JP2017143179A - Substrate transport hand - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate transport hand which eliminates a need of fixing a receiving component (a receiving member), i.e. a component for holding a substrate, to a hand body with screws and enables easy attachment/detachment of the receiving component.SOLUTION: In a substrate transport hand which is configured so as to sandwich a substrate with a receiving member and a holding member to fix the substrate, the receiving member 3 includes: a plate-like support part 31 which is a portion attached onto the hand body 1; a substrate outer periphery holding part 32 which is a portion supported by the support part 31 and holds an outer periphery of the substrate; and an engagement protrusion 33 protruding downward from a lower surface of the support part 31. The hand body 1 includes an engagement groove 1g in which an opening part is formed at an end part. The engagement protrusion 33 is inserted into the engagement groove 1g from the opening part to be engaged with the engagement groove 1g and thereby cause the receiving member 33 to be fixed onto the hand body 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transport hand for transporting a substrate by gripping an edge of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or liquid crystal glass.

When transporting a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or liquid crystal glass in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device or liquid crystal, the robot's hand sucks and holds the lower surface of the substrate and moves the robot and hand to move the substrate to the next step. It is transported to. In the method of adsorbing the lower surface of the substrate, there is a possibility that the lower surface of the substrate may be scratched or particles may adhere when adsorbed.
Although there are hands that can hold the outer periphery of the substrate by dropping the substrate into the concave storage part, it is necessary to provide a gap (gap) between the outer periphery of the substrate and the storage part that receives the substrate. Or the substrate may fall, and there is a problem that the substrate cannot be conveyed at high speed.

  Therefore, an edge grip type hand that grips the outer peripheral portion of the substrate has recently become mainstream. An edge grip type hand has receiving parts (claws) for receiving a substrate at the front end and the rear end of the hand, and the substrate is sandwiched between the receiving part and the gripping part and conveyed. The receiving part (claw) is in a small shape as much as possible because it directly touches the substrate, but wear is inevitable as long as it comes into contact with the substrate, and replacement is necessary after a certain period of time.

JP 2002-141405 A

In the edge grip type hand described above, the receiving part is usually fixed to the flat hand body by screwing.
FIGS. 11A and 11B are perspective views showing a conventional example in which a receiving part (claw) is fixed to a hand body by screws. FIGS. 11A and 11B show an example in which the receiving component 302 is fixed to the flat hand body 301 with a flat head screw 303.
In the example shown in FIG. 11A, a countersunk screw 303 is inserted from above into a screw insertion hole (not shown) of the receiving part 302, and the countersunk screw 303 is formed into a female screw (not shown) formed in the hand body 301. The receiving part 302 is fixed to the hand main body 301 by being screwed onto the hand main body 301.
In the example shown in FIG. 11 (b), a countersunk screw 303 is inserted from below into a screw insertion hole (not shown) of the hand main body 301, and is screwed into a female screw formed on the component 302. Thus, the receiving component 302 is fixed to the hand main body 301.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b), the receiving part 302 is fixed to the hand main body 301 by screws, but the screws for fixing the receiving part 302 are small in size and are received during replacement. There is a problem that it takes time to attach and detach parts. That is, when small screws or parts are removed, it takes time to search for them by inadvertently dropping them, which makes it difficult to replace them. Or, if you do not want to drop small screws or parts, you will be tired and will lead to worker fatigue. Also, in a robot having a plurality of hands, it is not easy to replace the receiving parts of the hands other than the uppermost stage. In addition to wear, receiving parts may be replaced due to dirt, contamination, etc., which is troublesome.

  In addition to the above-described problems, as shown in FIG. 11A, in the case of screwing from above, there is a possibility that the cleaning robot (used in a wet atmosphere) may get a chemical on the screw. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11B, when screwing from below, the screw may drop at the time of replacement or during operation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and it is not necessary to fix a receiving component (receiving member) that is a component for holding a substrate to the hand body by screwing, and the receiving component can be easily attached and detached. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transfer hand that can be used.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a first aspect of a substrate carrying hand according to the present invention includes a flat hand body, a plurality of receiving members provided on the hand body for holding the edge of the substrate, and a hand. A substrate transporting member configured to be movable with respect to the main body and gripping an edge of the substrate, wherein the gripping member is moved by an actuator, and the substrate is sandwiched and fixed between the receiving member and the gripping member. In the hand for use, the receiving member is a part that is mounted on the hand body and is a plate-like support part, and a board outer periphery holding part that is a part supported by the support part and holds the outer periphery of the substrate, An engagement protrusion protruding downward from the lower surface of the support portion, and the hand body includes an engagement groove having an opening formed at an end thereof, and the engagement protrusion is extended from the opening to the engagement. Insert into the groove And, said engagement projection is engaged with the engagement groove, characterized by securing the receiving member on the hand body.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the engaging protrusion includes a protrusion having an inverted T-shaped cross section, and the engaging groove includes a groove having an inverted T-shaped cross section.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the engaging protrusion includes a protrusion having a trapezoidal cross section, and the engaging groove includes a dovetail groove.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the engagement groove extends in the width direction of the hand body or extends in the longitudinal direction of the hand body.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the engagement protrusion and the engagement groove are formed to be curved along an arc centered on the center of the substrate when the substrate is held by the substrate transfer hand. It is characterized by that.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, one end of the engagement groove is an opening, and the other end is closed to be a wall surface.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the portion of the substrate outer periphery holding portion that contacts the outer periphery of the substrate and holds the substrate is an arc surface along the outer periphery of the substrate.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the support portion has an inclined surface that holds the lower surface of the substrate.

