JP2006351619A - Apparatus and method for supplying object to be processed - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide apparatus/method for supplying object to be processed, with which an inside of a container where the processed object is stored can be kept under desired air atmosphere, and the processed object can be supplied into a processor with fewer number of processes. <P>SOLUTION: The processed object supply apparatus 20 is arranged adjacent to the processor 10, having a shielding wall 11. The apparatus 20 is provided with a body 21, which receives the transported container 40, supplies the processed object stored in the container into the processor, and can be fitted to the processor 10; mounting stands 30 and 31 which can be disposed inside the body 21, and on which the container 40 can be mounted; and an air substitution mechanism 60, which detects that the container 40 has been arranged on the mounting stands 30 and 31, and substitutes the inside of the container for prescribed gas atmosphere. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an object supply apparatus and an object supply method for supplying an object to be processed in a processing apparatus.

  In general, in a processing step of an object to be processed, a container in which the object to be processed is stored is transported by various transport means and connected to a processing apparatus. Next, the doors provided in the container and the processing apparatus are opened, and an object to be processed in the container is supplied into the processing apparatus by an arm mechanism or the like in the processing apparatus. Thereafter, the object to be processed is subjected to various processing or processing.

By the way, although the inside of the processing apparatus is set in advance to a predetermined gas atmosphere suitable for processing or processing of the object to be processed, as described above, when the object to be processed is supplied from the container to the processing apparatus. Since the container and the processing apparatus are connected to each other, the gas in the container may enter the processing apparatus and affect the gas atmosphere in the processing apparatus. In such a case, it is necessary to replace the inside of the processing apparatus again with a predetermined gas atmosphere, but this operation is not preferable from the viewpoint of improving the efficiency of the processing in the processing apparatus.
As a method for solving this problem, there is a method in which the inside of the container is kept in the same gas atmosphere or vacuum state as in the processing apparatus before the container and the processing apparatus are connected. If such a method is used, there is no possibility that the gas atmosphere in the processing apparatus is contaminated when the container and the processing apparatus are connected.

However, in order to use the above-described method, many steps are necessary as follows.
(1) The container is transported to a dedicated stage having a gas replacement mechanism.
(2) Connect the container and the purge port of the dedicated stage.
(3) The inside of the container is set to a desired gas atmosphere.
(4) The container is removed from the dedicated stage, and the container is disposed in the workpiece supply apparatus adjacent to the processing apparatus.
In order to realize these processes, expensive equipment such as a mechanism for transporting the container to the dedicated stage and an automatic connection device for connecting the container and the purge port of the dedicated stage are required. There was a problem.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-145245 JP 2001-298068 A

In the gas replacement method described above, three operations of connecting twice and removing once are required until the container is mounted on the workpiece supply apparatus. In particular, the work for connecting the dedicated stage and the workpiece supply apparatus to the mounting table requires a high mounting accuracy, and therefore requires a long time for the work.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can maintain the inside of the container in which the object to be processed is stored in a desired gas atmosphere, and can be processed in the processing apparatus with fewer steps. An object of the present invention is to provide an object supply apparatus and an object supply method capable of supplying an object.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following configuration.
The processing object supply apparatus of the present invention is provided adjacent to a processing apparatus having a shielding wall, receives a container that has been conveyed, and stores the processing object stored in the container in the processing apparatus. A body supply device that can be attached to the processing device, a mounting base that is provided on the main body and on which the storage container can be disposed, and the storage container is disposed on the mounting base And a gas replacement mechanism that detects the occurrence and replaces the inside of the container with a predetermined gas atmosphere.

  According to this configuration, the gas replacement mechanism flows a predetermined gas into the container by detecting that the container in which the object to be processed is stored is arranged on the mounting table of the object supply device. Therefore, the inside of the container can be easily replaced with a predetermined gas atmosphere by arranging the container on the mounting table of the workpiece supply apparatus.

