JP4000492B2 - Wafer transfer device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a wafer transfer device that transfers a wafer placed on a wafer transfer fork of a transfer robot.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As the speed and integration of semiconductor devices has increased, the manufacturing process has become more advanced, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment has shifted from a batch processing method for semiconductor wafers to a single wafer multi-chamber method for continuous processing. Yes.
As shown in FIG. 5, the multi-chamber semiconductor manufacturing apparatus has a transfer chamber 11 in which the transfer robot 10 is accommodated, and has processing chambers 12 and 13 on one side of the transfer chamber 11, and the other side. A cassette chamber 15 for storing the wafer cassette 14 is provided.
A wafer transfer fork 17 is attached to the arm 16 of the transfer robot 10. As shown in FIG. 6, the wafer transfer fork 17 is provided with a wafer support 19 having a mounting hole 18 for fixing to the arm 16 of the transfer robot 10 and having a bifurcated tip. Support pins 20 are attached to the wafer support portion 19. 21 is a wafer.
Next, the operation of the wafer transfer device will be described.
When the transfer robot 10 in the transfer chamber 11 is driven, the arm 16 of the transfer robot 10 extends to insert the wafer transfer fork 17 into the wafer cassette 14 in the cassette chamber 15. The wafers 21 in the wafer cassette 14 are stored in multiple stages on support shelves provided at equal intervals. When the wafer support portion 19 of the wafer transfer fork 17 inserted into the wafer cassette 14 reaches a position below the wafer 21, the movement of the wafer transfer fork 17 stops. Next, the wafer transfer fork 17 is moved upward, and the wafer 21 is placed on the support pins 20 of the wafer support portion 19 of the wafer transfer fork 17. The wafer transfer fork 17 on which the wafer 21 is placed is unloaded from the wafer cassette 14 and the arm 16 of the transfer robot 10 is rotated to load the wafer 21 into the processing chamber 12.
As described above, the wafer transfer fork 17 on which the wafers 21 on the support shelves provided at equal intervals are placed and carried in / out is the protruding height of the support pins 20 on the wafer transfer fork 17, the wafer transfer fork 17 and the wafer. The thickness of the wafer transfer fork is made thin due to the limitation of the gap between the wafer 21 and the like.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the arm 16 of the transfer robot 10 in the conventional wafer transfer apparatus expands and contracts and turns with minute vibration. When the arm 16 vibrates, the wafer transfer fork 17 attached to the arm 16 resonates with the arm 16 and the wafer transfer fork 17 vibrates greatly. For this reason, the wafer 21 on the wafer transfer fork 17 slides on the wafer transfer fork 17 due to vibration, and the position of the wafer 21 with respect to the wafer transfer fork 17 is greatly shifted. Therefore, when the wafer 21 is carried into the processing chamber 12, the wafer 21 comes into contact with the frame of the processing chamber 12 and the wafer 21 is damaged, or the wafer 21 falls from the wafer transfer fork 17.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to reduce the vibration of the wafer transfer fork 17 so that the wafer 21 on the wafer transfer fork 17 can be transferred without being displaced.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a wafer transfer device in which a wafer transfer fork is attached to an arm of a transfer robot, and a wafer is mounted on the wafer transfer fork and transferred. A wafer transfer fork having a wafer support portion that is connected to the base and has a bifurcated tip, and a groove for lowering the natural frequency provided in the width direction of the wafer transfer fork at the base of the wafer transfer fork. Is provided.
[0005]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 c E c conveying fork plan view of FIG. 2 shows a comparison example of a vibration of a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1, a wafer transfer fork and conventional wafer transfer fork in Figure 3 the invention FIG. The same components as those in FIG. 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.
In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a wafer transfer fork, which includes a base 2 having a mounting hole 3 for attaching the wafer transfer fork 1 to an arm 16 of a transfer robot 10 and a wafer support 4 for forming a wafer 21 on which a tip is bifurcated. It is provided. Reference numeral 5 denotes a support pin provided on the wafer support 4 of the wafer transfer fork 1, and reference numeral 6 denotes a groove provided on the base 2 of the wafer transfer fork 1. A plurality of the grooves 6 are provided in the width direction of the wafer transfer fork.
FIG. 3 shows a comparison of vibration between the wafer transfer fork according to the present invention and the conventional wafer transfer fork. That is, the horizontal axis indicates the motor rotation speed for driving the arm 16 of the transfer robot 10 and the vertical axis indicates the maximum vertical amplitude when the arm 16 of the transfer robot 10 is expanded and contracted. It can be seen that the amplitude value is smaller than the maximum amplitude value of the conventional wafer transfer fork.
As described above, the wafer transfer fork according to the present invention is provided with the groove 6 in the wafer transfer fork 1, so that the natural frequency of the wafer transfer fork 1 is lowered, and the vibration and resonance phenomenon of the arm 16 of the transfer robot 10 occurs. Not to reduce vibration. Accordingly, the vibration of the wafer transfer fork 17 is reduced, and the wafer 21 on the wafer transfer fork 17 is not displaced.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of a wafer transfer fork according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the groove 6 of the wafer transfer fork 1 is filled with a resin material 7 such as an epoxy system. Since the resin material 7 is excellent in vibration damping, when the groove 6 is filled with the resin material 7, the vibration generated in the wafer transfer fork 1 can be attenuated in a short time.
[0006]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the present invention has the following effects.
According to the invention described in claim 1, since the groove for reducing the natural frequency is provided in the width direction of the wafer transfer fork at the base of the wafer transfer fork, the natural frequency of the wafer transfer fork is reduced. However, the vibration and resonance phenomenon of the arm of the transfer robot does not occur and the vibration is reduced. Therefore, the vibration of the wafer transfer fork can be reduced, and the wafer can be transferred while preventing the positional deviation of the wafer on the wafer transfer fork.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the groove of the wafer transfer fork is filled with the resin material having vibration damping property, the vibration generated in the wafer transfer fork can be attenuated in a short time. .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a wafer transfer fork showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a comparative example of vibration between the wafer transfer fork according to the present invention and a conventional wafer transfer fork.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of a wafer transfer fork showing a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a configuration example of a conventional semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of a conventional wafer transfer fork.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 wafer transfer fork, 2 base, 3 mounting holes,
4 Wafer support, 5 Support pins, 6 Grooves, 7 Resin material

Claims (2)

In the wafer transfer apparatus for attaching the wafer transfer fork (1) to the arm (16) of the transfer robot (10) and placing and transferring the wafer (21) on the wafer transfer fork (1),
A wafer transfer fork (1) having a wafer support part (4) provided with a mounting hole (3) in a base part (2) to be attached to the arm (16), and being connected to the base part (2) and having a bifurcated tip.
A groove (6) for lowering the natural frequency provided in the width direction of the wafer transfer fork (1) in the base (2) of the wafer transfer fork (1);
A wafer transfer apparatus characterized by comprising: 2. The wafer transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the groove (6) of the wafer transfer fork (1) is filled with a resin material (7) having vibration damping properties.

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