JP2014203950A - Work transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a work transfer device of simple configuration which can transfer a work, e.g., a semiconductor substrate, efficiently between a first predetermined position and a second predetermined position, in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor.SOLUTION: A work transfer device for transferring a work 23 from the first predetermined position to the second predetermined position includes: first transfer means 11 including a Bernoulli hand 11a having a holding surface for holding the work, and suction holding the work located below the holding surface by a predetermined distance, and a first movement mechanism 11b for moving the Bernoulli hand; second transfer means 12 having a work support hand 12a having a support surface for supporting the work, and a second movement mechanism 12b for moving the work support hand; and position control means 42 for controlling the first movement mechanism and second movement mechanism so that the holding surface of the Bernoulli hand is located above the support surface of the work support hand by the total distance of the predetermined distance and the thickness of the work.

Description

  The present invention relates to a workpiece transfer apparatus used when transferring a workpiece such as a semiconductor substrate in a semiconductor manufacturing process or the like.

  In a semiconductor manufacturing process, a substrate transfer apparatus is used to take out a substrate before processing from a cassette and transfer it to a substrate processing apparatus, or to extract a processed substrate from a substrate processing apparatus and store it in a cassette. The substrate transport apparatus includes a hand for holding a substrate and a moving mechanism for the hand.

  A Bernoulli hand that holds a substrate using the Bernoulli effect is known as one of the hands. In Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a flat Bernoulli hand in which one or more small-diameter through holes are formed in the thickness direction, a hand moving mechanism for moving the hand, and air in the through hole as will be described later. A substrate transfer device provided with an air supply means for supplying the substrate is described.

  The operation of holding the substrate by the Bernoulli hand will be described. First, the hand movement mechanism is operated so that the Bernoulli hand is positioned on the substrate, the Bernoulli hand is lowered, and the lower surface thereof is brought close to the upper surface of the substrate. Subsequently, air is supplied from the upper part of the Bernoulli hand to the through hole by the air supply means and is sent between the Bernoulli hand and the substrate. When air is fed from the through hole toward the substrate, the space between the Bernoulli hand and the substrate becomes negative due to the Bernoulli effect. Since the back surface (surface not facing the hand) side of the substrate is at atmospheric pressure, the substrate is lifted by the pressure difference. Thereafter, while the air supply is continued, the substrate is held in a state of being slightly separated from the Bernoulli hand. In this state, the Bernoulli hand is moved to a predetermined position, and then the air supply is stopped. Then, the pressure difference is eliminated, the holding of the substrate by the Bernoulli hand is released, and the transfer of the substrate to a predetermined position is completed. When the Bernoulli hand is used, the substrate can be held without being directly touched, and thus there is an advantage that the possibility of contamination of the substrate surface is low.

JP 2005-191464 A JP 2006-261377 A JP 2004-119784 A

  Since the Bernoulli hand needs to be equipped with a mechanism for supplying air as described above, it has a thickness greater than that of a hand that supports a substrate from below (hereinafter referred to as a “substrate support hand”) as conventionally used. doing. Further, as described above, when a Bernoulli hand is used, the substrate is held in a state slightly separated from the hand. Furthermore, in order to hold the substrate stably, it is necessary to consider so as not to disturb the air flow from the through hole. Therefore, sufficient space is required to stably hold the substrate using the Bernoulli hand.

  In the semiconductor manufacturing process, in many cases, a cassette manufactured in conformity with the SEMI standard is used to accommodate the substrate. For example, in the case of a 3-inch wafer cassette, the storage interval of the wafer pocket is 4.76 mm ± 0.25 mm. In this cassette, the upper space of the uppermost wafer pocket is only 3.18 mm. Since the thickness of a typical Bernoulli hand is 5 mm or more, the hand cannot be inserted into the upper part of the substrate accommodated in the uppermost stage of the wafer cassette. In Patent Document 2, there is a description that the thickness of the hand is 3 mm or less, but even if the thickness can be reduced to 3 mm, such a case is formed on the upper part of the wafer accommodated in the uppermost stage. When the hand is inserted, there is only 0.18 mm of space, so there is a possibility that the airflow will be disturbed when air is supplied, and the substrate may collide with the hand and be damaged or damaged.

