JP6260116B2 - Load port device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a load port apparatus provided between a semiconductor processing apparatus and a FOUP (Front Open Unified Pod / FOUP) that accommodates a semiconductor wafer and capable of opening and closing a FOUP lid.

  In the semiconductor manufacturing process, a semiconductor wafer is generally accommodated in a hermetic storage container called a hoop and transported. The hoop is provided with an opening through which a semiconductor wafer is taken in and out. Usually, the opening is covered with a lid to keep the inside clean.

  The hoop is connected to the semiconductor processing apparatus via the load port apparatus, and the lid is opened by a lid opening / closing mechanism provided in the load port apparatus, so that the cleanness is maintained inside the semiconductor processing apparatus or It is possible to transfer from the semiconductor processing apparatus to the inside of the hoop.

  Many load port devices having such a lid opening / closing mechanism have been proposed. For example, in the load port device described in Patent Document 1, the first door drive unit that moves the lid holding means holding the hoop lid horizontally close to or away from the hoop and the separated lid holding means in the vertical direction. And a second door drive unit to be moved. The first drive unit includes a first guide rail extending in the horizontal direction, and a first drive source for moving the lid holding means along the first guide rail. The unit has a second guide rail extending in the vertical direction and a second drive source for moving the lid holding means along the second guide rail. Therefore, when opening the lid of the hoop, the lid is moved away from the hoop body by moving the lid in the horizontal direction by the first door drive unit, and the lid is moved vertically downward by the second door drive unit. The opening of the main body can be opened. That is, the opening and closing of the lid and the vertical movement of the lid are performed using two drive mechanisms, respectively, so that the hoop is opened and closed.

  Moreover, in the load port apparatus described in Patent Document 2, a door opening / closing actuator that rotates the lid holding means (door) around a rotation axis set below the hoop lid and the lid holding means in the vertical direction. And a door up-and-down mechanism that moves along the guide. Therefore, when opening the lid of the hoop, it is separated from the hoop body by rotating the lid so that it is tilted by the door opening / closing actuator, and the opening of the hoop body is opened by moving the lid vertically downward by the door up / down mechanism. Can be done. In other words, this load port device also uses two drive mechanisms to open and close the lid and to move the lid up and down to open and close the hoop.

JP 2012-54271 A JP 2010-153843 A

  By the way, in recent years, the wiring formed on the surface of a semiconductor wafer has been increasingly refined (miniaturized), and even if a small number of particles adhere to the surface of the semiconductor wafer, the quality is significantly lowered and the target semiconductor performance is achieved. May not be obtained.

  Like the load port device described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above, when a drive mechanism for opening and closing the hoop lid and a drive mechanism for raising and lowering the lid up and down are provided separately, the structure is It becomes complicated and it becomes difficult to realize smooth opening and closing operations of the hoop. Therefore, there is a possibility that abrasion powder or the like is generated due to vibration or impact, and this adheres to the semiconductor wafer as particles.

  An object of the present invention is to effectively solve such a problem. Specifically, it is possible to smoothly open and close the hoop lid with a simple structure, and to suppress the generation of particles. An object of the present invention is to provide a load port device capable of performing the above.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following measures.

That is, the load port device of the present invention supports a storage container that can store an object to be processed on the apparatus main body, and opens or closes the opening of the storage container by moving the cover of the storage container. A lid holding means in which a first position restricting portion and a second position restricting portion are set at positions separated from each other to hold the lid; and a first position restricting portion and a second position restricting portion provided in an apparatus main body. Guidance means for guiding, and driving means for applying a driving force to the second position restricting portion in a direction in which the second position restricting portion is guided. The driving means drives the second position restricting portion. By applying a force, the driving force is transmitted to the first position restricting portion, and the lid holding means moves while the first position restricting portion and the second position restricting portion are both guided by the guiding means. Opening of storage container And configured so as to perform the movement of the lid between a position for closing and a position for opening, it moves between the open position and the closed position of the lid, from the first position regulating portion Is also based on rotational movement centering on the second position restricting portion located on the lower side .

