JP5184209B2 - Apparatus provided with wafer transfer device and wafer holding device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus including a wafer transfer device and a wafer holding device, and more particularly, a wafer capable of automatically clamping and unclamping a wafer automatically and preventing rotation and dropping of the wafer when unclamping after wafer processing. The present invention relates to an apparatus including a wafer holding apparatus having a chuck mechanism.

  Conventionally, in a cleaning machine for cleaning a wafer, a plurality of processes such as processing, rinsing, and drying are performed.

  Referring to FIG. 5, the wafer 101 is transferred to a plurality of processing tanks 107 by the two transfer arms 105 of the wafer transfer apparatus 103, and to the first to fifth processing tanks 107 </ b> A to 107 </ b> E in FIG. 5. The first to fifth processing tanks 107A to 107E are arranged in a line on the left and right in FIG. 5, and the wafer 101 to be processed is held on the upper side in FIG. A wafer transfer device 103 is provided. Further, a loading area 109 for automatically setting the wafer 101 to be processed on the wafer transfer apparatus 103 by a loading apparatus (not shown) or manually setting by an operator is provided near the first processing tank 107A. Yes. On the other hand, an unloading region 111 is provided in the vicinity of the fifth processing tank 107E for automatically unloading the processed wafer 101 from the wafer transfer device 103 by an unloading device (not shown) or manually unloading by the operator. It has been.

  The wafer transfer apparatus 103 is provided so that the apparatus main body 113 can move in the left-right direction in FIG. 5 and can be positioned in each of the processing tanks 107A to 107E. The apparatus main body 113 holds the wafer 101 to be processed. The two transfer arms 105 are extended in a direction (downward in FIG. 5) that protrudes substantially horizontally to the processing tank 107.

  For example, the wafer 101 includes a 6-inch wafer 101A and an 8-inch wafer 101B, and an orientation flat 115 which is a notch is formed. The two transfer arms 105 are provided so that the distance between the two transfer arms 105 can be adjusted according to the size of the wafer 101 to be processed. Further, the two transfer arms 105 are provided so as to be movable up and down in each of the processing tanks 107A to 107E.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, each of the two transfer arms 105 is provided with two wafer holders 117, so that the wafer transfer apparatus 103 has a total of four wafer holders. 117. The wafer 101 is placed and held on the four wafer holders 117 described above, and the held wafer 101 is transferred to the processing tanks 107A to 107E. Each wafer holding unit 117 includes a mounting unit 119 having a mounting surface on which the wafer 101 is mounted, and a pin unit 121 protruding upward from the mounting surface of the mounting unit 119. .

  Each processing tank 107 is fixedly provided with a wafer holding device 123 for holding the wafer 101. The wafer 101 held by the wafer holding device 123 is covered with a cover 127 as shown in FIG. 6 in which a cover 127 having a spray device 125 on the upper wall surface descends from above the processing tank 107. It is the structure processed with the process liquid sprayed from the several spray nozzle which the spray apparatus 125 does not illustrate. After the processing, the cover 127 stands by above the processing tank 107.

  Referring to FIGS. 7 to 9, the wafer holding device 123 is constituted by a chuck mechanism that clamps and unclamps the outer peripheral surface of the wafer 101 so as to sandwich it from four sides. In other words, the chuck mechanism clamps the mounting portion 129 having a mounting surface on which the wafer 101 is mounted, and projects from the mounting surface of the mounting portion 129 upward so as to sandwich the outer peripheral surface of the wafer 101 from four sides. The wafer chuck portion 133 includes four pin portions 131 for the purpose.

  In the wafer holding device 123, referring also to FIG. 6, a flat plate-like main body base 135 is fixed to the processing tank 107, and a pinion 137 is rotatably provided at substantially the center on the main body base 135. Yes. Two first and second racks 139 and 141 are engaged with each other at the center point symmetrical position of the pinion 137 so as to be movable in opposite directions. That is, the first and second racks 139 and 141 are slidably provided by two bearing members 143 provided on the upper surface of the main body base 135 so as to be parallel to each other. The main body base 135 is provided with two through holes 135A for dropping the processing liquid downward.

