JP2012049382A - Load port and efem - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a load port which can prevent sudden interference with an FOUP or a wafer due to inaccurate horizontal balance in installation when the wafer is put in and out of the FOUP.SOLUTION: A load port 1 has a mapping device M configured by a lifting part 6 which is movable in the height direction and a retreat part 7 connected to the lifting part 6 to have a sensor part 8 in the tip. The retreat part 7 is movable between a mapping position (P2) where the sensor part 8 is put into an FOUPx to be able to detect a wafer W and a retreat position (P1) where the tip is retreated to the outside of the FOUPx, while the retreat part 7 is also movable to a placement position (P3) where the tip is put farther into the FOUPx than the mapping position (P2) to be able to place the wafer W. The load port 1 also has a transport device H to transfer the wafer W between the inside of the FOUPx and the inside of a wafer transfer room B by using the retreat part 7 and the lifting part 6.

Description

  The present invention relates to a load port provided in a clean room, and an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) having such a load port.

  In a semiconductor manufacturing process, wafers are processed in a clean room in order to improve yield and quality. However, with high integration of elements, miniaturization of circuits, and increase in wafer size, it is difficult to manage small dust in the clean room as a whole in terms of cost and technology. Yes. For this reason, in recent years, as an alternative to improving the cleanliness of the entire clean room, the “mini-environment method”, which improves the cleanliness of only the local space around the wafer, has been introduced to carry wafers and other processes. Means to do is adopted. In the mini-environment method, a storage container called FOUP (Front-Opening Unified Pod) is used to transport and store wafers in a highly clean environment. A load port that functions as an interface unit when a wafer in the FOUP is taken in and out of the wafer transfer chamber and when the FOUP is transferred to and from the FOUP transfer device is used as an important device. ing.

  Then, the door portion and the door are simultaneously opened in a state where the door portion provided in the load port is in close contact with the door provided on the back surface of the FOUP, and the wafer in the FOUP is supplied into the wafer transfer chamber through the load port. Thereafter, the wafer that has been subjected to various processing or processing in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is accommodated again in the FOUP through the load port from the wafer transfer chamber.

  Usually, the load port is provided with a mapping device for recognizing (mapping) the number of wafers stacked in the FOUP and the storage posture. As the mapping device, there are an elevating part that moves up and down in accordance with the opening and closing operation of the door part, a mapping position that is provided at the upper end part of the elevating part and that can enter the FOUP and can detect the wafer by the sensor part provided at the front end part. There is one that includes an advancing / retreating portion that can move between a retracted position retracted outside the FOUP (see Patent Document 1).

  By the way, the main function of the load port is to open and close the load port door and the FOUP door so that the wafers in the FOUP can be taken in and out. The storing operation is performed by a wafer transfer robot such as an arm robot provided in the wafer transfer chamber (see Patent Document 2). Such a wafer transfer robot is for transferring wafers one by one (wafer transfer robot), and a module comprising a space (wafer transfer chamber) in which the wafer transfer robot is arranged and a load port is an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module). One EFEM is usually provided with one wafer transfer robot.

JP 2003-92339 A JP 2008-103755 A

  However, conventionally, as described above, the operation of taking out the wafer in the FOUP and the operation of inserting and storing the wafer in the FOUP are performed by a wafer transfer robot separate from the load port. To avoid the situation where the wafer transfer robot arm suddenly interferes with the FOUP or the wafer and damages the wafer, the relative position between the load port and the wafer transfer robot is adjusted with extremely high accuracy when the load port is installed. There must be. In particular, in EFEM that allows one wafer transfer robot to access multiple load ports arranged side by side, all load ports and wafer transfer robots can be leveled (horizontal balance: horizontal level) with high accuracy. Must be adjusted. Also, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, EFEM has been developed in which one wafer transfer robot is accessed to a plurality of load ports arranged side by side. Since the arm length is inevitably long, the arm may be bent by its own weight. Due to the bending, the arm may unexpectedly interfere with the FOUP or the wafer and damage the wafer. In order to avoid an increase in the length of the arm, an aspect in which the wafer transfer robot is configured to be slidable along the load port parallel direction is also conceivable. There is a problem in that it must be set so as to move horizontally accurately, and this setting (installation) requires extremely high accuracy.

