JP2007059717A - Heat treatment equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide heat treatment equipment in which the treatment efficiency of a work is high, in which the generation of dust is suppressed, and which is suitable for use in, in particular, a clean room, and reduced in size and cost. <P>SOLUTION: The heat treatment equipment 100 has a circulating transfer mechanism 100j which grabs moves, and transfers a work (pallet) in a reciprocating circulating fashion in one direction (vertical direction), a heater 100h for heating the work during transfer in the circulating transfer mechanism 100j, and an adiabatic wall 100d which has a cylindrical shape in the one direction (vertical direction) and has one open end and another closed end for receiving the work therein during heating in the heater. The work supplied newly from an outside is inputted to the circulating transfer mechanism 100j exposed from the opening of the adiabatic wall, and the work after the completion of the heat treatment is extracted to the outside from the circulating transfer mechanism 100j exposed from the opening of the adiabatic wall. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus for continuously heat-treating a workpiece being conveyed, and more particularly to a heat treatment apparatus used in a clean room where the work is a semiconductor device.

  A mesh belt furnace for continuously heat-treating a workpiece being conveyed is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-316641 (Patent Document 1).

  10A and 10B are views showing a steel belt transfer furnace 90 similar to the mesh belt furnace disclosed in Patent Document 1, and FIG. 10A is a main part of the steel belt transfer furnace 90. FIG. 10B is a front view showing a main part of the steel belt transfer furnace 90 in a partial cross section.

  A steel belt transfer furnace 90 shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B is used for baking an adhesive for joining the sensor and the control LSI in the assembly process of the semiconductor sensor device.

  The workpieces 10 on which the adhesive is applied between the sensor and the control LSI are collectively mounted in units of several tens on the stainless steel pallet 11 and supplied to the steel belt transfer furnace 90 by the pre-process transfer device 89. The supplied pallets 11 are distributed in multiple rows by a pallet feeding mechanism (not shown) and placed on the steel belt 90b.

  The steel belt 90b is endlessly rotated by two rollers 90r and is a continuously circulating conveyor. The pallet 11 on which the workpiece 10 is mounted is slowly conveyed from the left inlet in the figure to the right outlet in the figure, during which the workpiece 10 is heat-treated. The steel belt 90b is in contact with a heating plate 90p in which a heater 90h is embedded during rotation, and the workpiece 10 is heated together with the pallet 11 through the steel belt 90b. Nitrogen gas is introduced into the furnace 90 and the adhesive is baked in a nitrogen atmosphere.

  The workpiece 10 after the baking process is taken out from the steel belt transfer furnace 90 while being mounted on the pallet 11 by a pallet take-out mechanism (not shown), and is collected and supplied to the post-process transfer device 91. In the pre-process transport device 89 and the post-process transport device 91, the pallet 11 is transported by mechanically lifting and moving the pallet 11 so that the pallet 11 and the transport devices 89 and 91 are not rubbed and worn as much as possible. So-called gripper transport mechanisms 89g and 91g are used.

On the other hand, a wafer processing apparatus in which a workpiece is a semiconductor device and is used in a clean room is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-283502 (Patent Document 2). The wafer processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 is a heat treatment apparatus that performs CVD, diffusion, oxidation treatment, etc. of semiconductor wafers, a vertical heat treatment furnace that performs batch processing by mounting a plurality of semiconductor wafers on a wafer holding boat, It consists of a wafer transfer device equipped with a robot.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-316641 JP-A-6-283502

  The steel belt transfer furnace 90 shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B has a higher workpiece processing efficiency (throughput) than the batch heat treatment furnace disclosed in Patent Document 2. Since the heat treatment represented by drying and baking of the adhesive requires a long processing time, the workpieces being transferred are continuously transferred like the steel belt transfer furnace 90 in FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b). It is preferable to heat-treat.

  On the other hand, in the steel belt transfer furnace 90 shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, a structure in which the steel belt 90b rubs on the heating plate 90p is adopted in terms of heat transfer efficiency, and the friction between the steel belt 90b and the heating plate 90p is adopted. Dust due to wear is generated. For this reason, it becomes a cleanliness reduction factor of a clean room, and when dust mixes in the fine structure of a semiconductor sensor, it will lead to malfunction of a semiconductor sensor.

  Further, since the baking of the adhesive for joining the sensor and the control LSI requires heating in a low oxygen atmosphere, the steel belt transfer furnace 90 in FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b) uses nitrogen gas in the furnace. Encapsulate. For this reason, it is necessary to blow a large amount of nitrogen in order to fill the tunnel-shaped furnace with nitrogen. Due to this nitrogen flow, dust generated in the guide portion of the steel belt 90b rises and the amount attached to the semiconductor sensor increases. It is also a factor.

  Furthermore, the steel belt transfer furnace 90 shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B is not suitable for a clean room with a high floor cost in terms of the efficiency of use of the clean room because the equipment length becomes long.

