JP2012222117A - Translocation jig of semiconductor wafer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a jig capable of efficiently and collectively taking out wafers stored in a case with a groove.SOLUTION: A translocation jig for a semiconductor wafer has a semi-cylindrical shaped surface having an almost U-shaped cross section with a part being opened, and a semi-cylindrical shaped end surface in an axial direction, and is in contact with the outer periphery of a wafer at inside end edges facing each other in parallel of the open part of the U-shaped cross section. The jig, with the open part of the U-shaped cross section directed downward, is stacked on a case with grooves which is horizontally placed and in which a plurality of wafers are stored. Both of them are inverted upside down so that the plurality of wafers are translocated to the jig from the case with grooves. The wafers are held at the inside end edges facing each other in parallel of the open part of the U-shaped cross section, and then the jig is raised and the plurality of wafers held inside the jig are stacked together with no gap. Each wafer or an arbitrary number of wafers in the stacked state are taken from the staked wafers.

Description

The present invention relates to a jig for collectively taking out and transferring a plurality of wafers stored in a case in each manufacturing process of a semiconductor wafer.

Conventionally, there are a large number of parallel grooves inside a wafer storage case used in each manufacturing process of a semiconductor wafer, and one wafer is stored in each groove (for example, FIG. 1B). reference). When taking out a wafer from a storage case and transferring it to another container, conventionally, the wafers were manually pulled out from the container one by one using vacuum tweezers or metal tweezers. However, the manual operation not only did not increase the efficiency, but also caused an error due to the handling operation (inversion of the wafer front and back, misalignment of the wafers, damage to the wafer).

In order to improve the efficiency of such conventional transfer work, Patent Document 1 discloses that 25 semiconductor wafers stored in a transport case with a storage pitch of 6.35 mm are placed in a container body having a storage pitch of half of 3.175 mm. A wafer container is disclosed which is transferred to, housed, transferred and stored. In Patent Document 1, first, about half of the 25 sheets housed in the transport case are transferred to every other groove in the container groove of 3.175 mm pitch, and the remaining half is stored in the container groove of 3.175 mm pitch. By transferring to the empty groove, the wafer is transferred from the carrying case to a container having a half storage pitch and stored.

However, in the invention of Patent Document 1, not only is the transfer operation performed in two stages, but also after the transfer, the wafer will fit in the groove, and in order to take out one by one from here, it is necessary to perform the same manual operation as before. There is a problem that the taking out operation becomes more difficult as the storage pitch is halved.

JP 2003-318248 A

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and to provide a jig that can efficiently and collectively take out wafers contained in a grooved case for storing wafers without any error due to handling work. Objective.

The invention of claim 1 is a jig for transferring a wafer from a grooved case, and has a semi-cylindrical side surface of a substantially U-shaped cross section that is partially open and an end surface in the axial direction of the semi-cylindrical shape. The semiconductor wafer transfer jig is characterized in that it contacts the outer periphery of the wafer at the inner end edge of the U-shaped cross-section facing the parallel edge.

The invention of claim 2 is a semiconductor wafer transfer jig in which the distance between the opposed inner edge portions is smaller than the diameter of the wafer.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor wafer transfer jig in which the distance between the opposed inner edge portions is 90.0 to 99.8% of the wafer diameter.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor wafer transfer jig in which a flat surface corresponding to the orientation flat of the wafer is formed on the inner bottom portion of the U-shaped cross section.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor wafer transfer jig having a positioning portion in the opening portion for overlapping the opening portion of the semiconductor wafer transfer jig so as to coincide with the opening portion of the grooved case.

The invention of claim 6 is a method of using the semiconductor wafer transfer jig according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4 or claim 5, wherein a plurality of wafers are stored. Place the semiconductor wafer transfer jig on the grooved case with the U-shaped cross-section opening of the semiconductor wafer transfer jig facing down on the horizontally mounted grooved case, and turn them upside down. Transfer multiple wafers from the grooved case to a semiconductor wafer transfer jig, hold the wafer at the inner edge of the U-shaped cross section facing the parallel inner edge, and then transfer the semiconductor wafer And a plurality of wafers held inside the jig are laminated without gaps, and the wafers are taken out from the laminated wafers one by one or any number of wafers in the laminated state. Use of transfer jig It is the law.

Since the semiconductor wafer transfer jig according to the first aspect of the present invention has no groove and has a substantially cylindrical shape divided into two in the axial direction, it has a wide opening in the axial direction, and the radius of the wafer at the time of transfer The direction moving distance is extremely short, the impact on the wafer is small, and damage to the wafer can be prevented. Since the transferred wafer is directly stacked without being constrained by the groove, the storage density of the wafer is high and the wafer can be stored in the most compact manner. In addition, any number of stored wafers can be easily taken out from the opening of the jig. Furthermore, by making the axial length of the semiconductor wafer transfer jig long, the wafers accommodated in the plurality of grooved cases can be simultaneously received by one semiconductor wafer transfer jig.

