JP2009173444A - Substrate carrying device and system equipped with dustproof mechanism and semiconductor manufacturing device using the device and system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dustproof mechanism having high dustproof effects and capable of responding to a plurality of arm parts. <P>SOLUTION: The dustproof mechanism is provided with a support member 4 supporting the arm parts mounted with a substrate, connected to a guide mechanism 22 provided within a support column 9 via a linear opening part provided on the outer face of the support column 9, and moving an opening of the opening part following the guide mechanism 22, and with a seal belt 5b for sealing the opening part to isolate inside of the support column 9 from outside. Even when the support member 4 is moved by the guide mechanism 22, the seal belt 5b prevents inside of the support column 9 from being exposed to outside. Both ends of the seal belt 5b are fixed to inside of the support column 9, and the seat belt 5b is wound around rollers 35-42 rotatably supported by the support member 4 and installed to seal the opening part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transport system and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus provided with a mechanism for dust prevention.

In a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that performs a predetermined process on a workpiece such as a liquid crystal substrate or a wafer substrate to manufacture a semiconductor, a substrate transfer apparatus that transfers the substrate to a target position is used for the processing. The substrate transfer apparatus is also called a transfer robot. There are various types of substrate transport devices, but in particular for devices that transport substrates in a clean environment such as a clean room, a hand for mounting the substrate is attached to an extendable arm composed of links, There are many cases in which the substrate is conveyed to a desired position by the expansion and contraction of the arm. In recent years, a substrate transfer device has been developed to optimally transfer a substrate while responding to an increase in the size of the substrate and a footprint saving of the substrate transfer device (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). One of the main features of these conventional substrate transfer apparatuses is that an arm support member that supports the hand and the arm is supported by the support so that the arm portions of the hand, arm, and arm support member move up and down along the support. It is to be configured. Thus, in the configuration in which the arm portion moves up and down along the support column, a linear guide mechanism such as a so-called rack and pinion (or ball screw) or linear guide is arranged inside the support column. In addition, a cable guide for processing wiring from a sensor provided in the hand and a motor existing in the arm is also arranged.
However, in the configuration using these conventional substrate transfer apparatuses, the arm support member and the linear guide mechanism in the support column are physically connected. Is required.
JP 2001-274218 A JP 2005-150575 A

However, since the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus performs minute processing on the substrate, the substrate transfer apparatus does not allow the substrate to be accurately positioned at a target position and does not attach dust (also referred to as particles) to the substrate. Is required. However, since there is a large amount of dust generated from movable parts such as the above-mentioned linear guide mechanism and cable guide, if the opening is not properly configured, dust released through the opening will be collected on the hand. The problem of adhering to the substrate occurs.
In view of such a problem, the present invention provides a dustproof mechanism having a high dustproof effect, capable of dealing with a plurality of arm portions, and having no external contamination, in a transport device including an arm portion that moves up and down along a column. The purpose is to provide.

