JP6402676B2 - Semiconductor manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in which a workpiece is processed in a clean room with increased cleanliness.

  Conventionally, there is JP 2010-109250 A as a technique in such a field. The locally sealed cleaning device described in this publication has an interface unit, and the interface unit is disposed between the semiconductor transfer device and the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The interface part is arrange | positioned in the interface space of a local sealing type cleaning apparatus. The interface unit is used to transfer an unprocessed wafer transferred by the semiconductor transfer device to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and high cleanliness is required in the interface space of the cleaning device. In order to maintain the cleanliness in the interface space, a suction port of a blower is disposed under the side wall forming the interface space to suck air in the interface space. The sucked air is sent again into the interface space through a filter arranged at the top of the cleaning device.

JP 2010-109250 A

  In the above-mentioned conventional locally-sealed cleaning device, the suction port is arranged at the lower part of the side wall. Therefore, when there is a lot of dust in the interface part arranged in the interface space, air is blown laterally in the interface space. Due to the inhalation, dust may fall on the floor of the interface space, and dust that falls on the floor may rise. And when the processing space of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for processing a wafer is arranged adjacent to the interface space, there is a possibility that dust rising from the floor may enter the processing space.

  An object of this invention is to provide the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus which improved the cleanliness in interface space.

The present invention is a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for processing a workpiece by processing means arranged in a clean room,
A processing space located in the clean room and in which the processing means is disposed,
An interface space in which transfer means for transferring the workpiece to the processing means is disposed adjacent to the processing space in the clean room;
A return duct for returning the air exhausted from the clean room into the clean room,
An air supply port is disposed at an upper portion of the clean chamber, and an exhaust port that is located in the interface space and communicates with the return duct is provided on the floor surface of the clean chamber.

  In this semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, air is supplied to the clean room from an air supply port arranged at the upper part of the clean room, and air in the clean room is exhausted from an exhaust port provided on the floor surface of the clean room. The exhausted air is returned to the clean room from the air supply port through the return duct. As a result, the clean room can be miniaturized. Since the exhaust port is located in the interface space on the floor surface of the clean room, the dust falling on the floor surface can be suppressed and the dust generated by the transfer means can be quickly sucked by the exhaust port. As a result, the cleanliness in the clean room can be kept high, and air stagnation in the interface space can be suppressed. Further, since the interface space is downstream of the machining space, it is possible to suppress dust generation in the interface space from flowing into the machining space. A filter is attached to the air supply port, and dust is captured by the filter. Moreover, since the inside of the clean room is maintained at a positive pressure, dirty outside air is difficult to enter the clean room.

The return duct extends in the vertical direction behind the processing space and communicates with the air supply port. Below the floor, the return duct communicates with a lower portion of the return duct and the exhaust port. Is arranged.
By adopting such a configuration, it is not necessary to create a route from the exhaust port to the return duct in the clean room, so that the space in the clean room can be utilized to the maximum extent.

Further, the exhaust port is symmetrically disposed on the floor surface with a dividing line extending in the front-rear direction so as to bisect the processing means into left and right halves.
By adopting such a configuration, the air flow can be made uniform in the clean room to maintain a uniform cleanliness.

Moreover, the said transfer means has a drive part which drives the hand for transferring the said workpiece | work to the said process means, The space directly above the said drive part is contained in the said clean room.
With such a configuration, air can be blown from above the drive unit that generates much dust. For this reason, even when a large processing means is arranged in the processing space, the processing means can ensure a sufficient air flow without obstructing the air, and dust from the upper air can be cleaned. Can be swept out of.

  According to the present invention, the cleanliness in the interface space can be improved.

