JP5998640B2 - Load port device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention provides a method for transferring a wafer held in a sealed transfer container called a pod to a semiconductor processing apparatus in a semiconductor manufacturing process or the like, or transferring a wafer from the semiconductor processing apparatus to the pod. The present invention relates to a so-called FIMS (Front-Opening Interface Mechanical Standard) system, that is, a load port device.

  In recent years, the semiconductor manufacturing process has been carried out in various processing apparatuses, a pod that accommodates wafers and allows wafers to be transferred between the processing apparatuses, and a minute space that transfers wafers from the pod to the processing apparatuses. A method of managing cleanliness through a process by keeping only three spaces in a highly clean state is common. Such a pod is composed of a main body portion that contains a wafer inside and has an opening for inserting and removing a wafer on one side surface, and a lid that closes the opening to make the inside of the pod a sealed space. Further, the minute space has an opening that can face the opening of the pod described above, and a second opening that faces the opening and is disposed on the semiconductor processing apparatus side.

  The load port device includes a wall called a side plate that is a member of a partition wall in which the opening is formed, a door that closes the opening, a door drive mechanism that controls the operation of the door, And a mounting table on which the pod is mounted. The mounting table can support the pod so that the opening of the pod faces the opening, and the lid is moved toward or away from the door together with the pod. The door can hold the lid of the pod, and opens and closes the opening while holding the lid by the door drive mechanism, and retracts or lowers the space below the space between the opening and the second opening. You can get into the space. A robot is disposed in the minute space, and the robot can enter and retreat inside the pod through the opening-pod opening, and the inside of the pod, the semiconductor processing apparatus, and the like through the second opening. The wafer is transferred between.

  In a semiconductor manufacturing process, for example, a wafer in which a metal wiring is formed exists in a wafer accommodated in a pod. Such metal wiring may oxidize on the surface, so that desired characteristics may not be obtained when the device is completed. For this reason, it is necessary to keep the oxygen concentration inside the pod at a low level. As a technique for meeting such a demand, in Patent Document 1, an enclosure is arranged in a space adjacent to an opening in a minute space, and oxygen concentration in the pod is reduced by reducing the oxygen concentration in the enclosure. A technique for suppressing the intrusion of the camera is disclosed.

JP 2009-038073 A

  In the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is possible to reduce the oxygen concentration in the pod to a level required at present. Here, in an actual wafer processing step, it is required to shorten the time required to reduce the oxygen concentration and to reduce the amount of inert gas such as nitrogen required for this. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a load port device that can shorten the time required for the oxygen concentration reduction operation and reduce the amount of inert gas used.

  In order to solve the above problems, a load port device according to the present invention includes a side plate that forms part of a wall that separates a minute space from an external space, and a door that can close an opening of the side plate. A load port device that opens and closes a sealed container with a door holding a lid attached to the opening while the opening of the sealed container that accommodates an object is opposed to the opening. A cover member that is disposed inside and divides a part of the minute space adjacent to the opening as a second minute space, and supplies a gas to the inside of the second minute space, and the sealed container through the opening and the opening. A gas purging device capable of supplying a gas to the inside of the door, and a door drive mechanism for moving the door between a position where the opening is closed and a position where the door is not closed, and the cover member is in a state of partitioning a minute space, Do When the driving mechanism is moved to a position not closed is spaced from the opening of the door, at least a portion of the door and having a second opening pierceable toward the minute space.

  In the load port device described above, the door drive mechanism preferably supports the cover member together with the door, and can drive the cover member together with the door in a direction parallel to the side plate. Further, the cover member has a chamber defining plate arranged opposite to the opening and a side plate arranged along the side of the opening, with respect to the side plate above the upper side of the opening. In combination with the fixed upper wall member, it forms a second microspace, and the second opening is preferably located in the chamber defining plate. Furthermore, the gas purge device is preferably fixed with respect to the side plate.

