JP7277813B2 - Conveying system and container opening/closing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) capable of supplying an inert gas to a closed transfer chamber and replacing it with an inert gas atmosphere.

In Patent Document 1, a load port on which a FOUP (Front-Opening Unified Pod) containing wafers (semiconductor substrates) is mounted and an opening provided in a front wall are connected to the load port to close the load port. , a housing in which a transfer chamber is formed in which wafers are transferred, and wafers are transferred between a processing apparatus that performs a predetermined process on the wafers and a FOUP.

Conventionally, the influence of oxygen, moisture, etc. in the transfer chamber on semiconductor circuits manufactured on wafers was small, but in recent years, with the further miniaturization of semiconductor circuits, these influences have become apparent. Therefore, the EFEM described in Patent Document 1 is configured so that the inside of the transfer chamber is filled with nitrogen, which is an inert gas. Specifically, the EFEM includes a circulation passage composed of a transfer chamber and a gas return passage for circulating nitrogen inside the housing, and a gas supply means for supplying nitrogen from above the gas return passage. and gas discharge means for discharging nitrogen from the lower portion of the gas return path. Nitrogen is appropriately supplied and discharged according to fluctuations in the oxygen concentration in the circulation channel. This makes it possible to keep the inside of the transfer chamber in a nitrogen atmosphere.

JP 2015-146349 A

The load port of the EFEM described in Patent Document 1 has an opening/closing mechanism capable of opening and closing the lid of the FOUP placed thereon, and an accommodation chamber that communicates with the transfer chamber and accommodates part of the opening/closing mechanism. However, the gas discharge means is connected to the lower part of the gas return path of the circulation path. Therefore, when the EFEM is started (including after maintenance), even if nitrogen is supplied to the circulation flow path and gas is discharged from the circulation flow path, the storage chamber communicating with the transfer chamber is not included in the circulation flow path. Therefore, there arises a problem that it takes time to replace the storage chamber with a nitrogen atmosphere. Furthermore, there is a problem that the particles in the storage chamber are stirred up by the operation of the opening/closing mechanism and easily enter the transfer chamber.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an EFEM capable of facilitating replacement of the storage chamber with an inert gas while also discharging particles in the storage chamber.

The EFEM of the present invention includes a load port, a housing that is closed by connecting the load port to an opening provided in a side wall, and that internally configures a transfer chamber for transferring a substrate; a substrate transfer device arranged to transfer the substrate; an inert gas supply means for supplying an inert gas to the transfer chamber; and a gas discharge means for discharging the gas in the transfer chamber. there is The load port has an opening/closing mechanism capable of opening and closing the lid of the FOUP placed thereon, and an accommodation chamber that communicates with the transfer chamber and accommodates part of the opening/closing mechanism. A discharge means is connected to the storage chamber so as to discharge gas in the transfer chamber through the storage chamber.

According to this, the gas discharge means is connected to the storage chamber of the load port in which the open/close mechanism is housed, so that the interior of the storage chamber can be easily replaced with an inert gas atmosphere. For example, when the EFEM is started (including after maintenance), the inert gas is supplied by the inert gas supply means and the gas is discharged by the gas discharge means, so that the transfer chamber and the storage chamber are in an inert gas atmosphere. Quick replacement is facilitated, and the time required to start operations such as transporting substrates can be shortened. In addition, the particles in the storage chamber can also be discharged when the gas is discharged, so that the particles in the storage chamber are less likely to fly up when the opening/closing mechanism operates, and the particles are less likely to enter the transfer chamber.

In the present invention, a gas delivery port provided in the upper part of the transfer chamber for sending inert gas into the transfer chamber, and a gas suction port provided in the lower part of the transfer chamber for sucking the inert gas in the transfer chamber. a gas return path for returning the inert gas sucked from the gas suction port to the gas delivery port; and a filter for removing particles contained in the inert gas delivered from the gas delivery port. is preferred. As a result, it becomes possible to circulate the inert gas through the gas return path while generating a descending air current of the inert gas from which particles have been removed in the transfer chamber. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the consumption of the inert gas and reduce the cost.

Moreover, in the present invention, it is preferable that the accommodation chamber is provided with a fan for sending an inert gas to the gas discharge means. As a result, it is possible to suppress the rising of particles more than when a fan is provided in the transfer chamber.

