JP2015122348A - Transport device and semiconductor manufacturing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transport device which can improve positioning accuracy of an arm of a tip with a simple configuration at the time of transporting a transported object placed on the arm of the tip to a transfer place and suppress vibration.SOLUTION: A transport device includes: an arm mechanism 10 consisting of a first arm 12, a second arm 13 and a pick 14 being an arm of a tip; driving means 19 generating driving force in the arm mechanism 10; and control means 11 transporting the pick 14 to a transfer place P. The pick 14 includes a first positioning part 21, and the transfer place P is provided with a second positioning part 24. The first positioning part 21 consists of permanent magnets 21a-21a. The second positioning part 24 consists of permanent magnets 24a-24a. When the pick 14 approaches the transfer place P with the control of the control means 11, the pick 14 is guided to the transfer place P with magnetic attraction force acting on a space between the first positioning part 21 and the second positioning part 24.

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer apparatus and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that can improve the positioning accuracy of a leading arm and suppress vibrations.

  A wide range of transfer devices that can transfer a transferred object to a desired position and place the transferred object at a target position by placing the transferred object on the tip of the arm and driving the arm by a driving means. Generally used. Such a transfer apparatus, for example, takes out a transferred object such as a semiconductor wafer from a container such as a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) and transfers it between EFEM (transfer chamber), load lock chamber, and semiconductor processing chamber. It is used for.

  As such a transfer device, a conventional transfer device 701 shown in FIG. 10 is configured as a horizontal articulated robot, and includes a front arm 710 on which a not-shown transfer object such as a wafer is placed, and a base of the front arm 710. An intermediate arm 711 connected to the end side and rotatably supported in the horizontal plane; a proximal end arm 712 connected to the proximal end side of the intermediate arm 711 and rotatably supported in the horizontal plane; And a base portion 713 that supports the base end side of the base end arm 712 so as to be rotatable in a horizontal plane. Then, the rotation of a motor (not shown) installed in the base portion 713 is transmitted to the arms 710 to 712 by a timing belt (not shown), so that the arm 710 at the tip can move on the straight line L. Thus, the object to be transported is transported by this operation and the operation of lifting and lowering the arms 710 to 712 by lifting means (not shown) provided in the base portion 713.

  Moreover, the conveying apparatus shown in Patent Document 1 drives the arm by magnetically coupling a permanent magnet provided on the rotating disk above the base portion and a permanent magnet provided on the arm.

JP 2007-130733 A

  However, when positioning the tip arm 710 in the transport device 701 shown in FIG. 10, the rotation angle of the motor that drives the arms 710 to 712 is detected by an encoder (not shown) and rotated to a predetermined angle. The angles of the arms 710 to 712 are determined, and the arm 710 at the tip is positioned. That is, since the distal end arm 710 is positioned by the motor on the proximal end side of the proximal end arm 712, the spring component such as the timing belt, the friction of the joint between the arms 710 to 712, Playing and shaking occur while driving force is transmitted from the motor on the base end side to the arm 710 on the tip end due to the moment of inertia of the arms 710 to 712, etc., and the positioning accuracy on the tip arm 710 on which the object to be conveyed is placed is determined. Will fall. In particular, when the conveyance speed is increased, the tip arm 710 does not instantaneously stop, and the vibration generated in the tip arm 710 is also a problem.

  In order to prevent these problems, it is conceivable to increase the rigidity of the apparatus. However, if the rigidity of the apparatus is increased, the apparatus becomes heavier, the manufacturing cost increases, and extra energy is required for operation.

  On the other hand, the transport device shown in Patent Document 1 is configured to synchronize the arms by attracting the proximal end arm to the base with a magnet when driven by a motor provided in the base portion. However, in this case as well, there is a problem with the accuracy and vibration of the tip position because there is a distance to the tip arm on which the object is placed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to improve the positioning accuracy of the distal arm with a simple configuration without making the apparatus heavy, and to improve the positioning of the distal arm. It is providing the conveying apparatus which can suppress a vibration.

  In order to achieve the object, the present invention takes the following means.

