JP5612849B2 - Edge grip device, transfer robot including the same, and wafer release method for semiconductor process - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an edge grip device for gripping an edge of a semiconductor process wafer and a transfer robot including the edge grip device.

  The present invention also relates to a method for releasing a semiconductor process wafer in an edge grip apparatus for gripping an edge of the semiconductor process wafer.

  A transfer robot for transferring a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate has an end effect, for example, a hand at its tip, and is configured to hold and transfer the substrate by this hand. As a hand for holding the substrate, for example, there is a hand that holds the substrate by sucking the lower surface of the substrate, but particles may adhere to the lower surface of the substrate when sucked. Since the substrate dislikes adhesion of particles, it is preferable to hold the substrate by another method in which particles do not adhere. There is a method of gripping a substrate as another method in which particles do not adhere. As a hand for realizing such a method, for example, there is a substrate holding device described in Patent Document 1.

  The substrate holding device described in Patent Document 1 has an arm connecting portion that is connected to an arm of a robot. A substrate holding part is attached to the arm connecting part. The front end side of the substrate holding part is configured to be bifurcated. A tip receiving portion is formed at each tip portion. In addition, a pair of base portion receiving portions is formed at the base portion of the substrate holding portion. The pair of former part receiving parts is provided to face the pair of tip receiving parts, and is configured to support the substrate together with the pair of tip receiving parts.

  A clamp cylinder is provided at the arm connecting portion. A piston rod is inserted into the clamp cylinder so as to be able to advance and retract. A pusher is provided at the tip of the piston rod. The pusher is configured to be pushed out by the piston rod by supplying air to the clamp cylinder and to press the edge of the substrate toward the pair of tip receiving portions. By pressing the edge of the substrate in this way, the substrate is held by the pusher and the pair of tip receiving portions. That is, the substrate is held by the substrate holding device.

JP 2002-134586 A

  The substrate holding device described in Patent Document 1 is configured to simultaneously position the substrate by holding the substrate with the pusher and the pair of tip receiving portions. However, when gripping the substrate, the substrate is pressed by the pusher, so that the front end side of the substrate holding portion warps downward. For this reason, when the pusher is retracted to release the gripped substrate, the substrate holding part causes a springback to return the warp. This spring back pushes the substrate back toward the base receiving portion. It is difficult to control the springback, and the amount to be pushed back varies from substrate to substrate, and the substrate position varies after the substrate is released.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an edge grip device in which there is no variation in the position of the semiconductor process wafer after releasing the gripped semiconductor process wafer, a transfer robot provided therewith, and a semiconductor process wafer release method. Yes.

The edge grip device of the present invention is provided so as to be opposed to each other, and includes a plate-like edge grip body having a first receiving portion and a second receiving portion for supporting an edge of a semiconductor process wafer, and a pressing surface. The edge of the semiconductor process wafer is pressed toward the receiving part side to grip the semiconductor process wafer together with the first receiving part, and the pressing of the edge of the semiconductor process wafer by the pressing surface is released. An edge grip device comprising a pressing mechanism capable of releasing the semiconductor process wafer, wherein the first receiving part is inclined upward from the second receiving part side, and the second receiving part is provided in the semiconductor process. a support surface for supporting the edges of use wafer, the supporting surface is inclined upwardly from the first accept part side, have a step difference and the level difference, the pressing surface In pressure direction are formed between the position of the pressing surface in a state that releases the semiconductor process wafer and the position of the pressing surface in a state holding the wafer for the semiconductor process, the step is the pressing The semiconductor process wafer is formed so as to hit the edge of the semiconductor process wafer pushed back when the mechanism press releases the edge of the semiconductor process wafer to release the semiconductor process wafer.

  According to the above configuration, when the semiconductor process wafer is gripped, the pressing mechanism presses an edge of the semiconductor process wafer toward the first receiving portion, so that the semiconductor process wafer is The edge grip body is warped away from the step. As a result, when the semiconductor process wafer is released, the edge grip body springs back and pushes the semiconductor process wafer back toward the step. The pushed back position becomes constant by applying the pushed back semiconductor process wafer to the step. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate variations in the position of the semiconductor process wafer after the gripped semiconductor process wafer is released.

