JP2016115906A - Cassette stage - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure safety of an operator while preventing the whole device from up-sizing.SOLUTION: A cassette stage (3) for mounting an open cassette (2) including a sidewall (20) having a multiple-stage slot (20a) for housing wafers (W) at a predetermined interval, a bottom wall (21) for connection with the sidewall, a ceiling wall (22) for connection with the sidewall while facing the bottom wall, a front opening (23) which allows a wafer to be inserted into a slot or removed therefrom, and a rear opening (24) facing the front opening and not allowing insertion and removal of the wafer for the front opening, is constituted to include a cover (32) for closing the rear opening of the open cassette, and a cover opening and closing mechanism (33) for opening and closing the cover.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a cassette stage on which a cassette that accommodates a wafer is placed, and more particularly to a cassette stage on which an open-type cassette that accommodates a large-diameter wafer is placed.

  A cassette containing a plurality of wafers is placed on a cassette stage provided in the processing apparatus. The wafer in the cassette is taken out from the cassette by the conveying means of the processing apparatus and is transferred into the processing apparatus. In the processing apparatus, processing such as grinding is performed on the wafer by processing means. In such a processing apparatus, when the wafer is taken out from the cassette, the entire cassette is covered with a cover in order to prevent the conveying means from coming into contact with the operator (see, for example, Patent Documents 1-4). The cover described in Patent Literatures 1-4 is formed in a box shape larger than the cassette, for example. The cover is moved up and down or rotated around the cassette stage to cover the entire cassette. Thereby, the safety of the operator during wafer conveyance is ensured.

JP 2007-250563 A JP 2002-110760 A JP 2006-332326 A JP 2009-059930 A

  In addition, with the recent increase in wafer diameter, cassettes are also becoming larger. Therefore, as described in Patent Documents 1-4 described above, if the entire cassette is covered, the cover must be enlarged in accordance with the size of the cassette, and the entire apparatus is enlarged. It was.

  The present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cassette stage that can ensure the safety of the operator and prevent the entire apparatus from being enlarged.

  The cassette stage of the present invention includes a side wall having a plurality of slots for storing wafers at predetermined intervals, a bottom wall connected to the side wall, a ceiling wall facing the bottom wall and connected to the side wall, and a wafer in the slot. A cassette stage that allows a wafer to be loaded and unloaded from an open cassette by placing an open cassette having a front opening that allows loading and unloading and a rear opening that faces the front opening and does not allow wafers to be loaded and unloaded. A cover that covers the rear opening of the cassette, a cover opening / closing mechanism that closes or opens the rear opening with the cover, and a cover sensor that detects that the cover has closed the rear opening by the cover opening / closing mechanism. The wafer can be carried in and out from the front opening of the open cassette.

  According to this configuration, the wafer can be loaded and unloaded from the front opening of the open cassette by placing the open cassette on the cassette stage and closing the rear opening of the open cassette with the cover. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the operator's hand from entering the open cassette during the wafer transfer operation. Moreover, it is only necessary to cover the rear opening of the open cassette with the cover, and it is not necessary to cover the entire open cassette with the cover. Therefore, the safety of the operator can be ensured without increasing the size of the entire apparatus.

  Further, in the cassette stage of the present invention, the cover opening / closing mechanism is configured so that the cover opens and closes the rear opening at the closed position where the cover closes the rear opening of the open cassette and the open position where the cover is moved below the open cassette to open the rear opening. The parallel link mechanism includes an upper arm and a lower arm that connect the cover and the base, and the upper arm connects one end to the cover and connects the other to the cover. The lower arm is provided with a first connecting portion serving as a fulcrum by connecting the end to the base, and the lower arm includes a second connecting portion serving as a fulcrum by connecting one end to the cover and connecting the other end to the base. The upper arm is swiveled with the connecting portion as a fulcrum, and the cover is raised and lowered by turning the lower arm with the second connecting portion as a fulcrum.

  In addition, the cassette stage of the present invention includes an arc-shaped groove formed along a turning trajectory of the upper arm having the first connecting portion as a fulcrum or a turning trajectory of the lower arm having the second connecting portion as a fulcrum. A sliding part that slides the second connecting part in the front-rear direction when the cover is raised to the uppermost position; and a cover that slides forward along the sliding part formed at one end of the arc-shaped groove. And a fixing portion for fixing the cover at a closed position where the rear opening is closed.