  If comprised in this way, a driving force is given to a 1st position control part with a 2nd position control part by giving a driving force by a drive means, and both position control parts are operated along a guide means. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly perform the operation related to opening or closing the opening of the storage container, with a simple structure in which one driving means is provided. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the generation of particles due to sliding or collision between members, or vibration, and to reduce the manufacturing cost.

  Further, in order to allow the lid holding member to rotate and move linearly while having a simple structure using one guide means, the guide means can be appropriately opened and closed and moved. However, the first guide part for guiding the first position restricting part along the first direction, and the first position restricting part and the second position restricting part along a second direction different from the first direction. It is suitable to comprise so that the 2nd guide part to guide may be provided.

In addition, when the lid of the storage container is opened, the second direction is set to a substantially vertical direction in order to suppress the rolling-up of particles from below and to keep the inner workpiece in a cleaner state. It is preferable that the first position restricting portion and the second position restricting portion are arranged below the lid of the storage container.

  In order to allow the lid holding means to operate with a simple structure and to finely control the position of the lid holding means, the drive means includes a ball screw mechanism including a screw shaft and a nut; It is preferable to comprise so as to include a rotating means for rotating the screw shaft.

Further, the simplicity of the structure, in order to enhance the operating stability of the lid retaining means, by the rotational movement of the lid, the opening is preferably be configured to be released from the upper side.

Furthermore, in order to accurately regulate the position of the roller in the first direction and the second direction and to further improve the operation accuracy of the lid holding means, the first position restricting portion and the second position restricting portion include Preferably, the lid holding means is configured as a roller rotatably provided, and the guide means is configured as a grooved rail that holds the roller inside.

  According to the present invention described above, it is possible to provide a load port device that can smoothly open and close the hoop lid while suppressing the generation of particles while having a simple structure.

Sectional drawing of the load port apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing of the load port apparatus cut | disconnected in the position different from FIG. The rear view of the load port apparatus. The partially broken front view of the load port apparatus. The perspective view which shows the groove-shaped rail of the load port apparatus. Sectional drawing which shows the state which rotated the lid | cover holding means from the state of FIG. Sectional drawing which cut | disconnects and shows the state of FIG. 6 in a different position. FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the lid holding means is moved downward from the state of FIG. 6. Sectional drawing which cut | disconnects and shows the state of FIG. 8 in a different position.

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

  As shown in FIG. 1, the load port apparatus 1 of this embodiment is installed on the floor F while being connected to the wall surface of the processing apparatus D for performing various processes for semiconductor manufacturing. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA passing through the center in the width direction of FIG. 3 to be described later. Generally, the inside of the processing apparatus D is set to a high cleanliness level, and the internal pressure Pa is set to be higher than the external pressure Pb, so that dust does not enter from the outside. Then, a FOUP 9 as a storage container for storing a semiconductor wafer as an object to be processed in the internal space S is connected to the processing apparatus D via the load port apparatus 1, and the lid 92 of the FOUP 9 is connected by the load port apparatus 1. Is opened and moved to open the opening 93 so that the semiconductor wafer can be taken into the processing apparatus D while maintaining the cleanliness.

  Here, the direction in which the hoop 9 is connected to the processing device D, in other words, the direction substantially orthogonal to the lid 92 of the hoop 9 is set as the first direction X. In the present embodiment, the first direction X is set in the horizontal direction. A vertical direction different from the first direction X is set as the second direction Z. Furthermore, a direction orthogonal to the first direction X and the second direction Z is set as the third direction Y. The third direction Y is the width direction in the load port device 1. Hereinafter, the first direction X, the second direction Z, and the third direction Y are simply referred to as the X direction, the Z direction, and the Y direction according to the coordinates shown in the drawing.

  FIG. 1 shows a closed state in which the hoop 9 is connected to the processing device D via the load port device 1 and the lid 92 of the hoop 9 is closed.

