JP2020098809A - Wafer transfer apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a wafer transfer apparatus capable of efficiently ejecting a foreign matter rolled up by the movement of a transfer robot.SOLUTION: A wafer transfer apparatus 101 includes a transfer robot 102 that transfers a wafer 103, a housing structure 100 that forms an air-cleaning space and houses the transfer robot 102, and a foreign matter discharge mechanism 201 that operates due to the movement of the transfer robot 102 and discharges a foreign matter 110 to the outside of the housing structure 100. The foreign matter discharge mechanism 201 may include an opening 303 and a lid 302 arranged in the opening 303, and the lid 302 may operate due to a pressure difference generated by the movement of the transfer robot 102.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a wafer transfer device.

In the semiconductor field, there is a demand for suppressing the adhesion of foreign matter to wafers. Generally, a sample chamber of a wafer processing apparatus for semiconductor manufacturing, inspection, measurement, observation, etc. is maintained in a high vacuum. Therefore, the wafer is transferred from the storage container to the sample chamber via a wafer transfer device (a local cleaning transfer device or a mini-environment device; hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a “transfer device”) provided in parallel with the processing apparatus. A downflow of clean air from the upper fan filter unit is supplied to the internal space of the transfer device to increase the internal pressure, thereby suppressing the intrusion of foreign matter from the outside.

In Patent Document 1, by providing a traveling device of a transfer robot that moves in the transfer device on a side wall, an obstacle for downflow from a fan filter unit to an exhaust port is eliminated, and a cleaning effect by the downflow is obtained. There is disclosed a wafer transfer device having improved performance. In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which dust is discharged from an opening provided in a floor portion.

As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a transfer robot that transfers wafers is mounted in the internal space of the transfer device. The transfer robot takes out the wafer from the storage container and transfers it to the processing apparatus. When the processing in the processing apparatus is completed, the transfer robot takes out the wafer from the processing apparatus and stores it in the storage container.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a conventional carrier device 1000. FIG. 1A is a top view of the inside, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the inside. An air flow is generated by the movement of the transfer robot 102, and this winds up the foreign matter 110. The wound foreign matter 110 may adhere to the wafer 103.

Japanese Patent No. 4909919 JP, 2010-3867, A

The conventional technique has a problem in that the foreign matter wound up by the movement of the transfer robot cannot be efficiently discharged.

For example, the opening provided on the floor cannot be designed so large from the viewpoint of strength, etc., that foreign matter (such as dust) accumulates in the vicinity of the floor other than the opening, and the downflow of the fan filter unit may occur. In some cases, it cannot be completely discharged. Such foreign matter may be rolled up by the movement operation of the transfer robot during the wafer transfer operation and attached to the wafer.

In a wafer processing apparatus, the transfer apparatus is being processed at a high speed in order to process many wafers, and the transfer robot is moving at a high speed. Therefore, this problem may be more likely to occur.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wafer transfer apparatus that can efficiently eject foreign substances that are wound up by the movement of a transfer robot.

The wafer transfer device according to the present invention is
A transfer robot that transfers wafers,
A housing structure that forms an air-cleaning space and houses the transfer robot,
A foreign matter discharge mechanism that operates due to the movement of the transfer robot and discharges foreign matter to the outside of the housing structure,
Equipped with.

According to the wafer transfer apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently eject foreign substances that are wound up by the movement of the transfer robot.

It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of the conventional wafer conveyance apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of the wafer conveyance apparatus which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of the rolling foreign material discharge mechanism of FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the foreign matter discharging mechanism according to the operation of the transfer robot of FIG. 2. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of the wafer conveyance apparatus which concerns on Example 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of the rolling foreign material discharge mechanism which concerns on Example 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a schematic of the rolling up foreign material discharge mechanism which concerns on Example 4 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of the wafer transfer apparatus which concerns on Example 5 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of the wafer transfer apparatus which concerns on Example 6 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of the rolling up foreign material discharge mechanism which concerns on Example 7 of this invention.