  That is, the transport device of the present invention transports the arm at the tip end to the transfer place by driving the arm mechanism composed of at least two or more arms, drive means for generating a drive force in the arm mechanism, and driving the drive means. And a control unit, wherein the tip arm includes a first positioning unit, and the transfer location includes a second positioning unit, the first positioning unit and the first positioning unit. When one of the two positioning portions is made of a magnet and the other is made of a magnet or a magnetic body, and the arm at the tip approaches the transfer location under the control of the control means, the first positioning portion and the The arm on the distal end side is guided to the transfer place by a magnetic attractive force or a magnetic repulsive force acting between the second positioning portion and the second positioning portion.

  If comprised in this way, one of the 1st positioning part provided in the arm of the front-end | tip and the 2nd positioning part provided in the transfer place is comprised from the magnet, and the other is comprised from the magnet or the magnetic body. In the vicinity of the transfer location, a positioning force by a magnetic attractive force or a magnetic repulsive force acts on the tip arm. Since this force directly acts on the distal arm for positioning, it becomes possible to correct the deviation caused by the positioning of the distal arm performed by the control means controlling the driving means, and positioning is performed with higher accuracy. It becomes possible. In addition, since a positioning force is applied to the arm at the tip, it is possible to effectively suppress shaking and vibration. Furthermore, it is possible to improve the positioning accuracy simply by introducing only the magnet, and fine adjustment of the positioning location is facilitated only by shifting the position of the magnet.

  As an aspect in which the tip arm is positioned with higher accuracy and vibration suppression is more effective, the two or more arms are connected to each other via a joint portion so that the drive means is connected to the joint portion. The first positioning portion is provided on the distal end side of the joint portion in the distal end arm, and the control means changes the connection angle of the joint portion to change the position of the distal end arm. It is particularly preferable to apply the present invention to a configuration that controls the above.

  Furthermore, in order to effectively leave the positioning to the magnetic force and effectively prevent the apparatus from generating vibrations and extra force to converge the positioning early, the control means is arranged such that the tip arm approaches the transfer location. Then, it is effective to configure so as to reduce the driving force generated in the driving means.

  In addition, in order to improve the positioning accuracy of the tip arm and suppress early vibration while reducing the excessive driving force when the tip arm is separated, the second positioning portion is made of an electromagnet. The control means excites the electromagnet when positioning the tip arm at the transfer location, and performs control not to excite the electromagnet when moving the tip arm from the transfer location. It is preferable to configure.

  When the transfer apparatus described above is applied to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the transfer of the wafer W in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus can be performed appropriately without causing misalignment and vibration, thereby effectively increasing the processing speed of the entire apparatus. It becomes possible to improve.

  According to the present invention described above, the positioning accuracy of the tip arm is improved and the vibration of the tip arm is suppressed by a simple configuration that simply introduces a magnet without making the apparatus heavy. It is possible to provide a transfer device and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that can perform the above operation.

1 is a plan view showing a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The side view which shows typically the transfer apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the transfer place of a wafer. The enlarged view which shows the state in which the pick of the conveyance apparatus was positioned. The top view which expands and shows the same pick. The flowchart which shows the procedure when the conveyance apparatus mounts a wafer in a transfer place. The enlarged view which shows the state by which the pick of the conveying apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention was positioned. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure when the transfer device of FIG. 6 places a wafer on a transfer place. The perspective view which shows the example which deform | transformed the conveying apparatus of this invention. The schematic diagram which shows the example which changed the structure and arrangement | positioning location of the positioning part of the same conveying apparatus. The perspective view which shows the conventional conveying apparatus.

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

<First Embodiment>
As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is arranged in an EFEM 5 that constitutes a wafer transfer chamber between a load port 2 and a load lock 3. 3 and the EFEM 5 constitute a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 6. The transfer apparatus 1 takes out a wafer W, which is a transfer object, stored in the FOUP 4 placed on the load port 2 and transfers the wafer W to the load lock 3, and a semiconductor processing chamber connected to the load lock 3. The wafer W that has been subjected to various processes (not shown) is used to be accommodated in the FOUP 4 mounted on the load port 2 from the load lock 3. In the illustrated example, the load port 2 and the load lock 3 are in the facing position, and the transfer device 1 horizontally turns at that position to load and unload the wafer W. However, when it is not in the facing position, a base portion 15 described later follows the rail. Move to the opposite position. The transfer device 1 is configured as a horizontal articulated robot including two sets of arm mechanisms 10 and 10, and includes a control unit 11 (see FIG. 2) for operating these arm mechanisms 10 and 10. .

