JP2010067689A - Supporting apparatus and supporting method of plate-like member - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a supporting apparatus and a supporting method of a plate-like member capable of properly supporting the plate-like members even if the plate-like members are different in size. <P>SOLUTION: The protrusion and retraction of inner regulating protrusions 64 are switched depending on the diameter of a wafer W, the inner regulating protrusions 64 are allowed to abut on a wafer W1 having a small diameter, and outer regulating protrusions 7 are allowed to abut on a wafer W2 having a large diameter, and thus both the wafer W1 and W2 are unfailingly supported. Accordingly, since the wafers W1 and W2 having different dimensions can be supported by a single supporting apparatus 1, the necessity of preparing the supporting apparatus 1 and a suction plate 3 per size of the wafers W1 and W2 is eliminated to reduce the number of components and a time and labor for exchanging frames is eliminated, and the efficiency of the whole process can be improved. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a support device and a support method for supporting a plate-like member.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a semiconductor manufacturing process, a support device for transporting a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as a wafer) has been proposed that includes a disk-shaped suction disk facing the wafer (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ). In this support device, a plurality of gas outflow members are provided on the suction surface of the suction disk, and gas is ejected from these gas outflow members toward the wafer, so that the wafer can be sucked in a non-contact manner by the Bernoulli effect. In addition, the movement of the wafer in a direction parallel to the suction surface can be regulated by a plurality of pins provided on the outer peripheral portion of the suction surface.

JP 2005-340522 A

  By the way, the conventional support device as described in Patent Document 1 can support wafers having a diameter corresponding to the suction (suction) board, but in order to support wafers having different diameters, It is necessary to prepare a suction plate of a size corresponding to each diameter size, and to change the suction plate or change the entire support device every time the wafer diameter size is changed. For this reason, the number of parts constituting the apparatus is increased, and it takes time to change molds, so that the entire semiconductor manufacturing process takes a long time. In addition, in the conventional support device, it is conceivable to provide pins at a plurality of positions according to the diameter of the wafer. However, if the suction plate is configured in this way, the pins are provided on the inner periphery of the large-diameter wafer. There is a possibility of inconvenience such as contact with each other and failure to properly hold and damage the wafer.

  The present invention has been devised by paying attention to the above inconveniences, and the object thereof is to support a plate-like member and a method for supporting the plate-like member appropriately even if the size of the plate-like member is different. Is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, a plate-like member support device according to the present invention includes a support opposed to the plate-like member, a suction means provided on the support for sucking the plate-like member, and the support. An inner regulation means that can be projected and retracted toward the plate-like member and that can regulate the movement of the plate-like member by contacting the plate-like member, and the plate-like shape from the support body outside the inner regulation means. And at least two types of plate-like members having different in-plane direction dimensions. Among these, for the small plate-like member, the inner restriction means is brought into contact with the small plate-like member by sucking with the suction means in a state where the inner restriction means is projected from the support. Supporting the plate member For a plate-like member having a large size in the direction, the outer restricting means is applied to the large plate-shaped member by sucking the inner restricting means while being immersed in the support side with the suction means. The structure of contacting and supporting the plate-like member is employed.

At this time, in the plate-like member support device of the present invention, the suction means contacts the plate-like member by ejecting gas from the support side toward the plate-like member to form a negative pressure region. It is preferable that the non-contact type suction means sucks without sucking.
Further, in the plate-shaped member support device of the present invention, the suction means includes an inner suction means provided at a position facing the small plate-like member, and the larger plate-like shape outside the inner suction means. An outer suction means provided at a position opposite to the member. For the small plate-like member, the inner suction means is activated and the outer suction means is deactivated. It is preferable that the large plate-like member is sucked and the plate-like member is sucked by operating both the inner suction means and the outer suction means.