  In the cassette stage of the present invention, the cover opening / closing mechanism includes an assist mechanism for assisting opening / closing of the cover.

  In the cassette stage of the present invention, the assist mechanism includes an expansion / contraction cylinder and expansion / contraction means for extending / contracting the expansion / contraction cylinder, and the expansion / contraction cylinder covers the first connecting portion of the upper arm and the cover. The assist mechanism functions by connecting to the third connecting part between the second connecting part and the cover of the lower arm or the cover, connecting the other end to the base, and expanding and contracting the expansion / contraction cylinder by the expansion / contraction means. Let

  The cassette stage of the present invention includes a cassette sensor that detects that an open cassette is placed, and enables wafers to be loaded and unloaded from the open cassette when the cassette sensor is detected.

  Further, the cassette stage of the present invention includes a second cover that closes a gap between the outer periphery of the placed open cassette on the front opening side and the loading / unloading opening serving as an opening of a device for loading / unloading a wafer from / from the open cassette. The second cover includes a second cover opening / closing mechanism in which the second cover closes the gap in conjunction with an operation in which the cover closes the rear opening by the cover opening / closing mechanism.

  In the cassette stage of the present invention, the second cover opening / closing mechanism is a three-point link mechanism in which the second cover opens and closes the gap, one end is connected to the second cover, and the center is A second arm that has a fourth connecting portion serving as a fulcrum and that stands upright, and a second arm that connects the other end of the first arm and the other end extended from the first connecting portion of the upper arm. And arm.

  According to the present invention, by closing the rear opening of the open cassette with the cover, it is possible to ensure the safety of the operator without increasing the size of the entire apparatus.

It is a perspective view of the processing apparatus with which the cassette stage which concerns on this Embodiment is applied. It is a perspective view of the open cassette and wafer which concern on this Embodiment. It is a side view of the cassette stage which concerns on this Embodiment. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of the cover opening / closing of the cassette stage which concerns on this Embodiment. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of the cover opening / closing of the cassette stage which concerns on this Embodiment. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of the cover opening / closing of the cassette stage which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the periphery of the fixed portion when opening and closing the cover of the cassette stage according to the present embodiment.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a processing apparatus used for manufacturing a semiconductor wafer or the like, a cassette that accommodates a plurality of wafers is placed on a cassette stage, and the wafer is taken out from the cassette by a conveying means. At this time, the cassette on the cassette stage is entirely covered with a box-shaped cover in order to prevent the operator and the conveying means from contacting each other. Thus, the operator's safety is ensured by preventing the operator from putting his / her hand into the cassette.

  By the way, with the recent increase in wafer diameter, the cassette itself that accommodates the wafer has also been enlarged. For this reason, when the processing apparatus is configured to cover the entire cassette with the box-shaped cover as described above, not only the cover is enlarged, but also the drive mechanism for moving the cover is enlarged as the cover weight increases. Will do. Further, since the movement range of the cover is expanded, the operator is forced to leave the apparatus by an amount corresponding to the expanded movement range of the cover in order to prevent the cover from colliding with the cover. Thus, despite the provision of a cover for the purpose of ensuring the safety of the operator, there is a risk that safety in the original sense cannot be ensured.

  Therefore, the present inventor has conceived the cassette stage according to the present embodiment by paying attention to the shape of a box-type open cassette having an open front and rear surface. That is, in the cassette stage according to the present embodiment, the opening provided on the front side of the open cassette faces the front side of the apparatus and only the opening on the rear side is closed with a cover that moves up and down, so that the operator You can't get your hands on. Thus, the wafer can be carried in and out from the opening on the front side of the open cassette by the conveying means, and the conveying means can be prevented from coming into contact with the operator on the rear surface side of the open cassette. Further, since the opening of the open cassette is closed only by moving the cover up and down, the opening and closing operation of the cover can be reduced. As described above, it is possible to ensure the safety of the operator while preventing the enlargement of the apparatus without covering the entire open cassette with the cover.