  In addition, when an EFEM is configured using a conventional load port, the wafer removal / insertion operation is performed exclusively by a single wafer transfer robot. Therefore, the wafer transfer robot uses this wafer transfer robot between the FOUP and the wafer transfer chamber. While the wafer is being taken in and out, it is naturally impossible to transfer the wafer between the wafer transfer chamber and the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus by the wafer transfer robot. Therefore, the processing capability of EFEM tends to be determined by the transfer processing capability of the wafer transfer robot.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such a problem, and the main purpose of the present invention is FOUP or wafer and wafer due to inaccuracy of horizontal balance at the time of installation when the wafer is taken in and out of the FOUP. An object of the present invention is to provide a load port that can prevent unexpected interference with a transfer robot and improve the processing capability of wafer transfer when used in EFEM.

  That is, the load port according to the present invention is provided adjacent to the wafer transfer chamber. The load port forms an EFEM together with the wafer transfer chamber, receives the transferred FOUP, and transfers the wafer stored in the FOUP to the wafer transfer chamber and the FOUP. A mapping device that performs mapping with respect to the wafer, and a transfer device that transfers the wafer in the FOUP to and from the wafer transfer chamber. It is a feature.

  As described above, in the load port of the present invention provided with the transfer device for transferring the wafer in the FOUP to and from the wafer transfer chamber in addition to the mapping device, the wafer loading / unloading process with respect to the FOUP is referred to as the load port. This can be done by the transfer device of the load port without using a separate wafer transfer robot. Since the load port itself is provided with a transfer device, a high-precision leveling process that is required for both the load port and the wafer transfer robot in the past is not required. Therefore, the FOUP or the wafer and the wafer transfer robot due to the inaccuracy of the horizontal balance at the time of installation of the load port does not cause an unexpected interference between the wafer and the wafer, and the wafer can be taken in and out smoothly. be able to. In addition, when an EFEM including a plurality of load ports of the present invention arranged side by side and including the plurality of load ports and one wafer transfer robot is configured, the arm length of the wafer transfer robot is inevitably long and may be bent. However, since the load port itself is equipped with a transfer device, it is not necessary to move the arm of the wafer transfer robot into or out of the FOUP, and the FOUP or wafer and wafer caused by the bending of the arm. Unexpected interference with the transfer robot and wafer damage do not occur. Further, even if the wafer transfer robot is configured to be slidable along the load port parallel direction in order to avoid an increase in the length of the arm, the load port itself is provided with a transfer device. In the conventional case, the high-precision leveling process required for both the load port and the wafer transfer robot at the time of installation is not required.

  When an EFEM is configured using such a load port, the wafer can be taken out and inserted into the FOUP by the load port transfer device, while being transferred from the FOUP into the wafer transfer chamber. The wafer can be transferred to a port other than the load port (for example, a process port or a pre-aligner port) or a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus by a wafer transfer robot provided in the wafer transfer chamber, or an appropriate process can be performed in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The processed wafer can be transferred from the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus to the wafer transfer chamber by the wafer transfer robot. In this way, even during the wafer removal / insertion work by the load port transfer device, the wafer transfer robot in the wafer transfer chamber can transfer the wafer to / from other ports and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. , EFEM processing capacity is greatly improved.

  In particular, in the load port according to the present invention, the mapping device includes a sensor unit for detecting a wafer, an elevating unit movable in the height direction, and a tip part connected to the elevating unit and provided with the sensor unit enters the FOUP. And a forward / backward portion that is movable between a mapping position where the wafer can be detected and a retracted position where the tip portion is retracted from the FOUP. The tip portion is further moved into the FOUP to be moved to a mounting position where the wafer can be mounted, and the transfer device is configured by using the advance / retreat unit and the lift unit.

  Here, as the configuration of the advancing / retreating portion, when the tip portion is moved forward / backward, the posture is changed by a mode in which the advancing / retreating portion moves back and forth with respect to the FOUP, a mode in which the shape is changed by expansion / contraction or folding, or a rotation operation. Embodiments can be illustrated. The “sensor unit for detecting a wafer” may be any sensor that detects at least one of the presence / absence of a wafer, the tilt of the wafer, and whether or not a plurality of wafers overlap.