  Since the two sets of arm mechanisms 10 and 10 are symmetrical and have substantially the same configuration, the specific configuration will be described below by taking one arm mechanism 10 as an example.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the arm mechanism 10 includes a first arm 12, a second arm 13, and a pick 14 that is an arm arranged at the tip, and the pick 14 places a wafer W thereon. Can be done. The base end portion 12 a of the first arm 12 is connected to be rotatable in a horizontal plane via the base portion 15 and the joint portion 16, and the tip end portion 12 b of the first arm 12 is connected to the base end portion 13 a of the second arm 13. And the joint portion 17 is rotatably connected in the horizontal plane, and the distal end portion 13b of the second arm 13 is rotatably connected in the horizontal plane through the base end portion 14a of the pick 14 and the joint portion 18. The tip of the pick 14 is a free end. The arms 12 to 14 are respectively connected to the joints 16 to 18 by a driving unit 19 including a motor provided in the base unit 15 and a timing belt and a pulley provided in the arms 12 to 14. The mutual angle can be changed, and the control unit 11 controls the driving unit 19 so that the pick 14 can be moved to a desired position and the wafer W can be transferred.

  Further, an elevating mechanism (not shown) for elevating and lowering the arm mechanism 10 is incorporated in the base portion 15, and the elevating mechanism elevates and lowers the pick 14 based on a command from the control means 11, thereby allowing the wafer to move up and down. It is possible to transfer W.

  The control means 11 is constituted by a normal microcomputer provided with a CPU, a memory such as a ROM and a RAM, various interfaces, and the like, and is provided in joint portions 16 to 18 between the base portion 15 and the arms 12 to 14. Based on the angle measured by the encoder 20, the CPU calculates a command value for the driving means 19 and drives the driving means 19 with the command value. Note that the motor used for the driving unit 19 may be a servo motor, and the servo motor may directly detect the angles of the joint portions 16 to 18.

  The pick 14, which is the tip arm, is formed of a non-magnetic material such as aluminum, and has a U-shaped tip portion 14 b in plan view and a base end connected to the second arm 13 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. 14a, and a wafer W can be placed on the upper surface of the tip 14b. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, permanent magnets 21a to 21a are respectively provided at four locations on the distal end side lower surface and the proximal end lower surface of the linear portion on both the left and right sides of the distal end portion 14b. One positioning portion 21 is configured. Details of the first positioning portion 21 will be described later.

  Next, with reference to FIG.2 and FIG.3, the structure of the load lock 3 which is a conveyance place is demonstrated. The load lock 3 carries in the wafer W that has been transferred from the load port 2 to the atmosphere, adjusts the pressure from atmospheric pressure to vacuum, and performs a process unit (not shown) while maintaining the vacuum state. A loading port 22 for loading the wafer W and a shutter (not shown) for opening and closing the loading port 22 are provided on the side surface on the load port 2 side. In addition, on the bottom surface in the load lock 3, four mounting magnets 23a to 21a are arranged so as to correspond to the mounting table 23 on which the wafer W is mounted and the four permanent magnets 21a to 21a provided on the tip 14b of the pick 14. A second positioning portion 24 including permanent magnets 24a to 24a is provided.

  The transport device 1 is configured to include the positioning portion 24.

