JP3917100B2 - Opening and closing mechanism for substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In this invention, a substrate which is a processing target requiring high cleanliness, such as a substrate of a semiconductor product, is housed inside, and the substrate is taken in and out of a clean box which is sealed with a lid and a main body to keep the inside highly clean. In a substrate processing apparatus to be executed, an opening / closing mechanism for opening / closing a lid of a SMIF type clean box that opens and closes the lid by moving the lid in the vertical direction when the substrate is taken in and out, and a load port portion of a clean box having the same About.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A process for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor product needs to be performed in an environment in which high cleanliness is guaranteed, and is generally performed in a clean room in which the entire room is maintained at high cleanliness. However, to keep the entire room, which occupies a large volume, at a high level of cleanliness, a large capital investment and maintenance costs are required.Once the capital investment is made, a large facility is required again when the room layout is changed due to a change in the manufacturing process. Investment is necessary and uneconomical. Therefore, in recent years, the entire room is kept highly clean by keeping the interior of the semiconductor substrate processing apparatus as a very small environment space (hereinafter referred to as a mini-environment section) without keeping the whole room highly clean. There is known a technique for obtaining the same effect as when the substrate is kept (hereinafter, such a substrate processing apparatus is called a clean apparatus).
That is, the substrate processing apparatus is laid out in a room where substrates are manufactured, and the substrate is transferred between the clean apparatuses in a substrate storage container (hereinafter referred to as a clean box) whose interior is kept at a high cleanliness. The clean box is connected to a predetermined loading / unloading port for the substrate provided in the substrate processing apparatus so that dust does not enter from the outside, and the substrate is transferred through the predetermined loading / unloading port. In other words, the environment to which the substrate is exposed can be kept highly clean without increasing the cleanliness of the room. As a result, it is possible to obtain the same effect as when the entire room is converted into a clean room, and it is possible to reduce the capital investment and maintenance costs and realize an efficient production process. In this specification, the term “substrate” is used to mean, for example, an exposure mask (reticle), a semiconductor wafer, and the like. Accordingly, the substrate processing apparatus is used to mean including a reticle processing apparatus and a semiconductor wafer processing apparatus.
[0003]
The clean apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a view showing an entire cross section of the clean apparatus 1. The clean apparatus 1 includes a processing chamber 60, a transfer chamber 50, and a load port unit 10.
The processing chamber 60 is a part that executes various substrate processes executed in the clean apparatus 1.
The transfer chamber 50 is a chamber having a sealed space that is shut off from the outside, and a robot arm 55 for transferring the substrate is disposed in the transfer chamber 50.
The load port unit 10 is a part on which the clean box 2 is placed in order to carry the substrate into the processing chamber 60 of the clean apparatus 1, and has a function of removing the lid 2 b from the main body 2 a of the clean box 2.
Inside the load port portion 10, a port door 3 that is kept substantially horizontal is disposed. The port door 3 moves up and down in the vertical direction (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the state of FIG. 9, the port door 3 is in a lowered state. The port door 3 is surrounded by a wall surface surrounding the port door 3 from four sides and a bottom portion positioned substantially parallel to the lower surface of the port door 3, and the wall surface and the bottom portion constitute a buffer chamber 6 inside the load port portion 10. To do. The upper side of the buffer chamber 6 is opened to form an access opening 5 that is almost the same size as the port door 3. Accordingly, when viewed from the access opening 5, the buffer chamber 6 has a predetermined depth. The size of the access opening 5 is substantially the same as or smaller than the area where the opening of the clean box 2 is enveloped, and the port door 3 is raised or lowered along the wall surface of the buffer chamber 6. When the clean box 2 is placed on the load port portion 10, the access opening 5 is covered with the main body 2a of the clean box 2 as shown in FIG. 9, and the buffer chamber of the load port portion 10 is removed even if the lid 2b is removed. The sealed state of 6 is maintained.
The buffer chamber 6 inside the load port unit 10 and the inside 50 a of the transfer chamber 50 communicate with each other through a transfer opening 51, and the inside 50 a of the transfer chamber 50 and the inside 60 a of the processing chamber 60 communicate with each other through a transfer opening 52. The interior of the load port unit 10, the interior 50a of the transfer chamber 50, and the interior of the processing chamber 60 are sealed and cut off from the external environment to form a mini-environment unit.
The transfer opening 51 is opened and closed by an open / close door 53 driven by an open / close gate valve 53a, while the transfer opening 52 is opened / closed by an open / close door 54 driven by an open / close gate valve 54a.
[0004]
Next, the load port unit 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the load port unit 10 in FIG. In FIG. 10, unlike FIG. 9, the port door 3 shows a raised state. FIG. 10 shows a state in which the lid 2 b is placed on the port door 3. In addition, the state shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 10 is the position of the port door 3 in the lowered state. Lifting means 4 is connected to the port door 3. The lifting / lowering means 4 includes a latch opening / closing shaft 4a, a frame 4b for holding the actuator in the latch opening / closing shaft, a lifting shaft 4c, and an electric actuator 7. The latch opening / closing shaft 4a is a bar-like member extending in the vertical direction, and its one end is joined to the lower surface which is the inner surface of the port door 3 and plays the role of directly transmitting the lifting / lowering operation of the lifting / lowering means 4 to the port door 3. . The end of the latch opening / closing shaft 4a opposite to the port door 3 is joined to the frame 4b, and the frame 4b is connected to the lifting shaft 4c. The elevating shaft 4 c is connected to the electric actuator 7, whereby the elevating operation of the port door 3 as an elevating means 4 is triggered. A through-hole through which the latch opening / closing shaft 4 a passes is arranged at the lower center of the buffer chamber 6. The through hole is substantially the same as or smaller than the size of the latch opening / closing shaft 4a.