  On the other hand, the plate member support method according to the present invention includes a support body opposed to the plate member, an inner regulation means provided so as to protrude and retract from the support body toward the plate member, and the inner regulation means. And a plate-like member supporting method using an apparatus provided with an outside regulating means provided projecting from the support body toward the plate-like member on the outside, and having at least two different dimensions in the in-plane direction Among the plate-like members, for the small plate-like member, the plate-like member is sucked to the support body side in a state where the inner regulating means is protruded from the support body, thereby the small plate-like member. The plate-like member is supported while restricting the movement by contacting the inner-side regulating means to the plate-like member, and the inner-side regulating means is inserted into the support side for a plate-like member having a large in-plane dimension. In this state, the plate-like member is sucked to the support side. And in, characterized in that for supporting the plate-like member while restricting the movement is abutted against the outer regulating means to the size becomes plate-like member.

  According to the present invention as described above, the inner restricting means is provided so as to be able to project and retract, and the inner restricting means protrudes for a plate-like member having a small in-plane direction dimension, that is, a size, thereby allowing the inner restricting means to protrude. Can be brought into contact with the plate-like member to restrict its movement. On the other hand, for a plate-like member having a large size, the inner regulating means is immersed in the support side so that the inner regulating means does not contact the plate-like member, and the outer regulating means is used as the plate-like member. The movement can be regulated by abutting. Therefore, by switching the protrusions and recesses of the inner restricting means according to the size of the plate-like member, the restricting means can be appropriately brought into contact with any size of the plate-like member, and inconveniences such as poor suction are caused. The plate-like member can be reliably supported without being generated. In addition, since at least two types of plate-like members can be appropriately supported, there is no need to prepare a support for each size of the plate-like member, or to exchange the support every time the size is changed, and parts of the support device The number of points can be reduced, and the labor and time for changing molds can be omitted, and the efficiency of the entire manufacturing process can be improved.

  In addition, as a plate-shaped member which is a support object, the plate-shaped member which has not only the thing of two types of large and small sizes but three types or more can also be made into object. That is, as the inner restricting means that can be projected and retracted from the support, the inner restricting means such as the innermost first inner restricting means, the outer second inner restricting means, and the outer third inner restricting means. It suffices to provide a plurality of them so that each of them can be moved in and out. By corresponding to such three or more types of plate-like members, the number of parts can be further reduced, and the effort and time for changing the mold can be omitted.

Further, as the suction means, a non-contact type suction means that sucks gas by ejecting gas toward the plate-like member to form a negative pressure region, that is, a Bernoulli chuck using the so-called Bernoulli effect, is used to obtain the plate-like member. The contact part with respect to can be limited only to the restricting means, and problems such as scratches on the plate-like member can be prevented.
Furthermore, an inner suction means and an outer suction means are provided as suction means, and these operations can be switched according to the size of the plate-like member, so that various sizes of plate-like members can be sucked more reliably. , Wasteful energy consumption can be suppressed.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a plate-shaped member support device 1 according to the present embodiment. 1 and FIG. 3 are AA cross-sectional arrow views of FIG.
In FIG. 1, a support device 1 constitutes a part of a transfer device that transfers a wafer W as a plate-like member, and is configured to support the wafer W from above by sucking the wafer W during transfer. Has been. The support device 1 is attached to the tip of a transfer arm 2 connected to a drive unit or the like of a transfer device (not shown) via an arm connecting portion 2A.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the supporting device 1 includes a suction disk 3 that is a support body that is opposed to the upper surface side of the wafer W and is formed in a substantially disk shape, and a suction surface 3 </ b> A that is a lower surface of the suction disk 3. And a plurality of suction members 4 as suction means provided on the suction plate 3. The suction disk 3 is provided with a plurality of air vent holes 5 penetrating vertically. Further, the support device 1 protrudes downward from the inner regulation portion 6 having an inner regulation protrusion 64 as an inner regulation means provided so as to be able to project and retract from the suction surface 3A toward the wafer W, and from the outer peripheral portion of the suction surface 3A. A plurality of outer regulating protrusions 7 are provided as outer regulating means provided. These inner restricting protrusion 64 and outer restricting protrusion 7 are brought into contact with the upper surface of the wafer W having different diameters, as will be described later, thereby moving in the surface direction of the wafer W, that is, in the direction parallel to the suction surface 3A, The rotation in parallel planes can be restricted.