  In the above invention, the step is preferably formed in a position and a shape so that the semiconductor process wafer can be positioned at a predetermined position.

  According to the above configuration, the semiconductor process wafer hitting the step is positioned at a predetermined position by the step. By positioning the semiconductor process wafer at a prescribed position in this way, it is possible to eliminate variations in the position of the semiconductor process wafer and improve the positional accuracy of the semiconductor process wafer.

  In the above invention, it is preferable that the step is formed in a shape along the outer shape of the semiconductor process wafer as viewed from the thickness direction of the edge grip body.

  According to the above configuration, the semiconductor process wafer pushed back by the spring back is disposed along the step. As a result, it is possible to eliminate variations in the position of the semiconductor process wafer after releasing the gripped semiconductor process wafer.

  In the above invention, the support surface of the second receiving portion includes a first support region, and a second support region that is on the first receiving portion side and lower than the first support region, and the step is It is preferable that the first support region and the second support region are arranged so as to be connected.

  According to the above configuration, the edge of the wafer is supported by the first support region or the second support region. When the edge of the wafer is in the first support region, the edge moves to the second support region by pressing the edge of the wafer by the pressing mechanism. Then, the wafer is held at this position. When in the second support area, the edge of the wafer is pressed as it is by the pressing mechanism. Then, the wafer is gripped. Since the second support region is closer to the first receiving portion than the first support region and is lower than the first support region, the step is directed toward the first receiving portion. Therefore, when the edge grip body raises the spring back and the wafer is pushed back toward the step, the edge of the wafer hits the step. By doing so, the pushing back position of the wafer becomes constant. As described above, since the position where the wafer is pushed back after the spring back can be made constant, it is possible to eliminate variations in the position of the wafer after the wafer is released.

  In the above invention, it is preferable that the step has a height difference of 0.3 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less.

  If the said structure is followed, when the edge of the semiconductor process wafer falls from a 1st support area | region to a 2nd support area | region, the impact which arises in a semiconductor process wafer can be made small. Further, it is possible to prevent the edge of the semiconductor process wafer pushed back toward the step by the springback from going over the step. As a result, the semiconductor process wafer can be stopped before the step, and variations in the position of the semiconductor process wafer can be eliminated.

  The transfer robot according to the present invention includes any one of the above-described edge grip devices.

  If the said structure is followed, a conveyance robot provided with the edge grip apparatus which show | plays the above effects can be implement | achieved.

The method for releasing a semiconductor process wafer according to the present invention includes a plate-shaped edge grip body provided so as to face each other and having a first receiving portion and a second receiving portion for supporting the edge of the semiconductor process wafer, The edge of the semiconductor process wafer is pressed toward the first receiving part by a surface to hold the semiconductor process wafer together with the first receiving part, and the edge of the semiconductor process wafer is pressed by the pressing surface. And a pressing mechanism capable of releasing the semiconductor process wafer and releasing the semiconductor process wafer, wherein the first receiving portion is inclined upward from the second receiving portion side, and the second receiving portion is the semiconductor process wafer. a support surface surface for supporting the edge, the support surface is inclined upwardly from the first accept part side, and has a step, the step is pressing direction odor of the pressing surface The formed between the semiconductor process wafer and the position of the pressing surface in the grasped state and position of the pressing surface in a state where the releasing the semiconductor process wafer, the semiconductor process wafer edge by the pressing mechanism A method for releasing a semiconductor process wafer in an edge grip device in which an edge of the semiconductor process wafer pushed back when the semiconductor process wafer is released by releasing the press of the semiconductor process wafer, the press The mechanism presses the edge of the semiconductor process wafer to grip the semiconductor process wafer together with the first receiving portion, and releases the pressure on the edge of the semiconductor process wafer to be gripped to release the semiconductor process wafer. The semiconductor process which is pushed back to the step by releasing and releasing The wafer edge is a method of applying to the step.

