JP5023970B2 - Ingot cutting device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ingot cutting device for cutting an ingot, particularly a silicon ingot pulled up by the Czochralski method (CZ method) or the like into blocks.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, semiconductor devices such as MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) transistors have been increased in diameter of wafers such as silicon used for manufacturing semiconductor devices in order to improve performance and reduce manufacturing costs. Therefore, silicon single crystal ingots produced by the CZ method (Czochralski Method: Czochralski method), FZ method (Floating Zone Method: floating melting zone method), etc. are also becoming larger in diameter, and continue to increase in weight. Yes.

  In order to reduce the cost of manufacturing wafer products from such ingots, labor-saving equipment, equipment for storing and transporting silicon single crystal ingots (ingot stocker equipment, etc.), automatic cylindrical grinding equipment for polishing the outer periphery to a specified diameter An automatic line that combines several devices such as an automatic ingot cutting device that cuts an ingot into blocks of a predetermined length and an automatic warehouse (stocker device) that transports and stores the cut and unloaded blocks has been constructed.

  In this line, the block cut from the cylindrical ingot by an automatic ingot cutting device (for example, an automatic inner peripheral blade cutting machine, an automatic band saw cutting machine) is transferred to a dedicated tray for conveyance, and the above-mentioned It is housed in an automatic warehouse (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  And when transferring the block from the cutting tray of the automatic ingot cutting device to the carrying tray, the short cut block is left as it is (so that the central axis of the cylindrical block is parallel to the horizontal direction). If placed, the center of gravity of the block on the transfer tray will be higher, so the block will fall, fall off or break on the transfer tray while the block is being transferred in an automatic transport vehicle, conveyor, crane in the automatic warehouse, etc. There was something to do.

  As a countermeasure for such a problem, a short block that may fall during transportation is generally placed vertically (the central axis of the cylindrical block is perpendicular to the horizontal direction) on the transportation tray. The center of gravity of the block is lowered to prevent it from falling or falling.

  To vertically place a block cut short as described above, an operator intervenes a block that has been conveyed in a horizontal position by a transfer tray from an automatic ingot cutting device, and a short block is manually placed from a horizontal position. It was transshipped to the vertical position. Another solution is to install an automatic block vertical installation device in the middle of the block transfer, so that the length of the block on the transfer tray is automatically measured by the device, and only short blocks are placed vertically. Has been made.

  However, the former requires the automatic line to be temporarily stopped by operator intervention during block conveyance, which is contrary to labor saving and productivity improvement, and in the latter, it is necessary to separately install equipment in the middle of the block conveyance line. Therefore, there is a problem that the cost increases and the space occupied by the facility increases and the automatic line system becomes complicated.

JP-A-10-273400

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and can prevent a short block from falling, dropping, or breaking on the transfer tray, and can be operated vertically by operator intervention during block transfer. In addition, an ingot cutting device that can save labor and improve productivity by avoiding an automatic line stop without providing a new automatic block vertical installation device, and can suppress the increase in cost and space occupied by new equipment is provided. The purpose is to do.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides at least a cutting unit that cuts an ingot placed on a cutting tray with a cutting means and divides the block into blocks, and for feeding the cutting tray from the cutting unit. In an ingot cutting apparatus comprising: a feeding / receiving unit having a table; a control unit that controls the operation of the sending / receiving unit; and a transfer unit that transfers the cut block from the cutting tray to a conveying tray.
The transfer unit includes at least an arm mechanism that sandwiches the block, and an inversion mechanism that inverts the block on the transfer tray,
The long block in which the block has reached a predetermined length is transferred to the transport tray by the arm mechanism,
The short block in which the block does not reach a predetermined length is placed on the inversion mechanism by the arm mechanism, and the block is brought down by the inversion mechanism and transferred to the transfer tray. An ingot cutting device is provided (claim 1).

  As described above, in the ingot cutting device of the present invention, the transfer unit has the block inversion mechanism, the long block is directly transferred from the arm mechanism to the transfer tray, and the short block is once inverted by the arm mechanism. Then, it is moved down by the inversion mechanism and transferred to the transfer tray.