1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the apparatus in a clean room. It is the schematic which shows the flow of the air in a clean room. It is a principal part expanded sectional view which shows the upper part of a clean room. It is a perspective view which shows the lower part of a clean room. It is sectional drawing which shows the lower part of a clean room. It is a perspective view which shows the floor surface of a clean room. It is a perspective view which shows a piping unit.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1, the cartridge transport unit 21 side is described as “front” and the processing means 23 side is described as “rear”.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the local clean compatible semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 is a clean device that enables a workpiece (for example, a semiconductor wafer (not shown)) to be processed while the inside is kept clean. The chamber 11 is separated from the clean chamber 11 and is separated into a machine chamber 12 in which a drive mechanism, a chemical solution, a control panel, and the like are housed. A mounting table 13 is provided in the middle of the front part of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1.

  In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1, outside the clean chamber 11 and the machine chamber 12, a cartridge transport unit 21 for transporting a cartridge C in which a workpiece is stored, and a cartridge C transported by the cartridge transport unit 21 are held. The first transfer means 22 for transferring the cartridge C to the lifting / lowering part 25a of the lifting / lowering delivery means 25 outside the clean chamber 11 and the machine room 12 is disposed.

  The clean chamber 11 is covered with an upper cover 58, a main cover 56, and a lower cover 57. In the clean chamber 11, a processing means 23 for processing the work and a second transfer means 24 for transferring the work taken out from the cartridge C by the lifting / lowering delivery means 25 to the processing means 23 in the clean chamber 11. And an elevating / lowering means 25 for transferring a workpiece between the first transfer means 22 arranged outside the clean chamber 11 and the second transfer means 24 arranged inside the clean chamber 11. Has been.

  The cartridge transport unit 21 fixed on the mounting table 13 has a belt conveyor 21a for sequentially transporting the cartridges C in which workpieces before and after processing are accommodated. By this belt conveyor 21a, the cartridge C can be received from the previous process, and the cartridge C can be sent to the next process.

  The first transfer means 22 disposed outside the clean chamber 11 includes a rotating shaft 22a extending in the vertical direction, a rotating arm 22b having a base end fixed to the upper end of the rotating shaft 22a, and a rotating arm 22b A holding portion 22c that is disposed at the tip portion and holds the cartridge C by suction is provided. The first transfer unit 22 sucks and holds the cartridge C on the cartridge transport unit 21 by the holding unit 22c, and rotates the rotary arm 22b around the rotation shaft 22a. Transfer to the lifting unit 25a. The elevating part 25a is positioned at the top when receiving the cartridge C from the holding part 22c or when delivering the cartridge C to the holding part 22c.

  The processing means 23 is disposed in the clean chamber 11. In the processing means 23, for example, any one or a plurality of processings such as photoresist application, wafer surface pattern formation, etching processing, ion implantation, planarization, electrode formation, and other processing are performed. The processing performed by the processing means 23 is not limited to these.

The second transfer means 24 disposed in the clean chamber 11 includes a rotating shaft (not shown) extending in the vertical direction and a telescopic arm (not shown) whose base end is fixed to the upper end of the rotating shaft. And a flat hand 24 a that is fixed to the tip of the arm and sucks and holds the work, and a drive unit 24 b that drives the hand 24 a for transferring the work to the processing means 23.
The drive unit 24b is composed of a mechanism for moving the hand 24a up and down, rotating, and expanding and contracting in the horizontal direction, and is configured by a combination of mechanical parts, and thus easily generates dust.

  The second transfer unit 24 is disposed in front of the processing unit 23 in the clean chamber 11. The second transfer means 24 sucks and holds the work placed on the lifting / lowering part 25a of the lifting / lowering delivery means 25 by the holding part. The held workpiece is transferred to the processing means 23 by rotating the arm around the rotation axis. Similarly, the workpiece processed by the processing means 23 is transferred from the processing means 23 to the lifting / lowering portion 25a of the lifting / lowering delivery means 25 by the second transfer means 24. At this time, the raising / lowering part 25a is arrange | positioned at the lowest part.

