JP2008105687A - Identification system of substrate shipping box - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an identification system of a substrate shipping box, which checks the specification of the substrate shipping box before shipping so as to prevent any mistake of the specification of the substrate shipping box and any fitting mistake of an identification means such as an info-pad. <P>SOLUTION: A substrate shipping box 4 for storing and shipping a substrate W has an identification means 5 for identifying the specification of the substrate shipping box 4. An identification system 1 of the substrate shipping box comprises at least an image take-in device 2 for taking in an image of the substrate shipping box 4 and/or the identification means 5, and an image recognition device 3 for recognizing the specification of the substrate shipping box 4, and collates the recognition data with the specification data of the substrate shipping box 4 before packaging the substrate shipping box 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to identification of a substrate shipping box for storing and shipping a substrate such as a semiconductor silicon wafer.

  Semiconductor substrates such as semiconductor wafers involved in semiconductor device manufacturing have a large diameter (for example, 8 inches (200 mm) or 12 inches (300 mm) in diameter) for the purpose of reducing costs by improving yield due to severe price competition of semiconductor devices. (Apertured substrate) is advancing. At the same time, in order to obtain a higher-performance semiconductor product, a circuit manufactured on the semiconductor substrate is further miniaturized. Therefore, in both the semiconductor device manufacturing process and the semiconductor substrate manufacturing process, it is necessary to always maintain a high clean state until the semiconductor becomes a product, and the substrate is stored in a sealable substrate storage container. Conveyed between.

  Normally, when a substrate is shipped from a semiconductor substrate manufacturer to a semiconductor device manufacturer, the semiconductor substrate manufacturer does not use a substrate storage container called FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) used in the semiconductor substrate manufacturing process as it is. Instead, the board is replaced with a board shipping box called FOSB (Front Opening Shipping Box), and the board shipping box is double-wrapped with a packaging material such as transparent laminate or aluminum laminate and shipped. At that time, an identification pad called an info pad and an info pad plate for attaching it can be attached to the bottom of the board shipping box so that the board type in the board shipping box can be identified from the outside without opening the container. The structure is such that it can be made (see Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an infopad plate, and shows that there are shapes such as (a) and (b). FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the infopad, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is an XX cross-sectional view of (a). 2 (a) and 2 (b) are provided with four through holes A, B, C and D so that an infopad 7 as shown in FIG. 3 can be attached. Further, a mounting position 10 to which an identifier called an RF tag used for an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system is also provided. There are 16 ways to close the four holes, and 17 ways including the presence or absence of the infopad plate. With these combinations, the semiconductor device manufacturing process is used to identify a substrate when receiving a substrate from a semiconductor substrate manufacturer.

  Then, it is necessary for the semiconductor substrate manufacturer to transfer from the in-process box (FOUP) to the substrate shipping box (FOSB). Since the type is specified and the position of the info pad including the presence or absence of the info pad plate is specified as the specification of the board shipping box depending on the type of the board, there are various board shipping boxes when the board is shipped. Therefore, mistakes in the specification of the board shipping box and mistakes in the mounting of the infopad are directly linked to the claims from the semiconductor device manufacturer, so mistakes must be avoided. However, even if an attempt is made to confirm at the time of actual shipment, since the substrate shipping box is packaged with an opaque aluminum laminate, the shipping box cannot be seen and visual confirmation at the time of shipping is impossible.

  Therefore, as a measure against incorrect board shipping box specifications and infopad mounting mistakes, in the process of transferring from the in-process box to the board shipping box, an empty board shipping box before board transfer is set in the transfer machine. A lot of physical pins are installed at the location. When the board shipping box is set in the transfer machine, the manufacturer and type of the board shipping box and the position of the info pad are identified by turning on and off the pins. Yes. Further, the specification data of the board shipping box is transferred from the host computer to the apparatus, and the erroneous shipment is prevented by comparing with the on / off data of the pins when actually set.

  However, even if measures are taken to prevent shipping errors as described above, there has been a problem that when shipping to a semiconductor device manufacturer, a shipping error is rarely detected and a complaint is received.

JP 2000-315721 A

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to prevent an error in the specification of a board shipping box and a mounting error in an identification means such as an infopad. It is to provide a substrate shipping box identification system for confirming the specifications of a substrate shipping box before.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a substrate shipping box for storing and shipping a substrate, comprising identification means for identifying specifications of the substrate shipping box, and at least the substrate shipping box and / or An image capture device for capturing an image of the identification means; and an image recognition device for recognizing the specifications of the substrate shipping box, wherein the recognition data and the substrate shipping box are Provided is a substrate shipping box identification system characterized by collating with specification data.