  Hereinafter, a processing apparatus, an open cassette, a wafer, and a cassette stage according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a processing apparatus to which a cassette stage according to the present embodiment is applied. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the open cassette and wafer according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view of the cassette stage according to the present embodiment. Note that the processing apparatus (cassette stage) according to the present embodiment is not limited to the configuration shown below, and can be changed as appropriate. In the present embodiment, the grinding apparatus is described as an example of the processing apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a cutting apparatus may be applied as the processing apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the processing apparatus 1 which concerns on this Embodiment is comprised by the grinding apparatus which grinds the wafer W (refer FIG. 2), for example. A cassette stage 3 on which an open cassette 2 containing a plurality of wafers W is placed is provided on the front surface of the processing apparatus 1. Further, an operation screen 10 and a switch 11 for an operator to operate are provided on the front surface of the processing apparatus 1. The processing apparatus 1 is divided into a transport unit 12 that transports the wafer W and a processing unit 13 that grinds the wafer W. In the transport unit 12, the wafer is taken out from the open cassette 2 placed on the cassette stage 3 by a transport unit (not shown), and the wafer W is transported to the processing unit 13. And in the process part 13, a grinding process is implemented by a process means (not shown).

  The cassette stage 3 according to the present embodiment is such that one opening (a front opening 23 described later (see FIG. 2)) of the box-shaped open cassette 2 with the front and rear surfaces opened faces the front of the processing apparatus 1. After the mounting, the other opening (a rear opening 24 (see FIG. 2) described later) is covered with a cover 32.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the open cassette 2 according to the present embodiment is a so-called open-type cassette that is formed in a box shape whose front and rear surfaces are opened. The open cassette 2 has a pair of side walls 20 extending in the vertical direction, a bottom wall 21 connected to the lower ends of the pair of side walls 20, and a ceiling facing the bottom wall 21 (facing) and connected to the upper ends of the pair of side walls. And a wall 22. The side wall 20 is formed with a plurality of slots 20a for accommodating the wafers W at predetermined intervals. A front opening 23 that allows the wafer W to be taken in and out is formed on the front side of the open cassette 2, and a rear opening 24 is formed on the rear side so as to face the front opening 23. The rear opening 24 is formed so that the width in the left-right direction is narrower than the front opening 23 so that the wafer W is not taken in and out. That is, the rear opening 24 has a lateral width smaller than the outer diameter of the wafer W.

  Further, the wafer W is formed in a disk shape, and the surface is partitioned into a plurality of device regions by division planned lines (not shown) arranged in a lattice shape. The wafer W may be a semiconductor substrate such as silicon or gallium arsenide, an inorganic material substrate such as ceramic, glass, or sapphire, or a semiconductor product package substrate. The wafers W are inserted from the front opening 23 of the open cassette 2 and are transported to the cassette stage 3 (see FIG. 3) while being accommodated one by one in each slot 20a.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cassette stage 3 is disposed in front of the conveying unit 12 of the processing apparatus 1, and a substantially square mounting plate 31 is placed on the upper surface of a rectangular parallelepiped base 30 that stands upright in the vertical direction. Provided and configured. An opening 30a is formed on the front side of the base 30. Inside the base 30, a cover 32 that closes the rear opening 24 of the open cassette 2 (see FIG. 2), a cover opening / closing mechanism 33 that opens and closes the cover 32, and the like. The component parts of the cassette stage 3 are accommodated.

  A loading / unloading port 14 for allowing the wafer W to be loaded into and unloaded from the open cassette 2 is formed above the mounting plate 31 and in front of the conveyance unit 12. The loading / unloading port 14 is formed in a rectangular shape that is narrower than the left-right width of the open cassette 2 and higher than the height of the open cassette 2. The loading / unloading port 14 is opened and closed by a shutter mechanism 15 described later.

  On the upper surface of the mounting plate 31, a plurality of kinematic pins 31a (only two are shown in FIG. 3) for positioning the mounting position of the open cassette 2, and a cassette sensor for detecting that the open cassette 2 is mounted. 34 is provided. The kinematic pin 31a is accommodated in an accommodating portion (not shown) formed on the bottom wall 21 of the open cassette 2, thereby positioning the mounting position of the open cassette 2. The cassette sensor 34 is configured by, for example, a contact-type limit sensor, and has a contact piece 34 a that can be moved up and down with respect to the surface of the mounting plate 31.

  The cover 32 has a rectangular box shape when viewed from the front using a metal plate such as stainless steel, and is formed so that the width in the front-rear direction is smaller than that in the left-right direction. A shielding member 35 that closes the opening 30 a of the base 30 is attached to the lower end of the cover 32. A handle 36 is provided at the upper end of the cover 32. The handle 36 has a function as a switch for operating an assist mechanism described later.