  The first movable member 145 is provided on the left side of the pinion 137 in FIG. 7 and is slidable along the first and second racks 139 and 141, and the first fixing pin 147 provides the first rack. 139 is fixed.

  On the other hand, the second movable member 149 is located on the right side of the pinion 137 in FIG. 7 and is slidably provided along the first and second racks 139 and 141. 141 is fixed.

  Further, a guide member 153 is fixed to the left end of the first rack 139 protruding leftward in FIG. 7 of the main body base 135 with a bolt, and the left end side of the second rack 141 in FIG. It is slidably inserted through a flange bush 155 provided at 153.

  Accordingly, when the first rack 139 moves in the right direction in FIG. 7, the pinion 137 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 7, so that the second rack 141 moves in the left direction in FIG. Accordingly, the first movable member 145 and the second movable member 149 move toward each other toward the approximate center of the main body base 135.

  On the contrary, when the first rack 139 moves to the left in FIG. 8, the second rack 141 moves to the right in FIG. Along with this, the first movable member 145 and the second movable member 149 move in directions away from each other.

  Note that the first and second movable members 145 and 149 are formed with engagement hole portions 157 that are notched into a semi-long hole on the left and right ends with respect to the respective moving directions.

  In addition, a total of four arm posts 159 are provided on the main body base 135 on both sides in the moving direction of the first and second movable members 145 and 149, that is, on the left and right sides of the first and second movable members 145 and 149 ( One is provided on each of the upper and lower sides in FIG. Each arm support 159 is provided with an arm 161 for providing a wafer chuck portion 133 for clamping the outer peripheral surface of the wafer 101 from four sides so as to be rotatable in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions in FIG. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 9, an engagement pin 163 protrudes downward at one end of each arm 161 on the first and second movable members 145 and 149 side. 149 is engaged with each engagement hole 157. On the other hand, on the other end side of each arm 161, a wafer chuck portion 133A for 6-inch wafer and a wafer chuck portion 133B for 8-inch wafer are provided.

  As described above, each 6-inch wafer chuck portion 133A has a mounting portion 129A having a mounting surface on which the wafer 101A is mounted and a wafer protruding upward from the mounting surface of the mounting portion 129A. It consists of a pin portion 131A for clamping the outer peripheral surface of 101A from four sides, and a total of four wafer chuck portions 133A are provided.

  On the other hand, each wafer chuck portion 133B for an 8-inch wafer has a placement portion 129B having a placement surface on which the wafer 101B is placed, and protrudes upward from the placement surface of the placement portion 129B, and the outer periphery of the wafer 101B. It consists of pin portions 131B for clamping by clamping the surface from four sides, and a total of four wafer chuck portions 133B are provided.

  The first movable member 145 is always urged to the left in FIG. 7 by the spring 165, and each arm 161 is normally in the state of the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7, that is, the state in FIG. .

  As a representative example of the processing operation of the wafer 101 in the first to fifth processing tanks 107A to 107E, the processing operation of the 6-inch wafer 101A will be described.

  In FIG. 5, a wafer holding device in which the two transfer arms 105 of the wafer transfer apparatus 103 are fixed to the first process tank 107A, which is a washing process tank, at an interval for a 6-inch wafer 101A and inside the first process tank 107A. Waiting above 123. The wafer 101 </ b> A in the loading area 109 is set on the mounting surface of the mounting unit 119 </ b> A of the four wafer holding units 117 of the two transfer arms 105. At this time, the orientation flat 115 of the wafer 101A is set with care so as not to be placed on the placement surfaces of the placement portions 119A of the four wafer holding portions 117.

  On the other hand, in the wafer holding device 123, the first rack 139 is moved rightward in FIG. 7 against the urging force of the spring 165. As a result, the pinion 137 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 7, and the second rack 141 moves to the left in FIG. Accordingly, the first movable member 145 and the second movable member 149 move toward each other toward the substantial center of the main body base 135.

  Then, each arm 161 provided on each of the left and right sides of the first and second movable members 145 and 149 engages with the engagement hole 157 of the first and second movable members 145 and 149. Through the engaging pin 163, the position of the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7 is rotated to the position of the solid line. That is, even if the two transfer arms 105 are lowered, the arms 161 move to positions where they do not collide. In addition, the four pin portions 131A of the wafer chuck portion 133A for 6-inch wafers rotate in a direction to open outward from the size of the outer periphery of the 6-inch wafer 101A. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the outer peripheral size of the 6-inch wafer 101 </ b> A and the four pin portions 131 </ b> A move so that a gap G is generated.