  If the substrate is transported by the substrate support hand, the above problem does not occur. However, in this case, it is necessary to form a space for inserting the substrate support hand below the substrate mounting place at either the substrate transfer source or the transfer destination. In order to secure such a space, conventionally, a pin that protrudes from the bottom surface of the countersink portion and a hole for moving the pin up and down are provided in the countersink portion of the tray that is a substrate transfer destination (or transfer source). Was forming. However, when holes or pins are formed in the countersink portion of the tray, there is a problem that the uniformity of substrate processing is lowered.

Therefore, conventionally, in a semiconductor manufacturing process or the like, a substrate before processing is taken out from a cassette and transported to a substrate processing position as follows.
First, the substrate before processing is taken out from the cassette using the substrate support hand, and the substrate is mounted on the mounting table. The mounting table is provided with pins protruding from the upper surface, on which the substrate is mounted. Then, using the Bernoulli hand, the upper surface of the substrate placed on the pin is held and conveyed to the substrate processing position (for example, Patent Document 3).
Further, when the processed substrates are stored in the cassette, the processed substrates are held and transported in the reverse order.

  As described above, conventionally, when the substrate before processing is taken out from the cassette and transported to the substrate processing position or the like, or when the processed substrate is transported from the substrate processing position to the cassette, it is necessary to provide a mounting table for changing the substrate. was there. Further, since the substrate is placed on the mounting table and changed, there is a problem that the conveyance efficiency is poor.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is that a workpiece such as a semiconductor substrate can be efficiently transferred between a first predetermined position and a second predetermined position in a semiconductor manufacturing process or the like, and the configuration is simpler than in the past. It is to provide a workpiece transfer device.

The present invention made in order to solve the above-mentioned problem is a work conveyance device which conveys a flat work from a first predetermined position to a second predetermined position,
a) a Bernoulli hand having a holding surface for holding the workpiece from the upper surface side, suctioning and holding the workpiece located at a predetermined distance below the holding surface, and a first moving mechanism for moving the Bernoulli hand One conveying means;
b) a work support hand having a support surface for supporting the work from the lower surface side; a second transport means having a second moving mechanism for moving the work support hand;
c) Control the first moving mechanism and the second moving mechanism so that the holding surface of the Bernoulli hand is positioned above the predetermined distance and the total thickness of the workpiece from the supporting surface of the workpiece supporting hand. Position control means;
It is characterized by providing.

  In the workpiece transfer device according to the present invention, the workpiece can be directly transferred between the Bernoulli hand and the workpiece support hand during workpiece transfer, so that the workpiece can be transferred more efficiently than the conventional device. Moreover, since it is not necessary to provide the mounting base and pin for mounting a workpiece | work once, a workpiece conveyance apparatus can be made into a structure simpler than before.

The workpiece transfer apparatus according to the present invention further includes
d) Predetermined position information regarding whether or not the Bernoulli hand operating space exists above the first predetermined position and whether or not the Bernoulli hand operating space exists above the second predetermined position is stored. A storage unit;
e) based on the predetermined position information, a first operation for conveying the workpiece only by the first conveying means, a second operation for conveying the workpiece only by the second conveying means, and the first conveying means halfway. The work is transported by the above, and then the work is transferred to the second transport means and transported, and the work is transported by the second transport means halfway, and then the work is transported to the first transport. It is desirable to include a transporting operation selecting unit that selectively executes any one of the fourth operations that are transferred to the transporting unit.
The user may determine whether there is a space necessary for inserting and operating the Bernoulli hand at the upper part of the first predetermined position and the upper part of the second predetermined position. By comprising as mentioned above, a workpiece | work can be conveyed, without bothering a user's hand.

The workpiece is, for example, a semiconductor substrate, and the first predetermined position and the second predetermined position are, for example, a wafer pocket or a substrate processing position of a cassette that accommodates the semiconductor substrate.
In the workpiece transfer device of the above aspect, for example, when there is an operation space for the Bernoulli hand in both the upper portion of the first predetermined position and the upper portion of the second predetermined position, the first operation, the upper portion of the first predetermined position, and the second If there is no Bernoulli hand operating space above the predetermined position, the second operation is performed. If the operating space is above the first predetermined position and the operating space is not above the second predetermined position, the second operation is performed. When the operation space is not above the first predetermined position and the operation space is above the second predetermined position, the work is transported by the fourth operation. That is, the Bernoulli hand can be effectively used in consideration of the situation of the first predetermined position and the second predetermined position.