  According to a second aspect of the substrate transport hand of the present invention, a flat hand main body, a plurality of receiving members provided on the hand main body for holding the edge of the substrate, and movable relative to the hand main body are provided. A holding member for holding an edge of the substrate, the holding member is moved by an actuator, and the substrate is held between the receiving member and the holding member, and the holding member is fixed, A plate-shaped support portion that is attached to the hand body, a substrate outer periphery holding portion that is supported by the support portion and holds the outer periphery of the substrate, and protrudes downward from the lower surface of the support portion. A plurality of fixing pins, and the hand body includes a plurality of through holes extending from an upper surface to a lower surface, and the plurality of fixing pins are inserted into the plurality of through holes, An engaging portion at the tip portion of the titration, the pin is engaged with the recess on the underside or lower surface of the hand body, characterized by securing the receiving member on the hand body.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the fixing pin is made of a resin material, and the engaging portion of the fixing pin can be deformed so that the outer diameter thereof is reduced when inserted into the through hole. And
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the portion of the substrate outer periphery holding portion that contacts the outer periphery of the substrate and holds the substrate is an arc surface along the outer periphery of the substrate.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the support portion has an inclined surface that holds the lower surface of the substrate.

  According to a third aspect of the substrate carrying hand of the present invention, a hand main body, a receiving member provided on the hand main body for holding the edge of the substrate, and movably provided on the hand main body to grip the edge of the substrate. And a holding member configured to move the holding member by an actuator and fix the substrate between the receiving member and the holding member, and the receiving member is placed on the hand body. A plate-like support portion to be attached, a portion supported by the support portion and holding the outer periphery of the substrate, and a shaft portion provided to protrude downward from the lower surface of the support portion. And a shaft-shaped member at the lower end of the shaft portion and having an engaging portion having a larger diameter than the shaft portion, the hand body includes a sag hole penetrating from the upper surface to the lower surface, and the shaft-shaped member is Daruma After the insertion from the large diameter portion of the hand, it is moved to the small diameter portion side of the boring hole, and the engagement portion is engaged with the lower surface of the hand main body or the concave portion on the lower surface to fix the receiving member on the hand main body. It is characterized by doing.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the shaft portion of the shaft-shaped member has two flat surfaces that face each other, and the shaft-shaped member is positioned by fitting the two flat surfaces to the small-diameter portion of the boring hole. It is characterized by that.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the portion of the substrate outer periphery holding portion that contacts the outer periphery of the substrate and holds the substrate is an arc surface along the outer periphery of the substrate.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the support portion has an inclined surface that holds the lower surface of the substrate.

  A substrate processing apparatus of the present invention includes a substrate transfer mechanism including any of the substrate transfer hands described above, and a processing unit that processes the substrate transferred by the substrate transfer mechanism. .

The present invention has the following effects.
(1) It is not necessary to fix the receiving part (receiving member), which is a part for holding the substrate, to the hand body by screwing, and the receiving part (receiving member) can be easily attached and detached.
(2) Since the receiving part (receiving member) can be easily attached and detached, the receiving part (receiving member) can be easily replaced, thereby reducing the labor of the operator.
(3) Since the receiving part (receiving member) is fixed to the hand body using a retaining means such as an inverted T-shaped groove or a dovetail groove, the receiving part (receiving member) can be prevented from falling off.
(4) Even when used in a cleaning robot, there is no place where chemicals accumulate, and there is no screw drop that occurred during replacement or operation.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are views showing a substrate carrying hand according to the present invention, FIG. 1A is a schematic plan view of the substrate carrying hand, and FIG. 1B is a substrate carrying hand. It is a typical front view of a hand. 2A, 2B, and 2C are views showing a first aspect of the receiving member and the hand body, and FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a state in which the receiving member is attached to the hand body. 2B is a perspective view of the receiving member, and FIG. 2C is a perspective view of the hand body. FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective views showing modifications of the receiving member and the hand main body of the first mode shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C. 4A, 4B, and 4C are views showing a second aspect of the receiving member and the hand body, and FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing a state in which the receiving member is attached to the hand body. 4B is a perspective view of the receiving member, and FIG. 4C is a perspective view of the hand body. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a dimensional relationship between the engaging protrusion and the engaging groove. FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C are views showing a third aspect of the receiving member and the hand body, and FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the receiving member is attached to the hand body. 6 (b) is a perspective view of the receiving member, and FIG. 6 (c) is a perspective view of the hand body. 7A, 7B, and 7C are views showing a fourth aspect of the receiving member and the hand body, and FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the receiving member is attached to the hand body. 7 (b) is a perspective view of the receiving member, and FIG. 7 (c) is a perspective view of the hand body. FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C are views showing a fifth aspect of the receiving member and the hand body, FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the receiving member, and FIG. 8B is a hand. The perspective view of a main body and FIG.8 (c) are B arrow views of FIG.8 (b). FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate while sequentially transferring the substrate to a plurality of processing units using a substrate transfer mechanism (transfer robot) equipped with the substrate transfer hand of the present invention. It is. FIG. 10A is a plan view showing the cleaning unit, and FIG. 10B is a side view showing the cleaning unit. FIGS. 11A and 11B are perspective views showing a conventional example in which a receiving part (claw) is fixed to a hand body by screws.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a substrate carrying hand according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.
FIGS. 1A and 1B are views showing a substrate carrying hand according to the present invention, FIG. 1A is a schematic plan view of the substrate carrying hand, and FIG. 1B is a substrate carrying hand. It is a typical front view of a hand.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a substrate transfer hand includes a hand main body 1 that holds a substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer, a hand main body 1 and a robot arm (not shown). It is comprised from the attachment part 2 attached to. The hand main body 1 is composed of a substantially rectangular flat plate-like member. The hand main body 1 is formed with a V-shaped cut 1a, and the tip side is divided into two. The hand main body 1 is provided with receiving members 3A and 3B for holding the leading edge of the substrate W at the forked end. In addition, receiving members 4 </ b> A and 4 </ b> B for holding the rear end side edge of the substrate W are provided at the rear portion (attachment portion side) of the hand main body 1.