  In the state where each arm 161 is at the position of the solid line in FIG. 7, the two transfer arms 105 are lowered, so that the wafer 101 </ b> A held by the two transfer arms 105 is moved to It will be mounted on the mounting surface. The two transfer arms 105 stand by at a position below the placement surface of the placement portion 129A of each arm 161.

  Next, when the force to move the first rack 139 in the right direction in FIG. 7 is released, the first movable member 145 moves in the left direction in FIG. 8 by the biasing force of the spring 165. As a result, the pinion 137 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 8, and the second rack 141 moves to the right in FIG. Accordingly, the first movable member 145 and the second movable member 149 move in directions away from each other.

  Then, each arm 161 provided on each of the left and right sides of the first and second movable members 145 and 149 engages with the engagement hole 157 of the first and second movable members 145 and 149. It rotates to the position of the continuous line of the arrow direction of FIG. As a result, the four pin portions 131A of the wafer chuck portion 133A for 6-inch wafer come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the 6-inch wafer 101A from four directions and are clamped.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the cover 127 is lowered from above the processing tank 107, and the wafer holding device 123 is covered with the cover 127. Next, the cleaning liquid is sprayed toward the wafer 101A from the plurality of spray nozzles of the spray device 125, and the wafer 101A is washed with water. When this water washing process is completed, the cover 127 is raised.

  Next, in the wafer holding device 123, as described above, the first rack 139 is moved in the right direction in FIG. 7 against the urging force of the spring 165, so that the second rack 141 is moved in FIG. Move to the left. Accordingly, since the first and second movable members 145 and 149 move in a direction approaching each other, each arm 161 is engaged with each engagement hole 157 of the first and second movable members 145 and 149. 7 is rotated from the position of the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7 to the position of the solid line via the coupling pin 163, and a gap is formed between the four pin portions 131A of the wafer chuck portion 133A for 6-inch wafer and the outer periphery of the 6-inch wafer 101A. G is generated to unclamp the wafer 101A, and the wafer 101A is placed on the placement surface of the placement portion 129A.

  In this state, the two transfer arms 105 that have been waiting at the lower position are lifted, so that the wafer 101A placed on the placement surface of the placement portion 129A of each arm 161 becomes two transfer arms. The wafer is placed on the placement surface of the placement unit 119A of the four wafer holding units 117, lifted upward, and conveyed to the second treatment tank 107B, which is the next water washing treatment tank.

  The wafer 101A is held by a wafer holding device 123 fixed inside the second processing tank 107B. That is, as in the case of the wafer holding device 123 of the first processing tank 107A described above, the wafer is washed by the pure water sprayed from the nozzle of the spray device after being chucked by the wafer holding device 123.

  As described above, the wafer 101 </ b> A is transferred to the first to fifth processing tanks 107 </ b> A to 107 </ b> E by the transfer arm 105 of the wafer transfer apparatus 103 and chucked by the wafer holding device 123 of each processing tank 107 before each process. Done. When the drying process is completed in the fifth processing tank 107E, the wafer 101A is unloaded from the wafer transfer apparatus 103 to the unloading area 111. When processing the back surface of the wafer 101A, the processing steps of the first to fifth processing tanks 107A to 107E are performed again with the back surface of the wafer 101A facing upward.

  The processing operation of the 8-inch wafer 101B is almost the same as that of the 6-inch wafer 101A described above.

  As another conventional wafer holding apparatus, as shown in Patent Document 1, a base on which a wafer is placed has a flat and H-shaped shape. Wafer support chips are provided near the four corners of the base, and the wafer is placed on the four wafer support chips. Further, four wafer stop pins are provided at the four corners of the base. The two wafer stopper pins on the same row side have a reverse taper shape that is tall and thick at the top and thin at the bottom, and the two wafer stop pins on the other row are short straight pins. At this time, since the two wafer holding pins are reversely tapered, the wafer works to press the wafer against the wafer support chip, so that the wafer placed on the base is fixed by being sandwiched between the four wafer holding pins. Will be.

