JP7316102B2 - Wafer transfer device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wafer transfer apparatus, and more particularly to a wafer transfer apparatus in which a transfer mechanism for transferring wafers is housed in a locally cleaned clean room.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-165331 (Patent Document 1) discloses a wafer transfer chamber equipped with a handling unit for transferring wafers, a fan filter unit provided on the ceiling of the wafer transfer chamber, and a fan filter unit provided on the floor of the wafer transfer chamber. A local cleaning transfer chamber having a plurality of openings formed therein for cleaning the interior of the wafer transfer chamber is described.

JP-A-2004-165331

A wafer transfer apparatus includes a clean room for locally cleaning a space in which a wafer transfer operation is performed. The clean room continuously supplies clean gas from the ceiling to form an airflow (called downflow) from the ceiling to the bottom. For this reason, a fan filter unit, in which a fan and a filter are integrated, is arranged on the ceiling of the clean room, and gas is supplied into the clean room via the fan filter unit.

According to the study of the inventors of the present application, it was found that there is room for improvement in the wafer transfer apparatus that locally cleans the space in which the wafer transfer operation is performed by forming the down flow as described above. . For example, when gas is supplied to the clean room through a filter, the filter must be replaced periodically. However, in the case of the structure in which the fan filter units are arranged on the ceiling of the clean room, it is necessary to replace the large and heavy fan filter units all at once, which requires large-scale work.

A brief outline of a representative form of the invention disclosed in the present application is as follows.

That is, a wafer transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a transfer mechanism portion for transferring a wafer, a ceiling portion, a bottom portion facing the ceiling portion, and positioned between the ceiling portion and the bottom portion, The clean room includes a side wall portion surrounding the transfer mechanism portion, and a fan that forms an air flow from the ceiling portion side to the bottom portion side of the clean room. The bottom of the clean room is provided with a first opening through which gas inside the clean room is discharged to the outside through the fan. The ceiling of the clean room is provided with a second opening and is not provided with the fan. A filter is attached to the second opening.

Among the inventions disclosed in the present application, the effects obtained by representative ones are briefly described below.

That is, it is possible to easily replace the filter provided in the wafer transfer device.

Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments.

1 is a perspective plan view showing a configuration example of a wafer transfer device according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1; 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the robot shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a wafer transfer device that is a study example of the wafer transfer device shown in FIG. 2 ; 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the wafer transfer device shown in FIG. 2; FIG. FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a modification of the wafer transfer device shown in FIG. 6; 3 is a cross-sectional view showing another modification of the wafer transfer device shown in FIG. 2; FIG. FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a modification of the wafer transfer device shown in FIG. 8; 10 is an enlarged side view showing a wafer transfer device in which the exhaust structure of the wafer transfer device shown in FIG. 6 and the intake structure of the wafer transfer device shown in FIG. 9 are combined; FIG.

In each drawing for explaining the following embodiments, the same members are basically denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof will be omitted. In order to make the drawing easier to understand, even a plan view may be hatched.

<Overview of Wafer Transfer Device>
FIG. 1 is a perspective plan view showing a configuration example of a wafer transfer apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along line AA of FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the robot shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows the internal structure of the clean room 30 with the filter 50 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 removed. 1, the illustration of the fan 40 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is omitted for clarity, but the fan 40 shown in FIGS. are placed. In FIG. 1, the direction of movement and the direction of rotational motion of the robot 20 are schematically indicated by thick arrows. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the direction of the airflow in the clean room 30 is schematically shown using two-dot chain arrows. In FIG. 4, the operation of the hand unit 22 provided in the robot 20 is indicated using arrows and chain double-dashed lines.

A wafer transfer apparatus 10 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 has a robot (transfer mechanism section) 20 as a transfer mechanism section for transferring the wafer 1, and a clean room 30 in which the robot 20 is accommodated. As shown in FIG. 2, the clean room 30 includes a ceiling portion 31, a bottom portion 32 facing the ceiling portion 31, and a side wall portion 33 positioned between the ceiling portion 31 and the bottom portion 32 and surrounding the robot 20. . Further, the wafer transfer apparatus 10 has a fan 40 that forms an air flow from the ceiling 31 side of the clean room 30 to the bottom 32 side, and a function of filtering particles such as dust contained in the gas that flows into the clean room 30 from the outside. and a filter 50 comprising:

The manufacturing process of a semiconductor device includes a process of forming an integrated circuit including a semiconductor element on a wafer 1 as a semiconductor substrate, inspection of the formed integrated circuit, inspection of the wafer 1 itself as a semiconductor substrate, and the like. includes the process of In addition, since an integrated circuit is formed as a fine circuit pattern using, for example, photolithography technology, the process of forming an integrated circuit includes a large number of steps. In addition, when a foreign substance adheres to the wafer 1, even fine particles such as dust may cause defects in the circuit pattern. If a defect in the circuit pattern is found in the inspection, the defect can be prevented from being distributed by excluding the defective part as a product, but the number of semiconductor devices obtained from one wafer 1 is reduced. As a result, the manufacturing efficiency of the semiconductor device is lowered. In the following description, adhesion of foreign matter to the wafer 1 may be referred to as "contamination".