  As described above, the substrate shipping box identification system includes at least an image capturing device for capturing an image of the substrate shipping box and / or the identification means, and an image recognition device for recognizing the specifications of the substrate shipping box, By recognizing the recognition data and the specification data of the board shipping box before packaging the board shipping box, the specifications of the identification means and the board shipping box can be reconfirmed before shipping. It is possible to prevent mistakes in the specifications and mounting mistakes of identification means such as an infopad. In addition, by taking such preventive measures against shipments, it is possible to respond quickly to inquiries regarding board shipment boxes and to improve customer service for board products.

  In this case, the identification means includes an infopad plate, and at least one of an infopad and an RF tag that can be attached to the infopad plate, and the image recognition device includes the shape of the board shipping box, the identification means The at least one of the presence / absence of the information pad plate, the position of the info pad, and the presence / absence of the RF tag is recognized from the image, and the recognition data and the specification data of the board shipping box transferred from the host computer It is preferable that an alarm is issued if they do not match.

  As described above, when the identification unit includes at least one of the info pad plate and the info pad and the RF tag that can be mounted on the info pad plate, the image recognition device can be configured to determine the shape of the board shipping box and the identification unit. By recognizing at least one of presence / absence, shape of infopad plate, position of infopad, and presence / absence of RF tag from the image, the manufacturer of the board shipping box and the types of identification means can be obtained as recognition data. . In addition, the recognition data and the specification data of the board shipping box transferred from the host computer are collated, and if they do not match, an alarm is issued, so that erroneous shipment of the board can be surely prevented.

Furthermore, the image capturing device includes at least illumination for illuminating the imaging surface of the board shipping box and / or the identification means, a reflecting mirror for reflecting the imaging surface, and a camera for imaging the imaging surface. (Claim 3).
Thus, the image capturing device includes at least illumination for illuminating the imaging surface of the board shipping box and / or the identification means, a reflecting mirror for reflecting the imaging surface, and a camera for capturing the imaging surface. As a result, the board shipping box and / or the identification means can be clearly photographed, and accurate recognition data can be obtained by the image recognition apparatus, and the recognition speed of the image is increased.

Moreover, it is preferable that the said identification system of this invention is attached to the packaging stand of the said board | substrate shipping box (Claim 4).
As described above, since the identification system of the present invention is attached to the packaging table of the substrate shipping box, the substrate shipping box can be identified by comparing the recognition data according to the present invention with the specification data of the substrate shipping box. Since there is no movement of the substrate shipping box until the packaging operation of the shipping box, further prevention of erroneous shipping of the substrate can be expected.

  With the board shipping box identification system according to the present invention, the specifications of the identification means and the board shipping box can be reconfirmed before shipment, the board shipping box specification is incorrect, and the identification means such as the infopad is not installed correctly. Etc. can be prevented, and it is possible to respond promptly to inquiries regarding board shipment boxes, etc., leading to improvement in customer service and sales of board products.

  Conventionally, in an apparatus for transferring a substrate such as a semiconductor silicon wafer from an in-process box to a substrate shipping box, as described above, when an empty substrate shipping box is set in the transferring machine, the pins mounted on the transferring machine By turning on / off, the manufacturer and type of the board shipping box and the position of the info pad are identified, and by comparing with the specification data of the board shipping box, the board shipping box error and the info pad mounting error have been prevented. . However, even with such an erroneous shipment prevention system, there has been a problem that, when delivered to a semiconductor device manufacturer, a shipping error is rarely detected and a complaint is received.

  As a result of investigating the cause, the present inventors have found the following problems. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing an example when the info pad 7 shown in FIG. 3 and the RF tag 8 are attached to the info pad plate 6 shown in FIG. An infopad that functions as an identification means when the shipping box is transported from the in-process box to the board shipping box to the subsequent packaging process, where the board shipping box hits a part of the shelf or transfer device 7 and the RF tag 8 are rarely dropped, and not only because of the equipment but also when the operator puts the infopad on the infopad plate, the infopad Etc. may fall off during the transportation of the substrate shipping box.

  In the current packaging process, there is no means to check the mounting state of infopads, etc., and after packaging with an opaque aluminum laminate, the board shipping box cannot be seen, and the specifications of the board shipping box such as infopads can be confirmed. Impossible. For this reason, it was definitely not possible to guarantee that the InfoPad was mounted in a proper and proper position until immediately before packaging.

  Therefore, the present inventor once again recognizes the specification of the board shipping box such as the identification means from the image before packaging, and compares the specification data of the board shipping box registered in the host computer in advance with the recognition data by the image. Thus, the present inventors have completed the present invention by conceiving that the difference in the specifications of the substrate shipping box and the erroneous shipping can be prevented. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a substrate shipping box identification system according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow of the identification system according to the present invention.
When the substrate shipping box 4 for storing and shipping the substrate W includes the identifying means 5 for identifying the specifications of the substrate shipping box 4, the substrate shipping box identification system 1 of the present invention can An image capturing device 2 for capturing images of the box 4 and the identification means 5 and an image recognition device 3 for recognizing the specifications of the board shipping box 4 are provided. And this identification system 1 collates the recognition data of the board shipment box by the image recognition apparatus 3 and the specification data read in advance.