  In a state of being positioned at the uppermost part, the cartridge C in which the work is stored is placed on the elevating unit 25a, and thereafter, the work is taken out from the cartridge C while the elevating unit 25a is lowered by driving the motor. The elevating / lowering means 25 has a function of taking out a workpiece from the cartridge C when the elevating part 25a is lowered and storing the work in the cartridge C when the elevating part 25a is elevated. The elevating part 25a of the elevating / lowering means 25 is exposed from the clean chamber 11 in a state of being located at the uppermost part and is present in the clean room 11 in a state of being located at the lowermost part. The workpiece is captured by the second transfer means 24 in the clean chamber 11.

  The processing means 23, the second transfer means 24, and the lifting / lowering delivery means 25 having the above-described configuration are disposed on the base plate 39 and accommodated in the clean chamber 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the clean chamber 11 includes a processing space 11 </ b> A that forms a space surrounding the processing means 23 located on the rear side in the clean chamber 11, and a processing space 11 </ b> A in the clean chamber 11. An interface space 11B that is located in front and forms a space surrounding the second transfer means and the lifting and passing means 25 for transferring the workpiece to the processing means 23, and extends vertically above the processing space 11A. It is composed of an upper space 11C. A return duct 40 for returning the air discharged from the clean chamber 11 to the clean chamber 11 is disposed behind the clean chamber 11, and the clean chamber 11 and the return duct 40 are partitioned by a partition wall 30.

  The upper part of the return duct 40 and the upper part of the upper space 11C are communicated with each other by an upper duct 41. An electric fan 26 a is disposed on the air supply side of the upper duct 41, and a filter 26 b is disposed on the exhaust side of the upper duct 41. In other words, the electric fan 26 a is arranged at the upper part of the return duct 40, and the filter 26 b is arranged at the air supply port M provided at the upper part of the upper space 11 C of the clean chamber 11. Dust contained in the air flowing through the return duct 40 is supplied to the upper space 11C after being captured by the filter 26b.

  Below the electric fan 26a, a filter 32 is disposed on a boundary wall 33 that forms a boundary between the return duct 40 and the machine room 12 (see FIG. 4). The return duct 40 and the atmosphere communicate with each other through the filter 32. As a result, the processing space 11A can always be maintained at a positive pressure, and dust and dust can be prevented from entering the clean chamber 11 from the outside.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the floor 44 of the clean chamber 11 (that is, the upper surface of the base plate 39) is provided with an exhaust port P located in the interface space 11 </ b> B. It communicates with the return duct 40 via The exhaust port P is disposed near and in front of the second transfer means 24. The exhaust port P is set at a position for quickly sucking dust generated from the drive unit 24b of the second transfer means 24.

  A piping unit 50 is disposed below the floor surface 44, that is, below the base plate 39. The piping unit 50 includes an air introduction port 51 that communicates with the exhaust port P and an air discharge port 52 that communicates with the return duct 40. The air inlet 51 and the air outlet 52 are connected by a pipe 53. The pair of left and right pipes 53 extend along the left and right side walls 54 of the outer wall located below the floor surface 44.

  As a result, the piping 53 can avoid a mechanism (for example, a motor provided in the processing means 23, the second moving means 24, and the lifting / lowering delivery means 25) positioned below the floor surface 44, and the base plate 39. The lower space can be used efficiently. Since there is no need to make a route from the exhaust port P to the return duct 40 in the clean chamber 11, the processing means 23, the second moving means 24, The layout design of the elevating / lowering means 25 and the structure change of each means 23, 24, 25 can be facilitated.

  The pair of left and right exhaust ports P are symmetrically disposed on the floor surface 44 around a dividing line L extending in the front-rear direction so as to bisect the processing means 23 to the left and right. Thereby, the flow of air can be made uniform in the clean chamber 11 to maintain a uniform cleanliness. Corresponding to such an exhaust port P, two air introduction ports 51 of the piping unit 50 are also provided, and two piping 53 are also provided.

  One flange-shaped end 50 a of the piping unit 50 is fixed to the base plate 39. The other flange-shaped end 50 b of the piping unit 50 is joined to the lower end of the return duct 40. The air introduction port 51 located on the one end 50a side is opened upward and is aligned with the exhaust port P from below. The air outlet 52 located on the other end 50b side is opened upward. By using the piping unit 50 having such a configuration, the clean chamber 11 and the return duct 40 can be reliably communicated with each other.