  A clamp mechanism 5 is provided on the mounting portion 2 that supports the hand body 1. The clamp mechanism 5 is located at the center of the rear end portion of the hand body 1 and is disposed in the middle of the receiving members 4A and 4B. The clamp mechanism 5 includes a gripping member 6 that contacts the rear edge of the substrate W to grip the edge of the substrate W. The gripping member 6 moves forward and backward by an actuator (not shown) such as an air cylinder. Is configured to do. In other words, the clamp mechanism 5 includes an actuator, and operates the actuator to advance the gripping member 6 toward the substrate side, thereby fixing the substrate W between the receiving members 3A and 3B on the distal end side and the gripping member 6. It is configured to (clamp).

  Next, the relationship between the receiving members 3A and 3B for holding the leading edge of the substrate W and the receiving members 4A and 4B for holding the trailing edge and the hand body 1 will be described. The shapes of the two receiving members 3A and 3B for holding the leading edge of the substrate W are symmetrical with respect to the center line L passing through the center O of the substrate W in FIG. Therefore, if the shape of the receiving member 3A is specified, the other receiving member 3B is symmetrical with respect to the center line L passing through the center O of the substrate W in FIG. It becomes the shape. Further, the receiving members 3A and 3B for holding the front end side edge of the substrate W and the receiving members 4A and 4B for holding the rear end side edge may use the same members only with different mounting directions. it can. Therefore, in the following description, the receiving member will be described as the receiving member 3 without using the subscripts A and B.

  2A, 2 </ b> B, and 2 </ b> C are views showing a first aspect of the receiving member 3 and the hand body 1, and FIG. 2A is a state in which the receiving member 3 is attached to the hand body 1. FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the receiving member 3, and FIG. 2C is a perspective view of the hand main body 1. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the receiving member 3 includes a plate-like support portion 31 having a substantially rectangular planar shape, and a portion supported by the support portion 31 and the outer periphery of the substrate W. A substrate outer periphery holding portion 32 that holds (edge) and an engagement protrusion 33 that is a portion protruding downward from the support portion 31 and has an inverted T-shaped cross section.

  2 (a) and 2 (c), the hand body 1 is provided along the width direction of the hand body 1 (direction A in FIGS. 1 (a) and 2 (a)). An engagement groove 1g having an inverted T-shaped cross section with an opening is provided. An engagement protrusion 33 having an inverted T-shaped cross section in the receiving member 3 is inserted into an engagement groove 1g having an inverted T-shaped cross section from an opening in the hand body 1, and the engagement protrusion 33 is engaged with the engagement groove 1g. The receiving member 3 is fixed to the hand body 1 by (or fitting). At this time, the support portion 31 of the receiving member 3 is fixed to the hand body 1 with the lower surface of the support portion 31 in contact with the upper surface of the hand body 1. Since the engaging protrusion 33 and the engaging groove 1g are engaged (or fitted) with an inverted T-shaped cross section, the receiving member 3 does not come out of the hand body 1 and prevents the receiving member 3 from falling off. can do. The inner surface of the substrate outer periphery holding portion 32 is an arc surface 32S having the same curvature as the outer periphery of the substrate W, and the arc surface 32S is in contact with the outer periphery of the substrate W to hold the outer periphery of the substrate W. The arc surface 32S extends in the vertical direction from the upper surface of the support portion 31. The upper surface of the support portion 31 is an inclined surface 31S, and the inclined surface 31S is in contact with the lower surface of the substrate W so as to hold the lower surface of the substrate W.

  FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective views showing modifications of the receiving member 3 and the hand main body 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C. In the modified example, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the engagement protrusion 33 having an inverted T-shaped cross section and the engagement groove 1g having an inverted T-shaped cross section are formed by a substrate carrying hand. Are curved along an arc centering on the center of the substrate W when the substrate W is held. That is, the center line (indicated by the alternate long and short dash line) of the engagement protrusion 33 and the engagement groove 1g is located on an arc having a radius R centering on the center O of the substrate W shown in FIG. Thus, by curving the engagement protrusion 33 and the engagement groove 1g, even when the engagement protrusion 33 is displaced with respect to the engagement groove 1g, the relative positional relationship when the substrate W is gripped. The inner surface of the substrate outer periphery holding portion 32 can be in line contact with the outer periphery of the substrate W without changing.

  Further, in the receiving member 3 and the hand main body 1 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, one end surface 33 e (the front side in FIG. 3A) of the engagement protrusion 33 is recessed from the end surface of the support portion 31. The inner end of the engaging groove 1g (the front side in FIG. 3B) is closed to form a wall surface 1W. Therefore, the engagement protrusion 33 of the receiving member 3 is inserted into the engagement groove 1g from the opening (the back side in FIG. 3A) of the hand body 1, and the end surface 33e of the engagement protrusion 33 is inserted into the engagement groove. It is possible to prevent the receiving member 3 from falling out of the hand main body 1 by being brought into contact with the 1 g wall surface 1W. Other configurations of the receiving member 3 and the hand main body 1 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B are the same as those of the receiving member 3 and the hand main body 1 shown in FIGS.

  4A, 4 </ b> B, and 4 </ b> C are views showing a second mode of the receiving member 3 and the hand body 1, and FIG. 4A is a state in which the receiving member 3 is attached to the hand body 1. FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the receiving member 3, and FIG. 4C is a perspective view of the hand main body 1. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the receiving member 3 includes a plate-like support portion 31 having a substantially rectangular planar shape, and a portion supported by the support portion 31 and the outer periphery of the substrate W. A substrate outer periphery holding portion 32 that holds (edge) and an engagement protrusion 33 that is a portion protruding downward from the support portion 31 and has a trapezoidal cross section.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4C, the hand body 1 is provided along the width direction of the hand body 1 (direction A in FIGS. 1A and 4A). An engagement groove 1g having a trapezoidal cross section in which an opening is formed is provided. The engagement groove 1g is a so-called dovetail groove, and the engagement protrusion 33 has a trapezoidal cross section corresponding to the dovetail groove. An engagement protrusion 33 having a trapezoidal cross section in the receiving member 3 is inserted into the groove-shaped engagement groove 1g from the opening in the hand body 1, and the engagement protrusion 33 engages (or fits) into the engagement groove 1g. ), The receiving member 3 is fixed to the hand body 1. At this time, the support portion 31 of the receiving member 3 is fixed to the hand body 1 with the lower surface of the support portion 31 in contact with the upper surface of the hand body 1. Since the engaging protrusion 33 and the engaging groove 1g are engaged (or fitted) by a dovetail groove, the receiving member 3 does not come out of the hand main body 1, and the receiving member 3 can be prevented from falling off. it can. The inner surface of the substrate outer periphery holding portion 32 is an arc surface 32S having the same curvature as the outer periphery of the substrate W, and the arc surface 32S is in contact with the outer periphery of the substrate W to hold the outer periphery of the substrate W. The arc surface 32S extends in the vertical direction from the upper surface of the support portion 31. The upper surface of the support portion 31 is an inclined surface 31S, and the inclined surface 31S is in contact with the lower surface of the substrate W so as to hold the lower surface of the substrate W.

  Next, when a dovetail shape (trapezoidal cross-sectional shape) is used for the engagement protrusion 33 and the engagement groove 1g, the play (play) between the engagement protrusion 33 and the engagement groove 1g is minimized. The dimensional relationship will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, the lower figure is a front view showing the tip of the hand body 1, particularly the engaging groove 1g and its periphery, and the upper figure is a part of the receiving member 3, especially the engaging protrusion 33 and its part. It is a front view which shows a periphery. Although FIG. 5 shows an example in which two straight portions SL and SL extending further above the apex of the trapezoidal cross section are formed, the straight portions SL and SL may or may not be present. When there is no straight portion SL, SL, the short side of the engagement protrusion 33 having a trapezoidal cross section is located on the same surface as the lower surface of the support portion 31, and the short side of the engagement groove 1g is the upper surface of the hand body 1. Located on the same plane.

As shown in FIG. 5, the length of the long side of the engaging protrusion 33 is L1, the length of the short side of the engaging protrusion 33 is 11, and the two oblique sides of the engaging protrusion 33 are extended. The apex angle formed by the intersection of the lines is θ1, and similarly, the length of the long side of the engagement groove 1g is L2, the length of the short side of the engagement groove 1g is l2, and the two oblique sides of the engagement groove 1g are extended. If the apex angle formed by the intersection of the two lines is θ2, the play between the engagement protrusion 33 and the engagement groove 1g can be minimized when the following relational expression is satisfied.
l1 ≧ l2 and θ1> 0 ° (or L1> l2)
That is, there is no back and forth rattling between the engagement protrusion 33 and the engagement groove 1g under the condition of l1 ≧ l2. In addition, the upper and lower rattling between the engagement protrusion 33 and the engagement groove 1g is eliminated under the condition of θ1> 0 °. Even if L1> 12 instead of θ1> 0 °, there is no back and forth rattling.