Therefore, in order to prevent foreign substances from adhering to the wafer 1, a clean environment controlled to reduce the number of particles contained in the atmosphere is required in the place where the wafer 1 is handled. be. However, since various types of manufacturing equipment are used in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, it is difficult to create a high-level clean environment for the atmosphere of the entire manufacturing line including a large number of manufacturing equipment. Therefore, it is effective to provide a locally cleaned clean room 30 and handle the wafer 1 in the clean room 30 as in the wafer transfer apparatus 10 of the present embodiment. Such a device for locally cleaning the space in which the wafer 1 is transferred by the robot 20 as a transfer mechanism is called a mini-environment device.

In a semiconductor device manufacturing method using a mini-environment apparatus, a wafer 1 is transported between manufacturing apparatuses in a container 2 called a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod). The storage container 2 is a container capable of containing a plurality of wafers 1 . A robot 20 provided in the wafer transfer apparatus 10 takes out the wafers 1 one by one from the storage container 2 and transfers the taken out wafers 1 to the processing chamber 3 . The processing chamber 3 is a clean space separate from the wafer transfer device 10, and a processing device 4 such as an inspection device is arranged therein.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, after the wafer 1 is taken out from the storage container 2 and before it is transferred to the processing chamber 3, an alignment unit (alignment mechanism) 60 is arranged in the clean chamber 30. , it is subjected to an alignment step. The alignment process is a process for aligning the wafer 1. For example, the orientation of the wafer 1 is adjusted based on marks (not shown) such as oriental flats and notches provided on the wafer 1. FIG. By performing the alignment process, when the wafer 1 is processed, inspected, or otherwise processed in the processing chamber 3, the wafer 1 can be processed at a predetermined position.

In this embodiment, the wafer transfer apparatus 10 does not include the container 2 and the processing chamber 3 . A side wall portion 33 of the clean chamber 30 is formed with openings 34 and 35 (see FIG. 3) for transferring wafers 1 between the container 2 and the robot 20 or between the processing chamber 3 and the robot 20. It is Although not shown, the opening 34 is provided with a door such as a shutter that can be opened and closed.

In the mutually orthogonal XY plane shown in FIG. 1, the robot 20 is movable along a traveling axis 21 extending in the X direction. In FIG. 1, the direction in which the robot 20 can move is indicated by a thick arrow as a direction 20D1. Further, in FIG. 1, the robot 20 is rotatable along the XY plane on the travel axis 21, as indicated by the rotation direction 20D2.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the robot 20 includes a hand portion 22 that holds the wafer 1 (see FIG. 1), and an arm portion 23 that is connected to the hand portion 22 and causes the hand portion 22 to expand and contract. The arm portion 23 and the hand portion 22 are mounted on a stage 24 that is rotatable in a rotational direction 20D2 (see FIG. 1). The arm portion 23 includes a plurality of members 23m and a plurality of joint portions 23j that rotatably connect the plurality of members 23m. The arm portion 23 can extend and contract the hand portion 22 connected to the arm portion 23 along the direction 22D1 by changing the angles of the plurality of members 23m with the joint portion 23j as the rotation axis. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the direction 22D1 matches the Y direction. However, if the stage 24 rotates, the direction 22D1 may coincide with any direction crossing the Y direction on the XY plane. Also, the arm portion 23 and the hand portion 22 can be moved up and down along the direction perpendicular to the XY plane (the Z direction shown in FIGS. 2 and 3).

The wafer transfer apparatus 10 of this embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 transfers the wafer 1 via the robot 20 as follows. First, 2 is connected to the wafer transfer device 10 for storage. Although FIG. 1 shows a state in which three containers 2 are connected to the wafer transfer device 10, the number of connected containers 2 is not limited to three, and there are various modifications. A plurality of wafers 1 are accommodated in each storage container 2 . The inside of each storage container 2 is maintained in a clean state, and contamination of the wafers 1 inside the storage container 2 can be prevented. The containment vessel 2 has a door that can be opened and closed as needed. As shown in FIG. 3, the containment vessel 2 is connected to the inside of the clean room 30 through an opening 34 provided in the side wall 33 .