Further, in the present invention, the storage chamber may be arranged below a placement portion on which the FOUP is placed, and the gas discharging means may be connected to a bottom wall forming the storage chamber. preferable. This makes it possible to effectively discharge particles.

Moreover, in the present invention, it is preferable that the housing is provided with a plurality of the load ports, and the gas discharging means is connected to the storage chamber of each of the load ports. This makes it possible to effectively discharge the particles in the storage chamber of each load port.

According to the EFEM of the present invention, the gas discharge means is connected to the storage chamber of the load port in which the open/close mechanism is housed, so that the interior of the storage chamber can be easily replaced with an inert gas atmosphere. For example, when the EFEM is started (including after maintenance), the inert gas is supplied by the inert gas supply means and the gas is discharged by the gas discharge means, so that the transfer chamber and the storage chamber are in an inert gas atmosphere. Quick replacement is facilitated, and the time required to start operations such as transporting substrates can be shortened. In addition, the particles in the storage chamber can also be discharged when the gas is discharged, so that the particles in the storage chamber are less likely to fly up when the opening/closing mechanism operates, and the particles are less likely to enter the transfer chamber.

1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an EFEM and its surroundings according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an electrical configuration of the EFEM shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view when the housing shown in FIG. 1 is viewed from the front; 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI shown in FIG. 3; FIG. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the load port showing a state in which the door is closed; FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the load port showing a state in which the door is open;

An EFEM 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. FIG. For convenience of explanation, the directions shown in FIG. 1 are referred to as front, rear, left, and right directions. That is, in this embodiment, the direction in which the EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) 1 and the substrate processing apparatus 6 are arranged is the front-rear direction, the EFEM 1 side is the front side, and the substrate processing apparatus 6 side is the rear side. Also, the direction in which the plurality of load ports 4 are arranged, which is orthogonal to the front-rear direction, is defined as the left-right direction. Moreover, let the direction orthogonal to both the front-back direction and the left-right direction be an up-down direction.

(Schematic configuration of EFEM and its surroundings)
First, the schematic configuration of the EFEM 1 and its surroundings will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an EFEM 1 and its surroundings according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the electrical configuration of the EFEM1. As shown in FIG. 1, the EFEM 1 includes a housing 2, a transfer robot 3 (substrate transfer device), three load ports 4, and a controller 5. Behind the EFEM 1, a substrate processing apparatus 6 for performing predetermined processing on wafers W (substrates) is arranged. The EFEM 1 transfers wafers W between a FOUP (Front-Opening Unified Pod) 100 mounted on a load port 4 and a substrate processing apparatus 6 by a transfer robot 3 arranged in a housing 2 . The FOUP 100 is a container that can accommodate a plurality of wafers W arranged vertically, and has a lid 101 that can be opened and closed at the rear end (the end on the housing 2 side in the front-rear direction). The FOUP 100 is transported by, for example, a known OHT (overhead traveling automatic guided vehicle: not shown). The FOUP 100 is transferred between the OHT and the load port 4 .

The housing 2 is for connecting the three load ports 4 and the substrate processing apparatus 6 . Inside the housing 2, a transfer chamber 41 is formed which is substantially sealed from the external space and is used to transfer the wafer W without exposing it to the outside air. The transfer chamber 41 is filled with nitrogen when the EFEM 1 is in operation. In this embodiment, the transfer chamber 41 is filled with nitrogen, but any inert gas other than nitrogen may be used. The housing 2 is configured such that nitrogen circulates in the internal space including the transfer chamber 41 (details will be described later). A door 2a that can be opened and closed is provided at the rear end of the housing 2, and the transfer chamber 41 is connected to the substrate processing apparatus 6 across the door 2a.

The transfer robot 3 is arranged in the transfer chamber 41 and transfers the wafer W. As shown in FIG. The transport robot 3 includes a base 90 (see FIG. 3) whose position is fixed, an arm mechanism 70 (see FIG. 3) arranged above the base 90 for holding and transporting the wafer W, and a robot. and a control unit 11 (see FIG. 2). The transfer robot 3 mainly performs operations of taking out the wafers W in the FOUP 100 and transferring them to the substrate processing apparatus 6 and receiving the wafers W processed by the substrate processing apparatus 6 and returning them to the FOUP 100 .

