JP7373953B2 - Accommodation cassette - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a storage cassette.

In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, etc., in the dicing process in which workpieces such as wafers are cut and separated into individual integrated circuits, or in the laser processing process, the workpieces are fixed to an annular frame via adhesive tape, and the workpiece is fixed to an annular frame for transportation. It is stored in a storage cassette and transported to each processing device. The workpieces to be processed are transported in the same way for various plate-shaped workpieces such as semiconductor wafers, optical device wafers, package substrates such as resin substrates, and ceramic substrates. Generally, in a storage cassette, an annular frame to which a workpiece is fixed is inserted between shelves made of a plurality of grooves that hold the outer edge of an annular frame through an insertion opening provided at one end of the shelf. This allows a plurality of workpieces to be accommodated (for example, see Patent Document 1). When a workpiece is not fixed to an annular frame and is stored in a storage cassette, transported, and processed, such as in a grinding process for grinding a workpiece or a process for manufacturing integrated circuits, the workpiece is The workpieces are transported by storage cassettes that can accommodate the workpieces on each shelf.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 08-080989

Incidentally, during the manufacturing process, an operator often takes out one or a suitable workpiece from a storage cassette and checks the condition of the workpiece. When taking out a workpiece fixed to the annular frame, it is difficult to take out the workpiece if the insertion port of the storage cassette is facing sideways, and if the insertion port is facing directly upwards, the annular frames in the storage cassette will swing against each other, causing the adjacent workpiece to There is a risk of contact with the workpiece or adhesive tape. Therefore, the operator needs to turn the storage cassette diagonally upward and take out the target workpiece while maintaining the state in which the workpiece is placed on the shelf and does not come into contact with adjacent workpieces. However, since the entire storage cassette that accommodates a plurality of workpieces is heavy, taking out the workpieces while maintaining the storage cassette diagonally upward imposes heavy labor on the operator. In addition, especially when the weight of the entire storage cassette is very heavy, such as a storage cassette that accommodates wafers with a diameter of 300 mm, there is a risk that the storage cassette may be accidentally dropped and the workpiece may be damaged.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a storage cassette that can maintain a posture in which the insertion opening of the storage cassette faces diagonally upward.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objects, the storage cassette of the present invention is provided with a plurality of guide rails inside the main body for supporting a plate-shaped workpiece, and an opening through which the workpiece passes; a storage cassette having a back side opposite to the opening, the storage cassette having an inclined support part that maintains the opening in an upwardly inclined state when placed on a mounting table, the inclined support part having a rear side opposite to the opening; , a support member that is in contact with the mounting table, and a positioning mechanism that rotatably connects the support member to the main body, and the positioning mechanism does not sag due to its own weight when the opening is tilted diagonally upward. The supporting member is positioned at an active position protruding from the main body and touching the mounting table , and in a posture in which the direction in which the workpiece is taken in and taken out from the opening is horizontal, it hangs due to its own weight and retreats from the mounting table. It is characterized in that the support member is positioned at a retracted position .

The inclined support portion may maintain a state in which the center of gravity is on the front side where the opening is located, with the lower side of the back side serving as a fulcrum.

The inclined support portion may maintain a state in which the center of gravity is on the back side, using the lower side of the back side as a fulcrum.

The present invention can maintain a posture in which the insertion port of the storage cassette faces diagonally upward.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a laser processing device in which a storage cassette according to an embodiment is installed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the storage cassette according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view showing one state of the storage cassette shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a side view showing another state of the storage cassette shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a side view showing still another state of the storage cassette shown in FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is a side view showing one state of the storage cassette according to the modification.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Modes (embodiments) for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiments. Further, the constituent elements described below include those that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the configurations described below can be combined as appropriate. Further, various omissions, substitutions, or changes in the configuration can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[Embodiment]
A storage cassette 10 according to an embodiment will be described based on the drawings. First, the structure of the laser processing apparatus 200 as an example of the workpiece 100 accommodated in the accommodation cassette 10 and the processing apparatus on which the accommodation cassette 10 is placed will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a laser processing apparatus 200 in which a storage cassette 10 according to an embodiment is installed. In the following description, the X-axis direction is one direction on the horizontal plane. The Y-axis direction is a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction in the horizontal plane. The Z-axis direction is a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the storage cassette 10 according to the embodiment is used to store a plurality of plate-shaped workpieces 100 and transport them between various processing apparatuses used in semiconductor manufacturing processes. In the embodiment, the workpiece 100 is a frame unit including a wafer 101, an annular frame 102, and an adhesive tape 103.

