafer 15 by the wafer transfer apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the wafer transfer apparatus 1 in the state of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is on standby with the gap between the gripping claws 10A, 10B and the gripping claws 11A, 11B larger than the diameter of the wafer 15, As shown in FIG. 5A, the wafer 15 transported by another transporting device (not shown) is positioned between the gripping claws 10A and 10B and the gripping claws 11A and 11B. In this state, when a gripping command is issued and the actuator 3 is driven, the gripping claws 10A and 10B and the gripping claws 11A and 11B are driven in the direction of narrowing the interval, and as shown in FIG. The gripping claws 10A, 10B and the gripping claws 11A, 11B are in contact with the edges.

  At this time, when the movement of the drive shaft 8 is seen, it is driven as shown in FIGS. That is, when the drive shaft 8 in the state of FIG. 3 is driven, the first magnet 12 at the tip of the drive shaft 8 approaches the second magnet 13 side. Further, when the drive shaft 8 is driven as it is, the first magnet 12 approaches the magnetic field region of the second magnet 13, and a magnetic repulsive force is generated between the first magnet 12 and the second magnet 13. When the drive shaft 8 is continuously driven to bring the first magnet 12 and the second magnet 13 closer to each other, the magnetic repulsive force gradually increases, and this magnetic repulsive force is moved, in other words, gripped. This is a force that decelerates the moving speed of the claws 10A and 10B and the gripping claws 11A and 11B. As a result, the moving speed of the gripping claws 10A, 10B and the gripping claws 11A, 11B is initially fast from the driving of the actuator 3 toward the contact position of the gripping claws 10A, 10B, 11A, 11B with the wafer 15. As 10A, 10B, 11A, 11B approaches the contact position with the wafer 15, the speed is reduced. Therefore, since the gripping claws 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B can gently touch and grip the wafer 15, it is possible to avoid the gripping claws 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B from colliding with the wafer 15 with a large force.

  FIG. 6 shows the operation of the gripping claws 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B and the operation of the actuator 3. That is, the “nail opening position” in FIG. 6 corresponds to FIG. 5A, and when the actuator 3 is driven, the driving force of the actuator 3 increases as shown by a two-dotted line, and thereafter, with a substantially constant driving force. Driven. At the same time, the moving speed of the gripping claws 10A, 10B, 11A, 11B also increases as shown by the solid line. Thereafter, the moving speeds of the gripping claws 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B are reduced by the speed reduction means 7 to a low speed, gently come into contact with the wafer 15, and reach the “contact position between the claw and the wafer” in FIG. This position corresponds to FIG. If the actuator 3 is continuously driven as it is, the magnetic repulsive force generated between the first magnet 12 and the second magnet 13 becomes weaker when entering a certain region, so that the driving force by the actuator 3 becomes weaker than the magnetic repulsive force. Acts on each gripping nail. As a result, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 6, since gripping force for gripping the wafer 15 is generated on the gripping claws 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B, the wafer 15 is gripped without dropping or the gripping position being displaced.

  6 corresponds to FIG. 5C, and the stroke end when the actuator 3 is continuously driven in the direction of arrow A without gripping the wafer 15 is shown in FIG. Show. Between the “contact position between the claw and the wafer” in FIG. 6 and the “claw closed position (in the case where there is no wafer)”, the function of the decelerating means 7 is in a state where each gripping claw is released from the speed control.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the gripping claws 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B that are gripping members can be gripped by gently contacting the edges of the wafer 15, so that the gripping claws 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B and the wafer 15 Generation of damaged particles from the wafer 15 due to the collision with the edge can be reduced.