  In addition, in order to solve the above-described problem, the lid opening / closing method of the hermetic container according to the present invention can close a side plate that forms a part of a wall that separates a minute space from an external space and an opening of the side plate. Opening and closing of the hermetic container in a load port device that has a door and opens and closes the hermetic container with the door holding the lid attached to the opening while the opening of the hermetic container that accommodates an object is opposed to the opening. A method of partitioning a part of the minute space adjacent to the opening as a second minute space by a cover member that can be disposed surrounding the opening in the minute space, holding the lid by the door, A step of opening the opening by separating from the opening, and a step of opening the opening by moving the cover member together with the door, and when the door is separated from the opening, Characterized in that through the through hole part is provided in the cover member toward the small space even without.

  According to the present invention, when the residual oxygen concentration inside the pod is reduced to a level of less than 100 ppm, it is possible to shorten the time required for this and reduce the amount of inert gas used.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the state which mounted the pod in the load port apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention, and looked at these from the side surface. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the state which mounted the pod in the load port apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention, and looked at these from the side surface. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the state which mounted the pod in the load port apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention, and looked at these from the side surface. It is the figure which looked at the structure in the structure shown to Fig.1 (a)-1 (c) from the micro space 103 side. FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of the invention in a manner similar to FIGS. 1 (a) -1 (c). FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of the invention in a manner similar to FIGS. 1 (a) -1 (c). FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of the invention in a manner similar to FIGS. 1 (a) -1 (c).

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig.1 (a) is related with the load port 100 apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention, and has shown schematic structure at the time of seeing the state which mounted the pod 1 on the mounting base from the side surface. FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the load port apparatus 100 when the configuration in the state shown in FIG. 1A is viewed from the back side of the door. 1B shows a state where the door holds the lid 3 of the pod 1 and opens the pod opening from the state shown in FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1C shows a state where the door further holds the lid 3. It shows a state in which it is lowered and the opening of the bod and the opening are opened.

  In the description of the present embodiment, a pod (sealed container) that accommodates a wafer to be accommodated will be described first. A pod 1 shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C and the like includes a pod body 2 and a lid 3. The pod body 2 has an accommodation space 2b for accommodating a wafer or the like inside, and an opening 2a communicating with the accommodation space 2b on the side surface. The opening 2 a is closed by the lid 3. A plurality of shelves (not shown) that horizontally support a wafer (not shown) (shown by a two-dot chain line in the figure) protrudes from the side wall or the like in the accommodation space 2b, and the plurality of wafers are evenly spaced by the shelf. After dawn, it is held horizontally in the accommodation space 2b. In this embodiment, the driving direction of the pod body 2 is the X-axis direction, and the direction (perpendicular to the paper surface) that defines the wafer extending surface along with the X-axis perpendicular to the X-axis is the Y-axis direction. The direction perpendicular to the XY plane composed of these axes is defined as the Z axis for convenience. In the present embodiment, the vertical direction corresponds to the Z-axis direction, and the upper and lower portions in this specification correspond to the upper and lower portions in the vertical direction. However, the extending direction of the Z-axis in the present invention is not limited to this vertical direction, and can be set to be inclined from the vertical direction as necessary.

  Next, the configuration of the load port device in the present embodiment will be described below. The load port device 100 forms a micro space 103 separated from the external space 104 by a side plate 105, and includes a pod mounting table 107 disposed adjacent to the side plate 105. The side plate 105 has a first opening 111 that allows the minute space 103 and the external space 104 to communicate with each other. A fan (not shown) is arranged above the minute space 103 constructed by the side plate 105 and the like, and gas existing in the outer space 104 of the housing of the semiconductor processing apparatus to which the load port device 100 is attached is introduced into the minute space 103. The so-called down flow, which is a gas flow from the upper side to the lower side, is generated inside the micro space 103. The fan is accompanied by a filter that removes contaminants such as dust from the gas introduced from the space according to the cleanliness of the external space 104. A structure that allows the downflow to flow out is disposed below the minute space 103, and dust or the like generated inside the minute space 103 is carried by the downflow from the lower part of the minute space 103 to the external space 104. To be discharged.