  The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the steel belt transfer furnace described above, and is a small and inexpensive heat treatment apparatus that has a high workpiece processing efficiency (throughput), suppresses generation of dust, and is particularly suitable for use in a clean room. The purpose is to provide.

  The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 is configured to grip and move a workpiece, circulate and convey the workpiece in a reciprocating manner in one direction, a heater for heating the workpiece being conveyed by the circulation and conveyance mechanism, The circulating transfer having a cylindrical shape in one direction and having one end opened and the other end closed, and having a heat insulating wall for accommodating the workpiece being heated by the heater, and exposed from the opening of the heat insulating wall It is characterized in that a work newly supplied from the outside is put into the mechanism, and the heat-treated work is taken out from the circulating transport mechanism exposed from the opening of the heat insulating wall.

  In the heat treatment apparatus, since the workpiece being conveyed is continuously heat-treated by the circulation conveyance mechanism, the workpiece processing efficiency (throughput) is high. In addition, since the workpiece is gripped and moved (mechanically lifted and moved to a predetermined position, so-called gripper conveyance), there is no friction structure like a conventional steel belt conveyance furnace, and dust generation is suppressed. Is done. Therefore, it is a continuous heat treatment apparatus that is particularly suitable for use in a clean room and does not lower the cleanliness of the clean room.

  The heat treatment apparatus conveys the work in a reciprocating manner in one direction, and inputs a newly supplied work from the outside and takes out the work after the heat treatment from the same opening. For this reason, in the vicinity of the opening inside the heat insulating wall, heat can be exchanged between the workpiece after heat treatment and the workpiece newly supplied from the outside, and efficient heat utilization is possible.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the one direction in which the work is reciprocally circulated and conveyed is a vertical direction. Thereby, the occupation area (apparatus installation area) with respect to the floor surface of the said heat processing apparatus can be reduced, and it can be set as a small heat processing apparatus. For this reason, it is particularly suitable for use in a clean room with high floor costs.

  Moreover, in the heat processing apparatus which conveys a workpiece | work by reciprocatingly circulating a workpiece | work in a perpendicular direction, it is preferable that the said opening of the heat insulation wall of the shape which was cylindrical and was closed at one end is in the perpendicular downward direction. . Thereby, atmospheric gas lighter than air and atmospheric gas that has become warmer and lighter can be efficiently confined in the furnace. On the other hand, for heat treatment in an atmosphere gas heavier than air or heat treatment in a liquid, the opening is preferably vertically upward.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the heat treatment apparatus, the circulating transport mechanism has a plurality of stages for temporarily placing the pallet on which the workpiece is mounted, arranged in a plurality of stages at equal intervals in the one direction. A first stage block in which the plurality of stages are connected to each other at one end, and a plurality of stages arranged in the one direction at the same interval as the first stage block, A second stage block which is arranged to face a plurality of stages of the first stage block and is connected to each other at one end, and is movable in the one direction as a whole; and the first stage block or the first stage block The pallet placed on the stage of the two stage block is gripped, and the gripped pallet is placed between the first stage block and the second stage block. And a pallet moving mechanism for moving a stage on which the workpiece is placed. The pallet loading mechanism grips a pallet loaded with the workpiece newly supplied from the outside, and the first stage on the opening side of the second stage block. A pallet for loading the heat-treated workpiece placed on the first stage of the second stage block by the pallet take-out mechanism is loaded on the circulating transport mechanism and placed on the stage. It can be configured to grip and take out the workpiece from the circulation conveyance mechanism.

  Thereby, the reciprocating circulation conveyance in one direction of the workpiece | work by the above gripper conveyance is realizable.

  In addition, as described in claim 5, in the heat treatment apparatus in which the workpiece is reciprocally circulated in the vertical direction and conveyed, and the opening of the heat insulating wall having a cylindrical shape with one end closed is vertically below, The first stage on the opening side in the second stage block is the lowest stage.

  When the first stage block and the second stage block have the same number of stages as claimed in claim 6, the pallet moving mechanisms are arranged in the same height position. The rod has a pair of rods, and a claw for lifting the pallet is provided at one end of the rod, and two are connected to each other at the other end of the rod. A set of rods are arranged in a plurality of stages with the same number of stages and intervals as the stage of the first stage block, and the other ends of the two pairs of rods in each stage are connected to each other so that the pallet moving rod block The pallet moving rod block is configured to move in a direction connecting the first stage block and the second stage block in a horizontal plane, and the pallet moving mechanism is 2 The two pallet moving rod blocks are arranged at different height positions so that the claws of each step do not interfere with each other, and are vertically connected via a connecting member. It can be configured to move in conjunction with the direction.

  According to this, by operating the two pallet moving rod blocks, all the pallets placed on each stage of the first stage block and the second stage block are placed between the first stage block and the second stage block. The stages to be placed by gripper conveyance can be exchanged collectively. As a result, the structure and operation of the circulation transport mechanism are simplified, and the cost can be reduced.