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention is configured as follows.
The invention according to claim 1 supports the arm portion on which the substrate is mounted and is connected to a guide mechanism provided in the support column through a linear opening provided on the outer surface of the support column. A support member that moves the opening of the opening according to a guide mechanism; and a seal belt that seals the opening and isolates the inside and the outside of the column, and the support member moves by the guide mechanism. Further, the seal belt is configured so that the inside of the support column is not exposed to the outside, and the seal belt is wound around a roller that is fixed at both ends of the support column and rotatably supported by the support member. And stretched so as to seal the opening.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the roller is a first roller disposed at a position where the seal belt is stretched together with one end of the seal belt with a substantially uniform gap with respect to the opening. And the seal belt is disposed behind the first roller as viewed from the opening, and the seal belt wound around the first roller and folded back to one end side of the seal belt. A second roller to be wound, and a third roller having a certain angle in the longitudinal direction of the support with respect to the second roller and arranged to fold the seal belt from the second roller toward the opening side A fourth roller disposed parallel to the third roller and arranged to fold the seal belt at a certain angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the opening; and parallel to the fourth roller. And a fifth roller arranged to fold the seal belt back to the back side of the opening, and arranged parallel to the fifth roller and behind the fifth roller, and the seal belt is connected to the seal belt A sixth roller wound so as to be folded back in the direction of one end a thereof, and a fixed angle with respect to the sixth roller in the longitudinal direction of the support column, and the seal belt from the sixth roller to the opening side A seventh roller arranged to be folded back, and the seal belt from the seventh roller is wound so as to be folded back, with a substantially uniform gap with respect to the opening, and together with the other end of the seal belt And an eighth roller disposed at a position where the seal belt is stretched.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the seal belt is always wound around the first belt from the first roller to the fourth roller and from the fifth roller to the eighth roller. Only the first roller is brought into contact with the eighth roller.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the gap is provided so that the seal belt and the opening do not come into contact with each other even when the support member moves.
In the invention according to claim 5, the opening includes three openings provided in parallel to each other on the outer surface of the support column, and the support member is provided in one of the three openings. The output shaft of the drive unit that is rotationally driven according to the guide mechanism passes, and the support member connected to the guide mechanism passes through the remaining two openings.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the seal belt is provided in each of the three openings.
In the invention according to claim 7, a plurality of the support members are connected to the guide mechanism, and both ends of the seal belt are fixed to the inside of the support column, and each of the plurality of support members is rotated. It is wound around a roller supported so as to be stretched so as to seal the opening.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate transfer apparatus according to the first aspect and a controller that controls the substrate transfer apparatus.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the substrate transfer system according to the eighth aspect is provided.

According to the first to third aspects of the invention, the seal belt is fixed at both ends inside the support column and wound around a roller provided in a moving member such as a support member to seal the opening. Therefore, even if the support member moves, dust generated inside the column can be hardly scattered from the gap between the seal belt and the opening. In addition, since the entire seal belt is not rotated as in the prior art, dust attached to the seal belt inside the support column is not exposed to the outside of the support column and scattered. Also, since the outer surface of the seal belt does not contact the roller and the seal belt does not pass directly under the pinion of the rack and pinion mechanism, the outer surface of the seal belt due to wear, lubricant, etc. There is no defacement.
According to the invention of claim 4, since it can be configured with a gap that does not contact the seal belt and the opening, it becomes a small gap compared to the case where the entire seal belt rotates as in the prior art, It can reduce discharging dust.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the support member moving mechanism can be configured while ensuring the rigidity of the support member.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, even if there are three openings, a seal belt can be easily provided in each opening.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, even if there are a plurality of support members, it is possible to easily add a dustproof mechanism using a seal belt.
According to the eighth and ninth aspects of the present invention, since the substrate transfer system or semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes the substrate transfer device according to the present invention, a substrate transfer system with less dust generation can be obtained, and the yield is improved in semiconductor manufacturing. Can be made.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an overall view of a substrate transfer apparatus 1 provided with a dustproof mechanism of the present invention. A schematic configuration of the substrate transfer apparatus 1 will be described. In the figure, reference numeral 2 denotes a hand on which a substrate (not shown) is placed. The arm 3 is a link-type arm, and can extend and contract in the direction a (horizontal direction) in the figure by supporting the hand 2 at the tip. The other end of the arm 3 is connected to the support member 4. The hand 2, the arm 3, and the support member 4 are collectively referred to as an arm portion 6. In this example, the support member 4 is formed in a U shape as shown in the figure, and the two prepared arms 3 are connected to the upper and lower stages of the U shape. The support member 4 is supported by a support column 9 erected in the vertical direction (top and bottom direction), and can be moved by a moving mechanism (not shown) in the b direction (vertical direction) in the drawing. In this example, the two arms 3 are simultaneously moved up and down by the support member 4. Details of the connection between the support member 4 and the support column 9 will be described later. Reference numeral 12 denotes an opening in the support. In this example, three openings are provided in the extending direction of the support. Of the three openings, the central opening is 12a, and the left and right openings are 12b. The seal belt 5 is provided so as to close each of the openings 12. A turning stage 10 is connected to the lowermost part of the support column 9. The turning stage 10 can rotate in the direction c in the figure with respect to the pedestal 11. Accordingly, the entire arm portion 6 and the support column 9 can be rotated by the turning stage 10. Although not particularly illustrated, a traveling mechanism that moves the base 11 in the direction d in the drawing may be attached as necessary. According to this traveling mechanism, the entire substrate transport apparatus 1 including the arm portion 6, the support column 9, the turning stage 10, and the pedestal 11 can travel in the d direction, and is installed in the vicinity of the substrate transport apparatus 1. In addition, for example, the substrate transfer apparatus can more freely access a large number of cassettes for storing substrates. In addition, the board | substrate conveyance apparatus 1 is connected with the controller 13 in a figure with a cable, performs the above operation | movement, and performs predetermined conveyance, reproducing | regenerating the position taught beforehand. Usually, the controller 13 and the substrate transfer apparatus 1 are combined and used as a substrate transfer system.