A wafer transfer device (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “transfer device”) is mainly used in connection with semiconductor manufacturing, and introduces a wafer into a process device, a measurement device, an inspection device, or the like. Foreign particles are generated by the operation of the transfer robot that is housed in the transfer device.However, if the foreign particles adhere to the wafer, it may cause a malfunction.The generated foreign particles are discharged to the outside of the transfer device, and the inside of the transfer device is always clean. It is necessary to keep it every time. Therefore, an opening is provided on the floor surface of the transfer device, and the foreign matter in the transfer device is discharged to the outside by the downflow by the fan filter unit.

However, a part of the foreign matter is not discharged to the outside only by the downflow, but remains on the floor surface of the transfer device. There is a possibility that foreign matter on the floor surface of the transfer device will be rolled up by the movement operation of the transfer robot and adhere to the wafer.

In the present specification, the “foreign matter” means a rolled-up foreign matter, that is, a foreign matter that may be rolled up by an air flow. For example, it has a shape, size and weight that allows it to float in the air temporarily or for a long period of time in a carrier device.

[Example 1]
FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the wafer transfer apparatus 101 (transfer apparatus) according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 2A is a top view of the inside (a view from the side of the fan filter unit 104 described later), and FIG. 2B is a side view of the inside.

The carrier device 101 includes a housing structure 100. The housing structure 100 is formed, for example, as a box-shaped body, and forms a housing space therein. The accommodation space is an air-cleaning space. The transfer device 101 also includes a transfer robot 102. The transfer robot 102 transfers the wafer 103. The storage structure 100 can store the transfer robot 102.

Although the inside of the transfer device 101 is designed to maintain a clean environment, the foreign matter 110 may be generated due to various causes such as the operation of the transfer robot 102. The pattern formed on the semiconductor device is miniaturized, and if the foreign matter 110 adheres to the wafer 103, malfunctions such as disconnection and short circuit occur, and therefore the foreign matter 110 floating around the wafer 103 can be reduced as much as possible. preferable.

The transfer device 101 may include one or more wafer storage containers 107, and may include one or more storage container opening/closing devices (not particularly shown). The wafer storage container 107 is configured to store a plurality of wafers 103. The storage container opening/closing device is a processing mechanism of the wafer storage container 107 attached to the transfer device 101, and can open/close the wafer storage container 107 in a clean environment. The transfer robot 102 takes out the wafer 103 from the wafer storage container 107 via the storage container opening/closing device and transfers it to a designated position.

The carrier device 101 may include a fan filter unit 104 (FFU) that blows clean air into the carrier device 101. The transport device 101 may also include a controller 105 that controls the air volume of the fan filter unit 104. Further, an exhaust port 106 may be provided on the floor surface of the transfer device 101. The fan filter unit 104 that blows clean air is provided, for example, on the upper portion (for example, the ceiling) of the housing structure 100. The fan filter unit 104 introduces clean air into the housing structure 100, and the clean air is discharged from the housing structure 100 (for example, from the exhaust port 106 on the floor), thereby forming a downflow of air. .. Due to this down flow, the inside of the transfer device 101 is maintained at a positive pressure, and the transfer robot 102 transfers the wafer 103 in this clean environment. It should be noted that the exhaust port 106 on the floor cannot be designed so large in terms of strength and the like that all the foreign matters 110 are not exhausted from the exhaust port 106.