  Therefore, as described in claim 7, the pallet moving mechanism has three cylinders arranged outside the heat insulating wall, and each of the two cylinders includes the two pallets. The moving rod block can be configured to drive the movement in the horizontal plane, and the other cylinder can drive the vertical movement of the two pallet moving rod blocks via the connecting member.

  Thus, the pallet moving mechanism according to the sixth aspect described above can be driven using only three cylinders arranged outside the heat insulating wall.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the heater can be configured to be incorporated in the stage of the first stage block and / or the second stage block. In addition, as described in claim 9, the heater may be configured to be incorporated in a connecting portion of the first stage block and / or the second stage block.

  Thereby, compared with the heating by radiation or convection, the pallet carrying the workpiece can be heated with high heat transfer efficiency.

  As described in claim 10, since the stage on the opening side of the first stage block and / or the second stage block is used for loading and unloading the pallet on which the workpiece is mounted, it can be forcibly cooled. preferable.

  The width of each stage facing the first stage block and the second stage block is set to be narrower than the width of the pallet, and the pallet has both ends in the width direction of the stage. It is preferable to be placed on each stage so as to protrude. Thereby, both ends of the pallet protruding from the stage can be placed on the claws of a set of two rods, and the pallet can be lifted.

  The first stage block may be configured to be movable in the one direction similarly to the second stage block, but may be fixed as described in claim 12. Even if the first stage block is fixed, reciprocating circulation conveyance in one direction of the workpiece by gripper conveyance can be realized only by movement of the second stage block and operation of the pallet movement mechanism. Therefore, the circulation conveyance mechanism and its operation are simplified, and the cost can be reduced.

  According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the circulation transport mechanism, the stage of each stage of the second stage block is shifted from the same position as the corresponding stage of the first stage block to a position shifted by one stage. It can be configured to move.

  In this case, the moving stroke of the second stage block that realizes reciprocating circulation conveyance in one direction of the workpiece is minimized, and thus a small heat treatment apparatus can be obtained.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the circulation transfer mechanism, a cylinder disposed outside the heat insulating wall is connected to the second stage block, and the cylinder is arranged in one direction of the second stage block. It can be configured to drive movement.

  Thus, the above-described second stage block can be driven by using one cylinder arranged outside the heat insulating wall.

  According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the heat treatment apparatus, nitrogen gas or argon gas is introduced into the heat insulating wall, and the heat treatment of the workpiece can be performed in a low oxygen atmosphere. Therefore, it can also be used for heat treatment of semiconductor devices that dislike oxidizing atmospheres.

  As described above, in the heat treatment apparatus, as described in claim 16, the workpiece is a semiconductor device and is suitable as a heat treatment apparatus used in a clean room.

  For example, as described in claim 17, it is also preferable when the semiconductor device is an acceleration sensor device having a comb-like movable electrode and a fixed electrode arranged adjacent to each other.

  The comb-like movable electrode and the fixed electrode in the acceleration sensor device constitute a fine structure. Even in the case of heat treatment of an acceleration sensor device having such a fine structure, since the generation of dust is suppressed according to the above heat treatment device, malfunction caused by mixing of dust into the fine structure is suppressed. can do.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 3 are examples of the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, and are a schematic front view, top view, and side view of the heat treatment apparatus 100, respectively, showing the main part in a partial cross section. 1 to 3 are views in which the heat treatment apparatus 100 according to the present invention is arranged between the pre-process transport apparatus 99 and the post-process transport apparatus 101.

  A heat treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a heat treatment apparatus suitable for use in a clean room using a semiconductor device as a workpiece. The heat treatment apparatus 100 is used, for example, for baking an adhesive for joining the sensor and the control LSI in the assembly process of the semiconductor sensor apparatus, similarly to the steel belt transfer furnace 90 shown in FIG.

  4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating an acceleration sensor device, which is a typical example of a workpiece. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing a cross section of the acceleration sensor 1, and FIG. 4B is a schematic cross sectional view of the acceleration sensor device 10 that is a workpiece. FIG. 4C is a top view and a front view schematically showing the mounting state of the workpiece 10 on the pallet 11.

  The acceleration sensor 1 shown in FIG. 4A is a capacitance type acceleration sensor having a comb-like movable electrode 1m and a fixed electrode 1s arranged adjacent to each other. The gap between the comb-shaped movable electrode 1m and the fixed electrode 1s of the acceleration sensor 1 is about 2 μm, and constitutes a fine structure. Since the acceleration sensor 1 having such a fine structure dislikes mixing even a fine foreign substance, it is assembled in a clean room of class 100 or higher with a high degree of cleanliness.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, the acceleration sensor 1 of FIG. 4A is combined with the control LSI 2 and electrically connected by the bonding wire 4 to constitute the acceleration sensor device 10. The acceleration sensor 1 placed on the control LSI 2 is fixed by the adhesive 3 and is put in the package 5.