  In this way, since the transfer device is configured using the elevating unit and the advancing / retreating unit that constitute the mapping device, the parts can be shared, and the transfer device is configured without causing a complicated structure. be able to. In particular, by moving the advancing / retreating portion between the placing position and the retracting position where the tip portion is further advanced into the FOUP than the mapping position, the wafer can be taken in and out of the FOUP suitably. .

  Furthermore, in the load port of the present invention, a pair of tip arm elements separated in the horizontal direction are provided at the tip portion of the advancing / retreating portion, and a sensor unit constituting the mapping device is provided as a light emitting portion provided in any one of the tip arm elements. And a light receiving portion provided on the other tip arm element, and when the advance / retreat portion is moved to the mapping position, the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion can detect the wafer. In order to realize a transfer device that can take in and out the wafer in a stable state by using such a structure of the mapping device and the shape of the advance / retreat portion, a tip portion that forms a bifurcated shape when the advance / retreat portion is set at the mounting position, that is, What is necessary is just to comprise so that a wafer may be mounted on a pair of front-end | tip arm element.

  The EFEM according to the present invention includes one or more load ports having the above-described configuration and a wafer transfer chamber adjacent to the load port. The EFEM is disposed in the wafer transfer chamber corresponding to the load port, One or more temporary wafer storage tables accessible by the transfer device are arranged.

  Here, the number ratio between the load port and the temporary wafer placement table can be arbitrarily set. For example, a mode in which the temporary wafer placement table is arranged at a ratio of one load port to one load port, or the load port 1 It is possible to adopt a mode in which a plurality of temporary wafer placement stands (two or the like) are arranged with respect to the stand.

  In such an EFEM, a wafer taken out from the FOUP by the load port transfer device is placed on the wafer temporary placement table in the wafer transfer chamber, or after the processing in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is finished, the wafer is placed on the wafer temporary placement table. The placed wafer can be accommodated in the FOUP by the transfer device of the load port accessing the temporary wafer placement table. As described above, by adopting a configuration in which one or a plurality of load ports can access the temporary wafer placement table, it is possible to realize an EFEM having a high wafer loading / unloading processing capability (a fast tact time).

  According to the load port of the present invention, when a wafer is taken in and out of the FOUP, an unexpected interference between the FOUP or the wafer and the wafer transfer robot due to an uncertain horizontal balance at the time of installing the load port is prevented. In addition, when used in EFEM, it contributes to an improvement in processing capacity for wafer conveyance.

It is a top view of the load port which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: The figure which shows typically the relative positional relationship of a load port and a wafer conveyance apparatus, and the relative positional relationship of EFEM and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The whole schematic view of the load port in which the advance / retreat part is in the retracted position in the same embodiment. The whole schematic view of the load port in which the advance / retreat part is in the mounting position in the same embodiment. The figure which shows typically the front view of the load port which concerns on the same embodiment. The top view which shows typically the load port in which the advancing / retreating part exists in a retracted position in the same embodiment. The top view which shows typically the load port in which the advance / retreat part exists in a mapping position in the embodiment. The top view which shows typically the load port in which the advance / retreat part exists in the mounting position in the same embodiment.

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

  The load port 1 according to the present embodiment is used in a semiconductor manufacturing process, and is disposed adjacent to a wafer transfer chamber B in a common clean room A as shown in FIG. A door (not shown) of the FOUPx indicated by a chain line is opened and closed so that the wafer W is taken in and out between the FOUPx and the wafer transfer chamber B. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the load port 1 and its periphery viewed from above, and is constituted by the relative positional relationship between the load port 1 and the wafer transfer chamber B in the clean room A, and the load port 1 and the wafer transfer chamber B. 1 schematically shows a relative positional relationship between an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus C.

  The FOUPx applied in the present embodiment is a known one in which a plurality of step portions (not shown) on which the outer edge portion of the FOUPx can be placed at a predetermined pitch in the height direction are provided on the inward surfaces of the opposing side walls of the outer walls. Therefore, detailed description is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the load port 1 according to the present embodiment has a substantially rectangular plate shape and a frame 2 that is arranged in a substantially vertical posture, and is slightly above the center in the height direction of the frame 2. A mounting plate 3 provided in a substantially horizontal position at the position, and an opening 4 that can be communicated with the wafer transfer chamber B by setting an opening lower edge at a position substantially the same as the mounting plate 3 in the frame 2; A door portion (not shown) for opening and closing the opening 4 is provided. In the present embodiment, the frame 2 is disposed in a state where the back surface of the frame 2 is in contact with the front surface of the wafer transfer chamber B (see FIG. 1). Further, the mounting plate 3 is supported by a support base 5 that is L-shaped downward in a side view.