  The door 121 that substantially closes the first opening 111 constitutes a part of the door system 120. The door system 120 includes a door 121, a door arm 125, and a door drive mechanism 123. The door 121 can hold the lid 3 and can be operated to fix and separate the lid 3 from the pod body 2. The door drive mechanism 123 includes an X-axis drive mechanism portion 123a and a Z-axis drive mechanism portion 123b. The X-axis drive mechanism 123a is connected to one end of the door arm 125, supports the door 121 via the door arm 125, and moves the door arm 125 in parallel in the X-axis direction to promote the approach and separation of the door 121 from the pod 1. The Z-axis drive mechanism 123b moves the door 121 and the door arm 125 up and down along the Z-axis, and opens and closes the first opening 111. The Z-axis drive mechanism 123b also moves up and down a cover member described later together with the door 121 and the like.

  The mounting table 107 on which the pod 1 is mounted can fix the mounted pod 1 and can fix the pod 1 with respect to the first opening 111 (more precisely, the door 121 that closes the pod 1). It is possible to approach and separate. The mounting table 107 performs an approaching operation of the pod 1 until the pod 1 reaches a predetermined distance from the door 121 or comes into contact with the door 121 by a table driving mechanism (not shown), and the door 121 is driven in a state where the driving of the pod 1 is stopped. Holds the lid 3. As described above, the door 121 separates the lid 3 from the pod main body 2 in this state, and further moves downward with respect to the first opening 111 by the door driving mechanism 123, thereby opening the opening 2a of the pod 1. Is opened to the minute space 103.

  The load port device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a purge device 200 and a cover member 250 in addition to the configuration described above. In the present embodiment, the gas purge device 200 is used fixed to the load port device 100 described above. The gas purge apparatus 200 includes a curtain nozzle 210 and a pair of purge nozzles 220. The curtain nozzle 210 is disposed above the upper side of the first opening 111 and protrudes from the side plate 105 toward the minute space 103 in a posture along the upper side (projects in the X-axis direction). The curtain nozzle 210 forms a ridge (upper wall member) protruding from the upper side of the first opening 111, and continuously supplies an inert gas such as nitrogen along the lower side of the Z-axis from the ridge, A curtain made of the inert gas is generated in a space adjacent to the first opening 111 in 103. In addition, this saddle shape suppresses the downflow supplied from the ceiling portion of the minute space 103 from flowing into the space adjacent to the first opening 111. In the present embodiment, the curtain nozzle 210 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a large number of gas ejection ports are provided over the entire bottom surface constituted by the filter member.

  The pair of purge nozzles 220 are arranged on the side of the minute space 103 of the side base 105 so as to extend in parallel with the side sides around the both sides of the first opening 111. The pair of purge nozzles 220 are arranged so as to be positioned inside the gas curtain formed by the curtain nozzle 210. Each of the purge nozzles 220 is provided with an opening slit (not shown) for supplying a purge gas so that an inert gas can be ejected from the minute space 103 toward the external space 104 through the first opening 111. Yes. In a state where the pod 1 is placed on the mounting table 107 and the opening 2a of the pod 1 is opened by the door 121, these purge nozzles 220 supply an inert gas toward the pod housing space 2b, and the atmosphere inside the pod 1 Replace the gas.

  The cover member 250 includes a pair of side plates 260 and a chamber defining plate 270. These plates constituting the cover member 250 are integrally supported by the Z-axis drive mechanism 123b in the door drive mechanism 123, and are moved up and down together with the door 121. Each of the pair of side plates 260 is made of a flat plate-like member that protrudes from the side plate 105 toward the minute space 103 by a predetermined length and extends in the Z-axis direction. The predetermined length is set to a length at which the end portion on the minute space 103 side coincides with the distance from the end portion on the side plate 105 side of the curtain nozzle 210 to the end portion on the minute space 103 at the raised position of the cover member 250. Further, each of the side plates 260 is disposed outside the purge nozzle 220 with reference to the center of the first opening 111. That is, at the raised position of the cover member 250, the curtain nozzle 210, which is the upper wall member, and the side plate 260 are connected to each other, surround the first opening 111 and protrude from the side plate 105 by a predetermined length. A U-shaped part is formed.