The load port 4 is for mounting the FOUP 100 (see FIG. 7). The plurality of load ports 4 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction along the partition wall 33 on the front side of the housing 2, as shown in FIGS. Each load port 4 closes three openings (not shown) formed in the partition wall 33 of the housing 2 with a base 51 (see FIG. 7) at the rear end. These three openings are formed between the four pillars 21 to 24 in the left-right direction. As a result, the transfer chamber 41 is configured as a substantially closed space within the housing 2 . Further, the load port 4 is configured to replace the atmosphere inside the FOUP 100 with nitrogen. A door 4a, which is a part of an opening/closing mechanism 54 to be described later, is provided at the rear end of the load port 4. As shown in FIG. The door 4a is opened and closed by a door driving mechanism 55 (a part of the opening and closing mechanism 54). The door 4 a is configured to be able to unlock the lid 101 of the FOUP 100 and to hold the lid 101 . The lid 101 is opened by the door driving mechanism 55 opening the door 4a while the door 4a holds the unlocked lid 101. - 特許庁Thereby, the wafer W in the FOUP 100 can be taken out by the transfer robot 3 . Also, the wafer W can be stored in the FOUP 100 by the transfer robot 3 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 5 is electrically connected to a robot controller 11 of the transfer robot 3, a load port controller 12 of the load port 4, and a controller (not shown) of the substrate processing apparatus 6. , communicates with these controllers. In addition, the control device 5 is electrically connected to an oxygen concentration meter 85, a pressure gauge 86, a hygrometer 87, etc. installed in the housing 2, and receives the measurement results of these measuring devices, It grasps information about the atmosphere inside the body 2 . The control device 5 is also electrically connected to a supply valve 112 and a discharge valve 113 (described later), and adjusts the opening of these valves to appropriately adjust the nitrogen atmosphere in the housing 2 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 6 has, for example, a load lock chamber 6a and a processing chamber 6b. The load-lock chamber 6a is a chamber for temporarily holding the wafer W, which is connected to the transfer chamber 41 across the door 2a of the housing 2. As shown in FIG. The processing chamber 6b is connected to the load lock chamber 6a through a door 6c. In the processing chamber 6b, a predetermined processing is performed on the wafer W by a processing mechanism (not shown).

(Case and internal configuration)
Next, the structure of the housing 2 and its interior will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view when the housing 2 is viewed from the front. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI shown in FIG. In addition, in FIG.3 and FIG.6, illustration of a partition is abbreviate|omitted. In FIG. 5, illustration of the transfer robot 3 and the like is omitted, and the load port 4 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

The housing 2 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the housing 2 has columns 21-26, a connecting pipe 27, and partition walls 31-36. Partition walls 31 to 36 are attached to columns 21 to 26 extending in the vertical direction, and the internal space of the housing 2 is substantially sealed from the external space.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, at the front end of the housing 2, columns 21 to 24 are arranged in sequence from left to right while being separated from each other. In addition, the pillars 21 to 24 are erected along the vertical direction. The pillars 21 and 24 have substantially the same length in the vertical direction. The pillars 22 and 23 also have substantially the same length in the vertical direction, but are shorter than the pillar 21. - 特許庁Two pillars 25 and 26 are vertically arranged on both left and right sides of the rear end of the housing 2 . The connecting pipe 27 extends in the left-right direction and connects the four pillars 21 to 24 with each other. The connecting pipe 27 is connected to the upper ends of the pillars 22 and 23 and is connected to midway portions of the pillars 21 and 24 .

As shown in FIG. 3, a partition 31 is arranged at the bottom of the housing 2, and a partition 32 is arranged at the ceiling. As shown in FIG. 4, a partition 33 (side wall) is arranged at the front end, a partition 34 is arranged at the rear end, a partition 35 is arranged at the left end, and a partition 36 is arranged at the right end. The partition 33 is formed with three openings (not shown). These three openings are arranged between the four pillars 21 to 24 in the left-right direction and closed by the base 51 of the load port 4 . A mounting portion 83 (see FIG. 3) on which an aligner 84 (to be described later) is mounted is provided at the right end portion of the housing 2 . The aligner 84 and the mounting portion 83 are also accommodated inside the housing 2 (see FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 5 , a horizontally extending support plate 37 is arranged in the upper part of the housing 2 and on the rear end side of the connecting pipe 27 . As a result, the interior of the housing 2 is divided into the aforementioned transfer chamber 41 formed on the lower side and the FFU installation chamber 42 formed on the upper side. Three FFUs (fan filter units) 44 to be described later are arranged in the FFU installation room 42 . Three openings 37a for communicating the transfer chamber 41 and the FFU installation chamber 42 are formed at a central portion of the support plate 37 in the front-rear direction and at a position facing the FFU 44 in the vertical direction. These three openings 37a are arranged side by side along the left-right direction. Also, as shown in FIG. 6, the three openings 37a are arranged between the four pillars 21 to 24 in the left-right direction. This opening 37a is a gas delivery port for delivering the supplied nitrogen (inert gas). The partition walls 33 to 36 of the housing 2 are divided into a lower wall for the transfer chamber 41 and an upper wall for the FFU installation chamber 42 (for example, the partition walls 33a and 33b at the front end and the rear end in FIG. 5). (see partition walls 34a, 34b in the section).