  The mounting plate 3 is formed with three protrusions 31 protruding upward. These three protrusions 31 are intended to position the FOUPx on the mounting plate 3 by engaging the three protrusions 31 with holes (not shown) formed on the bottom surface of the FOUPx.

  The door part is in an open state in which the door is opened in close contact with a door (not shown) provided on the rear surface of the FOUPx in a state where the FOUPx is placed on the placement plate 3, and an internal space of the adjacent wafer transfer chamber B. The FOUPx can be operated between a closed state and an internal space of the FOUPx, and a specific opening / closing structure conforms to a known one. In addition, the door part in an open state is abbreviate | omitted in each figure.

  Further, the load port 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with a mapping device M that maps the number and positions of the wafers W stored in the FOUPx.

  The mapping device M has an elevating part 6 movable in the height direction, and a base end part connected to the upper end part of the elevating part 6 so as to be able to advance and retreat in the front-rear direction (depth direction of the opening 4 = front-rear direction). A portion 7 and a sensor portion 8 provided at the tip of the advance / retreat portion 7 are provided.

  The elevating part 6 connects a pair of left and right elevating legs 61 supported by an elevating guide support part 21 provided on the back surface of the frame 2 so as to be movable in the height direction, and the upper and lower ends of each elevating leg 61 to advance and retract part 7. And an elevating base 62 for supporting the base end portion of this. In the present embodiment, the elevating base 62 is provided at a position straddling between the upper ends of the pair of elevating legs 61, and the elevating legs 61 and the elevating base 62 are integrally formed. A wide portion 611 that is gradually bulged rearward upward is formed on the upper end portion side of each of the lifting legs 61, and the depth dimension (the dimension in the front-rear direction) of the lifting base 62 is set large. . Thereby, the support area which supports the base end part of the advance / retreat part 7 in the raising / lowering base 62 can be set large, and the stable support state can be maintained. In addition, the upper end part of the raising / lowering guide support part 21 is set to the position lower than the opening lower edge of the opening part 4 (refer FIG. 4).

  As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 to FIG. 7, the advancing / retreating portion 7 has a retracted position (P1) where the tip is retracted out of FOUPx, and a position where the tip is advanced into FOUPx. It is movable between (a mapping position (P2) and a placement position (P3) described later). Specifically, a fixed portion 71 fixed to the elevating base 62, a first arm 72 pivotally attached to the fixed portion 71, and a second end pivotally attached to the distal end portion of the first arm 72. The link structure includes an arm 73 and a third arm 74 that is supported by the second arm 73 and linearly moves in accordance with the relative angle change between the first arm 72 and the second arm 73. The fixing portion 71 is a flat plate that is fixed in a state where it is placed at the center in the width direction of the lifting base 62, and the front-rear dimension (longitudinal dimension) is set to be substantially the same as or slightly larger than the depth dimension of the lifting base 62. ing. The first arm 72 includes two parallel first arm elements 72a, and base ends of the parallel first arm elements 72a are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction and pivotally attached to the fixed portion 71, respectively. The second arm 73 includes two parallel second arm elements 73a, and the base end portion of each parallel second arm element 73a is pivotally attached to the distal end portion of the parallel first arm element 72a. In the present embodiment, the advancing / retreating portion 7 includes a clamping portion 75 that clamps the pivoting portion between each parallel first arm element 72a and each parallel second arm element 73a from above and below, and this clamping portion 75. Thus, a good pivoting state between each parallel first arm element 72a and each parallel second arm element 73a is maintained. The third arm 74 has a flat arm base 74a fixed in a state where it is placed across the distal ends of the parallel second arm elements 73a that are separated in the front-rear direction, and a base end is fixed to the arm base 74a. And a third arm main body 74b. An axis L1 along the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction) of the third arm 74 and an axis L2 along the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction) of the fixed portion 71 are set on the same line or substantially the same line in plan view. The third arm 74 linearly moves in the front-rear direction in accordance with the relative angular displacement between the second arm 73 and the second arm 73. The third arm main body 74b is fixed in a state where the base end portion is placed on the arm base 74a. The third arm main body 74b is moved forward and backward together with the arm base 74a in accordance with the relative angular displacement between the first arm 72 and the second arm 73. Move straight to. The third arm body 74b integrally includes a pair of left and right tip arm elements 74c that are bifurcated and spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction.