In the invention of claim 2 and claim 3, the distance between the inner edge portions of the U-shaped cross section of the transfer jig that are parallel to each other, that is, the contact between the outer periphery of the wafer and the transfer jig. Since the distance between the two points is smaller than the diameter of the wafer, specifically, 90.0 to 99.8% of the diameter of the wafer, the semiconductor wafer transfer jig faces the wafer. The wafer can be held with an appropriate force by the wedge effect by the inner edge.

In the invention of claim 4, since the flat surface corresponding to the orientation flat of the wafer is formed at the inner bottom of the U-shaped cross section of the transfer jig, the flat surface can prevent the wafer from rotating and maintain the orientation of the wafer. When there is a wafer with the wrong orientation at the time of transfer, the wafer with the wrong orientation jumps out from the opening of the jig rather than the normal orientation wafer, so that it is easy to find the wafer with the wrong orientation.

In the invention of claim 5, since the positioning portion for overlapping the opening portion of the semiconductor wafer transfer jig with the opening portion of the grooved case is provided, an integrated state in which both can be quickly transferred and In addition, it is possible to prevent the opening portions of the two from shifting during the transfer operation, and to improve the efficiency of the transfer operation.

The method of using the semiconductor wafer transfer jig of the present invention is such that the transfer is performed by inverting both the upper and lower sides of the grooved case and the semiconductor wafer transfer jig in a horizontal state. Therefore, the wafer is less likely to break due to less impact due to movement. After that, the wafer transferred by raising the semiconductor wafer transfer jig moves in the axial direction of the semiconductor wafer transfer jig, and is stacked without any gaps. Quality can be kept.

(A) It is a perspective view of the transfer jig | tool of the semiconductor wafer of this invention. (B) It is a perspective view of a case with a groove | channel. It is sectional drawing of the transfer jig | tool of the semiconductor wafer of this invention. (A) It is side surface sectional drawing of the said jig | tool, and is BB arrow sectional drawing of (b). (B) It is front sectional drawing of the said jig | tool, and is AA arrow sectional drawing of (a). It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the transfer process of the semiconductor wafer by this invention. (A) The state where the semiconductor wafer transfer jig was put on the grooved case. (B) A state in which the grooved case and the semiconductor wafer transfer jig are integrally rolled over. (C) The state where the grooved case and the semiconductor wafer transfer jig are turned upside down, and the wafer in the grooved case is transferred to the semiconductor wafer transfer jig. It is front sectional drawing which shows the process which raises the transfer jig | tool of the semiconductor wafer of this invention. (A) The state which raised the semiconductor wafer transfer jig | tool 45 degrees from horizontal is shown. (B) The state which raised the transfer jig | tool of the semiconductor wafer 85 degrees from horizontal is shown. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the other Example of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the other Example of this invention.

A semiconductor wafer becomes a semiconductor element through many processes such as a polishing process and an annealing process after a single crystal ingot is sliced with a wire saw or the like. When sliced wafers are transported between these processes, many are transported in the above-mentioned grooved case and supplied to each process. In some cases, it is preferable to supply in a stacked state (for example, an annealing step). In such a case, as a result of studying a method for collectively taking out the wafers stored in the grooved case, the semiconductor wafer transfer jig of the present invention and the method of using the same are obtained.

The jig of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 according to the present invention, showing a state in which a wafer 2 is held. FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the grooved case 3 and shows a state in which the wafer 2 is stored in the groove 4. 2A shows a side cross-section of the jig 1, and FIG. 2B shows a front cross-section of the jig 1. The semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 temporarily stands and holds a plurality of wafers 2 received from the grooved case 3.

The semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 has a semi-cylindrical side surface 1a having a substantially U-shaped cross section and an end surface 1b in the axial direction of the semi-cylindrical shape, and is opposed to the opening of the substantially U-shaped cross section in parallel. The distance between the opposing inner edge portions 1c (the distance between the two points of contact point P) is set to be smaller than the diameter of the wafer 2 so that the inner edge portion 1c contacts the outer periphery 2a of the wafer 2 at two points P. It is. If the distance is larger than the diameter of the wafer 2, the wafer 2 comes into contact with the inner bottom portion of the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1, and in this case, in the horizontal state shown in FIG. It is difficult to maintain the installed state, and the wafer 2 falls down. Therefore, the distance between the inner edge portions 1c facing each other of the opening of the present invention is such that the wafer 2 is supported near its center of gravity and the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 is in a horizontal state. The weight of the wafer 2 causes a wedge action at the contact point P, and the arrangement pitch of the wafer 2 is set to a size that can be maintained despite having no grooves. If the wafer is to be rotated about the two points P, the rotation is suppressed by contacting the inside of the end face (lid) 1b of the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 or contacting the adjacent wafer 2. In addition, the distance between the inner edge portions 1c facing each other in parallel is specifically 90.0 to 99.8% of the diameter of the wafer.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a semiconductor wafer transfer process according to the present invention. First, FIG. 3A shows a case where a plurality of wafers 2 are accommodated in a groove 4 and an empty semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 is opened in a U-shaped cross section in an opening of a grooved case 3 placed horizontally. The state is shown in which the two portions are covered downward and the two are integrated. By this integration, both internal spaces are allowed to move the wafer 2. FIG. 3B shows a state in which the integrated grooved case 3 and the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 are rotated 90 ° clockwise. At this time, the wafer 2 rolls and moves from the grooved case 3 to the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1. FIG. 3C shows a state in which the grooved case 3 and the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 are further rotated 90 degrees clockwise, and are upside down with respect to the initial state shown in FIG. Show. At this time, the wafer 2 completely transfers its own weight to the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1, and the emptied grooved case 3 is removed. In this state, the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 is in the state shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 2, and the wafer 2 is substantially U of the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 at two points P on the outer periphery 2a. It is in contact with the inner end edge 1c of the opening of the letter-shaped cross section that faces in parallel, and its own weight is supported. Thereafter, the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 is raised from a horizontal state, and the wafer 2 is in a laminated state.

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view showing a process of raising the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 of the present invention from the state shown in FIG. FIG. 4A shows a state in which the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 is raised 45 degrees from the horizontal. When the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 is in a horizontal state, the wafer 2 is transferred to and held by the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 at the pitch of the grooves 4 of the grooved case 3. In the raised state, the wafer 2 moves downward while being in contact with the opposing inner edge 1c of the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 at two points P on the outer periphery 2a due to the action of gravity. The pitch is narrowed. FIG. 4B shows a state in which the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 is further raised to 85 ° from the horizontal. In this state, the wafer 2 is still in contact with the opposed inner edge 1c of the substantially U-shaped cross section of the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 at two points P on the outer periphery 2a, but the gravity acting on the wafer 2 is reduced. Due to the reduction of the frictional force due to the decrease in the contact pressure accompanying the increase in the action, the wafer 2 moves further downward, and there is no gap between the wafers, and the wafer 2 comes into close contact. The plurality of wafers 2 are stacked on the inner surface of the end surface 1b of the transfer jig 1.

When the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 is in a horizontal state, the wafer 2 is stably held at a constant pitch, so that there are many gaps between the wafers, and the wafer 2 is removed from the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1. Although the operation of taking out one by one is easier than the state in which the wafer 2 is in the groove of the grooved case as in the prior art, it is not sufficient. Therefore, by raising the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1, the frictional force at the contact point P between the wafer 2 and the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 is reduced, and the wafers 2 are gently dropped, so Were laminated. Examples of the present invention will be described below, but the scope of the present invention is not limited by the examples.

As an embodiment of the present invention, a wafer (dimensions: diameter 76.2 mm, thickness 0.5 mm) 25 contained in a grooved case (dimensions: depth 142 mm, width 94 mm, height 83 mm, groove pitch 4.8 mm) 25 A semi-cylindrical transfer jig (outer dimensions: depth 100 mm, width 87 mm, height 45 mm, storage dimensions: depth 90 mm, width (opposite inner ends) as a semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 of the present invention The distance between the edges 1c) was 76 mm, the depth was 39 mm, and the material was made of hard vinyl chloride.

When transferring wafers from four grooved cases with 25 wafers per case to another case, using conventional handling, 35 seconds are required for each case. It took 5 seconds to move and prepare a new case, and when this was repeated 4 times, it took 35 seconds + 5 seconds + 35 seconds + 5 seconds + 35 seconds + 5 seconds + 35 seconds = 155 seconds. When this is performed using the semi-cylindrical transfer jig according to the present invention, the empty case is moved for 7 seconds to transfer from the grooved case to the semi-cylindrical transfer jig, and a new case is prepared. If you spend 5 seconds and repeat this 4 times, 7 seconds + 5 seconds + 7 seconds + 5 seconds + 7 seconds + 5 seconds + 7 seconds = 43 seconds. I was able to. Also, the wafer was held well by the semi-cylindrical transfer jig. The material of the semi-cylindrical transfer jig may be made of a metal other than a resin having a certain degree of elasticity used in this embodiment. The results are shown in Table 1.

