JP2008084983A - Carrying device, cleaning system, and drying system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a carrying device capable of reducing a floor area that it occupies, and reducing conveyance time, and to provide a cleaning system and a drying system. <P>SOLUTION: The carrying device comprises: a conveyance container for storing a plurality of flat objects to be conveyed horizontally each; a first conveyance section for taking out the objects to be conveyed from the conveyance container while the first surface of the objects to be conveyed is being retained; and a second conveyance section for directly receiving the objects to be conveyed from the first conveyance section by retaining a second surface that is separate from the first surface of the objects to be conveyed retained by the first conveyance section without any contact. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport device for transporting a semiconductor wafer, a liquid crystal substrate, and other transport objects, and a cleaning system and a drying system using the transport device.

  As a conventional transfer device, there is a transfer device 155 shown in FIG. 11, which transfers a semiconductor wafer or other transfer object to a cleaning device or a drying device. The transfer device 155 includes a first transfer robot 165 that takes out the wafer W stored in the transfer container 17 on the mounting table 18, and an intermediate stage 175 on which the wafer W taken out by the first transfer robot 165 is placed. And a second transfer robot 185 that holds the wafer W placed on the intermediate stage 175 and transfers the wafer W to a cleaning device or a drying device (not shown). Here, FIG. 11 is a side view showing a simplified configuration of a conventional transport apparatus.

  The first transfer robot 165 includes a robot main body 169 and a first arm 170A, a second arm 170B, and a hand unit 170C that are sequentially connected. Here, the hand portion 170 </ b> C is a scooping hand that holds the lower surface of the wafer W in contact. A first axis 171A is provided between the robot body 169 and the first arm 170A, a second axis 171B is provided between the first arm 170A and the second arm 170B, and a third axis is provided between the second arm 170B and the hand portion 170C. 171C is provided. The first arm 170A, the second arm 170B, and the hand portion 170C are respectively placed on a horizontal plane (a plane perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 11 through the first shaft 171A, the second shaft 171B, and the third shaft 171C. In a plane including a line extending in the left-right direction). Further, the height of the hand portion 170C can be adjusted by extending and contracting the first shaft 171A.

  On the other hand, in the second transfer robot 185, a first arm 190A, a second arm 190B, a third arm 190C, and a hand unit 190D are sequentially connected to a robot body 189. Here, the hand portion 190D is a scooping hand that holds the lower surface of the wafer W in contact. A first shaft 191A is provided between the robot body 189 and the first arm 190A, a second shaft 191B is provided between the first arm 190A and the second arm 190B, and a third shaft is provided between the second arm 190B and the third arm 190C. The fourth shaft 191D is disposed between the shaft 191C, the third arm 190C, and the hand portion 190D. The first arm 190A, the second arm 190B, and the third arm 190C are rotatably provided in a horizontal plane via the first shaft 191A, the second shaft 191B, and the third shaft 191C. Further, the height of the hand portion 190D can be adjusted by expanding and contracting the first shaft 191A. Further, a hand part 190D is provided via a fourth axis 191D so as to be rotatable in a horizontal plane and around a horizontal axis.

  The transfer device 155 holds and transfers the wafer W as follows.

  First, the first transfer robot 165 inserts the hand unit 170C into the transfer container 17 by the action of the first shaft 171A, the first arm 170A, the second arm 170B, and the third arm 170C, and scoops up the wafer W. Then, the lower surface of the wafer W is held in contact. From this state, the hand unit 170C is rotated in a horizontal plane, the height is adjusted by the first shaft 171A, and the wafer W held by the hand unit 170C is placed on the intermediate stage 175.

  Subsequently, the second transfer robot 185 places the hand portion 190D on the intermediate stage 175 by the action of the first shaft 191A, the first arm 190A, the second arm 190B, and the third arm 190C, and moves the wafer W on. Scooping up and holding the lower surface of the wafer W in contact. From this state, the third arm 190C and the hand unit 190D are rotated in a horizontal plane, the height is adjusted by the first shaft 191A, and the wafer W held by the hand unit 190D is transferred to the cleaning device or the drying device.