  According to the above configuration, when the semiconductor process wafer is gripped, the pressing mechanism presses an edge of the semiconductor process wafer toward the first receiving portion, so that the semiconductor process wafer is The edge grip body is warped away from the step. As a result, when the semiconductor process wafer is released, the edge grip body springs back and pushes the semiconductor process wafer back toward the step. When the semiconductor process wafer pushed back to the step is brought into contact with the step, the push-back position becomes constant. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate variations in the position of the semiconductor process wafer after the gripped semiconductor process wafer is released.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate variations in the position of the semiconductor process wafer after the gripped semiconductor process wafer is released.

It is a perspective view showing a conveyance robot provided with a chuck hand of one embodiment of an edge grip device concerning the present invention. It is an enlarged plan view which expands and shows the chuck hand of FIG. (A) is sectional drawing which saw the chuck hand of FIG. 2 cut | disconnected by cutting line AA, (b) is an expanded sectional view which expands and shows the part of the pusher 21 of (a). . (A) is an enlarged plan view showing the state in which the chuck hand is holding the semiconductor process wafer as shown in FIG. 2, and (b) is an enlarged plan view showing that the chuck hand is holding the semiconductor process wafer. It is sectional drawing which saw the state which is cut | disconnected by cutting line AA like Fig.3 (a). FIG. 3A is an enlarged plan view showing a state where the semiconductor process wafer is positioned as shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is a view showing a state where the semiconductor process wafer is positioned in FIG. It is sectional drawing seen by cut | disconnecting along the cutting line AA like a). It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the positioning method at the time of positioning the semiconductor process wafer with a chuck hand.

  Below, the conveyance robot 2 provided with the chuck hand 1 which is one Embodiment of the edge grip apparatus which concerns on this invention is demonstrated, referring FIG. 1 thru | or 6. FIG. Note that the chuck hand 1 and the transfer robot 2 described below are only one embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and additions, deletions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Is possible.

[Configuration of transfer robot]
The transfer robot 2 is a robot capable of transferring the semiconductor process wafer 3 and is provided in, for example, a semiconductor processing facility. In the present invention, a semiconductor process wafer is a thin plate used in a semiconductor process and is defined as a material for a substrate of a semiconductor device. Semiconductor process wafers include semiconductor wafers and glass wafers. Semiconductor wafers include, for example, silicon wafers, other semiconductor single wafers, compound semiconductor wafers, and the like. Examples of the glass wafer include a glass substrate for FPD (Flat Panel Display), a glass substrate for MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems), and a sapphire (single crystal alumina) wafer. The semiconductor processing equipment includes a semiconductor processing apparatus (not shown) for performing process processing such as heat treatment, impurity introduction processing, thin film formation processing, lithography processing, cleaning processing, and planarization processing. The transfer robot 2 is configured to take a semiconductor process wafer 3 stored in a hoop (not shown) and transfer it to a predetermined storage position in each semiconductor processing apparatus. In addition, the transfer robot 2 is configured to take a semiconductor process wafer 3 placed at a predetermined storage position in each semiconductor processing apparatus and transfer it to another semiconductor processing apparatus.

  The transfer robot 2 is a so-called horizontal articulated three-axis robot as shown in FIG. 1 and has a base 4 fixed to a casing of a semiconductor processing facility. The base 4 is provided with a lifting shaft 5 that expands and contracts in the vertical direction (arrow B in FIG. 1). The elevating shaft 5 is configured to be extendable and contractable by an air cylinder (not shown) or the like. Thus, the 1st arm 6 is attached to the upper end part of the raising / lowering shaft 5 which can be expanded-contracted.

  The first arm 6 is a long member extending in the horizontal direction, and one end portion in the longitudinal direction thereof is attached to the lifting shaft 5 so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis L1. The first arm 6 is configured to be rotationally driven by an electric motor (not shown). A second arm 7 is attached to the other longitudinal end of the first arm 6.