When the workpiece is disk-shaped, the Bernoulli hand is
f) A plurality of shapes on the holding surface that are provided at positions corresponding to the periphery of the workpiece at at least three points surrounding the center of the workpiece, and that are inclined outward from the holding surface toward the workpiece. An inclined part of
g) It is desirable to provide an inclined part moving mechanism for moving at least one of the inclined parts in the radial direction of the workpiece.

  The three points surrounding the center of the workpiece are points where the center of the workpiece is located inside a triangle formed by these three points. The inclined portion may be provided at each of such three points, or two inclined portions may be provided so as to correspond to the periphery of the workpiece at such three points. Of course, you may make it provide four or more inclination parts.

  When the workpiece transfer apparatus having the Bernoulli hand according to the above aspect is used, it is possible to adjust the distance between the plurality of inclined portions by moving the inclined portion in the radial direction of the workpiece using the inclined portion moving mechanism of the Bernoulli hand. . Therefore, even when holding substrates of different sizes, there is no need to perform troublesome work such as stopping the transfer device and aligning the inclined portion.

  In the workpiece transfer device according to the present invention, the workpiece can be directly transferred between the Bernoulli hand and the workpiece support hand during workpiece transfer, so that the workpiece can be transferred more efficiently than the conventional device. Moreover, since it is not necessary to provide a mounting table or a pin for mounting the workpiece during the workpiece conveyance, the workpiece conveyance device can be made simpler than the conventional one.

The figure which shows the principal part structure of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which is one Example of the workpiece conveyance apparatus which concerns on this invention. The figure explaining the information preserve | saved at the memory | storage part of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus of a present Example. The figure explaining the state of the positional relationship between the Bernoulli hand and the substrate support hand during delivery of the semiconductor substrate. The figure explaining the structure of the Bernoulli hand in the board | substrate conveyance apparatus of a present Example. The figure explaining the mode at the time of delivery of a semiconductor substrate from a substrate support hand to Bernoulli hand. The figure which shows the principal part structure of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which is another Example of the workpiece conveyance apparatus which concerns on this invention.

An embodiment of a workpiece transfer apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The workpiece transfer apparatus according to this embodiment is a substrate transfer apparatus that transfers a semiconductor substrate, and is a part of a plasma processing apparatus. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram (plan view) of a main part thereof. The workpiece transfer apparatus of this embodiment includes a wafer transfer chamber 1, a cassette chamber 2, and a transfer chamber 3. The plasma processing apparatus further includes a reaction chamber and a load lock chamber provided with a transfer robot for transferring the substrate into the reaction chamber. The details of the reaction chamber and the load lock chamber are not directly related to the features of the present invention, and therefore are not shown.

The configuration of each part will be described.
In the wafer transfer chamber 1, a Bernoulli hand 11a and a first transfer device 11 having a first moving mechanism 11b for moving the Bernoulli hand 11a in the horizontal and vertical directions, a substrate support hand 12a and the substrate support hand 12a are provided. A second transport device 12 including a second moving mechanism 12b that moves in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction is disposed. Each of the first moving mechanism 11b and the second moving mechanism 12b includes a mechanism that rotates or moves the Bernoulli hand 11a or the substrate support hand 12a in the horizontal direction or moves in the vertical direction. In the wafer transfer chamber 1, two rails 13 and 14 are laid, and the first transfer device 11 and the second transfer device 12 are configured to move on the two rails 13 and 14. In addition, the thickness of the Bernoulli hand 11a of the present embodiment is 6.5 mm. This thickness is a typical thickness for a Bernoulli hand.

  In the cassette chamber 2, SEMI wafer cassettes 21 and 22 for a diameter of 3 inches (pitch between wafers: 4.76 mm ± 0.25 mm, top wafer and ceiling space: 3.18 mm) are arranged. A semiconductor substrate 23 before processing is accommodated in each wafer pocket of the wafer cassette 21. On the other hand, the wafer cassette 22 is for accommodating processed semiconductor substrates, and each wafer pocket is empty at the start of processing.

  The transfer chamber 3 is provided with a turntable, on which a tray 31 is placed. The tray 31 is provided with a countersink portion 32 corresponding to the size of the 3-inch semiconductor substrate 23, and the semiconductor substrate before being transferred to the reaction chamber or after being plasma-treated in the reaction chamber Are to be accommodated.