FIG. 2 shows the internal structure of the column 9. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view as seen from the direction A in FIG. 1 and shows a section at the opening 12a. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 4 denotes a support member for the arm portion 6. The support member 4 is provided with a rotary motor 31 and a speed reducer 32, and a pinion 33 is connected to the output shaft of the speed reducer 32. The rack 34 and the pinion 33 installed inside the column 9 are engaged with each other to form the rack and pinion mechanism 21, and the support member 4 moves up and down by the rotation of the rotating motor 31 and the action of the rack and pinion mechanism 21. it can. Further, a plurality of linear sliding bearings 22 are arranged in the column 9 so as to extend in the vertical direction, and a plurality of guide blocks 22 a and a support member 4 capable of traveling on the linear sliding bearings 22 are provided. It is connected. Therefore, the support member 4 can be moved up and down with high running accuracy by the action of the linear sliding bearing 22.
In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, both ends of the seal belt 5 are fixed to the upper and lower sides (ceiling and floor) inside the support column 9 so that the belt is stretched. Further, the gap 23 between the seal belt 5 and the opening 12 is set to be small enough that the belt does not rub against the opening. The seal belt 5 is made of a material such as polyurethane or polyester.

Next, the detailed structure of the connection part of the supporting member 4 and the support | pillar 9 is demonstrated in detail using FIGS. FIG. 3A is a partial view of the support member 4 viewed from the B direction in FIG. FIG.3 (b) is CC sectional drawing in Fig.3 (a). That is, FIG. 3B shows a cross-sectional view from above the support column 9 immediately above the support member 4. FIG. 4 is a DD cross-sectional view in FIG. FIG. 5 is an EE cross-sectional view in FIG. 3 to 5, the same parts as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
As shown in FIG. 5, the rotation motor 31 described above is installed on the support member 4. A reduction gear 32 is connected to the rotary motor 31, and a pinion 33 is connected to its output shaft. The pinion 33 meshes with the rack 34 inside the column 9. The output shaft is inserted into the support column 9 from the opening 12a. As shown in FIG. 3B, a guide member 4 a that is fixed to the support member 4 via the openings 12 a and 12 b is provided inside the support column 9. Since the guide member 4a is completely restrained with respect to the support member 4, it is substantially the same member. The output shaft of the speed reducer 32 and the pinion 33 project through a through hole provided in the guide member 4 a to the surface opposite to the support member 4 and mesh with the rack 34. Similarly, a linear guide 22 is installed on the surface of the guide member 4a opposite to the support member 4 along the extending direction of the support column 9, and the guide block 22a of the linear guide 22 and the guide member 4a are connected to each other. It is connected. That is, according to the above configuration, the opening 12a is an opening for moving the power of the speed reducer 32, the rotary motor 31, etc., and the left and right 12b are vertically supported while being supported by the support member 4 being connected to the linear block 22a. It is an opening to do.