The wafers 1 are taken out one by one from the storage container 2 . After the tip of the hand portion 22 (see FIG. 4) moves to a position facing the container 2, the robot 20 causes the hand portion 22 to extend and contract. When the hand part 22 extends along the direction 22D1 (see FIG. 4), the tip of the hand part 22 extends into the storage container 2 and holds one wafer 1 by suction. After picking up the wafer 1 , the hand part 22 operates to contract toward the stage 24 (see FIG. 4 ) while holding the wafer 1 . After that, the robot 20 moves toward the alignment unit 60 while holding the wafer 1 .

The robot 20 rotates in front of the alignment unit 60 along the direction of rotation 20D2 shown in FIG. to stop. After that, the robot 20 causes the hand part 22 to extend and contract. At this time, the direction 22D1 (see FIG. 4), which is the extension and contraction direction of the hand portion 22, is along the X direction shown in FIG. Therefore, the tip of the hand portion 22 extends upward from the alignment unit 60 while holding the wafer 1 . The holding of the wafer 1 by the hand portion 22 on the alignment unit 60 is released, and the wafer 1 is placed on the alignment unit 60 . On the alignment unit 60, the orientation of the wafer 1 is adjusted based on marks (not shown) such as oriental flats and notches provided on the wafer 1, as described above. The wafer 1 whose orientation has been adjusted is again held by the hand section 22 of the robot 20 . After the alignment process is finished, the robot 20 again holds the wafer 1 after the alignment process via the hand part 22 .

Next, the robot 20 rotates in front of the alignment unit 60 along the rotation direction 20D2 shown in FIG. , to stop the rotating motion. Thereafter, the robot 20 moves along the direction 20D1 to a position where the opening 35 (see FIG. 3) and the tip of the hand portion 22 face each other. The opening 35 is a communication passage for transferring the wafer 1 to the processing chamber 3 . At the position where the opening 35 and the tip of the hand portion 22 face each other, the robot 20 causes the hand portion 22 to extend and contract. At this time, the direction 22D1 (see FIG. 4), which is the extension and contraction direction of the hand portion 22, is along the Y direction shown in FIG. Therefore, the tip of the hand portion 22 extends toward the opening portion 35 while holding the wafer 1 . On the processing apparatus 4 arranged in the processing chamber 3 , the holding of the wafer 1 by the hand part 22 is released, and the wafer 1 is arranged on the processing apparatus 4 . In the processing device 4, a processing process such as an inspection process is performed. After the processing by the processing apparatus 4 is finished, the robot 20 again holds the wafer 1 after the processing step via the hand unit 22 .

Next, the robot 20 rotates in front of the opening 35 along the rotation direction 20D2 shown in FIG. After rotating to the opposite direction, the rotating motion is stopped. After that, the robot 20 moves along the direction 20D1 to a position where the opening 34 (see FIG. 3) and the tip of the hand portion 22 face each other. At a position where the opening 34 and the tip of the hand portion 22 face each other, the robot 20 causes the hand portion 22 to extend and contract. At this time, the direction 22D1 (see FIG. 4), which is the extension and contraction direction of the hand portion 22, is along the Y direction shown in FIG. Therefore, the tip of the hand portion 22 extends toward the container 2 through the opening portion 34 while holding the wafer 1 . In the storage container 2 , the holding of the wafer 1 by the hand unit 22 is released, and the wafer 1 is placed in the storage container 2 .

After repeating the above operation and subjecting each of the plurality of wafers 1 accommodated in the storage container 2 to processing such as inspection, the door of the storage container 2 is closed. Further, the opening 34 (see FIG. 3) is closed by a shutter (not shown) or the like. The containment vessel 2 is then transported to the next processing step. On the other hand, the wafer transfer device 10 performs the same operation as above with respect to a plurality of wafers 1 accommodated in another storage container 2 .

The wafer transfer apparatus 10 of the present embodiment described above maintains the environment in the clean room 30 in a highly clean environment, so that the period ( It is possible to prevent foreign substances from adhering to the wafers 1 during the first wafer transfer period) and the period until the wafers are taken out of the processing chamber and transferred to the container 2 (second wafer transfer period). In addition, by reducing the number of operations performed during the first and second wafer transfer periods, the volume of the space requiring a highly clean environment can be reduced. By reducing the volume of the space that requires a clean environment, the equipment (fans and filters) required for cleanness can be simplified.

