JP6038476B2 - Carrier loading / unloading device and loading / unloading method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate loading / unloading apparatus and a container loading / unloading method used for a load port and the like.

Conventionally, a load port includes a rotating / lifting means 20 for rotating a container for storing a substrate (hereinafter referred to as FOUP) carried into the load port, and a container 30 rotated by the rotating / lifting means 20. And a moving means 38 that moves forward and backward by receiving the signal (see FIGS. 1 and 2 of Patent Document 1).
Further, as another load port, a stage 12 on which the FOUP is placed, a rotation mechanism 31 to 35 for rotating the stage, and a lifting mechanism 39 for raising and lowering the stage are provided, and these members 12, 31 to 35, 39 are provided. Some have a moving mechanism for moving the vehicle forward and backward. (See FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 of Patent Document 2)

Japanese Patent No. 4168724 Japanese Patent No. 4816637

By the way, in the load port of Patent Document 1, a rotating / lifting means 20 for rotating the FOUP is installed as a separate structure from the moving means 38 for moving the FOUP forward and backward. And this load port is not equipped with the clamp which hold | maintains the FOUP carried in. If the FOUP is moved up and down and rotated without clamping, there is a problem that the holding state of the FOUP during up and down movement or rotation becomes unstable. Further, it is necessary to transfer the FOUP between the moving means 38 and the rotating / lifting means 20, and the holding state of the FOUP becomes unstable during this operation.
The load port of Patent Document 2 is a structure that moves many structures such as the FOUP stage 12, the stage rotating mechanisms 31 to 35, and the stage lifting mechanism 39, so that the load port is easily increased in size. In addition, since the eccentric rotation is performed by offsetting from the center of the stage 12 at the time of rotation, it is actually difficult to say that the space required for the rotation operation is minimal. Similarly to the load port of Patent Document 1, since the clamping mechanism is provided in the dock stage 38, there is no clamping while the FOUP is lowered, and the FOUP is lowered in an unstable state.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and can securely hold the FOUP carried in a stable state, and further reduce the size of the container for storing a substrate such as a load port. A carry-in / out device is provided.

The invention according to the present application includes a mounting table on which a substrate storage container is mounted, and the mounting table includes a container loading / unloading position at which the container is mounted on the mounting table, and a container on the mounting table. Rotation with a slide mechanism including a slider that supports the substrate to be carried in and out to and from a substrate carry-in / out position for carrying the substrate in and out, and a rotating body that rotatably supports the slide mechanism A loading / unloading device for a substrate storing container, wherein the mounting table is rotatable at a rotation position between the container loading / unloading position and the substrate loading / unloading position. It is.
Another invention according to the present application relates to a clamping step of fixing a substrate storage container carried into the mounting table to the mounting table, and the holding table from the position of loading and unloading the container while maintaining the clamp in the clamping process. The first loading step of moving and stopping at the rotational position, and the clamping stage being rotated in the state where the clamping step is maintained, the loading table is rotated at the rotational position, and the substrate loading / unloading portion of the loaded container is loaded and unloaded. Rotation process to turn the mounting table in the direction of loading / unloading the substrate that turns to the direction of the time, and rotating the mounting table in the state of maintaining the clamp in the clamping process and facing the mounting table in the direction of loading / unloading the substrate And a second movement step of further moving the substrate from the position to a position where the substrate is carried in / out.