A rotation axis is provided at the center of the wafer support chip H shape. Therefore, in this wafer holding device, since the base rotates, the processing liquid sprayed onto the wafer is blown outside by the centrifugal force.
JP 2004-281959 A

  By the way, in the conventional wafer holding device 123, in the wafer holding device 123 of each of the processing tanks 107A to 107E, the chuck mechanism for holding the wafer 101 has the wafer chuck portion 133 including the pin portion 131 for clamping and the mounting portion 129. Since the rotation method is employed, when the wafer 101 is brought into close contact with the mounting surface of the mounting unit 129 of any one of the wafer chuck units 133 due to the surface tension of the processing liquid, the wafer chuck unit 133 is unclamped after the processing. When the wafer 101 is rotated as indicated by an alternate long and two short dashes line in FIG. 8 due to the inertia of the arm 161 when the arm 161 rotates, the orientation flat 115 which is a notch portion of the wafer 101 is changed. There is a problem that the wafer 101 falls off due to the placement surface of the placement portion 129 of the wafer chuck portion 133. It was.

  Further, in the wafer holding device of Patent Document 1, when the wafer is placed and fixed on the base, the operator needs to fix the wafer using four wafer fixing pins each time. There was a problem that it took time and effort.

The present invention provides an apparatus including a wafer holding device having a wafer chuck mechanism capable of automatically and easily clamping and unclamping a wafer and preventing rotation and dropping of the wafer when unclamping after wafer processing. With the goal.

In order to solve the above-described problems, an apparatus of the present invention is an apparatus including a wafer transfer device and a wafer holding device, and the wafer transfer device has a mounting portion on which a wafer is mounted. And a wafer holding part constituted by the pin part protruding from the mounting surface , provided with two transfer arms that are provided so as to be movable up and down and that can adjust the interval according to the size of the wafer, The wafer holding device includes first and second movable members provided on a flat plate-like main body base so as to be close to and away from each other, and an upper surface of the first movable member is orthogonal to the moving direction of the first movable member. A first arm fixed to extend in a direction, a second arm fixed to an upper surface of the second movable member so as to extend in a direction orthogonal to a moving direction of the second movable member, On the upper surfaces of the left and right tip sides of the second arm A wafer chuck portion comprising a mounting portion having a mounting surface for mounting a wafer and a pin portion protruding from the mounting surface of the mounting portion so as to abut on and clamp the outer peripheral surface of the wafer. And the wafer chuck portion includes steps in order of decreasing size of the wafer in the extending direction of the left and right tips of the first and second arms in order to clamp wafers of different sizes. A plurality of each of the first arms, the left end side of the first arm extends obliquely upward in the direction away from the first and second movable members, and the right end side of the first arm is The first and second movable members extend obliquely downward in the direction of separation of the first and second movable members, and the left end side of the second arm is inclined obliquely upward in the direction of separation of the first and second movable members. The right end side of the second arm is the first and second Extends inclined obliquely downward in the separating direction of the moving member, said first, setting the dimension between the left and right ends of the second arms is smaller than the distance to hold the smallest diameter of the wafer in the two transfer arms are, first, the mounting surface of the mounting of the wafer chuck unit portion for holding a most left side and most of the large-diameter wafer is disposed on the right end side of the second arm is formed in fan shape A wafer having the smallest diameter is set in the wafer holding portion of the wafer transfer device, and the two transfer arms are positioned above the wafer holding device. In the wafer holding device, the first and second movable members Are moved away from each other, and the pin portions of the wafer chuck portion for the smallest diameter wafer of the first and second arms are moved away from the outer circumference of the smallest diameter wafer. , When the two transfer arms are lowered, the smallest diameter wafer held by the two transfer arms is transferred to the mounting portion of the wafer chuck portion for the smallest diameter wafer of the first and second arms. The first and second movable members are moved in a direction approaching each other, placed on the placement surface, and the pin portion of the wafer chuck portion for the smallest diameter wafer of the first and second arms has the smallest diameter. A wafer chuck portion pin for the smallest diameter wafer of the first and second arms by moving the first and second movable members away from each other in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the wafer The part moves in the direction away from the outer periphery of the smallest diameter wafer and unclamps, and the two transport arms are lifted, so that the parts are placed on the placement surfaces of the placement parts of the first and second arms. The placed wafer is the two transfer arms. It is characterized in that the said is placed on the mounting surface of the mounting portion of the wafer holding portion of a structure to be lifted upward.