FIGS. 6A, 6 </ b> B, and 6 </ b> C are views showing a third aspect of the receiving member 3 and the hand body 1, and FIG. 6A is a state in which the receiving member 3 is attached to the hand body 1. FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the receiving member 3, and FIG. 6C is a perspective view of the hand body 1.
6 (a), 6 (b), and 6 (c), the receiving member 3 includes two fixing pins 35 and 35 on the lower surface, and the hand body 1 has the fixing pins 35 and 35. Are inserted in the through holes 1h, 1h of the hand body 1 by inserting the fixing pins 35, 35 of the receiving member 3 into the hand body 1. It is fixed.

  The fixing pin 35 is made of a resin material such as PEEK, and has a tapered engaging portion 35a protruding from the shaft portion in the radial direction at the tip. An engagement step portion 35d is formed between the upper end of the engagement portion 35a and the shaft portion. The engaging portion 35a is formed with a plurality of slits 35s in the vertical direction, and when the engaging portion 35a is pressed inward in the radial direction, the engaging portion 35a is deformed and its outer diameter is reduced. It is possible. Therefore, when the fixing pin 35 formed on the lower surface of the receiving member 3 is inserted into the through hole 1h of the hand body 1, the engaging portion 35a is deformed, the outer diameter thereof is reduced, and the engaging portion 35a is penetrated. When passing through the hole 1h, the deformation of the engaging portion 35a returns to its original shape and its outer diameter increases. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6A, the engagement step portion 35 d of the engagement portion 35 a engages with the flat surface of the recess 1 c formed on the lower surface of the hand body 1, and the receiving member 3 is engaged with the hand body 1. Can be fixed to. Thereby, the receiving member 3 does not come out of the hand main body 1, and the receiving member 3 can be prevented from falling off. When the recess 1 c is not formed on the lower surface of the hand body 1, the engagement step portion 35 d of the engagement portion 35 a is engaged with the lower surface of the hand body 1. Other configurations of the receiving member 3 and the hand main body 1 shown in FIGS. 6A, 6 </ b> B, and 6 </ b> C are the same as the receiving member 3 and the hand main body 1 shown in FIGS. .

FIGS. 7A, 7 </ b> B, and 7 </ b> C are views showing a fourth aspect of the receiving member 3 and the hand body 1, and FIG. 7A is a state in which the receiving member 3 is attached to the hand body 1. FIG. 7B is a perspective view of the receiving member 3, and FIG. 7C is a perspective view of the hand body.
In the fourth embodiment shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C, the receiving member 3 includes a shaft-like member 36 having a disk-like engaging portion 36a at the lower end, and the hand The main body 1 has a harpoon hole 1dh. The outer diameter of the disc-shaped engaging portion 36a is set to be smaller than the inner diameter of the large-diameter portion of the saddle hole 1dh, and the shaft-like member 36 having the disc-shaped engaging portion 36a has a large diameter of the saddle hole 1dh. After being inserted into the diameter part, it is moved to the small diameter part side. As shown in the cross-sectional view of the left shaft-shaped member 36 in FIG. 7B, the shaft-shaped member 36 is not a circular cross section, but has a substantially oval cross section in which two opposing flat surfaces 36S and 36S are formed. By moving the shaft-shaped member 36 from the large diameter portion of the saddle hole 1dh to the small diameter portion and fitting the opposing flat two surfaces 36S, 36S into the small diameter portion of the dart hole 1dh, the receiving member 3 is moved to the hand. Positioning and rotation prevention with respect to the main body 1 are performed. At this time, the disc-shaped engaging portion 36 a at the tip of the shaft-shaped member 36 is engaged with the flat surface of the recess 1 c formed on the lower surface of the hand body 1. Thereby, the receiving member 3 does not come out of the hand main body 1, and the receiving member 3 can be prevented from falling off. Note that when the recess 1 c is not formed on the lower surface of the hand body 1, the engaging portion 36 a engages with the lower surface of the hand body 1. Other configurations of the receiving member 3 and the hand main body 1 shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are the same as those of the receiving member 3 and the hand main body 1 shown in FIGS. .

FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C are views showing a fifth aspect of the receiving member 3 and the hand body 1, and FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the receiving member 3, and FIG. ) Is a perspective view of the hand main body 1, and FIG. 8C is a view taken in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 8B.
A fifth mode shown in FIGS. 8A, 8 </ b> B, and 8 </ b> C is a mode in which the direction of the dovetail groove is the longitudinal direction of the hand body 1. That is, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the trapezoidal cross-section engaging protrusion 33 of the receiving member 3 extends in the longitudinal direction of the receiving member 3, and the dovetail engaging groove of the hand main body 1 is formed. 1 g extends in the longitudinal direction of the hand body 1. One end of the engaging groove 1g is opened to communicate with the rectangular insertion hole 1sh, and the other end is closed to form a wall surface 1W. Therefore, the engagement protrusion 33 of the receiving member 3 is inserted into the engagement groove 1g from the insertion hole 1sh of the hand body 1, and the end surface 33e of the engagement protrusion 33 is brought into contact with the wall surface 1W of the engagement groove 1g. As a result, the receiving member 3 can be prevented from falling off the hand body 1.