According to the substrate storage container carrying-in / out device according to the present invention, the rotation mechanism is fixed to the apparatus main body and is rotated at a rotation position where the center of the rotation mechanism and the center of the mounting table are aligned. , Space required for rotational movement is minimized. In addition, since the fixed rotating mechanism holds the mounting table and the only part that moves forward and backward is the mounting table, the entire apparatus is compact and stable operation can be realized despite the addition of the rotating mechanism. .
In addition, since the rotation mechanism reverses the direction of the forward / backward movement of the slide mechanism by the rotation at the rotational position, the mounting table is received from another transfer machine only by moving the slide mechanism forward / backward in a certain direction. It is possible to perform multi-point stop with a position at the time of carrying in the container, a rotation position at which the container is rotated, and a board carry-in / out position at which the substrate is taken in and out. By using an inexpensive two-point stop cylinder or the like, the range of movement of the mounting table can be expanded, and access from the transfer machine side is facilitated.
In addition, a guide portion that guides the mounting table to be rotatable at the rotation position is further installed in the device base portion to which the rotation base is fixed. As a result, the container rotates only at a position where the center of the rotation base and the center of the mounting table are aligned, and the space required for the rotation operation is minimized.
Further, since the guided portion guided by the guide portion is a guide pin installed on the mounting table, it is easy to restrict the rotational operation except at the rotational position.
The length of the positioning pin installed on the mounting table from the top surface of the mounting table is such that a work space is formed between the bottom surface of the container mounted on the positioning pin and the top surface of the mounting table. The working space is a space in which the fork part of the transfer machine including the fork part on which the container to be transferred is placed can be inserted. In other words, after the fork is placed on the positioning pin, the fork is lowered to a position away from the container and moved backward to realize delivery to the mounting table. Therefore, the lifting mechanism for the mounting table is unnecessary, and the apparatus can be made compact.
Further, the apparatus further includes a nozzle unit including a supply / exhaust nozzle for filling the purge gas into the container placed on the mounting table, and the nozzle unit is mounted on the substrate loading / unloading position. An elevating mechanism capable of moving up and down to a ventilation position where the air supply nozzle is connected to a nozzle port formed on a bottom surface of the container placed on a table and a position where the air supply nozzle is separated from the nozzle port; Yes. Therefore, even when there is a distance between the nozzle port and the mounting table as in the present invention, the air supply / exhaust nozzle moves up and down, so that purging can be performed on the mounting table.
According to a method for carrying in / out a container for storing a substrate which is another invention according to the present application, a clamping process for fixing the container for storing a substrate carried into the mounting table to the mounting table, and a clamp in the clamping process are performed. In the maintained state, the mounting table is moved from the container loading / unloading position and stopped at the rotational position, and the mounting table is rotated at the rotational position while maintaining the clamp in the clamping process. The rotation step of turning the mounting table in the substrate loading / unloading direction in which the substrate loading / unloading portion of the placed container faces the direction at the time of substrate loading / unloading, and maintaining the clamp in the clamping step In addition, the second moving step is performed in which the mounting table is further moved from the rotation position to a position for loading / unloading the substrate in a state where the mounting table is directed in the direction of loading / unloading the substrate. Therefore, since the container is clamped immediately after it is delivered to the mounting table, it does not become unstable during the rotation operation and the back and forth movement of the mounting table, and these operations can be performed quickly.
Furthermore, the clamping step is performed in a state where the height position of the mounting table and the height position of the container mounted on the mounting table are constant, and the first moving step includes the loading / unloading of the mounting table. The second moving step is a step of horizontally moving the mounting table from the rotating position to the loading / unloading position. After the container is clamped on the mounting table, the same height is maintained without moving up and down, so that the clamped state is firmly maintained and the sliding / rotating operation can be performed quickly.
Further, in the method for loading and unloading the substrate storage container, a positioning device installed in a state of protruding upward from the mounting table using a transport device having a fork portion on which a container to be transferred is mounted. A transfer step of transferring the container onto the pin; and the transfer step of transferring the container to be transferred onto the positioning pin by moving the fork part; and Fork part lowering operation for lowering the fork part after the transfer operation to a work space formed between the bottom surface of the container transferred onto the positioning pin and the upper surface of the mounting table, and the fork part And a retraction operation for extracting from the work space. Therefore, it is not necessary to move the mounting table up and down, and the fork unit transfers the container to the positioning pin, descends into the work space, and can start the clamping operation on the mounting table immediately after the retreating operation.

It is a perspective view which shows the carrying in / out apparatus of the container for board | substrate storage which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the cross section in the AA surface of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the carrying in / out apparatus of FIG. It is a top view which shows the apparatus main body of the carrying in / out apparatus of FIG. 5A to 5E are explanatory diagrams for explaining the operation of the carry-in / out apparatus shown in FIG.