  The chamber defining plate 270 faces the side plate 105 through the side plate 260 with respect to the side (end on the minute space 103 side) which is the free end of the side plate 260 opposite to the side plate 105. Fixed. That is, by arranging the chamber expansion defining plate 270 on the side surface of the U-shaped enclosure composed of the side plate 260 and the curtain nozzle 210, a part of the micro space 103 is formed in front of the first opening 111. A partitioned second minute space 203 is formed. With the above configuration, when the door 121 holds the lid 3 of the pod 1 and opens the pod opening 2a, the second minute space 203 and the inside of the pod 1 communicate with each other through the first opening 111. Will be. An inert gas such as nitrogen is supplied into the second minute space 203 from the curtain nozzle 210 and the purge nozzle 220, and the oxygen concentration in this space is effectively reduced.

  In the present invention, the chamber defining plate 270 has a second opening 271 through which at least a part of the door back surface part 121a penetrates toward the minute space 103 when the door 121 moves away from the first opening 111. . The door 121 inevitably has a certain thickness in the X-axis direction because it has a mechanism for holding the lid 3 of the pod 1 inside. The second opening 271 is arranged so that the thickest portion of the door 121 can be penetrated. Thus, even when the chamber defining plate 270 is disposed closer to the side plate 105 than when the second opening 271 is not provided, the door 3 is removed when the lid 3 is removed from the pod body 2 by the door 121. It is possible to ensure a sufficient operation range of 121 in the X-axis direction. Further, when the door 121 is separated from the first opening 111, a part of the door 121, in this embodiment, the door back surface 121 a is fitted into the second opening 271, thereby the second opening. The opening shape and size are set so that the part 271 is substantially closed. Therefore, by fitting the door back surface portion 121a into the second opening 271, the second minute space 203 can be made a substantially sealed space from the viewpoint of filling with the inert gas.

  In the present invention described above, the second minute space 203 is defined so as to surround the first opening 111 and the space adjacent thereto on the minute space 103 side and is partitioned from the minute space 103. A second opening portion 271 that can penetrate the protruding portion in the X-axis direction, which is at least a part of the door 121, is disposed on the cover member including the chamber defining plate 270 and the side surface plate 260. As a result, the chamber defining plate 270 disposed at a position facing the first opening 111 can be made much closer to the side plate 105 than in the prior art. Therefore, when purging the internal space 2b of the pod 1, the volume of the second minute space 203 acting as a path for supplying the inert gas and the buffer space can be reduced, and the second gas can be reduced by the inert gas. It is possible to reduce the time required for the purge operation to replace the minute space 203 and the storage space 2b, and the amount of inert gas used for the purge operation.

  In the present invention, the cover member 250 and the door 121 are moved up and down together. Therefore, when the door 121 holding the lid 3 of the pod 1 is in the lowered state, the cover member 250 is also lowered. With this configuration, when a robot (not shown) is in a state to be operated, the cover member 250 is lowered so as not to affect the operation of the robot. For example, if a member exists in the vicinity of the operation area as the wafer size increases and the robot itself carrying the wafer increases, there is a risk of contact between the robot and the robot due to enlargement of the operation area accompanying the increase in size. There is a possibility that it increases. As in this embodiment, by moving the cover member 250, which is such a member, away from the vicinity of the operation range, the possibility of contact between the robot and the member described here is greatly reduced.

  In this embodiment, the cover member 250 is moved up and down together with the door 121 by the Z-axis drive mechanism 123b in the door drive mechanism 123. In the case of a system in which these are raised and lowered separately, each drive mechanism is required. Normally, it is necessary for the drive mechanism to take into account dust generation in the operating part. However, in the case of this configuration, there are a plurality of dust generation sources and they may move individually, which may increase the influence of dust generation. . Normally, the downflow generated in the minute space 103 is guided to the position where the dust generation source exists, thereby urging the discharge of dust and the like to the external space. However, in the case of having a plurality of drive mechanisms, it may be considered that the individual drive mechanisms may change the top and bottom arrangement depending on the situation. Such an operation may cause generation of turbulent flow during downflow and diffusion of dust and the like due to the dust being rolled up. In the present invention, this drive mechanism is used as a single unit to suppress the generation of dust or dust accompanying the drive of the door 121 and the cover member 250.