The control unit 4 includes a storage unit 41, a position control unit 42, and a transport operation selection unit 43.
In the storage unit 41, information on the position of each wafer pocket of the wafer cassettes 21 and 22 (FIG. 2A), and information on the position of the countersink 32 provided on the tray 31 (FIG. 2B). Is saved. In the following description, these are collectively referred to as “predetermined position information”. The storage unit 41 also stores operation selection information (FIG. 2 (c)) that associates the predetermined position information with the transport operation. The operation selection information is based on the predetermined position information, and the transfer operation selection unit 43 transfers the semiconductor substrate 23 only by the first transfer device 11 and the second transfer device 12 only. A second operation to transfer the semiconductor substrate 23 by the first transfer device 11 halfway, and then transfer the semiconductor substrate 23 to the second transfer device 12 and a second transfer device 12 to the middle. This is used when the semiconductor substrate 23 is transported, and then the semiconductor substrate 23 is transferred to the first transport device 11 and is selected from among the fourth operations for transporting the semiconductor substrate 23.
The position controller 42 controls the positions of the Bernoulli hand 11a and the substrate support hand 12a by operating the first moving mechanism 11b and the second moving mechanism 12b as will be described later.
The transfer operation selection unit 43 selects a substrate transfer operation based on the predetermined position information stored in the storage unit 41.

  The flow of the substrate transfer operation in this embodiment will be described. Here, a case will be described as an example in which the unprocessed semiconductor substrate 23 is taken out in order from the uppermost wafer pocket of the wafer cassette 21 and transferred to the countersink 32 provided on the tray 31. That is, each wafer pocket of the wafer cassette 21 corresponds to a first predetermined position in the present invention, and the countersink portion 32 corresponds to a second predetermined position in the present invention.

  First, the conveyance operation selection unit 43 selects a conveyance operation with reference to predetermined position information and operation selection information stored in the storage unit 41. The semiconductor substrate 23 transported first is accommodated in the uppermost stage of the wafer cassette 21, and the operation space of the Bernoulli hand 11a does not exist in the upper part (see FIG. 2 (a)). On the other hand, the operation space exists above the counterbore part 32 (see FIG. 2B). That is, since the predetermined position information is “no operation space at the first predetermined position” and “the operation space is at the second predetermined position”, the transport operation selection unit 43 selects the fourth operation (FIG. 2). (See (c)).

  When the fourth operation is selected by the transport operation selecting unit 43, the position control unit 42 operates the first moving mechanism 11b and the second moving mechanism 12b as follows.

First, the first transfer device 11 is retracted, and the second transfer device 12 is moved to the front of the wafer cassette 21.
Subsequently, the substrate support hand 12a is advanced to the lower side of the semiconductor substrate 23 set on the uppermost stage of the wafer cassette 21, and the uppermost semiconductor substrate 23 is supported from the lower surface side and lifted out.
And the delivery operation | movement from the board | substrate support hand 12a of the 2nd conveying apparatus 12 to the Bernoulli hand 11a of the 1st conveying apparatus is performed as follows. The substrate support hand 12a supporting the semiconductor substrate 23 is rotated in the horizontal direction, and the substrate support hand 12a is protruded toward the first transport device 11 side. Further, the retracted first transport device 11 is brought closer to the second transport device 12 to a distance that allows a delivery operation of a semiconductor substrate 23 described later. Further, once the Bernoulli hand 11a is raised to a position sufficiently above the support surface of the substrate support hand 12a, the Bernoulli hand 11a is rotated in the horizontal direction and protruded toward the second transfer device 12 to be directly above the substrate support hand 12a. Position. Then, the Bernoulli hand 11a is lowered from the position to a position above the support surface of the substrate support hand 12a by a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance here means that the distance between the holding surface of the Bernoulli hand 11a and the supporting surface of the substrate support hand 12a is the sum of the distance that the Bernoulli hand 11a can hold the substrate by suction and the thickness of the substrate. It means such a distance. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the holding surface of the Bernoulli hand 11a is positioned immediately above the semiconductor substrate 23 supported by the substrate support hand 12a. Then, the air supply means provided in the Bernoulli hand 11a is operated to hold the semiconductor substrate 23 by suction. The configuration of the Bernoulli hand 11a will be described later.