  In this way, the board shipping box identification system 1 allows the specifications of the identification means 5 and the board shipping box 4 to be reconfirmed before the board shipping box 4 is packaged. A mounting error of the identification means 5 such as a pad can be prevented. In addition, by taking measures to prevent such erroneous shipments, it is possible to quickly respond to inquiries regarding board shipment boxes.

  The identification means 5 includes an info pad plate 6 as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) and an info pad as shown in FIG. 3 that can be attached to the through holes A, B, C, and D of the info pad plate. 7 and the RF tag 8 shown in FIG. 4, and in order to identify the specifications of the board shipping box 4, the through holes A, B, C, and D of the infopad plate 6 are identified as shown in FIG. 4. The positions of the info pad 7 and the RF tag 8 to be mounted are determined in advance according to the specifications of the board shipping box.

  In the case of recognizing such identification means by an image, the image recognition device 3 of the identification system 1 can identify the shape of the board shipping box and the identification so that the manufacturer of the board shipping box 4 specified by the shipping destination can be identified. The presence / absence of the means 5, the shape of the info pad plate 6, the mounting position of the info pad 7, the presence / absence of the RF tag 8 and the like are recognized from the image and programmed so that the specification of the board shipping box 4 can be completely identified. As shown in FIG. 5, the image recognition device 3 collates the recognition data with the specification data of the board shipping box transferred from the host computer, and issues an alarm if they do not match.

  In the image recognition device 3 of the present embodiment, the shape of the info pad plate 6 is two types (a) and (b) shown in FIG. 2, and each of the four through holes A, B, C, and D has a circular shape. It is possible to discriminate by 33 kinds of images by combining the mounting position of the info pad 7, the presence or absence of the RF tag 8, or the identification means that the info pad plate itself is not attached to the board shipping device. However, since the discriminating means provided in such a board shipping box is different in order of combination of the infopad plate, infopad, etc. and the shape depending on the shipping destination, the discriminating means to be recognized is registered in the image recognition apparatus 3 in advance. As a matter of course, the shape of the info pad plate and the position of the info pad shown in FIG. 4 are not limited.

  Further, the image recognition device 3 collates the recognition data based on the image with the specification data of the board shipping box, and issues an alarm if there is a discrepancy. This alarm may be a red lamp even if it sounds like a buzzer. May be one that blinks, or anything that draws attention so that the packaging operation is interrupted. According to such an image recognition device, it is possible to more reliably prevent erroneous shipment of substrates.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the case where the identification system according to the present invention is attached to a packaging table, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a right side view, and (c) is YY of (a). It is sectional drawing.
The image capturing device 2 includes an illumination 11 for illuminating the imaging surface of the board shipping box and / or the identification means, a reflecting mirror 12 for reflecting the imaging surface, and a camera 13 for capturing the imaging surface, and further an image. It has a structure having an adjustment monitor 16. Accordingly, the board shipping box and / or the identification means can be clearly photographed, and accurate recognition data can be obtained by the image recognition device, and the image recognition speed can be increased.

  The board shipping box identification system 1 of the present invention is preferably attached to the packaging table 18 as shown in FIG. With this structure, there is no movement of the board shipping box from the verification of the recognition data of the image recognition device and the specification data of the board shipping box to the packaging work of the board shipping box. Therefore, it is possible to expect further prevention of erroneous shipment of substrates.

  Next, the flow and work method of the identification system attached to the packaging table as shown in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIG. On the left side of FIG. 6A, the packaging worker stands toward the packaging table 18 and turns on the identification system 1. A window 14 is provided on the top surface of the packaging table 18 so that the bottom surface of the substrate shipping box 4 with identification means can be photographed by the image capturing device 2 mounted in the packaging table 18. The substrate shipping box 4 is mounted on the packaging table 18 so that the window 14 and the imaging surface (not shown) of the identifying means are aligned with the window 14 (FIG. 6B). In order to read the specification data of the board shipping box 4, the bar code attached to the board shipping box is read by the bar code reader 17 attached to the right of the packaging table 18. This specification data is stored in the host computer.

  After reading the specification data of the board shipping box, the packaging operator presses the foot switch 15 at the foot. The foot switch 15 is a switch for actually operating the identification system 1 of the present invention. Thereby, the illumination 11 of the image capture device 2 illuminates the bottom surface of the substrate shipping box through the window 14, and the bottom surface of the substrate shipping box is photographed by the camera 13 through the reflecting mirror 12. At this time, when the photographed image does not capture the object, the image adjustment monitor 16 can adjust the photographing part.