  The workpiece supply device of the present invention is provided with a fitting part for positioning the container by the arrangement of the container with respect to the mounting table, and the container is provided with a purge inlet and an intake. And an outlet purge port and an inlet purge port connected to the intake port and the outlet port of the container are formed on the mounting table. The inside of the container can be replaced with a predetermined gas atmosphere.

  According to this configuration, when the container is disposed on the mounting table, the container and the mounting table are positioned by the fitting portion provided on the mounting table. Further, by positioning the container and the mounting table, the inlet and the outlet of the container are respectively arranged and connected on the purge port for taking out and taking in the mounting table.

  In the workpiece supply device of the present invention, a convex portion is formed on one of the container and the mounting table, and a receiving portion is formed on the other, and the container is positioned by fitting the convex portion to the receiving portion. The receiving portion is formed in a plurality of radial positions from the central portion of the container or the mounting table, and an introduction slope for guiding and fitting the convex portion is formed in the receiving portion. And

  According to this configuration, when the container is disposed on the mounting table, the convex portion formed on one of the container and the mounting table is fitted into the receiving portion formed on the other. Further, since the convex portion is moved along the introduction slope formed in the receiving portion, the convex portion is moved to the desired position of the receiving portion and fitted. Therefore, the convex portion and the receiving portion can be easily fitted with high attachment accuracy. In addition, since a plurality of receiving portions are formed radially from the central portion of the container or the mounting table, the containers placed on the mounting table are fitted with higher mounting accuracy.

The workpiece supply device of the present invention is provided with a sensor for detecting the positioning of the container on the mounting table.
According to such a configuration, it is detected that the container is positioned at a predetermined position of the mounting table, and the gas replacement mechanism is immediately activated. Therefore, when the container is positioned at a predetermined position of the mounting table, the gas replacement mechanism injects a predetermined gas into the container, and replacement of the gas in the container is started. Further, even if the container is arranged on the mounting table, the gas replacement mechanism is not operated unless the position thereof is accurately positioned, so that the malfunction of the gas replacement mechanism can be prevented.

The workpiece supply device of the present invention is characterized in that a transport mechanism capable of moving the container from the workpiece supply device side to the processing device side is provided.
According to this configuration, even when the container disposed on the mounting table and the processing apparatus are separated from each other, the container is moved to the processing apparatus side by the transport mechanism. Therefore, the workpiece can be brought into a state where it can be carried into the processing apparatus. Further, the used container can be moved away from the processing apparatus.

  A processing object supply method of the present invention is a processing object supply method for supplying a processing object in a container to a processing apparatus having a shielding wall, the processing object being provided adjacent to the processing apparatus. A step of arranging the container in which the object to be processed is stored on a mounting table of a supply device; and detecting that the container has been disposed on the mounting table, and setting the inside of the container to a predetermined gas atmosphere A step of replacing, a step of opening an opening / closing door provided on one surface of the container, and a step of conveying the object to be processed in the container into the processing device by an arm mechanism provided in the processing device. And is provided.

  According to such a method, the container containing the object to be processed is arranged on the mounting table, whereby the inside of the container is replaced with a predetermined gas atmosphere, and the object to be processed in the container can be conveyed into the processing apparatus. State. Thereafter, the opening / closing door of the container is opened, and an arm mechanism provided in the processing apparatus is operated, whereby the object to be processed is conveyed into the processing apparatus. At this time, since the container is in close contact with the processing apparatus and the inside thereof is maintained in a state where the container is replaced with a predetermined gas atmosphere, the gas atmosphere in the processing apparatus is contaminated by the conveyance of the object to be processed. There is nothing, and the gas atmosphere in the processing apparatus can be maintained.

  In the workpiece supply method of the present invention, the step of arranging the container on the mounting table includes a protrusion provided on one of the mounting table and the container and a receiving part provided on the other. The method includes a step of fitting, and a step of guiding the convex portion along an introduction slope formed in the receiving portion.

  According to this method, the convex portion is fitted to the receiving portion when the container is arranged on the mounting table. Thereafter, the convex portion is guided to a predetermined position along the introduction slope provided in the receiving portion, and fitted. Therefore, the convex portion and the receiving portion can be easily fitted with high attachment accuracy.