  When the delivery of the semiconductor substrate 23 is completed, the second transfer device 12 is retracted and the first transfer 11 device is moved to the front of the transfer chamber 3. Subsequently, the Bernoulli hand 11 a holding the semiconductor substrate 23 by suction is rotated in the horizontal direction in the direction of the tray 31. Then, the holding surface of the Bernoulli hand 11a is moved onto the counterbore 32 and lowered. Finally, the operation of the air supply means of the Bernoulli hand 11 a is stopped to release the suction holding of the semiconductor substrate 23, and the semiconductor substrate 23 is accommodated in the counterbore portion 32. Thus, the transfer operation of the semiconductor substrate 23 accommodated in the uppermost wafer pocket of the wafer cassette 21 is completed.

  Since the operation space of the Bernoulli hand 11a does not exist above the uppermost wafer pocket of the wafer cassette 21, the substrate is taken out by the substrate support hand 12a as described above, delivered to the Bernoulli hand 11a, and the tray 31 is seated. In the second and subsequent sheets transferred to the feeding section 32 (fourth operation), the operation space exists above the wafer pocket in which each is accommodated. That is, at the time of transporting the second and subsequent unprocessed substrates, the predetermined position information is “the operation space is in the first predetermined position” and “the operation space is in the second predetermined position”, and the transport operation selection unit 43 The first operation is selected (see FIG. 2C). In the first operation, only the first transfer device 11 is used, that is, only the Bernoulli hand 11 a is used to transfer the semiconductor substrate 23 to the countersink 32.

  When the first operation is selected by the transport operation selecting unit 43, the position control unit 42 operates the first moving mechanism 11b and the second moving mechanism 11b as follows.

  First, the second transfer device 12 is retracted from the front of the wafer cassette 21. Subsequently, the first transfer device 11 is moved to the front of the wafer cassette 21. Then, the horizontal position and the vertical height of the Bernoulli hand 11a are adjusted to enter the upper side of the wafer pocket of the wafer cassette 21, and the semiconductor substrate 23 is sucked and held and taken out from the wafer cassette 21. Further, while the semiconductor substrate 23 is sucked and held, the Bernoulli hand 11a is rotated in the horizontal direction and directed toward the transfer chamber 3. Then, the Bernoulli hand 11 a is moved to the upper part of the countersink part 32, the air feeding means of the Bernoulli hand 11 a is stopped, the suction holding of the semiconductor substrate 23 is stopped, and the countersink part 32 is accommodated.

  In the above embodiment, the unprocessed substrates are taken out in order from the top of the wafer cassette 21 and transported to the countersink 32 provided on the tray 31. Similarly, when the processed substrates are accommodated in the wafer cassette 22, The position control unit 42 operates the first moving mechanism 11b and the second moving mechanism 12b in accordance with the operation selected by the transport operation selecting unit 43. When the processed substrate is accommodated in the uppermost wafer pocket of the wafer cassette 22, the processed substrate is conveyed by the third operation, and when accommodated in another wafer pocket, the first operation is performed.

  As can be seen from the above example, in the substrate transfer apparatus of the present embodiment, when the substrate is unloaded from the place where the Bernoulli hand 11a cannot be inserted or the substrate is accommodated in such a place, the Bernoulli hand 11a and the substrate The workpiece can be directly transferred between the support hands 12a. Therefore, the workpiece can be conveyed more efficiently than the conventional apparatus. Moreover, since it is not necessary to provide the mounting base and pin for mounting a workpiece | work once, a workpiece conveyance apparatus can be made into a structure simpler than before. Further, when the operation space of the Bernoulli hand 11a exists at the carry-out source and / or the carry-out destination, the substrate is transferred using the Bernoulli hand. That is, the Bernoulli hand can be effectively used in consideration of the situation of the first predetermined position and the second predetermined position.

  Next, the configuration of the Bernoulli hand 11a will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4A shows a bottom view of the Bernoulli hand of the present embodiment, and FIG. 4B shows a cross-sectional view along AA ′.

  The Bernoulli hand 11a of the present embodiment sucks and holds the disk-shaped semiconductor substrate 23 from the upper surface side as described above. The base of the Bernoulli hand 11a is slidably supported on the hand support 112 by a slide mechanism (not shown).