  Next, operations up to the state where the lid 3 is actually removed from the pod 1 and the wafer inside the pod 1 can be inserted and removed will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the pod 1 placed on the placing table 107 is conveyed toward the first opening 111 by a table driving mechanism (not shown), and is stopped after the lid 3 comes into contact with the door 121. This state corresponds to FIG. The door 121 holds the lid 3 and is driven by the X-axis drive mechanism 123 a so that the door 121 moves away from the first opening 111, and the lid 3 is removed from the pod body 2 to open the opening 2 a. At that time, the door back surface portion 121a penetrates the second opening portion 271 and protrudes toward the minute space 103 side, and from the side plate 105 by a minimum distance that allows the lid 3 to be lowered without coming into contact with other structures. The separation operation that is parallel movement in the X-axis direction is stopped at the separated position. The state in which the separation operation is stopped corresponds to FIG.

  From this state, the door drive mechanism 123 lowers the door 121 and the cover member 250 together to communicate the pod opening 2a-the first opening 111-the minute space 103. This state corresponds to FIG. In this state, the cover member 250 is retracted from the area adjacent to the first opening 111, so that the operation range of a robot (not shown) for wafer transfer is not hindered. After completion of the various processes on the wafer, the lid 3 is attached to the pod body 2 by performing the reverse operation to the above-described operation. At that time, the supply of the inert gas from the gas purge device 200 is started from the stage of FIG. 1C or 1B, and a so-called gas purge operation for replacing the atmosphere inside the pod 1 is performed. After performing a purge operation for a time when the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 2b of the pod 1 is considered to be sufficiently lowered, the door 121 is translated in the X-axis direction to return to the state of FIG. 2a is closed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the cover member 250 moves together with the door 121 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this aspect. For example, the cover member 250 may be fixed, and only the door 121 may be driven in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction. Hereinafter, another embodiment in which the cover member 250 is fixed to the side plate 105 will be described. 3 (a) to 3 (c) illustrate the load port device 100 according to the present embodiment in the same manner as FIGS. 1 (a) to 1 (c). In the present embodiment, the door 121 is also retracted in the X-axis direction in the operation of removing the lid 3 from the pod 1. However, it should be noted that the X-axis drive mechanism 123a may be replaced with a mechanism that rotates the door arm 125 about a specific horizontal axis, and the door 121 may be configured to rotate. 3A to 3C, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same components as those detailed in the above-described embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted here. To do.

  In the present embodiment, the door drive mechanism 123 supports only the door 121, and the cover member 250 is fixed to the side plate 105. Therefore, the shape of the chamber defining plate 270 is modified so that the cover member 250 does not affect the elevation of the door 121. The second opening 271 is not in the form of a through-hole, but has a cut shape in which the lower side of the Z-axis is opened so that the door back surface part 121a can move downward in the Z-axis. Accordingly, even when the door 121 descends along the Z-axis direction after the door 121 is separated from the first opening 111 and the door back surface 121a penetrates the second opening 271, the door back surface 121a Does not come into contact with the second opening 271.

  In actual operation, the pod 1 placed on the placing table 107 is first transported toward the first opening 111 by a table driving mechanism (not shown), and stopped after the lid 3 comes into contact with the door 121. The This state corresponds to FIG. The door 121 holds the lid 3 and is driven by the X-axis drive mechanism 123 a so that the door 121 moves away from the first opening 111, and the lid 3 is removed from the pod body 2 to open the opening 2 a. At that time, the door back surface portion 121a penetrates the second opening portion 271 and protrudes toward the minute space 103 side, and from the side plate 105 by a minimum distance that allows the lid 3 to be lowered without coming into contact with other structures. The separation operation that is parallel movement in the X-axis direction is stopped at the separated position. The state in which the separation operation is stopped corresponds to FIG. From this state, the door drive mechanism 123 lowers the door 121 and the cover member 250 to connect the pod opening 2a—the first opening 111—the minute space 103. This state corresponds to FIG. At that time, the cover member 250 fixed to the side plate 105 does not operate from the initial position. In the case of this configuration, the degree of sealing of the second minute space 203 is inferior to that of the above-described embodiment, but since the drive portion is reduced, an effect that dust generation due to the drive portion is suppressed is obtained.