1 ... FOUP (container) loading / unloading device, 1a ... loading / unloading device body (device base),
5 ... FOUP (hoop, container),
10 ... mounting table, 10a ... front end of mounting table, 11, 11a, 11b ... positioning pin, 11g ... front gate part,
12 ... Clamp member, 12a ... Claw, 13 ... Detection pin, 20 ... Slide mechanism,
21 ... Slide mechanism body, 21a ... Guide rail, 22 ... Slider, 23 ... Actuator,
23a ... Air cylinder, 23b ... Rod, 23c ... Coil spring, 23d ... Connecting member,
30 ... rotating mechanism, 31 ... rotating base, 32 ... rotating body,
40 ... Guide mechanism, 41 ... First linear motion guide part, 42 ... Rotation guide part,
43 ... 2nd linear motion guide part, 44 ... Guide pin (follower),
50 ... Nozzle unit, 51 ... Air supply nozzle (one of the supply / exhaust nozzles), 51a ... Nozzle port,
52 ... Exhaust nozzle (one of the supply / exhaust nozzles), 52a ... Nozzle port, 53 ... Nozzle support,
54 ... Lifting mechanism, 55 ... Nozzle support
D1 ... FOUP loading / unloading direction (hoop loading / unloading direction),
D2 ... Load port door direction, D3 ... Advance and retreat direction,
DB ... backward movement, P1-P4, P9 ... guide pin position, S1 ... work space, T ... fork part.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a FOUP (container) loading / unloading apparatus for storing a substrate according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the carry-in / out device 1 has a mounting table 10 on which the FOUP 5 (see FIG. 2) is mounted, a slide mechanism 20 that supports the mounting table 10 so as to move forward and backward, and a slide mechanism 20 that can rotate. Rotating mechanism 30 (FIG. 2) supported on the guide table, guide mechanisms 41 to 43 (see FIG. 4) for guiding the movement of the mounting table 10, and a nozzle for purging the FOUP 5 mounted on the mounting table 10 And a unit 50.

  The mounting table 10 includes positioning pins 11 (11a, 11b) installed in a state of protruding upward from the upper surface of the mounting table 10, and a clamp member 12 for clamping the FOUP 5.

The mounting table 10 used in the present embodiment includes three positioning pins 11. The FOUP 5 transferred to the mounting table 10 is supported while being mounted on the three positioning pins 11. The FOUP 5 has a V-groove (not shown) into which the tip of the positioning pin is inserted on the bottom surface. Accordingly, the FOUP 5 is surely positioned by the three positioning pins 11 at a predetermined FOUP mounting position on the mounting table 10 (see the position of the hoop F in FIG. 2). The tip positions of the three positioning pins 11 have the same height, and the FOUP 5 is supported in a horizontal state at a predetermined FOUP placement position on the placement table 10. Note that the height of the FOUP mounting position is the same as the height position of the FOUP 5 mounted on the mounting table 10 at the substrate loading / unloading position.
The three positioning pins 11 are arranged on the front side (substrate loading / unloading side) of the mounting table 10 and on the rear side (FOUP loading / unloading side). The two front positioning pins 11a, 11a disposed on the front side are spaced apart on both the left and right sides of the front portion of the mounting table 10, and there is a wide gate width between the positioning pins 11a, 11a. A front gate portion 11g is formed.
Further, the length (height) from the top surface of the mounting table 10 to the tips of the three positioning pins 11 is set between the bottom surface of the FOUP 5 mounted on the positioning pins and the top surface of the mounting table 10. (FIG. 2) is the length to be formed. The front gate portion 11g described above is located on the front side of the mounting table 10 in the work space S1.
In the work space S1, for example, as will be described later, the FOUP 5 is transferred onto the positioning pin 11 using a transfer machine (transfer machine, not shown) provided with a fork part T (see FIG. 5A). It is a space used when With this work space S1, the FOUP 5 can be easily carried in and out using the fork portion T with respect to a predetermined hoop placement position, and the FOUP 5 does not have to be moved up and down after the FOUP 5 is transferred.

The clamp member 12 is for fixing the mounted FOUP 5 to the mounting table 10, and a lock position for clamping the FOUP 5 to the mounting table 10 (refer to the position of the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3) and the clamp It can be rotated to the unlocked position (see the position in FIG. 3) to be released. The clamp member 12 includes a claw portion 12a for clamping at the tip. Accordingly, when the clamp member 12 is rotated to the locked position, the FOUP 5 is fixed to the mounting table 10, and when the clamp member 12 is rotated to the unlocked position, the FOUP 5 can be unloaded from the mounting table 10.
In addition, what is indicated by reference numeral “13” is a detection pin that is means for detecting the carry-in of the FOUP 5 to the mounting table 10.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the slide mechanism 20 includes a slide mechanism main body 21 that is rotatably installed on the rotation mechanism 30, a slider 22 that is slidably installed on the slide mechanism main body 21, and a slide mechanism main body 21. And an installed actuator 23.

  The slide mechanism main body 21 includes a guide rail 21a extending linearly, and a slider 22 is slidably installed on the guide rail 21a. The slide mechanism body 21 is installed such that the guide rail 21a is horizontal. Accordingly, the slider 22 and the mounting table 10 fixed on the slider 22 both move in the horizontal direction. That is, the slide mechanism 20 moves the FOUP 5 mounted on the mounting table 10 horizontally.