The foreign matter 110 generated in the transport device 101 stays on or near the floor surface. In particular, it may easily stay in the corner of the floor. The transfer device 101 may include a traveling shaft 109, in which case the transfer robot 102 can move along the traveling shaft 109. As a typical phenomenon in this case, the movement of the transfer robot 102 causes the foreign matter 110 to be driven toward both axial ends of the traveling shaft 109, and the displaced foreign matter 110 faces the axial opposite ends of the traveling shaft 109. It is wound up by the pressure fluctuation caused by the movement of the transfer robot 102 using the wall surface as a guide. The carrier device 101 includes a foreign matter discharge mechanism 201 for discharging the wound foreign matter 110.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of the foreign matter discharge mechanism 201 (rolled-up foreign matter discharge mechanism). One or more foreign matter discharging mechanisms 201 are provided on the wall surface of the housing structure 100, for example. A plurality of foreign matter discharging mechanisms 201 may be arranged on the wall surface in a matrix. For example, when the transport robot 102 travels along a predetermined traveling axis (for example, the traveling axis 109), one or more foreign matter discharging mechanisms 201 may be provided on the wall surfaces facing both ends of the traveling axis. it can. It is preferable that the foreign matter discharge mechanism 201 is provided at a position that can effectively prevent the foreign matter 110 from adhering to the wafer 103 due to being rolled up even at other positions.

The “travel axis” here means, for example, the travel axis 109 in FIG. 2, but is not limited to a physical axis, and may be a virtual axis representing a travel route. Further, the traveling axis is not limited to a straight line as a whole, and may include a curved portion or a bent portion.

As shown in FIG. 3, the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 includes an opening 303 and a lid 302 arranged in the opening 303. The opening 303 connects the inside and the outside of the housing structure 100. The lid 302 is configured to operate according to the atmospheric pressure difference generated by the movement of the transfer robot 102.

In the example of FIG. 3, the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 includes an armor window 301 (louver) that opens upward from the inside of the housing structure 100 toward the outside. Here, "upward" is not limited to strictly upward in the vertical direction, but may be an oblique direction including an upward component. In the example of FIG. 3, the armor window 301 is formed as a guide that extends outward and upward from the wall surface of the transport device 101.

The size of the armor window 301 can be appropriately designed, but is, for example, several cm (within the range of 1 cm to 10 cm). The "direction of the opening" can be defined appropriately by those skilled in the art, but may be, for example, the direction obtained by integrating or averaging the normal direction at each position in the opening region. The opening 303 is constituted by the armor window 301. More precisely, in the example of FIG. 3, the wall surface of the housing structure 100 and the armor window 301 form the opening 303.

The lid 302 is made of a material having a low specific gravity, for example. This material is, for example, impermeable to air or an object (foreign matter 110 or the like). The lid 302 is configured to be openable and closable. The lid 302 can be formed of, for example, a sheet-shaped material having one end fixed to a wall surface and the other end freely movable.

3A shows a state in which the lid 302 is closed, and FIG. 3B shows a state in which the lid 302 is open. In this embodiment, the lid 302 is configured to open and close according to the pressure difference between inside and outside. For example, when the atmospheric pressure inside the transport device 101 becomes higher than the external atmospheric pressure by a predetermined atmospheric pressure difference, an air flow from the inside to the outside is generated as shown in FIG. 3B, and the air flow opens the lid 302. After that, when the atmospheric pressure difference decreases (or the atmospheric pressure difference reverses), the lid 302 is closed by elastic force or its own weight as shown in FIG. As described above, in this embodiment, the lid 302 can operate without supplying power from the outside or inputting a control signal or the like.

The atmospheric pressure difference that is the threshold value for opening the lid 302 is designed to correspond to the change in the atmospheric pressure generated in the transfer device 101 by the movement of the transfer robot 102.

An example of the operation of the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 according to the operation of the transfer robot 102 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4A, the transfer robot 102 moves along the traveling shaft 109 and approaches a wall surface facing the end of the traveling shaft 109. As a result, the atmospheric pressure between the transfer robot 102 and the wall surface temporarily rises, and the lid 302 (see FIG. 3) of the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 is lifted by the pressure. When the lid 302 is opened, the foreign matter 110 rolled up from the lower portion of the transport device 101 with the wall surface as a guide is discharged to the outside of the transport device 101 through the opening 303. In this way, the turbulence of the airflow due to the winding up is quickly eliminated, and the internal space can be quickly returned to the rectified state due to the downflow.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the transfer robot 102 moves along the traveling shaft 109 and moves away from the end of the traveling shaft 109, the atmospheric pressure between the transfer robot 102 and the wall surface temporarily changes. To descend. As a result, the air pressure difference between the inside and outside of the transport device 101 cannot overcome the elasticity or the weight of the lid 302, and the lid 302 is closed. That is, the lid 302 can be said to act as a check valve. Therefore, unclean outside air is not taken into the carrier device 101, and the cleanliness inside the carrier device 101 can be maintained.