  This load port apparatus 1 is mainly composed of an apparatus main body 2 and lid holding means 3 for holding the lid 92 of the hoop 9, and changes the posture and position of the lid holding means 3 with respect to the apparatus main body 2. It can be done. The apparatus main body 2 is formed in a generally box shape by an upper wall 22, left and right side walls 25, a bottom wall 24, and a rear wall 21. The standing wall 21 extends further above the upper wall 22 and is connected to and integrated with the wall surface of the processing apparatus D. A mounting table 27 is provided on the upper wall 22, and the hoop 9 can be supported by the main body 2 of the load port device 1 by mounting the hoop 9 thereon.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a substantially rectangular opening 26 is formed in the standing wall 21, and the opening 26 can be closed by a door 31 that constitutes a part of the lid holding means 3. . The door 3 is fixed to the two arms 33 and 33 via the bracket 32 so that the posture and position of the door 3 can be changed along with the operation of the arms 33 and 33. The door 3, the arms 33 and 33, and the bracket 32 constitute the lid holding means 3 described above. As shown in FIG. 1, the arms 33 and 33 are formed in a plate shape, and are provided in the upright wall 33 apart from each other in the Y direction through two parallel slits 21 a and 21 a extending in the vertical direction, that is, the Z direction. The main body 2 is disposed so as to protrude from the inside of the apparatus main body 2 toward the processing apparatus D side. And it is connected with the door 3 as mentioned above in the position extended toward the upper direction from the site | part projected on the processing apparatus D side.

  The door 3 disposed above the arm 33 includes a door main body 31a formed in a rectangular plate shape, a holding portion 31b for holding the lid 92 provided on the hoop 9 side of the door main body 31a, and a processing A cover 31c provided on the device D side is provided. In the cover 31c, an actuator (not shown), piping and the like for operating the holding portion 31b are accommodated.

  Here, FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the load port device 1 in the closed state shown in FIG. 1 cut at a position different from that in FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG.

  For each arm 33 constituting the lid holding means 3, a first position restricting portion and a second position restricting portion are set at two positions that are separated from each other in the Z direction, and these position restricting portions are set with an axis in the Y direction. These are configured as a rotatable upper roller 34 and a lower roller 35, respectively. The interval between the rollers 34 and 35 in the Z direction is set to be slightly longer than the length of the opening 93 in the Z direction. Further, the upper roller 34 positioned on the upper side in the state in which the lid holding means 3 stands upright is arranged so as to be shifted from the lower roller 35 positioned on the lower side in the X direction by substantially the same distance as the diameter of the rollers 34 and 35. . As shown in FIG. 5, the rollers 34 and 35 are configured as so-called cam followers in which an outer ring 34b is arranged on the outer periphery of a shaft 34a via a rolling element 34c. By attaching the shaft 34a in a cantilevered manner, the rotatable rollers 34 and 35 can be easily attached to the arm 33.

  FIG. 4 is a front view showing a part of the cover that covers the external appearance so that the inside of the apparatus main body 2 can be seen. In the drawing, a first band connecting portion 52 and a guide roller 54 (see FIG. 1) which will be described later are omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the two arms 33, 33 provided at positions separated in the width direction are connected to each other via the connecting member 36, the connecting members 37, 37, and the connecting block 53. , Can operate integrally. The above-described rollers 34 to 35 are arranged on the side surfaces of the arms 33 and 33 on the outer side in the width direction. The rollers 34 to 35 provided on both arms 33 and 33 are in positions corresponding to each other, and the lower rollers 35 and 35 positioned on the lower side and the upper rollers 34 and 34 positioned on the upper side are substantially the same. It is arranged so that it becomes the axis.

  Furthermore, groove-like rails 4 and 4 are provided as guide means for guiding the rollers 34 and 35 while restricting the position and posture of the lid holding means 3. The grooved rails 4 and 4 are fixed inside the apparatus main body 2 via brackets 45 and 45 while being arranged so as to face the rollers 34 and 35 provided on the arms 33 and 33, respectively. The two rollers 34 and 35 provided on the same arm 33 so as to be vertically spaced apart from each other are accommodated in the widthwise inner side, that is, inside the groove opened toward the arm 33. As shown in FIG. 2, the grooved rail 4 is formed with an inverted L-shaped groove. The position of the rollers 34 and 35 is regulated inside the groove, and the grooved rail 4 is guided so as to be movable along the groove. It is possible.