  The sensor unit 8 includes a light emitting unit 81 provided at the tip of one tip arm element 74c and a light receiving unit 82 provided at the tip of the other tip arm element 74c.

  The advancing / retreating part 7 having such a sensor part 8 (light emitting part 81, light receiving part 82) at the distal end thereof is part of the third arm 74 in accordance with the relative angular displacement between the first arm 72 and the second arm 73. A mapping position (P2) (see FIG. 6) in which the tip arm element 74c enters the FOUPx and the wafer W in the FOUPx can be detected by the light emitting portion 81 and the light receiving portion 82, and a third position including the tip arm element 74c. The posture can be changed at least between the retracted position (P1) (see FIG. 5) where the entire arm 74 is retracted outside the FOUPx. Specifically, when the advancing / retreating portion 7 is moved from the retracted position (P1) to the mapping position (P2), the first arm 72 and the second arm 73 are moved in a direction overlapping each other, and the advancing / retreating portion 7 is moved as a whole. It becomes a folded shape. The tip arm element 74c is set to a shape that does not interfere with the wafer W when the advance / retreat portion 7 is positioned at the mapping position (P2).

  The load port 1 according to the present embodiment includes a transfer device H that transfers the wafer W between the FOUPx and the wafer transfer chamber B by using the elevating unit 6 and the advancing / retreating unit 7 that constitute the mapping device M. It is composed. That is, the transfer device H transfers the wafer W detected by the mapping device M to be normally stored in the FOUPx to the third arm 74 of the advancing / retreating portion 7, specifically, the tip arm element having a bifurcated shape. The wafer W transferred to the wafer transfer chamber B in a state of being placed on 74c, and the wafer W transferred to the wafer transfer chamber B after finishing the processing in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus C is transferred to the third arm 74 of the advancing / retreating portion 7, specifically Specifically, it is transferred to the FOUPx in a state where it is placed on the bifurcated tip arm element 74c. When the wafer W is transferred from the FOUPx into the wafer transfer chamber B, the advancing / retreating portion 7 causes the tip arm element 74c to enter the FOUPx further than the mapping position (P2), and the wafer W in the FOUPx is moved by the tip arm element 74c. Is placed (P3) (see FIG. 7). When the advancing / retreating portion 7 is positioned at the placement position (P3), the first arm 72 and the second arm 73 are moved further closer to each other than at the mapping position (P2), and the advancing / retreating portion 7 is most folded. It becomes a shape.

  Further, in the wafer transfer chamber B that constitutes the EFEM together with the load port 1, a temporary wafer placement table B1 that is disposed corresponding to the load port 1 and on which the wafer W can be temporarily placed is provided. The EFEM according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of load ports 1 (three in the illustrated example), and a wafer temporary placement table B1 is provided at a position directly facing each load port 1 in the wafer transfer chamber B. In other words, in the present embodiment, one wafer temporary placement table B1 is arranged for one load port 1 so that each load port 1 can access the wafer temporary placement table B1 directly facing each other by the transfer device H. It is set. A function as a buffer table (buffer table) can be given to the temporary wafer table B1.

  Further, in this wafer transfer chamber B, the wafer W placed on the temporary wafer holder B1 is transferred to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus C, or the wafer W that has been subjected to appropriate processing in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus C is temporarily transferred to the wafer transfer chamber B. A wafer transfer robot B2 capable of transferring to a position where it can be placed on the table B1 is provided. In this embodiment, setting is made so that one wafer transfer robot B2 can access all the temporary wafer placement tables B1, and the wafer W is transferred between the wafer transfer chamber B and the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus C by the wafer transfer robot B2. It is configured to be transportable.