Also, equipment of this invention, prior Symbol first, driving mechanism allowed to freely toward and away from the second movable member, a pinion rotatably provided substantially at the center of the plate-shaped body base, the center point of the pinion and meshes symmetrical position is movable in opposite directions in parallel with each other, the first, first with each of the second movable member, a second rack, in being configured, the second rack A guide member is fixed to the left end of the first rack, and the left end side of the first rack is preferably slidably inserted through a flange bush provided on the guide member .

Also, equipment of this invention, prior Symbol wafer chuck portion is preferably configured for both 6-inch wafer and an 8-inch wafer.

  As will be understood from the means for solving the problems as described above, according to the present invention, the wafer chuck portion that holds the wafer is a chuck system that clamps and unclamps the wafer from both sides in one direction. It is possible to avoid rotational deviation of the wafer as in the conventional rotary chuck system, and to prevent the wafer from falling off. In addition, the wafer can be automatically clamped and unclamped easily.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the wafer holding apparatus 1 according to this embodiment clamps the wafer 3 when performing processing such as washing, rinsing, and drying in a flat cleaning machine that cleans the wafer 3, for example. Then, the wafer 3 is unclamped after the processing, and is fixedly provided inside each processing tank for each processing tank for performing each processing.

  The wafer 3 is transferred to a plurality of processing tanks by a transfer arm 5 of a wafer transfer apparatus (not shown), and is as described with reference to FIG. Therefore, the detailed description about each processing tank, the wafer conveyance apparatus, and each processing method of the wafer 3 is abbreviate | omitted.

  The wafer 3 includes, for example, a 6-inch wafer 3A and an 8-inch wafer 3B (see FIG. 4), and an orientation flat 7 that is a notch is formed. The two transfer arms 5 are provided so that the distance between the two transfer arms 5 can be adjusted according to the size of the wafer 3 to be processed. Further, the two transfer arms 5 are provided to be movable up and down in each processing tank.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, each of the two transfer arms 5 is provided with two wafer holding portions 9, so that the wafer transfer apparatus has a total of four wafers. A holding part 9 is provided. The wafer 3 is placed and held on the four wafer holders 9 described above, and the held wafer 3 is transferred to each processing tank. Each wafer holding unit 9 includes a mounting unit 11 having a mounting surface on which the wafer 3 is mounted and a pin unit 13 protruding upward from the mounting surface of the mounting unit 11. .

  The wafer holding device 1 includes a chuck mechanism that clamps and unclamps the outer peripheral surface of the wafer 3 so as to sandwich the wafer 3 from four directions. That is, in this embodiment, the chuck mechanism has a mounting portion 15 having a mounting surface on which the wafer 3 is mounted, and protrudes upward from the mounting surface of the mounting portion 15 so that the outer peripheral surface of the wafer 3 extends in all directions. The wafer chuck portion 19 is composed of four locations including a pin portion 17 for sandwiching and clamping from the pin portion 17.

  More specifically, in the wafer holding device 1, a flat plate-like main body base 21 is fixed to a processing tank, and a pinion 23 is rotatably provided at substantially the center on the main body base 21. Two first and second racks 25 and 27 are engaged with each other at the center point symmetrical position of the pinion 23 so as to be movable in opposite directions. That is, the first and second racks 25 and 27 are slidably provided by two bearing members 29 provided on the upper surface of the main body base 21 so as to be parallel to each other. The main body base 21 is provided with two through holes 21A for dropping the processing liquid downward.

  The first movable member 31 is located on the left side of the pinion 23 in FIG. 1 and is slidable along the first and second racks 25 and 27. 25 is fixed.

  On the other hand, the second movable member 35 is located on the right side of the pinion 23 in FIG. 1 and is slidable along the first and second racks 25 and 27. 27 is fixed.