  More specifically, the groove-like rail 4 includes a groove block 41 and a flange-like member 43 as shown in FIG. The hook-shaped member 43 is formed by bending a sheet metal into a substantially U-shaped cross section, and has a groove 44 that is open at the top and bottom and extends in the Z direction. The groove width is set slightly larger than the diameter of the rollers 34 and 35 described above. A groove block 41 is connected to the upper surface 43 a of the bowl-shaped member 43. The groove block 41 is formed with a long hole-like groove 42 in a side view, that is, when viewed from the Y direction. The groove width of the groove 42 is also set slightly larger than the diameter of the rollers 34 and 35. Further, an opening 42 a is formed in a portion of the inner peripheral wall of the groove 42 corresponding to the groove 44 of the flange-shaped member 43. Therefore, the groove 44 in the bowl-shaped member 43 and the groove 42 in the groove block 41 constitute one continuous inverted L-shaped groove.

  When the rollers 34 and 35 move while being guided into the grooves 42 and 44, first, the upper roller 34 can move in the X direction along the grooves 42 in the groove block 41. Therefore, a part of the grooved rail 4 used for guiding the upper roller 34 in the X direction can be considered as the first guide portion G1. Further, the upper roller 34 and the lower roller 35 are formed into a part of the groove 42 in the groove block 41 and a groove 44 in the flange member 43 between the upper part of the opening 42 a in the groove block 41 and the lower end of the flange member 43. Along the Z direction. Therefore, a part of the grooved rail 4 used for guiding the rollers 34 and 35 in the Z direction can be considered as the second guide portion G2.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the lower roller 35 among the rollers 34, 35 provided at positions separated in the Z direction of the arm 33 is guided only by the second guide portion G <b> 2 within the operation range of the lid holding means 3. , It is movable only in the Z direction. On the other hand, the upper roller 34 is movable between both the first guide part G1 and the second guide part G2. When guided by the first guide part G1, the upper roller 34 is movable in the X direction. 2 When guided by the guide part G2, it is movable in the Z direction. In addition, in order to make the upper roller 34 easily movable between the first guide part G1 and the second guide part G2, the first guide part G1 and the second guide part G2 are connected with a smooth curved surface. Is also suitable.

  By doing so, when both the upper and lower rollers 34 and 35 are guided by the second guide portion G2, the lid holding means 3 can move along the Z direction while maintaining the same posture. Further, in the case where the upper roller 34 is guided by the first guide part G1 and the lower roller 35 is guided by the second guide part G2, the lid holding means 3 maintains the substantially same height position, and the lower side With the roller 35 as the center, the lid holding means 3 can be rotated around the upper end of the lid holding means 3 to change the posture.

  The rollers 34 and 35 and the grooved rail 4 are respectively formed on the outer sides of the arms 33 and 33 as shown in FIG. 4, and the lid holding means 3 can be operated in cooperation. It can be done. That is, when viewed functionally, the upper rollers 34 and 34 and the lower rollers 35 and 35 that are located on the same axis provided in the arms 33 and 33 are each one positioning restriction portion. The corresponding groove-like rails 4 and 4 also function as one guide means. Therefore, in the present application, even when a plurality of positioning restricting portions and guiding means are provided, as long as they are arranged at corresponding positions separated only in the width direction and have the same function, one positioning is provided. It will be treated as a regulation section and guidance means.

  In order to cause the lid holding means 3 to move and rotate as described above, the load port device 1 includes a driving means 5.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the driving means 5 is composed of a ball screw mechanism 5A disposed at the center of the left and right arms 33, 33 and a motor 55 as a rotating means for driving the mechanism. A driving force is applied to the lower roller 35 as the two-position restricting portion in the Z direction in which the lower roller 35 is guided.

  The ball screw mechanism 5 </ b> A includes a screw shaft 51 having a screw groove formed on the outer periphery, and a nut 52 that meshes with the screw groove 51 via a ball. The nut 52 is supported by a connection block 53. . As described above, the connection block 53 is arranged between the pair of connecting members 37 and 37 and is connected to the two arms 33 and 33 via these. Further, the connecting members 37 and 37 are provided coaxially with the lower rollers 35 and 35 so that the center of the nut 52 and the position of the axial center of the lower rollers 35 and 35 coincide with each other. . Furthermore, since the connection block 53 is configured to be rotatable around the axis of the coupling members 37, 37, the nut 52 supported by the connection block 53 regardless of the rotation of the lid holding member 31 and the arms 33, 33. Can maintain the engagement with the screw shaft 51 appropriately.