Next, the configuration of the seal belt 5 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3B, three seal belts 5 exist in the three openings 12 of the support column 9 so as to cover the inside from the inside. First, the seal belt 5b that covers the left and right openings 12b among the three openings 12 will be described. The configuration of the seal belt 5b of the two left and right openings 12b is the same. As described above, one end of the seal belt 5b is fixed to the ceiling surface inside the column 9, and the seal belt 5b suspended from the seal belt 5b so as to cover the opening 12b is a guide member as shown in FIG. It is wound around a first roller 35 that is rotatably provided on 4a. The seal belt 5b is wound around the linear roller bearing 22 side of the first roller 35 so as to be folded back in the vertical direction by a second roller 36 that is also rotatably provided on the guide member 4a. . In the vertical direction of the second roller 36, a third roller 37 having a fixed angle with respect to the second roller 36 is also rotatably provided on the upper portion of the guide member 4a. The belt 5b is wound around the third roller 37 while being twisted, and is folded back in the direction of the opening 12b. Further, the seal belt 5b is folded back again in the hanging direction by a fourth roller 38 which is parallel to the third roller 37 and is also rotatably provided on the guide member 4a. The seal belt 5b is wound around each of the first roller 35 to the fourth roller 38 so as to take a spiral path, and passes along the side of the guide member 4a in the hanging direction. At this time, the seal belt 5b has a certain angle with respect to the opening 12b. A lower roller of the guide member 4a is provided with a fifth roller 39 rotatably on the guide member 4a so as to face the upper fourth roller 38, and the seal belt 5b is provided with the fifth roller 39. Wrapped to wrap around. On the further linear sliding bearing 22 side of the fifth roller 39, a sixth roller 40 is provided on the guide member 4a so as to be rotatable and opposed to the third roller 37, and the seal belt 5a. Is wound by the sixth roller 40 so as to be folded in the vertical direction. In the vertical direction of the sixth roller, a seventh roller 41 facing the second roller 36 is also rotatably provided on the guide member 4a, and the seal belt 5b is twisted again while being twisted again. It is wound around the seven rollers 41 and folded back to the opening 12b. Further, the seal belt 5b is wound so as to be folded back by an eighth roller 42 parallel to the seventh roller 41 and opposed to the first roller 35, and again covers the opening 12b. Drooped. The seal belt 5b is wound around the fifth roller 39 to the eighth roller 42, respectively, so that the seal belt 5b is wound around the first roller 35 to the fourth roller 38. It becomes the structure which takes a spiral path. As described above, the other end of the seal belt 5 b is fixed to the floor surface inside the support column 9.
Next, the seal belt 5a that covers the central opening 12a among the three openings 12 will be described. The configuration of the winding of the seal belt 5a around the roller is substantially the same as that of the seal belt 5b. However, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the output shaft of the rotary motor 31, the speed reducer 32, and the pinion 33 pass through the through hole 43 from the support member 4 side at the approximate center of the guide member 4 a. It protrudes. That is, the output shaft of the rotary motor 31 is present in the range surrounded by the seal belt 5a wound around the first roller 35 to the eighth roller 42 in the same manner as the guide member 4a.

As described above, according to the dust-proof mechanism using the seal belt of the present invention described above, since the seal belt 5 fixed in close proximity to the opening 12 is suspended above and below the support 9, The belt can be suspended without a large gap. Accordingly, it is possible to make it difficult for dust generated inside the support column 9 to be scattered from the gap between the seal belt and the opening.
In addition, since the seal belt 5 is spirally wound around the roller, the inner surface of the seal belt (the surface facing the inner side of the support column 9) always comes into contact with the roller. -It is possible to prevent the outer surface of the seal belt 5 from being contaminated due to the inclusion of foreign matter adhering to the outer surface of the seal belt 5. Further, since the seal belt 5a covering the opening 12a at the center of the column 9 does not pass directly under the pinion 33, the seal belt 5a is dropped by dripping the lubricant that lubricates the pinion 33 and the rack 34. It is possible to prevent contamination such as adhesion.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, when a plurality of arm portions that move up and down are provided and they are configured to freely move up and down, according to the present invention, the support of the same configuration as shown in FIG. If the member 4 (guide member 4a) is connected in multiple stages, it can be configured easily.