  Further, the wafer 15 is normally transferred to the wafer transfer apparatus 1 in a state where the position in the circumferential direction is determined, for example, when the wafer 15 is transferred by another transfer device. However, when the wafer 15 is transferred from another transport device to the wafer transport apparatus 1, the determined position may be slightly shifted. If the deviation is within a prescribed range, the circumferential position of the wafer 15 can be adjusted again in the next step. However, since the wafer 15 is gripped by the plurality of gripping claws 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B, the gripping claws are less likely to contact the edge portion of the wafer 15 at the same time and contact with a time difference. Therefore, when the circumferential position of the wafer 15 is deviated and transferred to the wafer transfer device 1, the movement speed of each gripping claw is large, and the collision force of each gripping claw to the wafer 15 is large, the collision occurs quickly. The wafer 15 may be rotated by increasing the slight displacement of the wafer 15 by the impact force of the claws. When the circumferential position is shifted outside the specified range due to the rotation of the wafer 15, the circumferential adjustment in the next step cannot be performed again. Will be removed from the line of inspection equipment.

  However, in the present embodiment, the gripping claws 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B are brought into contact with the wafer 15 at a reduced speed, so that the collision force can be reduced. Even if the wafer 15 is brought into contact with the wafer 15, it is possible to avoid rotating the wafer 15 to such an extent that readjustment cannot be performed.

  Incidentally, in order to bring the gripping claws 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B into gentle contact with the wafer 15, it is also possible to match the movement speed of each gripping claw from the beginning with the movement speed at the time of contact with the wafer 15. is there. However, when all the moving speeds of the gripping claws are matched with the moving speed at the time of contact with the wafer 15, it takes a long time to grip the wafer 15 from the gripping command of the wafer 15 and further open the wafer 15, There is a problem that the wafer transfer time is prolonged and the transfer work efficiency is greatly reduced. Therefore, it is desirable to decelerate the moving speed of each gripping claw immediately before contacting the wafer 15 as in the present embodiment.

  In addition, it is conceivable to drive a plurality of gripping claws using, for example, a combination of a servo motor and a screw as the actuator 3. However, the apparatus becomes large and the control device controls the rotation speed and rotation direction of the servo motor. Therefore, it is desirable to use the speed reduction means 7 that can be easily added at a low cost as in the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the first magnet 12 and the second magnet 13 have the same poles facing each other. For example, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. The moving speed of each gripping claw may be reduced immediately before gripping by generating a magnetic attractive force as the (S) pole with respect to the N pole of the second magnet 13. That is, at the beginning of driving of the drive shaft 8, as shown in FIG. 3, it is attracted by the magnetic attraction force in the moving direction, and immediately before each gripping claw grips the wafer, as shown in FIG. By making the magnetic attraction force act in the opposite direction, the moving speed of each gripping claw is initially high and can be decelerated immediately before gripping.

  In the present embodiment, the first magnet 12 and the second magnet 13 constituting the speed reducing means 7 are a resistance member that suppresses the movement of the gripping member of the present invention, and generates a magnetic force along with the movement of the gripping member in the gripping direction. It becomes a means to increase.

  Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the configuration different from the first embodiment is the configuration of the speed reduction means 7, and the basic configuration of the wafer transfer device is the same as in FIGS. 1 and 2. Therefore, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 5 indicate the same components, and detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

  The speed reduction means 7 according to the present embodiment includes a spherical protrusion 16 provided at the tip of the drive shaft 8, a plunger nose 17 that contacts the spherical protrusion 16 by the advancement and retraction of the drive shaft 8, and the plunger nose 17 as the spherical nose. A compression spring 18 that presses toward the protrusion 16 side, and a plunger main body 19 that houses the compression spring 18 and the plunger nose 17 and guides the plunger nose 18 toward the spherical protrusion 16 are provided. And the positional relationship of the said spherical protrusion 16 and the said plunger nose 18 is adjusted by attaching the plunger main body 19 to the said base 2 (refer FIG.1 and FIG.2) so that adjustment is possible.