  As described above, in the transfer device 155, the wafer W is transferred from the transfer container 17 to the intermediate stage 175 by the hand unit 170C, and the wafer W is transferred from the intermediate stage 175 to the cleaning device or the drying device by the hand unit 190D. During this time, the hand unit 170C and the hand unit 190D hold the lower surface of the wafer W in contact with each other and reliably transfer the wafer W from the transfer container 17 to the cleaning device or the drying device. The same applies to the transfer from the cleaning device or the drying device to the transfer container 17.

JP-A-6-112299 JP 2006-19544 A

  However, in the above-described transfer device 155, since the hand portion 170C of the first transfer robot 165 and the hand portion 190D of the second transfer robot 185 are scooping hands that hold and hold the transfer object, the upper surface is the processing surface. When a certain wafer W is transferred, the lower surface is held in contact with the processing surface to prevent contamination and breakage of the processing surface. Thus, since the intermediate stage 175 is essential for the transfer of the wafer W between the first transfer robot 165 and the second transfer robot 185, the floor area occupied by the entire transfer device 155 is increased, and the cost is reduced. There is a problem of increasing. This problem is remarkable at a production site where a plurality of transfer devices are often arranged in order to process a large number of wafers. In addition, the second transfer robot 185 (or the second transfer robot 185 (or the second transfer robot 185) (or the second transfer robot 185) placed on the intermediate stage 175 is not retracted from the intermediate stage 175. Since the first transfer robot 165) cannot pick up the wafer W, the transfer time is long.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device, a cleaning system, and a drying system that can reduce the floor area occupied by the transfer device and can reduce the transfer time as a configuration that does not use an intermediate stage.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a transport apparatus according to the present invention includes a transport container in which a plate-shaped transport target is stored in a horizontal state, and a transport target from the transport container while holding the first surface of the transport target. A first transport unit that receives the transport object directly from the first transport unit by non-contacting and holding the first transport unit for taking out the second surface and the second surface different from the first surface of the transport target object held by the first transport unit; And 2 transport units.

  In the transport apparatus of the present invention, the first transport unit holds the first surface of the transport target object in a non-contact manner.

  In the transport apparatus of the present invention, the second surface of the transport target is a processing surface on which processing is performed.

  In the transport apparatus according to the present invention, the second transport unit holds the second surface of the transport target object in a non-contact manner by the action of the negative pressure generated by the swirling flow.

  The cleaning system of the present invention includes a transport container in which a plurality of plate-shaped transport objects are stored in a horizontal state, and a first transport unit that takes out the transport object stored in the transport container while holding the first surface. And a second transport unit that receives the transport target directly from the first transport unit by holding the second surface different from the first surface of the transport target held by the first transport unit in a non-contact manner, And a cleaning device that cleans the object to be transported conveyed by the transport unit in a cleaning tank, and the cleaning device holds the first surface of the object to be transported carried into the cleaning tank. Means are provided.

  In the cleaning system of the present invention, the holding means leans the transport object against the cleaning tank and tilts the cleaning device to hold the first surface of the transport object.

  In the cleaning system of the present invention, the cleaning device constitutes the cleaning tank in contact with the device housing, and includes a side wall in which an opening corresponding to the outer shape of the transport object is formed, and the holding means includes at least The first side of the transport object carried into the inside of the one side wall by the one side wall configured to be tilted so that the transport object can be leaned and a receiving member disposed at the lower part of the opening inside the one side wall. A surface can be held, and the conveyance object is set in a standing state in a vertical direction.

  In the cleaning system of the present invention, the holding means holds the first surface of the conveyance object in a non-contact state by the action of the negative pressure generated by the swirling flow.

  In the cleaning system according to the present invention, the cleaning device forms a cleaning tank in contact with the device housing, and includes a side wall in which an opening corresponding to the outer shape of the object to be transported is formed. Through the opening, it is possible to hold the first surface of the conveyance object carried inside the one side wall, and the conveyance object is raised in the vertical direction.

  In the cleaning system of the present invention, the one side wall is configured to be movable in a direction away from the device housing, and when the one side wall is separated from the device housing, the object to be transported is loaded and held by the holding means. It is accommodated in the washing tank comprised by making an apparatus housing contact | abut.

  In the cleaning system of the present invention, the first transport unit holds the first surface of the transport object in a non-contact manner.

  In the cleaning system of the present invention, the second surface of the conveyance object is a processing surface to be processed.

  In the cleaning system of the present invention, the second transport unit holds the second surface of the transport object in a non-contact manner by the action of a negative pressure generated by the swirling flow.