  The Bernoulli hand 11a includes a flat main body 110, a front end side member 113 formed on the front end portion of the lower surface (holding surface) of the main body 110, and six air discharge portions 115 formed on the holding surface of the main body 110. I have. A through hole 116 is formed in the center of the air discharge part 115. Further, a base side member 114 is provided at the base portion of the holding surface of the main body 110 via a base side member support portion 117. The base side member support part 117 is movable in the radial direction of the semiconductor substrate 23 by a base side member moving mechanism 118 provided with an air cylinder. In other words, the base side member 114 can be moved in the radial direction of the semiconductor substrate 23 by moving the base side member support portion 117.

  The distal end side member 113 is composed of an inclined portion 113a and a stopper 113b provided adjacent to the outside of the inclined portion 113a, and the inclined portion 113a has a shape that is smoothly inclined outward toward the semiconductor substrate 23. ing. Similarly, the base side member 114 includes an inclined portion 114a and a stopper 114b. The distal end side member 113 is thicker than the base side member 114 by the thickness of the base side member support portion 117, and the vertical positions of the inclined portion 113a and the inclined portion 114a, and the stopper 113b and the stopper 114b are aligned. It has been.

  With reference to FIG. 5, the operation of holding the semiconductor substrate 23 by holding it from the substrate support hand 12a to the Bernoulli hand 11a will be described. First, the first moving mechanism 11b is operated to place the Bernoulli hand 11a on the semiconductor substrate 23 supported by the substrate support hand 12a. Then, the Bernoulli hand 11 a is lowered to bring the holding surface of the Bernoulli hand 11 a closer to a position away from the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 23 by a predetermined distance. Subsequently, air is supplied from the upper part of the Bernoulli hand 11 a to the through-hole 116 by air supply means (not shown) and is sent between the Bernoulli hand 11 a and the semiconductor substrate 23. The air blown out from the through hole 116 toward the semiconductor substrate 23 flows as shown by an arrow in FIG. As described above, when air is supplied from the through hole 116 toward the semiconductor substrate 23, the space between the Bernoulli hand 11a and the semiconductor substrate 23 becomes negative pressure due to the Bernoulli effect. Since the lower surface side of the semiconductor substrate 23 is at atmospheric pressure, the semiconductor substrate 23 is lifted by the pressure difference.

  Inclined portions 113a and 114a are formed at positions corresponding to a part of the periphery of the semiconductor substrate 23, respectively, at the distal end portion and the base portion of the main body 110 of the Bernoulli hand 11a of the present embodiment. Therefore, even if the semiconductor substrate 23 is lifted vigorously, the periphery thereof is stopped by the inclined portions 113a and 114a. Therefore, the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 23 is prevented from directly colliding with the holding surface of the Bernoulli hand 11a, and the semiconductor substrate 23 is not damaged or the surface thereof is not damaged.

When the air is first supplied, the semiconductor substrate 23 is lifted vigorously, so that the periphery of the semiconductor substrate 23 may come into contact with the inclined portions 113a and 114a and the holding position may be shifted (FIG. 5B). ). In such a case, the base side member 114 is moved by the base side member moving mechanism 118, and the inclined portion 114a is moved to the semiconductor substrate 23 side. Thereby, the shift of the holding position of the semiconductor substrate 23 is corrected (FIG. 5C).
Further, in the Bernoulli hand 11a of the present embodiment, the distance between the holding surface of the main body 110 and the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 23 can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the inclined portion 114a. Accordingly, the distance between the holding surface of the Bernoulli hand 11a and the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 23 is set in consideration of the pressure difference (difference between the negative pressure and the atmospheric pressure caused by the Bernoulli effect), the weight of the semiconductor substrate 23, and the like. It is possible to optimize the substrate 23 in order to stably hold it.

  In a state where the semiconductor substrate 23 is held by the Bernoulli hand 11a, the side slip of the semiconductor substrate 23 is restricted by the inclined portion 113a formed at the distal end portion of the main body 110 and the inclined portion 114a formed at the base portion of the main body. Further, by moving the base side member 114 in the radial direction of the semiconductor substrate 23, the holding position of the semiconductor substrate 23 can be aligned by the inclined portion 114 a of the base side member 114. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide an alignment stage for positioning the semiconductor substrate 23.