  An EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) is configured by the wafer transfer chamber B provided with the wafer temporary placement table B1 and the wafer transfer robot B2 and the load port.

  In the present embodiment, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus C provided in association with the EFEM has a load lock C1 adjacent to the wafer transfer chamber B and a wafer W transferred from the wafer transfer chamber B via the load lock C1. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body C2 which performs an appropriate process is provided.

  Next, a procedure for performing the mapping process and the wafer W loading / unloading (handling) process using the load port 1 having such a configuration, the action of the load port 1, and the process procedure and action of the entire EFEM will be described.

  First, FOUPx is transported to the load port 1 by a FOUP transport device (not shown). The transported FOUPx is placed on the placement plate 3, and at this time, the protrusion 31 provided on the placement plate 3 engages with a hole formed in the bottom of the FOUPx.

  Then, after placing FOUPx on the placing plate 3, the load port 1 performs a mapping process. Specifically, the load port 1 is moved from the closed state to the open state with the door portion being in close contact with the door (not shown) of the FOUPx, and with the opening portion 4 open, the advance / retreat portion 7 is moved to the retracted position (P1). ) To the mapping position (P2). Then, the load port 1 moves the elevating unit 6 up and down while the advancing / retreating unit 7 is positioned at the mapping position (P2) to irradiate the light from the light emitting unit 81 and to receive the light quantity and the light received by the light receiving unit 82. Based on this, it is detected whether the wafer W is placed on each step provided in the FOUPx, whether the wafer W is not tilted, and whether a plurality of wafers W are not overlapped.

  After the mapping process is completed, the load port 1 subsequently performs a process of sequentially dispensing the wafers W in the FOUPx into the wafer transfer chamber B. Specifically, the load port 1 is moved from the closed state to the open state with the door portion being in close contact with the door (not shown) of the FOUPx, and with the opening portion 4 open, the advance / retreat portion 7 is moved to the retracted position (P1). ) Or the mapping position (P2) to the placement position (P3), and the wafer W in which no abnormality is detected in the mapping process step is moved to the distal end of the advance / retreat section 7, specifically, the distal arm of the third arm 74. Place on element 74c. Subsequently, the load port 1 displaces the wafer W out of the FOUPx by moving the advancing / retreating portion 7 from the mounting position (P3) to the retracted position (P1). As shown in FIG. 1, in the load port 1 of the present embodiment, when the advance / retreat unit 7 moves from the placement position (P3) to the retracted position (P1), the third arm 74 passes through the center in the width direction of the FOUPx. Since the wafer W and the third arm 74 are configured to move linearly along the straight line L3, when the wafer W and the third arm 74 move from the mounting position (P3) to the retracted position (P1), the side wall of the FOUPx Interference with the inward surface and the edge of the opening 4 can be prevented. In the present embodiment, the imaginary straight line L3 passing through the center in the width direction of the FOUPx is set to the axis L1 along the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction) of the third arm 74 and the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction) of the fixing portion 71. It is set on the same line or almost the same line as the axis L2 along the plan view (see FIG. 1).

  In the load port 1 of the present embodiment, the wafer W is taken out of the FOUPx into the wafer transfer chamber B by the advance / retreat unit 7 of the transfer device H, and the wafer placed on the tip arm element 74c is further placed on the temporary wafer placement table B1. The elevating unit 6 is moved up and down to a height at which the wafer can be placed, and is temporarily placed on the wafer temporary placement table B1. At this time, the advancing / retreating portion 7 functioning as a part of the transfer device H moves in a direction in which the tip portion (here, the tip portion indicates the third arm 74) is further separated from the FOUPx than the retracted position (P1) ( By rotating the wafer W, a position (delivery position: not shown) at which the wafer W can be placed on the temporary wafer placement table B1 is obtained. Subsequently, the wafer placed on the temporary wafer placement table B1 is transferred from the wafer transfer chamber B to the load lock C1 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus C by the wafer transfer robot B2 in the wafer transfer chamber B. The wafer W transferred from the load lock C1 into the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body C2 is subjected to appropriate processing in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body C2.

