JP6855217B2 - Wafer transfer holding device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wafer transfer device, and more particularly to a wafer transfer / hold device that transfers a thinly processed semiconductor wafer onto a chuck table and sucks and holds it.

A semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "wafer") used in the manufacture of a semiconductor device is an ingot of a semiconductor material cut into a thin plate shape according to the direction of the crystal axis and polished. Further, in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, in a production process such as lithography for forming a device on a wafer, it is necessary to fix the wafer, and usually a negative air pressure is applied to suck the wafer, so-called vacuum suction method suction. Various processes are performed while the wafer is sucked and held on a stage (usually referred to as a "chuck table") (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Then, after the device on the wafer is completed, the same applies when the tester and the electrode pad of the device are connected by a prober to perform an electrical operation inspection, or when an optical inspection of a pattern formed by an inspection machine is performed. Inspecting is performed with the wafer sucked and held on the chuck table.

In recent years, in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, the diameter of the wafer has been increased to improve the production efficiency, and the diameter of the wafer has been increasing more and more. Further, if the number of wafers that can be taken from one ingot is increased, the manufacturing cost of the wafer is reduced by that amount, so that the thickness of the wafer tends to be reduced accordingly.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-234392

However, the larger the diameter and the thinner the wafer, the more warpage occurs due to distortion, even if it is polished. In particular, when a semiconductor device is formed on the surface of a wafer, warpage is likely to occur. When a wafer with a large degree of warpage is placed on the chuck table, a large gap is created between the suction groove on the chuck table side and the wafer, and even if negative pressure is applied, air is formed in the groove through the gap. Flows in. Therefore, there arises a problem that the wafer cannot be sufficiently adsorbed and held. Further, in the process of transporting the wafer to the next step while the wafer adsorption failure occurs, the wafer shifts. In this state, there is a problem that it cannot be placed on the chuck table or the like in the next process with high accuracy.

In order to solve such a problem, it is conceivable to increase the driving capacity of the vacuum pump to increase the negative pressure, that is, to lower the air pressure in the air system path and the groove. However, for that purpose, it is necessary to prepare a vacuum pump having a large driving capacity, which causes various problems such as cost and cannot be dealt with when the gap is large.

Therefore, there arises a technical problem to be solved in order to provide a wafer transfer holding device capable of reliably sucking and holding even a wafer having a large warp, and the present invention solves this problem. With the goal.

The present invention has been proposed to achieve the above object, and the invention according to claim 1 comprises a chuck table for sucking and holding a semiconductor wafer and a transport mechanism for transporting the semiconductor wafer onto the chuck table. In the wafer transfer holding device provided, the inner peripheral pad portion for sucking and holding the semiconductor wafer and the wafer suctioning device on the transfer mechanism side formed by providing a suction port inside the region surrounded by the inner peripheral pad portion. and vacuum line, the inner peripheral pad portion and is connected via a diaphragm Rutotomoni the inner peripheral pad portion vertically movably supported, the chuck on the outer peripheral side of the area portion than the inner pad section and the semiconductor wafer A transfer pad provided in the transfer mechanism having contact with the table and an outer pad portion for creating a vacuum area between the inner peripheral pad portion, the diaphragm, and the chuck table, and the chuck. Provided is a wafer transfer holding device including a wafer suction vacuum line on the chuck table side for generating a negative pressure for sucking and holding the semiconductor wafer placed on the table on the chuck table.

According to this configuration, the semiconductor wafer is sucked and held by the inner peripheral pad portion and arranged on the chuck table, and the outer peripheral pad portion is in contact with the chuck table, for example. When the wafer suction vacuum line on the chuck table side is turned on and a negative pressure is generated on the chuck table, the air in the vacuum area between the inner peripheral pad portion and the chuck table also becomes the wafer. It is drawn by a suction vacuum line. Then, as the air in the vacuum area is drawn, the inner peripheral pad portion arranged inside the outer peripheral pad portion is sucked onto the chuck table together with the semiconductor wafer, and the entire semiconductor wafer is sucked. Is tightly sucked and held on the chuck table. Further, the semiconductor wafer here has an outer peripheral portion in conjunction with the inner peripheral pad portion being pulled toward the chuck table side after the central side is brought into contact with the chuck table by the inner peripheral pad portion. The side is pressed against the chuck table. That is, since the semiconductor wafer W is brought into contact with the chuck table substantially radially from the center side to the outer peripheral side, even if the semiconductor wafer has a large warp, the influence of the warp is reduced. Therefore, the semiconductor wafer can be sucked and held on the chuck table.