  Further, a guide member 39 is fixed to the left end of the second rack 27 protruding leftward in FIG. 1 of the main body base 21 with a bolt BT, and the left end side of the first rack 25 in FIG. It is slidably inserted through a flange bush 41 provided on the member 39. The pinion 23 and the first and second racks 25 and 27 constitute a drive mechanism that allows the first and second movable members 31 and 35 to move toward and away from each other. As this drive mechanism, the first and second movable members 31 and 35 may be moved toward and away from each other by synchronizing with a fluid cylinder or the like.

  Further, the first arm 43 is provided on the upper surface of the first movable member 31 so as to extend in the left-right direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) with respect to the moving direction of the first movable member 31 via the support member 43A. ing. In this embodiment, the left and right distal ends of the first arm 43 are configured to extend while being inclined in the left oblique direction in FIG. That is, the left end side (upper end side in FIG. 1) of the first arm 43 extends obliquely in the upper left direction, and the right end side (lower end side in FIG. 1) inclines in the lower left direction. And extended.

  On the other hand, the second arm 45 is provided on the upper surface of the second movable member 35 so as to extend in the left-right direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) with respect to the moving direction of the second movable member 35 via the support member 45A. ing. In this embodiment, the left and right tip sides of the second arm 45 are each configured to extend obliquely to the right in FIG. That is, the left end side (upper end side in FIG. 1) of the second arm 45 extends obliquely upward to the right, and the right end side (lower end side in FIG. 1) of the second arm 45 inclines downward obliquely to the right. And extended.

  Further, on the left and right ends (upper and lower ends in FIG. 1) of the first and second arms 43 and 45, a wafer chuck portion 19A for 6 inch wafer and a wafer chuck portion 19B for 8 inch wafer are provided. ing.

  As described above, each wafer chuck portion 19A for a 6-inch wafer has a placement portion 15A having a placement surface on which the wafer 3A is placed, and a wafer protruding upward from the placement surface of the placement portion 15A. It consists of a pin portion 17A for sandwiching and clamping the outer peripheral surface of 3A from four sides, and a total of four wafer chuck portions 19A are provided.

  On the other hand, each wafer chuck portion 19B for an 8-inch wafer has a placement portion 15B having a placement surface on which the wafer 3B is placed, and protrudes upward from the placement surface of the placement portion 15B, and the outer periphery of the wafer 3B. It consists of pin portions 17B for sandwiching and clamping the surface from four sides, and a total of four wafer chuck portions 19B are provided.

  The dimension between the left and right ends of the first and second arms 43 and 45 is small so that the two transfer arms 5 arranged at intervals for the 6-inch wafer 3A do not collide even if they move up and down. Is set.

  With the above configuration, the operation of the wafer holding apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. Note that the case where a 6-inch wafer 3A is set will be described as a representative example, and the operation of setting a wafer of another size, for example, an 8-inch wafer 3B is the same, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  The wafer 3A is transferred to each processing tank by a wafer transfer device (not shown) in a state where the wafer 3A is set on the mounting surfaces of the mounting units 11 of the four wafer holding units 9 of the two transfer arms 5 of the wafer transfer device. . At this time, the wafer 3A is set with care so that the orientation flat 7 does not cover the mounting surfaces of the mounting units 11 of the four wafer holding units 9.

  The two transfer arms 5 that have transferred the wafer 3A to the processing tank to be processed are positioned above the wafer holding device 1 fixed inside the processing tank and are waiting at an interval for the 6-inch wafer 3A. .

  On the other hand, in the wafer holding apparatus 1, the second rack 27 is moved rightward in FIG. As a result, the pinion 23 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 1, and the first rack 25 moves to the left in FIG. Accordingly, the first movable member 31 and the second movable member 35 move in the direction away from each other toward the outside of the main body base 21, so that they are provided on the left and right end sides of the first and second arms 43 and 45. In addition, the four pin portions 17A of the wafer chuck portion 19A for 6-inch wafers move in a direction away from the outer circumference of the 6-inch wafer 3A. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the outer periphery of the 6-inch wafer 3 </ b> A and the four pin portions 17 move so as to have a gap G.

  With the first and second arms 43 and 45 in the position of the solid line in FIG. 1, the two transfer arms 5 are lowered, whereby the wafer 3A held on the two transfer arms 5 is changed to the first and second arms. The second arm 43, 45 is placed on the placement surface of the placement portion 15A. The two transfer arms 5 stand by at a position below the placement surface of the placement portion 15A of each arm.