In this way, the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 operates based on the atmospheric pressure difference generated by the movement of the transfer robot 102. That is, the foreign matter discharge mechanism 201 operates due to the movement of the transport robot 102, and discharges the foreign matter 110 to the outside of the housing structure 100 (that is, to the outside of the transport device 101).

According to the above configuration, the foreign matter 110 remaining on the floor surface of the transfer apparatus 101 without being discharged to the outside of the apparatus by the downflow is discharged to the outside of the apparatus by being carried by the moving air of the transfer robot 102. Therefore, the adhesion to the wafer 103 can be avoided. Further, by discharging the foreign matter 110 from the transport device 101, the cleanliness inside the transport device 101 can be improved.

In the first embodiment, the lid 302 operates according to the atmospheric pressure difference generated by the movement of the transfer robot 102, so that it is not necessary to prepare a power source (power source or the like) for opening and closing, and the configuration is simple.

[Example 2]
The second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that an airflow guide is added. The differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of the carrying device 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The transport device 101 includes an airflow guide 501. The airflow guide 501 is a structure for guiding the airflow that flows upward inside the wall surface of the transport device 101 toward the outside. The airflow guide 501 is formed, for example, in the shape of an eaves, and is arranged above the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201. In the example of FIG. 5, the airflow guide 501 is formed as a guide that extends inward and downward from the inner surface of the wall of the transport device 101.

When such an airflow guide 501 is provided, the airflow passing through the path marked with X in FIG. 5B does not occur, so that the airflow containing the foreign matter 110 is efficiently generated as shown in FIG. 5A. It is discharged to the outside of the carrier device 101. In this way, the direction of the airflow going out of the apparatus via the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 is stabilized. Further, there is an effect of preventing the situation where the air currents that have been rolled up are transmitted to the upper side of the transport device 101 through the route marked with an X using the wall surface as a guide.

The airflow guide 501 can be formed as, for example, a flat plate. The airflow guide 501 may be provided below the wafer storage container 107 at a position separated by 100 mm or more from the lower end of the wafer storage container 107. In this way, the foreign matter 110 floating around the wafer storage container 107 can be reduced more reliably. The size of the airflow guide 501 may be the same as the armor window 301 or larger than the armor window 301 as shown in FIG. 5, but may be smaller than the armor window 301.

[Example 3]
The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the material of the lid 302 is changed to provide a breathable lid. The difference from the first embodiment will be described below.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 includes a material having a filter function (filter material). In the example of FIG. 6, the structure of the armor window 301 is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the filter material is provided on the lid 601. In the example of FIG. 6, the entire lid 601 is made of a filter material. This filter material allows air to pass through, but does not allow foreign matter 110 to pass through. Specific filter performance can be appropriately designed by those skilled in the art according to the size of the foreign matter 110 and the like.

In the present embodiment, the lid 601 does not function as a strict check valve, but even when the lid 601 is closed, the air outside the carrier device 101 is cleaned as shown by the double-dashed line arrow in FIG. Can be captured. Although the downflow of clean air from above by the fan filter unit 104 weakens as it goes to the lower side of the device, it assists in taking clean air to the lower part of the device through the filter of the lid 601 of the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 and maintaining a clean area. effective.

[Example 4]
In the fourth embodiment, the foreign matter discharge mechanism 201 in the first embodiment is controlled to be actively opened and closed. The differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic example of a foreign matter discharging mechanism according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The foreign matter discharging mechanism includes a driving mechanism 701, and the driving mechanism 701 controls and drives the entire foreign matter discharging mechanism. In the example of FIG. 7, the drive mechanism 701 controls opening/closing of the lid 302. In the first embodiment, the lid 302 was opened and closed passively due to the pressure difference, but in the seventh embodiment, the lid 302 is actively opened and closed by the drive mechanism 701.