  Thereby, when transferring a block to a conveyance tray within an ingot cutting device, a short block that may fall over during conveyance can be brought down and transferred to the conveyance tray. The blocks placed on the transport tray from the ingot cutting device are kept at a low center of gravity regardless of the length, and are stable. It is possible to prevent short blocks from falling over, dropping out, or being damaged.

  In addition, with the ingot cutting device of the present invention, when transferring to the transfer tray in the ingot cutting device, the short block is transferred from the cutting tray to the transfer tray by the inversion mechanism of the transfer unit. Therefore, when transporting blocks, it is not necessary to place a short block vertically. For example, the automatic line is stopped by the operator's intervention required to place the block vertically, or an automatic block vertically placed device is introduced separately. Therefore, the labor saving of the automatic line and the improvement of the productivity of the semiconductor wafer can be achieved, the cost is not so high, and the space for the new equipment is not required, and the complexity of the automatic line system can be suppressed.

  And in this invention, the said control part calculates the cutting position of the said ingot, calculates the said block length cut | disconnected using the information of this cutting position, and the said block length reaches predetermined length It is preferable to determine whether or not to transmit the determination to the arm mechanism and the inversion mechanism (claim 2).

  In this way, the control unit that controls the operation of the sending-in / out unit calculates the cutting position of the ingot, calculates the cut block length using the information on the cutting position, and the block length is set to a predetermined length. If it is determined whether or not it is reached and the determination is transmitted to the arm mechanism and the inversion mechanism, the cutting position information of the ingot can be used as information used for determining the block length. It is not necessary to add a new device for automatically measuring the length of the block on the tray, leading to cost reduction and improving the work efficiency of the transfer unit.

In this case, the determination of the control unit may be based on the predetermined length of 75 mm when the block diameter is 200 mm and the predetermined length of 130 mm when the block diameter is 300 mm. Preferred (claim 3).
Thus, in the case where the ingot to be cut is cylindrical, when the block diameter is 200 mm, the predetermined length of the block serving as the determination criterion is 75 mm, and when the block diameter is 300 mm, the predetermined block predetermined as the determination criterion is determined. If the control unit determines that the length is 130 mm, it is determined whether or not the block is to be transferred after being transferred based on this criterion, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the block from falling over during conveyance.

The cutting means may be an inner peripheral blade or a band saw.
Thus, if the cutting means is an inner peripheral blade or a band saw, the silicon ingot can be efficiently cut into blocks.

  If it is the ingot cutting device according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a short block from falling over, dropping off, or being damaged on the transport tray, and to perform a vertical placement operation or an automatic block vertical placement device by operator intervention during the block transportation. Without the need for new installations, it is possible to save labor and improve productivity by avoiding the stoppage of the automatic line, and to suppress the increase in cost and equipment occupancy space due to the newly installed equipment, thereby reducing the complexity of the automatic line system can do.

  As described above, in recent years, in order to reduce the cost of manufacturing wafer products from ingots, the labor saving of the equipment has been achieved. For example, automatic ingot cutting devices and automatic cylindrical grinding devices, transport devices that transport between these devices, and storage An automated line that combines several devices, such as automated warehouses, has been built.

  Conventionally, when a block cut out from an ingot by an ingot cutting device is transported to the next device such as an automatic warehouse, a block that has been cut short that may fall over is used for the purpose of preventing the tipping, dropping, or breaking. Measures have been taken such as installing an automatic block vertical installation device, such as inverting the block by the operator's hand in the middle of the transport line, or passing the long block through and the short block inverted.

  However, if an operator intervenes in the middle of a line that transports blocks between devices, the automatic line is temporarily stopped, so labor-saving and productivity is reduced, and when a new device such as an automatic block vertical placement device is introduced, In addition to the cost, there are problems such as an increase in additional space for equipment and a complicated automatic line system.

In order to solve such problems, the present inventors have conducted extensive research. In order to transport the cut block in a tilted state so as not to hinder labor saving and productivity improvement in the automatic line system, the block is transferred from the cutting tray at the transfer section in the ingot cutting device. The present inventors have completed the present invention by conceiving that when transferring to a tray, it is only necessary to drop and transfer blocks that may fall over in advance.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 1 and the like, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The ingot cutting device 10 of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 has the following configuration.
First, the ingot cutting device 10 includes at least a cutting unit 11, a sending / receiving unit 12, a control unit 13, and a transfer unit 14.