Next, the internal configuration of the housing 2 will be described. Specifically, the configuration for circulating nitrogen within the housing 2, the peripheral configuration thereof, and the devices and the like arranged within the transfer chamber 41 will be described.

A configuration for circulating nitrogen in the housing 2 and its peripheral configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, a circulation path 40 for circulating nitrogen is formed inside the housing 2 . The circulation path 40 is composed of a transfer chamber 41, an FFU installation chamber 42, and a return path 43 (gas return path). In the circulation path 40, clean nitrogen is sent downward from the FFU installation chamber 42 through each opening 37a, reaches the lower end of the transfer chamber 41, then rises through the return path 43, and returns to the FFU installation chamber 42. (See arrows in FIG. 5). A detailed description will be given below.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the FFU installation room 42 is provided with three FFUs 44 arranged on the support plate 37 and three chemical filters 45 arranged on the FFUs 44 . The FFU 44 has a fan 44a and a filter 44b, as shown in FIG. The FFU 44 removes particles (not shown) contained in the nitrogen with a filter 44b while sending nitrogen in the FFU installation chamber 42 downward with a fan 44a. The chemical filter 45 is for removing active gas or the like brought into the circulation path 40 from the substrate processing apparatus 6, for example. Nitrogen purified by the FFU 44 and the chemical filter 45 is delivered from the FFU installation chamber 42 to the transfer chamber 41 through the opening 37 a formed in the support plate 37 . The nitrogen sent out to the transfer chamber 41 forms a laminar flow and flows downward.

The return path 43 is formed in the pillars 21 to 24 (the pillar 23 in FIG. 5) arranged at the front end of the housing 2 and the connecting pipe 27 . The pillars 21 to 24 and the connecting pipe 27 are hollow inside, forming spaces 21a to 24a and 27a through which nitrogen can flow (see FIG. 4). The spaces 21a to 24a of the columns 21 to 24 are formed to extend in the vertical direction, and all extend from the lower ends of the columns 21 to 24 to the positions of the connecting pipes 27. As shown in FIG. A space 27a of the connecting pipe 27 extends in the left-right direction. 5 and 6, communication ports 27b to 27e are formed on the lower surface of the connecting pipe 27 to allow the spaces 21a to 24a of the columns 21 to 24 and the space 27a to communicate with each other. Three openings 27f to 27h that open toward the FFU installation chamber 42 (that is, upward) are formed on the upper surface of the connecting pipe 27. These three openings 27f to 27h are arranged in the horizontal direction. , they are arranged between the four pillars 21 to 24, and each have a rectangular planar shape elongated in the left-right direction. In this way, the connecting pipe 27 is configured so that the nitrogen flowing in from the four spaces 21a to 24a can once be merged and then sent out to the FFU installation chamber 42 from the three openings 27f to 27h. In this manner, the spaces 21a to 24a and 27a constitute the return path 43. As shown in FIG.

The feedback path 43 will be described more specifically with reference to FIG. Although the column 23 is shown in FIG. 5, the other columns 21, 22, and 24 are the same. An introduction duct 28 is attached to the lower end of the column 23 to facilitate the flow of nitrogen in the transfer chamber 41 into the return path 43 (space 23a). An opening 28 a is formed in the introduction duct 28 so that the nitrogen that has reached the lower end of the transfer chamber 41 can flow into the return path 43 . In other words, the opening 28 a is a gas suction port for sucking nitrogen in the transfer chamber 41 to the return path 43 .