The actuator 23 includes an air cylinder 23a. The air cylinder 23a is a drive source for sliding the slider 22, and includes a rod 23b protruding and retracting with respect to the air cylinder body, a coil spring 23c externally inserted into the rod 23b, and a connection installed at the tip of the rod 23b. And a member 23d. The connecting member 23d is fixed to the bottom surface of the mounting table 10. Further, the extending direction (intrusion direction) of the rod 23b coincides with the extending direction of the guide rail 21a.
Therefore, when the rod 23b of the air cylinder 23a is retracted, the slider 22 and the mounting table 10 move in the extending direction of the guide rail 21a in conjunction with this operation.
More specifically, the mounting table 10 is located at the rotation position when the rod 23b is contracted most (see FIG. 3 when the rod 23b is retracted) (see FIGS. 5B and 5C). At this time, the slider 22 is in a rotating position.
When the rod 23b extends (projects) in a state in which the rod 23b faces the FOUP loading / unloading direction D1 (see FIGS. 5A and 5B), the mounting table 10 is positioned at a predetermined hoop loading / unloading position (see FIG. 5). 5 (A)). Further, when the rod 23b extends in a state where the rod 23b faces the load port door direction D2 (see FIG. 5D), the mounting table 10 is positioned at a predetermined substrate loading / unloading position (see FIG. 5D).
The coil spring 23c is positioned by being pressed against a member on the rod side by urging the mounting table 10 in the protruding direction of the rod 23b. Therefore, when the tip of the rod 23b protrudes in the D2 direction, if a foreign object is caught between the mounting table front end 10b and the nozzle unit 50, excessive pressing is avoided by the resilient force (biasing force) of the coil spring 23c. It is like that. In addition, since the slide mechanism 20 is rotated and used, both the operation of moving the mounting table 10 to the FOUP loading / unloading position and the operation of moving the mounting table 10 to the substrate loading / unloading position are performed by projecting the rod 23b. In this way, two movements can be executed by one-way movement of the rod 23b, and multipoint stop can be realized over a long range with an inexpensive device.
When the mounting table 10 is at the FOUP loading / unloading position, the slider 22 is at the FOUP loading / unloading position. When the mounting table 10 is at the substrate loading / unloading position, the slider 22 is at the substrate loading / unloading position.

The rotating mechanism 30 rotates the rotating base 31 installed in the carry-in / out apparatus main body 1a (hereinafter referred to as the apparatus main body), the rotating body 32 supported rotatably with respect to the rotating base 31, and the rotating body 32. A drive source (not shown). That is, the rotation base 31 is fixed to the apparatus main body 1a. In other words, the rotation base 31 has a constant relative position with respect to the FOUP loading / unloading position of the mounting table 10 and the substrate loading / unloading position. Thus, when the rotation base 31 is fixed to the apparatus main body 1a, the rotation operation of the rotating body 32 of the rotation mechanism 30 is stabilized. Further, since the rotation mechanism 30 is fixed and the only part that slides is the mounting table 10, the entire apparatus is compact despite the addition of the rotation mechanism 30.
The rotating body 32 supports the slide mechanism 20. Accordingly, when the rotating body 32 rotates, the slide mechanism 20 and the mounting table 10 installed on the slide mechanism 20 rotate.
More specifically, in the slide mechanism 20 and the mounting table 10, the rotating mechanism 30 causes the front end 10a (see FIG. 1) of the mounting table 10 to face the FOUP loading / unloading direction D1 (see FIG. 5A). (B) Reference, FOUP loading / unloading direction) 1st rotation direction (FOUP loading / unloading side facing state) and mounting table 10 front end 10a facing port door direction D2 (see FIG. 1, board) It can be rotated in the second rotation direction (facing the FOUP door), which is the direction when loading / unloading.
The rotating body 32 supports the slide mechanism 20 so that the guide rail 21a is horizontal. Accordingly, the slider 22 and the mounting table 10 installed on the slider 22 both move forward and backward in the horizontal direction. That is, the slide mechanism 20 moves the mounting table 10 horizontally.