  The cover 32 is configured to be movable by a cover opening / closing mechanism 33. The cover opening / closing mechanism 33 is located between an open position where the rear opening 24 of the open cassette 2 is opened, an uppermost position which will be described later, and a closing position where the rear opening 24 is closed. It is translated by a parallel link mechanism. The parallel link mechanism includes an upper arm 37 and a lower arm 38 that connect the cover 32 and the base 30. One end of the upper arm 37 (the lower end portion shown in FIG. 3) is connected to a connecting portion 32a between the cover 32 and the upper arm 37 so as to be relatively rotatable. On the other hand, the other end side of the upper arm 37 (the upper side of the upper arm 37 shown in FIG. 3) is connected to the base 30 by a first connecting portion 37a that serves as a rotation axis (fulcrum) of the upper arm 37.

  The lower arm 38 is formed in a substantially L shape in which a long portion 38b extends from one corner of a triangular portion 38a having a right triangle shape. One end of the lower arm 38 (the acute angle portion of the triangular portion 38a) is connected to the lowermost end of the cover 32 so as to be relatively rotatable. On the other hand, the other end of the lower arm 38 (the tip of the long portion 38b) is connected to the base 30 by a second connecting portion 38c that serves as a rotation axis (fulcrum) of the lower arm 38. Further, a shaft portion 38 d that protrudes toward the side surface of the base 30 is provided at a connection portion between the triangular portion 38 a and the long portion 38 b. The shaft portion 38d functions as a part of a fixing portion that fixes the cover 32 at the closed position. The fixing unit will be described later. A plate-shaped shielding member 35 extending along one side of the triangular portion 38a is fixed to one end side of the lower arm 38. The shielding member 35 plays a role of closing the opening 30a on the front surface of the base 30 when the cover 32 is positioned at the closing position.

  On the side surface of the base 30, there is formed a long hole 30b that supports the second connecting portion 38c and guides the movement of the second connecting portion 38c in the horizontal direction. An arcuate groove 30 c is formed on the side surface of the base 30. The arc-shaped groove 30c has a shape along the turning trajectory of the shaft portion 38d when the lower arm 38 turns around the second connecting portion 38c as a fulcrum. The width of the arc-shaped groove 30c is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 38d. At the uppermost end (one end) of the arc-shaped groove 30c, an inclined portion 30d that is slightly inclined downward in the radial direction is formed continuously to the arc-shaped groove 30c. The inclined portion 30d functions as a part of a fixing portion that fixes the cover 32 at the closed position.

  In addition, a cover sensor 39 that detects that the cover 32 has blocked the rear opening 24 is provided at the tip of the inclined portion 30d. The cover sensor 39 is constituted by, for example, a contact-type limit sensor, and has a contact piece 39a that can swing with one end as a fulcrum. The cover sensor 39 is turned on when the shaft 38d contacts the contact piece 39a and the contact piece 39a tilts.

  The cover opening / closing mechanism 33 includes an air-driven telescopic cylinder 40 as an assist mechanism that assists in opening / closing the cover 32. The telescopic cylinder 40 has a rod 40b that can move forward and backward along the extending direction of the cylinder body 40a by air inside the cylindrical cylinder body 40a. The tip of the rod 40b (one end of the telescopic cylinder 40) can be rotated relative to the upper arm 37 by a third connecting portion 37b provided between the connecting portion 32a with the cover 32 and the first connecting portion 37a. Connected to On the other hand, the base end of the cylinder body 40a (the other end of the telescopic cylinder 40) is connected to the base 30 via a bracket 41 so as to be swingable. The telescopic cylinder 40 is connected to an air supply source 40c. The air supply source 40c serves as an expansion / contraction means for causing the assist mechanism to function by expanding / contracting the expansion / contraction cylinder 40.

  Further, as described above, the processing device 1 (cassette stage 3) is provided with the shutter mechanism 15 that opens and closes the loading / unloading port 14 formed on the front side of the processing device 1. The shutter mechanism 15 includes a plate-like shutter portion 16 larger than the front opening 23 and the loading / unloading port 14 of the open cassette 2 and a vertical cylinder 17 that drives the shutter portion 16 up and down. The vertical cylinder 17 has a rod 17b that can be advanced and retracted in the vertical direction by air inside a cylindrical cylinder body 17a extending in the vertical direction. The shutter portion 16 is attached to the tip of the rod 17b, and the cylinder body 17a is fixed to the base 30 via a bracket (not shown). Note that the shutter mechanism 15 can raise and lower the shutter unit 16 by driving the vertical cylinder 17 only when the cassette sensor 34 and the cover sensor 39 are turned on.