  Further, by moving the base side member 114 using the base side member moving mechanism 118, the distance between the tip side member 113 and the base side member 114 can be freely changed. Therefore, when holding the semiconductor substrates 23 having different sizes, there is no need to perform troublesome work such as removing the Bernoulli hand 11a from the first transfer device and aligning the inclined portion as in the conventional case.

Each of the above-described embodiments is an example, and can be appropriately changed in accordance with the gist of the present invention.
In the above-described embodiment, the first transport device 11 and the second transport device 12 are separated. However, as shown in FIG. 6, for example, the Bernoulli hand 11a and the first moving mechanism 11b, the substrate support hand 12a and the second moving device are used. It is good also as the integral conveyance apparatus 15 provided with the mechanism 12b.

The shape and configuration of the Bernoulli hand 11a can be changed as appropriate. In the above embodiment, the shape of the holding surface of the Bernoulli hand 11a is a substantially rectangular shape, and the shape of the supporting surface of the substrate support hand 12a is a shape having a bifurcated tip, but this can be changed as appropriate.
Moreover, you may make it move not the base side member (inclination part provided in the base side) but the front end side member (inclination part provided in the front end side) to the radial direction of a semiconductor substrate. Or you may make it move both a base side member and a front end side member. Further, the mechanism for moving these is not limited to the air cylinder, and for example, a drive source for a stepping motor or a servo motor may be provided. Furthermore, the inclined portion and the stopper may be separate members, and only the inclined portion may be configured to be movable in the radial direction of the semiconductor substrate.
Moreover, in the said Example, although the inclined part shall have a linear inclined cross section, it may be a thing with an arc-shaped cross section, or a step shape.
In addition, the shape and the number of the air discharge portions 115 are not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiments.
In the above embodiment, a semiconductor substrate is used as an example of a workpiece, but the type of workpiece is naturally not limited to this.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Wafer transfer chamber 11 ... 1st transfer apparatus 11a ... Bernoulli hand 110 ... Main body 112 ... Hand support part 113 ... Tip side member 113a ... Inclination part 113b ... Stopper 114 ... Base part side member 114a ... Inclination part 114b ... Stopper 115 ... Air Discharge unit 116 ... through hole 117 ... base side member support unit 118 ... base side member movement mechanism 11b ... first movement mechanism 12 ... second transport device 12a ... substrate support hand 12b ... second movement mechanism 13, 14 ... rail 15 ... Transport device 2 ... cassette chamber 21, 22 ... wafer cassette 23 ... semiconductor substrate 3 ... transfer chamber 31 ... tray 32 ... counterboring section 4 ... control section 41 ... storage section 42 ... position control section 43 ... transport operation selection section

Claims (3)

A workpiece transfer device for transferring a flat workpiece from a first predetermined position to a second predetermined position,
a) a Bernoulli hand having a holding surface for holding the workpiece from the upper surface side, suctioning and holding the workpiece located at a predetermined distance below the holding surface, and a first moving mechanism for moving the Bernoulli hand One conveying means;
b) a work support hand having a support surface for supporting the work from the lower surface side; a second transport means having a second moving mechanism for moving the work support hand;
c) Control the first moving mechanism and the second moving mechanism so that the holding surface of the Bernoulli hand is positioned above the predetermined distance and the total thickness of the workpiece from the supporting surface of the workpiece supporting hand. Position control means;
A workpiece transfer apparatus comprising: d) Predetermined position information regarding whether or not the Bernoulli hand operating space exists above the first predetermined position and whether or not the Bernoulli hand operating space exists above the second predetermined position is stored. A storage unit;
e) based on the predetermined position information, a first operation for conveying the workpiece only by the first conveying means, a second operation for conveying the workpiece only by the second conveying means, and the first conveying means halfway. The work is transported by the above, and then the work is transferred to the second transport means and transported, and the work is transported by the second transport means halfway, and then the work is transported to the first transport. The workpiece transfer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transfer operation selection unit that selectively executes any one of the fourth operations that are transferred to the transfer unit. The workpiece is disk-shaped, and the Bernoulli hand is
f) A plurality of shapes on the holding surface that are provided at positions corresponding to the periphery of the workpiece at at least three points surrounding the center of the workpiece, and that are inclined outward from the holding surface toward the workpiece. An inclined part of
The workpiece transfer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an inclined portion moving mechanism that moves at least one of the inclined portions in a radial direction of the workpiece.

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