A rotation shaft 33 that is rotatable around the center of the latch opening / closing shaft 4a is attached to the inside of the latch opening / closing shaft 4a. A rod-shaped latch pin 32 is disposed at the tip of the rotation shaft 33 so as to protrude in the vertical direction from the surface of the port door 3. The latch pin 32 is disposed at an arbitrary position on the circumference around the rotation axis of the rotation shaft 33. Note that the latch pin 32 is preferably a circular hole arranged on the circumference in a point object.
[0005]
The port door 3 has a rectangular flat plate shape substantially corresponding to the shape of the access opening 5. When the port door 3 is raised, the port door 3 is inserted into the access opening 5 and closes the access opening 5 as shown in FIG. Thus, the buffer chamber 6 is shielded from the outside and sealed. A positioning pin 3c, which is a protrusion protruding substantially vertically from the upper surface of the port door 3, is disposed on the upper surface side of the port door 3 corresponding to the outer surface side of the load port portion 10 in order to align the position of the lid 2b of the clean box 2. A hole corresponding to the positioning pin 3c is arranged in the lid 2b of the clean box 2. When the clean box 2 is placed on the load port portion 10 and the port door 3 is lifted and comes into contact with the lid 2b of the clean box 2, the positioning pin 3c is inserted into the hole and is positioned at the correct position of the port door 3. The lid 2b is positioned.
[0006]
Below the port door 3, a flange-shaped flange 3 a larger than the size of the access opening 5 is formed. A seal member 3b is fitted in the flange 3a. When the electric actuator 7 is driven to raise the latch opening / closing shaft 4 a and the port door 3 is fitted into the access opening 5, the flange 3 a comes into contact with the edge 5 a of the access opening 5 and the buffer chamber 6 is sealed. On the other hand, when the electric actuator 7 is driven to lower the latch opening / closing shaft 4a and lower the port door 3, the access opening 5 is largely opened.
A bellows 31 is attached to the outer periphery of at least the latch opening / closing shaft 4a inside the buffer chamber 6 from the lower surface of the port door 3 (see, for example, Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2). When the electric actuator 7 is driven and the latch opening / closing shaft 4a is raised, the port door 3 is separated from the bottom surface, so that the bellows 31 is extended. When the electric actuator 7 is driven and the latch opening / closing shaft 4a is lowered, the port door 3 is moved. The bellows 31 contracts to approach
[0007]
The main body 2a and the lid 2b of the clean box 2 are prevented from dropping off the lid 2b during transportation by a latch mechanism. FIG. 11 is a view showing a latch mechanism inside the lid 2b.
A conventional latch mechanism typically has the following structure. A circular rotating cam plate 21 is disposed at a substantially central position of the lid 2b so as to be rotatable. The rotary cam plate 21 is provided with a latch hole 21 a arranged at an arbitrary position on the circumference around the center of the rotary cam plate 21. In addition, it is preferable that the latch hole 21a is a circular hole arranged on the circumference in a point object. The latch hole 21 a is a hole that engages with the latch pin 32, is a hole having a shape capable of receiving the latch pin 32, and the position thereof is also arranged to correspond to the position of the latch pin 32.
Two cam grooves 23 that are point-symmetric with respect to the center of the rotating cam plate 21 are disposed outside the latch hole 21 a of the rotating cam plate 21. When one end of each of the cam grooves 23 is a start point 23a and the other end is an end point 23b, the distance between the start point 23a of the cam groove 23 and the center of the rotating cam plate 21 is the shortest. The distance from the center of 23 and the center of the rotating cam plate 21 is the longest. On the other hand, the lid 2b has a latch member 26 that is movable in parallel along the surface of the lid 2b. A driven pin 24 is disposed on the rotating cam plate 21 side of the latch member 26. The driven pin 24 is engaged with the cam groove 23. Further, the latch member 26 includes a tip portion protruding from the side surface of the lid 2a.
Now, the latch pin 32 disposed at the tip of the rotary shaft 33 in the latch opening / closing shaft 4 of the port door 3 on which the lid 2 b is placed is fitted into the latch hole 21 a, and the rotary cam plate 21 is rotated by rotating the rotary shaft 33. Is rotated, the driven pin 24 of the latch member 26 moves along the cam groove 23 from the start point 23a to the end point 23b of the cam groove 23b. Accordingly, the position of the driven pin 24 moves from the center of the rotating cam plate 21 toward the outside of the rotating cam plate 21. According to the moving distance, the tip 22a of the latch member 26 moves toward the outside of the lid 2b. The latch member 26a is set in the lid 2b when the driven pin 24 is positioned at the start point 23a, and is set so as to protrude from the lid 2b when the driven pin 24 is positioned at the end point 23b. On the other hand, since the latch hole 30 that engages with the latch member 26a is disposed at a position where the clean box 2 contacts the lid 2b of the main body 2a, the lid 2b is fixed to the clean box 2 by rotating the rotating cam plate 21. be able to.