  The drying system of the present invention includes a transport container in which a plurality of plate-shaped transport objects are stored in a horizontal state, and a first transport unit that takes out the transport object stored in the transport container while holding the first surface. And a second transport unit that receives the transport target directly from the first transport unit by holding the second surface different from the first surface of the transport target held by the first transport unit in a non-contact manner, And a cleaning device that cleans the transport object transported by the transport unit in a drying tank, and the cleaning device holds the first surface of the transport object carried into the cleaning tank. It is characterized by comprising.

  In the transfer apparatus of the present invention, the second transfer unit that receives the transfer object taken out from the transfer container by the first transfer unit can hold the transfer object in a non-contact manner, so that an intermediate stage is unnecessary. The transport object can be received directly from the first transport unit. For this reason, the floor area which a conveyance apparatus occupies can be reduced, and cost reduction is realizable by this.

  Also, as compared with the conventional case, the first transfer unit or the second transfer unit once places the transfer target object on the intermediate stage and retracts, and then the second transfer object or the first transfer unit picks up the wafer W. Thus, the transport time from the transport container to the cleaning device and from the cleaning device to the transport container can be shortened.

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

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a cleaning system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention with a part cut away. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a simplified configuration of the transport device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the hand unit 90D of the second transfer robot 85 of the transfer device 55. As shown in FIG.

  The cleaning system 10 according to the present embodiment functions as a drying system using the cleaning tank 23 (FIG. 10) as a drying tank after cleaning. The cleaning system 10 can also be used as a drying system in which the cleaning step is omitted and the cleaning tank 23 is regarded as a drying tank. Here, FIG. 10A shows a delivery state of the wafer W to the cleaning apparatus 11, a longitudinal sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 9A, and FIG. 10B shows the wafer W to the cleaning apparatus 11. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the set state.

  A cleaning system 10 shown in FIG. 1 is adjacent to a cleaning device placement unit 12 in which a plurality of cleaning devices 11 for cleaning a semiconductor substrate (for example, a wafer W) as a transfer target is placed, and the cleaning device placement unit 12. The chemical solution supply unit 13 arranged in this manner, the wafer supply / discharge unit 14 arranged at a position opposite to the chemical solution supply unit 13, and the cleaning device arrangement unit 12 between the cleaning device arrangement unit 12 and the wafer supply / discharge unit 14. The first transfer robot 65 and the second transfer robot 85 are arranged in this order, and the electrical equipment unit 16 is disposed above the chemical solution supply unit 13.

  The chemical solution supply unit 13 supplies an alkaline cleaning solution, an acid cleaning solution, pure water as a rinsing solution, an organic solvent and an inert gas as a drying fluid, and the like to the cleaning device 11 of the cleaning device arrangement unit 12. The cleaning liquid and the rinsing liquid are referred to as a cleaning fluid. The wafer supply / discharge unit 14 includes a mounting table 18 on which a transfer container 17 in which a plurality of wafers W are stored in a horizontal state is mounted, and a container opener (not shown) that opens and closes the lid of the transfer container 17. . When the wafer W in the transfer container 17 is sent to the cleaning device 11 or when the wafer W processed by the cleaning device 11 is stored in the transfer container 17, the container opener opens the lid of the transfer container 17.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first transfer robot (first transfer unit) 65 includes a first arm 70 </ b> A, a second arm 70 </ b> B, a first hand unit 70 </ b> C, and a second hand unit 70 </ b> D. Are sequentially connected. A first shaft 71A is disposed between the robot body 69 and the first arm 70A, and a second shaft 71B is disposed between the first arm 70A and the second arm 70B. The first hand unit 70C and the second hand unit 70D are supported by the common third shaft 71C with respect to the second arm 70B. Via the first shaft 71A and the second shaft 71B, the first arm 70A and the second arm 70B are horizontal surfaces (surfaces perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2 and extending in the left-right direction of FIG. The first hand unit 70C and the second hand unit 70D are also provided so as to be rotatable in the horizontal plane (arrow R) via the third shaft 71C. Further, the heights of the first hand unit 70C and the second hand unit 70D can be adjusted as indicated by an arrow S by the expansion and contraction of the first shaft 71A. Furthermore, the robot main body 69 is configured to be movable to a transfer container 17 that requires loading / unloading of the wafer W among a plurality of transfer containers 17 arranged along the rail 72 (FIG. 1).