  The second arm 7 is also a long member extending in the horizontal direction, and one end in the longitudinal direction thereof is attached to the first arm 6 so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis L2. The second arm 7 is configured to be rotationally driven by an electric motor (not shown). A chuck hand 1 is attached to the other longitudinal end of the second arm 7 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis L3. The chuck hand 1 is configured to be rotationally driven by an electric motor (not shown). The raising / lowering of the raising / lowering axis | shaft 5 and rotation of the 1st arm 6, the 2nd arm 7, and the chuck hand 1 are controlled by the control apparatus which is not shown in figure.

[Composition of chuck hand]
The chuck hand 1 which is an edge grip device has a mounting plate 11 as shown in FIG. The mounting plate 11 is a plate member formed in a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. A portion on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate 11 is rotatably attached to the upper surface of the second arm 7. A hand body 12 is attached to a portion of the attachment plate 11 on the other end side in the longitudinal direction.

  The hand main body 12 which is an edge grip main body has a bifurcated front end side, and is configured in a Y shape in plan view. A base end portion of the hand main body 12 is fixed to the mounting plate 11. Further, in the hand body 12, a first receiving portion 13 is provided at each tip portion divided into two forks. Further, a pair of second receiving portions 14 and 14 are provided at the base end portion of the hand main body 12 so as to face the pair of first receiving portions 13 and 13. The pair of first receiving portions 13 and 13 and the pair of second receiving portions 14 and 14 have a function of supporting the semiconductor process wafer 3. Therefore, these are formed in a position and shape that can appropriately support the semiconductor process wafer 3 according to the shape of the semiconductor process wafer 3. Although the shape of the semiconductor process wafer 3 is arbitrary, an example in which the shape of the semiconductor process wafer 3 is circular will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, each of the pair of first receiving portions 13 and 13 has a clamp portion 13 a on the distal end side of the hand main body 12. The clamp portion 13a extends upward and faces a pusher 21 described later. Further, the upper surface of the first receiving portion 13 other than the clamp portion 13 a is a first support surface 15. The first support surface 15 is configured to support the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 placed on the chuck hand 1. The first support surface 15 configured in this manner is inclined upward from the proximal end side of the hand main body 12 toward the clamp portion 13a, and in a plan view (as viewed from the thickness direction of the hand main body 12), a semiconductor process wafer. 3 is curved in an arc shape in accordance with the shape of the edge.

  On the other hand, the pair of second receiving portions 14 are provided separately in the width direction of the hand main body 12. The upper surface of each of the pair of second receiving portions 14 is a second support surface 16. Below, it demonstrates, also referring FIG.3 (b). The second support surface 16 is configured to support the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 placed on the chuck hand 1. The second support surface 16 has a first support region 16a on the proximal end side of the hand body 12, and a second support region 16b on the first receiving portion 13 side with respect to the first support region 16a. . The second support region 16b is disposed at a position lower than the first support region 16a. A step 16c is formed so as to connect the second support region 16b and the first support region 16a.

  The first support region 16a and the second support region 16b are inclined downward and upward toward the step 16c, respectively. That is, the second support surface 16 is inclined upward from the distal end on the first receiving portion 13 side toward the proximal end side of the hand body 12. Conversely, the first support surface 15 is inclined upward from the second support surface 16 side toward the distal end side of the hand body 12. Therefore, the first support surface 15 and the second support surface 16 are inclined in a tapered shape toward the vicinity of the center of the hand body 12. Therefore, the first support surface 15 and the second support surface 16 can support the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 placed thereon by point contact.

  Further, the step 16c interposed between the first support region 16a and the second support region 16b has a height difference of about half the thickness of the semiconductor process wafer 3. The height difference of the step 16c is preferably 0.3 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less. The step surface of the step 16c having such a height difference forms an opposing surface 16d that faces the clamp portion 13a. On the other hand, the surface of the clamp portion 13a that faces the facing surface 16d forms the facing surface 13. Both the facing surface 16d of the step 16 and the facing surface 13b of the clamp portion 13a extend in the vertical direction. Thus, the opposing surface 16d of the step 16 extending in the vertical direction and the opposing surface 13b of the clamp portion 13a have a shape corresponding to the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 (that is, an arc shape). The semiconductor process wafer 3 is configured to be fitted in.