  Further, the screw shaft 51 extends in the Z direction, and its upper end and lower end are rotatably supported inside the apparatus main body 2. Specifically, a bearing unit 54 is provided on the lower surface 23a of the intermediate wall portion 23 that forms a part of the apparatus main body 2 and is spaced apart and parallel to the lower side of the upper wall 22. The upper end of 51 is rotatably supported. Further, a motor 55 is provided on the upper surface 24 a of the bottom wall 24 in the apparatus main body 2, and the screw shaft 51 is supported by directly connecting the motor shaft of the motor 55 and the screw shaft 51. Further, by rotating the motor 55, the screw shaft 51 can be rotated, and by doing so, the nut 52 engaged with the screw shaft 51 is moved up and down, and the lower roller 35 is connected via the connecting members 37, 37. , 35 can be given a driving force. Further, this driving force is transmitted to the upper rollers 34, 34 via the arms 33, 33, so that the upper and lower rollers 34, 35 are guided by the grooved rail 4 and the entire lid holding means 3 is It is supposed to move.

  With the configuration described above, the opening operation of the lid 92 of the hoop 9 using the load port device 1 according to the present embodiment can be performed as follows.

  First, as shown in FIG. 1, the surface of the lid 92 of the hoop 9 and the door 31 that constitutes the lid holding means 3 are placed by placing the hoop 9 on the mounting table 27 of the load port device 1 and setting it in a predetermined position. The surface adheres. Further, by operating the holding portion 31 b provided on the door 31, the lid 92 can be held on the door 31 and integrated.

  Further, by operating the motor 55, the screw shaft 51 is rotated, and the nut 52 engaged with the screw shaft 51 is moved downward. By doing so, a downward driving force is applied to the position of the lower roller 35 shown in FIG. Furthermore, a driving force for operating in the guiding direction of the grooved rail 4 is also applied to the upper roller 34 via the arm 33. That is, since the upper roller 34 provided on the arm 33 is located in the first guide portion G1, and the lower roller 35 is located in the second guide portion G2, the lid holding means 3 is the lower roller as described above. It can move around 35. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the lid holding means 3 rotates in a direction in which the upper end is separated from the hoop 9 as the screw shaft 5 rotates, thereby changing the posture. In this way, the door 31 constituting the lid holding means 3 is separated from the standing wall 21 to open the opening 26 formed in the standing wall 21, and at the same time, the lid 92 is separated from the main body 91 of the hoop 9 to open the opening 93. It can be opened.

  In this way, the upper roller 34 can be moved in the X direction, the lower roller 35 can be moved in the Z direction, and the lid 92 of the hoop 9 supported by these can be moved above both the rollers 34 and 35. Therefore, when the lid 92 is opened, it is gradually opened from the upper part of the lid 92. Since the internal space S of the hoop 9 is in a sealed state, when the lid 92 is opened, the internal space S expands, the internal pressure decreases, and gas tends to flow into the internal space S from the opened portion. For this reason, since the lid 92 is opened from the top as described above, the inflow of gas into the internal space S accompanying the opening is performed exclusively from the top, and when there is a particle that has fallen down, it is wound up. Therefore, it is possible to keep the contained semiconductor wafers cleaner.

  The rotation of the lid holding means 3 in the direction away from the hoop 9 ends when the upper roller 34 moves from the first guide part G1 to a position continuous with the second guide part G2. Since both the roller 34 and the lower roller 35 are guided by the second guide portion G2, the posture change due to the rotation of the lid holding means 3 does not occur.

  Therefore, when the screw shaft 51 is continuously rotated from the state of FIGS. 6 and 7, the lid holding means 3 moves downward along the second guide portion G2 while maintaining the same posture. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the nut 52 is stopped at a position close to the motor 55 and the opening 93 of the hoop 9 is opened as shown in FIGS. It can be. At this time, the lid holding means 3 and the lid 92 are moved to a position where they do not overlap the opening 93 of the hoop 9, so that the opening 93 is largely exposed to the inside of the processing apparatus D, and the semiconductor wafer in the internal space S is exposed. It is possible to easily take in and out.