  Next, when the second rack 27 is moved to the left in FIG. 2, the pinion 23 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2, so that the first rack 25 is moved to the right in FIG. Accordingly, the first and second movable members 31 and 35 move toward each other toward the substantial center of the main body base 21, so that the pin portion 17A of the wafer chuck portion 19A for 6-inch wafers has 6 pins. The wafer is clamped by coming into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the inch wafer 3A from four directions.

  In the state where the 6-inch wafer 3A is clamped by the wafer holding device 1 as described above, the cover is lowered from above the processing tank in the same manner as described above with reference to FIG. Covered with a cover. Next, the processing liquid is sprayed toward the wafer 3A from the plurality of spray nozzles of the spray device, and the wafer 3A is processed. When this process is finished, the cover is raised.

  Next, in the wafer holding apparatus 1, as described above, the second rack 27 is moved in the right direction in FIG. 1, whereby the first rack 25 is moved in the left direction in FIG. 1 by the rotation of the pinion 23. Accordingly, since the first and second movable members 31 and 35 move away from each other toward the outside of the main body base 21, a 6-inch wafer provided on the left and right end sides of the first and second arms 43 and 45. The four pin portions 17A of the wafer chuck portion 19A for use move in a direction away from the outer periphery of the 6-inch wafer 3A. That is, a gap G is generated between the pin portion 17A of the wafer chuck portion 19A for 6-inch wafer and the outer periphery of the 6-inch wafer 3A to unclamp the wafer 3A, and the wafer 3A is placed on the mounting surface of the mounting portion 15A. It will be in the state where it was mounted.

  As described above, in the wafer holding device 1 of this embodiment, the chuck mechanism that holds the wafer 3A is a chuck system that clamps and unclamps the wafer 3A from both sides in the left-right direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1). Thus, the rotational deviation of the wafer 3A as in the conventional rotary chuck system can be avoided, and the wafer 3A can be prevented from falling off. In addition, the wafer 3A can be automatically and easily clamped / unclamped.

  Next, the two transfer arms 5 that have been waiting at the lower position are raised, and are placed on the placement surface of the placement portion 15 of the wafer chuck portion 19 of the first and second arms 43 and 45. The wafer 3 </ b> A is placed and held on the placement surface of the placement unit 11 of the four wafer holding units 9 of the two transfer arms 5, lifted upward, and transferred to the next processing tank. In each wafer holding device 1 in each processing tank, each processing is performed by clamping and unclamping the wafer 3A in the same manner as described above.

  Referring to FIG. 4, a state when an 8-inch wafer 3 </ b> B is set in the wafer holding device 1 of this embodiment is shown, and the two transfer arms 5 are positioned above the wafer holding device 1. Are waiting at intervals for the 8-inch wafer 3B. The basic operation is the same as the case of setting the 6-inch wafer 3A described above. The 8-inch wafer 3B is placed on the placement surfaces of the placement portions 15B of the wafer chuck portions 19B at a total of four locations. The outer peripheral surface is clamped and unclamped by being pinched from four sides by the pin portion 17B. Since the other configuration and operation are the same as those of the 6-inch wafer 3A, detailed description thereof is omitted.

It is a top view which shows the state before a 6-inch wafer is clamped with the wafer holding apparatus of embodiment of this invention, or a state when unclamping. It is a top view which shows a state when a 6-inch wafer is clamped in the wafer holding device of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the arrow III-III line | wire of FIG. It is a top view which shows a state when an 8-inch wafer is clamped in the wafer holding device of FIG. It is a top view which shows arrangement | positioning of the some processing tank for processing a wafer, and a wafer conveyance apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the state when processing the wafer clamped to the wafer holding device fixed inside the processing tank by using one processing tank as a representative example. It is a top view which shows the state when a 6-inch wafer is clamped with the conventional wafer holding apparatus, or a state when unclamping. It is a top view which shows a state when a 6-inch wafer is clamped in the wafer holding device of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the arrow IX-IX line | wire of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wafer holding device 3 Wafer 3A 6 inch wafer 3B 8 inch wafer 5 Transfer arm 7 Orientation flat 9 Wafer holding part 11 Placement part (of transfer arm)
13 Pin part (of transfer arm)
15 Placement part (of wafer holding device)
15A placement part (for 6 inch wafer)
15B Placement (for 8-inch wafer)
17 Pin part (of wafer holding device)
17A Pin (for 6 inch wafer)
17B Pin part (for 8-inch wafer)
19 Wafer chuck part 19A Wafer chuck part (for 6 inch wafer)
19B Wafer chuck (for 8-inch wafer)
21 body base 23 pinion 25 first rack 27 second rack 29 bearing member 31 first movable member 33 first fixed pin 35 second movable member 37 second fixed pin 43 first arm 43A column member 45 second arm 45A column member