  Each of the plurality of suction members 4 ejects the gas G toward the wafer W to form a negative pressure region, so that the suction member 4 itself or the suction surface 3A does not contact the wafer W without contacting the wafer. It is composed of a Bernoulli chuck as a suction means capable of sucking W. As shown in FIG. 2, the suction member 4 is provided at the inner suction member 4 </ b> A as inner suction means provided at four locations on the inner peripheral portion of the suction disc 3 and at eight locations on the outer peripheral portion of the suction disc 3. The outer suction member 4B as the outer suction means is provided separately. The four inner suction members 4 </ b> A communicate with an inner pressure regulating space 41 provided inside the suction board 3, and are connected to a gas supply device (not shown) via a pipe 42 connected to the inner pressure regulating space 41. On the other hand, the eight outer suction members 4 </ b> B communicate with a ring-shaped outer pressure regulating space 43 provided inside the suction disk 3, and are connected to a gas supply device (not shown) via a pipe 44 connected to the outer pressure regulating space 43. It is connected. This gas supply device can supply the gas G independently to each of the inner suction member 4A and the outer suction member 4B.

  The plurality of air vent holes 5 are provided at a substantially intermediate position between the inner suction member 4A and the outer suction member 4B. When the large-diameter wafer W2 is supported as shown in FIG. The gas G ejected from the outer suction member 4B is exhausted above the suction disk 3 through the air vent hole 5 between the suction surface 3A and the wafer W2.

  The inner regulating portion 6 includes a support plate 61 provided between the transport arm 2 and the suction disk 3, a linear motion motor 62 provided on the transport arm 2 and having an output shaft 63 coupled to the support plate 61, and a support A plurality of (four) inner regulating protrusions 64 are provided so as to project downward from the plate 61. The inner regulation protrusion 64 is inserted into the insertion hole 3 </ b> B provided in the suction plate 3, and the support plate 61 and the inner regulation protrusion 64 are configured to be vertically movable by driving the linear motion motor 62. Therefore, the inner regulation protrusion 64 can be projected and retracted from the suction surface 3A toward the wafer W, can be brought into contact with the wafer W at the projected position, and can be brought into the suction disk 3 side to be immersed in the wafer. It is configured not to contact W. Such an inner regulating protrusion 64 is composed of an elastic member such as silicon rubber as a whole or at its tip, so that the impact when contacting the wafer W1 can be alleviated and the wafer W1 can be prevented from being damaged. It has become.

The outer regulating protrusions 7 are provided at eight locations along the outer peripheral edge of the suction disk 3 and are inserted from the suction surface 3A side and fixed to the suction disk 3 so as not to protrude and retract. The outer regulation protrusion 7 is entirely or tip end made of an elastic member such as silicon rubber, so that the impact when contacting the wafer W2 can be reduced and the wafer W2 can be prevented from being damaged. Yes. And the protrusion dimension from 3 A of suction surfaces of the outer side control protrusion 7 is set substantially the same as the protrusion dimension in the position which made the inner side control protrusion 64 of the inner side control part 6 protrude.
In the above support device 1, each of the plurality of inner suction members 4 </ b> A, outer suction members 4 </ b> B, inner restriction protrusions 64, outer restriction protrusions 7, and air vent holes 5 are arranged concentrically with respect to the center of the suction plate 3. The wafer W is sucked and supported in a balanced manner.

  Next, the operation of the support device 1 will be described as a method for supporting the plate-like member in the present embodiment. Here, as an operation when supporting two types of wafers W1 and W2 having different diameters, a procedure for supporting a small-diameter wafer W1 will be described based on FIG. 1, and a large diameter will be described based on FIG. A procedure for supporting the wafer W2 will be described.