The wafer 101 is a processing target processed by various processing devices. The wafer 101 is a wafer such as a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer or an optical device wafer whose substrate is silicon (Si), sapphire (Al ₂ O ₃ ), gallium arsenide (GaAs), silicon carbide (SiC), or the like. The wafer 101 has a plurality of planned division lines formed on the surface of the substrate, and devices formed in each region partitioned by the plurality of planned division lines that intersect in a grid pattern. The annular frame 102 has an opening larger than the outer shape of the wafer 101. The outer periphery of the adhesive tape 103 is attached to the back surface of the annular frame 102. The wafer 101 is positioned at a predetermined position in the opening of the annular frame 102 and is held within the opening of the annular frame 102 by pasting the back surface to an adhesive tape 103 . A plurality of workpieces 100 are stored in the storage cassette 10 with the wafers 101 held in the opening of the annular frame 102 .

Note that, in the present invention, the workpiece 100 may include, instead of the wafer 101, a rectangular package substrate having a plurality of devices sealed with resin, a ceramic substrate, a glass plate, or the like. Furthermore, the housing cassette 10 of the present invention may directly accommodate the wafer 101, a package substrate, etc. as the workpiece 100, without housing the workpiece 100 in which the wafer 101 and the like are supported by the annular frame 102.

The storage cassette 10 is transported between various processing devices and installed in the various processing devices. In the embodiment, the accommodation cassette 10 is placed on a mounting table 270 of the laser processing apparatus 200, as shown in FIG. A laser processing apparatus 200 as an example of a processing apparatus includes a chuck table 210, a laser beam irradiation unit 220, an X-axis movement unit 230, a Y-axis movement unit 240, an imaging unit 250, a cleaning unit 260, and a mounting unit. It includes a table 270, a transport unit 280, and a control unit 290.

The chuck table 210 holds the workpiece 100 with a holding surface 211 . The chuck table 210 is rotated about an axis parallel to the Z-axis. The chuck table 210 is moved in the X-axis direction by the X-axis movement unit 230 via the X-axis movement plate 231. The chuck table 210 is moved in the Y-axis direction by a Y-axis movement unit 240 via a Y-axis movement plate 241. The laser beam irradiation unit 220 is a unit that irradiates the wafer 101 of the workpiece 100 held on the chuck table 210 with a laser beam.

The X-axis direction movement unit 230 is a unit that relatively moves the chuck table 210 and the laser beam irradiation unit 220 in the X-axis direction, which is the processing feed direction. The Y-axis direction movement unit 240 is a unit that relatively moves the chuck table 210 and the laser beam irradiation unit 220 in the Y-axis direction, which is the indexing and feeding direction. The laser processing apparatus 1 may further include a Z-axis movement unit that relatively moves the chuck table 210 and the laser beam irradiation unit 220 in the Z-axis direction in order to adjust the focal position of the laser beam irradiation unit 220.

The laser processing apparatus 200 performs laser processing on the wafer 101 by irradiating the wafer 101 with a laser beam from the laser beam irradiation unit 220 while relatively moving the chuck table 210 and the laser beam irradiation unit 220. Laser processing by the laser processing apparatus 200 is, for example, modified layer forming processing that forms a modified layer inside the wafer 101 by stealth dicing, groove processing that forms grooves on the surface of the wafer 101, or processing along a planned dividing line. This is a cutting process in which the wafer 101 is cut.