As a method of keeping the environment in the clean room 30 in a highly clean environment, there is a method of forming an air current (called down flow) that causes clean gas to flow from the ceiling 31 toward the bottom 32 of the clean room 30 . 2 and 3, the wafer transfer apparatus 10 of the present embodiment also forms a downward flow from the ceiling portion 31 to the bottom portion 32, as schematically shown by the double-dot chain arrows. Specifically, the bottom 32 of the clean room 30 is provided with an opening 32H for discharging the gas inside the clean room 30 to the outside via the fan 40 . An opening 31H is provided in the ceiling 31 of the clean room 30 and the opening 31H is covered with a filter 50 . In this case, the gas (for example, air) outside the clean room 30 is sucked into the clean room 30 through the filter 50, flows downward toward the bottom 32, and passes through the opening 32H provided in the bottom 32 to the outside. discharged to

According to the above method, in the clean chamber 30 where the wafer 1 is exposed, the airflow directed toward the wafer 1 is always filtered through the filter 50, so the gas is clean. Also, if particles such as dust are generated in the clean room 30 due to the operation of the robot 20, the particles are conveyed downward and discharged to the outside from the opening 32H. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the particles generated inside the clean chamber 30 from rolling up and adhering to the wafer 1 .

By the way, in the case of the method shown in FIG. 2, a down flow is formed by the exhaust force of the plurality of fans 40 provided on the bottom portion 32 . In this case, the clean room 30 has a negative pressure (low pressure state, sometimes referred to as negative pressure) with respect to the surrounding environment of the clean room 30 . Therefore, the clean room 30 of the wafer transfer apparatus 10 is required to have a high degree of airtightness. If the airtightness of the clean room 30 is low, there is a concern that air will be sucked in through gaps other than the opening 31H without passing through the filter 50 . In this case, foreign matter may enter the clean room 30 unexpectedly. However, it is possible to maintain airtightness to the extent that gas is prevented from entering through gaps other than the opening 31H.

Moreover, the wafer transfer apparatus 10 of the present embodiment has the following excellent characteristics, although the inside of the clean room 30 is kept at a negative pressure. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a wafer transfer apparatus which is a study example of the wafer transfer apparatus shown in FIG. The wafer transfer apparatus 11 shown in FIG. 5 is similar to that shown in FIG. It differs from the wafer transfer device 10 .

2, one or more fans 41 are provided on the ceiling 31, and the fan 41 and the filter 50 are installed as in the wafer transfer apparatus 11 shown in FIG. A conceivable method is to feed clean gas from the opening 31H side through the opening 31H. In this case, by adjusting the flow rate of the gas supplied by the plurality of fans 41, the pressure inside the clean room 30 can be made positive.

However, the wafer transfer device 11 has the following problems. That is, when gas is supplied to the clean room 30 through the filter 50, the filter 50 needs to be replaced periodically. However, when the fan 41 is arranged in the ceiling portion 31 of the clean room 30 , the fan 41 must be removed in addition to the filter 50 . When the fan 41 is provided in the ceiling portion 31, a fan filter unit in which the fan 41 and the filter 50 are integrated is arranged, and this fan filter unit is heavy and bulky. As a modification to FIG. 5, it is conceivable to use only one fan 41 instead of a plurality of fans. . Large-scale work is required to replace such a large fan filter unit. In other words, the wafer transfer device 11 has a problem of low maintainability.

On the other hand, in the case of the wafer transfer apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 2, since it is structured to form a downflow by exhausting air with a fan 40 provided in the bottom portion 32, the ceiling portion 31 is provided with a fan 41 (see FIG. 5). not In other words, in the case of the wafer transfer apparatus 10, gas is supplied from the opening 31H without using a forced air blowing mechanism such as the fan 41. FIG. In other words, the gas is naturally aspirated through the filter 50 from the opening 31H. Therefore, when replacing the filter 50, the fan 40 does not need to be replaced if only the filter 50 is replaced, which facilitates maintenance work. Also, the fan 40 may need to be replaced, but the fan 40 is located on the bottom 32 . Replacing the members attached to the bottom portion 32 is easier than replacing the members attached to the ceiling portion 31 . Therefore, even when the fan 40 is replaced, the work is easier than when the plurality of fans 41 and the filters 50 shown in FIG. 5 are replaced collectively.

The wafer transfer device 10 also has a plurality of fans 40 arranged at positions facing the ceiling portion 31 . By providing a plurality of fans 40 at positions facing the ceiling portion 31, it is easy to control the flow of downflow. Also, the total flow rate of the downflow is defined as the sum of the flow rates of gases exhausted by the plurality of fans 40 . Therefore, each of the plurality of fans 40 can be miniaturized compared to the case where one fan 40 evacuates the entire inside of the clean room 30 . As a result, the weight of the fan 40 can be reduced. Moreover, the structure in which the fan 40 is provided on the bottom portion 32 preferably reduces the static pressure on the exhaust side of the fan 40 . In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the wafer transfer device 10 is arranged on a grating (mesh-shaped) floor surface FL. As shown in FIG. 2, when a plurality of openings for discharging gas are provided on the floor FL on which the wafer transfer device 10 is arranged, the static pressure on the exhaust side of the fan 40 can be reduced. It is possible to suppress deterioration in the blowing characteristics of the plurality of fans 40 attached to the bottom portion 32 .

