JP4048074B2 - Processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that there is a risk of an accident that an operator is caught between a carrying mechanism for carrying a carrying container (carrier) for a wafer and a panel which is a part of a case body, for instance, in the case of releasing an interlock function at the time of maintenance or the like while a semiconductor manufacturing device such as heat treatment equipment is surrounded by the case body as a whole. <P>SOLUTION: The upper edge side of the panel is supported freely turnably around a shaft along the upper edge. When the panel is pressurized from the moving area side of the carrying mechanism, the panel is opened by being turned to the side opposite to the moving area. Also, an elevating/lowering part which is a part of the carrying mechanism including a guide rail for guiding a carrying arm, for instance, is divided into a base end provided on an elevating/lowering mechanism side, and the guide rail supported freely turnably around a horizontal shaft in a state that a turn to a lower side is blocked by the base end, and it is turned to the upper side when the guide rail is pressurized from the lower side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a processing apparatus that includes a transfer mechanism and performs processing by taking out an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer from a transfer container.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As one of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses, there is a heat treatment apparatus for performing heat treatment in batch on a large number of semiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as wafers). In this heat treatment apparatus, a carrier storing a plurality of wafers is loaded and unloaded by an automatic feeding robot or an operator, and the wafers in the carrier are transferred to a wafer boat as a substrate holder and transferred to a heat treatment furnace. And a loading area for carrying in and out.
[0003]
In such a heat treatment apparatus, the loading / unloading area on the atmosphere side and the loading area are separated from each other in order to make the loading area a cleaner atmosphere than the loading / unloading area and prevent the generation of a natural oxide film on the wafer. It is preferable that the loading area has an inert gas atmosphere filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen (N2) gas. In this case, in order to suppress particle contamination of the wafer, it is more preferable to apply a sealed carrier (also referred to as a closed carrier) in which the wafer outlet on the front surface of the carrier body is sealed with a lid.
[0004]
The present applicant has specifically studied a heat treatment apparatus using a hermetically sealed carrier, and an example thereof is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-358600 for which a patent application has already been filed. FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a part related to carrying-in of the carrier in the heat treatment apparatus disclosed in the application. Reference numeral 101 denotes a partition wall forming a front panel portion of the housing 100, and a loading table 102 for loading and unloading is provided on the front surface side of the partition wall 101. First, the carrier 2 is mounted on the mounting table 102 by an automatic transfer robot or operator (not shown) (a state), and then the mounting table 102 is moved to the partition wall 101 side by a lid opening / closing mechanism (not illustrated) provided on the partition wall 101. After the lid of the carrier 2 is opened and the wafer condition is confirmed, the lid of the carrier 2 is closed. Further, the mounting table 102 moves to the delivery position (b state) of the carrier transport mechanism 103 in the housing 100, and the carrier 2 is transferred to the carrier storage shelf 106 by the carrier transport mechanism 103. Thereafter, the carrier 2 is transferred from the carrier storage shelf 106 to the wafer transfer position (state c) by the carrier transfer mechanism 103, the lid of the carrier 2 is opened by a lid opening / closing mechanism (not shown), and the wafer in the carrier 2 is transferred to the wafer transfer mechanism. By 105, the wafer is transferred to a wafer boat (not shown).
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Here, the applicant advances the apparatus of FIG. 9 one step, places the mounting table 102 in a fixed state without providing a moving mechanism, and moves the upper portion of the carrier 2 placed on the mounting table 102 by an unillustrated automatic transfer robot or operator. The carrier is transported to the carrier storage shelf 106 by the carrier transport mechanism 103 and then transported to the wafer transfer position by the carrier transport mechanism 103. According to such a configuration, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to provide a moving mechanism in the mounting table 102 and the space is further reduced.
[0006]
In the apparatus of FIG. 9, since the carrier 2 placed on the mounting table 102 is taken into the apparatus and then transported by the carrier transport mechanism 103, maintenance such as position adjustment of the carrier 2 on the mounting table 102 is performed. When working, there is little danger to the worker. However, since the carrier transport mechanism 103 moves to above the carrier 2 placed on the mounting table 102, the operator can move the carrier transport mechanism 103 during the carrier 2 placement, the carrier 2 removal, and the maintenance work. Because it is located inside, there is a danger to workers.