  The second receiving portion 13 is curved not only on the opposing surface 16d of the step 16c but also on the base end side of the hand body 12 so that the entire second support surface 16 is aligned with the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3. It is curved in an arc shape so as to protrude. Further, not only the clamp part 13 a but also the first receiving part 13 is curved so that the entire first support surface 15 protrudes toward the front end side of the hand body 12 in accordance with the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3. Curved in an arc.

  Ideally, the semiconductor process wafer 3 fitted between the opposing surfaces 13b and 16d as described above has the edges of the semiconductor processing wafer 3 hitting the opposing surfaces 13b and 16d. However, depending on the processing accuracy and position accuracy of the first receiving portion 13 and the second receiving portion 14, and the processing accuracy of the semiconductor process wafer 3, the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 has two or three opposing surfaces 13b, 16d. In some cases, it does not hit all the facing surfaces 13b, 16d. However, even in such a case, the position of the semiconductor process wafer 3 on the base end side of the hand body 12 is regulated by the facing surface 16d of the step 16c, so that the semiconductor process wafer 3 is compared with the case where the step 16c does not exist. The positional accuracy of the wafer 3 is improved.

  A pressing mechanism 17 is provided on the mounting plate 11 of the chuck hand 1 on which the semiconductor process wafer 3 can be placed between the opposing surfaces 13b and 16d as described above. The pressing mechanism 17 is configured to press the semiconductor process wafer 3 toward the facing surface 13b of the clamp portion 13a. Specifically, the pressing mechanism 17 has a cylinder 18. The cylinder 18 is provided at an intermediate portion of the mounting plate 11. A rod 19 is inserted into the cylinder 18 so as to be able to advance and retract. A piston 20 is formed at one end of the rod 19. The piston 20 divides the inside of the cylinder 18 into two spaces, a first space 18a and a second space 18b. The rod 19 moves forward by supplying air to the first space 18a. The rod 19 is configured to retreat by supplying air to the second space 18b. A pusher 21 is provided at the other end of the rod 19 that advances and retracts in this way.

  The pusher 21 is generally formed in a rectangular parallelepiped. One side of the pusher 21 is fixed to the rod 19. Further, the surface opposite to the one side surface of the pusher 21 is a pressing surface 21a. The pressing surface 21a is inclined so as to expand downward. The pusher 21 configured as described above is disposed in a through groove 22 formed between the pair of second receiving portions 14. The through groove 22 extends from the proximal end of the hand body 12 to the distal end side. The pusher 21 is disposed so as to advance and retreat in the through groove 22 as the rod 19 advances and retreats.

  The pressing surface 21a of the pusher 21 configured as described above is disposed on the proximal end side of the hand main body 12, that is, rearward of the step 16c in a state where the rod 19 is most retracted. That is, the pressing surface 21a is configured to be lowered to the first support region 16a with the rod 19 retracted most. On the contrary, in the state where the rod 19 has advanced most, the pressing surface 21a is arranged on the tip side of the hand body 12, that is, in front of the step 16c. That is, the pressing surface 21a is configured so as to protrude to the second support region 16b in a state where the rod 19 is most advanced.

  The advancing and retracting pressing surface 21 a is configured to contact the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 supported by the pair of first support surfaces 15 and the pair of second support surfaces 16 when the rod 19 advances. The pusher 21 further advances the rod 19 to push the semiconductor process wafer 3 toward the clamp part 13a of the pair of first receiving parts 13, and to hold the semiconductor process wafer 3 together with the clamp part 13a. It is configured.