The imaging unit 250 images the wafer 101 held on the chuck table 210. In the embodiment, the imaging unit 250 is fixed at a position parallel to the laser beam irradiation unit 220 in the X-axis direction. The imaging unit 250 is a camera using a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor that images the wafer 101 held on the chuck table 210, and includes an infrared camera and the like. The imaging unit 250 images the wafer 101 to obtain an image for performing alignment for positioning the wafer 101 and the laser beam irradiation unit 220, and outputs the obtained image to the control unit 90.

The cleaning unit 260 is a unit that cleans the wafer 101 that has been subjected to laser processing by the laser beam irradiation unit 220. The cleaning unit 260 includes, for example, a holding part that holds the workpiece 100, a cleaning liquid supply part that supplies a cleaning liquid, and a cleaning chamber that accommodates the holding part and the cleaning liquid supply part. The cleaning unit 260 may further include an air supply unit that blows air to the wafer 101 to dry the wafer 101 after cleaning.

The storage cassette 10 is placed on the top surface 271 of the mounting table 270 . The mounting surface 271 is movable up and down in the Z-axis direction. The mounting table 270 moves the storage cassette 10 placed on the mounting surface 271 in the Z-axis direction.

The transport unit 280 is a unit that transports the workpiece 100 between the storage cassette 10 placed on the mounting table 270, the chuck table 210, and the cleaning unit 260. The transport unit 280 is provided on a wall or the like that constitutes the ceiling of the main body of the laser processing apparatus 200 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The transport unit 280 takes out the workpiece 100 before laser processing from the storage cassette 10 placed on the mounting table 270 and places it on the chuck table 210. The transport unit 280 transports the workpiece 100 after laser processing from the chuck table 210 to the cleaning unit 260. The transport unit 280 stores the workpiece 100 cleaned by the cleaning unit 260 in the storage cassette 10 placed on the mounting table 270 .

The control unit 290 controls each of the above-described components of the laser processing apparatus 200 and causes the laser processing apparatus 200 to perform a processing operation on the wafer 101. The control unit 290 is a computer including an arithmetic processing device as a calculation means, a storage device as a storage means, and an input/output interface device as a communication means. The arithmetic processing device includes, for example, a microprocessor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The storage device includes a memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM (Random Access Memory). The arithmetic processing device performs various calculations based on a predetermined program stored in the storage device. The arithmetic processing device outputs various control signals to each of the above-mentioned components via the input/output interface device according to the arithmetic results, thereby controlling the laser processing device 200. The control unit 290 is connected to, for example, a display means for displaying the status of machining operations, an operation means used by an operator to register machining content information, and the like.

Next, the configuration of the storage cassette 10 according to the embodiment and the operation of loading and unloading the workpiece 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the storage cassette 10 according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view showing one state of the storage cassette 10 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view showing another state of the storage cassette 10 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view showing yet another state of the storage cassette 10 shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the storage cassette 10 stores a plurality of workpieces 100 vertically in parallel inside the main body 20. The main body 20 includes a pair of side walls 21 facing each other, a connecting portion 22, an opening 23, a back side 24, a bottom surface 25, and a plurality of pairs of guide rails 26.

The pair of side walls 21 and the connecting portion 22 are formed into a flat plate shape. The pair of side walls 21 face each other in the X-axis direction when the storage cassette 10 is placed on the mounting table 270 of the laser processing device 200. A pair of side walls 21 accommodate a plurality of workpieces 100 within the body 20 between them. The workpiece 100 is taken in and out of the pair of side walls 21 by the transport unit 280 with the bottom surface 25 placed on the placement surface 271 . The connecting portion 22 connects the upper ends of the pair of side walls 21 to each other. A handle portion 30 is provided on the upper surface of the connecting portion 22 for use by operators of various processing devices and the like to grasp and transport the storage cassette 10.