[0007]
The present invention has been made under such a background, and an object thereof is to provide a processing apparatus capable of ensuring the safety of an operator.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention is located in a casing that surrounds the apparatus, and is provided with a carry-in area into which a transfer container that stores an object to be processed is carried in, and the transfer container is transferred between the carry-in area. A transport mechanism, an opening formed on the side surface of the housing facing the loading area, and for an operator to work on the inside of the housing from the outside, and a space above the loading area And the lower edge corresponds to the opening edge on the upper side of the opening and forms a part of the housing, and the object to be processed is taken out from the transport container in the housing In a processing device that performs processing,
A part of the body of the operator who has supported the one edge side other than the lower edge side of the panel part so as to be rotatable around an axis along the one edge and entered the housing from the outside via the opening. In order to avoid pressure on a part of the body when the panel portion is pressed from the inside of the housing, the panel portion is configured to rotate and open to the outside of the housing .
[0009]
Specific configuration example, for example, the transport mechanism is configured to move up and down. In the present invention, a portion other than the one edge side of the panel portion may be fixed to the casing, and a fixing means for releasing the fixing state by pressing from the moving region side of the transport mechanism may be provided. According to this invention, when a part of the body is sandwiched between the transport mechanism and the panel unit, the panel unit jumps up and opens, for example, so that the safety of the operator can be ensured.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a vertical heat treatment apparatus will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overview of a vertical heat treatment apparatus, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are a longitudinal side view and a schematic plan view showing the inside of the vertical heat treatment apparatus, respectively. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a housing that constitutes an exterior body of the apparatus. In this housing 1, a carrier 2 that is a transport container containing a substrate, for example, a wafer, to be processed is carried into and out of the apparatus. A loading / unloading area S1 to be carried out and a loading area S2 which is a processing area for carrying the wafer in the carrier 2 and loading it into a heat treatment furnace described later are formed. For convenience, in FIG. 1, the areas S <b> 1 and S <b> 2 are indicated outside the housing 1. The loading / unloading area S1 and the loading area S2 are separated by a partition wall 3. The loading / unloading area S1 is an air atmosphere, and the loading area S2 is an inert gas atmosphere, for example, a nitrogen (N2) gas atmosphere.
[0012]
The loading / unloading area S1 includes a first area 4 located on the near side when viewed from the front side of the apparatus and a second area 5 located on the back side. The first region 4 is provided with first mounting tables 41 and 42 arranged on the left and right sides for mounting the two carriers 2 respectively. The carrier 2 is a sealed carrier made of, for example, resin, in which a plurality of wafers W (for example, 300 mm in diameter) that are objects to be processed (see FIG. 1) are arranged and stored in a shelf shape, for example, 13 and closed by a lid. Used. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the carrier 2 is provided with a rectangular flange portion 21 on the upper surface through a gap with the upper surface, and this flange portion 21 is held and conveyed by a carrier conveyance mechanism described later. On the mounting surfaces of the first mounting tables 41, 42, pins 43 (see FIG. 1) that are positioning portions for positioning the carrier 2 by fitting into the recesses provided on the bottom of the carrier 2 are provided at, for example, three locations. Is provided.
[0013]
Further, on the front side of the housing 1, side plates 61 and 62 are vertically opposed to partition the left and right sides of the first region 4, and the upper side of the front edge portion of one side plate portion 61 is arranged. A front panel portion 6 that forms a part of the housing 1 is provided between the other side plate portion 62 and the upper portion of the front edge of the side plate portion 62 so as to extend substantially vertically. Therefore, a rectangular opening (front opening) 30 is formed on the front surface of the housing 1 so that the operator can transfer the carrier 2 to the first mounting bases 41 and 42 and perform maintenance. The front panel unit 6 is positioned on the opening 30. When the first region 4 is viewed from above, the side plate portions 61 and 62 and the front panel portion 6 form a U-shape, and the region surrounded by these moves along a ceiling portion (not shown) in the clean room. The automatic transfer robot that holds the carrier 2 forms a lifting region for transferring between the first mounting table 41 and 42.
[0014]
The front panel unit 6 and its surrounding parts will be described with reference to FIGS. The front edge top portions of the side plate portions 61 and 62 are configured as projecting portions 61a and 62a projecting forward, and the projecting portions 61a and 62a are arranged at one edge side of the front panel portion 6 by a rotating shaft 63 that extends substantially horizontally and horizontally. The upper edge side is supported rotatably. That is, in this example, the front panel portion 6 is supported so as to be rotatable around an axis (in this example, a horizontal axis) along the upper edge portion thereof. On the upper side of the rotating shaft 63, a gap G is provided between the front panel portion 6 and the front edge portions of the side plate portions 61 and 62 so that the front panel portion 6 can rotate.