An upper portion of the introduction duct 28 is formed with an enlarged portion 28b that widens rearward as it goes downward. A fan 46 is arranged inside the introduction duct 28 and below the enlarged portion 28b. The fan 46 is driven by a motor (not shown), sucks the nitrogen reaching the lower end of the transfer chamber 41 into the return path 43 (the space 23 a in FIG. 5), sends it upward, and returns the nitrogen to the FFU installation chamber 42 . Nitrogen returned to the FFU installation chamber 42 is sucked from the upper surface of the chemical filter 45 toward the FFU 44 side, cleaned by the FFU 44 and the chemical filter 45, and sent out again to the transfer chamber 41 through the opening 37a. Nitrogen can be circulated in the circulation path 40 as described above.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a supply pipe 47 for supplying nitrogen into the FFU installation chamber 42 (circulation path 40) is arranged above the rear end of the FFU installation chamber 42. As shown in FIG. The supply pipe 47 is connected to an external pipe 48 connected to the nitrogen supply source 111 . A supply valve 112 that can change the amount of nitrogen supplied per unit time is provided in the middle of the external pipe 48 . The supply pipe 47, the external pipe 48, the supply valve 112 and the supply source 111 constitute inert gas supply means. If an inert gas supply line is installed in a factory or the like, the supply line and the supply pipe 47 may be connected. Therefore, the inert gas supply means may consist of only the supply pipe 47 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the supply pipe 47 extends in the left-right direction and has three discharge ports 47a. The three discharge ports 47 a are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, and discharge nitrogen from the supply pipe 47 into the FFU installation chamber 42 . As shown in FIG. 5, these three discharge ports 47a are configured to discharge nitrogen downward. Also, the three discharge ports 47a are arranged in the same positional relationship as the center of the FFC 44 in the horizontal direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a discharge pipe 49 is connected to the lower end of the load port 4 for discharging the gas in the circulation path 40 . In the load port 4, an accommodation chamber 60 in which a door driving mechanism 55 is accommodated communicates with the transfer chamber 41 through a slit 51b formed in the base 51 (see FIG. 7). A discharge pipe 49 is connected to the storage chamber 60 . The discharge pipe 49 is connected to, for example, an exhaust port (not shown), and is provided with a discharge valve 113 that can change the discharge amount of the gas in the circulation path 40 per unit time. The exhaust pipe 49 and the exhaust valve 113 constitute gas exhaust means.

The supply valve 112 and the discharge valve 113 are electrically connected to the control device 5 (see FIG. 2). Thereby, it is possible to appropriately supply and discharge nitrogen to the circulation path 40 . For example, when the EFEM 1 is started (including, for example, when the EFME 1 is started after maintenance), if the oxygen concentration in the circulation path 40 is increasing, The oxygen concentration can be lowered by supplying nitrogen to the circulation path 40 and discharging the gas (including nitrogen, oxygen, etc.) in the circulation path 40 and the storage chamber 60 through the discharge pipe 49 from the slit 51b . That is, the inside of the circulation path 40 and the storage chamber 60 can be replaced with a nitrogen atmosphere. Even if the oxygen concentration in the circulation path 40 increases while the EFEM 1 is operating, a large amount of nitrogen is temporarily supplied to the circulation path 40, and the oxygen is discharged together with the nitrogen through the discharge pipe 49. can reduce the oxygen concentration. In addition, in the EFEM 1 of the type that circulates nitrogen, in order to suppress the leakage of nitrogen from the circulation path 40 to the outside and to reliably suppress the intrusion of the atmosphere into the circulation path 40 from the outside, the inside of the circulation path 40 is The pressure should be kept slightly higher than the external pressure. Specifically, it is in the range of 1 Pa (G) to 3000 Pa (G), preferably 3 Pa (G) to 500 Pa (G), more preferably 5 Pa (G) to 100 Pa (G). Therefore, when the pressure in the circulation path 40 deviates from the predetermined range, the controller 5 changes the opening of the discharge valve 113 to change the discharge flow rate of nitrogen so that the pressure reaches a predetermined target pressure. adjust to In this manner, the oxygen concentration and pressure are controlled by adjusting the nitrogen supply flow rate based on the oxygen concentration and adjusting the nitrogen discharge flow rate based on the pressure. In this embodiment, the differential pressure is adjusted to 10 Pa (G).