The invention according to claim 2 provides a wafer transfer holding device in which the vacuum area communicates with a wafer suction vacuum line on the chuck table side in the configuration according to claim 1. ..

According to this configuration, when a negative pressure is formed on the chuck table side by the wafer suction vacuum line on the chuck table side, the vacuum area communicating with the wafer suction vacuum line on the chuck table side. The air inside is evacuated. Further, at the same time that the air in the vacuum area is drawn, the inner peripheral head portion is pulled toward the chuck table side together with the semiconductor wafer, and the semiconductor wafer can be pressed onto the chuck table. Therefore, since the vacuum area is communicated with the wafer suction vacuum line, it is not necessary to separately provide a vacuum source for drawing air in the vacuum area, and the structure of the entire apparatus can be simplified. It also makes it possible to reduce costs.

In the invention according to claim 3, in the configuration according to claim 1 or 2, when the transport mechanism finishes transporting the semiconductor wafer onto the chuck table, the wafer suction vacuum line on the chuck table side is turned off. Provided is a wafer transfer holding device including a control unit that also switches on.

According to this configuration, when the transport mechanism finishes transporting the semiconductor wafer onto the chuck table, the control unit turns off the wafer suction vacuum line on the chuck table side provided on the chuck table side. The air in the vacuum area is also automatically drawn by switching from to on. Then, as the pressure inside the vacuum area becomes negative, the inner peripheral head portion is pulled toward the chuck table side together with the semiconductor wafer, presses the semiconductor wafer onto the chuck table, and then negative on the chuck table. It can be sucked and held by pressure.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to the third aspect, the control unit is interlocked with the operation of switching the wafer suction vacuum line on the chuck table side from off to on, and the transfer mechanism. Provided is a wafer transfer holding device for switching a wafer suction vacuum line on the side from on to off.

According to this configuration, the wafer suction vacuum line on the transfer mechanism side is switched from on to off by the control of the control unit, and the semiconductor wafer is sucked and held by the inner peripheral pad portion on the transfer mechanism side. When is released, the wafer suction vacuum line on the chuck table side is switched from off to on, and the semiconductor wafer is sucked and held on the chuck table side. Therefore, the suction holding by the inner peripheral pad portion is released and the chuck is released. The operation of repeatedly sucking and holding the semiconductor wafer on the table side can be performed automatically and smoothly.

The invention according to claim 5 has the configuration according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the inner peripheral pad portion is a ring-shaped V-seal that seals between the inner peripheral pad portion and the semiconductor wafer. The outer peripheral pad portion provides a wafer transfer holding device including a ring-shaped V-seal that seals between the outer peripheral pad portion and the chuck table, respectively.

According to this configuration, by providing the V seals on the inner peripheral pad portion and the outer peripheral pad portion, the inner peripheral pad portion and the semiconductor wafer, the outer peripheral pad portion, and the chuck table are provided. The sealing property between the two can be further improved.

According to the present invention, a negative pressure is generated on the chuck table while the semiconductor wafer is attracted and held by the inner peripheral pad portion and arranged on the chuck table, and the outer peripheral pad portion is in contact with the chuck table. Then, the inner peripheral pad portion arranged inside the outer peripheral pad portion is also pulled onto the chuck table together with the semiconductor wafer, and the entire semiconductor wafer is pressed onto the chuck table to be densely packed on the chuck table. Can be sucked and held. Further, the semiconductor wafer here is pressed against the chuck table in conjunction with the inner peripheral pad portion being pulled toward the chuck table side after the central side is brought into contact with the chuck table by the inner peripheral pad portion. Therefore, since the semiconductor wafer is substantially radially abutted against the chuck table from the center side to the outer peripheral side, even if the semiconductor wafer has a large warp, the semiconductor wafer is in a state where the influence of the warp is reduced. Can be sucked and held on the chuck table.