Specific principles and mechanisms for driving the lid 302 can be appropriately designed by those skilled in the art. For example, if an actuator member that rotates by an electric motor is attached to the lid 302, the lid 302 can be opened and closed by bidirectionally driving the motor.

The drive mechanism 701 may be, for example, a control device of the transfer robot 102, or may be configured to be communicable with the control device. Accordingly, when the transfer robot 102 moves, the lid 302 can be opened and closed accordingly. For example, the drive mechanism 701 opens the lid 302 when the transport robot 102 starts moving toward the foreign matter discharging mechanism, or after the transport robot 102 starts moving toward the foreign matter discharging mechanism and before stopping. .. Then, the drive mechanism 701 closes the lid 302, for example, after the lid 302 is opened and before the transfer robot 102 is stopped, when the transfer robot 102 is stopped, or after the transfer robot 102 is stopped.

Alternatively, the drive mechanism 701 may include a mechanism (sensor or the like) for determining whether or not the transport robot 102 is moving, and the lid 302 may be opened/closed based on the determination result of the mechanism.

In such an embodiment as well, since the drive mechanism 701 controls according to the movement of the transfer robot 102, it can be said that the foreign matter discharge mechanism 201 operates due to the movement of the transfer robot 102.

In the fourth embodiment, the specific configuration of the foreign matter discharging mechanism (including the material and shape of the lid 302) may be changed as appropriate. Unlike the case where the lid 302 is additionally opened and closed by utilizing the roll-up caused by the movement of the transfer robot 102, the foreign matter 110 can be discharged even with a weaker roll-up air flow.

The drive mechanism 701 may be the controller 105 (see FIG. 2B) that controls the air volume of the fan filter unit 104, or may be configured to be communicable with the controller 105. In this way, more flexible airflow control combined with downflow control becomes possible. For example, the lid 302 can be opened and closed under more appropriate conditions, such as opening the lid 302 only when the cause of the roll-up, such as a large amount of roll-up occurring during the specific operation of the transfer robot 102, is known.

[Example 5]
The fifth embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that an additional fan is provided in the conveyance device 101. The additional fan is provided, for example, in the lower part of the transport device 101. The differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the configuration of the carrying device 101 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The transport device 101 includes one or more fans 801 separately from the fan filter unit 104.

FIG. 8A shows an example of a configuration in which the fan 801 is attached to the transfer robot 102. The fan 801 is attached, for example, on the traveling direction side of the transfer robot 102. In the example of FIG. 8A, the transport robot 102 travels in the left-right direction on the paper surface, and two fans 801 are attached to the lower left portion and the lower right portion of the transport robot 102, respectively. Further, the fan 801 is arranged so as to generate an air flow toward the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201. That is, the fan 801 is arranged so as to generate an airflow toward the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 when the transport robot 102 moves toward the certain foreign matter discharging mechanism 201.

The fan 801 operates to assist the discharge of the foreign matter 110 from the foreign matter discharge mechanism 201. The fan 801 may be controlled by the controller 105 (see FIG. 2B), may be controlled by the control device of the transfer robot 102, or may be controlled by another control device. For example, in the example of FIG. 8A, the transfer robot 102 moves along the traveling shaft 109 and approaches the wall surface facing the end of the traveling shaft 109. At this time, the fan 801 on the wall surface side operates to generate or enhance the air flow in the moving direction of the transfer robot 102.

The fan 801 operates at an appropriate timing according to the movement of the transfer robot 102. For example, when the transport robot 102 starts moving toward the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201, or after the transport robot 102 starts moving toward the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 and before stopping, the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 side The fan 801 operates. By such an operation, the atmospheric pressure between the transfer robot 102 and the wall surface further rises, and the lid 302 of the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 is easily lifted by the pressure. In this way, the rolled-up foreign matter 110 can be more reliably discharged. Then, for example, the fan 801 is stopped before the transfer robot 102 is stopped, when the transfer robot 102 is stopped, or after the transfer robot 102 is stopped.