On the upper surface of the port door 3, a latch pin 32 that is engaged with the cam groove 23 of the rotary cam plate 21 and is rotatable is disposed as an opening / closing mechanism. The latch pin 32 is coupled to a rotary shaft 33 disposed inside the latch opening / closing shaft 4a. The rotating shaft 33 is connected to a rotary actuator 34 that is a rotating means.
[0008]
Next, how the substrate 9 is exchanged among the load port unit 10, the transfer chamber 50, and the processing chamber 60 in the clean apparatus 1 will be described.
The clean box 2 is first placed and fixed on the load port as shown in FIG. At this time, the substrate 9 is placed on the lid 2b. When the electric actuator 7 is driven to raise the latch opening / closing shaft 4a, the port door 3 is raised while the bellows 31 is extended, and the latch pin 32 protruding from the upper surface of the port door 3 is inserted into the latch hole 21a. The port door 3 comes into contact with the lid 2b of the clean box 2. When the rotary actuator 34 is rotated at this stage, the rotary shaft 33 rotates, and the latch pin 32 correspondingly presses the edge of the latch hole 21a to rotate the rotary cam plate 21. When the rotating cam plate 21 rotates, the driven pin 24 rotates and the latch member 26 is accommodated in the door 2b. In this state, the lid 2b is unlocked from the main body 2a of the clean box 2.
Here, when the electric actuator 7 is driven to lower the latch opening / closing shaft 4a, the port door 3 is also lowered while the bellows 31 is contracted, and the lid 2b is accompanied by the lowering of the port door 3 by its own weight. Get away from. When the port door 3 is completely lowered, the lid 2b on which the substrate 9 is placed is located at the bottom of the buffer chamber 6. In this state, the transfer operation by the robot arm 55 becomes possible.
[0009]
The transfer opening 51 communicates with the buffer chamber 6 inside the load port section 10 and the inside 50 a of the transfer chamber 50 through the transfer opening 51, and the inside 50 a of the transfer chamber 50 and the inside 60 a of the processing chamber 60 communicate with each other through the transfer opening 52. is doing. The interior of the load port unit 10, the interior 50a of the transfer chamber 50, and the interior of the processing chamber 60 are sealed and cut off from the external environment to form a mini-environment unit.
Further, when the opening / closing gate valve 53a is driven to open the opening / closing door 53, the buffer chamber 6 inside the load port portion 10 and the inside 50a of the transfer chamber 50 communicate with each other. The robot arm 55 is operated to carry the substrate 9 out of the buffer chamber 6 inside the load port unit 10. Furthermore, the gate valve 54a for opening / closing is driven to open the opening / closing door 54 so that the inside 50a of the transfer chamber 50 and the inside 60a of the processing chamber 60 communicate with each other. The substrate 9 is carried from the transfer chamber 50 to the processing chamber 60 by operating the robot arm 55.
The related prior art document information relating to this is as follows.
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-203253 A
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent No. 2960540
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, the conventional clean apparatus 1 has the following problems.
Although the opening / closing mechanism disposed in the port door 3 of the load port unit 10 in the conventional clean device 1 releases the latch mechanism that is a fixing device for the lid 2b, it only holds the lid 2b itself, and the lid 2b is moved to the port door. 3 is not forcibly removed from the main body 2 a of the clean box 2 while being fixed to the main body 3. The natural weight of the clean box 2 is scheduled to be separated from the main body 2a.
Normally, the inside of the clean box 2 is filled with an inert gas, the internal pressure is almost atmospheric pressure, and the lid 2b itself including the substrate 9 has a weight that can naturally leave the clean box 2a due to gravity. It is because it has.