It is a perspective view which shows the main part structure of the wafer transfer holding apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a figure explaining the internal structure with the cross section of the main part of the same transport holding apparatus shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows a part of the transport pad shown in FIG. 2 in an enlarged manner. It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration in the same transport holding apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. It is a figure explaining an example of the control procedure by the control part of the system configuration shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining one operation example in the same above-mentioned transport holding apparatus, and is the figure which shows the state in the process of transporting a semiconductor wafer by a transport pad. It is a figure explaining one operation example in the same transport holding apparatus, and shows the state which the transport pad has finished transporting a semiconductor wafer on a chuck table, (a) is the figure of the whole transport pad, and (b) is the figure. It is an enlarged view of a part of a transport pad. It is a figure explaining one operation example in the same transfer holding apparatus, and shows the state which the inner peripheral pad part of the transfer pad presses a semiconductor wafer against a chuck table, (a) is the figure of the whole transfer pad, (b). ) Is an enlarged view of a part of the transport pad. It is a figure explaining one operation example in the said transfer holding apparatus, and is the figure which shows the state which the semiconductor wafer W is delivered to the chuck table side, and the transfer pad is separated from the semiconductor wafer.

In order to achieve the object of providing a wafer transfer holding device capable of reliably sucking and holding a wafer having a large warp, the present invention uses a chuck table for sucking and holding a semiconductor wafer and the semiconductor wafer. In a wafer transfer holding device including a transfer mechanism for transferring onto the chuck table, an inner peripheral pad portion for sucking and holding the semiconductor wafer and a suction port are provided inside a region surrounded by the inner peripheral pad portion. The wafer suction vacuum line formed on the transfer mechanism side comes into contact with the chuck table at the inner peripheral pad portion and the region portion on the outer peripheral side of the semiconductor wafer, and the inner peripheral pad portion and the chuck table are brought into contact with each other. A negative pressure for sucking and holding the transport pad provided in the transport mechanism and the semiconductor wafer placed on the chuck table with an outer peripheral pad portion that creates a vacuum area between them is applied on the chuck table. This was achieved by providing a vacuum line for sucking the wafer on the chuck table side to generate the wafer.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same elements are designated by the same reference numerals throughout the description of the embodiment. Further, in the following description, the expressions indicating the directions such as up and down and left and right are not absolute, and are appropriate when each part of the transport holding device of the present invention is drawn, but that posture. Should be changed and interpreted according to the change in posture.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic arrangement configuration of a wafer transfer holding device 10 to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a disassembled part of the wafer transfer holding device 10 in FIG. 1 and a cross section thereof. It is a side view which shows the internal structure. The wafer transfer holding device 10 can be widely used in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices. The wafer transfer holding device 10 has a vacuum suction type chuck table 11 that applies negative air pressure (negative pressure) to suck and hold the semiconductor wafer W to perform various processes, and the semiconductor wafer W from the previous processing step. Is provided on the chuck table 11 with a transfer mechanism 12 or the like. The semiconductor wafer W is obtained by cutting an ingot of a semiconductor material into a thin plate shape according to the direction of the crystal axis and polishing it, and is formed in a substantially disk shape.

As shown in FIG. 1, the chuck table 11 is a disk-shaped table. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the chuck table 11 has a disk-shaped holding table 11a formed with an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the semiconductor wafer W and the upper surface of the holding table 11a (the semiconductor wafer W is placed on the holding table 11a). It is provided with a suction portion 11b, which is also formed in a disk shape and has an outer diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the semiconductor wafer W, which is provided on the surface to be exposed.

The suction portion 11b of the chuck table 11 is provided with a plurality of suction grooves (not shown) and suction holes 13 communicating with the plurality of grooves. The wafer suction vacuum line 14 provided on the holding table 11a is communicated with the suction hole 13. Therefore, the suction hole 13 functions as a suction port of the wafer suction vacuum line 14. Although not shown, a pressure gauge, a valve, and a vacuum source are sequentially arranged in the wafer suction vacuum line 14, and the suction holes 13, the wafer suction vacuum line 14, the pressure gauge, the valve, the vacuum source, and the like are used. The first wafer vacuum suction means 15 is configured. That is, in the first wafer vacuum suction means 15, a negative pressure is applied to the suction portion 11b, and the negative pressure is applied to the semiconductor wafer W placed on the suction portion 11b of the chuck table 11. It can be sucked and held for a while.