  Here, the positioning operation of the pick 14 by the first positioning portion 21 provided in the pick 14 and the second positioning portion 24 provided in the load lock 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The four permanent magnets 21 a to 21 a of the first positioning unit 21 and the four permanent magnets 24 a to 24 a of the second positioning unit 24 are a transfer place P where the pick 14 transfers the wafer W to the mounting table 23. Are positioned in the vertical direction. The permanent magnets 21a to 21a on the first positioning portion 21 side are provided so that the lower side becomes the N pole, and the permanent magnets 24a to 24a on the second positioning portion 24 side are provided so that the upper side becomes the S pole. Therefore, the magnetic attractive force attracted by the first positioning portion 21 and the second positioning portion 24 at the transfer location P is maximized. That is, as the pick 14 approaches the transfer position P, the magnetic attraction force that the second positioning portion 24 attracts the first positioning portion 21 increases. It is guided to the transfer place P. With this configuration, the pick 14 can be accurately positioned at the transfer location P.

  Even when the pick 14 is located at the transfer location P, there is a slight gap between the permanent magnets 21a to 21a of the first positioning portion 21 and the second positioning portions 24a to 24a. The magnets are not completely attracted to each other. In addition, the directions of the magnetic poles of the permanent magnets 21a to 21a and the permanent magnets 24a to 24a may be different from each other on the opposing surfaces. The lower side of the permanent magnets 21a to 21a is the S pole and the upper side of the permanent magnets 24a to 24a is N. You may provide so that it may become a pole. In addition, if the sets (21a, 24a) to (21a, 24a) of the four permanent magnets facing each other of the first positioning portion 21 and the second positioning portion 24 are attracted to each other, the directions are different for each set. It may be provided.

  Next, the operation when the transfer apparatus 1 configured as described above transfers the wafer W to the load lock 3 as the transfer destination will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step S1, the control means 11 outputs a drive command to the drive means 19 to convey the pick 14 into the FOUP 4. In step S2, the control means 11 picks up the picking means by an elevating means (not shown) provided in the base portion 15. By raising 14, the pick 14 acquires the wafer W placed in the FOUP 4. The FOUP 4 has a multi-stage shelf structure, and the pick 14 performs a raising / lowering operation in advance in order to acquire the wafers W arranged on the designated shelf.

  Next, in step S <b> 3, the load lock 3 operates a shutter (not shown) to open the carry-in entrance 22, so that the wafer W can be loaded into the load lock 3. Note that the opening of the carry-in port 22 in step S3 may be performed at any time before the wafer W is carried in.

  Next, in step S4, the control means 11 drives the drive means 19 to carry the wafer W placed on the pick 14 toward the transfer place P in the load lock 3 which is a carrying destination ( (See FIG. 2). At this time, the pick 14 moves linearly and enters the inside of the load lock 3 through the carry-in port 22. Between steps S3 and S4, control is performed in which the control means 11 moves the position of the pick 14 from a position facing the FOUP 4 to a position facing the load lock 3.

  Next, in step S5, when the control unit 11 determines that the pick 14 has approached the vicinity of the transfer location P by a signal from the encoder 20 of the joint portions 16 to 18, the control unit 11 decreases the driving force of the driving unit 19. Then, at the position close to the transfer location P, the second positioning portion 24 provided in the load lock 3 generates a force that magnetically attracts the first positioning portion 21 of the pick 14, so that the pick 14 is moved. It is guided (attracted) to the place P. Then, by this guidance, the base end is caused by a spring component such as a timing belt constituting the driving means 19, friction generated in the joint portions 16 to 18, inertia moments of the pick 14, the first arm 12, the second arm 13, and the like. Position error due to play and shaking that occurs while the driving force is transmitted from the motor on the side to the pick 14 at the tip is corrected within the range of play and shaking, and as a result, the pick 14 is positioned accurately at the transfer location P. (See FIG. 3). Further, since a magnetic attraction force, which is a positioning force, is applied to the pick 14 that is a free end, vibration can be effectively suppressed.

  In this way, while the pick 14 is located near the transfer position P, the driving force generated in the driving means 19 is reduced, so that positioning is gradually left to the magnetic force, and vibration and extra force are applied to the apparatus. It is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence and converge the positioning at an early stage. For this purpose, the driving force of the driving means 19 may be zero, or the arm mechanism 10 including the pick 14 may be freely moved.