  The wafer W that has completed the semiconductor manufacturing process is transferred into the wafer transfer chamber B by the wafer transfer robot B2 via the load lock C1 and placed on the wafer temporary table B1. Then, the load port 1 moves the lifting / lowering part 6 up and down appropriately with the advance / retreat part 7 of the transfer device H as the delivery position described above, and moves the wafer W onto the tip part (specifically, the tip arm element 74c) of the advance / retreat part 7. Is placed. In this state, the advance / retreat unit 7 is moved from the delivery position to the placement position (P3) via the retraction position (P1) and the mapping position (P2). In addition, when the advance / retreat unit 7 moves from the delivery position to the placement position (P3), whether to temporarily stop at the retracted position (P1) and the mapping position (P2) can be arbitrarily set.

  According to the above procedure, the load port 1 according to the present embodiment can transfer the wafer W from the wafer transfer chamber B into the FOUPx, and subsequently operates the elevating unit 6 to move the outer edge of the wafer W into the FOUPx. The wafer W can be stored in a stable state in the FOUPx. In the process in which the advancing / retreating portion 7 moves from the delivery position to the placement position (P3) through the retraction position (P1) and the mapping position (P2), it moves at least from the retraction position (P1) to the placement position (P3). At this time, since the third arm 74 is configured to linearly move along the virtual straight line L3 passing through the center in the width direction of the FOUPx, the retraction position (P1) of the wafer W and the third arm 74 is set. Can be prevented from interfering with the inward surface of the side wall of the FOUPx or the edge of the opening 4 during the movement from the position to the mounting position (P3).

  As described above, since the load port 1 according to the present embodiment includes the transfer device H that transfers the wafer W between the FOUPx and the wafer transfer chamber B, the wafer W is transferred by the transfer device H. As long as the transfer path for loading / unloading is set so that the wafer W does not interfere with the opening edge of the opening 4 in the FOUPx and the load port 1, the loading / unloading process (handling process) of the wafer W can be performed smoothly and accurately. Can do. Therefore, the conventional problem is that the wafer transfer robot in the wafer transfer chamber directly moves the wafer in and out of the FOUP, that is, the relative mounting position of the load port and the wafer transfer robot, the load port and the wafer transfer. If the horizontal balance at the time of installation of the robot is not set accurately, the wafer may be damaged by interference with the FOUP or part of the load port during the wafer loading / unloading operation, or the FOUP may be damaged to prevent damage to the wafer. The problem that the loading / unloading operation must be performed carefully (takes time) can be solved by the load port 1 according to the present embodiment.

  When EFES is configured using the wafer transfer chamber B provided with the temporary wafer holder B1 and the load port 1, the wafer W can be taken in and out of the FOUPx by the transfer device H. The wafer W can be temporarily placed on the wafer temporary placement table B1 provided in the wafer transfer chamber B in association with the load port 1 and provided to the next process. In this way, even during the loading / unloading operation of the wafer W, it is possible to realize a state in which the wafer W placed on the temporary wafer placement table B1 can be transferred to the next process, and the entire EFES wafer transfer process Ability (tact time) is greatly improved.

  Moreover, the load port 1 of the present embodiment constitutes a transfer device H that transfers the wafer W in the FOUPx to and from the wafer transfer chamber B by using the elevating unit 6 and the advance / retreat unit 7 constituting the mapping device M. Therefore, the parts can be shared and the transfer device H can be attached without causing a complicated structure. In particular, the advancing / retreating portion 7 is further moved into the FOUPx than the mapping position (P2), the mounting position (P3) where the wafer W can be placed, and the wafer W placed on the leading end is moved outside the FOUPx. By moving between the retracted position (P1) where the wafer W can be retracted to the FOUPx, the wafer W can be taken in and out of the FOUPx.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since a plurality of load ports 1 (three in the illustrated example) are arranged in parallel, mapping processing and handling for the wafers W in the FOUPx set on the mounting plate 3 of each load port 1 are performed. Since the processing can be performed individually by the mapping device M and the transfer device H provided in each load port 1, the wafer transfer robot B2 is not directly involved in the loading / unloading operation of the wafer W with respect to each FOUPx. In the case of EFEM using one wafer transfer robot for multiple load ports, the arm length of the wafer transfer robot may be relatively large and bend due to its own weight. The situation where the arm unexpectedly interferes with the FOUP does not occur, and all loads when the EFEM is introduced (installed) Even if the leveling (horizontal balance) of the wafer transfer robot B2 with respect to the gate 1 is not adjusted with high accuracy, interference between the arm and the FOUP 1 or the wafer W and damage to the wafer W due to the leveling failure are avoided. Can do.