The transport mechanism 12 includes a transport pad (also referred to as a “convey plate”) 21 and a transport arm 22 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

One end side (base end side) of the transfer arm 22 is fixed to, for example, a robot arm or the like, and a transfer pad 21 is attached to the other end side via the pivot 23. The transfer arm 22 holds the semiconductor wafer W from a required position (previous process position) to a required position (main process position), or can move the transfer pad 21 independently. That is, by moving the transfer arm 22, the semiconductor wafer W before the processing is moved from the previous process position onto the chuck table 11, and the semiconductor wafer W after the processing is provided at a required position from the chuck table 11. It can be moved to the process position.

The pivot 23 includes a tubular shaft 23A, a sliding shaft 23B, and a spring 23C. The tubular shaft 23A has a hole 23a inside which the sliding shaft 23B is slidably held. The tubular shaft 23A is attached with one end (upper end) side fixed to the lower surface side of the transport arm 22 and hung from the lower surface of the transport arm 22. On the other hand, on the other end (lower end) side of the tubular shaft 23A, the outer peripheral pad portion 21A described later of the transport pad 21 is fixedly attached.

The sliding shaft 23B is slidably mounted in the hole 23a of the tubular shaft 23A in the vertical direction. A countersunk plate-shaped movement restricting portion 23b is provided on one end (upper end) side of the sliding shaft 23B, the other end (lower end) side protrudes from the lower end of the tubular shaft 23A, and the other end side is the inner peripheral pad portion 21B described later. Is fixed and attached.

The spring 23C is a coil spring mounted on the outer circumference of the sliding shaft 23B. The coil spring 23C always applies a force for the sliding shaft 23B to move downward with respect to the tubular shaft 23A to the sliding shaft 23B.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport pad 21 is a disk-shaped plate. As shown in FIG. 2, the transport pad 21 includes the outer peripheral pad portion 21A and the inner peripheral pad portion 21B described above. The outer peripheral pad portion 21A and the inner peripheral pad portion 21B are arranged so that the axial center O2 and the axial center O1 of the transport pad 21 are the same.

As shown in FIG. 2, the outer peripheral pad portion 21A is arranged over the entire circumference of the outer peripheral pad plate 24 in a disk-shaped outer peripheral pad plate 24 and in a state of hanging from the outer peripheral portion of the outer peripheral pad plate 24. It is composed of an annular frame body 25 and an outer peripheral side V-seal 26 or the like arranged over the entire circumference in a state of protruding from the lower surface of the frame body 25 to the lower side (chuck table 11 side). There is.

As shown in FIG. 2, the outer peripheral side V-seal 26 has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the suction portion 11b of the chuck table 11, that is, the outer diameter of the semiconductor wafer W, and the outer diameter is the outer diameter of the holding table 11a. It is made of rubber, soft resin, etc. as a ring-shaped seal having substantially the same size. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outer peripheral side V-seal 26 is attached so that the entire circumference on the one side is fixed to the lower surface of the frame body 25. Therefore, the frame body 25 is formed as an annular body having substantially the same outer diameter and inner diameter as the outer diameter and inner diameter of the outer peripheral side V-seal 26. The other surface side of the outer peripheral side V-seal 26 is formed as a flexible lip portion 26a as a free end whose entire circumference extends toward the chuck table 11 side in a tapered cross section. The lip portion 26a can be brought into close contact with the upper surface of the holding table 11a. The outer peripheral side V-seal 26, the frame body 25, and each axial center O1 of the outer peripheral pad plate 24 are arranged in substantially the same manner as the axial center O2 of the transport pad 21.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inner peripheral pad portion 21B is attached to the inner peripheral pad plate 27 in a state of hanging from the inner peripheral pad plate 27 having a disk shape and the outer peripheral lower surface portion of the inner peripheral pad plate 27. It is composed of a V-seal 28 and the like on the inner peripheral side.

The inner peripheral pad plate 27 is provided with suction holes 29 penetrating the upper and lower surfaces. The wafer suction vacuum line 30 led out to the upper surface of the inner peripheral pad plate 27 is communicated with the suction hole 29. Therefore, the suction hole 29 functions as a suction port of the wafer suction vacuum line 30. Although not shown, a pressure gauge, a valve, and a vacuum source are sequentially arranged in the wafer suction vacuum line 30, and the suction holes 29, the wafer suction vacuum line 30, the pressure gauge, the valve, the vacuum source, and the like are used. The second wafer vacuum suction means 31 is configured. That is, in the second wafer vacuum suction means 31, a negative pressure is applied to the lower surface of the suction portion inner peripheral pad plate 27, and the negative pressure is applied to the semiconductor wafer W placed on the suction portion 11b of the chuck table 11. It can be sucked and held while being applied.