  The image data obtained by the image capturing device 2 capturing the image of the identification means on the bottom surface of the board shipping box is transferred to the image recognition device 3 mounted in the packaging table 18. The image recognition device 3 recognizes the presence / absence and shape of the infopad plate, the infopad mounting position, and the presence / absence of the RF tag from the image data of the identification means registered in advance, and stores the recognition data. Here, the image recognition apparatus 3 can also serve as the host computer.

The image recognition device 3 collates the specification data of the board shipping box read by the barcode reader with the recognition data analyzed from the image data. If the specification data and the recognition data match, the matching data is sent to the host computer. The sign is displayed by a display function (not shown) that saves and informs the worker accordingly. After confirming the match between the specification data and the recognition data using the display function, the packaging worker manually seals the substrate shipping box with a transparent laminate and then covers with an aluminum laminate.
If the specification data and the recognition data do not match, the image recognition device 3 issues an alarm. As a result, the packaging operation is interrupted and the operator confirms the identification means.

  According to the identification system of the present invention, it takes about 1 to 2 seconds from when the foot switch is pressed until the data match is displayed by the display function, so that the working time of the packaging process is hindered. It does not take a long time.

  Therefore, the board shipping box identification system according to the present invention can re-check the specifications of the identification means and the board shipping box before shipment, the specification of the board shipping box is incorrect, and the identification means such as the infopad is mounted. It is possible to prevent mistaken shipments such as mistakes and dropouts, and to respond quickly to inquiries from shipping destinations regarding board shipping boxes, thereby improving customer service and sales of board products.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

(Example)
33 types of identification means that may be attached to the board shipping box are registered in the image recognition apparatus in advance.
The board shipping box is mounted on the packaging table to which the identification system according to the present invention shown in FIG. 6 is mounted, the specification data of the board shipping box is read by a bar code reader, the foot switch is pressed, and the identification system of the present invention is operated. .
As a result of the data collation, if the coincidence sign is displayed on the display function, the packaging operation is started.
If there is a discrepancy, repair the board shipping box to the correct specification and perform packaging.
Thus, the operation of confirming the specifications of the substrate shipping box using the substrate shipping box identification system of the present invention was performed immediately before packaging.
As a result, no erroneous shipment of the substrate shipping box has occurred, and the erroneous shipping rate continues to be 0%.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The above embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention has the same configuration as that of the technical idea described in the claims of the present invention, and any device that exhibits the same function and effect is the present invention. It is included in the technical scope of the invention.

It is a figure which shows an example of the identification system of the board | substrate shipment box concerning this invention. It is the schematic of an info pad plate, and is a figure which shows that there exists a shape like (a) and (b). 3A and 3B are schematic views of the infopad, where FIG. 3A is a plan view, FIG. 3B is a front view, and FIG. 3C is an XX cross-sectional view of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example when an infopad and RF tag are mounted | worn to an infopad plate. It is a figure which shows the flow of the identification system which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows an example at the time of attaching the identification system which concerns on this invention to a packaging stand, (a) is a top view, (b) is a right view, (c) is YY sectional drawing of (a). is there.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Identification system for board shipment box, 2 ... Image capture device,
3 ... Image recognition device, 4 ... Board shipment box, 5 ... Identification means,
6 ... Infopad plate, 7 ... Infopad, 8 ... RF tag,
10 ... RF tag mounting position, 11 ... Illumination, 12 ... Reflector,
13 ... Camera, 14 ... Window, 15 ... Foot switch,
16 ... Image adjustment monitor, 17 ... Bar code reader, 18 ... Packaging stand,
A, B, C, D ... through hole, W ... substrate (semiconductor wafer, etc.).

Claims (4)

  A board shipping box for storing and shipping a board has an identification means for identifying the specifications of the board shipping box, and at least an image capture for capturing an image of the board shipping box and / or the identification means. And an image recognition device for recognizing the specifications of the board shipping box, and verifying the recognition data and the specification data of the board shipping box before packaging the board shipping box. A board shipping box identification system.   The identification means is composed of at least one of an infopad plate, an infopad that can be attached to the infopad plate, and an RF tag, and the image recognition device includes the shape of the board shipping box, the presence or absence of the identification means, At least one of the shape of the infopad plate, the position of the infopad, and the presence or absence of the RF tag is recognized from the image, and the recognition data is compared with the specification data of the board shipping box transferred from the host computer. The board shipping box identification system according to claim 1, wherein an alarm is issued in the case of mismatch.   The image capturing device includes at least illumination for illuminating the imaging surface of the board shipping box and / or the identification means, a reflecting mirror for reflecting the imaging surface, and a camera for imaging the imaging surface. The board shipping box identification system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the system is a board shipping box identification system.   The said identification system is attached to the packaging stand of the said board | substrate shipment box, The identification system of the board | substrate shipment box of any one of Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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