  When the pick 14 is positioned at the transfer location P as described above, in step S6, the mounting table 23 is raised, and the wafer W placed on the pick 14 is lifted to pick the wafer W. 14 to the mounting table 23. At this time, the pick 14 is U-shaped, and the mounting table 23 is disposed so as to pass between the U-characters, so that the mounting table 23 and the pick 14 do not interfere with each other. .

  Next, in step S <b> 7, the control unit 11 causes the driving unit 19 to generate a driving force so that the pick 14 after the transfer of the wafer W is placed between the first positioning unit 21 and the second positioning unit 24. It is carried out of the load lock 3 against the magnetic attractive force acting on the load.

  Finally, in step S8, the load lock 3 closes the carry-in port 22 and ends the transfer operation of the wafer W.

  As described above, the transport apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment includes the arm mechanism 10 including the first arm 12, the second arm 13, and the pick 14 that is the tip arm, and the drive that generates a driving force in the arm mechanism 10. Means 19 and a control means 11 for driving the driving means 19 to convey the pick 14 which is an arm at the tip to the transfer place P. The pick 14 includes a first positioning portion 21, and the transfer place P is provided with a second positioning portion 24, the first positioning portion 21 is composed of permanent magnets 21a to 21a, and the second positioning portion 24 is composed of permanent magnets 24a to 24a. Is moved close to the transfer location P under the control of the control means 11 so that the pick 14 is guided to the transfer location P by the magnetic attraction force acting between the first positioning portion 21 and the second positioning portion 24. It is those that form.

  With this configuration, a positioning force by magnetic attraction acts on the pick 14 in the vicinity of the transfer location P, and this force directly acts on the pick 14 for positioning. It is possible to correct the deviation caused by the positioning of the pick 14 performed by the control, and the positioning can be performed with higher accuracy. Further, since a positioning force is applied to the pick 14, it is possible to effectively suppress shaking and vibration. Furthermore, it becomes possible to improve the positioning accuracy simply by introducing only the permanent magnets 21a to 21a and the permanent magnets 24a to 24a, and the fine adjustment of the positioning location is also possible with the permanent magnets 21a to 21a or the permanent magnets 24a to 24a. It is easy only by shifting the position.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the first arm 12, the second arm 13, and the pick 14 as the tip arm are rotatably connected via joint portions 16-18, respectively, and the driving means 19 is connected to the joint portions 16-18. The first positioning portion 21 is provided on the tip side of the joint portion 18 in the pick 14, and the control means 11 changes the connection angle of the joint portions 16 to 18 to change the position of the pick 14. Since the structure is configured to control and the pick 14 is likely to be displaced or swayed, the introduction of the magnetic induction function as described above positions the pick 14 more accurately and further suppresses vibration. It is effective for effective execution.

  At that time, since the control means 11 is configured to perform control to reduce the driving force generated in the driving means 19 when the pick 14 approaches the transfer location P, the positioning is gradually left to the magnetic force and the apparatus vibrates. In addition, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of extra force and converge the positioning at an early stage.

Second Embodiment
Next, the conveying apparatus 101 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG.6 and FIG.7. In the present embodiment, parts that are the same as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description of these parts is omitted. Specifically, in the second embodiment, as compared with the first embodiment, electromagnets 124 a to 124 a are used at four locations around the mounting table 23 as the second positioning portion 124 provided in the load lock 103. The point is different. The electromagnet 124a is connected to the power supply unit 125 and the switching unit 126 to form an excitation circuit. The control unit 111 outputs an ON signal and an OFF signal to the switching unit 126, thereby generating and stopping the magnetic force. Can be switched.

  Next, the operation when the transport apparatus 101 configured as described above positions the pick 14 in the load lock 103 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The operation from SS1 to SS4 in this flowchart, that is, the operation until the pick 14 carries the wafer W into the load lock 103 is the same as that in the first embodiment (corresponding to S1 to S4 in FIG. 5). The description is omitted.

  When the pick 14 is carried into the load lock 103 through steps SS1 to SS4, in step SS5, the control unit 111 outputs an ON signal to the switching unit 126, and the four electromagnets 124a to 124a of the second positioning unit 124 are output. A magnetic force is generated in 124a. In the second embodiment, the electromagnets 124a to 124a are connected so that the upper side becomes the S pole, and the first magnets are magnetically connected to the first positioning portion 21 provided so that the lower side becomes the N pole. A suction force works (see FIG. 6).