  In the present embodiment, before each gripping claw grips the wafer, it is in the state shown in FIG. 7. In this state, when the actuator 3 operates and the drive shaft 8 is driven in the direction of arrow A, the tip of the ball is spherical. The protrusion 16 approaches the plunger nose 17 and finally the spherical protrusion 16 contacts the plunger nose 17. When the drive shaft 8 continues to be driven, the spherical protrusion 16 at the tip of the drive shaft 8 pushes the plunger nose 17 into the plunger body 19 against the compression spring 18 as shown in FIG. In this operation, that is, when the spherical protrusion 16 pushes the plunger nose 17 into the plunger main body 19 against the compression spring 18, the moving speed of the drive shaft 8, in other words, the moving speed of each gripping claw is reduced. Can be contacted at a low speed. Each gripping claw contacts the wafer when the spherical protrusion 16 pushes the plunger body 19 by the maximum amount, in other words, when the elastic force of the compression spring 18 is the lowest and the repulsion force is maximum and the deformation amount is minimum. By making them coincide with each other, the moving speed of the gripping claws when contacting the wafer can be made the slowest. Since the spherical protrusion 16 gets over the plunger nose 17, the driving force of the actuator 3 is transmitted to the gripping claws to grip the wafer, so that the wafer can be gripped sufficiently.

  In the present embodiment, the spherical protrusion 16 and the plunger nose 17 are fixed objects, respectively, and the contact resistance between them is increased. In order to reduce the contact resistance between the two, either one or both of the spherical protrusion 16 and the plunger nose 17 can be replaced with a rotating body. The plunger nose 17 including the compression spring 18 and the plunger main body 19 may be attached to the drive shaft 8 side, and the spherical protrusion 16 may be attached to the base 2.

  As described above, also in the present embodiment, since the moving speed of each gripping claw can be decelerated immediately before contacting the wafer, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment, the spherical protrusion 16, the plunger nose 17, the compression spring 18, and the plunger main body 19 are resistance members for suppressing the movement of the gripping member according to the present invention, means for reducing the elastic force with the movement of the gripping member, It becomes a means for increasing the repulsive force of the elastic body and a means for reducing the variable weight of the elastic body.

  Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the configuration different from each of the above embodiments is the configuration of the speed reduction means 7, and the basic configuration of the wafer transfer apparatus is the same as in FIGS. 1 and 2. Therefore, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 5 indicate the same components, and detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

  The speed reduction means 7 in the present embodiment is that an elastic body 20 such as rubber is provided at the tip of the drive shaft 8 and a spherical protrusion 21 is provided at a position facing the elastic body 20. And the positional relationship of the elastic body 20 and the spherical protrusion 21 is adjusted by attaching the spherical protrusion 21 to the said base 2 (refer FIG.1 and FIG.2) so that adjustment is possible.

  In the present embodiment, each gripping claw is in the state shown in FIG. 9 before gripping the wafer, and when the drive shaft 8 is driven in the direction of arrow A by the actuator 3 in this state, the elastic body 20 at the tip is spherical. The elastic body 20 comes into contact with the spherical protrusion 21 until the protrusion 21 is approached. Further, when the drive shaft 8 continues to be driven, the elastic body 20 is pressed against the spherical protrusion 21 and elastically deformed as shown in FIG. By this operation, that is, the elastic body 20 is elastically deformed by the spherical protrusion 21, the moving speed of the drive shaft 8, in other words, the moving speed of each gripping claw is decelerated, and the gripping claw contacts the wafer at a low speed. It can be carried out. By matching the time point when the elastic body 20 is elastically deformed by the maximum amount with the time point when each gripping claw contacts the wafer, the moving speed of the gripping claw when contacting the wafer can be slowed down. Since the elastic body 20 gets over the spherical protrusion 21, the deceleration of the gripping claw is released and the wafer gripping force is generated, so that the wafer can be gripped sufficiently.

  In the present embodiment, the elastic body 20 made of rubber or the like has a large frictional force with the spherical protrusion 21. When a large frictional force is disliked, the spherical protrusion 21 that contacts the elastic body 20 can be replaced with a rotating body. Further, the spherical protrusion 21 may be attached to the drive shaft 8 side, and the elastic body 20 may be attached to the base 2.

  Also according to the present embodiment, since the moving speed of the gripping claws can be reduced immediately before gripping the wafer, the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments can be achieved.