As described above, according to the workpiece supply device of the present invention, when the container is arranged on the mounting table, the convex portion formed on one of the container and the mounting table is formed on the other. Since the convex part is guided and fitted along the introduction slope formed in the receiving part, the convex part is moved to the desired position of the receiving part and fitted. Therefore, the mounting table and the container can be easily fitted with high mounting accuracy only by arranging the container on the mounting table. In addition, since the container and the mounting table are positioned, the container inlet and outlet are respectively arranged and connected on the purge port for removing and loading the mounting table. The inside of the container can be replaced with a predetermined gas atmosphere.
According to the workpiece supply method of the present invention, the convex portion formed on one of the container and the mounting table is fitted to the receiving portion formed on the other and the introduction formed on the receiving portion. Since the convex portion is guided and fitted along the slope, the convex portion is moved to the desired position of the receiving portion and fitted. Therefore, the mounting table and the container can be easily fitted with high mounting accuracy only by arranging the container on the mounting table.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a workpiece supply apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, the side view of the to-be-processed object supply apparatus 20 of this embodiment is shown.
The object supply device 20 of the present embodiment replaces the inside of the container 40 with a predetermined gas atmosphere, and supplies an object (not shown) stored in the container 40 into the processing apparatus 10. belongs to. The workpiece supply apparatus 20 includes a main body portion 21 that is in close contact with the outer surface of the shielding wall 11 of the processing apparatus 10, a transport mechanism 25 and a support base 28 that are attached to the main body section 21, and a transport mechanism 25 and a support base. 28, the first mounting table 30 and the second mounting table 31, respectively, and a gas replacement mechanism 60.

  The main body 21 is formed in a flat plate shape, and an opening 21 a penetrating the main body 21 is formed in a part of the main body 21. A frame 22 is provided on one surface of the main body 21 so as to cover the opening 21 a, and a contact portion 23 is formed on one end side of the frame 22. On the other hand, a transport mechanism 25 capable of supporting and transporting the first mounting table 30 is extended and provided substantially at the center of the other surface of the main body 21, and the second mounting table is located away from the transport mechanism 25. A support base 28 for supporting 31 is provided, and a gas replacement mechanism 60 is provided at the end. Furthermore, a fixture 24 that can attach the main body 21 to the processing apparatus 10 is provided at a predetermined position of the main body 21.

The transport mechanism 25 has a housing portion 26, one surface of the housing portion 26 is fixed to the main body portion 21, and a piston mechanism (not shown) is provided in the housing portion 26. A plurality of support plates 27 are attached to the piston mechanism, and the bottom portion of the first mounting table 30 is attached to one end of the support plate 27 protruding from the inside of the housing portion 26.
The piston mechanism is for reciprocally moving the support plate 27 to the workpiece supply device 20 side and the processing device 10 side. A state in which the container 40 mounted on the first mounting table 30 is connected to the processing apparatus 10 by the control unit (not shown) provided in the housing unit 26 (mounted state: see FIG. 5) and the container 40. Is separated from the processing apparatus 10 (standby state: see FIG. 1), the piston mechanism is controlled.
The support base 28 is formed in a flat plate shape, and one end thereof is attached to the main body 21 of the workpiece supply apparatus 20. A second mounting table 31 is fixed to the upper surface of the support table 28 by a fixing member (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the first mounting table 30 includes a substantially L-shaped mounting plate 32 in which a part of a substantially rectangular flat plate is cut out, and an intake purge port provided on the mounting plate 32. 34, an extraction purge port 35, a plurality of convex portions 36 serving as fitting portions 33, and a plurality of pressure sensors 47. At both ends of one side of the mounting plate 32, an intake purge port 34 having an unillustrated packing at the front end portion and an extraction purge port 35 are arranged facing each other. The three convex portions 36 are radially arranged at positions equidistant from the virtual center C <b> 1 of the loading plate 32. A pressure sensor 47 is disposed at both ends of the other side of the mounting plate 32 so as to face each other. The bottom of the mounting plate 32 is connected to the support plate 27 of the piston mechanism described above, and the first mounting table 30 is moved between the workpiece supply device 20 side and the processing device 10 side as the piston moves. The rails 29 and 29 can be reciprocated.
The second mounting table 31 is configured to have the same configuration as that of the first mounting table 30 except for the rails 29 and 29, and the bottom thereof is fixed to the support table 28 described above.