  Further, when the open cassette 2 is placed on the cassette stage 3 (mounting plate 31), the loading / unloading port 14 is higher than the opening cassette 2 as described above. A slight gap 18 is formed between the outer periphery of the front opening 23 and the carry-in / out port 14 (see FIG. 4). The gap 18 cannot be completely closed by the shutter mechanism 15. Therefore, in the cassette stage 3 according to the present embodiment, a second cover 42 and a second cover opening / closing mechanism 43 are provided to close this gap.

  The second cover 42 is formed in a box shape that extends in the left-right direction of the processing apparatus 1 and is opened at the bottom. The width of the second cover 42 in the left-right direction is substantially the same as the width of the loading / unloading port 14. The second cover opening / closing mechanism 43 is constituted by a three-point link mechanism, and operates in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the cover 32 by the cover opening / closing mechanism 33 described above. The second cover opening / closing mechanism 43 includes a first arm 44 connected to the second cover 42 and a second arm 45 coupled to the first arm 44. The first arm 44 is erected so as to extend vertically. The second cover 42 is connected to the upper end of the first arm 44, and one end of the second arm 45 is connected to the lower end of the first arm 44 so as to be relatively rotatable. Further, the portion of the first arm 44 that is located slightly below the center of the first arm 44 is a casing of the processing apparatus 1 that can be relatively rotated by a fourth connecting portion 44 a that serves as a rotation axis (fulcrum) of the first arm 44. Connected to the part.

  The second arm 45 is formed to extend in the horizontal direction, and one end (the right end in FIG. 3) is connected to the lower end of the first arm 44 so as to be relatively rotatable as described above. On the other hand, the other end (left end in FIG. 3) of the first arm 44 is connected to the other end (upper end in FIG. 3) of the upper arm 37 so as to be relatively rotatable. Here, the first connecting portion 37 a is located between a connecting portion 32 a between the cover 32 and the upper arm 37 and a portion where the second arm 45 and the upper arm 37 are connected.

  In the processing apparatus 1 (cassette stage 3) configured as described above, after the open cassette 2 is placed on the placement plate 31, the cover 32 is moved upward by operating the handle 36, and the open cassette 2 is moved. The rear opening 24 is closed by the cover 32. In addition, by operating the second cover 42 in conjunction with the operation of the cover 32, the gap 18 between the open cassette 2 and the loading / unloading port 14 is closed. Therefore, when the conveying means (not shown) takes out the wafer W from the open cassette 2, the conveying means is not exposed to the outside of the processing apparatus 1. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operator and the transport unit from colliding with each other, and it is possible to ensure the safety of the operator.

  Next, the operation of the cassette stage 3 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 are operation explanatory views when the cover of the cassette stage according to the present embodiment is opened and closed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the processing apparatus 1, the cover 32 is positioned at the lowest position (open position), and a part of the cover 32 and the shielding member 35 are accommodated inside the base 30. Further, the shutter portion 16 is positioned at the uppermost position, and the loading / unloading port 14 is blocked except for the upper end portion. The open cassette 2 containing a plurality of wafers W (see FIG. 2) is transported to the cassette stage 3 by a cassette transport means or an operator (not shown).

  The open cassette 2 is placed on the placement plate 31 with the front opening 23 facing the front side (the loading / unloading port 14 side) of the processing apparatus 1. At this time, the kinematic pin 31a (see FIG. 3) is accommodated in an accommodating portion (not shown) formed on the bottom wall 21 of the open cassette 2, whereby the open cassette 2 is positioned at a predetermined position. Further, the bottom wall 21 of the open cassette 2 comes into contact with the contact piece 34 a (see FIG. 3), and the contact piece 34 a is pushed into the placement plate 31. Thereby, the cassette sensor 34 is turned on, and the cassette sensor 34 detects that the open cassette 2 is placed on the cassette stage 3. At this time, there is a slight gap 18 between the ceiling wall 22 of the open cassette 2 and the loading / unloading port 14. In addition, the difference between the height position of the open cassette 2 in which the lowest position of the bottom wall 21 exceeds the highest position of the kinematic pin 31a and the height position of the open cassette 2 in which the kinematic pin 31a is accommodated in the accommodating portion is At least the height of the gap 18 is reached.