  When gripping in this way, the front end side of the hand main body 12 divided into two forks is deformed so as to be separated from each other in the circumferential direction of the semiconductor process wafer 3. Further, when the pusher 21 pushes the upper surface of the first receiving portion 13 downward through the semiconductor process wafer 3, the front end side of the hand body 12 is deformed so as to warp downward. As the hand body 12 is warped in this way, the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 is separated from the step 16 or further away (see FIG. 4B). In FIG. 4B, the state of the semiconductor process wafer 3 before warping is shown by a two-dot chain line.

  Here, the deformation and warping of the front end side of the hand main body 12 is such that the hand main body 12 is a plate body, the hand main body 12 is supported by a robot arm in a cantilever shape, and the front end of the hand main body 12 becomes a free end. Due to the fact that Further, the magnitude of the deformation and warping of the distal end side of the hand body 12 increases according to the strength of the gripping force (pressing force) of the semiconductor process wafer 3 by the pressing mechanism 11. Therefore, due to the pressing force of the pressing mechanism 11, the tip side of the hand body 12 is actually deformed and warped.

  As described above, the pusher 21 moves the tip end side of the hand body 12 downward and moves the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 away from the step 16c or further away as the rod 19 advances. In FIG. 4B, for the convenience of explanation, the state in which the hand main body 12 is greatly warped is exaggerated, but in reality, the hand main body 12 is slightly warped. However, as described above, the degree of warpage is determined depending on the rigidity of the hand body 12, the user, and the like, and is not necessarily small.

  The pusher 21 is configured to release the semiconductor process wafer 3 held by the rod 19 when the rod 19 is retracted. When releasing, the pusher 21 is quickly retracted to a position behind the step 16c (for example, 300 m / sec). The hand main body 12 gets up so as to repel the tip end side of the hand main body 12 that is warped by quickly moving the pusher 21 backward. That is, the hand main body 12 generates a spring back.

  When spring back occurs in the hand body 12, the semiconductor process wafer 3 is pushed back toward the step 16 c by the first receiving portion 13. The amount by which the semiconductor process wafer 3 is pushed back by this spring back increases in accordance with the retreating speed of the pusher 21. Therefore, the pressing mechanism 11 results in the pushing back of the semiconductor process wafer 3 by this spring back. The step 16c is configured such that the pushed back semiconductor process wafer 3 hits. Further, the step 16c is formed in an arc shape as described above, and as will be described in detail later, the semiconductor process wafer 3 is guided to a specified position to bring the semiconductor process wafer 3 to the specified position or in the vicinity thereof. To position (see FIG. 5).

[Operation of transfer robot and chuck hand (wafer release method for semiconductor process)]
In the following, with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, the method of releasing the semiconductor process wafer 3 held by the transfer robot 2 configured as described above, where the transfer robot 2 goes to hold the semiconductor process wafer 3. It explains from. First, a control device (not shown) moves the elevating shaft 5, the first arm 6, the second arm 7 and the chuck hand 1 of the transfer robot 2 to place the chuck hand 1 below the semiconductor process wafer 3 (step S1). ). At this time, the control apparatus moves the transfer robot 2 so that the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 is disposed above the first support surface 15 and the second support surface 16.

  When the chuck hand 1 is arranged below the semiconductor process wafer 3, the control device extends the lift shaft 5 to raise the chuck hand 1, and the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 is moved to the first support surface 15 and the first support surface 15. 2 Place each on the support surface 16 (step S2). The mounted semiconductor process wafer 3 is supported at four points by the first support surface 15 and the second support surface 16. Since the first support surface 15 and the second support surface 16 are inclined as described above, the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 supported in this way is the first support surface 15 and the second support surface 16. Point contact (or line contact). Therefore, particles adhering to the first support surface 15 and the second support surface 16 are prevented from adhering to the semiconductor process wafer 3, and the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 is connected to the first support surface 15 and the second support surface 15. It is easy to slide on the support surface 16.