  The cutting unit 11 includes a cutting unit 16 and a cutting unit moving mechanism 17 that moves the cutting unit 16 up and down. As a result, the ingot 1 placed on the cutting tray 15 (with the growth axis direction horizontal) is cut by the cutting means 16, and the block 1 a is cut out from the ingot 1. The cutting tray 15 is formed with a V-shaped recess 15a for stabilizing the cylindrical ingot 1 and a recess 15b into which the cutting edge of the cutting means 16 enters in order to completely cut the ingot 1. Examples of the cutting means 16 include an inner peripheral blade (not shown) and a band saw. When the cutting area of the ingot 1 is large (especially when the ingot 1 is cylindrical), the cutting means 16 is preferably a band saw in order to suppress an increase in the size of the cutting portion 11. The cutting means 16 described in FIGS. 2 and 3 represents a band saw.

  The sending / receiving unit 12 that connects the cutting unit 11 and the transfer unit 14 has a table 18 for sending and receiving the cutting tray 15. The table 18 is formed with rails, conveyors, and the like for reciprocating the cutting tray 15 in the order of transfer section → cut section → transfer section.

  Further, the horizontal movement of the cutting tray 15 by the table 18 of the sending-in part 12 is controlled by the control part 13. The control unit 13 may be, for example, a computer or the like, and may control the automatic line system generally by an automatic calculation function or a program transmission function, but at least controls the operation of the sending / receiving unit 12. I just need it.

  The cutting tray 15 sent out from the cutting unit 11 by the sending-in / out unit 12 controlled by the control unit 13 moves to the transfer unit 14. The transfer unit 14 includes at least an arm mechanism 19 that sandwiches the ingot 1 and the block 1 a and an inversion mechanism 20 that inverts the block 1 a onto the transport tray 2.

  The arm mechanism 19 includes a clamping unit 19d that directly sandwiches the ingot 1, a vertical movement unit 19a that moves the ingot up and down, a horizontal movement unit 19b that moves horizontally, and a rotation unit 19c that rotates horizontally. The clamping means 19d is formed with a V-shaped recess so that the side surface of the columnar ingot 1 or the columnar block 1a can be clamped without slipping. May be attached.

  The inversion mechanism 20 includes a bar 20a and a hand 20b. The bar 20a supports the hand 20b and moves up and down. The hand 20b is L-shaped so that a short cut block can be accommodated, and the L-shaped side wall is formed in a fork shape that just fits into the recess of the transport tray 2 as shown in FIG. Is. For example, the L-shaped side wall only needs to have a height of about 150 to 200 mm, and the L-shaped bottom only needs to have a depth of about 100 mm. The hand 20b formed in such a shape can be rotated so as to collapse about 90 degrees.

  Further, the control unit 13 calculates the cutting position of the ingot 1, calculates the block length cut using the information on the cutting position, and determines whether or not the block length has reached a predetermined length. It is preferable to make a determination and transmit the determination result to the arm mechanism 19 and the inversion mechanism 20.

  In this way, the control unit that controls the operation of the sending-in / out unit calculates the cutting position of the ingot, calculates the cut block length using the information on the cutting position, and the block length is set to a predetermined length. If it is determined whether or not it is reached and the determination is transmitted to the arm mechanism and the inversion mechanism, the cutting position information of the ingot can be used as information used for determining the block length. It is not necessary to add a new device for automatically measuring the length of the block on the tray, leading to cost reduction and improving the work efficiency of the transfer unit.

  Further, when the cylindrical ingot is cut, when the block diameter is 200 mm, the control unit 13 determines that the predetermined length is 75 mm, and when the block diameter is 300 mm, the predetermined length is 130 mm. It is preferable that it is a thing.

  When the ingot to be cut is cylindrical, when the block diameter is 200 mm, the predetermined length of the block serving as a determination reference is 75 mm, and when the block diameter is 300 mm, the predetermined length of the block serving as a determination reference is 130 mm. If it is determined by the control unit as described above, it is determined whether or not the block is to be transferred and transferred based on this criterion, so that it is possible to surely prevent the block from being overturned during block conveyance.

  Further, the ingot receiving device 3 in which the ingot 1 before being placed on the cutting tray 15 is placed adjacent to the transfer portion 14 of the ingot cutting device 10 and the block after cutting are transferred by the transport tray 2. A conveying device 4 for conveying is arranged as a part of the automatic line system.