The opening 23 is one end of the pair of side walls 21 and communicates with the inside and outside of the main body 20 . The storage cassette 10 accommodates or discharges the workpiece 100 into or out of the main body 20 by passing the workpiece 100 through the opening 23 . The back side 24 is the end side opposite to the opening 23 with respect to the pair of side walls 21 . Although the back side 24 is open in the embodiment, it may be closed in the present invention.

The plurality of pairs of guide rails 26 are formed inside the pair of side walls 21. The guide rail 26 is formed into a plate shape that protrudes from one side wall 21 toward the other side wall 21 . Each guide rail 26 is formed linearly along the loading/unloading direction 27 that is parallel to the Y-axis direction when the storage cassette 10 is placed on the mounting table 270 of the laser processing device 200 . The guide rails 26 formed on each side wall 21 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. Each pair of guide rails 26 has the same vertical height. Each pair of guide rails 26 supports the workpiece 100 by having an edge of the workpiece 100 placed on the upper surface thereof. The storage cassette 10 accommodates a plurality of workpieces 100 in the main body 20, with each pair of guide rails 26 supporting the workpieces 100.

The storage cassette 10 further includes an inclined support portion 40 that maintains the opening 23 in an upwardly inclined state when placed on the placement surface 271 of the placement table 270. The inclined support section 40 includes a support member 41 and a positioning mechanism 42 .

The support member 41 is attached to each side wall 21 so as to be swingable about an axis parallel to the left-right direction with respect to the main body 20 . One end 411 of the support member 41 in the longitudinal direction is rotatably connected to the side wall 21 by a positioning mechanism 42 . The support member 41 maintains a hanging state in which the other end 412 in the longitudinal direction is located below the one end 411 due to its own weight. In the embodiment, the support member 41 includes a pair of parallel members 413 and 414 that are parallel to each other and positions the outer surface of the side wall 21 and the inner end of the guide rail 26 therebetween, and a back side 24 of the pair of parallel members 413 and 414. It is provided with a connecting member 415 that connects the ends of each other. The pair of parallel members 413, 414 and the connecting member 415 are formed into a U-shape when viewed from above. In the embodiment, the support member 41 surrounds the side wall 21 and the end of the back side 24 of the guide rail 26 when the bottom surface 25 is placed on the placement surface 271 . In the embodiment, when the bottom surface 25 is placed on the mounting surface 271, the support member 41 is positioned at the retracted position shown in FIG. 3, where the other end 412 is retracted from the mounting table 270 with an interval. The support member 41 is attached to the rear side 24 and upper end of each side wall 21 by a positioning mechanism 42 .

The positioning mechanism 42 includes a screw 43 and an elongated hole 44 in the embodiment. The elongated hole 44 is formed in one of the outer parallel members 413 of the pair of parallel members 413 and 414 of the side wall 21 . The elongated hole 44 is formed in one end 411 of one parallel member 413 of the support member 41 . When the elongated hole 44 is positioned at the retracted position shown in FIG. 3, it is inclined in the vertical direction so as to gradually move toward the back side 24 from one end 411 to the other end 412.

The screw 43 is fixed to the side wall 21 of the main body 20 through the elongated hole 44 . The axial direction of the screw 43 is parallel to the left-right direction with respect to the main body 20. More specifically, the screw shaft of the screw 43 is rotatable within the elongated hole 44, and rotatably connects the support member 41 to the side wall 21. Thereby, the support member 41 is supported by the side wall 21 by the screw shaft of the screw 43 that is rotatable in the elongated hole 44 so as to be able to swing around the screw shaft.

Moreover, the screw 43 can slide within the elongated hole 44. That is, the support member 41 is slidable in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole 44 with respect to the side wall 21 by the screw shaft of the screw 43 that is slidable within the elongated hole 44 . Note that when the storage cassette 10 is in the posture shown in FIG. 3 in which the loading/unloading direction 27 of the workpiece 100 is horizontal, the support member 41 is positioned at the lowest position with respect to the screw 43 due to its own weight and is positioned at the above-mentioned retracted position. Therefore, the screw 43 is located at the front end of the elongated hole 44.