Each of the openings 32H in which the fan 40 is accommodated is arranged in a matrix on the bottom portion 32 (see FIG. 2), as shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 1, four columns of openings 32H are arranged along the X direction, and two rows of openings 32H are arranged along the Y direction. The travel axis 21 of the robot 20 is arranged on the region between the openings 32H adjacent to each other in the Y direction. In addition, the traveling shaft 21 overlaps a part of each of the adjacent openings 32H in the Y direction. In this case, the fan 40 is arranged in the area directly below the wafer 1 when the wafer 1 is transferred between the robot 20 and the container 2 or between the robot 20 and the processing chamber 3 . A part of the plurality of openings 32H overlaps a part of the alignment unit 60. As shown in FIG. In this case, the fan 40 is arranged in a region directly below the wafer 1 when the wafer 1 is transferred between the robot 20 and the alignment unit 60 . In this way, when the robot 20 transfers the wafer 1 to and from another device, if the fan 40 is arranged directly below the wafer 1, a downflow is formed directly below the wafer 1, so that the wafer It is easy to prevent foreign matter from adhering to the back side of 1.

The wafer transfer apparatus 10 has eight openings 32H, and a fan 40 is attached to each of the eight openings 32H. However, the number and opening area of the openings 32H are not limited to the examples in FIGS. If the opening area of the opening 32H is large, a large fan 40 can be attached. In this case, the number of openings 32H can be less than eight. Further, for example, when the opening area of the openings 32H is made smaller than the example shown in FIG. 1, the number of openings 32H may be more than eight. Modifications of the wafer transfer device 10 also include a device having one opening 32H and one fan 40 . However, from the viewpoint of controlling the airflow in the clean room 30 in a well-balanced manner, it is preferable that a plurality of the openings 32H and the fans 40 are arranged.

<Modification 1>
A plurality of variations of the wafer transfer apparatus 10 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 will be described below. FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a modification of the wafer transfer device shown in FIG. A wafer transfer apparatus 10A shown in FIG. 6 differs from the wafer transfer apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 2 in the mounting position of a fan 40 that forms an air flow from the ceiling 31 side to the bottom 32 side of the clean room 30 .

Specifically, in the case of the wafer transfer apparatus 10A, a plurality of exhaust paths 42 are connected to the opening 32H provided in the bottom 32. As shown in FIG. A fan 40 is connected to each of the plurality of exhaust paths 42 . Each of the plurality of fans 40 is arranged at a position away from the clean room 30 (specifically, the side wall portion 33 of the clean room 30).

In the case of this modified example, the fan 40 is arranged at a position away from the clean room 30 and the clean room 30 is not attached with the fan 40 . As a result, the vibration caused by the rotating operation of the fan 40 is less likely to be transmitted to the clean room 30, so that the generation of particles such as dust in the clean room 30 can be suppressed. Further, when the fan 40 is provided outside the clean room 30, the fan 40 can be easily replaced.

Further, in the case of this modification, the space between the floor surface FL and the bottom portion 32 of the clean room 30 is connected to the exhaust path 42 . Therefore, it is preferable that the floor surface FL is a uniform plane like the floor surface FL shown in FIG. 6 rather than the floor surface FL being grating as in the example described using FIG.

In the case of the wafer transfer apparatus 10A, the exhaust force of the fan 40 arranged outside the clean room 30 is used to form a down flow. In this case, the opening 32</b>H located closer to the exhaust path 42 tends to have a larger flow rate than the opening 32</b>H located farther from the exhaust path 42 . Therefore, from the viewpoint of suppressing variation in the flow rate of each opening 32H, it is preferable that the number of exhaust paths 42 is large. From the viewpoint of suppressing variation in the flow rate of each opening 32H, it is particularly preferable to arrange a plurality of fans 40 at positions facing the ceiling 31, as in the wafer transfer apparatus 10 shown in FIG. . A wafer transfer apparatus 10A shown in FIG. 6 is the same as the wafer transfer apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 2 except for the differences described above. Therefore, overlapping explanations are omitted.