  Next, in Step SS6, when the control unit 111 determines that the pick 14 has approached the vicinity of the transfer location P by a signal from the encoder 20 of the joint portions 16 to 18, the control unit 111 reduces the driving force of the driving unit 19. Then, at the position close to the transfer location P, the second positioning portion 124 provided in the load lock 103 generates a force that magnetically attracts the first positioning portion 21 of the pick 14. It is guided to the mounting place P. Then, this guidance corrects the position error due to the play and shaking of the pick 14 described above, and as a result, the pick 14 is accurately positioned at the transfer location P (see FIG. 6). Further, since a magnetic attraction force, which is a positioning force, is applied to the pick 14 that is a free end, vibration can be effectively suppressed.

  In this way, while the pick 14 is located near the transfer position P, the driving force of the driving means 19 is reduced, so that the magnetic force and the driving force act on the pick 14 and an extra external force is applied to the pick 14. This prevents the positioning from being performed properly and prevents the pick 14 from vibrating due to such an external force.

  When the pick 14 is positioned at the transfer location P as described above, in the next step SS7, an operation similar to that in step S7 in the above embodiment is performed.

  In this way, when the wafer W is transferred from the pick 14 to the mounting table 23, in step SS8, the control unit 111 outputs an OFF signal to the switching unit 126, and the four electromagnets 124a of the second positioning unit 124 are output. The magnetic force of ~ 124a is stopped. In step SS <b> 9, the control unit 111 generates a driving force in the driving unit 19, and carries the pick 14 after transferring the wafer W out of the load lock 103. At this time, since the magnetic force of the electromagnets 124a to 124a is stopped in step SS8, no magnetic attractive force is generated between the first positioning portion 21 and the second positioning portion 124. Therefore, it is not necessary for the driving means 19 to generate a large driving force that overcomes the magnetic attractive force for moving the pick 14 out of the range where the magnetic attractive force acts, and the pick 14 can be easily moved outside the load lock 103. Can be carried out.

  Finally, in step SS10, the load lock 103 closes the carry-in port 22 and ends the transfer operation of the wafer W.

  By executing the steps as described above, it is possible to obtain the operational effects according to the first embodiment also in the transport apparatus 101 of the second embodiment.

  Further, the second positioning portion 124 is composed of electromagnets 124a to 124a. When the control means 111 positions the pick 14 at the transfer location P, the electromagnets 124a to 124a are excited and the pick 14 is transferred to the transfer location P. Since the control is performed so that the electromagnets 124a to 124a are not excited when moved from the position to the position, the positioning accuracy of the pick 14 is improved, the vibration is suppressed at an early stage, and an extra motor is removed when the pick 14 leaves. It is also possible to reduce the driving force.

  Since the transfer apparatus 1 or the transfer apparatus 101 described above is applied to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 6, the transfer of the wafer W in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 6 can be appropriately performed without causing positional deviation and vibration. As a result, the processing speed of the entire apparatus can be effectively improved.

  The specific configuration of each unit is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

  For example, although the transport apparatus 1 (101) in the above-described embodiment is configured as a horizontal articulated robot, a linear motion type as illustrated in FIG. 8 may be used as the transport apparatus. Specifically, a linear motion type conveyance device 201 shown in FIG. 8 has a base 215 and a first arm 212 connected to each other, and places a first arm 212 and a second arm 213, a second arm 213 and a conveyed object. A pick 214, which is an arm at the tip, is connected to each other. A guide rail 217a and a ball screw 217b are provided as a driving mechanism between the first arm 212 and the second arm 213, and a guide rail 218a and a ball are provided as a driving mechanism between the second arm 213 and the pick 214. A screw 218b is provided, and the second arm 213 and the pick 214 are moved directly with respect to the first arm 212 and the second arm 213, respectively, by driving motors 217c and 218c provided at ends of the ball screws 217b and 218b, respectively. By performing the moving operation, it is possible to transport the object to be transported. And the permanent magnets 221a-221a are provided in the lower four places of the pick 214, These comprise the 1st positioning part 221, and it conveys similarly to the 2nd positioning parts 24 and 124 in the said embodiment. It arrange | positions under the positional relationship corresponding to a previous magnet.