The inner peripheral side V-seal 28 is formed of rubber, a soft resin, or the like as a ring-shaped seal having a size substantially equal to the outer diameter of the semiconductor wafer W. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the inner peripheral side V-seal 28 is attached so that the entire circumference on one side is fixed to the lower surface of the inner peripheral pad plate 27. Therefore, the inner peripheral side V-seal 28 is formed as an annular body having substantially the same outer diameter as the outer diameter of the inner peripheral side V-seal 28. On the contrary, the other surface side of the inner peripheral side V-seal 28 is formed as a flexible lip portion 28a as a free end whose entire circumference extends toward the chuck table 11 side in a tapered cross section. The lip portion 28a can be brought into close contact with the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer W. The axial centers of the inner peripheral pad plate 27 and the inner peripheral V-seal 28 are arranged in substantially the same manner as the axial center O2 of the transport pad 21.

A disc-shaped diaphragm (elastic thin film) 32 is arranged between the upper surface of the inner peripheral pad plate 27 and the outer peripheral pad plate 24. The diaphragm 32 is a flexible thin film made of metal or non-metal and has a disk shape. The outer peripheral side is sandwiched between the outer peripheral pad plate 24 of the outer peripheral pad portion 21A and the frame body 25 and has an outer peripheral side. It is tightly attached to the pad portion 21A, and the central side is tightly attached to the upper surface of the inner peripheral pad plate 27 of the inner peripheral pad portion 21B. The diaphragm 32 makes it possible to generate a vacuum area 33 between the inner peripheral pad portion 21B and the outer peripheral pad portion 21A on the lower side of the diaphragm 32. Further, the inner peripheral pad plate 27 is usually moved downward by its own weight and the spring urging force of the spring 23C until the movement restricting portion 23b of the sliding shaft 23B abuts on the tubular shaft 23A and the movement is restricted. There is.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a system configuration in the wafer transfer holding device 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 4, this system configuration includes a control unit 32.

The control unit 34 has a central processing function of controlling the overall operation of the wafer transfer holding device 10, and is, for example, a computer. The control unit 34 incorporates a program that controls the wafer transfer holding device 10 according to a predetermined procedure. Further, the first wafer vacuum suction means 15, the transfer mechanism 12, and the second wafer vacuum suction means 31 are connected to the control unit 34 in a controllable manner.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in which the control unit 34 controls the overall operation of the wafer transfer holding device 10. Further, FIGS. 6 to 9 are diagrams showing states of the transport holding operation at each operation in the processing process shown in FIG. Therefore, an operation example of the wafer transfer holding device 10 will be described below according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 and using the operation state diagrams of FIGS. 6 to 9.

First, as shown in FIG. 6, the semiconductor wafer W before the processing is sucked and held by the inner peripheral pad portion 21B of the transport pad 21, and is transported from the previous process position toward the chuck table 11. That is, in the transfer of the semiconductor wafer W by the transfer pad 21 shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 32 turns on the second wafer vacuum suction means 31, that is, the wafer suction vacuum line 31 is turned on, and the inner peripheral side V The air in the region 35 surrounded by the seal 28 is sucked through the wafer suction vacuum line 30, and a negative pressure is applied in the region 35 (step 1). In this transfer, the inner peripheral pad plate 27 is moved downward by its own weight and the spring urging force of the spring 23C until the movement restricting portion 23b of the sliding shaft 23B abuts on the tubular shaft 23A and the movement is restricted. Further, the thinly processed semiconductor wafer W is also in a state of being bent downward and curved. Then, in this way, the semiconductor wafer W is sucked and held by the transport pad 28 (inner peripheral pad portion 21B) of the second wafer vacuum suction means 31, and by the movement of the transport arm 22, the position of the previous process is reached. Is transported toward the chuck table 11.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, when the axis O2 of the chuck table 11 and the center of the semiconductor wafer W (the axis O1 of the transport pad 21) substantially coincide with each other, the control unit 34 puts the semiconductor wafer W on the chuck table 11. The lower surface is brought into contact with each other, and the lip portion 26a of the outer peripheral side V-seal 26 of the outer peripheral pad portion 21A is lowered until it comes into close contact with the upper surface of the holding table 11a of the chuck table 11. Then, the vacuum area 33 is surrounded by the chuck table 11, the semiconductor wafer W, the diaphragm 32, and the frame body 25.