  Further, the load port 1 of the present invention is provided with a tip arm element 74c that is bifurcated in a pair separated from the tip of the advance / retreat portion 7 in the horizontal direction, and the sensor unit 8 constituting the mapping device M is either The light emitting portion 81 provided on one tip arm element 74c and the light receiving portion 82 provided on the other tip arm element 74c are configured, and these light emitting portions are positioned when the advance / retreat portion 7 is positioned at the mapping position (P2). The wafer W is detected by 81 and the light receiving unit 82. And since the structure of such a mapping apparatus M is utilized and it is comprised so that the wafer W may be mounted on a pair of front-end | tip arm element 74c, in the state with the removal / insertion process of the wafer W by the transfer apparatus H being stabilized. It can be carried out.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above. For example, as the advance / retreat unit, the number of arms and the movement trajectory may be different from those of the above-described embodiment. Further, the advancing / retreating portion may include a plurality of one or more slide arms capable of sliding expansion and contraction, and may move to each position by the slide expansion and contraction operation of the slide arms. The advancing / retreating part may be movable to each position by being postured with a rotation operation in the horizontal plane.

  The drive sources for the elevating unit and the advancing / retreating unit may be the same, or may be individual drive sources. Examples of the driving mechanism (driving principle) for the elevating part and the advancing / retreating part include a ball screw mechanism and a gear mechanism.

  In addition, each time a wafer that is detected to be properly stored in the FOUP by the mapping apparatus is transferred from the FOUP to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus by the transfer apparatus, that is, a mapping process and an in / out process (handling process). ) And a load port that alternately performs each wafer. Furthermore, the mapping device and the transfer device may be load ports configured by dedicated members without sharing parts.

  In addition, the number of load ports included in one EFEM can be changed as appropriate, and the number of temporary wafer holders provided in the wafer transfer chamber can also be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, the ratio between the load port and the temporary wafer placement table is not limited to 1: 1, and may be one to plural.

  In addition, the specific configuration of each part is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Load port 6 ... Elevating part 7 ... Advance / retreat part 74c ... Tip arm element 8 ... Sensor part 81 ... Light-emitting part 82 ... Light-receiving part B ... Wafer transfer chamber B1 ... Wafer temporary stand H ... Transfer apparatus M ... Mapping apparatus W ... Wafer x… FOUP

Claims (3)

An EFEM is provided adjacent to the wafer transfer chamber and constitutes an EFEM together with the wafer transfer chamber, receives the transferred FOUP, and takes in and out the wafers stored in the FOUP between the wafer transfer chamber and the FOUP. A load port used when
A load port comprising: a mapping device that performs mapping on a wafer; and a transfer device that transfers the wafer between the FOUP and the wafer transfer chamber. The mapping device detects a wafer by entering a sensor unit for detecting a wafer, a lifting unit movable in a height direction, and a tip connected to the lifting unit and provided with the sensor unit into the FOUP. An advancing / retreating portion movable between a mapping position to be enabled and a retracted position in which the tip portion is retracted out of the FOUP;
The transfer device is configured using the elevating unit and the advancing / retracting unit movable to a mounting position where a tip can be moved into the FOUP than the mapping position and the wafer can be mounted.
The advancing / retreating part is provided with a pair of tip arm elements provided at the tip part and spaced apart in the horizontal direction,
The sensor unit includes a light emitting unit provided in one of the tip arm elements and a light receiving unit provided in the other tip arm element, and the mapping device moves the advance / retreat unit to the mapping position. When configured to detect the wafer by the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit,
The load port according to claim 1, wherein the transfer device is configured to place a wafer on the tip arm element when the advancing / retreating portion is moved to the placement position. An EFEM comprising one or more load ports according to claim 1 and a wafer transfer chamber adjacent to the load port,
The EFEM is characterized in that one or more temporary wafer placement tables arranged in the wafer transfer chamber corresponding to the load port and accessible by the transfer device of the load port are arranged.

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