[0015]
For example, a ball catch-type stopper 64 is provided on the lower edge side of the front panel portion 6 and the front edge portions of the side plate portions 61 and 62, which are fastening means for fastening them. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 5, the stopper 64 is formed on a ball 65 provided on the back surface side of the front panel portion 6 and a front edge portion of the side plate portions 61 and 62, and a recess 66 in which the ball 65 is received. And pressers 67, 68 that are biased by springs 67a, 68a, for example, from above and below the recess 66 to prevent the ball 65 from escaping. As described above, the front panel 6 is fixed to the side plates 61 and 62 by the ball catch type stopper 64. However, when the front panel 6 is pressed from the back side (inside) with, for example, about 15 kg, the pressers 67 and 68 are It spreads against the springs 67a and 68a, and the fastened state is released and jumps up.
[0016]
Returning to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the description of the apparatus will proceed. In the second area 5 in the carry-in / out area S <b> 1, the placement units are arranged in a row with respect to the first placement tables 41 and 42. Second mounting tables 51 and 52 are arranged. Pins 53 (see FIG. 1), which are positioning portions for positioning the carrier 2, are provided at three places on the mounting surfaces of the second mounting tables 51 and 52 as well as the first mounting tables 41 and 42. The mounting bases 51 and 52 are configured to be movable back and forth by a driving unit (not shown) between a position where the carrier 2 is placed by a carrier transport mechanism described later and a position where the carrier 2 comes into contact with the partition wall 3.
[0017]
On the other hand, a carrier storage unit 54 for storing the carrier 2 is provided on the upper side of the second region 5 (see FIG. 2). In this example, the carrier storage unit 54 is configured by two shelves. In the second region 5, a carrier transport mechanism 7 that transports the carrier 2 between the first mounting tables 41 and 42, the second mounting tables 51 and 52, and the carrier storage unit 54 is provided.
[0018]
The carrier transport mechanism 7 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. For example, the vertical rail 71 provided substantially vertically on the left end side of the second region 5 and the vertical rail 71 can be moved up and down along the vertical rail 71. And a moving part 72 that moves to the left and right while being guided by the guide rail 83, and an upper surface of the carrier 2 that is provided on the moving part 72. A transfer arm 73 which is a joint arm made up of two arms 73a and 73b for holding the flange 21 of the carrier 2 in the horizontal direction, and a flange portion on the lower side of the arm 73b. And a holding portion 74 that holds the head 21. The holding portion 74 holds the lower surface side of the flange portion 21 by a pair of L-shaped portions facing each other. For this reason, the holding portion 74 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the arm 73b so as to always face in the same direction. .
[0019]
The elevating unit 8 is provided so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis by a base end portion 81 that moves up and down while being guided by the vertical rail 71 by an elevating mechanism (not shown), and a horizontal rotating shaft 82 by the base end portion 81. The guide rail (guide member) 83 is included. The transfer arm 73 and the holding unit 74 are also part of the lifting unit 8. As shown in FIG. 6, the guide rail 83 is attached to the base end portion 81 in a state where the protrusion 83 a that protrudes horizontally from one end side of the guide rail 83 is inserted into the recess 81 a of the base end portion 81. As shown in FIG. 7, the front surface 81b of the recess 81a in the base end portion 81 and the lower surfaces 83b of the lower portion of the protrusion 83a in the guide rail 83 are brought into contact with each other. Thus, the contact of the guide rail 83 is prevented from rotating downward. In this embodiment, the base end portion 81 corresponds to the support portion described in the claims, and the guide rail 83 corresponds to the movable portion described in the claims. In FIG. 7, a portion indicated by a black circle with reference numeral 80 on the lower surface of the elevating unit 8 and the lower surface of the holding unit 74 is a sensor that detects contact, and is illustrated when the sensor 80 is turned on. The operation of the transport mechanism 7 is stopped via the control unit that does not.
[0020]
As an elevating mechanism for raising and lowering the base end portion 81, for example, a motor that is provided on the one end side of the vertical rail 71 is provided with a screw shaft that vertically penetrates the base end portion 81 and is screwed to the base end portion 81 Thus, a ball screw mechanism that rotates the screw shaft to raise and lower the proximal end portion 81 can be used.