  In the present embodiment, the elastic body 20 and the spherical protrusion 21 are a resistance member for suppressing the movement of the gripping member according to the present invention, a means for reducing the elastic force with the movement of the gripping member, and increasing the repulsive force of the elastic body. Means and means for reducing the change in weight of the elastic body.

  11 and 12 show a fourth embodiment according to the present invention showing a modification of FIGS. 7 and 8. The same reference numerals as those in FIGS. Omitted.

  The speed reduction means 7 according to the present embodiment includes a spherical protrusion 16 provided at the tip of the drive shaft 8, a roller 22 that contacts the spherical protrusion 16 as the drive shaft 8 advances and retreats, and the roller 22 is rotatable at one end. And a lever 24 rotatably connected to a support shaft 23 whose other end is supported by the base 2 (see FIG. 1), and a compression spring 25 installed between the lever 24 and the base 2. And the positional relationship between the spherical protrusion 16 and the roller 22 is adjusted by attaching the support shaft 23 to the base 2 in an adjustable manner.

  In the present embodiment, before each gripping claw grips the wafer, it is in the state shown in FIG. 11. When the drive shaft 8 is driven in the direction of arrow A in this state, the spherical protrusion 16 at the tip of the driving shaft 8 is applied to the roller 22. The spherical protrusion 16 comes into contact with the roller 22 at last. When the drive shaft 8 continues to be driven, as shown in FIG. 12, the spherical protrusion 16 at the tip of the drive shaft 8 compresses the compression spring 25 and displaces the roller 22 downward. This operation, that is, the spherical protrusion 16 displaces the roller 22 against the compression spring 25, thereby decelerating the moving speed of the drive shaft 8, in other words, the moving speed of each gripping claw, so that the gripping claw contacts the wafer. Can be performed at a low speed. The point at which the spherical protrusion 16 displaces the roller 22 by the maximum amount is matched when each gripping claw comes into contact with the wafer, so that the moving speed of the gripping claw at the time of contact with the wafer can be slowed down. . Since the spherical protrusion 16 gets over the roller 22, the driving force of the actuator 3 is transmitted to the gripping claws and grips the wafer, so that the wafer can be gripped sufficiently.

  In the present embodiment, the spherical protrusion 16 is provided on the drive shaft 8 and the roller 22 is provided on the lever 24. However, the spherical protrusion 16 may be provided on the lever 24 and the roller 22 may be provided on the drive shaft 8. Furthermore, it is possible to replace the spherical protrusion 16 with a rotating body.

  As described above, also in the present embodiment, since the moving speed of each gripping claw can be decelerated immediately before contacting the wafer, the same effects as in the fourth embodiment can be achieved.

  In the present embodiment, the spherical protrusion 16, the roller 22, the support shaft 23, the lever 24, and the compression spring 25 reduce the elastic force with the movement of the resistance member that suppresses the movement of the gripping member according to the present invention and the gripping member. This means, means for increasing the repulsive force of the elastic body, and means for reducing the change in weight of the elastic body.

  Next, a fifth embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 and FIGS. 7 to 14 indicate the same parts, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The speed reduction means 7 in the present embodiment includes a pressing body 26 provided at the tip of the drive shaft 8, an elastic body 27 that contacts the pressing body 26 by the advancement and retraction of the driving shaft 8, and the elastic body 27 as a base 2. And a holding member (not shown) for holding in a fixed position (see FIG. 1). The positional relationship between the pressing body 6 and the elastic body 27 is adjusted by attaching the elastic body 27 to the base 2 in an adjustable manner.

  In the present embodiment, before each gripping claw grips the wafer, it is in the state shown in FIG. 13. When the drive shaft 8 is driven in the direction of arrow A in this state, the pressing body 26 at the tip of the driving shaft 8 is the elastic body 27. Finally, the pressing body 26 comes into contact with the elastic body 27. Further, when the drive shaft 8 continues to be driven, the pressing body 26 compresses and deforms the elastic body 27 as shown in FIG. In this operation, that is, the pressing body 26 deforms the elastic body 27, the moving speed of the drive shaft 8, in other words, the moving speed of each gripping claw is decelerated, and the gripping claw contacts the wafer at a low speed. be able to. The point at which the pressing body 26 displaces the elastic body 27 by the maximum amount is matched when each gripping claw comes into contact with the wafer, so that the moving speed of the gripping claw at the time of contact with the wafer can be slowed down. it can.