When the semiconductor wafer W is conveyed onto the chuck table 11, the control unit 34 switches the wafer suction vacuum line 14 of the first wafer vacuum suction means 15 from off to on, as shown in FIG. 8, and chucks. A negative pressure is generated on the suction portion 11b of the table 11. Then, the air in the vacuum area 33 is sucked through the suction portion 11b of the chuck table 11, and the inside of the vacuum area 33 gradually becomes a negative pressure. When the pressure inside the vacuum area 33 gradually becomes negative, the entire inner peripheral pad plate 27 of the inner peripheral pad portion 21B is suction-held on the suction portion 11b together with the semiconductor wafer W (step 2). The suction holding of the semiconductor wafer W by the suction portion 11b is sucked and held while the negative pressure is applied. Further, since the semiconductor wafer W here is sucked and held in a state of being pressed from above by the inner peripheral pad plate 27, even if the semiconductor wafer W has a large warp, the influence of the warp The semiconductor wafer W can be reliably sucked and held with respect to the chuck table 11.

Next, the control unit 32 is in a state where the wafer suction vacuum line 14 of the first wafer vacuum suction means 15 is kept on, that is, in a state where the chuck table 11 is sucking and holding the semiconductor wafer W. The wafer suction vacuum line 30 of the wafer vacuum suction means 31 is switched from on to off, and air is supplied into the region 35 surrounded by the inner peripheral side V-seal 28. That is, the inside of the region 35 is returned to the atmospheric pressure. Then, the negative pressure in the region 35 surrounded by the inner peripheral side V-seal 28 disappears, the inner peripheral side V-seal 28 and the semiconductor wafer W are separated from each other, and the negative pressure in the vacuum area 33 becomes the region 35. It is escaped to the inside. Then, the negative pressure in the vacuum area 33 disappears, and the chuck (suction holding) of the semiconductor wafer W and the chuck table 11 by the transport pad 21 is released.

Next, when the transfer arm 22 is raised, the transfer pad 21 is also raised together, and only the semiconductor wafer W remains on the chuck table 11. After that, the semiconductor wafer W on the chuck table 11 is subjected to a predetermined processing process or the like. The semiconductor wafer W that has been subjected to the predetermined processing on the chuck table 11 is moved to the next post-processing step by the transfer pad 21 and the transfer arm 22 after the suction holding on the chuck table 11 is released. ..

Therefore, according to the wafer transfer holding device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the semiconductor wafer W is sucked and held by the inner peripheral pad portion 21B and arranged on the chuck table 11, and the outer peripheral pad portion 21A is chucked. When the wafer suction vacuum line 14 is turned on from off in the state of being in contact with the table 11, and a negative pressure is generated on the chuck table 11, the vacuum between the inner peripheral pad portion 21B and the chuck table 11 is generated. The air in the area 33 is also drawn by the wafer suction vacuum line 14. Then, as the air in the vacuum area 33 is drawn, the inner peripheral pad portion 21B arranged inside the outer peripheral pad portion 21A is sucked onto the chuck table 11 together with the semiconductor wafer W, and the entire semiconductor wafer W is sucked. Is tightly sucked and held on the chuck table 11. Further, in the semiconductor wafer W here, after the center side is brought into contact with the chuck table 11 by the inner peripheral pad portion 21B, the outer peripheral portion side is interlocked with the inner peripheral pad portion 21B being pulled by the chuck table 11. It is pressed against the chuck table 11. That is, since the semiconductor wafer W is brought into contact with the chuck table 11 substantially radially from the center side to the outer peripheral side, even if the semiconductor wafer W has a large warp, the influence of the warp is reduced. , The semiconductor wafer W can be sucked and held on the chuck table 11.