  The size of the package 5 is as small as about 5 mm square. For this reason, as shown in FIG.4 (c), the acceleration sensor apparatus 10 which is a workpiece | work is mounted in the pallet 11 made from stainless steel in units of several tens, and is conveyed between process steps.

  The heat treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is configured to hold and move the pallet 11 (work 10), and circulate and transfer in one direction (vertical direction) and circulate and transfer mechanism 100j shown in FIG. A heater 100h for heating the workpiece 10 being conveyed by the mechanism 100j, and a heat insulating wall 100d for accommodating the workpiece 10 being heated by the heater 100h indicated by broken line hatching in the drawing. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the heat insulating wall 100 d has a cylindrical shape in the one direction (vertical direction), and has one end (vertically downward) opened and the other end (vertically upward) closed.

  As described above, in the heat treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the opening of the heat insulating wall 100 d having a cylindrical shape with one end closed is vertically below. For this reason, atmospheric gas that is lighter than air and atmospheric gas that has become warmer and lighter can be efficiently confined in the furnace.

  Since the heat treatment apparatus 100 uses a semiconductor device that dislikes an oxidizing atmosphere as the work 10, nitrogen gas or argon gas is introduced into the heat insulating wall 100 d by an atmospheric gas introduction pipe (not shown), and the heat treatment of the work 10 is performed in a low oxygen atmosphere. Done in. Since the excess nitrogen gas or argon gas is released from the opening of the heat insulating wall 100d vertically below, introduction of outside air is prevented. As described above, the heat treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 has a structure that can be used for heat treatment of a semiconductor device that dislikes an oxidizing atmosphere.

  In the heat treatment apparatus 100, the pallet 11 (work 10) newly supplied from the outside by the pre-process transfer apparatus 99 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is exposed from the opening of the heat insulating wall 100d by the pallet charging mechanism P1 shown in FIG. It is put into the circulation transport mechanism 100j (the lowest stage J2s-1 of the second stage block J2 described later). Further, the pallet 11 (work 10) after the heat treatment is transferred to the outside by the pallet take-out mechanism P2 from the circulation transfer mechanism 100j (the lowest stage J2s-1 of the second stage block J2) exposed from the same opening of the heat insulating wall 100d. The product is taken out and transported to the next process by the post-process transport apparatus 101.

  FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b) are simplified views showing only the main part of the circulation transfer mechanism 100j in the heat treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the circulation transfer mechanism 100j of the heat treatment apparatus 100 includes a first stage block J1, a second stage block J2, and a pallet moving mechanism J3.

  In the first stage block J1, stages J1s for temporarily placing a pallet on which a workpiece is mounted are arranged in a plurality of stages (six stages in the figure) and arranged at equal intervals in the vertical direction. They are connected to each other at one end (right side in the figure). The first stage block J1 is fixed to the main body of the heat treatment apparatus 100.

  The second stage block J2 has the same number of stages J2s as the first stage block J1. A plurality of stages (six stages in the figure) J2s arranged in the vertical direction at the same interval as the first stage block J1 are arranged to face the plurality of stages J1s of the first stage block J1, Are connected to each other at the end (left side of the figure). One cylinder C1 is connected to the second stage block J2. The second stage block J2 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction as a whole by being driven by the cylinder C1. Note that the movement stroke of the second stage block J2 in the circulation transport mechanism 100j is such that the stage J2s of each stage of the second stage block J2 moves downward from the same position as the corresponding stage J1s of the first stage block J1. The position is set to move to a position shifted by one step (the state shown in FIG. 5B). As shown in FIG. 3, the cylinder C1 is disposed outside the heat insulating wall 100d.

  The width ws of the opposing stages of the first stage block J1 and the second stage block J2 shown in FIG. 5A is set narrower than the width wp of the pallet 11 shown in FIG. Therefore, the pallet 11 is placed on each stage J1s, J2s of the first stage block J1 or the second stage block J2 so as to protrude both ends in the width (ws) direction of each stage J1s, J2s. Therefore, as shown below, the pallet 11 can be lifted by placing both ends of the pallet 11 protruding from the stages J1s and J2 on the claws T of the pair of rods L1 and L2.

  The pallet moving mechanism J3 grips the pallet 11 (work 10) placed on the stages J1s and J2s of the first stage block J1 or the second stage block J2, and between the first stage block J1 and the second stage block J2. Then, move the stage to place the gripped pallet.

  The pallet moving mechanism J3 of the circulation transport mechanism 100j shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b) is divided into two pallet moving rod blocks LB1 that are separated by a sparse dot pattern and a honey dot pattern. , LB2.