  Although the description of the operation of the linear motion type conveyance device 201 is omitted, it is possible to obtain an effect according to the above-described embodiment. Further, when the transport device 201 performs a linear motion operation, other methods such as a rack and pinion can be applied without using the ball screws 217b and 218b.

  Further, the configuration and the arrangement location of the first positioning unit and the second positioning unit are not limited to those shown in the above-described embodiment, but for the purpose of appropriately positioning the pick 14. It can be changed as appropriate. Here, an example is shown below with reference to FIGS. 9A to 9D schematically show a scene where the pick is located at the transfer place P. FIGS. 9A to 9C are plan views and FIG. d) is a side view.

  In FIG. 9A, the first positioning portion 321 is composed of a permanent magnet 321a and a permanent magnet 321b respectively provided at the two lower ends of the U-shaped pick 314, and the second positioning portion 324 is permanent. The permanent magnet 321a and the permanent magnet 321b are composed of two permanent magnets 324a and 324b disposed on the side surface and the rear surface of the load lock 303 so as to face each other in a direction different by 90 degrees in plan view. An example is shown in which positioning is performed by applying a magnetic attractive force between 321a and the permanent magnet 324a, and between the permanent magnet 321b and the permanent magnet 324b.

  With this configuration, the first direction in which the permanent magnet 321a and the permanent magnet 324a face each other, and the second direction that is 90 degrees different from the first direction in which the permanent magnet 321b and the permanent magnet 324b face each other. Since positioning can be performed, the position and posture of the pick 314 can be accurately positioned in the horizontal plane using only two magnets.

  FIG. 9B shows that the first positioning portion 421 includes magnetic bodies 421a and 421a provided on the two tip surfaces of the U-shaped pick 414, respectively, and the second positioning portion 424 includes two magnetic bodies. 421a is composed of two permanent magnets 424a and 424a disposed on the back surface side of the load lock 403 so as to face the 421a, and the magnetic attractive force between the magnetic bodies 421a and 421a and the permanent magnets 424a and 424a. An example is shown in which positioning is performed by applying. As described above, either one of the first positioning portion and the second positioning portion can be made of a magnetic material such as iron.

  FIG. 9C shows four permanent magnets 521a to 521a provided at four positions on the distal end side and the proximal end side of the linear portion where the first positioning portion 521 is located on the left and right sides of the distal end portion 514b of the pick 514. The second positioning portion 524 is composed of permanent magnets 524a arranged on the bottom surface of the load lock 503 so that the distances from the centers of the four permanent magnets 521a to 521a, that is, the distances from the four permanent magnets 521a to 521a are equal to each other. An example is shown in which the orientations of the opposing magnetic poles between the first positioning portion 521 and the second positioning portion 524 are the same. In this case, the surfaces of the four permanent magnets 521a to 521a of the first positioning portion 521 and the permanent magnet 524a of the second positioning portion 524 facing each other are made the same magnetic pole, thereby making the four permanent magnets 521a to 521a. Receives a magnetic repulsive force from the magnet 524a, and these forces are balanced so that the pick 514 can be positioned.

  In FIG. 9D, the first positioning portion 621 is composed of a permanent magnet 621 a provided on the upper surface of the U-shaped pick 614, and the second positioning portion 624 is a permanent magnet 621 a of the first positioning portion 621. An example in which a magnetic attractive force acts between the permanent magnet 621a and the permanent magnet 621a is shown, which is composed of permanent magnets 624a provided on the ceiling surface of the load lock 603 so as to face each other. Thus, even if the permanent magnet 621a of the first positioning portion 621 is arranged on the upper surface of the pick 614, positioning is performed by the magnetic attractive force between the permanent magnet 624a provided on the ceiling surface of the load lock 603. Is possible.