The positioning mechanism 42 positions the support member 41 at an active position and a retracted position. The operating position is a position, an example of which is shown in FIG. 5, where the support member 41 protrudes from the main body 20 of the storage cassette 10 and contacts the mounting table 270. The retracted position is a position where the support member 41 is retracted from the mounting table 270, an example of which is shown in FIG.

When the storage cassette 10 is in the posture shown in FIG. 3 in which the loading/unloading direction 27 of the workpiece 100 is horizontal, the support member 41 hangs down due to its own weight, overlaps the main body 20 of the storage cassette 10 in side view, and the other end The amount of protrusion of the portion 412 from the main body 20 is minimized. At this time, the other end portion 412 of the support member 41 is retracted from the mounting surface 271 of the mounting table 270 with a space therebetween. That is, the support member 41 is positioned by the positioning mechanism 42 at a retracted position where it is retracted from the mounting table 270.

When the storage cassette 10 is rotated backward by the operator using the lower side of the back side 24 as the fulcrum 50 from the posture shown in FIG. 3 in which the loading/unloading direction 27 of the workpiece 100 is horizontal, as shown in FIG. The opening 23 is tilted diagonally upward. At this time, the support member 41 maintains a hanging posture by swinging around the screw shaft of the screw 43 so that the other end 412 faces rearward due to its own weight. 10 protrudes from the main body 20.

When the storage cassette 10 is further rotated backward by the operator using the lower end of the back side 24 as the fulcrum 50, the other end 412 of the support member 41 protrudes from the main body 20 of the storage cassette 10, as shown in FIG. It contacts the mounting surface 271 of the mounting table 270. As a result, the storage cassette 10 has the center of gravity of the main body 20 closer to the bottom surface 25 and the front side where the opening 23 is than the other end 412 of the support member 41 , and the opening 23 is supported by the fulcrum 50 and the support member 41 . Maintained in an upward tilted position. At this time, since the other end 412 of the support member 41 is placed on the placement surface 271 of the placement table 270, the screw 43 moves toward the rear end within the elongated hole 44 due to the weight of the main body 20 of the storage cassette 10. to move the slide. As a result, the support member 41 is positioned and fixed by the positioning mechanism 42 at an active position where the other end 412 protrudes from the main body 20 of the storage cassette 10 and contacts the mounting table 270. The operator can take out any workpiece 100 from the storage cassette 10 diagonally upward along the loading/unloading direction 27.

As described above, when the storage cassette 10 according to the embodiment is placed on the mounting table 270, by positioning the support member 41 at the active position in contact with the mounting table 270, the storage cassette 10 according to the embodiment can be opened without requiring any operator work. 23 is provided with an inclined support part 40 that maintains a state of being inclined diagonally upward. As a result, the workpiece 100 can be taken out diagonally upward by the operator while the opening 23 of the storage cassette 10 remains tilted diagonally upward, so the workpiece 100 can be taken out while reducing the burden on the operator. This has the effect of making it easier. Moreover, since the inclined support part 40 has a simple configuration, it is possible to suppress an increase in the weight of the storage cassette 10 due to the addition of parts.

[Modified example]
Next, a storage cassette 10-2 according to a modified example of the present invention will be explained based on the drawings. FIG. 6 is a side view showing one state of the storage cassette 10-2 according to the modification. The accommodation cassette 10-2 of the modification differs from the accommodation cassette 10 of the embodiment in that it includes an inclined support part 40-2 instead of the inclined support part 40.

The inclined support portion 40-2 maintains the state in which the opening 23 is inclined diagonally upward when the storage cassette 10-2 is placed on the mounting surface 271 of the mounting table 270. The inclined support section 40-2 includes a support member 41-2 and a positioning mechanism 42-2.