  Each of the pallet moving rod blocks LB1 and LB2 is provided with a claw T for lifting the pallet at one end (left side in the figure) and connected to each other at the other end (right side in the figure). It has a set of two rods L1, L2 in the vertical position. A set of two rods L1 and L2 are respectively arranged in a plurality of stages (six stages in the figure) with the same number of stages and intervals as the stage J1s of the first stage block J1, and the other ends of the rods L1 and L2 in each stage The parts (the right side in the figure) are connected to each other to constitute each pallet moving rod block LB1, LB2.

  Cylinders C2 and C3 are connected to the pallet moving rod blocks LB1 and LB2, respectively. Driven by the cylinders C2 and C3, the pallet moving rod blocks LB1 and LB2 are configured to move in a direction connecting the first stage block J1 and the second stage block J2 in a horizontal plane. Further, the two pallet moving rod blocks LB1 and LB2 are arranged at different height positions so that the claws T of each step do not interfere with each other, and are connected in the vertical direction via the connecting member R. . A cylinder C4 is connected to the connecting member R. Driven by this cylinder C4, the two pallet moving rod blocks LB1, LB2 are connected to each other in the vertical direction via the connecting member R so as to be movable. As shown in FIG. 3, the three cylinders C2 to C4 are disposed outside the heat insulating wall 100d.

  Next, the reciprocating circulation conveyance operation of the circulation conveyance mechanism 100j will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, as shown in FIG. 6A, the cylinder C1 is driven to move the second stage block J2 to the lower limit end.

  Next, the pallet 11 (work 10) newly supplied from the outside is gripped by the pallet feeding mechanism P1, and the first stage (lowermost stage) exposed to the opening of the heat insulating wall 100d shown in FIG. 3 is opened. The pallet 11 is placed on the circulating conveyance mechanism 100j after being placed on the stage J2s-1. In FIG. 6A, the pallets 11 put into the circulation transport mechanism 100j are shown with numbers in the order of loading.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, the cylinder C1 is driven to move the second stage block J2 to the upper limit end. As a result, the stages of the first stage block J1 and the second stage block J2 are aligned at the same height position.

  Next, the cylinder C3 is driven to move the pallet moving rod block LB2 to the left end. As a result, the pawl T of each stage in the pallet moving rod block LB2 moves to the stage position of each stage of the second stage block J2.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7A, the cylinder C4 is driven, and the two pallet moving rod blocks LB1, LB2 of the pallet moving mechanism J3 are moved to the upper limit end via the connecting member R. As a result, the pallet 11 (work 10) on each stage of the first stage block J1 and the second stage block J2 is lifted and gripped by the claws T.

  Next, the cylinders C2 and C3 are respectively driven to move the pallet moving rod block LB1 to the left limit end and move the pallet moving rod block LB2 to the right limit end. As a result, the stage on which the pallet 11 held by the claw T is placed is exchanged between the first stage block J1 and the second stage block J2.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, the cylinder C4 is driven to move the pallet moving rod blocks LB1, LB2 to the lower limit end. As a result, the pallet 11 (work 10) held by the claw T is placed on the stages of the first stage block J1 and the second stage block J2.

  7B, the pallet 11 placed on the first stage block J1 side shown in FIG. 6B is moved to the second stage block J2 side and to the second stage block J2 side. Has moved to the first stage block J1 side.

  Next, the cylinder C2 is driven to move the pallet moving rod block LB1 to the right end. As a result, the pawls T of each stage of the two pallet moving rod blocks LB1 and LB2 return to the stage position of each stage of the first stage block J1.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8A, the cylinder C1 is driven to move the second stage block J2 to the lower limit end.

  Next, the first pallet 11 (work 10) after heat treatment on the first stage (lowermost stage) J2s-1 of the second stage block J2 is gripped by the pallet take-out mechanism P2 and shown in FIG. It takes out from the circulation conveyance mechanism 100j exposed to the opening of the heat insulation wall 100d shown.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, the cylinder C3 is driven to move the pallet moving rod block LB2 to the left end.

  Next, the cylinder C4 is driven, and the pallet moving rod blocks LB1 and LB2 are moved to the upper limit end. As a result, the pallet 11 on each stage of the first stage block J1 and the second stage block J2 is lifted and gripped by the claws T.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9 (a), the cylinders C2 and C3 are driven to move the pallet moving rod block LB1 to the left end and move the pallet moving rod block LB2 to the right end. As a result, the stage on which the pallet 11 held by the claw T is placed is exchanged between the first stage block J1 and the second stage block J2.