  The elastic body 27 may be a rubber solid ball or an annular spring, and may be a rubber hollow ball filled with compressed air.

  As described above, also in the present embodiment, since the moving speed of each gripping claw can be decelerated immediately before contacting the wafer, the same effects as in the fourth embodiment can be achieved.

  In the present embodiment, the pressing body 26 and the elastic body 27 are a resistance member for suppressing the movement of the gripping member according to the present invention, a means for reducing the elastic force along with the movement of the gripping member, and increasing the repulsive force of the elastic body. Means and means for reducing the change in weight of the elastic body.

  In addition to this, although not shown, for example, an oil, gel, or jelly-like fluid substance flows at the tip of the drive shaft 8 as the drive shaft 8 moves, and the fluid substance is placed in the middle of the flow path. The moving speed of the drive shaft 8, in other words, the moving speed of the gripping member may be reduced by passing through the provided small cross-sectional flow path.

  In the case of this embodiment, the flow material and the flow channel of the flow material having a small cross-sectional flow path are resistance members that suppress the movement of the speed reduction means and the gripping member according to the present invention.

  Next, the movement time of the gripping claws in each embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The solid line A shown in FIG. 15 is the one according to the present embodiment, the broken line B is the conventional one, the dotted line C is the one that has slowed the moving speed in the prior art, and the two-dot difference line D is the one that has increased the moving speed in the present embodiment. Show.

  As shown in FIG. 15, according to the transfer apparatus (solid line A) according to the present embodiment, the gripping claw movement time T0 required from the wafer holding command to the holding is the same as that of the conventional transfer apparatus (broken line B). is there. However, as described above, by increasing the moving speed of the gripping claws until wafer gripping and decelerating just before gripping, the impact force of the gripping claws to the wafer can be reduced, so that the scattering of damaged particles from the wafer is reduced. be able to.

  Conventionally, if the moving speed is slowed down, as indicated by the dotted line C, the moving speed T2 of the gripping claws until the wafer is gripped becomes longer and the transport efficiency is lowered. However, in the present embodiment, by further increasing the movement speed of the gripping claws until the wafer is gripped, as indicated by a two-dot chain line D, the movement time T2 can be shortened and the conveyance efficiency can be increased.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when the wafer is gripped by the gripping claw, the gripping claw collision force on the wafer can be reduced by reducing the moving speed of the gripping claw. The generation of damaged particles scattered from the wafer can be reduced.

  By the way, the wafer transfer apparatus 1 described above includes a first hand frame 5 and a second hand frame 6 that are driven in opposite directions, and drum-shaped gripping claws 10A, 10B, and 11A in which intermediate portions provided on these are constricted. 11B, the wafer is held, but the present invention can also be applied to the wafer transfer apparatus 30 shown in FIGS.

  That is, the wafer transfer device 30 shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 includes a base 2 fixed to a transfer device (not shown), and an actuator 3 fixed to the base 2 such as an air cylinder or a vacuum cylinder. A drive shaft 8 that protrudes from the actuator 3 and advances and retreats in one direction, a fixed hand frame 31 that is fixed to the base 2 and is formed in a U-shape, and a U-shaped tip of the fixed hand frame 31, respectively. The interval between the drum-shaped fixed gripping claws 32A and 32B in which the middle part of the fixed cylinder is constricted and the fixed gripping claws 32A and 32B connected to the drive shaft 8 and having substantially the same shape as the fixed gripping claws 32A and 32B. A movable gripping claw 33 that expands and contracts, a speed control rod 34 connected to the movable gripping claw 33, and a speed reduction means 7 that decelerates the moving speed of the speed control rod 34.