[0021]
Returning to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, when the carrier 2 placed on the second mounting table 51 (52) comes into contact with the partition 3, the inside of the carrier 2 and the loading area S <b> 2 are included in the partition 3. The opening part 31 which connects is formed. A door 32 that opens and closes the opening 31 is provided on the loading area S2 side of the partition wall 3, and a lid opening and closing mechanism 33 that opens and closes the lid of the carrier 2 while the door 32 is closed. After the lid of the carrier 2 is opened, the door 32 is configured to be retracted, for example, to the upper side by a door opening / closing mechanism (not shown) together with the lid opening / closing mechanism 33 and the lid so as not to obstruct the transfer of the wafer W. .
[0022]
A vertical heat treatment furnace 91 which is a processing unit having a lower end opened as a furnace port is provided on the back side of the loading area S2, and a large number of wafers W are placed below the vertical heat treatment furnace 91. A wafer boat 92, which is a holder for holding in a shelf shape, is placed on the cap 94 via a heat insulating portion 93. The cap 94 is supported on the boat elevator 95, and the wafer boat 92 is carried into or out of the heat treatment furnace 91 by the boat elevator 95. A wafer transfer mechanism 96 is provided between the wafer boat 92 and the opening 31 of the partition wall 3. The wafer transfer mechanism 96 is configured by providing a plurality of, for example, five advanceable / retractable arms 99 on a movable body 98 that moves along a guide mechanism 97 that extends to the left and right and that can rotate about a vertical axis. And the carrier 2 on the second mounting tables 51 and 52 have a role of transporting the wafer W.
[0023]
Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. First, the carrier 2 is lowered through the space on the back side of the front panel 6 by an unillustrated automatic transfer robot that moves along the ceiling of the clean room, and is placed on the first placement table 41 (42). Subsequently, the carrier 2 is transported by the carrier transport mechanism 7 to the second mounting table 51 (52). When the carrier 2 is mounted on the second mounting table 51 (52), the second mounting table 51 (52) moves to the partition wall 3 side, and the edge of the take-out port of the carrier 2 is the opening of the partition wall 3. It abuts against the mouth edge of the portion 31 in an airtight manner. Thereafter, the lid of the carrier 2 is removed by the lid opening / closing mechanism 33, and then the door 32, the lid opening / closing mechanism 33 and the lid are lifted, for example, and retracted from the opening 31, and the inside of the carrier 2 and the loading area S2 are communicated. It becomes a state.
[0024]
Thereafter, the wafers W in the carrier 2 are sequentially taken out by the wafer transfer mechanism 96 and transferred to the wafer boat 92. When the wafer W in the carrier 2 is emptied, the lid of the carrier 2 is closed by the reverse operation to that described above, the second mounting table 51 (52) is retracted, the carrier 2 is separated from the partition wall 3, and the carrier transport mechanism 7 Is transported to the carrier storage unit 54 and temporarily stored. On the other hand, when a predetermined number of wafers W are mounted on the wafer boat 92, the wafers W are loaded into the heat treatment furnace 91 and subjected to heat treatment such as CVD, annealing, and oxidation. When the heat treatment is completed, the wafer W is returned into the carrier 2 by the reverse operation to that described above.
[0025]
At the time of maintenance, the operator puts the upper body into the housing 1 from the front opening 30 and checks the mounting tables 41, 42, 51, 52, confirms the operation of the carrier transport mechanism 7, etc. The carrier transport mechanism 7 is manually operated by a terminal or the like. During such work, for example, when the lifting unit 8 of the transport mechanism 7 rises due to an incorrect operation and a part of the operator's body is sandwiched between the front panel unit 6 and the guide rail 83, for example, The part presses the front panel part 6. As a result, the fastening state of the fastener 64 of the front panel unit 6 is released, the front panel unit 6 jumps up, and a part of the sandwiched body is released from the compression. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the operator is located within the moving region of the carrier transport mechanism 103 when the carrier 2 is placed, when the carrier 2 is taken out, or during maintenance work.
In addition, for example, even if the raising / lowering portion 8 of the carrier transport mechanism 7 is lowered due to an erroneous operation and a part of the operator's body is sandwiched between the guide rail 83 and the mounting table 41 (42) or the carrier 2, for example, Since the elevating part 8 is pressed from the lower side, the elevating part 8 rotates upward about the rotation shaft 82 as shown in FIG. Here, the guide rail 83 and the holding portion 74 are provided with the sensor 80. However, even when an operator is sandwiched in a portion where the sensor 80 is not disposed, the guide rail 83 and the holding portion 74 operate by detecting the contact of the sensor 80. Even if the interlock function for stopping the movement is released, the elevating part 8 jumps up in the same manner.