However, even in the case of processing of a substrate, particularly in the processing of a reticle, the entire clean apparatus 1 including the processing chamber 60 and the transfer chamber 50 is not only kept at a high cleanliness but also in a vacuum state, and further, the interior of the clean box 2 is further maintained. Also need to be evacuated. In such a case, the lid 2b may not separate from the main body 2a of the clean box 2 due to its own weight. In addition, the seal material disposed at the joint between the main body 2a and the lid 2b of the clean box 2 to maintain a vacuum has a sufficient sealing effect, and the adhesion between the seal member and the clean box 2 is improved. It is difficult for the lid 2b to come off from the box 2. This is particularly noticeable when the substrate 9 is not placed.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the present invention, a cam plate and a lid that protrudes from the lid by the cam plate or has a latch member that moves to be accommodated in the lid, the lid on which the substrate can be placed, and when the latch member projects from the lid, An opening / closing mechanism disposed in the substrate processing apparatus for taking out the substrate from a clean box having a main body coupled to the lid by a latch hole for receiving the tip of the latch member and processing the substrate by the substrate processing apparatus; The opening / closing mechanism includes a latch pin that is rotatable and engages with the cam plate, the lid further includes a non-circular receiving hole, and the opening / closing mechanism includes a protrusion that can be fitted into the receiving hole,
The above problem is solved by an opening / closing mechanism in which the protrusion and the receiving hole engage with each other so that the opening / closing mechanism is connected to the lid and the lid is removed from the clean box. In other words, this enables the port door to fix the lid, so that the lid can be positively separated from the main body of the clean box without being covered by the weight of the lid.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With reference to FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. 6, embodiment of the load port part 10 of the clean apparatus 1 of this invention is described. FIG. 1a is an enlarged view of the load port portion 10 of the present invention. The overall configuration of the load port unit 10 in the clean apparatus 1 is the same as the configuration described in the prior art in FIG. The clean apparatus 1 includes a processing chamber 60, a transfer chamber 50, and a load port unit 10. The load port unit 10 is a part on which the clean box 2 is placed in order to carry the substrate 9 into the semiconductor device. This is common in that it has a function of removing the lid 2b from the main body 2a. That is, the load port unit 10 is connected to the transfer chamber 50 through the transfer opening 51 as in the conventional clean apparatus 1, and the transfer opening 51 is partitioned by the open / close door 53. Inside the load port portion 10, a port door 3 that is kept substantially horizontal is disposed.
The load port portion 10 has a buffer chamber 6 surrounded by a wall surface surrounding the port door 3 from four sides and a bottom portion positioned substantially parallel to the lower surface of the port door 3. The buffer chamber 6 is conveniently distinguished as the interface space 6a on the upper surface side of the port door and the lower surface side of the port door 3 as the buffer chamber 6 for convenience.
The lower surface of the port door 3 is connected to a latch opening / closing shaft 4 a disposed below the port door 3. The latch opening / closing shaft 4 a is disposed so as to penetrate outward and downward from a hole disposed on the bottom surface of the buffer chamber 6. The latch opening / closing shaft 4a is connected to an electric actuator 7 as lifting means via a frame 4b. The frame 4b is connected to an electric actuator and moves the latch opening / closing shaft 4a up and down in the vertical direction. A rotation shaft 33 is disposed inside the latch opening / closing shaft 4a so as to penetrate therethrough. Unlike the conventional apparatus, the rotating shaft 33 not only rotates but also moves up and down. In order to perform the up / down and rotation operations, a rotary actuator 8a for rotating the rotary shaft 33 and a lift cylinder 8b for raising / lowering the rotary shaft 33 within the latch opening / closing shaft 4a are arranged inside the frame 4b. Has been. In the load port unit 10, a substrate detection sensor 77 is disposed so as to face the wall surface surrounding the port door 3 from four directions. The substrate detection sensor 77 includes an emitter 77a that emits infrared light from a small window disposed on each of opposing wall surfaces, and a detector 77b that receives the infrared light emitted from the emitter. FIG. 1b is a view of the load port unit 10 shown in FIG. 1a as viewed from above in the vertical direction, and shows the positional relationship between the emitter 77a and the detector 77b. The substrate detection sensor 77 is not limited to an infrared sensor. As shown in FIG. 1b, the emitter 77a and the detector 77b are disposed so as to traverse the optical axis until the light beam emitted from the emitter 77a reaches the detector 77b when the substrate 9 moves up and down. Yes. Therefore, if the optical axis is blocked at a position where the port door 3 is moved up and down and the substrate 9 is scheduled to cross the optical axis, the substrate 9 is placed on the lid 2b. .
[0013]
Subsequently, the following description will be made with a particular focus on differences between the load port unit 10 of the present invention and the conventional load port unit. There are mainly two features of the conventional clean device 1 of the load port unit 10 of the present invention.
The first feature is that a connecting means is provided as an opening / closing mechanism for connecting the port door 3 and the lid 2b of the clean box 2 to open / close the lid 2b. This feature makes it possible to forcibly remove the lid 2b from the main body 2a of the clean box 2 without depending on its own weight.
The second feature is that, conventionally, the bellows 31 is attached in the buffer chamber 6 between the lower surface of the port door 3 and the bottom of the buffer chamber 6, whereas in the present application, one end 31a of the bellows 31 is provided. Is connected to the bottom surface of the buffer chamber 6, and the other end 31 b of the bellows 31 is fixed to the elevating means 4 and attached to the outside of the buffer chamber 6. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the dust in the buffer chamber 6 can be reduced.
In the present specification, “coupled” means not only simply coupled, but also coupled so that the lid 2b is moved in association with the port door being moved up and down. Hereinafter, these will be described.
[0014]
(Connecting means)
The port door 3 includes the opening / closing mechanism of the present application. The opening / closing mechanism has a connecting means for connecting the lid 2b of the clean box 2 to each other. First, the clean box 2, in particular, the lid 2b of the clean box 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows the internal structure of the clean box lid 2b as viewed from above the clean box 2. FIG. A latch mechanism is attached to the lid 2 b of the clean box 2 in the same manner as the conventional rotating cam plate 21. The latch mechanism includes a substantially circular rotating cam plate 21 and a latch member 26 disposed in the center of the lid 2b. The rotating cam plate 21 is disposed at substantially the center of the lid 2b of the conventional clean box 2 so as to be rotatable around the center. At the center of the rotating cam plate 21, a latch hole 21 a disposed on the circumference with the center of the rotating cam plate 21 being concentric is formed.