  The second transfer robot (second transfer unit) 85 is obtained by sequentially connecting a first arm 90A, a second arm 90B, a third arm 90C, and a hand unit 90D to a robot body 89. The first shaft 91A is between the robot body 89 and the first arm 90A, the second shaft 91B is between the first arm 90A and the second arm 90B, and the third is between the second arm 90B and the third arm 90C. A fourth shaft 91D is disposed between the shaft 91C, the third arm 90C, and the hand portion 90D. The first arm 90A, the second arm 90B, and the third arm 90C are provided to be rotatable in a horizontal plane as indicated by an arrow P via the first shaft 91A, the second shaft 91B, and the third shaft 91C. The hand portion 90D is provided to be rotatable around the horizontal axis via the fourth shaft 91D, that is, to be rotatable in the arrow Q direction with respect to the third arm 90C. In addition, the height of the hand portion 90D can be adjusted as indicated by an arrow T by expansion and contraction of the first shaft 91A. Further, the robot main body 89 is configured to be movable to the cleaning apparatus 11 in which the wafer W needs to be carried in and out of the plurality of cleaning apparatuses 11 arranged along the rail 92 (FIG. 1). Is done.

  Here, the first hand unit 70C of the first transfer robot 65 scoops up the lower surface (first surface) 3 (FIG. 10) of the wafer W accommodated in the transfer container 17 for taking out (carrying out). It is a hand. The second hand unit 70D is a scooping hand for holding (carrying in) the lower surface 3 of the cleaned and dried wafer W in contact with the lower surface 3. Two hands, that is, the first hand 70C and the second hand 70D, are arranged with respect to the second arm 70B via the third shaft 71C, and the unloading hand (first hand 70C) By separately providing a hand for carrying in (second hand portion 70D), the wafer W before cleaning and the clean wafer W after cleaning and drying are held in separate hand portions and adhered to the wafer W before cleaning. This prevents the particles that have been deposited from adhering to the clean wafer W after cleaning and drying through the hand portion.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the hand portion 90D of the second transfer robot 85 has a negative pressure generated by the swirling flow, as described in JP-A-2002-64130. A plurality of non-contact holding tools 92 that hold the upper surface (second surface) 2 (FIGS. 1 and 7) as a processing surface in a non-contact state are provided. As described above, by using the non-contact holding tool 92 in the hand portion 90D, it is possible to carry the material without contamination or damage of the upper surface 2 as the processing surface. Furthermore, since the lower surface 3 of the wafer W can be held by the first hand unit 70C and the upper surface 2 of the wafer W can be held by the hand unit 90D, a conventional intermediate stage is unnecessary, and the first hand unit The wafer W can be directly transferred between the 70C and the hand unit 90D. Thereby, the floor area which the conveyance apparatus 55 occupies can be reduced, and it becomes possible to reduce cost. Further, as in the prior art, after the first transfer robot 165 (or the second transfer robot 185) temporarily places the wafer W on the intermediate stage and retracts, the second transfer robot 185 (or the first transfer robot 185) is used. Compared with the case where the transfer robot 165 scoops up the wafer W, the transfer time from the transfer container 17 to the cleaning device 11 can be shortened.

  In addition, as the first hand unit 70C and the second hand unit 70D, a vacuum suction hand can be used in addition to the scooping hand. Further, similarly to the hand portion 90D, a non-contact auxiliary jig can be provided, and the lower surface 3 of the wafer W can be held in a non-contact manner by a negative pressure generated by the swirling flow. Thereby, contamination and breakage of the lower surface 3 of the wafer W can be prevented. Further, even if the lower surface 3 of the wafer W is a processing surface, it can be held and transported without contamination and damage because it is non-contact.

  In addition, the first transfer unit may take a form other than the first transfer robot 65 as long as the wafer W can be taken out from the transfer container 17 and transferred to the second transfer robot 85 with the lower surface 3 held. You can also. Furthermore, if the second transfer unit can receive the wafer W from the first transfer robot 65 and transfer it to the cleaning device 11 with the upper surface 3 held in a non-contact manner, the second transfer unit is configured in a form other than the second transfer robot 85. You can also

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the cleaning apparatus 11 stores a cleaning liquid and pure water in a box-shaped apparatus housing 29 having a basic structure, and cleans the wafer W, thereby cleaning the wafer W. The wafer W accommodated in the cleaning tank 23 is cleaned using, for example, ultrasonic waves excited by an ultrasonic vibration device (not shown). Here, FIG. 9A is a perspective view showing a state in which the wafer W is carried into the cleaning apparatus 11, and FIG. 9B is a perspective view showing a state in which the wafer W is set in the cleaning apparatus 11.