  Then, by operating the handle 36, air is supplied to the telescopic cylinder 40. The telescopic cylinder 40 tries to push the rod 40b diagonally upward against the weight of the cover 32 and the parallel link mechanism. When the rod 40b is pushed out, the upper arm 37 pivots clockwise around the first connecting portion 37a, and the cover 32 is raised. When the cover 32 is raised, the lower arm 38 and the shielding member 35 pivot clockwise about the second connecting portion 38c.

  The second arm 45 connected to the other end of the upper arm 37 is pushed toward the inside of the processing apparatus 1 (conveying unit 12) in conjunction with the turning of the upper arm 37. As a result, the first arm 44 rotates around the fourth connecting portion 44a as a fulcrum. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, when the cover 32 is pulled up to the uppermost position, the second cover 42 is exposed from the loading / unloading port 14. As a result, the gap 18 between the open cassette 2 and the loading / unloading port 14 is closed by the second cover 42. Thus, the assist mechanism is operated by gripping the handle 36, and the cover 32 can be smoothly lifted upward. In the uppermost position shown in FIG. 5, the rear opening 24 of the open cassette 2 is not completely blocked by the cover 32, and the rear opening 24 is slightly exposed to the outside.

  When the cover 32 is pushed toward the processing apparatus 1 side (forward) in a state where the cover 32 is positioned at the uppermost position, the cover 32 rotates around a connecting portion 32a with the upper arm 37, and the lower arm 38 and The shielding member 35 is moved horizontally toward the rear. As shown in FIG. 6, the cover 32 is positioned at a closed position that closes the rear opening 24 of the open cassette 2. Thereby, the rear opening 24 of the open cassette 2 is closed by the cover 32, and the opening 30 a of the base 30 is closed by the shielding member 35. At this time, the cover sensor 39 is turned on, and the cover sensor 39 detects that the cover 32 has closed the rear opening 24. The operation when the cover sensor 39 is turned on will be described later.

  As described above, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the conveying means from being exposed to the outside of the processing apparatus 1 during the conveying operation only by closing the rear opening 24 of the open cassette 2 with the cover. That is, the open cassette 2 itself functions as a part of the cover that covers the moving range of the transport means. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operator and the transport unit from colliding with each other, and it is possible to ensure the safety of the operator. Further, since the cover 32 itself can be configured to only block the rear opening 24 of the open cassette 2, it is not necessary to cover the entire open cassette 2, and the overall size of the apparatus can be prevented. Furthermore, since the rear opening 24 can be opened and closed simply by moving the cover 32 extending in the vertical direction vertically by the parallel link mechanism, the movement range of the cover 32 (particularly, the movement range in the front-rear direction of the processing apparatus 1) is increased. Minimized. Therefore, the possibility of contact between the operator and the cover 32 during the operation of the cover 32 can be reduced, and the safety of the operator can be further ensured.

  Further, when the cassette sensor 34 and the cover sensor 39 are turned on, the shutter mechanism 15 can lower the shutter unit 16. Thereby, the loading / unloading port 14 is opened, and the front opening 23 of the open cassette 2 is exposed in the transport unit 12. And a conveyance means (not shown) can convey the wafer W between the open cassette 2 and the conveyance part 12. FIG.

  Next, how the cover is fixed at the closed position will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the periphery of the fixed portion when the cover of the cassette stage according to the present embodiment is opened and closed.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, in the open position of the cover 32 (see FIG. 4), the shaft portion 38d is positioned at the lowermost end of the arc-shaped groove 30c, and the second connecting portion 38c is on the front end side of the long hole 30b. It is positioned on the (conveying unit 12 (see FIG. 4) side). When the operator operates the handle 36 (see FIG. 4) to raise the cover 32, the position of the second connecting portion 38c in the elongated hole 30b does not change, and the shaft portion 38d is centered on the second connecting portion 38c. And turn along the arcuate groove 30c. 7B, the shaft portion 38d is positioned at the uppermost end of the arc-shaped groove 30c at the uppermost position of the cover 32.