[0015]
Two cam grooves 23 that are point-symmetric with respect to the center of the rotating cam plate 21 are disposed outside the latch hole 21 a of the rotating cam plate 21. When one end of each of the cam grooves 23 is a start point 23a and the other end is an end point 23b, the distance between the start point 23a of the cam groove 23 and the center of the rotating cam plate 21 is the shortest. The distance from the center of 23 and the center of the rotating cam plate 21 is the longest. The cam groove 23 has a smooth arc shape in which the distance from the center of the cam plate 21 gradually changes from the start point 23a to the end point 23b. On the other hand, the lid 2b has a latch member 26 which is movable along the surface of the lid 2b. A driven pin 24 is disposed at an end portion 26b of the latch member 26 on the rotating cam plate 21 side. The driven pin 24 is engaged with the cam groove 23. The latch member 26 includes a tip end portion 26a protruding from the side surface of the lid 2a. The latch member 26 is slidably held so as to pass through the guide hole between the guide member 28a and the guide member 28b each having a guide hole substantially equal to the sectional shape of the latch member 26. A spring 27 is fitted between the guide member 28a and the guide member 28b, and the latch member 26 is urged in a direction extending to the outside of the lid 2b. Note that the setting can be changed as required regardless of whether the direction of energization is the direction of extending outward or the direction of contracting inward. When the rotating cam plate 21 rotates, the cam groove 23 rotates accordingly, and the latch member 26 is housed inside the lid 2b or protrudes outward from the inside of the lid 2b. A latch hole 30 is arranged at a position corresponding to the front end portion 26a of the latch member 26 at the edge of the clean box 2 that contacts the lid 2b of the main body 2a. The latch member 26 protrudes so that the front end portion 26a protrudes from the lid 2b. When protruding toward the front, the front end 26 of the latch member 26 is received and engaged in the latch hole 30, and the lid 2 b is fixed to the clean box 2, while the latch member 26 is covered by the rotation of the rotating cam plate 21. In the state of being most retracted into the interior of 2b, the leading end portion 26a of the latch member 26 is housed in the lid 2b, and the lid 2b is not coupled to the clean box 2. The diameter of the latch hole 30 is sufficiently larger than the diameter of the latch member 26 received in the latch hole 30 so as to prevent dust generated by the friction between the latch hole 30 and the latch member 26. It has become. Even in this case, in the case of the vacuum of the clean box 2, the lid 2 b is not dropped from the main body 2 a of the clean box 2 because the lid is adsorbed so as to be attracted to the clean box 2.
[0016]
Since the lid 2b and the port door 3 of the present application are connected to each other, so to speak, the cover 2b includes a connecting means including a male side connecting means and a female side connecting means. There is no restriction on which of the male side coupling means and the female side coupling means is arranged on the lid 2b side. In the present embodiment, as a representative example, description will be made on the assumption that a female coupling means is arranged on the lid 2b and a male coupling means is arranged on the port door 3 side.
First, the female side connecting means on the lid 2b side will be described. A counterbore 42 and a receiving hole 41, which are female-side connecting means, are disposed in the center of the lid 2b. The receiving hole 41 is disposed so as to penetrate from the surface of the lid 2 b on the side in contact with the port door 3 to the bottom of the counterbore hole 42. The shape of the receiving hole 41 is typically non-circular. For example, it may be rectangular or oval. The size of the counterbore 42 is larger than the size of the receiving hole 41, and the seating surface of the counterbore 42 may be left as the seat portion 41 a of the receiving hole 41. Next, the connecting means on the port door 3 side will be described with reference to FIGS. 3a, 3b, 4a and 4b. That is, in this state, as described in the prior art, the latch opening / closing shaft 4a is raised and the port door 3 is in contact with the lid 2b. 3a and 4a are enlarged views of the rotating cam plate 21 in a state in which the port door 3 is in contact with the lid 2b, while FIGS. 3b and 4b are a 3b section and 4b of FIGS. 3a and 4a, respectively. A cross section is shown.