  The cleaning tank 23 is configured by bringing a front wall 28 as one side wall that can come into contact with and away from the apparatus housing 29 into contact with the apparatus housing 29. An opening 30 having a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the wafer W is formed in the front wall 28. Specifically, the opening 30 is formed with a predetermined width and small diameter from the outer shape of the wafer W, and the peripheral edge of the lower surface 3 of the wafer W is in close contact with the periphery of the opening 30 of the front wall 28 as shown in FIG. Formed. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, the cleaning apparatus 11 is configured to be inclined at a predetermined angle α with respect to the front wall 28 side, and the wafer W is placed below the opening 30 inside the front wall 28. By providing the receiving member 31 that supports the lower end, the wafer W is in a state of being held against the periphery of the opening 30. Therefore, the wafer W holding means is constituted by the inclination of the front wall 28 and the receiving member 31 below the opening 30. Note that the inclination α of the cleaning apparatus 11 needs to be at least an angle at which the wafer W can be leaned on the front wall 28, preferably 0 ° <α ≦ 10 °, and more preferably 3 °. During cleaning of the wafer W, the cleaning apparatus 11 is filled with a liquid such as a chemical solution or pure water. However, the wafer W is brought into a closer contact with the periphery of the opening 30 due to the water pressure of the liquid, and the liquid-tight state is maintained. Only the top surface 2 of W is cleaned. Further, when a plurality of pins are implanted around the opening 30 inside the front wall 28, a gap is provided between the wafer W disposed on the front wall 28 and the front wall 28, so that the interior of the cleaning apparatus 11 can be provided. It is possible to clean the lower surface 3 of the wafer W by causing a liquid such as a chemical solution or pure water filled in the above to flow out to the lower surface 3 side of the wafer W.

  In addition, by tilting the cleaning device 11, the wafer W is not configured to be held, but the wafer W accommodated in the cleaning tank 23 is passed through the opening 30 by the wafer holding device disposed outside the front wall 28. The wafer W can be fixed also by holding 3 in a non-contact manner, and the hand portion 90D is disposed outside the front wall 28, rather than leaning the wafer W against the front wall 28, and passes through the opening 30. The wafer W is fixed in the cleaning apparatus 11 by delivering the wafer W to the wafer holding apparatus that holds W. In that case, it is preferable that the wafer holding device is provided with a non-contact holding tool similarly to the hand unit 90D, and holds the lower surface 3 of the wafer W in a non-contact manner by the action of negative pressure generated by the swirling flow.

  The electrical unit 16 supplies power to each cleaning device 11, the chemical solution supply unit 13, the wafer supply / discharge unit 14, the first transfer robot 65, and the second transfer robot 85 of the cleaning device placement unit 12. By disposing the electrical component 16 above the chemical solution supply unit 13, it is possible to prevent a liquid such as a cleaning solution from being applied. In addition, various pipes are installed in the cleaning system 10 above and below the cleaning device placement unit 12.

  Next, holding and transport of the wafer W in the transport device 55 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the wafer W is taken out in the transfer device 55.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4, the first transfer robot 65 is operated by the first shaft 71A, the first arm 70A, and the second arm 70B during the opening operation of the transfer container 17 in the wafer supply / discharge section 14. The one hand part 70C is inserted into the transfer container 17, the wafer W is scooped up, and the lower surface 3 of the wafer W is held in contact. From this state, the robot body 19 moves along the rail 72 to a position corresponding to the second transfer robot 85, and the first hand unit 70C holding the wafer W by rotating the first hand unit 70C in a horizontal plane. 70C is arranged at the delivery position on the second transfer robot 85 side.

  On the other hand, in the second transfer robot 85, the hand portion 90D is arranged at the delivery position by the action of the first shaft 91A, the first arm 90A, the second arm 90B, and the third arm 90C.