  In addition, the semiconductor process wafer 3 placed on the chuck hand 1 is normally placed between the opposing surface 13b of the clamp portion 13a and the opposing surface 16d of the step 16c. However, the position of the hand body 12 on which the semiconductor process wafer 3 is placed may vary depending on the position accuracy of the semiconductor process wafer 3 and the control accuracy of the chuck hand 1 in step S1. Therefore, the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 may not necessarily enter between the facing surfaces 13b and 13d. In this case, the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 is placed on the first support region 16a. When gripping the semiconductor process wafer 3, the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 is in the second support region 16 b of the second support surface 16. Therefore, when the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 is placed on the first support region 16a, when the semiconductor process wafer 3 is held in step S3, which will be described later, the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 is moved to the first edge. It must fall from the support area 16a to the second support area 16b. At this time, an impact occurs on the semiconductor process wafer 3. However, since the height difference of the step 16c is not less than 0.3 mm and not more than 0.5 mm as described above, the impact can be suppressed.

  After placing the semiconductor process wafer 3, the control device holds the semiconductor process wafer 3 by the pressing mechanism 17 and the first receiving portion 13 (step S <b> 3). Here, air is first supplied to the first space 18 a in the cylinder 18. As a result, the pusher 21 moves forward toward the distal end side of the hand body 12. As the head advances, the pressing surface 21 a of the pusher 21 eventually hits the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3. By further advancing, the pusher 21 pushes the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 toward the clamp portion 13 a of the first receiving portion 13. Then, the semiconductor process wafer 3 eventually comes into contact with the clamp portion 13 a of the first receiving portion 13. Even after the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 hits the clamp portion 13a, when the pusher 21 is further advanced, the pusher 21 presses the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 against the clamp portion 13a. As a result, the semiconductor process wafer 3 is held by the clamp portion 13 a and the pusher 21 and held by the chuck hand 1.

  When holding, the pusher 21 presses the semiconductor process wafer 3, whereby the upper surface of the first receiving portion 13 is pressed downward via the semiconductor process wafer 3. Thereby, the front end side of the hand main body 12 is deformed so as to warp downward. In this way, the front end side of the hand main body 12 warps downward, so that the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 is separated from the step 16c or separated (see FIG. 4B). After gripping the semiconductor process wafer 3 in this manner, the control device moves the lifting shaft 5, the first arm 6, the second arm 7, and the chuck hand 1 of the transfer robot 2 to place the semiconductor process wafer 3 in a predetermined position. (Step S4).

  Next, the control device releases the pressure applied to the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 and releases the semiconductor process wafer 3 (step S5). Here, first, the control device causes air to be supplied to the second space 18 b in the cylinder 18 to retract the pusher 21 of the pressing mechanism 17. As a result, the semiconductor process wafer 3 is released. When releasing, the control device quickly supplies air to the second space 18b. As a result, the pusher 21 is quickly retracted, and spring back occurs in the hand body 12. By this spring back, the semiconductor process wafer 3 is pushed back toward the step 16 c by the first receiving portion 13.

  As the semiconductor process wafer 3 is pushed back in this way, the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 hits the step 16c (step S6). The level difference 16c is configured such that the height difference is about half the thickness of the semiconductor process wafer 3, specifically, 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm. Therefore, the step 16c hits the edge of the semiconductor process wafer 3 that faces the step 16c. The semiconductor process wafer 3 hitting the step 16c is guided to a specified position by the step 16c, and is stopped at or near the specified position. Thus, the level | step difference 16c stops the semiconductor process wafer 3, and the amount pushed back by the semiconductor process wafer 3 is controlled. That is, the position to be pushed back is constant, and there is no variation in the position of the semiconductor process wafer 3 after being released. Further, the semiconductor process wafer 3 is positioned at the prescribed position by being stopped at or near the prescribed position by the step 16c. Here, the positioning at the prescribed position includes not only the semiconductor process wafer 3 being arranged at the prescribed position but also the semiconductor process wafer 3 being arranged in the vicinity of the prescribed position.