<Modification 2>
FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a modification of the wafer transfer device shown in FIG. In the wafer transfer apparatus 10B shown in FIG. 7, the attachment position of the fan 40 that forms an air flow from the ceiling portion 31 side to the bottom portion 32 side of the clean room 30 is the wafer transfer apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 2 and the wafer transfer apparatus shown in FIG. It has a structure in which the device 10A is combined.

Specifically, in the case of the wafer transfer device 10B, the wafer transfer device 10B is connected to a plurality of fans 40A arranged at a position facing the ceiling portion 31 in the bottom portion 32 of the clean room 30, and to a plurality of exhaust paths 42, respectively. and a plurality of fans 40</b>B arranged at a position distant from the clean room 30 . The rotation speed of the fan 40A is slower than the rotation speed of the fan 40B.

In the case of the wafer transfer apparatus 10B, the exhaust force of the fan 40B arranged outside the clean room 30 is mainly used to form the downflow. Also, each of the plurality of fans 40</b>A installed in the opening 32</b>H facing the ceiling 31 operates as an auxiliary fan for adjusting the balance of the airflow inside the clean room 30 .

As described above, in the case of the wafer transfer apparatus 10A shown in FIG. It is easy to make many. The wafer transfer apparatus 10B shown in FIG. 7 can suppress variation in the flow rate of each opening 32H by attaching fans 40A that operate auxiliary to each of the plurality of openings 32H.

Further, since the number of revolutions of each of the plurality of fans 40A can be set low, the influence of vibration caused by the rotation of the fans 40A can be reduced. Therefore, the wafer transfer device 10B can reduce the influence of vibration caused by the rotation of the fan 40A compared to the wafer transfer device 10 shown in FIG. A wafer transfer apparatus 10B shown in FIG. 7 is the same as the wafer transfer apparatus 10A shown in FIG. 6 except for the differences described above. Therefore, overlapping explanations are omitted.

<Modification 3>
FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing another modification of the wafer transfer device shown in FIG. The wafer transfer apparatus 10C shown in FIG. 8 includes a side wall fan 43 attached to the side wall portion 33 of the clean room 30 in addition to the fan 40 that forms an air flow from the ceiling portion 31 side to the bottom portion 32 side of the clean room 30. It differs from the wafer transfer apparatus 10 shown in FIG.

Specifically, the wafer transfer apparatus 10</b>C has a side wall fan 43 and a side wall filter 51 attached to an opening 33</b>H provided in the side wall 33 of the clean room 30 . Gas is supplied from the outside into the clean room 30 via a side wall fan 43 and a side wall filter 51 . In the example shown in FIG. 8, the sidewall filter 51 is attached so as to cover the opening 33H. However, as long as the side wall filter 51 can filter the gas flowing from the opening 33H, various modifications other than the example shown in FIG. For example, one or both of the side wall filter 51 and the side wall fan 43 may be embedded in the opening 33H.

A plurality of fans 40 shown in FIG. 8 are so-called exhaust fans for discharging the gas inside the clean room 30 to the outside. On the other hand, a side wall fan 43 attached to the side wall portion 33 is an intake fan that supplies gas from the outside into the clean room 30 . In the case of the wafer transfer apparatus 10 having only an exhaust fan, such as the wafer transfer apparatus 10 shown in FIG. The clean room 30 is required to be highly airtight in order to prevent the intrusion of dust.

On the other hand, in the case of the wafer transfer apparatus 10C shown in FIG. 8, gas is supplied into the clean room 30 via the side wall fan 43, which is an intake fan, so that the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the clean room 30 can be reduced. can. If the air pressure difference between the inside and outside of the clean room 30 is reduced, the lower limit of airtightness required for the clean room 30 can be lowered.

Also, the side wall fan 43 and the side wall filter 51 provided in the wafer transfer device 10C are attached to the side wall portion 33 of the clean room 30 . Therefore, when replacing the sidewall filter 51 periodically, it is necessary to replace the sidewall fan 43 and the sidewall filter 51 together. However, the work of replacing the side wall fan 43 and the side wall filter 51 attached to the side wall portion 33 is compared with the work of collectively replacing the fan 41 and the filter 50 of the wafer transfer apparatus 11 shown in FIG. and can be done easily.

By the way, when focusing on reducing the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the clean room 30 , the side wall fan 43 and the side wall filter 51 can be attached to any position on the side wall portion 33 . However, in the case of the wafer transfer apparatus 10C shown in FIG. 8, the side wall fan 43 and the side wall filter 51 are attached at the following positions. That is, the wafer transfer apparatus 10C has an alignment unit 60 which is arranged in the clean room 30 and which is an alignment mechanism for aligning the wafer 1 (see FIG. 1). The opening 33</b>H is provided above the portion of the side wall 33 that is closest to the alignment unit 60 .