FIG. 2 is an external view showing a substrate transfer apparatus equipped with a dustproof mechanism of the present invention. Sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the support | pillar of this invention The front view and upper sectional view showing the connection configuration of the support member and the column of the present invention Sectional drawing which shows the connection structure of the supporting member and support | pillar of this invention Sectional drawing which shows the connection structure of the supporting member and support | pillar of this invention Side sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate conveyance apparatus 2 Hand 3 Arm 4 Support member 4a Guide member 5 Seal belt 6 Arm part 9 Support | pillar 10 Turning stage 11 Base 12 Opening part 13 Controller 21 Linear sliding bearing 22 Linear guide 22a Linear block 23 Gap 31 Rotating motor 32 Deceleration Machine 33 Pinion 34 Rack 35 1st roller 36 2nd roller 37 3rd roller 38 4th roller 39 5th roller 40 6th roller 41 7th roller 42 8th roller 43 Through hole

Claims (9)

  The arm portion for mounting the substrate is supported and connected to a guide mechanism provided in the support column through a linear opening provided on the outer surface of the support column. And a seal belt that seals the opening and isolates the inside and outside of the column, and even if the support member moves by the guide mechanism, The inside is configured not to be exposed to the outside, and both ends of the seal belt are fixed to the inside of the support column and wound around a roller rotatably supported by the support member so as to seal the opening. A substrate transfer device, which is stretched on the substrate.   The roller includes a first roller disposed at a position where the seal belt is stretched together with one end of the seal belt with a substantially uniform gap with respect to the opening, and the first roller as viewed from the opening. A second roller disposed behind the roller and wound around the first roller so that the seal belt is folded back to one end of the seal belt; A third roller disposed at a certain angle in the longitudinal direction of the support with respect to the two rollers and arranged to fold a seal belt from the second roller toward the opening, and parallel to the third roller and the A fourth roller disposed so that the seal belt is folded at a certain angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the opening; and parallel to the fourth roller and the seal belt is opened. A fifth roller arranged so as to be folded back to the back side of the section, parallel to the fifth roller and disposed behind the fifth roller, and folding the seal belt in the direction of one end a of the seal belt A sixth roller wound so as to have a fixed angle in the longitudinal direction of the support with respect to the sixth roller, and a seventh roller disposed so as to fold the seal belt from the sixth roller toward the opening. A position where the seal belt is wound around the roller and the seventh roller, and the seal belt is stretched together with the other end of the seal belt with a substantially uniform gap with respect to the opening. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an eighth roller disposed on the substrate.   In the first roller to the fourth roller and the fifth roller to the eighth roller, the seal belt is wound spirally so that only one surface of the seal belt is always transferred from the first roller to the eighth roller. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate transfer apparatus is in contact with the substrate.   The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gap is provided so that the seal belt and the opening do not come into contact with each other even when the support member moves.   The opening includes three openings provided in parallel to each other on the outer surface of the column, and one of the three openings has an output shaft of a drive unit that rotationally drives the support member according to the guide mechanism. 2. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supporting member connected to the guide mechanism passes through the remaining two openings.   The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the seal belt is provided in each of the three openings.   2. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the support members are connected to the guide mechanism, and the seal belt is fixed at both ends inside the support column and is rotatable about the plurality of support members, respectively. A substrate transfer apparatus, wherein the substrate transfer apparatus is wound around a roller supported by a roller and stretched so as to seal the opening.   A substrate transfer system comprising the substrate transfer device according to claim 1 and a controller for controlling the substrate transfer device. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising the substrate transfer system according to claim 8.

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