  When the cover 32 is pushed forward from the uppermost position toward the open cassette 2 (see FIG. 5), the lower arm 38 (see FIG. 5) is moved horizontally toward the rear. As shown in FIG. 7C, the second connecting portion 38c is slid rearward along the long hole 30b (sliding portion), and the shaft portion 38d is along the inclined portion 30d (fixed portion). And then slid downward. The long hole 30b serves to guide the movement of the cover 32 from the uppermost position to the closed position. At this time, the inclined portion 30d is slightly inclined backward with respect to the shape of the elongated hole 30b extending in the horizontal direction. For this reason, when the lower arm 38 moves horizontally, the connecting portion 32a between the cover 32 and the upper arm 37 is turned around the first connecting portion 37a as a fulcrum, and the second connecting portion 38c is the rear end of the long hole 30b. The shaft portion 38d is fixed at the lowermost position of the inclined portion 30d. Further, the shaft portion 38d contacts the contact piece 39a of the cover sensor 39, the contact piece 39a is tilted, and the cover sensor 39 is turned on. Thereby, the cover sensor 39 detects that the rear opening 24 is closed by the cover 32. In this way, the cover 32 is positioned at the closed position that closes the rear opening 24 of the open cassette 2, and is fixed at the closed position by the fixing portions (the shaft portion 38d and the inclined portion 30d).

  Further, when opening the cover 32, by grasping the handle 36 and pulling the cover 32 backward, the cover 32 pivots the connecting portion 32a with the upper arm 37 with the first connecting portion 37a as a fulcrum, It is positioned at the top position (see FIG. 5). At this time, when the lower arm 38 is moved forward, the shaft portion 38d is positioned at the uppermost end of the arc-shaped groove 30c coinciding with the uppermost end of the inclined portion 30d, and the second connecting portion 38c is the long hole 30b. Positioned at the front edge of Thereby, the fixing of the cover 32 is released. When the gripping of the handle 36 is released, the assist of the assist mechanism is released, and the cover 32 is lowered by its own weight. As a result, the cover 32 is positioned at the open position, and the rear opening 24 of the open cassette 2 is opened.

  As described above, according to the cassette stage 3 according to the present embodiment, the open cassette 2 is placed on the cassette stage 3, and the rear opening 24 of the open cassette 2 is closed with the cover 32. The wafer W can be carried in and out from the front opening 23. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the operator's hand from entering the open cassette 2 during the transfer operation of the wafer W. Moreover, it is only necessary to cover the rear opening of the open cassette 2 with the cover 32, and it is not necessary to cover the entire open cassette 2 with the cover 32. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the safety of the operator and to prevent the processing apparatus 1 from being enlarged.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can change and implement variously. In the above-described embodiment, the size, shape, and the like illustrated in the accompanying drawings are not limited to this, and can be appropriately changed within a range in which the effect of the present invention is exhibited. In addition, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the object of the present invention.

  For example, in the present embodiment, a configuration in which the telescopic cylinder 40 is coupled to the upper arm 37 (a configuration in which the third coupling portion 37b is provided between the first coupling portion 37a of the upper arm 37 and the cover 32). However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The telescopic cylinder 40 may be connected to any position as long as it assists the raising and lowering movement of the cover 32. For example, the extension cylinder 40 may be directly connected to the cover 32 or may be connected to the lower arm 38 (third connection). May be provided between the second connecting portion 38c of the lower arm 38 and the cover 32).

  In the present embodiment, the air-driven telescopic cylinder 40 is provided as an assist mechanism. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the assist mechanism may be configured with an electric motor.

  In the present embodiment, the second cover 42 and the second cover opening / closing mechanism 43 are provided to close the gap 18 between the open cassette 2 and the loading / unloading port 14, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the shaft portion 38d is formed in the lower arm 38, and the arcuate groove 30c is formed in the base 30 along the turning activation of the lower arm 38 with the second connecting portion 38c as a fulcrum. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The shaft portion 38 d may be formed on the upper arm 37. In this case, the base 30 is formed with an arc-shaped groove along the turning activation of the upper arm 37 with the first connecting portion 37a as a fulcrum.

  In the present embodiment, the shutter mechanism 15 can be driven only when the cover sensor 39 and the cassette sensor 34 are turned on. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. If the cover sensor 39 is turned on, the shutter mechanism 15 may be driven.

  As described above, the present invention has the effect of ensuring the safety of the operator and preventing the entire apparatus from being enlarged, and in particular, an open-type cassette that accommodates a large-diameter wafer is mounted. This is useful for cassette stages.