From the viewpoint of reducing the volume of the clean room 30 by reducing the area of the bottom 32 of the clean room 30 , it is preferable to dispose the alignment unit 60 near the side wall 33 . The alignment unit 60 is arranged so that its side surface faces the side wall portion 33 . It is preferable that the side surface of the alignment unit 60 is in contact with the side wall portion 33, and even if it is not in contact, it is preferably close enough to be regarded as being in substantial contact.

At this time, there is an area directly below the alignment unit 60 where the opening 32H is not arranged. Therefore, it may be difficult to form a down flow above the alignment unit 60 . As shown in FIG. 8, the opening 33H is provided above a portion of the side wall 33 that is closest to the alignment unit 60. As shown in FIG. In this case, a down flow can be formed in the space above the alignment unit 60 . As a result, particles can be prevented from accumulating on the alignment unit 60 .

Note that FIG. 8 shows an example in which the side wall fan 43 and the side wall filter 51 are arranged so as to face the horizontal direction parallel to the bottom portion 32 . Although illustration is omitted, as a modification, the side wall fan 43 and the side wall filter 51 may be attached so as to facilitate formation of the down flow. For example, there is a method in which the side wall fan 43 and the side wall filter 51 are attached at an angle to the side wall portion 33 so as to face the bottom portion 32 . Further, for example, there is a method of forming a down flow by providing a straightening plate inside the side wall filter 51 and sending the gas toward the straightening plate.

<Modification 4>
FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a modification of the wafer transfer device shown in FIG. A wafer transfer apparatus 10D shown in FIG. 9 differs from the wafer transfer apparatus 10C shown in FIG.

The wafer transfer apparatus 10</b>D has a plurality of side wall fans 43 and a plurality of side wall filters 51 attached to a plurality of openings 33</b>H provided in the side wall 33 of the clean room 30 . Gas is supplied from the outside into the clean room 30 via a plurality of side wall fans 43 and a plurality of side wall filters 51 . In the example shown in FIG. 9, the sidewall filter 51 is attached so as to cover the opening 33H. However, as long as the side wall filter 51 can filter the gas flowing from the opening 33H, various modifications other than the example shown in FIG. For example, one or both of the side wall filter 51 and the side wall fan 43 may be embedded in the opening 33H.

By attaching a plurality of side wall fans 43 as in the wafer transfer device 10D, the paths for supplying the gas to the clean room 30 can be dispersed, so that the gas is supplied to the clean room 30 in a well-balanced manner. Also, when gas is supplied using a plurality of intake fans, each of the plurality of intake fans can be of a small size. Therefore, in the case of the wafer transfer device 10D, the size of the side wall fan 43 is smaller than that of the wafer transfer device 10C shown in FIG. In this case, the work for replacing each of the plurality of side wall fans 43 and side wall filters 51 is simplified. However, compared to the wafer transfer apparatus 10C shown in FIG. 8, the number of replacement locations of the side wall filter 51 is increased, so the work time itself may be longer.

The wafer transfer device 10D also has an alignment unit 60 arranged in the clean room 30 for alignment of the wafer 1 (see FIG. 1), similarly to the wafer transfer device 10C described with reference to FIG. One of the plurality of openings 33</b>H is provided above a portion of the side wall 33 that is closest to the alignment unit 60 . Thereby, a down flow can be formed in the space above the alignment unit 60 as described above. As a modification of the example shown in FIG. 9, a structure for attaching the side wall fan 43 and the side wall filter 51 so as to easily form the downflow can be applied as described with reference to FIG.

Moreover, although various modified examples have been described above, each modified example can be appropriately combined and applied. For example, a wafer transfer device 10E shown in FIG. 10 is an embodiment in which the exhaust structure of the wafer transfer device 10A described with reference to FIG. 6 and the intake structure of the wafer transfer device 10D described with reference to FIG. 9 are combined. . In the case of the wafer transfer apparatus 10E, the fan 40 (see FIG. 7) is not arranged in the opening 32H, but by attaching a plurality of side wall fans 43 to the side wall 33, the flow rate of the gas exhausted from each opening 32H can be reduced. You can control the balance to some extent.

As described above, representative modifications of the present embodiment have been described, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and representative modifications, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Applicable.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a wafer transfer device.