Next, devices and the like arranged in the transfer chamber 41 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the transfer chamber 41, the above-described transfer robot 3, control unit storage box 81, measuring device storage box 82, and aligner 84 are arranged. The control unit storage box 81 is installed, for example, on the left side of the base unit 90 (see FIG. 3) of the transfer robot 3, and is arranged so as not to interfere with the arm mechanism 70 (see FIG. 3). The robot control unit 11 and the load port control unit 12 described above are housed in the control unit housing box 81 . The measuring instrument storage box 82 is installed, for example, on the right side of the base portion 90 and arranged so as not to interfere with the arm mechanism 70 . The measurement equipment storage box 82 can accommodate the measurement equipment (see FIG. 2) such as the oxygen concentration meter 85, the pressure gauge 86, the hygrometer 87, and the like.

The aligner 84 is for detecting how much the holding position of the wafer W held by the arm mechanism 70 (see FIG. 3) of the transfer robot 3 deviates from the target holding position.
For example, the wafer W may slightly move inside the FOUP 100 (see FIG. 1) transported by the OHT (not shown). Therefore, the transfer robot 3 temporarily places the unprocessed wafer W taken out from the FOUP 100 on the aligner 84 . The aligner 84 measures how far the wafer W is held by the transfer robot 3 at a position shifted from the target holding position, and transmits the measurement result to the robot control unit 11 . Based on the measurement results, the robot control unit 11 corrects the holding position of the arm mechanism 70, controls the arm mechanism 70 to hold the wafer W at the target holding position, and moves the wafer W to the load lock chamber 6a of the substrate processing apparatus 6. be transported. Thereby, the wafer W can be processed normally by the substrate processing apparatus 6 .

(Load port configuration)
Next, the configuration of the load port will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the load port showing the door closed. FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of the load port showing a state in which the door is opened. 7 and 8 are drawn with the external cover 4b (see FIG. 5) located below the mounting table 53 removed.

As shown in FIG. 7, the load port 4 includes a plate-like base 51 standing vertically and a horizontal base 52 projecting forward from the center of the base 51 in the vertical direction. and A mounting table 53 (mounting portion) for mounting the FOUP 100 is provided on the upper portion of the horizontal base portion 52 . The mounting table 53 on which the FOUP 100 is placed can be moved forward and backward by a mounting table driving section (not shown).

The base 51 forms part of the partition wall 33 that isolates the transfer chamber 41 from the external space. The base 51 has a substantially rectangular planar shape elongated in the vertical direction. Further, the base 51 is formed with a window portion 51a at a position capable of facing the mounted FOUP 100 in the front-rear direction. Further, the base 51 is formed with a vertically extending slit 51b below the horizontal base portion 52 in the vertical direction so that a support frame 56, which will be described later, can move. The slit 51b is formed only in a range in which the support frame 56 can move up and down while passing through the base 51, and the opening width in the horizontal direction is small. Therefore, particles in the storage chamber 60 are less likely to enter the transfer chamber 41 through the slit 51b.

The load port 4 has an opening/closing mechanism 54 capable of opening/closing the lid 101 of the FOUP 100 . The opening/closing mechanism 54 has a door 4a capable of closing the window portion 51a and a door driving mechanism 55 for driving the door 4a. The door 4a is configured to be able to close the window portion 51a. Further, the door 4a is configured to be able to unlock the lid 101 of the FOUP 100 and to hold the lid 101 . The door drive mechanism 55 includes a support frame 56 for supporting the door 4 a , a movable block 58 supporting the support frame 56 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction via slide support means 57 , and the movable block 58 mounted on the base 51 . and a slide rail 59 supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction.

The support frame 56 supports the lower part of the rear portion of the door 4a, and has a substantially crank shape that extends downward, passes through the slit 51b provided in the base 51, and protrudes forward from the base 51. is a plate member. A slide support means 57 , a movable block 58 and a slide rail 59 for supporting the support frame 56 are provided in front of the base 51 . In other words, the driving portion for moving the door 4a is outside the housing 2 and is housed in the housing chamber 60 provided below the horizontal base portion 52 . The storage chamber 60 is surrounded by a horizontal base portion 52, a substantially box-shaped cover 61 extending downward from the horizontal base portion 52, and the base 51, and is substantially sealed.