W Wafer 1 Processing device 14 Loading / unloading port 18 Clearance 2 Open cassette 20 Side wall 20a Slot 21 Bottom wall (bottom surface)
22 Ceiling wall (ceiling surface)
23 Front opening 24 Rear opening 3 Cassette stage 30 Base 30b Slot (sliding part)
30c Arc-shaped groove 30d Inclined part (fixed part)
32 Cover 33 Cover open / close mechanism 34 Cassette sensor 37 Upper arm (parallel link mechanism)
37a 1st connection part 37b 3rd connection part 38 Lower arm (parallel link mechanism)
38c 2nd connection part 38d Shaft part (fixed part)
39 Cover sensor 40 Telescopic cylinder (assist mechanism)
40c Air supply source (stretching means)
42 Second cover 43 Second cover opening / closing mechanism 44 First arm (three-point link mechanism)
44a Fourth connecting portion 45 Second arm (three-point link mechanism)

Claims (8)

A side wall having a plurality of slots for storing wafers at a predetermined interval, a bottom wall connected to the side wall, a ceiling wall facing the bottom wall and connected to the side wall, and loading / unloading of the wafer into / from the slot A cassette stage that allows a wafer to be carried in and out of the open cassette by placing an open cassette having a front opening that allows the wafer and a rear opening that faces the front opening and does not allow the wafer to be taken in and out;
A cover for closing the rear opening of the open cassette; a cover opening / closing mechanism for closing or opening the rear opening with the cover; a cover sensor for detecting that the cover has closed the rear opening by the cover opening / closing mechanism; With
A cassette stage that enables loading and unloading of a wafer from the front opening of the open cassette when the cover sensor is detected. The cover opening / closing mechanism has a closed position where the cover closes the rear opening of the open cassette and an open position where the cover is moved below the open cassette to open the rear opening with respect to the rear opening. Using a parallel link mechanism that raises and lowers the cover in parallel,
The parallel link mechanism includes an upper arm and a lower arm that connect the cover and the base,
The upper arm includes a first connecting portion that serves as a fulcrum by connecting one end to the cover and the other end to the base,
The lower arm includes a second connecting portion that serves as a fulcrum by connecting one end to the cover and the other end to the base,
2. The cassette stage according to claim 1, wherein the upper arm is swiveled with the first connecting portion as a fulcrum, and the cover is raised and lowered by swiveling the lower arm with the second connecting portion as a fulcrum. An arc-shaped groove formed along the turning trajectory of the upper arm with the first connecting portion as a fulcrum or the turning trajectory of the lower arm with the second connecting portion as a fulcrum;
A sliding part that slides the second connecting part in the front-rear direction when the cover is raised to the uppermost position;
3. A fixing portion formed at one end of the arc-shaped groove and fixed at the closed position where the cover is slid forward along the sliding portion and the rear opening is closed. The cassette stage described.   The cassette stage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cover opening / closing mechanism includes an assist mechanism for assisting opening / closing of the cover. The assist mechanism includes an expansion / contraction cylinder and expansion / contraction means for extending / contracting the expansion / contraction cylinder,
The telescopic cylinder has one end connected to the third connecting portion between the first connecting portion of the upper arm and the cover or between the second connecting portion of the lower arm and the cover. Connect the other end to the base,
The cassette stage according to claim 4, wherein the assist mechanism is made to function by expanding and contracting the expansion and contraction cylinder by the expansion and contraction means. A cassette sensor for detecting that the open cassette is placed;
The cassette stage according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a wafer can be carried in and out of the open cassette when the cassette sensor is detected. A second cover for closing a gap between the outer periphery of the placed open cassette on the front opening side and a loading / unloading opening serving as an opening of a device for loading / unloading a wafer from the open cassette;
The second cover is provided with a second cover opening / closing mechanism in which the second cover closes the gap in conjunction with the operation of the cover closing the rear opening by the cover opening / closing mechanism. Item 7. The cassette stage according to any one of Items 6. The second cover opening / closing mechanism is a three-point link mechanism in which the second cover opens and closes the gap,
A first arm that has one end connected to the second cover and has a fourth connecting portion with the center serving as a fulcrum;
8. The cassette stage according to claim 7, further comprising: a second arm that connects the other end of the first arm and the other end of the upper arm extended from the first connecting portion.

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