[0026]
As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, a part of the operator's body is between the elevating unit 8 and the front panel unit 6 of the carrier transport mechanism 7 or between the elevating unit 8 and a member on the lower side thereof. Even if it is sandwiched, the front panel 6 or the lifting / lowering unit 8 jumps up, so that a part of the sandwiched body is released before receiving strong pressure, so even if the worker is injured or temporarily injured That level is light enough to ensure the safety of the operator.
In the present invention, the transport mechanism that may cause an operator to be sandwiched between the panel unit is not limited to the carrier transport mechanism, and may be another transport mechanism such as a wafer transport mechanism. As a panel part which may pinch a person, the panel part of a side surface, a back surface, or an upper surface may be sufficient not only as a front panel part. The panel unit is not limited to rotating around a horizontal axis, and may be a structure in which, for example, the side panel unit is rotated around a vertical axis.
[0027]
Furthermore, the transfer mechanism for raising and lowering the lifting unit is not limited to the carrier transfer mechanism, and may be another transfer mechanism such as a wafer transfer mechanism. The present invention is not limited to a vertical heat treatment apparatus, and can be applied to a processing apparatus that performs a predetermined process on a substrate to be processed, such as a single wafer heat treatment apparatus, a resist coating and developing apparatus, and an ion implantation apparatus. .
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, when the panel unit is pressed from the moving region side of the transport mechanism, the panel unit is configured to rotate to the opposite side of the moving region to open the panel unit. Even when a part of the worker's body is sandwiched between them, the worker's safety can be secured. According to another invention, since the lifting mechanism of the transport mechanism is configured to rotate upward when pressed from below, it is likely that a part of the operator's body will be pressed by the lifting mechanism. Even so, the safety of workers can be ensured.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overview of a vertical heat treatment apparatus as an embodiment of a processing apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a vertical side view showing a schematic configuration of the inside of the vertical heat treatment apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a schematic configuration inside the vertical heat treatment apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a top view showing a front panel portion and its periphery of the vertical heat treatment apparatus.
FIG. 5 is a side view showing the front panel portion of the vertical heat treatment apparatus and its periphery, and a cross-sectional view showing a fastener for the front panel portion. .
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a carrier transport mechanism used in the vertical heat treatment apparatus.
FIG. 7 is a side view showing a carrier transport mechanism used in the vertical heat treatment apparatus.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a state in which an operator is located in a moving region of a carrier transport mechanism in the vertical heat treatment apparatus.
FIG. 9 is a schematic side view showing an example of the configuration of a vertical heat treatment apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
S1 Loading / unloading area S2 Loading area W Semiconductor wafer 1 Housing 2 Carrier 3 Bulkhead 31 Opening 32 Door 4 First area 41, 42 First mounting table 5 Second area 51, 52 Second mounting table 6 Front Panel portions 61, 62 Side plate 63 Rotating shaft 64 Stopper 7 Carrier transfer mechanism 71 Vertical rail 72 Moving portion 73 Transfer arm 74 Holding portion 8 Lifting portion 81 Base end portion 82 Rotating shaft 83 Guide rail 91 Heat treatment furnace 96 Wafer transfer mechanism

Claims (3)

A carry-in area that is located in a casing that surrounds the apparatus and into which a transfer container that stores an object to be processed is loaded; a transfer mechanism that is provided in the casing and that transfers the transfer container to and from the carry-in area; It is formed on the side surface of the housing so as to face the carry-in area, and faces an opening for an operator to work on the inside of the housing from the outside, and the space above the carry-in area, A lower edge corresponding to an opening edge on the upper side of the opening and a panel part forming a part of the housing , and processing is performed by removing the object to be processed from the transport container in the housing In the processing device,
A part of the body of the operator who has supported the one edge side other than the lower edge side of the panel part so as to be rotatable around an axis along the one edge and entered the housing from the outside via the opening. A process characterized in that, when the panel unit is pressed from the inside of the casing, the panel unit is rotated and opened to the outside of the casing in order to avoid compression of a part of the body. apparatus. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism is configured to be movable up and down.   3. A fixing means for fixing a portion other than the one edge side of the panel portion to the casing and releasing the fixing state by pressing from the inner side of the casing. The processing apparatus as described.

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