The bottom wall 61a of the cover 61 is connected to the discharge pipe 49 described above. That is, the storage chamber 60 and the discharge pipe 49 are connected. In this embodiment, the accommodation chamber 60 and the discharge pipe 49 are connected to each of the three load ports 4 . As a result, the gas in the circulation path 40 can be discharged from the discharge pipe 49 via the accommodation chamber 60 of each load port 4 . Therefore, when the gas is discharged from the discharge pipe 49, it is possible to discharge the particles present in each storage chamber 60 together with the gas. A fan 62 facing the discharge pipe 49 is provided on the bottom wall 61a inside the housing chamber 60. As shown in FIG. Since the fan 62 is provided inside the storage chamber 60 in this way, it is possible to easily discharge the gas from the storage chamber 60 to the discharge pipe 49 while suppressing the particles from being blown up. If a fan were provided to send the gas in the transfer chamber 41 toward the storage chamber 60, the airflow in the transfer chamber 41 would be easily disturbed, and the particles in the transfer chamber 41 would be easily blown up. Since the fan 62 is arranged in the storage chamber 60 in this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the particles in the transfer chamber 41 from being stirred up. In the present embodiment, the bottom wall of the housing chamber 60 is arranged such that the connection point (installation point of the fan 62) of the gas discharge means (discharge pipe 49) is set at a distance from the communication point of the slit 51b. 61a is adopted.

Next, the opening and closing operations of the lid 101 and the door 4a of the FOUP 100 will be described below. First, as shown in FIG. 7, the FOUP 100 placed on the mounting table 53 in a state separated from the base 51 is moved rearward to bring the lid 101 and the door 4a into contact with each other. . At this time, the lid 101 of the FOUP 100 is unlocked by the door 4a of the opening/closing mechanism 54, and the lid 101 is held.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the support frame 56 is moved rearward. As a result, the door 4a and the lid 101 move backward. By doing so, the lid 101 of the FOUP 100 is opened, the door 4a is opened, and the transfer chamber 41 of the housing 2 and the FOUP 100 are communicated with each other.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the support frame 56 is moved downward. As a result, the door 4a and the lid 101 move downward. By doing so, the FOUP 100 is largely opened as a loading/unloading port, and the wafer W can be moved between the FOUP 100 and the EFEM 1 . To close the lid 101 and the door 4a, the operations described above may be performed in reverse order. A series of operations of the load port 4 are controlled by the load port controller 12 .

As described above, according to the EFEM 1 of the present embodiment, the exhaust pipe 49 that constitutes the gas exhaust means is connected to the housing chamber 60 of the load port 4 in which a part of the opening/closing mechanism 54 is housed. As a result, when the circulation path 40 is replaced with the nitrogen atmosphere, the inside of the storage chamber 60 can also be quickly replaced with the nitrogen atmosphere. For example, when the EFEM 1 is started (including after maintenance), nitrogen is supplied from the supply pipe 47 (inert gas supply means) and gas is discharged from the discharge pipe 49 (gas discharge means). It becomes easier to quickly replace the transfer chamber 41 and the storage chamber 60 with a nitrogen atmosphere. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time until the start of operations such as transfer of the wafer W (substrate). In addition, it becomes possible to discharge the particles in the storage chamber 60 when the gas is discharged, so that the particles in the storage chamber 60 are less likely to rise when the opening/closing mechanism 54 is operated, and the particles are less likely to enter the transfer chamber 41 . .

An opening 37a (gas delivery port) provided in the upper part of the transfer chamber 41 for sending out nitrogen, an opening 28a (gas suction port) provided in the lower part of the transfer chamber 41 for sucking nitrogen, and nitrogen from the opening 28a. It has a return path 43 (gas return path) that returns to the opening 37a, and a filter 44b is provided between the fan 44a and the opening 37a (gas delivery port) to remove particles from the transfer chamber 41. It is possible to circulate nitrogen through the return path 43 while generating a descending stream of nitrogen. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the consumption of nitrogen and reduce the cost.

A discharge pipe 49 is also connected to the bottom wall 61a. As a result, it is possible to effectively discharge the particles in the accommodation chamber 60 that have accumulated below.