The detailed operation of the ingot cutting device 10 of the present invention will be described below together with the flow of the ingot and the block with reference to the drawings.
First, the arm mechanism 19 of the transfer unit 14 is moved above the ingot receiving device 3 by the horizontal moving means 19b. And the clamping means 19d descend | falls to the cylindrical ingot 1 by the vertical movement means 19a, and the ingot 1 is clamped.
The arm mechanism 19 sandwiching the ingot 1 is transferred onto the cutting tray 15 kept on the table 18 of the sending-in portion 12 with the crystal growth axis direction being horizontal (see FIG. 2).
At this time, the position where the ingot 1 is transferred to the cutting tray 15 is placed so that the cutting position of the ingot just overlaps the recess 15 b formed in the cutting tray 15.

  Next, the cutting tray 15 on which the ingot 1 is placed is sent to the cutting unit 11 by the table 18. At this time, the operation of the sending-in part 12 is controlled by the control unit 13 so that the recess 15b of the cutting tray is just below the blade of the cutting means 16 at the stop position of the cutting tray 15.

In the cutting part 11, the band saw 16 is lowered by the cutting means moving mechanism 17, the ingot 1 is cut at a desired cutting position, and the block 1 a is cut out from the ingot 1.
The band saw 16 is raised, and the ingot 1 and the block 1 a that have been cut are sent out from the cutting unit 11 by the sending-in unit 12 while being placed on the cutting tray 15 and returned to the transfer unit 14.

The block returned to the transfer unit 14 is transferred to the transfer tray 2 by the arm mechanism 19. At this time, the transfer flow branches between the block 1b cut long and the block 1c cut short.
In the present invention, “long” means a case where the control unit is longer than a predetermined length used as a determination criterion, and conversely, “short” means a predetermined length used as a determination criterion by the control unit. It means a short case.

The block length is determined by calculating the length of the block that has been cut from the cutting position information input in advance to the control unit 13. For example, when the block diameter is 200 mm, the block is shorter than 75 mm. Are determined to be “short”, and blocks longer than that are determined to be “long”.
On the other hand, for example, when the block diameter is 300 mm, a block having a length shorter than 130 mm is determined as “short”, and a block having a longer length is determined as “long”.
This determination result is transmitted to the arm mechanism 19 and the inversion mechanism 20.

  When the control unit 13 determines that it is “long”, as shown in FIG. 4, the inversion mechanism 20 moves (for example, descends) to a position that does not interfere with the transfer (may move left and right). (FIG. 4A), the arm mechanism 19 transfers the long block 1b to the transport tray 2 in a posture (the crystal growth axis direction is horizontal) that has been placed on the cutting tray 15 (see FIG. 4). 4 (b)).

When the control unit 13 determines that it is “short”, as shown in FIG. 5, the inversion mechanism 20 moves up to the height of the cutting tray 15 while the hand 20 b maintains the L-shaped posture, and the arm mechanism 19. The clamping means 19d clamps the short block 1c (see FIG. 5A).
Next, the rotating unit 19c that rotates the clamping unit 19d horizontally rotates the block 1c by 90 degrees while keeping the crystal growth axis direction horizontal, and is placed on the hand 20b portion of the inversion mechanism 20 (FIG. 5B). )reference).

  Then, the hand 20b on which the short block is vertically placed rotates so as to fall about 90 degrees, so that the short block 1c is placed on the transport tray 2 that is kept ahead of the tip of the fall mechanism 20 (FIG. 5). (See (c)). Since the concave portion is formed in the transport tray 2 and the L-shaped side wall of the hand 20b has a fork shape, even if the inversion mechanism 20 falls down, it does not interfere with the transport tray 2 (see FIG. 6).

Next, when the transport tray 2 is moved to the right in FIG. 5C by the transport device 4, the inversion mechanism 20 comes out of the transport tray 2, and the short block 1c has a low center of gravity. It is conveyed from the ingot cutting device 10 to the next device.
By repeating the above flow, the control unit 13 determines the long block 1b and the short block 1c continuously, and can exit the ingot cutting device with a stable posture of the center of gravity.