  In addition, when the first positioning portion and the second positioning portion are positioned by the magnetic attraction force, the second positioning portion is provided above the pick placement place P in this way. In addition, it is possible to effectively prevent the front end of the pick which is a free end (see the pick 614x shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 9D), and to prevent a vertical shift when the wafer W is transferred. It becomes possible to mount appropriately. If the first positioning portion and the second positioning portion are positioned by the magnetic repulsive force, the second positioning portion may be provided below the placement position P of the pick 614. Can be prevented.

  As shown from the above examples, in the present invention, either the first positioning portion or the second positioning portion can be configured as a magnetic body. The first positioning portion may be installed on any of the lower surface, the tip surface, and the upper surface of the pick. Alternatively, it can be provided inside the pick. Similarly, the second positioning portion may be installed on any of the bottom surface, the side surface, the back surface, and the ceiling surface. Furthermore, the second positioning portion and the second positioning portion may be configured to perform positioning by either a magnetic attractive force or a magnetic repulsive force. In addition, the number of magnets or magnetic bodies constituting the first positioning portion and the second positioning portion is not limited.

  In the above-described embodiment, the substantially circular wafer W is shown as the transferred object. However, it is possible to transfer a wafer having another shape, and other transferred objects such as liquid crystal in addition to the wafer. Can also be transported.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the wafer W is exchanged by raising the mounting table 23 in the load lock 3, but by raising and lowering the raising / lowering means provided on the base portion 15. It may be configured to exchange the wafer W.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the second positioning portion 24 (124) is provided on the load lock 3 as the conveyance destination, but may be provided on the load port 2 side (FOUP 4) as the conveyance source. . In this case, when the wafer W in the FOUP 4 is taken out or is accommodated in the FOUP 4, the positioning accuracy of the pick 14 is improved, so that the wafers W accommodated in the FOUP 4 are appropriately transported. It becomes possible. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the transfer apparatus 1 (101) is disposed between the load port 2 and the load lock 3, and transfers the wafer W between the load port 2 and the load lock 3. It can also be used as a transfer device used for transferring the wafer W between the load lock 3 and a process unit (not shown) by arranging it in a semiconductor processing chamber for performing various processes on the wafer W.

  Furthermore, if the magnetic field analysis is performed in addition to the above, the number and strength of magnets (magnet type and size) can be effectively reduced.

  Other configurations can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,101 ... Conveyance apparatus 6 ... Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 ... Arm mechanism 11, 111 ... Control means 12 ... 1st arm 13 ... 2nd arm 14 ... Pick (arm at the front-end | tip)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 16-18 ... Joint part 19 ... Driving means 21 ... 1st positioning part 21a-21a ... Permanent magnet 24,124 ... 2nd positioning part 24a-24a ... Permanent magnet 124a-124a ... Electromagnet

Claims (5)

A transport apparatus comprising: an arm mechanism including at least two or more arms; a drive unit that generates a driving force in the arm mechanism; and a control unit that drives the drive unit to transport the tip arm to a transfer location. In
The tip arm is provided with a first positioning part, and the transfer location is provided with a second positioning part, and one of the first positioning part and the second positioning part is composed of a magnet. The other is composed of a magnet or a magnetic material,
When the tip arm approaches the transfer location under the control of the control means, the tip side arm is caused by a magnetic attractive force or a magnetic repulsive force acting between the first positioning portion and the second positioning portion. Is guided to the transfer location. The two or more arms are connected to each other via a joint portion so as to be rotatable, the drive means is provided in the joint portion, and the first positioning portion is located on the distal end side of the distal end arm relative to the joint portion. It is provided in
The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the position of the arm at the distal end by changing a connection angle of the joint portion.   3. The transport according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to perform control to reduce a driving force generated in the driving unit when the arm at the tip approaches a transfer place. 4. apparatus.   The second positioning portion is composed of an electromagnet, and the control means excites the electromagnet when the tip arm is positioned at the transfer location, and moves the tip arm from the transfer location. The conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein control is performed so that the electromagnet is not excited at times.   A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising the transfer apparatus according to claim 1.

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