Alternatively, the fan 801 may include a mechanism (sensor or the like) for determining whether or not the transport robot 102 is moving, and may operate based on the determination result of the mechanism.

In such an embodiment as well, since the fan 801 operates in accordance with the movement of the transfer robot 102, it can be said that the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 operates due to the movement of the transfer robot 102.

Unlike FIG. 8A, FIG. 8B illustrates an example of a structure in which the fan 801 is attached to the floor surface of the transport device 101. The fan 801 is provided at a position corresponding to the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201. In the example of FIG. 8B, it is arranged at a position separated from the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 by a predetermined distance (for example, several tens of cm, or a distance within the range of 10 cm to 100 cm). Further, the fan 801 is arranged so as to generate an airflow toward the corresponding foreign matter discharging mechanism 201, and in the example of FIG. 8B, generates an airflow directed obliquely upward. The control of the fan 801 can be performed in the same manner as in the case of FIG.

[Example 6]
The sixth embodiment differs from the fifth embodiment in that the direction of the fan 801 is changed and the operation timing is also changed in some cases. The difference from the fifth embodiment will be described below.

FIG. 9 shows an example of the configuration of the carrying device 101 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. The fan 801 is attached to the lower part of the transfer robot 102, for example. When the transfer robot 102 moves toward a certain foreign matter discharging mechanism 201, the fan 801 is directed toward an opening (for example, an exhaust port 106 formed on the floor surface of the conveying device 101) other than the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201. It is arranged in the direction of generating an air flow. For example, in the example of FIG. 9, the airflow is generated downward.

With such an arrangement, when the fan 801 operates, the foreign matter 110 that has not been discharged from the foreign matter discharge mechanism 201 can be forcibly discharged from another opening portion (for example, the exhaust port 106).

Further, the operation timing of the fan 801 may be changed. For example, the fan 801 may be operated when the transport robot 102 separates from the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201. When the transfer robot 102 moves in a direction away from the foreign matter discharge mechanism 201 (that is, from the end of the traveling shaft 109 in the example of FIG. 9), an air flow that flows into a portion where the atmospheric pressure is lowered is generated, and an air flow in a direction to follow the transfer robot 102 Occurs. There is a possibility that the foreign matter 110 may be wound up in this air flow, but even in such a case, when the fan 801 attached to the transfer robot 102 generates a downward air flow, the foreign matter 110 is forced out of the apparatus through the exhaust port 106. Can be discharged to. The operation timing of the fan 801 can be controlled by the controller 105 or the like as in the fifth embodiment.

In such an embodiment as well, since the fan 801 operates in accordance with the movement of the transfer robot 102, it can be said that the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 operates due to the movement of the transfer robot 102.

[Example 7]
The seventh embodiment changes the configuration of the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 in the first embodiment. The differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the configuration of the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. In the seventh embodiment, the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 includes the electrostatic attraction body 304. The electrostatic attraction body 304 is fixed to the lid 302, for example. In the example of FIG. 10, the electrostatic attraction body 304 is arranged on the inner surface of the lid 302. The electrostatic attraction body 304 can attract a floating object (for example, the foreign matter 110) by an electrostatic effect.

Immediately before the lid 302 of the foreign matter discharge mechanism 201 is closed, the foreign matter 110 discharged to the outside of the apparatus may return to the inside of the lid 302 (that is, to the inside of the transport apparatus 101). In order to prevent such foreign matter 110 from adhering to the wafer, the foreign matter 110 that is about to flow is positively attracted by the electrostatic attraction body 304. In this way, the cleanliness inside the transport device 101 is maintained. For example, in FIG. 10, the foreign matter 110 is prevented from returning to the inside of the transport device 101 by the path marked with an X.

Further, the electrostatic attraction body 304 may be capable of controlling the charging status, and may switch the charging status in accordance with the operation timing of the transfer robot 102. The control of the charging state may be performed by the controller 105 (see FIG. 2B), may be performed by the control device of the transfer robot 102, or may be performed by another control device.