As shown in FIG. 4, the guide mechanism 40 includes guide portions 41, 42, 43 installed on the apparatus main body 1 a and a follower (guided portion) 44 installed on the mounting table 10.
The follower 44 is a guide pin installed in a state extending downward from the lower surface of the mounting table, and slides integrally with the mounting table 10 and rotates.
And the guide parts 41-43 guide the movement of the mounting base 10 by guiding the movement of the guide pin 44, and the 1st linear motion guide part 41, the rotation guide part 42, and the 2nd linear motion And a guide part 43.
The first linear motion guide portion 41 includes a first guide step portion extending in the forward / backward movement direction D3 (FIG. 4) of the mounting table 10. In the first linear motion guide portion 41, the mounting table 10 located between the FOUP loading / unloading position (see FIG. 5A) and the rotation position (see FIG. 5B) moves only in the forward / backward movement direction D3. The guide pin 44 is guided so as not to rotate.
The rotation guide portion 42 is configured by an arc-shaped arc guide step portion. The rotation guide portion 42 includes a rotation position at the time of loading / unloading the substrate in which the front end 10a of the mounting table 10 positioned at the rotating position faces the port door direction D2 (see FIGS. 1 and 5C), and the mounting table. Rotate between the FOUP loading / unloading rotation position so that the front end 10a of 10 is directed to the FOUP loading / unloading direction D1 (see FIGS. 5A and 5B), and in the forward / backward movement direction D3 The guide pin 44 is guided so as not to move. That is, the rotation guide portion 42 guides the rotation operation of the mounting table 10 that is inverted by 180 °. Further, when the mounting table 10 is positioned at the rotation position, the center of the mounting table 10 and the center of the rotating body 32 of the rotating mechanism 30 are aligned with each other, so that the space required for the rotation operation of the mounting table 10 is minimized. It becomes.
The second linear motion guide portion 43 is constituted by a second guide step portion extending in the forward / backward movement direction D3 of the mounting table 10. The second linear motion guide portion 43 is a guide so that the mounting table 10 positioned between the rotation position and the substrate loading / unloading position (see FIG. 5D) moves only in the forward / backward movement direction D3 and does not rotate. Guide the pin 44.
The guide pins 44 guided by such guide portions 41 to 43 are located at the following positions. That is, when the mounting table 10 is at the FOUP loading / unloading position (see FIG. 5A), the guide pin 44 is at the FOUP loading / unloading position P1 (see FIG. 4). When the mounting table 10 is in the rotation position, the guide pin 44 is linked to the rotation state of the mounting table 10 and one rotation terminal position (FOUP loading / unloading side rotation terminal position) P2 and the other rotation terminal position (substrate loading) It is a rotation position (for example, position P9) between the output side rotation end position) P3. When the mounting table 10 is at the substrate carry-in / out position (see FIGS. 5D and 5E), the guide pin 44 is at the substrate carry-in / out position P4.
In addition, although each guide part 41-43 is a level | step-difference part in this Embodiment, it is not restricted to this. For example, a groove structure for guiding a guide pin may be used.

The nozzle unit 50 includes an air supply nozzle 51 for filling the FOUP 5 mounted on the mounting table 10 with an inert gas (purging gas), an exhaust nozzle 52 for discharging the gas in the FOUP 5, and these A nozzle support 53 that supports the nozzles 51 and 52 and an elevating mechanism 54 that raises and lowers the nozzle support 53 are provided. The nozzle unit 50 is used, for example, when supplying and exhausting a purge gas such as an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas into the FOUP 5. Further, since each nozzle 51, 52 has a well-known structure, detailed description thereof is omitted here.
The nozzle support 53 can be raised to a position higher than the mounting table 10. More specifically, the nozzle support 53 can be moved up and down between the mounting table 10 and the bottom surface of the FOUP 5 mounted on the mounting table 10. Because of such an arrangement, the mounting table 10 can be moved backward to the lower side of the nozzle support 53 (state shown in FIG. 5D). In addition, the purge operation can be performed by raising the nozzle support 53 (the state shown in FIG. 5E) while the movement of the mounting table 10 to the substrate loading / unloading position is completed.
The raising / lowering mechanism 54 is installed in the apparatus main body 1a, and raises / lowers the nozzle support 53 to a ventilation position (see FIG. 5E) and a lowered position (see FIG. 5D). For example, when the mounting table 10 on which the FOUP 5 is mounted is positioned at the substrate loading / unloading position (see FIG. 5D), the nozzle support 53 is raised to the ventilation position. When the nozzle support 53 is raised to the ventilation position, the supply nozzle 51 and the exhaust nozzle 52 are connected to corresponding nozzle ports (not shown) formed on the bottom surface of the FOUP 5 of the mounting table 10. When the nozzle support 53 is lowered to the lowered position, the connection is released and the air supply nozzle 51 and the exhaust nozzle 52 are separated from the nozzle port.
Depending on the container manufacturer, the nozzle port for air supply is located on the bottom surface on the rear side of the FOUP (the bottom surface opposite to the FOUP door), and the nozzle port for exhaust is located on the bottom surface near the center on the front side of the FOUP (on the FOUP door side) May be provided on the bottom surface). As shown in FIG. 3, the loading / unloading apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has nozzle supports 55, 55 provided on both sides of the positioning pins 11 b in the mounting table 10, and supplies air to the nozzle supports 55, 55. The nozzles 51a and 51a for the use are provided at the positions inside the nozzles 51 and 52 of the nozzle support 53, and other nozzles 52a and 52a are provided.
Thereby, the air supply piping in the elevating mechanism 54 in the loading / unloading apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can be switched so that the air supply / exhaust port can be changed according to the position of the nozzle port of each container, and The air supply / exhaust path can be easily changed by connection. Further, the nozzle support 55 is formed of an L-shaped frame so as not to interfere with the other nozzle support 53 during the slide / rotation operation of the mounting table 10. It is good also as a structure moved up and down.