Claims (3)

An apparatus comprising a wafer transfer device and a wafer holding device,
The wafer transfer device
It has a wafer holding part composed of a mounting part having a mounting surface for mounting a wafer and a pin part protruding from the mounting surface, and is provided so as to be movable up and down, according to the size of the wafer It has two transfer arms with adjustable intervals,
The wafer holding device is
First and second movable members provided on a flat plate-shaped main body base so as to be close to and away from each other;
A first arm fixed on the upper surface of the first movable member so as to extend in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the first movable member;
A second arm fixed on the upper surface of the second movable member so as to extend in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the second movable member;
A mounting portion provided on the top surfaces of the left and right distal ends of the first and second arms and having a mounting surface for mounting a wafer; and the mounting portion so as to abut on and clamp the outer peripheral surface of the wafer. A wafer chuck portion comprising a pin portion projecting from the mounting surface;
With
In order to clamp wafers of different sizes, the wafer chuck portion is provided with a plurality of steps in order of decreasing size of the wafers in the extending direction of the left and right ends of the first and second arms. Has been
The left end side of the first arm extends obliquely upward in the direction away from the first and second movable members, and the right end side of the first arm extends to the first and second movable members. Extending obliquely downward in the direction of separation,
The left end side of the second arm extends obliquely upward in the direction away from the first and second movable members, and the right end side of the second arm extends to the first and second movable members. Extending obliquely downward in the direction of separation,
The dimension between the left and right ends of the first and second arms is set smaller than the interval for holding the smallest diameter wafer in the two transfer arms,
The mounting surface of the mounting portion in the wafer chuck portion that holds the wafer with the largest diameter disposed on the leftmost end side and the right end side of the first and second arms is formed in a fan shape ,
A wafer having the smallest diameter is set in the wafer holding unit of the wafer transfer device, and the two transfer arms are positioned above the wafer holding device,
In the wafer holding device, the first and second movable members are moved away from each other, and the pin portion of the wafer chuck portion for the smallest diameter wafer of the first and second arms has the smallest diameter. Move in a direction away from the outer circumference of the wafer,
When the two transfer arms are lowered, the smallest diameter wafer held by the two transfer arms is transferred to the mounting portion of the wafer chuck portion for the smallest diameter wafer of the first and second arms. Placed on the mounting surface,
The first and second movable members are moved toward each other so that the pin portion of the wafer chuck portion for the smallest diameter wafer of the first and second arms contacts the outer peripheral surface of the smallest diameter wafer. Clamp
The first and second movable members are moved away from each other, and the pin portions of the wafer chuck portion for the smallest diameter wafer of the first and second arms are separated from the outer periphery of the smallest diameter wafer. Move in the direction and unclamp,
When the two transfer arms are raised, the wafer placed on the placement surface of the placement part of the first and second arms is placed on the wafer holding part of the two transfer arms. The apparatus is configured to be placed on the placement surface of the unit and lifted upward . A drive mechanism for allowing the first and second movable members to approach and move apart is a pinion that is rotatably provided at substantially the center on a flat plate-shaped main body base,
The first and second racks are arranged so as to mesh with each other at the center point symmetrical position of the pinion so as to be parallel to each other and movable in opposite directions, and are respectively provided with the first and second movable members. ,
A guide member is fixed to the left end of the second rack,
Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the left side of the first rack is slidably inserted through the flange bushings provided on said guide member. The wafer chuck portion A device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is configured for both 6-inch wafer and an 8-inch wafer.

Images