In addition, since the discharge pipe 49 is connected to the load port 4 arranged in front of the housing 2, the degree of freedom in layout of the discharge pipe 49 is improved. For example, if the exhaust pipe is connected to the rear end of the housing 2, it may interfere with the substrate processing apparatus 6. If it is connected to the left or right end of the housing 2, the EFEM 1 itself may Constraints are likely to occur in the piping layout, such as a large installation area.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Although the fan 62 is provided in the above-described embodiment, the suction means (for example, a vacuum in a factory or the like) and the discharge pipe 49 may be connected without providing the fan 62 . Also, the discharge pipe 49 may be connected to a portion other than the bottom wall 61 a as long as it is connected to the storage chamber 60 .

Further, in the present embodiment, the amount of gas discharged from the storage chamber 60 is adjusted by controlling the opening of the discharge valve 113 while keeping the rotational speed of the fan 62 constant. The amount of gas discharged from the storage chamber 60 may be adjusted by controlling the number of rotations of 62 .

Also, the return path 43 may not be provided inside the housing 2 . That is, it is not necessary to circulate nitrogen (inert gas). Further, although the spaces 21a to 24a and 27a formed inside the pillars 21 to 24 and the connecting pipe 27 are assumed to be the return path 43, the return path 43 is not limited to this. That is, the return path 43 may be formed by another member.

Alternatively, a gas discharge means may be provided in the return path in addition to the gas discharge means described above.

In the present embodiment, a semiconductor substrate is used as an article to be transferred, and an inert gas is supplied to the EFEM 1 provided with the load port 4 having the storage chamber 60. However, the present invention is not limited to this. do not have. For example, the articles to be transported may be pharmaceuticals, specimens, cells, etc., and the supplied gas may be a decontamination gas (for example, H2O2 gas) for sterilization (decontamination) or a gas with a controlled carbon dioxide concentration.

The conveying system includes a container opening/closing device having an opening/closing mechanism for opening and closing the lid of a container in which an article to be conveyed is stored, and a conveying chamber provided adjacent to the container opening/closing device for conveying the article to be conveyed. The container opening/closing device comprises a housing configured inside, a gas supply means for supplying a predetermined gas into the transfer chamber, and a gas discharge means for discharging the gas in the transfer chamber. An accommodation chamber that accommodates a part of the opening/closing mechanism and communicates with the transfer chamber is provided, and the gas discharging means is connected to the accommodation chamber so as to discharge gas in the transfer chamber through the accommodation chamber. It may be characterized by being

1 EFEM
2 housing 3 transfer robot (substrate transfer device)
4 load port 28a opening (gas suction port)
33 partition wall (side wall)
37a opening (gas delivery port)
41 transfer chamber 43 return path (gas return path)
44b filter 47 supply pipe (inert gas supply means)
49 exhaust pipe (gas exhaust means)
53 Mounting table (mounting part)
54 Opening and closing mechanism 60 Storage chamber 61a Bottom wall 62 Fan 100 FOUP
101 lid (lid portion)
W Wafer (substrate)

Claims (5)

At least a part of a wall surface of a housing that forms a circulation path including a transport chamber for transporting an article to be transported and a return path for circulating gas in the transport chamber, and containing the article to be transported. A container opening and closing device for opening and closing a lid of a container,
a plate-shaped base that closes the opening of the transfer chamber and stands upright along the vertical direction;
a mounting table for mounting the container;
a door capable of closing a window provided in the base;
a door driving mechanism for driving the door;
a housing chamber housing a portion of the door drive mechanism;
and a gas discharge means for discharging the gas in the accommodation chamber,
The gas discharge means discharges the gas so that the inside of the circulation path has a positive pressure based on the value detected by an oxygen concentration meter or a pressure gauge installed in the circulation path, thereby reducing the gas in the storage chamber. A container opening and closing device, characterized in that it replaces the The gas discharge means has a discharge pipe connected to the storage chamber and a discharge valve capable of changing the amount of gas discharged, and the storage chamber is provided with a fan for sending gas to the gas discharge means. The container opening/closing device according to claim 1, characterized in that there is a a slit formed in the base, communicating between the transfer chamber and the storage chamber, and for vertically moving the door and the door driving mechanism ;
3. A connection point of said gas discharging means is installed on a bottom wall of the wall surfaces constituting said storage chamber so as to keep a distance from a communication point formed by said slit . The container opening and closing device according to . 3. The container opening/closing device according to claim 2, wherein the gas discharging means adjusts the amount of gas discharged from the storage chamber by controlling the rotational speed of the fan or the opening of the discharge valve. The container opening/closing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the gas supplied to the storage chamber is supplied through a wall of the storage chamber.

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