The operation of such a loading / unloading apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.
Here, the operation will be described starting from the carrying-in process. The carry-in process is a process of transferring the FOUP 5 onto the positioning pins 11 of the mounting table 10 of the carry-in / out device 1. In this case, as a means for transferring the FOUP 5, a transfer machine (not shown) provided with a fork T for transferring the transfer target FOUP 5 to the mounting table 10 and transferring it is used.
At the start of the carrying-in process, the transfer target FOUP 5 is placed on the fork portion T of the transfer machine, and the placing table 10 of the carry-in / out device 1 is placed at the hoop carry-in / out position (FIG. 5 ( A) see). Therefore, the rod 23b of the air cylinder 23a of the slide mechanism 20 is in a state of protruding until the mounting table 10 is in a state of being positioned at the hoop loading / unloading position. At this time, the slider 22 is at the FOUP loading / unloading position, and the guide pin 44 is at the hoop loading / unloading position P1 (see FIG. 4).

In the carrying-in process, first, the fork portion T of the transfer machine is operated so that the FOUP 5 on the fork portion T is positioned on the mounting table 10, and then the fork portion T is lowered to place the FOUP 5 on the positioning pin 11. It is mounted (transfer operation, see FIG. 5A). Then, the detection pin 13 detects that the FOUP 5 has been placed. Thus, the FOUP 5 is supported in a state where the FOUP 5 is positioned at a predetermined FOUP placement position by the positioning pin 11.
In the carrying-in process, the mounting table 10 is in a state where the front end 10a (see FIG. 1) faces the FOUP loading / unloading direction D1 (see FIG. 5 (A)), and the front gate having a wide gate width. Part 11g is directed to FOUP loading / unloading direction D1. Therefore, the fork portion T can be inserted into the work space S1 formed between the bottom surface of the FOUP 5 transferred from the front gate portion 11g and the top surface of the mounting table 10. The FOUP 5 is transferred onto the mounting table 10 with the opening closed by the lid facing the front end 10a of the mounting table 10.
Thereafter, the fork part T is further lowered, and after separating the fork part T from the bottom surface of the transferred FOUP 5 (fork part lowering operation), the fork part T is moved so as to be extracted from the work space S1 (retraction operation). . Thereby, a carrying-in process is completed. Here, the work space S1 is a space in which the transfer operation, the fork part lowering operation, and the retreat operation described above can be performed. The height of the positioning pin 11 is set so that these three operations can be sufficiently performed.

Next, a clamping process is performed. The clamping process is a process of fixing the FOUP 5 transferred to the mounting table 10 to the mounting table 10.
In the clamping step, the clamp member 12 located at the unlock position is rotated so as to rise toward the lock position. Then, the claw portion at the tip of the clamp member 20 is engaged with the engaging portion on the bottom surface of the FOUP 5, and the FOUP 5 is fixed to the mounting table 10. When the FOUP 5 is fixed to the mounting table 10, the FOUP 5 is reliably prevented from falling off when the mounting table 10 is moved toward the load port door. This clamping process is only an operation of the clamp member 12, and an operation for raising and lowering the mounting table 10 is not necessary. Therefore, when the carrying-in process is completed, the clamping process can be quickly executed to be in a clamped state.