  The receiving member 3 shown in FIGS. 2 to 8 and the gripping member 6 shown in FIG. 1 are made of plastic such as conductive PEEK or high-density polyethylene. As described above, since the substrate contact component is made conductive, it is possible to prevent contamination due to particle charging adhesion to the substrate.

  FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate while sequentially transferring the substrate to a plurality of processing units using a substrate transfer mechanism (transfer robot) equipped with the substrate transfer hand of the present invention. It is. The substrate transfer hand having the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 can be applied to all transfer robots used in the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 9, the substrate processing apparatus includes a substantially rectangular housing 101, and the inside of the housing 101 is divided into a load / unload unit 102, a polishing unit 103, and a cleaning unit 104 by partition walls 101a and 101b. Has been. The load / unload unit 102, the polishing unit 103, and the cleaning unit 104 are independently assembled and exhausted independently. The substrate processing apparatus also includes a control unit 105 that controls the substrate processing operation.

  The load / unload unit 102 includes two or more (four in this embodiment) front load units 120 on which wafer cassettes for stocking a large number of wafers (substrates) are placed. These front load portions 120 are arranged adjacent to the housing 101 and are arranged along the width direction (direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) of the substrate processing apparatus. The front load unit 120 can be equipped with an open cassette, a SMIF (Standard Manufacturing Interface) pod, or a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod). Here, SMIF and FOUP are sealed containers that can maintain an environment independent of the external space by accommodating a wafer cassette inside and covering with a partition wall.

  Further, a traveling mechanism 121 is laid along the front load unit 120 in the load / unload unit 102, and one transfer robot that can move along the arrangement direction of the wafer cassette on the traveling mechanism 121. A (loader) 122 is installed. The transfer robot 122 can access the wafer cassette mounted on the front load unit 120 by moving on the traveling mechanism 121. Each transfer robot 122 has two hands at the top and bottom, the upper hand is used when returning the processed wafer to the wafer cassette, and the lower hand is used when taking out the wafer before processing from the wafer cassette. The upper and lower hands can be used properly. Further, the lower hand of the transfer robot 122 is configured to be able to reverse the wafer by rotating around its axis.

  Since the load / unload unit 102 is an area where it is necessary to maintain the cleanest state, the pressure inside the load / unload unit 102 is higher than any of the outside of the substrate processing apparatus, the polishing unit 103, and the cleaning unit 104. Is always maintained. The polishing unit 103 is the most dirty region because slurry is used as the polishing liquid. Therefore, a negative pressure is formed inside the polishing unit 103, and the pressure is maintained lower than the internal pressure of the cleaning unit 104. The load / unload unit 102 is provided with a filter fan unit (not shown) having a clean air filter such as a HEPA filter, a ULPA filter, or a chemical filter. From the filter fan unit, particles, toxic vapors, Clean air from which toxic gases have been removed is constantly blowing out.

  The polishing unit 103 is a region where wafer polishing (planarization) is performed, and includes a first polishing unit 103A, a second polishing unit 103B, a third polishing unit 103C, and a fourth polishing unit 103D. The first polishing unit 103A, the second polishing unit 103B, the third polishing unit 103C, and the fourth polishing unit 103D are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the substrate processing apparatus as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the first polishing unit 103A includes a polishing table 130A to which a polishing pad 110 having a polishing surface is attached, and polishing while holding the wafer and pressing the wafer against the polishing pad 110 on the polishing table 130A. A top ring 131A, a polishing liquid supply nozzle 132A for supplying a polishing liquid or a dressing liquid (for example, pure water) to the polishing pad 110, and a dresser 133A for dressing the polishing surface of the polishing pad 110 , An atomizer 134A that sprays a mixed fluid of liquid (for example, pure water) and gas (for example, nitrogen gas) or a liquid (for example, pure water) in the form of a mist onto the polishing surface.

  Similarly, the second polishing unit 103B includes a polishing table 130B to which the polishing pad 110 is attached, a top ring 131B, a polishing liquid supply nozzle 132B, a dresser 133B, and an atomizer 134B. The third polishing unit 103C includes a polishing table 130C to which the polishing pad 110 is attached, a top ring 131C, a polishing liquid supply nozzle 132C, a dresser 133C, and an atomizer 134C. The fourth polishing unit 103D includes a polishing table 130D to which the polishing pad 110 is attached, a top ring 131D, a polishing liquid supply nozzle 132D, a dresser 133D, and an atomizer 134D.

  FIG. 10A is a plan view showing the cleaning unit 104, and FIG. 10B is a side view showing the cleaning unit 104. As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the cleaning unit 104 includes a first cleaning chamber 190, a first transfer chamber 191, a second cleaning chamber 192, a second transfer chamber 193, and a drying unit. It is partitioned into a chamber 194. In the first cleaning chamber 190, an upper primary cleaning module 201A and a lower primary cleaning module 201B arranged in the vertical direction are arranged. The upper primary cleaning module 201A is disposed above the lower primary cleaning module 201B. Similarly, in the second cleaning chamber 192, an upper secondary cleaning module 202A and a lower secondary cleaning module 202B arranged in the vertical direction are arranged. The upper secondary cleaning module 202A is disposed above the lower secondary cleaning module 202B. The primary and secondary cleaning modules 201A, 201B, 202A, and 202B are cleaning machines that clean a wafer using a cleaning liquid. Since these primary and secondary cleaning modules 201A, 201B, 202A, 202B are arranged along the vertical direction, there is an advantage that the footprint area is small.