Further, since the vacuum area 33 communicates with the wafer suction vacuum line 14 on the chuck table 11 side, when a negative pressure is formed on the chuck table 11 side by the wafer suction vacuum line 14 on the chuck table 11 side, The air in the vacuum area 33 communicating with the wafer suction vacuum line 14 on the chuck table 11 side is drawn. Further, at the same time that the air in the vacuum area 33 is drawn, the inner peripheral head portion 21A is pulled toward the chuck table 11 together with the semiconductor wafer W, and the semiconductor wafer W can be pressed onto the chuck table 11. Therefore, since the vacuum area 33 communicates with the wafer suction vacuum line 14, it is not necessary to separately provide a vacuum source for drawing air in the vacuum area 33, and the structure of the entire apparatus can be simplified. It also makes it possible to reduce costs.

Further, since the control unit 34 can automatically process the entire control of the wafer transfer holding device 10, the operation can be easily performed.

Further, when the inner peripheral pad portion 21B on the transport mechanism 12 side releases the suction holding of the semiconductor wafer W by the operation of the control unit 34, the suction holding of the semiconductor wafer W on the chuck table 11 side is performed, so that the inner peripheral pad portion 21B is performed. It is possible to automatically and smoothly switch between the release of the suction holding by the method and the switching of the suction holding of the semiconductor wafer W on the chuck table 11 side.

Further, since the inner peripheral pad portion 21B and the semiconductor wafer W and the outer peripheral pad portion 21A and the chuck table 11 are sealed with ring-shaped V-seals 26 and 28, respectively, the sealing property between them can be improved. It can be improved further.

Further, the present invention can be modified in various ways other than the above as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention, and it is natural that the present invention extends to the modified ones.

As described above, the present invention has been described when it is used as a transfer holding device for a semiconductor wafer, but it can also be applied to other similar devices.

10 Wafer transfer holding device 11 Chuck table 11a Holding table 11b Suction unit 12 Transfer mechanism 13 Suction hole (suction port)
14 Wafer suction vacuum line (chuck table side)
15 First wafer vacuum suction means 21 Conveying pad (conveying plate)
21A Outer pad 21B Inner pad 22 Conveyor arm 23 Pit 23A Cylindrical shaft 23a Hole 23B Sliding shaft 23b Movement regulation 23C Spring 24 Outer pad plate 25 Frame body 26 Outer V seal 26a Lip 27 Inner pad plate 28 Inner circumference side V seal 28a Lip part 29 Suction hole (suction port)
30 Wafer suction vacuum line (conveyance mechanism side)
31 Second wafer vacuum suction means 32 Diaphragm (elastic thin film)
33 Vacuum area 34 Control unit 35 Area surrounded by V-seal on the inner circumference side O1 Axle center of transport pad O2 Axle center of chuck table

Claims (5)

In a wafer transfer holding device including a chuck table for sucking and holding a semiconductor wafer and a transfer mechanism for transporting the semiconductor wafer onto the chuck table.
An inner peripheral pad portion that sucks and holds the semiconductor wafer, a vacuum line for wafer suction on the transfer mechanism side formed by providing a suction port inside a region surrounded by the inner peripheral pad portion, and the inner peripheral pad. the parts and are connected via a diaphragm Rutotomoni the inner peripheral pad portion vertically movably supported, in contact with the chuck table on the outer peripheral side of the area portion than the inner pad section and the semiconductor wafer, the inner peripheral A transport pad provided in the transport mechanism having an outer peripheral pad portion for creating a vacuum area between the pad portion, the diaphragm, and the chuck table.
A vacuum line for sucking a wafer on the chuck table side for generating a negative pressure on the chuck table for sucking and holding the semiconductor wafer placed on the chuck table, and a vacuum line for sucking the wafer.
A wafer transfer and holding device, which comprises. The wafer transfer holding device according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum area communicates with a wafer suction vacuum line on the chuck table side on the chuck table side. The first aspect of the present invention is that the transfer mechanism includes a control unit that switches the wafer suction vacuum line on the chuck table side from off to on when the semiconductor wafer has been transferred onto the chuck table. Or the wafer transfer holding device according to 2. The control unit performs an operation of switching the wafer suction vacuum line on the transfer mechanism side from on to off in conjunction with the operation of switching the wafer suction vacuum line on the chuck table side from off to on. The wafer transport and holding device according to claim 3, wherein the wafer is conveyed and held. The inner peripheral pad portion includes a ring-shaped V-seal that seals between the inner peripheral pad portion and the semiconductor wafer, and the outer peripheral pad portion seals between the outer peripheral pad portion and the chuck table. The wafer transfer holding device according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, further comprising a ring-shaped V-seal.

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