Next, a 1st movement process is performed. In the first movement process, the mounting table 10 on which the FOUP 5 is mounted is moved from the FOUP loading / unloading position (see FIG. 5 (A)) to the rotating position (see FIG. 5 (B)) while maintaining the clamping in the clamping process. It is the process of moving to and stopping.
At the start of the first movement process, the rod 23b of the air cylinder 23a of the slide mechanism 20 is in the state of advancement toward the hoop loading / unloading direction D1, and the slider 22 is also in the state of advancement (see FIG. 5A). . In the first movement process, the rod 23b in this state is moved so as to contract. As a result, the mounting table 10 moves backward in the horizontal direction DB toward the hoop door, and is in a state of being positioned at the rotational position (see FIG. 5B).
At this time, the guide pin 44 of the mounting table 10 moves along the first linear motion guide portion 41. Since there is the first linear motion guide portion 41, the mounting table 10 moves backward DB in a state where rotation is prevented.

Next, a rotation process is performed. The rotation process is a process of rotating the mounting table 10 at the rotation position while maintaining the clamp in the clamping process.
The mounting table 10 before the start of the rotation process is in a state in which the front end 10a faces the direction D1 in which the hoop is carried in / out, and the guide pin 44 is in a position P2 (see FIG. 1).
In this state, the rotation mechanism is operated to move the mounting table 10 until the front end 10a of the mounting table 10 faces the load port door direction (direction when loading / unloading the substrate) D2 (see FIG. 5C). Rotate. As a result, the direction of the rod 23b of the air cylinder 23a is reversed and the air cylinder 23a faces the load port door. That is, the orientation of the mounting table 10 is reversed by 180 ° by the rotation process.
At this time, the guide pin 44 moves along the rotation guide portion 42 and reaches the position P3 (see FIG. 1). Since there is the rotation guide part 42, the mounting table 10 can be rotated in a stable state while preventing forward and backward movement.
If it rotates at a position other than the rotation position, there is a risk that the mounting table 10 or the FOUP 5 on the mounting table collides with surrounding members. However, the apparatus of this embodiment has the above-described guide units 41 to 43. By providing the above, such a problem is surely prevented.

Next, a 2nd movement process is performed. In the second movement process, the mounting table 10 on which the FOUP 5 is mounted is rotated in a state where the clamping in the clamping process is maintained and the front end 10a of the mounting table 10 is maintained in the direction D2 of the load port door. To the substrate loading / unloading position (see FIG. 5D).
In the second moving step, the air cylinder 23a of the slide mechanism 20 is operated to move the rod 23b in a protruding manner. As a result, the mounting table 10 moves backward in the horizontal direction DB (moves toward the load port door) and is positioned at the substrate loading / unloading position (see FIG. 5B).
At this time, the guide pin 44 of the mounting table 10 moves along the second linear motion guide portion 43. Since the second linear motion guide portion 43 is provided, the mounting table 10 can be moved backward while preventing rotation.

In this way, when the FOUP 5 is moved to the substrate loading / unloading position, the substrate loading / unloading process can be performed. The substrate carry-in / out step is a well-known operation, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted here.
After completion of the second movement process, an intake / exhaust process may be performed as necessary. The intake / exhaust step is a step of filling the FOUP 5 with a purge gas or exhausting the gas in the FOUP 5.
In the intake / exhaust process, first, the lifting mechanism of the nozzle unit is operated to raise the nozzle support to the air supply position. Thereby, the intake nozzle and the exhaust nozzle are connected to corresponding ports (not shown) at the bottom of the FOUP 5. Thereafter, the purge gas is filled into the FOUP 5 through the intake nozzle and the gas in the FOUP 5 is exhausted through the exhaust nozzle.

  When the substrate loading / unloading step is completed, the substrate loading / unloading position FOUP 5 is moved to the FOUP loading / unloading position and unloaded from the loading / unloading apparatus 1. However, since the operation until the FOUP 5 in which the substrate loading / unloading process has been completed is unloaded from the loading / unloading apparatus 1 is an operation in which the above-described steps are performed in the reverse order, the detailed description thereof is omitted here.

As described above, in the loading / unloading apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the FOUP 5 transferred to the mounting table 10 is moved to the substrate loading / unloading position and is always clamped to the mounting table 10 until it is unloaded from the mounting table 10. Since it is in a state, the FOUP 5 can be moved in a stable state.
Further, since the mounting table 10 is not moved up and down during forward and backward movement, the FOUP 5 mounted on the mounting table 10 can be quickly conveyed in a stable state.

In addition, the substrate loading / unloading apparatus and the substrate loading / unloading method according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the present invention includes a scope that does not depart from the spirit of the present invention. The various aspects of the apparatus and method are included.