  From the closed state of FIGS. 1 and 2 to the open state of FIGS. 8 and 9 through the states of FIGS. 6 and 7 as described above, the screw shaft 51 is continuously rotated using only one motor 55. The lid holding means 3 can be smoothly operated while being operated in different directions, that is, a posture change due to rotation and a movement with the posture kept the same. Yes. Moreover, since the position of the lid holding member 31 can be strictly controlled only by controlling the rotation of the motor 55 with a simple structure, it has excellent controllability.

  Furthermore, when attaching the lid | cover 92 to the main body 91 of the hoop 9, what is necessary is just to rotate the screw shaft 51 to a reverse direction, carrying out the procedure contrary to the above. By doing so, the nut 52 moves upward, and the rollers 34 and 35 are moved while being given a driving force in the direction guided by the grooved rail 4, thereby the lid holding means 3. Continuously performs the upward movement with the posture kept the same and the posture change rotating toward the hoop 9 side, closing the opening 93 of the hoop 9 by the lid 92, and the standing wall 21 by the door 31. The opening 26 can be closed.

  As described above, the load port apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment supports the hoop 9 as a storage container capable of accommodating a semiconductor wafer as a target object on the apparatus main body 2 and moves the lid 92 of the hoop 9. In the load port device 1 that opens or closes the opening 93 of the hoop 9, the upper roller 34 as the first position restricting portion and the lower roller 35 as the second position restricting portion are positioned away from each other to hold the lid 92. Cover holding means 3 provided on the apparatus body, a grooved rail 4 provided on the apparatus main body 2 as guide means for guiding the upper roller 34 and the lower roller 35, and the lower roller 35 relative to the lower roller 35. Driving means 5 for applying a driving force in the Z direction in which the driving force is guided. When the driving means 5 applies a driving force to the lower roller 35, the driving force is transmitted to the upper roller 34. Thus, the lid holding means 3 is moved while the upper roller 34 and the lower roller 35 are both guided by the grooved rail 4, so that the lid 93 opens between the position where the opening 93 of the hoop 9 is opened and the position where the opening 93 is closed. It is configured so that 92 movements can be performed.

  Since it is configured in this way, the driving force is applied to the upper roller 34 together with the lower roller 35 by applying the driving force by the driving means 5, so that both rollers 34, 35 are moved along the grooved rail 4. Therefore, the operation relating to opening or closing of the opening 93 of the hoop 9 can be smoothly performed with a simple structure in which the driving means 5 is single. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the generation of particles caused by sliding or collision between members, or vibration, and to reduce the manufacturing cost.

  Further, the grooved rail 4 has a first guide portion G1 that guides the upper roller 34 along the X direction as a first direction, and the upper roller 34 and the lower roller 35 as a second direction different from the X direction. Therefore, the lower roller 35 is guided by the second guide portion G2 while the upper roller 34 is guided by the first guide portion G1. At this time, the lid holding means 3 rotates, and when both rollers 34 and 35 are guided by the second guide part G2, the lid holding means 3 can move linearly along the Z direction. Therefore, the lid holding member 3 can be rotated and linearly moved with a simple structure using one groove-like rail 4, and the lid 92 of the hoop 9 can be appropriately opened and closed and moved.

  Further, since the Z direction which is the second direction is set to a substantially vertical direction and the rollers 34 and 35 are arranged below the lid 92 of the hoop 9, the rotational movement of the lid holding member 31 is achieved. When the opening 93 of the hoop 9 is opened, it is opened from the upper side, and gas is introduced from the upper side to open the particles 93 from below. It is possible to suppress.

  Further, since the driving means 5 is configured to include a ball screw mechanism 5A including a screw shaft 51 and a nut 52 and a motor 55 as a rotating means for rotating the screw shaft 51, the lid has a simple structure. The operation of the holding means 3 can be performed, and the position of the lid holding means 3 can be finely controlled by controlling the motor 55.

  Further, since the position restricting portion is configured as rollers 34 and 35 that are rotatably provided on the lid holding means 3, the operational stability of the lid holding means 3 is improved while simplifying the structure. Is possible.

  In addition, since the guide means is configured as the grooved rail 4 that holds the rollers 34 and 35 inside, by holding the rollers 34 and 35 inside the grooved rail 4, the rollers 34 and 35 The position can be accurately regulated in the X direction and the Z direction.