  Next, the cylinder C4 is driven, and the pallet moving rod blocks LB1 and LB2 are moved to the lower limit end. Thereby, all the remaining pallets 11 (work 10) except for No. 7 at the top are placed on the stages of the first stage block J1 and the second stage block J2.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, the cylinder C2 is driven to move the pallet moving rod block LB1 to the right end. As a result, the seventh pallet 11 remaining on the claw T is placed on the sixth (uppermost) stage of the first stage block J1. Although not shown for the sake of simplicity, the uppermost stage of the first stage block J1 has an end surface (left side in the figure) facing the second stage block J2 and is directed to the connecting part (right side in the figure). The taper is formed. Therefore, as the pallet moving rod block LB1 moves to the right end, the seventh pallet 11 can be smoothly placed on the uppermost stage of the first stage block J1. Further, instead of forming a taper on the uppermost stage of the first stage block J1 as described above, the cylinders C1 and C4 are driven up in conjunction with each other, and the seventh pallet 11 is moved to the uppermost stage of the first stage block J1. The pallet moving rod block LB1 may be moved to the right end at a height that does not interfere with the stage.

  Finally, the 13th pallet 11 (work 10) newly supplied from the outside is gripped by the pallet feeding mechanism P1 and placed on the stage J2s opened in the first stage (bottom stage) of the second stage block J2. The pallet 11 is put into the circulation conveyance mechanism 100j.

  As described above, by repeating the operations shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the pallet 11 (work 10) put into the circulation transfer mechanism 100 j of the heat treatment apparatus 100 is moved to each stage of the first stage block J 1 and the second stage block J 2. It is reciprocated and conveyed in one direction (vertical direction). During this reciprocating circulation conveyance, heat treatment is performed by the heater 100h provided in the first stage block J1 and the second stage block J2.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the heater 100 h of the heat treatment apparatus 100 is incorporated in a connecting portion near the upper third to sixth stages in the first stage block J1 and the second stage block J2 of the circulation transfer mechanism 100j. ing. For this reason, the part filled with the wavy line pattern in the drawing becomes a heating region, and the third to sixth stages above the first stage block J1 and the second stage block J2 act as heating plates. For example, when the heat treatment apparatus 100 is used for the adhesive baking of the acceleration sensor apparatus 10 as described above, the temperature of the upper third to sixth stages is adjusted to 170 ° C. by the temperature control apparatus. . The pallet 11 (work 10) being transported is placed directly on the third to sixth stages and heated by heat conduction. This heating mechanism using heat conduction can heat the pallet 11 (workpiece 10) with higher heat transfer efficiency than a heating mechanism using radiation or convection. The heater is not limited to the connecting portion, but may be incorporated in the stages J1s and J2s of the first stage block J1 and the second stage block J2.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the first stage J2s-1 of the second stage block J2 is preferably used for forced cooling because it is used for loading and unloading the pallet 11 (workpiece 10). For example, when the heat treatment apparatus 100 is used for baking the adhesive of the acceleration sensor apparatus 10, the temperature of the stage J2s-1 is adjusted to 40 ° C. or less by the temperature control apparatus. Not only the stage J2s-1 used for loading and unloading the pallet 11, but also the other stages of the first stage block 1 and / or the second stage block J2 on the opening side of the heat insulating wall 100d are necessary. Accordingly, forced cooling may be performed.

  As described above, in the heat treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the first stage block 1 and the second stage block functioning as heating plates are employed in order to secure the heat treatment time by employing the heating mechanism using heat conduction. A plurality of stages J1s and J2s of J2 are arranged at equal intervals in one direction. Further, a cylindrical (bell-shaped) heat insulating wall 100d having a lower end opened and an upper end closed is provided so as to wrap around these stages J1s and J2s. The inside of the container is maintained in a low oxygen atmosphere by flowing nitrogen gas or argon gas from above into the heat insulating wall 100d.

  Since the heat treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 continuously heat-treats the workpiece 10 being conveyed by the circulation conveyance mechanism 100j, the processing efficiency (throughput) of the workpiece 10 is high. Further, in the heat treatment apparatus 100, the pallet 11 (work 10) is gripped and moved without rubbing (a so-called gripper conveyance method in which the pallet 11 is moved up mechanically and moved down to a predetermined position). For this reason, there is no friction structure part like the conventional steel belt conveyance furnace 90 shown in FIG. 10, and generation | occurrence | production of dust is suppressed. Accordingly, the heat treatment apparatus 100 is particularly suitable for use in a clean room, and is a continuous heat treatment apparatus that does not reduce the cleanliness of the clean room. For this reason, even if it is heat processing of the acceleration sensor apparatus 10 with the fine structure shown in FIG. 4, since generation | occurrence | production of dust is suppressed according to the above-mentioned heat processing apparatus 100, mixing of dust into the fine structure is performed. It is possible to suppress malfunction caused by the above. The cylinder C1 that drives the second stage block J2, the cylinders C1 to C3 that drive the two pallet moving rod blocks LB1 and LB2, and the connecting member R are disposed outside the heat treatment chamber of the pallet 11 (workpiece 10). Separated and installed. For this reason, the foreign matter generated in these drive units does not adhere to the workpiece 10.