[0017]
Male-side coupling means is disposed at a position corresponding to the center of the rotating disk 21 at the end of the rotating shaft 33 on the lid 2b side. The protrusion 45 serving as the male side connecting means includes a base portion 45b having a cylindrical shape from the surface of the end portion of the rotating shaft 33, and a flange portion 45a disposed on the tip side of the base portion 45b. If the collar part 45a is larger than the cross-sectional shape of the root part 45b, the effect is exhibited. The shape of the flange 45a when the projection surface of the flange 45a is viewed from the lid 2b side in the direction of the surface of the port door 3 along the central axis of the rotary shaft 33 penetrates to the extent that it can be inserted into the receiving hole 41. It is a substantially similar shape that is slightly smaller than the hole 42. Further, when the collar portion 45a is further rotated, the shape of the collar portion 45a when viewed from that direction is shifted from the shape of the receiving hole 41 so that an overlapping region is formed. This overlapping region enables engagement with the seat portion 41a of the receiving hole 41 that is the seating surface of the counterbore 42. In the present embodiment, the receiving hole 41 is a substantially rectangular long hole, and the flange portion 45a has a substantially rectangular shape slightly smaller than that which can be inserted into the receiving hole 41. The rotary shaft 33 disposed inside the latch opening / closing shaft 4a can be lifted / lowered so as to slide along the central axis of the lifting / lowering shaft 3 inside the latch opening / closing shaft 4a. On the other hand, a latch pin 32 is arranged at the tip of the latch opening / closing shaft 4a so as to protrude from the port door 3 in the vertical direction. The latch pin 32 is point-symmetric with respect to the center of the rotating cam plate 21 at a position corresponding to the latch hole 21 a of the rotating cam plate 21 on the circumference of a concentric circle substantially centered on the center position of the rotating cam plate 21. It is arranged to become. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 3b, when the rotary shaft 33 rises inside the latch opening / closing shaft 4a, the flange 45a is inserted into the receiving hole 41 and the latch pin 32 is inserted into the latch hole 21a. At this stage, the shape of the flange 45a and the projection shape of the receiving hole 41 on the surface of the rotating cam plate 21 are substantially the same. Here, when the rotary shaft 33 is rotated, the projection shapes of the shape of the flange 45a and the shape of the receiving hole 41 on the surface of the rotating cam plate 21 are different as shown in FIG. There is an overlapping area. This overlapping region hits the seat 41a of the receiving hole 41, and the port door 3 and the lid 2b can be connected by this region contacting each other.
[0018]
Since the brittle substrate 9 is placed on the lid 2b, there is a possibility that the substrate 9 may be damaged if a large vibration is applied to the lid 2b. Therefore, the collar portion 45a and the seat portion 41a of the receiving hole 41 are not engaged when the rotary shaft 33 is rotated, and are rotated so that the shape of the collar portion 45a and the shape of the receiving hole 41 are applied to the rotating cam plate 21. If the projection shape is different and a region overlapping the projection surface is generated, then the rotating shaft 33 is lowered and brought into contact with the region, so that the influence on the substrate 9 can be reduced. Specifically, the height of the surface of the seat portion 41a of the receiving hole 41, which is the seat surface of the counterbore hole 42, and the surface of the flange portion 45a that can contact the seat portion 41a (the lower surface in the present embodiment) are set. As a backlash, a margin is left by a predetermined height (t). If the rotary shaft 33 is rotated when the predetermined height (t) is secured, and then the rotary shaft 33 is moved downward, the rotary shaft 33 is lowered by the predetermined height (t). At this stage, the seat 41a of the receiving hole 41, which is the seating surface of the counterbore 42, and the surface of the flange 45a that can come into contact with the seat 41a come into contact with each other to complete the connection.
[0019]
If the rotation shaft 33 is set to the same height as the surface of the lid 2b when it is raised most, the surface height of the surface 33a of the end of the rotation shaft 33 and the surface 3b of the port door 3 is the same. It becomes substantially the same and can come into contact with the surface of the lid 2b. By rotating the rotary shaft 33, the latch pin 32 is inserted into the latch hole 21a and rotated, whereby the latch member 26 moves relative to the lid 2b, and the lid 2b with respect to the main body 2a of the clean box 2 is moved. The opening and fixing of the port door 3 and the lid 2b can be performed simultaneously.
By combining the connecting means with the clean box 2 described in the prior art, the operation of fixing or releasing the lid 2b to the port door 3 and the operation of connecting the lid 2b to the port door 3 are performed simultaneously. An efficient process can be realized. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3a, 3b, 4a and 4b.
[0020]
In this case, an example in which the lid 2b fixed to the main body 2a of the clean box 2 is typically released from the main body 2a will be described. When the lid 2b fixed to the main body 2a of the clean box 2 is fixed to the main body 2b, the following procedure may be reversed. In the initial state, the port door 3 is positioned at the top, and the end surface of the latch opening / closing shaft 4a and the end surface of the port door 3 are in the same position. Here, the clean box 2 is placed on 10 parts of the load port. At this time, the clean box 2 is placed on the lid 2b such that the protrusion 45 is fitted into the latch pin 32 in the latch hole 21a. At this time, the protrusion 45 is inserted into the receiving hole 41 and the latch pin 32 is inserted into the latch hole 21a. In this state, as shown in FIG. 2, the latch member 26 protrudes from the lid 2 b and is received in the latch hole 30 disposed on the side surface of the clean box 2, and the lid 2 b is fixed to the clean box 2. Here, when the rotary shaft 33 is rotated, the latch pin 32 pushes the edge of the latch hole 21a and the rotary cam plate 21 rotates. As the rotating cam plate 21 rotates, the driven pin 24 moves along the cam groove 23. In accordance with the operation of the driven pin 24, the latch member 26a moves so as to be housed in the lid 2b and comes out of the latch hole 30 of the clean box 2. The flange 45a of the projection 45 also rotates according to the rotation of the rotary cam plate 21 by being pushed by the latch pin 32, and the center of the rotary shaft 33 is arranged so that the flange 45a can be engaged with the seat 41a of the receiving hole 41. The shape of the flange 45a when viewed from the direction of the surface of the port door 3 from the lid 2b side along the axis is a position where an area overlapping with the shape of the receiving hole 41 is formed, and preparation for connection is completed (unlocked) Called the ready state). Here, when the rotary shaft 33 is lowered by the height t as the backlash, the region where the shape of the flange 45a and the shape of the receiving hole 41 overlap and abut and engage with each other to connect the lid 2b and the port door 3. The clean box 3 is also fixed to the lid 2b (referred to as a hold-down ready state).