  In this delivery position, the hand unit 90D receives the wafer W directly from the first hand unit 70C and holds the upper surface 2 of the wafer W in a non-contact state (FIGS. 5 to 7). Here, FIG. 5 is a side view showing a delivery state of the wafer W in the transfer device 55. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion VI in FIG. 5 showing a transfer state of the wafer W in the transfer device 55. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the hand unit 90D of the second transfer robot 85 holds the wafer W in a non-contact manner.

  Subsequently, the robot body 89 moves along the rail 92 to a position corresponding to the cleaning apparatus 11 where the wafer W is required, and the wafer W held by the hand unit 90D is placed inside the front wall 28 of the desired cleaning apparatus 11. A wafer W is set around the opening 30 (FIGS. 8 to 10). Here, FIG. 8 is a side view showing a wafer transfer state from the second transfer robot 85 to the cleaning apparatus 11.

  When the wafer W is carried into the cleaning apparatus 11 (FIG. 9A) and delivered (FIG. 10A), the front wall 28 is separated from the apparatus housing 29, and the hand portion 90D of the second transfer robot 85 is moved to the wafer. The upper surface 2 of W is held in a non-contact state, enters between the front wall 28 and the apparatus housing 29, the lower end of the wafer W is placed on the receiving member 31 inside the front wall 30, and the peripheral portion of the lower surface 3 of the wafer W Is placed in close contact with the opening 30 on the inner side of the front wall, the wafer W is held on the front wall 28 by the inclination of the cleaning device 11, and the delivery of the wafer W is completed. The hand portion 90D of the transfer robot 85 is retracted from the cleaning device 11 and carried into the cleaning tank 23 of the cleaning device 11. After the wafer W is carried into the cleaning tank 23, as shown in FIGS. 9 (a) and 10 (b), the front wall 28 abuts on the apparatus housing 29 to form the cleaning tank 23, and the cleaning liquid or the like. The liquid can be stored, and washing and subsequent drying are possible.

  After cleaning and drying by the cleaning device 11, the front wall 28 is separated from the device housing 29, and the second transfer robot 85 includes a robot body 89, a first shaft 91A, a first arm 90A, a second arm 90B, and a third arm. By the operation of 90C, the hand unit 90D enters the space between the front wall 28 and the apparatus housing 29, and holds the upper surface 2 of the wafer W cleaned and dried by the cleaning apparatus 11 in a non-contact state. , From the inside of the front wall 28. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the second hand unit 70D of the robot main body 69 at the transfer position, and the robot main body 69 stores the wafer W in the transfer container 17 in the wafer supply / discharge unit 14.

With the configuration as described above, the following effects (1) to (4) are achieved according to the above embodiment.
(1) By using the non-contact holding tool 92 for the hand portion 90D, it is possible to carry the material without contamination or damage of the upper surface 2 as a processing surface.
(2) Since the lower surface 3 of the wafer W can be held by the first hand unit 70C and the second hand unit 70D and the upper surface 2 of the wafer W can be held by the hand unit 90D, a conventional intermediate stage is not required. Thus, the wafer W can be directly delivered from the first hand unit 70C to the hand unit 90D and from the hand unit 90D to the second hand unit 70D.
(3) According to (2), the conventional intermediate stage is unnecessary, the floor area occupied by the transfer device 55 can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced.
(4) According to (2), after the first transfer robot 165 or the second transfer robot 185 temporarily places the wafer W on the intermediate stage and evacuates, as in the prior art, the second transfer robot 185 or the second transfer robot 185 or Compared to the case where the single transfer robot 165 scoops up the wafer W, the transfer time from the transfer container 17 to the cleaning device 11 and from the cleaning device 11 to the transfer container 17 can be shortened.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be improved or changed within the scope of the purpose of the improvement or the idea of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a cleaning system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention with a part cut away. It is a side view which simplifies and shows the structure of the conveying apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the hand part of the 2nd conveyance robot which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a wafer removal state in the transfer apparatus of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a wafer delivery state in the transfer apparatus of FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion VI in FIG. 5, showing a wafer delivery state in the transfer apparatus of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where the hand unit of FIG. 3 holds the wafer in a non-contact manner. It is a side view which shows the delivery state of the wafer from a 2nd conveyance robot to a washing | cleaning apparatus. (A) is a perspective view which shows the carrying-in state of the wafer to a cleaning apparatus, (b) is a perspective view which shows the state by which the wafer was set to the cleaning apparatus. FIG. 9A is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 9A, showing a wafer delivery state to the cleaning apparatus, and FIG. 9B is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where the wafer is set in the cleaning apparatus. . It is a side view which simplifies and shows the structure of the conventional conveying apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