Claims (8)

A mounting table on which a substrate storage container is mounted;
A substrate loading / unloading position for loading and unloading the mounting table between the container on the mounting table and a device for loading and unloading the container and the substrate; A slide mechanism having a slider that is supported so as to be movable forward and backward,
A rotation mechanism including a rotating body that rotatably supports the slide mechanism at a rotation position between the container loading / unloading position and the substrate loading / unloading position ;
A linear motion guide portion for guiding a forward and backward movement between the container loading / unloading position and the rotation position and between the rotation position and the substrate loading / unloading position of the mounting table;
A rotation guide portion for guiding rotation at the rotation position of the mounting table;
With
The mounting table further includes a guided portion,
The mounting table is moved forward and backward by the guided portion being guided by the linear motion guide portion, and rotated by being guided by the rotation guide portion.
A substrate loading / unloading device for storing a substrate. The rotating mechanism includes a rotating base fixed to the apparatus base, and the rotating body rotatably supported by the rotating base.
Wherein the device grounding portion rotating base is fixed, the mounting table is the rotation guide portion for guiding are provided so as to be rotatable by the rotary position,
The board | substrate carrying-in / out apparatus of the container for board | substrate accommodation of Claim 1 . The mounting table includes a positioning pin that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the mounting table and supports the mounted container in a positioning state.
The positioning pin supports the container placed on the positioning pin at the same height position as the height position of the container at the time of loading and unloading the substrate.
The length of the positioning pin from the top surface of the mounting table is a length at which a work space is formed between the bottom surface of the container placed on the positioning pin and the top surface of the mounting table.
The work space is a space in which the fork part of a transfer device including a fork part on which a container to be transferred is placed can be inserted,
The slide mechanism, the container is placed on the positioning pins of the mounting table is intended for horizontally moving, loading and unloading apparatus of containers for the substrate housing according to claim 1 or 2. A nozzle unit including a supply / exhaust nozzle for replacing the inside of the container mounted on the mounting table with a purge gas is further provided,
The nozzle unit includes a ventilation position where the supply / exhaust nozzle is connected to a nozzle port formed on the bottom surface of the container placed on the mounting table at the substrate carry-in / out position, and the supply / exhaust nozzle is separated from the nozzle port. comprising a vertically movable lifting mechanism and a lowered position, wherein those installed in the device basic unit, loading and unloading apparatus of containers for the substrate housing according to claim 1 or 2. The nozzle unit is
A supply nozzle for filling the purge gas;
An exhaust nozzle for discharging the gas in the container;
A nozzle support for supporting the air supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle;
With
The nozzle support includes two sets of the supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle,
One set of air supply and exhaust nozzles and another set of exhaust nozzles are provided on the substrate loading / unloading position side of the container, and another set of air supply nozzles on the container loading / unloading position side of the container. Provided,
The apparatus for carrying in / out a container for storing a substrate according to claim 4. A container loading / unloading method in a loading / unloading apparatus for loading / unloading a substrate in the container loaded / unloaded into / from a mounting table,
Rotation between the mounting table before the container is transported, Rutotomoni is moved toward the position of the container loading and unloading to the position of loading and unloading the substrate, and a position for loading and unloading said substrate and a position of the container loading and unloading A first moving step to stop at a position;
And the mounting table is rotated at the rotational position, direction Keru the rotation step in the direction of the substrate transfer portion of the placed the container substrate is loaded and unloaded,
While maintaining the orientation of the container, and the second moving step is further moved toward the mounting table to a position loading and unloading the substrate from the rotational position,
With
The movement in the first movement step and the second movement step is performed while guiding the guided portion provided in the mounting table to the linear guide portion provided in the base portion of the carry-in / out device,
The rotation in the rotation step is performed while guiding the guided portion to a rotation guide portion provided on the base portion.
A method for carrying in / out a container for storing a substrate. A purge step of filling the container with a purge gas and discharging the gas in the container;
Performing the purge step on the container moved to the position where the substrate is carried in and out by the second moving step;
The method for carrying in / out a substrate storage container according to claim 6. An elevating process for elevating and lowering a nozzle unit connectable to the bottom surface of the container;
A purge step of purging the container with the purge gas and discharging the gas in the container by the nozzle unit connected to the container;
Further comprising
With respect to the container moved to the position where the substrate is carried in / out by the second moving process, the nozzle unit is lifted by the lifting / lowering process and the nozzle unit is connected to the bottom surface of the container, and then the purge process is performed. Purge is performed,
The method for carrying in / out a substrate storage container according to claim 6.

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