Next, FIG. 3 shows a side view of the container 40, and FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the container 40.
The container 40 is for accommodating a workpiece and conveying the workpiece from the workpiece supply apparatus 20 side to the treatment apparatus 10 side. The container 40 is formed in a substantially cubic shape having an open surface on one side, and a frame 49 and an open / close door 48 that can be detached from the frame 49 are provided on the open surface. An inlet 43 and an outlet 44 are provided at the bottom 51 of the container 40 so as to penetrate the lower wall. Three substantially elliptical fitting portions 42 are formed in the bottom portion 51 at radial positions from the virtual center C2. As shown in FIG. 5, a groove portion 52 is formed at the center position of the fitting portion 42 in the long side direction. The wall portion from the receiving portion 45 of the fitting portion 42 toward the groove portion 52 is an introduction slope 46, and the groove portion 52 is formed in a bottomed shape (the bottom of the groove is narrow) due to the inclination of the introduction slopes 46, 46. Yes. Further, one or two projecting portions 50 are formed on the long side of the receiving portion 45 of the fitting portion 42.

  The gas replacement mechanism 60 has a gas supply device (not shown) filled with an inert gas, and supplies the inert gas into the container 40 disposed on the first mounting table 30 and the second mounting table 31. Is for. As shown in FIG. 1, the gas replacement mechanism 60 is provided with a plurality of gas supply ports 62 and gas exhaust ports 63, and the gas supply ports 62 are connected to the first mounting table 30 and the second mounting table 31. The gas discharge port 63 is connected to the inlet purge port 34, and the gas discharge port 63 is connected to the extraction purge port 35 of the first mounting table 30 and the second mounting table 31. A control unit (not shown) provided in the gas replacement mechanism 60 detects that the container 40 is disposed on the first mounting table 30 or the second mounting table 31, and performs a predetermined inside of the disposed container 40. Adjust the gas supply and discharge to maintain the conditions (gas concentration, pressure, etc.).

The processing apparatus 10 is for performing various processes or processing to the to-be-processed object conveyed by the container 40. FIG. In the processing apparatus 10, an arm mechanism 12 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) including a robot arm that transports an object to be processed in the container 40 into the processing apparatus 10 is provided.
Examples of the processing apparatus 10 include a semiconductor processing apparatus, various film forming apparatuses, and an etching apparatus, but any apparatus may be used as long as it can process or process an object to be processed such as a substrate.
Examples of the object to be processed include various substrates such as a semiconductor substrate, but are not limited thereto, and any substrate may be used as long as it is processed or processed in the processing apparatus 10.

Next, a method for supplying an object to be processed into the processing apparatus 10 using the object supply apparatus 20 will be described. 5 is a side view of the container 40 conveyed to the shielding wall 11 of the processing apparatus 10, and FIG. 6 is a side view of the container 40 with the open / close door 48 opened.
The container 40 in which a plurality of objects to be processed are stored is transported to the object supply device 20 by a transport device (not shown) and placed on the first mounting table 30. At this time, the convex portion 36 serving as the fitting portion 33 provided on the first mounting table 30 is brought into contact with the receiving portion 45 of the fitting portion 42 provided on the bottom portion 51 of the container 40, so that the introduction slope of the receiving portion 45 is provided. By moving the convex portion 36 along 46, the convex portion 36 is accurately positioned at the fitting position of the fitting portion 42. As a result, the inlet 43 and the outlet 44 provided in the bottom 51 of the container 40 are connected to the intake purge port 34 and the extraction purge port 35 of the first mounting table 30, respectively. At this time, the connection portion between the inlet 43 and the outlet 44 is hermetically sealed by packing (not shown) provided at the leading ends of the inlet purge port 34 and the outlet purge port 35.