A specific control example will be described. For example, the charging may be released when an airflow from the inside to the outside is generated via the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201. For example, the charge is released when the transport robot 102 starts moving toward the foreign matter discharge mechanism 201, or after the transport robot 102 starts moving toward the foreign matter discharge mechanism 201 and before stopping. As a result, the foreign matter 110 that has been adsorbed up to that point can be blown out of the transport apparatus 101 to perform regular cleaning.

After that, for example, before the transfer robot 102 is stopped, or when the transfer robot 102 is stopped, or after the transfer robot 102 is stopped, the electrostatic attraction body 304 is charged again to remove the foreign matter 110 that is about to flow. Adsorb.

Although the electrostatic attracting body 304 is used in the seventh embodiment, the attracting method can be arbitrarily changed as long as the attracting body can attract the foreign matter 110. For example, a sticky adsorbent may be used.

Although the first to seventh embodiments have been described above, the specific configuration of the transport device 101 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the specific configuration of the foreign matter discharging mechanism is not limited to the one described in each embodiment. Any configuration may be used as long as it operates due to the movement of the transfer robot 102 and discharges the foreign matter to the outside of the transfer device 101.

For example, the armor window 301 may be formed as a guide that extends inward and downward from the wall surface of the transport device 101. Even in this case, the opening is opened upward from the inside of the housing structure 100 to the outside. As another modification, the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 may not include the armor window 301. In that case, the foreign matter discharging mechanism 201 may be configured by an opening provided in the wall surface (for example, a through hole that simply penetrates the wall surface) and a lid that opens and closes the opening portion.

Further, in the example of FIG. 3, the lid 302 has the upper end fixed to the wall surface and the lower end freely movable, but may have the lower end fixed (for example, to the armor window 301) and the upper end freely movable. ..

The configurations of Examples 1 to 7 can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a lid provided with a filter material as shown in FIG. 6 and an adsorbent as shown in FIG. 10 may be driven by a drive mechanism as shown in FIG. Further, for example, the transfer robot may include all of the fan shown in FIG. 8A, the fan shown in FIG. 8B, and the fan shown in FIG.

100 accommodation structure, 101 transfer device (wafer transfer device), 102 transfer robot, 103 wafer, 104 fan filter unit, 105 controller, 106 exhaust port, 107 wafer storage container, 109 traveling axis, 110 foreign matter, 201 foreign matter discharge mechanism, 301 Armor window, 302, 601, lid, 303 opening, 304 electrostatic chuck, 501 airflow guide, 701 drive mechanism, 801 fan.

Claims (9)

A transfer robot that transfers wafers,
A housing structure that forms an air-cleaning space and houses the transfer robot,
A foreign matter discharge mechanism that operates due to the movement of the transfer robot and discharges foreign matter to the outside of the housing structure,
And a wafer transfer device. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 1,
The foreign matter discharging mechanism includes an opening and a lid arranged in the opening,
The lid operates according to a pressure difference generated by the movement of the transfer robot,
Wafer transfer device. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the foreign matter discharging mechanism includes an armor window that opens upward from the inside of the accommodation structure toward the outside. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wafer transfer apparatus includes an airflow guide for guiding an airflow upward flowing inside a wall surface of the wafer transfer apparatus toward an outer side. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the foreign matter discharging mechanism includes a filter material that allows air to pass through but does not allow the foreign matter to pass through. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the foreign matter discharge mechanism includes a drive mechanism that controls and drives the foreign matter discharge mechanism. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a fan that generates an airflow toward the foreign matter discharging mechanism when the transfer robot moves toward the foreign matter discharging mechanism. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 1,
An opening other than the foreign matter discharging mechanism,
A fan that generates an airflow toward the opening other than the foreign matter discharging mechanism when the transport robot moves toward the foreign matter discharging mechanism,
And a wafer transfer device. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the foreign matter discharging mechanism includes an adsorbent that adsorbs the foreign matter.

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