  The specific configuration of each unit is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the guide means is formed as the grooved rail 4 and the position restricting portion guided by this is configured as the rollers 34 and 35. However, the position restricting portion is guided in a predetermined direction by the guide means. As long as the relationship is satisfied, these can be modified into various forms. Each arm 33, 33 is provided with one upper roller 34 and one lower roller 35. However, as long as each roller 34, 35 can be moved while being guided by the grooved rail 4, the roller 34 can be moved. , 35 may be further increased. In this case, it is not necessary to limit the upper roller 34 that can move between the first guide part G1 and the second guide part G2 to one.

  In the above-described embodiment, the center of the nut 52 that meshes with the screw shaft 51 and the position of the axis of the lower roller 35, 35 coincide with each other. It is also possible to set the position offset from the axis. For example, the positions of the nut 52 and the screw shaft 51 can be offset from the lower rollers 35, 35 toward the upright wall 21, so that the drive provided from the screw shaft 51 via the nut 52 is provided. It is also possible to give a moment for rotating the lid holding member 31 in the opening / closing direction of the lid 92 by force.

  In the above-described embodiment, the drive unit 5 is configured to include the ball screw mechanism 5A. However, the drive unit 5 may be configured based on a transmission mechanism including a pulley and a belt.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the first direction is set as the direction substantially orthogonal to the lid 92 and the second direction is set as the vertical direction. However, it is also possible to set the direction different from these directions. Specifically, as long as the lid 92 can be opened and closed, the first direction can be set to be shifted from the direction orthogonal to the lid 92. When only the movement of the lid 92 is considered, the second direction is The lid 92 is a direction in which the opening 93 is exposed, and can be set in various directions such as a horizontal direction different from the first direction.

  Further, the present invention can be applied to uses other than semiconductor manufacturing, and it is possible to make the object to be processed other than a semiconductor wafer, and also to a mechanism for opening and closing a storage container other than the hoop 9. It is possible to use.

  Other configurations can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Load port apparatus 2 ... Apparatus main body 3 ... Cover holding means 4 ... Guide means (groove-shaped rail)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 ... Drive means 5A ... Ball screw mechanism 9 ... Hoop 34 ... 1st position control part (upper roller)
35 ... 2nd position control part (lower roller)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 51 ... Screw shaft 52 ... Nut 55 ... Motor 92 ... Cover 93 ... Opening G1 ... 1st guide part G2 ... 2nd guide part X ... 1st direction Z ... 2nd direction

Claims (6)

In a load port device that supports a storage container capable of storing an object to be processed on the apparatus main body and opens or closes the opening of the storage container by moving a cover of the storage container.
Lid holding means in which the first position restricting portion and the second position restricting portion are set at positions separated from each other to hold the lid;
A guide means provided in the apparatus main body for guiding the first position restricting portion and the second position restricting portion;
Drive means for applying a driving force in a direction in which the second position restricting portion is guided with respect to the second position restricting portion;
By applying a driving force to the second position restricting portion by the driving means, the driving force is transmitted to the first position restricting portion, and both the first position restricting portion and the second position restricting portion are being guided by the guiding means. The lid holding means is moved so that the lid can be moved between a position where the opening of the storage container is opened and a position where the opening is closed.
The movement of the lid between the opening position and the closing position is based on a rotational movement centering on the second position restricting portion located below the first position restricting portion. Load port device.   The guide means guides the first position restricting part along the first direction, and the second direction different from the first direction for the first position restricting part and the second position restricting part. The load port device according to claim 1, wherein the load port device is configured to include a second guide portion that guides along the line. The said 2nd direction is set to a substantially perpendicular direction, The said 1st position control part and the 2nd position control part are arranged below the lid | cover of the said storage container, The said 2nd direction is characterized by the above-mentioned. Load port device.   The load port device according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit includes a ball screw mechanism including a screw shaft and a nut, and a rotating unit that rotates the screw shaft.   The load port device according to claim 1, wherein the opening is opened from an upper side by the rotational movement of the lid. The first position restricting portion and the second position restricting portion are configured as rollers provided rotatably on the lid holding means,
The load port device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the guide means is a grooved rail that holds the roller therein.

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