  First, when supporting the wafer W1 having a small diameter, as shown in FIG. 1, the linear motor 62 of the inner regulating portion 6 is operated to move the inner regulating projection 64 downward, and the tip of the inner regulating projection 64 is moved. The part is projected from the suction surface 3A. Next, the suction disk 3 is moved closer to the wafer W1, and the gas supply device connected to the inner suction member 4A is operated to eject the gas G from the inner suction member 4A. On the other hand, without operating the gas supply device connected to the outer suction member 4B, the wafer W1 is sucked by the suction force of the inner suction member 4A, and the tip of the inner regulation protrusion 64 is brought into contact with the wafer W1. Thus, the wafer W1 can be supported by sucking the wafer W1 with the inner suction member 4A and restricting the movement of the wafer W1 with the inner regulating protrusion 64, and transport the wafer W1 in a supported state to an appropriate position. can do. At the transfer destination, the suction is released by stopping the gas supply device and stopping the supply of the gas G to the inner suction member 4 </ b> A, and the wafer W <b> 1 can be detached from the suction disk 3.

  Next, when supporting the wafer W2 having a large diameter, as shown in FIG. 3, the linear movement motor 62 of the inner restriction portion 6 is operated to move the inner restriction protrusion 64 upward, and the inner restriction protrusion 64 is moved. It is immersed in the suction surface 3A side. Next, the suction disk 3 is brought close to the wafer W2, and the gas supply devices connected to the inner suction member 4A and the outer suction member 4B are operated together, so that the gas G is generated from both the inner suction member 4A and the outer suction member 4B. The wafer W2 is sucked by the suction force, and the tip of the outer regulation protrusion 7 is brought into contact with the wafer W2. In this way, the wafer W2 can be supported by sucking the wafer W2 with the inner suction member 4A and the outer suction member 4B and restricting the movement of the wafer W2 with the outer restriction projection 7. At this time, part of the gas G ejected from the inner suction member 4A and the outer suction member 4B is exhausted upward from the air vent hole 5, so that the gas G does not stay between the suction surface 3A and the wafer W2. A predetermined suction force can be obtained. Then, after transporting the supported wafer W2 to the transport destination, the suction is released by stopping the gas supply device and stopping the supply of the gas G to both the inner suction member 4A and the outer suction member 4B. The wafer W2 can be detached from the suction board 3.

According to this embodiment as described above, the following effects are obtained.
That is, the protrusions and recesses of the inner restriction protrusions 64 are switched according to the diameter of the wafer W, the inner restriction protrusions 64 are brought into contact with the small diameter wafer W1, and the outer restriction protrusions are brought into contact with the large diameter wafer W2. By bringing 7 into contact, both wafers W1, W2 can be reliably supported. Accordingly, since the wafers W1 and W2 having different diameters can be supported by the single support device 1, it is not necessary to prepare the support device 1 and the suction board 3 for each size of the wafers W1 and W2, and the number of parts can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to save time and time for mold change and to improve the efficiency of the entire semiconductor manufacturing process.

  As described above, the best configuration, method and the like for carrying out the present invention have been disclosed in the above description, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the invention has been illustrated and described with particular reference to certain specific embodiments, but without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, Various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art in terms of material, quantity, and other detailed configurations. In addition, the description of the shape, material, and the like disclosed above is exemplary for ease of understanding of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. The description by the name of the member which remove | excluded the limitation of one part or all of such restrictions is included in this invention.

For example, although the case where the plate-like member is a semiconductor wafer is shown in the embodiment, the plate-like member is not limited to the semiconductor wafer W, and other plates such as a glass plate, a steel plate, or a resin plate are used. Shaped members can also be targeted, and examples of semiconductor wafers include silicon wafers and compound wafers.
In the above embodiment, the support device 1 that supports the wafers W1 and W2 having two types of diameters is shown. However, the support device of the present invention supports plate-like members having three or more types of diameters. May be. That is, if another inner restriction protrusion that can be protruded and retracted from the suction plate 3 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the inner restriction protrusion 64 in the same manner as the inner restriction protrusion 64 of the above embodiment, the wafer W1 having a smaller diameter is provided. A wafer (plate-like member) having a small diameter can be accommodated, and if the other inner restricting protrusion is provided at an intermediate position between the inner restricting protrusion 64 and the outer restricting protrusion 7, the small diameter wafer W1 and the large diameter wafer are provided. It is possible to cope with a wafer (plate-like member) having an intermediate size with respect to W2.