  When gripping the wafer 15, the wafer transfer apparatus 30 configured as described above moves only the movable gripping claw 33 in the direction of arrow A to grip the edge of the wafer 15 between the fixed gripping claws 32 </ b> A and 32 </ b> B. The speed reduction means 7 has the same configuration as each speed reduction means described above. However, each speed reduction means 7 of the wafer transfer apparatus 1 is configured to function when the drive shaft 8 enters the speed reduction means 7, so that the control rod 34 interlocked with the drive shaft 8 is operated during the gripping operation. The wafer transfer device 30 protruding from the speed reduction means 7 needs to be configured to function when the control rod 34 protrudes from the speed reduction means 7.

  In addition, the above description has been described with reference to a transfer device used in a wafer inspection apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to these, and the present invention is not limited to these, and is applicable to a manufacturing apparatus and inspection apparatus for precision thin plate materials such as a glass substrate of a flat panel display device. Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to a precision thin plate material transfer device used.

The top view which shows 1st Embodiment of the conveyance apparatus of the precision thin-plate material by this invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal side view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. The schematic side view which shows the standby state of the deceleration means used for FIG. The schematic side view which shows the holding | grip state of the deceleration means used for FIG. (A)-(c) is a top view which shows the position of the holding nail | claw of each time of the conveyance apparatus of the precision thin-plate material of FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the position, force, and moving speed of a gripping claw of the precision thin plate material conveying device of FIG. The side view which shows 2nd Embodiment of the conveyance apparatus of the precision thin-plate material by this invention. The side view which shows the holding | grip position of FIG. The side view which shows 3rd Embodiment of the conveyance apparatus of the precision thin-plate material by this invention. The side view which shows the holding | grip position of FIG. The side view which shows 4th Embodiment of the conveyance apparatus of the precision thin-plate material by this invention. The side view which shows the holding position of FIG. The side view which shows 5th Embodiment of the conveyance apparatus of the precision thin-plate material by this invention. The side view which shows the holding | grip position of FIG. The comparison diagram which shows the relationship between the movement time of a holding nail | claw, and speed. The top view which shows another structure of the conveyance apparatus of the precision thin board | plate material by this invention. FIG. 17 is a longitudinal side view taken along line BB in FIG. 16.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,30 ... Wafer conveyance apparatus, 3 ... Actuator, 5 ... 1st hand frame, 6 ... 2nd hand frame, 7 ... Deceleration means, 8 ... Drive shaft, 10A, 10B11A, 11B ... Gripping claw, 12 ... 1st Magnet, 13 ... second magnet, 16, 21 ... spherical projection, 17 ... plunger nose, 18, 25 ... compression spring, 20,27 ... elastic body, 22 ... roller, 31 ... fixed hand frame, 32A, 32B ... fixed grip Claw, 33 ... movable gripping claw, 34 ... speed control rod.

Claims (7)

  In a precision thin plate material transport apparatus having a plurality of gripping members that move along the plate surface of the precision thin plate material and grip the edges of the precision thin plate material, the moving speed of the gripping member is set to the edge of the precision thin plate material. A precision thin plate material conveying apparatus comprising a speed reducing means for decelerating immediately before contact.   2. The precision thin plate material conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the speed reducing means is a resistance member that suppresses movement of the gripping member.   3. The precision thin plate material according to claim 2, wherein the resistance member includes a fluid substance that flows along with the movement of the gripping member and a small cross-sectional channel provided in the fluid substance channel. Transport device.   2. The precision thin plate material conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the speed reducing means is means for reducing an elastic force as the gripping member moves.   2. The precision thin plate material conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the speed reducing means is means for increasing a magnetic force in accordance with movement of the gripping member in a gripping direction.   2. The precision thin plate material conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the speed reducing means is means for increasing a repulsive force of the elastic body in accordance with movement of the gripping member in the gripping direction. 2. The precision thin plate material conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the speed reducing means is means for reducing the deformation amount of the elastic body in accordance with movement of the gripping member in the gripping direction.

Images