1 Wafer 2 Storage Container 3 Processing Chamber 4 Processing Equipment 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 11 Wafer Transfer Device 20 Robot (transfer mechanism, transfer robot)
20D1, 22D1 direction 20D2 rotation direction 21 traveling shaft 22 hand part 23 arm part 23j joint part 23m member 24 stage 30 clean room
31 Ceiling parts 31H, 32H, 33H, 34, 35 Opening part 32 Bottom part 33 Side wall parts 40, 40A, 40B, 41 Fan 42 Exhaust path 43 Side wall fan 50 Filter 51 Side wall filter 60 Alignment unit (positioning mechanism)
Floor surface

Claims (11)

a transfer mechanism that transfers the wafer;
a clean room comprising a ceiling, a bottom facing the ceiling, and a side wall positioned between the ceiling and the bottom and surrounding the transfer mechanism;
a plurality of fans for forming an airflow directed from the ceiling side to the bottom side of the clean room;
has
The bottom of the clean room is provided with a first opening through which gas inside the clean room is discharged to the outside via the fan,
The ceiling of the clean room is provided with a second opening and the plurality of fans are not provided,
A filter is attached to the second opening ,
A plurality of exhaust paths are connected to the first opening provided in the bottom,
One of the plurality of fans is connected to each of the plurality of exhaust paths,
Each of the plurality of fans is arranged at a position away from the clean room,
The plurality of fans are
a plurality of first fans arranged at positions facing the ceiling in the bottom of the clean room;
a plurality of second fans connected to each of the plurality of exhaust paths and arranged at a position away from the clean room;
including
The wafer transfer device , wherein the rotation speed of the first fan is slower than the rotation speed of the second fan . a transfer mechanism that transfers the wafer;
a clean room comprising a ceiling, a bottom facing the ceiling, and a side wall positioned between the ceiling and the bottom and surrounding the transfer mechanism;
a fan for forming an airflow from the ceiling side to the bottom side of the clean room;
a side wall fan and a side wall filter attached to a third opening provided in the side wall of the clean room ;
has
The bottom of the clean room is provided with a first opening through which gas inside the clean room is discharged to the outside via the fan,
The ceiling of the clean room is provided with a second opening and the fan is not provided,
A filter is attached to the second opening,
A wafer transfer apparatus, wherein gas is supplied from the outside into the clean chamber through the side wall fan and the side wall filter. In the wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 2 ,
The wafer transfer device is arranged in the clean room and has an alignment mechanism for aligning the wafer,
The wafer transfer device, wherein the third opening is provided above a portion of the side wall that is closest to the alignment mechanism. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
The wafer transfer device has a plurality of fans arranged at positions facing the ceiling portion in the bottom portion of the clean room. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
A plurality of exhaust paths are connected to the first opening provided in the bottom,
The fan is connected to each of the plurality of exhaust paths,
The wafer transfer device, wherein each of the plurality of fans is arranged at a position away from the clean room. In the wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 5,
The wafer transfer device includes a plurality of first fans arranged at a position facing the ceiling in the bottom of the clean room;
a plurality of second fans connected to each of the plurality of exhaust paths and arranged at a position away from the clean room;
has
The wafer transfer device, wherein the rotation speed of the first fan is slower than the rotation speed of the second fan. a transfer mechanism that transfers the wafer;
a clean room comprising a ceiling, a bottom facing the ceiling, and a side wall positioned between the ceiling and the bottom and surrounding the transfer mechanism;
a fan for forming an airflow from the ceiling side to the bottom side of the clean room;
a plurality of side wall fans and a plurality of side wall filters attached to a plurality of third openings provided in the side wall of the clean room ;
has
The bottom of the clean room is provided with a first opening through which gas inside the clean room is discharged to the outside via the fan,
The ceiling of the clean room is provided with a second opening and the fan is not provided,
A filter is attached to the second opening,
A wafer transfer apparatus, wherein gas is supplied from the outside into the clean chamber via the plurality of side wall fans and the plurality of side wall filters. In the wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 7,
The wafer transfer device is arranged in the clean room and has an alignment mechanism for aligning the wafer,
The wafer transfer device, wherein one of the plurality of third openings is provided above a portion of the side wall that is closest to the alignment mechanism. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 7 or 8,
The wafer transfer device has a plurality of fans arranged at positions facing the ceiling portion in the bottom portion of the clean room. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 7 or 8,
A plurality of exhaust paths are connected to the first opening provided in the bottom,
The fan is connected to each of the plurality of exhaust paths,
The wafer transfer device, wherein each of the plurality of fans is arranged at a position away from the clean room. In the wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 10,
The wafer transfer device includes a plurality of first fans arranged at a position facing the ceiling in the bottom of the clean room;
a plurality of second fans connected to each of the plurality of exhaust paths and arranged at a position away from the clean room;
has
The wafer transfer device, wherein the rotation speed of the first fan is slower than the rotation speed of the second fan.

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