  In the embodiment described above, the curtain nozzle 210 is used as a member constituting the upper wall of the second minute space 203. However, these can be separated into a configuration having a wall function and a nozzle that is arranged inside the second micro space 203 and has a function of generating a gas curtain in a space adjacent to the first opening 111. good. Further, the driving direction and the like of the door 121 are defined by the X, Y, and Z axes for convenience, but the driving direction and the like in the present invention are not limited to this form. For example, it is possible to place each of them at a predetermined angle with respect to these axes. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the pod and the wafer accommodated in the semiconductor processing apparatus are illustrated, but these can be extended to various articles as a container and a container. . As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the volume of the second minute space 203 used as the gas supply path and the buffer chamber when purging the inert gas inside the pod. Therefore, when the residual oxygen concentration inside the pod is reduced to a level of less than 100 ppm, it is possible to achieve both reduction of the time required for the purge operation and reduction of the amount of inert gas used.

  As described above, the present invention relates to a load port apparatus suitably used for a semiconductor processing apparatus. However, the applicability of the present invention is not limited only to the processing apparatus, and for example, a so-called load port apparatus used in various processing apparatuses that perform various processes according to semiconductors, such as a processing apparatus that handles a panel of a liquid crystal display. It can also be applied to gas purge devices.

1: Pod, 2: Pod body, 2a: Opening, 2b: Storage space, 3: Lid, 100: Load port device, 103: Micro space, 104: External space, 105: Side plate, 107: Mounting table, 111: 1st opening part, 120: Door system, 121: Door, 121a: Door back surface part, 123: Door drive mechanism, 123a: X axis drive mechanism part, 123b: Z axis drive mechanism part, 125: Door arm, 200: Gas purge Apparatus: 203: second minute space; 210: curtain nozzle; 220: purge nozzle; 250: cover member; 260: side plate; 270: chamber defining plate;

Claims (5)

A side plate that forms part of a wall that separates a minute space from an external space, and a door that can close an opening of the side plate, and the opening of an airtight container that accommodates an object to be accommodated A load port device that opens and closes the sealed container with the door holding a lid attached to the opening,
A cover member that surrounds the opening and is disposed in the minute space and divides a part of the minute space adjacent to the opening as a second minute space;
A gas purge device capable of supplying a gas into the second minute space and supplying the gas into the sealed container through the opening and the opening;
A door drive mechanism for moving the door between a position where the opening is closed and a position where the door is not closed;
When the door drive mechanism moves the door away from the opening and moves the door to a position that does not close with the cover member separating the minute space, at least a part of the door faces the minute space. A load port device having a second opening that can be penetrated through.   The load port device according to claim 1, wherein the door driving mechanism supports the cover member together with the door, and can drive the cover member together with the door in a direction parallel to the side plate. . The cover member includes a chamber defining plate disposed to face the opening, and a side plate disposed along a side of the opening,
In combination with an upper wall member fixed to the side plate above the upper side of the opening, the second minute space is formed,
The load port device according to claim 1, wherein the second opening is disposed in the chamber defining plate.   The load port device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the gas purge device is fixed to the side plate. A side plate that forms part of a wall that separates a minute space from an external space, and a door that can close an opening of the side plate, and the opening of an airtight container that accommodates an object to be accommodated And a lid opening / closing method of the hermetic container in a load port device that opens and closes the hermetic container while the door holds a lid attached to the opening,
A step of partitioning a part of the minute space adjacent to the opening as a second minute space by a cover member that can be disposed to surround the opening in the minute space; Opening the opening by separating the opening from the opening; and
Moving the cover member together with the door to open the opening, and
A lid opening / closing method for a sealed container, wherein at least a part of the door penetrates a through hole provided in the cover member toward the minute space when the door is separated from the opening.

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