  Moreover, the heat processing apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 1-3 conveys the workpiece | work 10 by reciprocatingly circulating in the perpendicular direction. For this reason, compared with the conventional steel belt conveyance furnace 90 shown in FIG. 10, the occupation area (apparatus installation area) with respect to the floor surface of the heat processing apparatus 100 can be reduced, and it can be set as a small heat processing apparatus. For this reason, this is also particularly suitable for use in a clean room with high floor costs.

  Further, the heat treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 conveys the work 10 by reciprocating and circulating in one direction in the vertical direction, charging the work 10 newly supplied from the outside, and the outside of the work 10 after the heat treatment is finished. The extraction is performed in the vicinity of the same opening of the heat insulating wall 100d. For this reason, in the vicinity of the opening inside the heat insulating wall 100d, heat can be exchanged between the workpiece after the heat treatment and the workpiece newly supplied from the outside, and efficient heat utilization is possible. In addition, in the heat treatment apparatus 100, the introduction of the workpiece 10 newly supplied from the outside and the outside of the workpiece 10 after the heat treatment are integrated into the first stage J2s-1 of the second stage block J2, This reduces the size of the apparatus.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the circulation transfer mechanism 100 j of the heat treatment apparatus 100 moves the pallet 11 (work 10) placed on each stage between the first stage block J 1 and the second stage block J 2. Grasping and moving (gripper transport), the pallet 11 is transported by reciprocating in one direction (vertical direction) on each stage without sliding wear. In the circulatory transfer mechanism 100j, the two pallet moving rod blocks LB1 and LB2 are operated so that the stages to be placed on all the pallets 11 placed on the first stage block J1 and the second stage block J2 are collectively placed. Can be exchanged. As described above, in the circulation transport mechanism 100j, the structure and operation are simplified, thereby reducing the cost.

  In addition, the first stage block J1 in the circulation transport mechanism 100j is fixed, and the pallet 11 (work 10) is reciprocated in one direction by gripper transport only by moving the second stage block J2 and operating the pallet moving mechanism J3. Circulating conveyance can be realized. Accordingly, this also simplifies the structure and operation, thereby reducing the cost. The structure is not limited to the structure in which the first stage block J1 is fixed as described above, but may be configured to be movable in the vertical direction, similarly to the second stage block J2.

  Furthermore, in the circulation transport mechanism 100j, each stage of the second stage block J2 moves from the same position as the corresponding stage of the first stage block J1 to a position shifted by one stage. . In this case, the movement stroke of the second stage block J2 that realizes reciprocating circulation conveyance in one direction of the workpiece is minimized. Therefore, the miniaturization of the small heat treatment apparatus 100 is achieved thereby.

  As described above, the heat treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 has a high processing efficiency (throughput) of the workpiece 10, suppresses the generation of dust, and is a small and inexpensive heat treatment apparatus particularly suitable for use in a clean room. ing.

  In the heat treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the heater 100 h is incorporated in a connecting portion near the third to sixth stages above the first stage block J <b> 1 and the second stage block J <b> 2. It had a 4-stage heating configuration. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of stages of the first stage block J1 and the second stage block J2 can be increased or decreased as necessary, thereby increasing the processing capacity without increasing the apparatus installation area. is there.

  In addition, the heat treatment apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 has a configuration in which the lower end of the heat insulating wall 100d is opened, and the loading and unloading of the pallet 11 (work 10) is performed below the heat insulating wall 100d. . However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the lower end of the heat insulating wall may be closed and the upper end opened, and the pallet 11 (workpiece 10) may be loaded and unloaded above the heat insulating wall. In particular, for heat treatment in an atmosphere gas heavier than air or heat treatment in a liquid, it is preferable that the opening of the heat insulating wall is vertically upward and the vertical lower portion is closed.

  In addition, the heat treatment apparatus 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a vertical heat treatment apparatus in which the circulation conveyance mechanism 100j grips the workpiece 10 and recirculates and conveys the workpiece 10 in the vertical direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a horizontal heat treatment apparatus in which the circulation conveyance mechanism grips the workpiece 10 and reciprocates and conveys it in one direction in a horizontal plane may be used.

It is an example of the heat processing apparatus of this invention, and is the figure which showed the principal part with the partial cross section with the typical front view of the heat processing apparatus 100. FIG. It is the typical top view of heat processing apparatus 100, and is the figure which showed the principal part by the partial cross section. It is the typical side view of the heat processing apparatus 100, and is the figure which showed the principal part with the partial cross section. It is a figure which shows the acceleration sensor apparatus which is a typical example of a workpiece | work, (a) is a perspective view which shows the cross section of the acceleration sensor 1, (b) is typical sectional drawing of the acceleration sensor apparatus 10 which is a workpiece | work. . Moreover, (c) is the top view and front view which showed the mounting state to the pallet of the workpiece | work 10 typically. (A), (b) is the figure which each extracted and simplified and showed only the principal part of the circulation conveyance mechanism 100j in the heat processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. (A), (b) is a figure explaining the reciprocating circulation conveyance operation | movement of the circulation conveyance mechanism 100j. (A), (b) is a figure explaining the reciprocating circulation conveyance operation | movement of the circulation conveyance mechanism 100j. (A), (b) is a figure explaining the reciprocating circulation conveyance operation | movement of the circulation conveyance mechanism 100j. (A), (b) is a figure explaining the reciprocating circulation conveyance operation | movement of the circulation conveyance mechanism 100j. 2A and 2B are views showing a conventional steel belt transfer furnace 90, in which FIG. 1A is a top view showing a main section of the steel belt transfer furnace 90 in a partial cross section, and FIG. It is the front view which showed the part in the partial cross section.