  A temporary wafer placement table 203 is provided between the upper secondary cleaning module 202A and the lower secondary cleaning module 202B. In the drying chamber 194, an upper drying module 205A and a lower drying module 205B arranged in the vertical direction are arranged. The upper drying module 205A and the lower drying module 205B are isolated from each other. Filter fan units 207 and 207 for supplying clean air into the drying modules 205A and 205B are provided above the upper drying module 205A and the lower drying module 205B, respectively. The upper primary cleaning module 201A, the lower primary cleaning module 201B, the upper secondary cleaning module 202A, the lower secondary cleaning module 202B, the temporary placing table 203, the upper drying module 205A, and the lower drying module 205B are arranged on a frame (not shown). It is fixed via bolts.

  A first transfer robot 209 that can move up and down is arranged in the first transfer chamber 191, and a second transfer robot 210 that can move up and down is arranged in the second transfer chamber 193. The first transfer robot 209 and the second transfer robot 210 are movably supported by support shafts 211 and 212 extending in the vertical direction. The first transfer robot 209 and the second transfer robot 210 have a drive mechanism such as a motor inside thereof, and are movable up and down along the support shafts 211 and 212. Similar to the transfer robot 122, the first transfer robot 209 has two upper and lower hands. The first transfer robot 209 is disposed at a position where the lower hand can access the temporary table 180 as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. When the lower hand of the first transfer robot 209 accesses the temporary table 180, a shutter (not shown) provided in the partition wall 101b is opened.

  The first transfer robot 209 transfers the wafer W between the temporary placing table 180, the upper primary cleaning module 201A, the lower primary cleaning module 201B, the temporary placing table 203, the upper secondary cleaning module 202A, and the lower secondary cleaning module 202B. Operates to carry. The first transfer robot 209 uses the lower hand when transferring the wafer before cleaning (the wafer to which the slurry is attached), and uses the upper hand when transferring the cleaned wafer. The second transfer robot 210 operates to transfer the wafer W between the upper secondary cleaning module 202A, the lower secondary cleaning module 202B, the temporary placement table 203, the upper drying module 205A, and the lower drying module 205B. Since the second transfer robot 210 transfers only the cleaned wafer, it has only one hand. The transfer robot 122 shown in FIG. 9 takes out the wafer from the upper drying module 205A or the lower drying module 205B using the upper hand, and returns the wafer to the wafer cassette. When the upper hand of the transfer robot 122 accesses the drying modules 205A and 205B, a shutter (not shown) provided on the partition wall 101a is opened.

  Since the cleaning unit 104 includes two primary cleaning modules and two secondary cleaning modules, a plurality of cleaning lines for cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel can be configured. The “cleaning line” is a movement path when one wafer is cleaned by a plurality of cleaning modules inside the cleaning unit 104. For example, one wafer is transferred in the order of the first transfer robot 209, the upper primary cleaning module 201A, the first transfer robot 209, the upper secondary cleaning module 202A, the second transfer robot 210, and the upper drying module 205A (cleaning). In parallel with this, other wafers are transferred to the first transfer robot 209, the lower primary cleaning module 201B, the first transfer robot 209, the lower secondary cleaning module 202B, the second transfer robot 210, and It can be conveyed in the order of the lower drying module 205B (see the cleaning line 2). In this manner, a plurality of (typically two) wafers can be cleaned and dried almost simultaneously by two parallel cleaning lines.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described so far, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that the present invention may be implemented in various different forms within the scope of the technical idea.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hand main body 1a Notch 1g Engagement groove 2 Attachment part 3 Receiving member 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B Receiving member 5 Clamp mechanism 6 Holding member 31 Support part 32 Substrate outer periphery holding part 32S Circular surface 33 Engaging protrusion 35 Fixing pin 35a engaging part 36 shaft-like member 36a engaging part 101 housing 101a, 101b partition wall 102 load / unload part 103 polishing part 103A first polishing unit 103B second polishing unit 103C third polishing unit 103D fourth polishing unit 104 cleaning part 105 Control Unit 110 Polishing Pad 120 Front Load Unit 121 Traveling Mechanism 122 Transport Robot (Loader)
130A, 130B, 130C, 130D Polishing table 131 Support part 131A, 131B, 131C, 131D Top ring 132A, 132B, 132C, 132D Polishing liquid supply nozzle 133A, 133B, 133C, 133D Dresser 134A, 134B, 134C, 134D Atomizer 180 Place 190 First cleaning chamber 191 First transfer chamber 192 Second cleaning chamber 193 Second transfer chamber 194 Drying chamber 201A Upper primary cleaning module 201B Lower primary cleaning module 202A Upper secondary cleaning module 202B Lower secondary cleaning module 203 Temporary placing table 205A Upper drying module 205B Lower drying module 209 First transfer robot 210 Second transfer robot 211, 212 Support shaft 301 Receiving component 302 Holding component W Substrate