  Further, when it is detected that the protruding portion 50 provided in the fitting portion 42 of the bottom portion 51 of the container 40 has pressed the pressing portion 47a of the pressure sensor 47 provided on the upper portion of the first mounting table 30, gas replacement is performed. In response to a signal from the control unit of the mechanism 60, an inert gas is supplied from the gas supply port 62 to the intake port 43 of the container 40 through the gas tube 61 and the intake purge port 34 of the first mounting table 30. The container 40 is filled with an inert gas.

  At this time, the gas such as air filled in the container 40 is discharged from the outlet 44 of the container 40 via the purge port 35 for extraction of the first mounting table 30 and the gas tube 61 to the gas replacement mechanism 60. It is discharged from the gas exhaust port 63. Thereafter, the inside of the container 40 is maintained in a state filled with an inert gas by the control unit of the gas replacement mechanism 60. Similarly, another container 40 in which the object to be processed is stored is placed on the second mounting table 31, and the inside of the container 40 is kept filled with an inert gas.

  After filling the container 40 on the first mounting table 30 with an inert gas, when the processing or processing preparation in the processing apparatus 10 is completed, the piston mechanism provided in the housing portion 26 of the transport mechanism 25 is moved. It operates and moves the container 40 on the first mounting table 30 to the processing apparatus 10 side. At this time, the first mounting table 30 is moved to a position where one end of the first mounting table 30 is in contact with the contact portion 23 provided in the main body 21 (see FIG. 5). In this state, a suction pump (not shown) provided in the processing apparatus 10 is operated to bring the opening / closing door 48 of the container 40 into contact with the port door 13 of the processing apparatus 10 by the suction force of the suction pad (not shown). . At this time, the register pin 14 is inserted into the hole 48 a of the opening / closing door 48 of the container 40, and a not-shown claw portion on the surface of the port door 13 is inserted into the hole 48 a of the opening / closing door 48. It fixes so that position shift may not occur with respect to the port door 13. After the opening / closing door 48 is adsorbed to the port door 13, the arm of the arm mechanism 12 is contracted, and the opening / closing door 48 is removed from the container 40 together with the both, and moved to a predetermined position in the processing apparatus 10 (see FIG. 6). ).

  Thereafter, the object to be processed stored in the container 40 is taken out by the robot arm in the processing apparatus 10 and necessary processing or processing is performed in the processing apparatus 10. At this time, since the frame 49 of the container 40 is in close contact with the wall portion of the shielding wall 11 of the processing apparatus 10, the outside air does not enter the container 40 and the processing apparatus 10. A desired amount of workpieces are taken out from the container 40, and after the processing or processing in the processing apparatus 10 is completed, the arm mechanism 12 is driven to connect the port door 13 to the shielding wall 11 of the processing apparatus 10, The opening / closing door 48 of the container 40 is fitted into the frame 49 of the container 40.

  Thereafter, the suction operation by the suction pump is stopped, and the opening / closing door 48 and the port door 13 of the container 40 are separated. Then, the container 40 is returned to the original position (position in the standby state) by the transport mechanism 25. The container 40 returned to the original position is removed from the first mounting table 30 by a transport device (not shown). At the same time that the pressurization sensor 47 of the first mounting table 30 detects that the container 40 has been removed from the first mounting table 30, the supply of the inert gas from the gas replacement mechanism 60 is stopped. Furthermore, when supplying an object to be processed into the processing apparatus 10, a separately prepared container 40 may be disposed on the first mounting table 30. Further, the container 40 arranged on the second mounting table 31 and filled with an inert gas may be transported to the first mounting table 30.