  Thus, the ingot cutting device 10 of the present invention is provided with the short block inversion mechanism 20 in the transfer portion 14 so that the long block 1b is transferred from the cutting tray 15 to the transport tray 2 as it is. The transferred short block 1c is transferred from the cutting tray 15 via the inversion mechanism 20 to the transport tray 2 in a tilted state.

  As described in detail above, since the ingot cutting device 10 of the present invention includes the short block inversion mechanism 20 in the transfer portion 14, a short block that may fall over is placed in the ingot cutting device 10. It can be moved down and transferred to the transfer tray 2. And since the block which comes out on the conveyance tray from the ingot cutting device 10 is cut | disconnected by what length, the gravity center is kept low, and since it is mounted with the stable posture It is possible to prevent the block from falling over, dropping off, or being damaged on the transfer tray.

  In addition, when transferring to the transfer tray in the ingot cutting apparatus, the short block can be transferred from the cutting tray to the transfer tray by the inversion mechanism of the transfer unit, so that the transfer of the block is short. Block vertical operation is no longer necessary. For example, automatic line stop due to operator intervention required for vertical installation and automatic block vertical installation equipment are not required. In addition to improving the productivity of wafers, the cost is not so high and the space for new equipment is not required, and the complexity of the automatic line system can be suppressed.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The above embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention has the same configuration as that of the technical idea described in the claims of the present invention, and any device that exhibits the same function and effect is the present invention. It is included in the technical scope of the invention.

For example, if necessary, the ingot cutting device of the present invention may include a collection unit for a cone, tail, sample, or the like that does not flow in an automatic line system that is cut from the ingot.
Furthermore, although the ingot 1 has been described as having a general cylindrical shape, the present invention can also be applied to a prismatic shape.
If the controller 13 does not determine the ingot cutting position, the operator may input a desired ingot cutting position into the controller 13 in advance before transferring the block.

It is the schematic which shows one Embodiment of the ingot cutting device which concerns on this invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the vertical cross section of FIG. 1 viewed from the right and cutting the ingot with an ingot cutting device. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the horizontal section of FIG. 1 as viewed from above, in which the ingot is cut by the ingot cutting device. It is explanatory drawing at the time of transferring a long block to the tray for conveyance with the ingot cutting device which concerns on this invention, an upper stage is a top view and a lower stage is a front view. It is explanatory drawing at the time of transferring a short block to the tray for conveyance with the ingot cutting device which concerns on this invention, an upper stage is a top view and a lower stage is a front view. It is a figure explaining the positional relationship of the inversion mechanism and conveyance tray which concern on this invention, (a) is a top view, (b) is a right view, (c) is a front view.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Ingot, 1a ... Block, 1b ... Long block, 1c ... Short block,
2 ... transport tray, 10 ... ingot cutting device, 11 ... cutting section,
12 ... Sending-in / in section, 13 ... Control section, 14 ... Transfer section, 15 ... Cutting tray,
16 ... Cutting means (band saw), 18 ... Table, 19 ... Arm mechanism,
20: Inversion mechanism.

Claims (4)

At least a cutting unit that cuts an ingot placed on the cutting tray into cutting blocks by cutting means, a sending-in unit having a table for sending and receiving the cutting tray from the cutting unit, and In an ingot cutting apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls operation; and a transfer unit that transfers the cut block from the cutting tray to a transfer tray.
The transfer unit includes at least an arm mechanism that sandwiches the block, and an inversion mechanism that inverts the block on the transfer tray,
The long block in which the block has reached a predetermined length is transferred to the transport tray by the arm mechanism,
The short block in which the block does not reach a predetermined length is placed on the inversion mechanism by the arm mechanism, and the block is brought down by the inversion mechanism and transferred to the transfer tray. Ingot cutting device.   The control unit calculates a cutting position of the ingot, calculates the length of the cut using the cutting position information, and determines whether the block length has reached a predetermined length. 2. The ingot cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the ingot cutting device is configured to determine and transmit the determination to the arm mechanism and the inversion mechanism.   The control unit determines that the predetermined length is 75 mm when the block diameter is 200 mm, and the predetermined length is 130 mm when the block diameter is 300 mm. The ingot cutting device according to claim 1 or 2.   The ingot cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cutting means is an inner peripheral blade or a band saw.

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