Claims (17)

A flat hand body, a plurality of receiving members provided on the hand body for holding an edge of the substrate, and a gripping member provided movably with respect to the hand body and gripping the edge of the substrate; In the substrate transfer hand configured to move the member by an actuator and fix the substrate sandwiched between the receiving member and the gripping member,
The receiving member is a portion that is mounted on the hand body and is a plate-like support portion, a portion that is supported by the support portion and that holds the outer periphery of the substrate, and a lower surface of the support portion And an engaging protrusion protruding downward from
The hand body includes an engagement groove having an opening formed at an end thereof,
The engagement protrusion is inserted into the engagement groove from the opening, and the engagement protrusion is engaged with the engagement groove to fix the receiving member on the hand body. Board transfer hand.   2. The substrate carrying hand according to claim 1, wherein the engaging protrusion is a protrusion having an inverted T-shaped cross section, and the engaging groove is a groove having an inverted T-shaped cross section.   2. The substrate carrying hand according to claim 1, wherein the engaging protrusion is a protrusion having a trapezoidal cross section, and the engaging groove is a dovetail groove.   4. The substrate carrying hand according to claim 1, wherein the engagement groove extends in a width direction of the hand body or extends in a longitudinal direction of the hand body. 5.   The said engaging protrusion and the said engaging groove are curved and formed along the circular arc centering on the center of a board | substrate when the board | substrate is hold | gripped by the board | substrate conveyance hand. The substrate carrying hand according to any one of 1 to 3.   6. The substrate transfer hand according to claim 1, wherein one end of the engagement groove is an opening and the other end is closed to be a wall surface.   2. The substrate transfer hand according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the substrate outer periphery holding portion that holds the substrate in contact with the outer periphery of the substrate is an arc surface along the outer periphery of the substrate.   The substrate carrying hand according to claim 1, wherein the support portion has an inclined surface that holds a lower surface of the substrate. A flat hand body, a plurality of receiving members provided on the hand body for holding an edge of the substrate, and a gripping member provided movably with respect to the hand body and gripping the edge of the substrate; In the substrate transfer hand configured to move the member by an actuator and fix the substrate sandwiched between the receiving member and the gripping member,
The receiving member is a portion that is mounted on the hand body and is a plate-like support portion, a portion that is supported by the support portion and that holds the outer periphery of the substrate, and a lower surface of the support portion And a plurality of fixing pins protruding downward from the
The hand body includes a plurality of through holes extending from the upper surface to the lower surface,
The plurality of fixing pins are inserted into the plurality of through-holes, and the receiving portion is engaged with an engaging portion at a front end portion of the plurality of fixing pins in a lower surface or a concave portion on the lower surface of the hand body. Is fixed on the hand main body.   10. The fixing pin according to claim 9, wherein the fixing pin is made of a resin material, and the engaging portion of the fixing pin can be deformed so that an outer diameter thereof is reduced when inserted into the through hole. Board transfer hand.   10. The substrate transfer hand according to claim 9, wherein a portion of the substrate outer periphery holding portion that holds the substrate in contact with the outer periphery of the substrate is an arc surface along the outer periphery of the substrate.   The substrate carrying hand according to claim 9, wherein the support portion has an inclined surface that holds a lower surface of the substrate. A hand main body, a receiving member provided on the hand main body for holding the edge of the substrate, and a gripping member movably provided on the hand main body for gripping the edge of the substrate, the gripping member being moved by an actuator In the substrate transfer hand configured to sandwich and fix the substrate between the receiving member and the gripping member,
The receiving member is a portion that is mounted on the hand body and is a plate-like support portion, a portion that is supported by the support portion and that holds the outer periphery of the substrate, and a lower surface of the support portion A shaft-shaped member provided to protrude downward from the shaft, and having a shaft portion and an engaging portion having a larger diameter than the shaft portion at the lower end of the shaft portion,
The hand body is provided with a saddle hole penetrating from the upper surface to the lower surface,
After the shaft-shaped member is inserted from the large-diameter portion of the darling hole, the shaft-shaped member is moved to the small-diameter portion side of the darning hole, and the engaging portion is engaged with a concave portion on the lower surface or the lower surface of the hand main body. A member for carrying a substrate, wherein a member is fixed on the hand body.   The shaft portion of the shaft-shaped member has two flat surfaces facing each other, and the shaft-shaped member is positioned by fitting the two flat surfaces to a small diameter portion of the boring hole. 13. The substrate transfer hand according to 13.   14. The substrate transfer hand according to claim 13, wherein a portion of the substrate outer periphery holding portion that holds the substrate in contact with the outer periphery of the substrate is an arc surface along the outer periphery of the substrate.   The substrate carrying hand according to claim 13, wherein the support portion has an inclined surface that holds a lower surface of the substrate. A substrate transport mechanism comprising the substrate transport hand according to any one of claims 1 to 16,
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a processing unit that processes the substrate transported by the substrate transport mechanism.

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