  When positioned in this way, the control device contracts the lifting shaft 5 and lowers the chuck hand 1 to place the semiconductor process wafer 3 at a predetermined position (step S7), and the processing is completed.

  In the present embodiment, the chuck hand 1 is configured to support the semiconductor process wafer 3 by four members of the pair of first receiving portions 13 and 13 and the pair of second receiving portions 14 and 14. It is not necessary to support with four members. For example, it may be supported by two or three members, or may be supported by five or more members.

  The present invention can be applied to an edge grip device for gripping an edge of a semiconductor process wafer and a transfer robot including the edge grip device.

  Further, the present invention can be applied to a positioning method in an edge grip device for gripping an edge of a semiconductor process wafer.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Chuck hand 2 Transfer robot 3 Semiconductor process wafer 12 Hand main body 13 1st receiving part 14 2nd receiving part 16 2nd support surface 16a 1st support area 16b 2nd support area 16c Level | step difference 17 Pressing mechanism

Claims (7)

A plate-shaped edge grip body having a first receiving portion and a second receiving portion which are provided so as to face each other and support the edge of the semiconductor process wafer;
The edge of the semiconductor process wafer is pressed by the pressing surface toward the first receiving portion to grip the semiconductor processing wafer together with the first receiving portion, and the edge of the semiconductor processing wafer is pressed by the pressing surface. An edge grip device provided with a pressing mechanism capable of releasing the semiconductor process wafer by releasing the pressure,
The first receiving portion is inclined upward from the second receiving portion side,
The second receiving portion has a support surface that supports an edge of the semiconductor process wafer;
The supporting surface is inclined upwardly from the first accept part side, and has a step,
The step is formed between a position of the pressing surface in a state where the semiconductor processing wafer is gripped and a position of the pressing surface in a state where the semiconductor processing wafer is released in the pressing direction of the pressing surface. And
The step is formed such that the edge of the semiconductor process wafer pushed back when the pressing of the edge of the semiconductor process wafer by the pressing mechanism is released and the semiconductor process wafer is released hits the step. An edge grip device.   2. The edge grip device according to claim 1, wherein the step is formed in a position and a shape so that the semiconductor process wafer can be positioned at a predetermined position.   2. The edge grip device according to claim 1, wherein the step is formed in a shape along an outer shape of the semiconductor process wafer as viewed from a thickness direction of the edge grip body. The support surface of the second receiving portion includes a first support region, and a second support region located on the first receiving portion side and at a lower position than the first support region,
The edge grip device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the step is formed so as to connect the first support region and the second support region.   The edge grip device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a height difference of the step is 0.3 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less.   A transport robot comprising the edge grip device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A plate-shaped edge grip body having a first receiving portion and a second receiving portion which are provided so as to face each other and support the edge of the semiconductor process wafer;
The edge of the semiconductor process wafer is pressed by the pressing surface toward the first receiving portion to grip the semiconductor processing wafer together with the first receiving portion, and the edge of the semiconductor processing wafer is pressed by the pressing surface. A pressing mechanism capable of releasing the semiconductor process wafer by releasing the pressure,
The first receiving portion is inclined upward from the second receiving portion side,
The second receiving portion has a support surface that supports an edge of the semiconductor process wafer;
The supporting surface is inclined upwardly from the first accept part side, and has a level difference
The step is formed between the position of the pressing surface in the state of gripping the semiconductor process wafer and the position of the pressing surface in the state of releasing the semiconductor process wafer in the pressing direction of the pressing surface , Semiconductor process in an edge grip device in which the edge of the semiconductor process wafer that is pushed back when the edge of the semiconductor process wafer by the pressing mechanism is released and the semiconductor process wafer is released is hit A wafer release method,
The edge of the semiconductor process wafer is pressed by the pressing mechanism to hold the semiconductor process wafer together with the first receiving portion,
Release the semiconductor process wafer by releasing the pressure on the edge of the semiconductor process wafer to be gripped,
A method for releasing a semiconductor process wafer, wherein an edge of the semiconductor process wafer pushed back to the step by being released is applied to the step.

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