The support member 41-2 is attached to each side wall 21 so as to be swingable about an axis parallel to the main body 20 in the left-right direction. The support member 41-2 has one longitudinal end 411 rotatably connected to the side wall 21 by the positioning mechanism 42. The support member 41 hangs down with the other end 412 in the longitudinal direction located below the one end 411 due to its own weight. In the modified example, the support member 41-2 has a plate shape along the outer surface of the side wall 21. The support member 41-2 is attached to the front side and lower end of each side wall 21 having the opening 23 by the positioning mechanism 42-2.

The positioning mechanism 42-2 includes a shaft member 45 and a locking member 46 in a modified example. The shaft member 45 is fixed to the side wall 21 of the main body 20 through a hole formed in the axial center of the support member 41-2. The axial direction of the shaft member 45 is parallel to the left-right direction with respect to the main body 20. More specifically, the screw shaft of the shaft member 45 is rotatable within a hole formed in the axial center of the support member 41-2, and rotatably connects the support member 41-2 to the side wall 21. Thereby, the support member 41 is supported by the side wall 21 so as to be able to swing around the screw shaft by the screw shaft of the screw 43 which is rotatable in the hole formed in the shaft center of the support member 41-2.

The lock member 46 is provided on the side wall 21 so as to be able to restrict or release the rocking movement of the support member 41-2. In the modified example, the locking member 46 is slidable in an opening/closing direction 47 that is parallel to the loading/unloading direction 27 . In the modified example, the lock member 46 prevents the support member 41-2 from rotating and hanging down due to its own weight when it is located on the opening 23 side, and prevents the support member 41-2 from rotating and hanging down due to its own weight when it is located on the back side 24. allows it to rotate and hang down.

When the storage cassette 10-2 is rotated backward by the operator from a position where the loading/unloading direction 27 of the workpiece 100 is horizontal, the opening opens as shown in FIG. 23 is in a posture tilted diagonally upward. At this time, when the operator slides the lock member 46 toward the back side 24 along the opening/closing direction 47, the support member 41-2 swings in the direction shown by the arrow 48 in FIG. 6 and hangs down due to its own weight. When the operator adjusts the lower end of the support member 41-2 to be in contact with the mounting surface 271 of the mounting table 270, the storage cassette 10-2 has the center of gravity of the main body 20 on the back side 24 than the other end 412 of the support member 41. In this state, the opening 23 is maintained in an upwardly inclined position by the fulcrum 50 and the support member 41-2.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. For example, in the embodiment, the inclined support portion 40 is automatically rotated using its own weight to position the support member 41 in the operating position, but in the present invention, the supporting member 41 may be manually positioned in the operating position.

10, 10-2 Storage cassette 20 Main body 23 Opening (front side)
24 Back side 25 Bottom surface 26 Guide rail 40, 40-2 Inclined support portion 41, 41-2 Support member 411 One end portion 412 Other end portion 413, 414 Parallel member 415 Connecting member 42, 42-2 Positioning mechanism 50 Fulcrum 100 Workpiece Object 101 Wafer 200 Laser processing device 270 Mounting table 271 Mounting surface

Claims (3)

A storage cassette comprising a plurality of guide rails inside the main body for supporting a plate-shaped workpiece, and having an opening through which the workpiece passes and a back side opposite to the opening,
comprising an inclined support portion that maintains the opening in an upwardly inclined state when placed on the mounting table;
The inclined support part is
a support member in contact with the mounting table;
a positioning mechanism rotatably connecting the support member to the main body;
including;
The positioning mechanism is
In a posture in which the opening is tilted diagonally upward, the supporting member is positioned at an active position where it hangs down due to its own weight and protrudes from the main body and contacts the mounting table;
In a posture in which the direction in which the workpiece is taken in and out of the opening is horizontal, the support member is positioned at a retracted position where it is retracted from the mounting table by hanging down due to its own weight;
Accommodation cassette. The storage cassette according to claim 1, wherein the inclined support section maintains a state in which the center of gravity is on the front side where the opening is located, with the lower side of the back side serving as a fulcrum. The storage cassette according to claim 1, wherein the inclined support part uses the lower side of the back side as a fulcrum and maintains a state in which the center of gravity is on the back side.

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