In the above-described embodiment, the plurality of suction members 4 configured by Bernoulli chucks and capable of sucking the wafer W in a non-contact manner are employed as the suction means. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a contact-type suction means may be employed. Good.
In the above embodiment, the inner restriction protrusion 64 and the outer restriction protrusion 7 are in contact with the upper surfaces of the wafers W1 and W2, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A configuration may be adopted in which the inner and outer regulating means are brought into contact with each other. Further, the inner and outer restricting means is configured to have an inclined surface inclined outward from the support toward the plate-like member, and the edge of the plate-like member is brought into contact with the inclined surface. May be.
Furthermore, although the said embodiment demonstrated the support apparatus 1 which comprises a part of conveying apparatus, the supporting apparatus of this invention is not restricted to what comprises a part of conveying apparatus. And the support apparatus of this invention is not restricted to what supports the wafer W (plate-shaped member) from the upper direction, and may support a wafer (plate-shaped member) from the bottom like a support table.
Further, similarly to the inner regulation projection 64, the outer regulation projection 7 may be configured to be freely projectable and retractable via a linear motion motor or the like. With such a configuration, it is possible to individually change the protrusion amounts of the inner and outer restricting protrusions 64 and 7 according to the suction force of the inner suction member 4A and the outer suction member 4B. W2 can be supported more reliably.

The fragmentary sectional view of the support apparatus of the plate-shaped member which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The top view of the support apparatus of FIG. Operation | movement explanatory drawing of the support apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Support device 3 Suction board (support)
4 Suction member (suction means)
4A Inner suction member (inner suction means)
4B Outer suction member (outer suction means)
7 Outer restriction protrusion (outer restriction means)
64 Inner restriction protrusion (inner restriction means)
W, W1, W2 wafer (plate-like member)

Claims (4)

A support facing the plate-like member;
A suction means provided on the support for sucking the plate member;
An inner regulating means that is provided so as to protrude and retract from the support toward the plate-like member, and that can abut against the plate-like member and regulate its movement;
It is provided to protrude from the support body toward the plate-like member on the outer side than the inner restriction means, and has an outer restriction means that abuts on the plate-like member and can regulate its movement. ,
Of the at least two types of plate-like members having different dimensions in the in-plane direction, for the small plate-like member, by sucking with the suction means in a state where the inner regulating means protrudes from the support, Supporting the plate member by bringing the inner regulating means into contact with the small plate member;
For a plate-like member having a large size in the in-plane direction, the outer restriction member is attracted to the larger plate-like member by sucking the inner restriction member with the suction member in a state of being immersed in the support side. A plate-like member supporting device, wherein the plate-like member is supported by contacting the plate-like member.   The suction means is a non-contact type suction means for sucking without contacting the plate-like member by ejecting gas from the support side toward the plate-like member to form a negative pressure region. The plate-shaped member supporting device according to claim 1. The suction means includes an inner suction means provided at a position facing the small plate-like member, and an outer suction means provided at a position opposite to the large plate-like member outside the inner suction means. Comprising and including
For the smaller plate-like member, the inner suction means is operated and the outer suction means is deactivated to suck the plate-like member. For the larger plate-like member, the inner suction means The plate-like member support device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein both the outer suction means and the outer suction means are operated to suck the plate-like member. A support body opposed to the plate-like member, an inner regulating means provided so as to protrude and retract from the support body toward the plate-like member, and the support body to the plate-like member outside the inner regulation means. A plate-like member supporting method using an apparatus provided with an outer regulating means provided projecting toward the
Of the at least two types of plate-like members having different dimensions in the in-plane direction, with respect to a small plate-like member, the plate-like member is placed on the support side with the inner regulating means protruding from the support. By sucking, the plate-like member is supported while regulating the movement by bringing the inner regulating means into contact with the small plate-like member,
For a plate-like member having a large dimension in the in-plane direction, the large plate-like member is sucked to the support side in a state where the inner regulating means is immersed in the support side. The plate-like member is supported while the outer regulating means is brought into contact with the plate-like member to restrict the movement.

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