  In such a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1, air is supplied into the clean chamber 11 from the air supply port M arranged at the upper portion of the clean chamber 11, and clean is supplied from the exhaust port P provided on the floor surface 44 of the clean chamber 11. The air in the chamber 11 is exhausted. Then, the exhausted air passes through the return duct 40 via the pipe 53 and is returned from the air supply port M into the clean chamber 11. Thereby, size reduction of the clean room 11 is enabled.

  Since the exhaust port P is located in the interface space 11B on the floor surface 44 of the clean chamber 11, it suppresses the rising of dust that has fallen on the floor surface 44, and dust generated from the drive unit 24b of the second transfer means 24. Can be quickly sucked through the exhaust port P. As a result, the cleanliness in the clean chamber 11 can be kept high, and air stagnation in the interface space 11B can be suppressed. Further, since the interface space 11B is downstream of the processing space 11A, it is possible to suppress dust generation in the interface space 11B from flowing into the processing space 11A. A filter 26b is attached to the air supply port M (see FIG. 4), and dust is captured by the filter 26b. In addition, since the inside of the clean chamber 11 is maintained at a positive pressure, dirty outside air hardly enters the clean chamber 11.

  The second transfer unit 24 includes a drive unit 24 b that drives a hand 24 a for transferring a workpiece to the machining unit 23, and the space above the drive unit 24 b is included in the clean chamber 11. With such a configuration, air can be blown from above the drive unit 24b that generates much dust. In order to blow air from above the drive unit 24b, the front plate 56a of the main cover 56 is provided with a bulged portion 56b (see FIG. 1) that protrudes forward in a semi-cylindrical shape. The bulging portion 56b extends straight above the second transfer means 24 in the vertical direction. Therefore, even when a large processing means 23 is arranged in the processing space 11A, the processing means 23 can ensure a sufficient air flow without obstructing air, and dust from the air from above can be secured. It can be swept out of the clean chamber 11.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications as described below are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, the number of the exhaust ports P may be one or more, and a position in consideration of the dust generated from the movable parts at the position of the interface space 11B is appropriately selected.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 11 ... Clean room 11A ... Processing space 11B ... Interface space 11C ... Upper space 21 ... Cartridge conveyance part 22 ... 1st transfer means 23 ... Processing means 24 ... 2nd transfer means 24a ... Hand 24b ... Drive Part 25 ... Elevating / lowering means 26b ... Filter 40 ... Return duct 44 ... Floor 50 ... Piping unit 51 ... Air inlet 52 ... Air outlet 53 ... Piping C ... Cartridge L ... Dividing line M ... Air inlet P ... Exhaust port

Claims (2)

A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for processing a workpiece by processing means arranged in a clean room,
A processing space located in the clean room and in which the processing means is disposed,
An interface space in which transfer means for transferring the workpiece to the processing means is disposed adjacent to the processing space in the clean room;
A return duct for returning the air exhausted from the clean room into the clean room,
An air supply port is disposed in the upper portion of the clean chamber, and the floor surface of the clean chamber is located only in the interface space so that the interface space is disposed downstream of the processing space in the air flow. And an exhaust port which is not located in the processing space and communicates with the return duct is provided .
The return duct is partitioned from the clean chamber via a partition plate, extends in the vertical direction behind the processing space, communicates with the air supply port, and below the floor surface, Piping that communicates the lower part and the exhaust port is arranged,
The exhaust port is arranged symmetrically around a dividing line extending in the front-rear direction so as to bisect the processing means into left and right parts on the floor surface,
The pair of left and right pipes is a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that extends along left and right side walls of the outer wall located below the floor surface . The transfer means includes a drive unit that drives a hand for transferring the workpiece to the processing means, and a space above the drive unit is included in the clean chamber.
The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 Symbol placement.

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