[0021]
(Bellows arrangement)
Next, the bellows 31 of the present application will be described with reference to FIGS. 1a, 5a and 5b.
One end 31a of the bellows 31 is connected to the bottom surface outside the buffer chamber 6 so as to be hermetically sealed, and the other end 31b of the bellows 31 is connected to the latch opening / closing shaft 4a and the frame 4b that are moved up and down by an electric actuator outside the buffer chamber 6. It is fixed so that it is sealed. As a result, the bellows 31 is always disposed outside the buffer chamber 6. With this arrangement, the bellows 31 is always buffered even when the port door 3 is lowered as shown in FIG. 5a or when the port door 3 is raised as shown in FIG. 5b. Even if the buffer chamber 6 is evacuated from the exhaust port 58 by performing expansion / contraction movement outside the chamber 6, the latch opening / closing shaft 4 a, which is inside the bellows 31 as well as the buffer chamber 6, is provided. The gap between the bellows 31 can also be kept in a vacuum. With this arrangement, the bellows 31 has conventionally generated dust in the buffer chamber 6, but with the arrangement of the present application, (i) from the gap 31c between the inside of the bellows 31 and the buffer chamber 6. It is possible to limit only the amount of dust flowing into the buffer chamber 6, and (ii) it is possible to avoid the fact that it normally falls below the bellows 31 and rises due to gravity.
[0022]
Next, the operation of the load port unit 1 in the clean device 1 of the present application will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 and FIGS. 8a to 8d.
First, the loading operation will be described with reference to FIG.
As an initial state, the port door 3 in the load port portion 10 is at the most elevated position of the load port. Here, a robot or a transport vehicle (both not shown) arranged outside the clean device 1 places the clean box 2 on the port door 3 of the load port unit 10 of the clean device 1. At that time, the latch pin 23 is fitted into the latch hole 21a, and the protrusion 45 is fitted into the receiving hole 41 (S601). Subsequently, the presence / absence of the clean box 2 is confirmed by the clean box presence / absence detection sensor on the port door 3 (S602). The interface space 6a is sucked and exhausted by a vacuum pump (S603). Note that the interface space 6a is theoretically the interface between the port door 3 and the lid 2b in the state in which the port door 3 is raised, actually, the port door 3 And a slight gap formed between the lid 2b. Subsequently, the interface pressure sensor 71 detects the vacuum pressure in the interface space 6a to confirm whether the pressure is a predetermined pressure. If the pressure does not reach the predetermined pressure, vacuuming is further performed by the vacuum pump 72 (S604), and the port space 3 and the lid 2b are adsorbed by evacuating the interface space 6a itself. Next, the vacuum pressure in the buffer chamber 6 is detected by the buffer chamber pressure sensor 74, and it is confirmed whether it is a predetermined pressure. If the pressure does not reach the predetermined pressure, vacuuming is further performed by the vacuum pump 72 (S605). The rotary actuator 8a is driven to rotate the rotary shaft 33. As a result, the unlock preparation completion state is set as described above (S606). This is the state shown in FIG.
Subsequently, when the rotary shaft 33 is lowered by the elevating cylinder 8b, the hold-down preparation state is set as described above (S607). The port door 3 is lowered by the driving means and is lowered until the lid 2b is separated from the main body 2a of the clean box 2 and reaches a predetermined position (S608). Here, the substrate detection sensor 77 of the buffer chamber 6 detects the presence or absence of the substrate 9 placed on the lid 2b (S609). The robot arm 55 in the transfer chamber 50 transfers the substrate 9 to the processing chamber 60 (S610). This is the state shown in FIG.
[0023]
First, the unloading operation will be described with reference to FIG. Basically, the reverse process of the loading operation is performed.
The robot arm 55 of the transfer chamber 50 places the processed substrate 9 from the processing chamber 60 at a predetermined position of the lid 2b on the port door 3 waiting in the buffer chamber 6 of the load port unit 10 (S701). The substrate detection sensor 77 confirms whether the substrate 9 is properly placed on the port door (S702). The vacuum pressure in the buffer chamber 6 is detected by the buffer chamber pressure sensor 74, and it is confirmed whether it is a predetermined pressure. If the pressure does not reach the predetermined pressure, the vacuum pump 72 is further evacuated (S703). It is confirmed whether the rotary actuator 8a is ready for unlocking and whether the elevating cylinder 8b is ready for hold-down (S704). The electric actuator 7 raises the port door 3 and closes the buffer chamber 6. In this state, the lid 2b closes the main body 2a of the clean box 2. Subsequently, when the rotary shaft 33 is raised by the elevating cylinder 8b, the engagement between the shape of the flange 45a and the receiving hole 41 is released. Here, when the rotary shaft 8 is rotated by driving the rotary actuator 8 a, the latch member 26 of the lid 2 b is inserted into the latch hole 30 by the rotation of the rotary cam plate 21. The collar portion 45a is ready to be removed from the receiving hole 41 (S705).