In this case, by removing the container 40 from the second mounting table 31, the supply of the inert gas to the intake purge port 34 of the second mounting table 31 is stopped. Further, the inert gas is supplied to the inlet 43 of the container 40 through the intake purge port 34 of the first mounting table 30 by the gas replacement mechanism 60, and the container newly disposed on the first mounting table 30. Adjustment of the inert gas in 40 is performed.
Since the container 40 placed on the second mounting table 31 is sufficiently filled with the inert gas on the second mounting table 31, the processing device is disposed after being placed on the first mounting table 30. By connecting to 10, the object to be processed can be immediately supplied into the processing apparatus 10. Thereafter, in the same manner as described above, the object to be processed in the container 40 is supplied into the processing apparatus 10 to perform various processing or processing.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the present embodiment, a fitting portion having a receiving portion is formed at the bottom of the container, and a fitting portion including a convex portion is formed on the first mounting table. A convex portion that becomes a fitting portion may be formed on the bottom portion, and a fitting portion having a receiving portion may be formed on the first mounting table.
Further, the gas replacement mechanism is not limited to the one supplying the inert gas, and may be a vacuum device, for example.

It is a side view which shows the to-be-processed object supply apparatus of this invention. It is a front view which shows the 1st mounting base of this invention. It is a side view which shows the container of this invention. It is a bottom view which shows the container of this invention. It is a side view which shows the state which mounted | wore the processing apparatus with the container of this invention. It is a side view which shows the state which removed the opening / closing door from the container of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Processing apparatus, 11 ... Shielding wall, 12 ... Arm mechanism, 13 ... Port door, 20 ... To-be-processed object supply apparatus, 21 ... Main-body part, 21a ... Opening Part, 22 ... frame, 25 ... transport mechanism, 30 ... first mounting table, 31 ... second mounting table, 33 ... fitting part, 34 ... purge for intake Port, 35 ... Purge port for extraction, 36 ... Convex part, 40 ... Container, 42 ... Fitting part, 43 ... Inlet, 44 ... Inlet, 45 ... · Receiving portion, 46 ··· introduction slope, 47 ··· sensor, 48 ··· open / close door, 50 ··· projection, 52 ··· groove portion, 60 · · · gas replacement mechanism, C1, C2, ···・ Virtual center

Claims (7)

A processing object supply device that is provided adjacent to a processing apparatus having a shielding wall, receives a transported container, and supplies a processing object stored in the container to the processing apparatus. And
A main body that can be attached to the processing apparatus; a mounting table that is provided on the main body and on which the container can be disposed; and that the container is disposed on the mounting table to detect the interior of the container. And a gas replacement mechanism for substituting with a predetermined gas atmosphere. A fitting portion for positioning the container by the arrangement of the container with respect to the mounting table is provided in the mounting table,
The container is formed with a purge inlet and outlet, and the mounting table has an extraction purge port and an intake purge port connected to the intake and outlet of the container. The workpiece supply device according to claim 1, wherein the processing object supply device is formed and can be replaced with a predetermined gas atmosphere on the mounting table by these connections. A convex part is formed on one of the container and the mounting table, a receiving part is formed on the other, and the container is positioned by fitting the convex part to the receiving part,
The said receiving part is formed in multiple numbers in the radial position from the center part of the said container or the said mounting base, The introduction slope which guides and fits the said convex part is formed in the said receiving part, or characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The processing object supply apparatus according to 2.   The workpiece supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a sensor that detects positioning of the container on the mounting table.   The substrate supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a transport mechanism capable of moving the container from the workpiece supply apparatus side to the processing apparatus side. A processing object supply method for supplying a processing object in a container to a processing apparatus having a shielding wall,
Arranging the container in which the object to be processed is stored on a mounting table of the object supply apparatus provided adjacent to the processing apparatus;
Detecting the placement of the container on the mounting table and replacing the inside of the container with a predetermined gas atmosphere; and
Opening the door provided on one surface of the container;
And a step of transporting the object to be processed in the container into the processing apparatus by an arm mechanism provided in the processing apparatus. The step of disposing the container on the mounting table includes a step of fitting a convex portion provided on one of the mounting table and the container and a receiving portion provided on the other; and The method for supplying an object to be processed according to claim 6, further comprising the step of guiding the convex portion along the formed introduction slope.

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