As another embodiment of the present invention, when the wafer moves from the grooved case to the jig of the present invention, the moving distance of the wafer can be made almost zero. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5A, the jig 1 of the present invention has a fan-shaped cross-sectional shape and a shallow wafer storage portion is used. If this fan-shaped semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 is used, when the transfer jig 1 is placed on the grooved case 3, it is transferred to the outer periphery 2a of the wafer 2 contained in the grooved case 3. The inner edge 1c of the tool 1 can be brought into a state of close contact, and when the transfer jig 1 and the grooved case 3 are turned upside down, the movement distance of the wafer 2 can be transferred with almost zero. Is possible.

FIG. 5B shows an example in which a flat plate 6 corresponding to the orientation flat 5 of the wafer 2 is provided on the inner bottom of the U-shaped cross section of the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1. In this way, if a flat surface is formed at the bottom of the transfer jig 1, the flat surface can prevent the wafer from rotating and maintain the orientation of the wafer. Since a wafer with an incorrect orientation protrudes from the opening of the jig as compared with a normal orientation wafer, it is easy to find a wafer with an incorrect orientation. The orientation flat is a notch for determining the crystal orientation of the wafer.

In the example shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, the positioning portion 7 for overlapping the opening portion of the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 with the opening portion of the grooved case 3 is overlapped with the semiconductor wafer. Are provided at the opening of the transfer jig 1, and a flat portion 8 for preventing rolling is provided on the side surface 1a of the transfer jig 1 of the semiconductor wafer. By fitting the positioning portion 7 into the positioning groove 9 formed in the grooved case 3, the grooved case 3 and the transfer jig 1 allow the wafer 2 to be transferred from the groove 4 of the grooved case 3. It is positioned and integrated so that it can move into the jig 1. In this example, the positioning portion 7 of the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 is fitted into the positioning groove 9 formed in the grooved case 3, but one may be a positioning pin and the other may be a positioning hole. Alternatively, one of the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 and the grooved case 3 may be fitted into the other in an inlay manner.

In the embodiment described above, the semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1 has a substantially U-shaped cross section, but the cross sectional shape is partially opened, and the wafer is formed by the inner edge portions facing the opening. Any shape can be used as long as 2 can be held between two points near the diameter of the center of gravity. For example, the cross-sectional shape may be a rectangle or trapezoid with one side open, and the wafer 2 may be held between two points near the diameter by the inner edge portions facing the opening in parallel.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Semiconductor wafer transfer jig 1a Side surface 1b End surface 1c Inner edge 2 Wafer 2a Outer periphery 3 Grooved case 4 Groove 5 Orientation flat 6 Flat plate 7 Positioning portion 8 Planar portion 9 Positioning groove 9

Claims (6)

A jig for transferring a wafer from a grooved case, having a semi-cylindrical side surface with a substantially U-shaped cross-section that is partially open, and an end surface in the axial direction of the semi-cylindrical shape, A transfer jig for a semiconductor wafer, which is in contact with an inner edge of the U-shaped cross section facing each other in parallel. 2. The semiconductor wafer transfer jig according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the opposed inner edge portions is smaller than a diameter of the wafer. 3. The semiconductor wafer transfer jig according to claim 2, wherein the distance between the opposed inner end edges is 90.0 to 99.8% of the diameter of the wafer. 4. The semiconductor wafer transfer jig according to claim 1, wherein a flat surface corresponding to an orientation flat of the wafer is formed on an inner bottom portion of the U-shaped cross section. 5. The opening portion has a positioning portion that overlaps the opening portion of the semiconductor wafer transfer jig so as to coincide with the opening portion of the grooved case. 4. A semiconductor wafer transfer jig according to 4. 6. A method of using a semiconductor wafer transfer jig according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4 or claim 5, wherein a plurality of wafers are stored and placed horizontally. Place the semiconductor wafer transfer jig on the grooved case with the U-shaped cross-sectional opening of the semiconductor wafer transfer jig facing down, and turn the two upside down to groove the wafers. The wafer is transferred from the attached case to a semiconductor wafer transfer jig, and the wafer is held by the inner edge of the U-shaped cross section facing the parallel inner edge, and then the semiconductor wafer transfer jig is raised to raise the inside of the jig. A method of using a semiconductor wafer transfer jig, comprising: laminating a plurality of wafers held on the wafer without gaps, and taking out the wafers from the laminated wafers one by one or any number of wafers in a laminated state .

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