2 Upper surface (second surface)
3 Lower surface (first surface)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Cleaning apparatus 12 Cleaning apparatus arrangement | positioning part 23 Cleaning tank 28 Front wall (one side wall)
29 apparatus housing 30 opening 65 first transfer robot (first transfer unit)
70C 1st hand part 70D 2nd hand part 85 2nd conveyance robot (2nd conveyance part)
90D Hand unit 92 Non-contact holder W Wafer (object to be transferred)

Claims (14)

A transport container in which a plate-shaped transport object is stored in a horizontal state;
A first transport unit that takes out the transport object from the transport container while holding the first surface of the transport object;
A second transport unit that receives the transport object directly from the first transport unit by non-contacting and holding a second surface different from the first surface of the transport object held by the first transport unit. When,
A conveying device comprising:   The said 1st conveyance part hold | maintains the 1st surface of the said conveyance target object non-contactingly, The conveying apparatus of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second surface of the transport object is a processing surface on which processing is performed.   The said 2nd conveyance part hold | maintains the 2nd surface of the said conveyance target object non-contactingly by the effect | action of the negative pressure which generate | occur | produces by a swirl | vortex flow. The conveying apparatus as described. A transport container in which a plurality of plate-shaped transport objects are stored in a horizontal state;
A first transport unit that takes out the transport object stored in the transport container while holding the first surface;
A second transport unit that receives the transport object directly from the first transport unit by non-contacting and holding a second surface different from the first surface of the transport object held by the first transport unit. When,
A cleaning apparatus for cleaning the object to be transported, which is transported by the second transport unit, in a cleaning tank,
The cleaning device includes:
A cleaning system comprising holding means for holding the first surface of the object to be transported carried into the cleaning tank.   6. The cleaning system according to claim 5, wherein the holding unit leans the conveyance target object on a cleaning tank and holds the first surface of the conveyance target object by an inclination of a cleaning device. The cleaning device comprises a side wall in which an opening corresponding to the outer shape of the object to be transported is formed while the cleaning tank is in contact with an apparatus housing.
The holding means is carried into the inside of the one side wall by at least the one side wall configured to be inclined so that the object to be conveyed can be leaned, and a receiving member arranged in an opening lower part inside the one side wall. The cleaning system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the first surface of the conveyance object can be held, and the conveyance object is set in a vertical state.   The cleaning system according to claim 5, wherein the holding unit holds the first surface of the conveyance object in a non-contact state by an action of a negative pressure generated by a swirling flow. The cleaning device comprises a side wall in which an opening corresponding to the outer shape of the object to be transported is formed while the cleaning tank is in contact with an apparatus housing.
The holding means is capable of holding the first surface of the transport object carried into the inside of the one side wall through the opening from the outside of the one side wall, and makes the transport object stand in a vertical state. The cleaning system according to claim 5 or 8, wherein   The one side wall is configured to be movable in a direction away from the device housing, and when the one side wall is separated from the device housing, the object to be transported is carried and held by a holding unit, and the one side wall and the The cleaning system according to claim 7 or 9, wherein the cleaning system is accommodated in a cleaning tank configured to contact the apparatus housing.   The cleaning system according to any one of claims 5 to 10, wherein the first transport unit holds the first surface of the transport target object in a non-contact manner.   The cleaning system according to any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein the second surface of the transport object is a processing surface on which processing is performed.   The said 2nd conveyance part hold | maintains the 2nd surface of the said conveyance target object non-contactingly by the effect | action of the negative pressure which generate | occur | produces by a swirl | vortex flow. The cleaning system described. A transport container in which a plate-shaped transport object is stored in a horizontal state;
A first transport unit that takes out the transport object stored in the transport container while holding the first surface;
A second transport unit that receives the transport object directly from the first transport unit by non-contacting and holding a second surface different from the first surface of the transport object held by the first transport unit. When,
A cleaning device that performs cleaning by storing the transport object transported by the second transport unit in a drying tank,
The cleaning device includes:
A drying system comprising holding means for holding the first surface of the transport object carried into the cleaning tank.

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