Explanation of symbols

10 Workpiece (acceleration sensor device)
11 Pallet 100 Heat treatment apparatus 100j Circulating transfer mechanism J1 First stage block J2 Second stage block J1s, J2s Stage J3 Pallet moving mechanism LB1, LB2 Pallet moving rod block L1, L2 Rod T Claw R Connecting member C1-C4 Cylinder 100h Heater 100d Insulation wall P1 Pallet loading mechanism P2 Pallet removal mechanism

Claims (17)

A circulating and conveying mechanism that grips and moves the workpiece, and reciprocates and conveys in one direction; and
A heater for heating the workpiece being conveyed by the circulation conveyance mechanism;
In a shape that is cylindrical and has one end opened and the other end closed in the one direction, and having a heat insulating wall that accommodates the workpiece being heated by the heater,
To the circulating conveyance mechanism exposed from the opening of the heat insulating wall, a work newly supplied from the outside is introduced,
A heat treatment apparatus, wherein a heat-treated work is taken out from the circulation conveyance mechanism exposed from the opening of the heat insulating wall.   The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one direction is a vertical direction.   The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the opening is vertically downward. The circulation transport mechanism is
A stage for temporarily placing the pallet on which the workpiece is mounted is arranged in a plurality of stages at equal intervals in the one direction, and the plurality of stages are connected to each other at one end. A stage block,
A plurality of stages arranged in the same direction at the same interval as the first stage block are arranged to face the plurality of stages of the first stage block, and are connected to each other at one end. A second stage block movable as a whole in the one direction,
A pallet moving mechanism for holding a pallet placed on the stage of the first stage block or the second stage block and moving the stage on which the gripped pallet is placed between the first stage block and the second stage block; And
The pallet loading mechanism grips the pallet loaded with the workpiece newly supplied from the outside, puts it on the first stage on the opening side of the second stage block, and loads the workpiece into the circulation conveyance mechanism. ,
The pallet take-out mechanism grips a pallet on which the heat-treated work placed on the first stage in the second stage block is mounted, and takes the work out from the circulation transport mechanism. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The one direction is a vertical direction;
The opening is vertically downward;
The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first stage is a lowermost stage. The first stage block and the second stage block have the same number of stages,
The pallet moving mechanism has a set of two rods at the same height position,
A claw for lifting the pallet is provided at one end of the rod, and two are connected to each other at the other end of the rod,
The set of two rods are arranged in a plurality of stages at the same stage number and interval as the stage of the first stage block,
The other end of the set of two rods in each stage is connected to each other to form a pallet moving rod block,
The pallet moving rod block moves in a direction connecting the first stage block and the second stage block in a horizontal plane;
The pallet moving mechanism has two pallet moving rod blocks,
The two pallet moving rod blocks are arranged at different height positions so that the claws of each step do not interfere with each other, and are connected in a vertical direction via a connecting member and moved. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 5. The pallet moving mechanism has three cylinders arranged outside the heat insulating wall,
The two cylinders each drive the movement of the two pallet moving rod blocks in a horizontal plane;
The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the other cylinder drives the movement of the two pallet moving rod blocks in the vertical direction via the connecting member.   The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the heater is incorporated in the stage of the first stage block and / or the second stage block.   The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the heater is incorporated in a connecting portion of the first stage block and / or the second stage block.   The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein the stage on the opening side of the first stage block and / or the second stage block is forcibly cooled. The width of each stage facing the first stage block and the second stage block is set narrower than the width of the pallet,
The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 10, wherein the pallet is placed on each stage so that both ends protrude in the width direction of each stage.   The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 11, wherein the first stage block is fixed.   13. The stage of each stage of the second stage block moves from the same position as the stage of each corresponding stage of the first stage block to a position shifted by one stage. The heat treatment apparatus according to item. A cylinder arranged outside the heat insulating wall is connected to the second stage block,
The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 13, wherein the cylinder drives one-way movement of the second stage block. Inside the heat insulating wall, nitrogen gas or argon gas is introduced,
The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the heat treatment of the workpiece is performed in a low oxygen atmosphere. The workpiece is a semiconductor device;
The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the heat treatment apparatus is used in a clean room.   The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the semiconductor device is an acceleration sensor device having a comb-like movable electrode and a fixed electrode arranged adjacent to each other.

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