Subsequently, the interface space 6a in a vacuum state is filled and purged with high-purity nitrogen gas from the N2 cylinder 73 to return to atmospheric pressure, and this is confirmed by the interface space pressure sensor 71. (S706). The purpose of this process is to prevent the port door 3 and the lid 2b from being adsorbed when the interface space 6a is evacuated. A robot or a transport vehicle (both not shown) carries out the clean box 2 from the load port unit 10 of the clean device 1 (S707).
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention has the following effects.
By connecting the port door of the load port portion to the lid of the clean box, the clean box lid can be easily attached and detached while maintaining high cleanliness.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1a is a side view of a load port portion of a clean device of the present invention.
FIG. 1b is a view of the load port portion of the clean device of the present invention as viewed from above.
FIG. 2 is a view showing a lid of the clean box of the present invention.
FIG. 3a is a view showing a rotating cam plate of the lid of the clean box of the present invention.
3b is a diagram showing details of the positional relationship between the rotating cam plate of the lid of the clean box of the present invention and the port door of the load port portion, and is a diagram showing a 3b-3b cross section in FIG. 3a.
FIG. 4a is a view showing a rotating cam plate of the lid of the clean box of the present invention.
4b is a diagram showing details of the positional relationship between the rotating cam plate of the lid of the clean box of the present invention and the port door of the load port portion, and is a diagram showing a 4b-4b section in FIG. 3a.
FIG. 5a is a view showing a load port portion according to the present invention, in which a port door is lowered.
FIG. 5b is a view showing a load port portion according to the present invention, in which a port door is raised.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a loading operation in a load port unit of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an unloading operation in the load port portion of the present invention.
FIG. 8a is a view showing the positional relationship of port doors in the flow of loading and unloading operations in the load port portion of the present invention.
FIG. 8b is a diagram showing the positional relationship of the port doors in the flow of loading operation and unloading operation in the load port portion of the present invention.
FIG. 8c is a view showing the positional relationship of the port door in the flow of loading operation and unloading operation in the load port portion of the present invention.
FIG. 8d is a view showing the positional relationship of the port doors in the flow of loading operation and unloading operation in the load port portion of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a relationship between a conventional load port unit and a clean device according to the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a conventional load port unit.
FIG. 11 is a view showing an example of a lid of a conventional clean box.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Clean device
2 Clean box
3 Port door
4 Lifting means
7 Electric actuator
8a Rotary actuator
8b Lifting cylinder
32 Latch pin
33 Rotating shaft
45 protrusions

Claims (5)

In order to remove the lid of the SMIF type clean box having a main body and a lid on which the substrate is placed from the main body and process the substrate in the substrate processing apparatus, the substrate processing apparatus is disposed in the substrate processing apparatus. An opening / closing mechanism for detaching the lid located at the bottom of the clean box from the main body,
The lid of the clean box is provided with a cam plate and a latch member that extends from the lid by the rotation of the cam plate and is pulled into the lid. The main body of the clean box has the extended latch A latch hole is provided for accommodating the member and locking the lid;
The opening / closing mechanism includes a port door on which the lid of the clean box is placed, and an elevating means for elevating the port door, and the elevating means includes a rotating shaft having a latch pin for rotating the cam plate. The rotating shaft includes a protrusion that is received in a non-circular receiving hole provided in the lid and is engageable.
The protrusion of the rotating shaft is accommodated in the receiving hole of the lid, and the rotation of the rotating shaft causes the protrusion to engage with the receiving hole to connect the port door and the lid. When the door is lowered in the vertical direction, the lid of the clean box placed and connected to the port door is lowered in the vertical direction and detached from the main body, and the substrate placed on the lid is processed for processing. An opening / closing mechanism that is lowered to a predetermined height. 2. The opening / closing mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the protrusion includes a flange at a tip, and the protrusion is engaged with the seat of the receiving hole by the rotation of the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is movable in the vertical direction independently of the elevating means, and the protrusion includes a flange portion provided at a tip portion and a root portion having a smaller cross section than the flange portion, and the receiving portion. The rotating shaft is rotated in a state in which the surface forming the seat portion of the hole and the surface of the flange facing the hole are spaced apart, and the rotating shaft is lowered to lower the protrusion's flange and the receiving hole. The opening / closing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the opening is engaged with the seat. The operation of extending or retracting the latch member and simultaneously engaging or releasing the engagement of the flange of the protrusion with the seat portion of the receiving hole by the rotation of the rotating shaft. The opening / closing mechanism according to 2 or 3. The latch opening / closing shaft is driven in a vertical direction by an actuator of the lifting / lowering means to raise / lower the port door, and the rotating shaft is disposed inside the latch opening / closing shaft. Opening and closing mechanism according to crab.

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