JP7432242B2 - Storage equipment and board processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a storage device for storing substrates, and a substrate processing apparatus equipped with the storage device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, semiconductor devices widely used in electronic equipment and the like are manufactured from wafers that are divided into a plurality of regions and each region has an optical device installed therein. Such wafers are subjected to various treatments, such as polishing both sides of the wafer and making the wafer uniform in thickness. When wafers are transported to each process, a plurality of wafers are usually housed together in a cassette and set in each device.

The following Patent Document 1 discloses a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in which a cassette containing substrates is carried into the apparatus using a tray. The cassette is placed on a tray pulled out of the device. By pulling the tray horizontally, the cassette is carried into the apparatus. A shutter is arranged to be movable up and down on the back side of the retracted position of the tray. When the tray is pulled out, the shutter moves upward in conjunction with the movement of the tray, and the back side of the retracted position is closed by the shutter. When the tray is pulled into the apparatus, the shutter moves downward in conjunction with the movement of the tray, opening the back of the retracted position. This establishes communication between the cassette and the transport area on the back side of the retracted position.

In this semiconductor braking device, when the tray is pulled out, the back side of the retracted position is closed by a shutter, so when storing the cassette in the device, the operator does not have to put his hands into the transport area inside the device. Prevented.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-216216

In Patent Document 1, while the tray is being carried into the apparatus, there is a risk that the substrate may jump out from the cassette placed on the tray in the carrying direction and fall.

In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a storage device that can safely and smoothly supply substrates to a transfer area within the device, and a substrate processing device equipped with the storage device.

A first aspect of the present invention relates to a storage device that stores a cassette in which a plurality of substrates are stacked and accommodated in a drawable manner, and the substrates are pulled out from the cassette and subjected to a processing step. The storage device according to this aspect includes: a placement section on which the cassette is removably placed; and a moving section that horizontally moves the placement section between a cassette attachment/detachment position and a cassette storage position. a regulating part that is movably supported by the mounting part, faces a rear end surface of the cassette placed on the mounting part , and restricts the substrate from protruding from the cassette to the rear side ; Equipped with.

According to the configuration according to this aspect, since the regulating section is supported by the placing section, the regulating section moves integrally in the horizontal direction as the placing section moves. Therefore, while the cassette and the mounting section are horizontally moved from the attachment/detachment position to the storage position, the restriction section continues to face the rear end surface of the cassette. Thereby, it is possible to reliably prevent the substrate from jumping out of the cassette and falling in the moving direction of the mounting section during movement of the mounting section.

Note that the side of the cassette stored in the storage device from which the substrate is pulled out is open, and this open side is referred to as the "inner side of the cassette." Hereinafter, "the back side of the cassette" has the same meaning.

In the storage device according to this aspect, the regulating section may be configured to be supported by the supporting section via a link mechanism that causes the regulating section to approach and move away from the rear end surface of the cassette as the regulating section moves up and down.

According to the configuration according to this aspect, when the regulating section is raised or lowered to open the rear end surface of the cassette, the regulating section can be retracted in a direction away from the rear end surface of the cassette. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the regulating portion from moving up and down while rubbing against the substrate, and it is possible to prevent damage to the substrate.

The storage device according to the present aspect includes: a shutter that is movably supported by the placement part on the back side of the restriction part ; and an elevating mechanism that raises and lowers the shutter in the storage position; , may be configured to be integrally supported by the shutter.

According to the configuration according to this aspect, the elevating mechanism for elevating and lowering the shutter is also used for elevating and lowering the regulating portion, so that the mechanical system and the control system can be simplified. Additionally, when the loading section is positioned at the loading/unloading position, the entrance/exit of the loading section is blocked by a shutter, preventing the operator from accidentally inserting his/her hand into the storage device when loading/unloading a cassette. It can be prevented.

In the storage device according to this aspect, the elevating mechanism includes a receiving member that is driven in the vertical direction, and the shutter is integrally provided with a linking member that fits into the receiving member in the storage position. can be configured.

According to the configuration according to this aspect, when the mounting portion moves to the storage position, the linking member on the shutter side fits into the receiving member on the lifting mechanism side, and the lifting mechanism and the shutter are linked. Thereby, in the storage position, the shutter can be smoothly raised and lowered by the raising and lowering mechanism.

The storage device according to this aspect includes a transfer roller that is integrally provided with the shutter and that transfers the mounting section between the attachment/detachment position and the storage position, and the transfer roller is configured to move the linking member. The transfer roller may be configured to fit into the receiving member when the placement section moves to the storage position.

According to the configuration according to this aspect, since the transfer roller is also used as a linking member, the configuration can be simplified. Further, in the storage position, the transfer roller fits into the receiving member to restrict movement of the moving member, so that the placing section can be appropriately positioned in the storage position.

The storage device according to this aspect may be configured to include a detection means for detecting whether or not the substrate has protruded from the cassette at the storage position.

According to the configuration according to this aspect, it is possible to quickly detect that the substrate has protruded from the cassette to the back side of the cassette while the shutter is open and the apparatus is operating.

The storage device according to this aspect includes a first storage part that removably stores the first cassette, and a second storage part that removably stores the second cassette, and the first cassette The second cassette may be removed from the second storage section while the substrate is being pulled out from the substrate and subjected to a processing step.

According to the configuration according to this aspect, while a substrate is being pulled out from the second cassette and subjected to a processing step, the first cassette to which substrates have been previously supplied is taken out from the first storage section, The substrates can be stored in one cassette, and the first cassette can be stored in the first storage section again. As a result, when all the substrates are supplied from the first cassette to the transport path, the substrates are stored in the first cassette without temporarily stopping the supply operation, and the first cassette is transferred to the first storage section. It can be stored. Therefore, substrates can be continuously subjected to the processing process from the first cassette and the second cassette, and the operating rate of the storage device can be increased.

Furthermore, the substrates submitted to the processing step from the second cassette may be returned to the second cassette after being processed by a predetermined device. In this case, after all of the substrates that have been subjected to the processing process from the second cassette have returned to the second cassette, the second cassette is taken out from the second storage section, and the processed substrates are removed from the second cassette. The unprocessed substrate can be collected and stored in a second cassette, and then stored in the second storage section again.

A second aspect of the present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to the present aspect relates to a storage device that stores a cassette in order to pull out a substrate from a cassette in which a plurality of substrates are stacked and housed in a drawable manner and use the substrate for a processing step. The storage device of this aspect includes: a placement section on which the cassette is removably placed; a moving section that horizontally moves the placement section between a cassette attachment/detachment position and a cassette storage position; a regulating part that is movably supported by the mounting part, faces a rear end surface of the cassette placed on the mounting part , and restricts the board from jumping out of the cassette to the rear side ; A storage device is provided. Further, the substrate processing apparatus of this aspect includes a scribing unit that forms scribe lines on the surface of the substrate, a film laminating unit that affixes a film to the surface of the substrate on which the scribe line is formed, and a film laminating unit that affixes the film to the surface of the substrate. a reversing unit that inverts the substrate so that the surface faces downward; a break unit that applies a predetermined force to the surface to which the film is not attached to divide the substrate along the scribe line; and a break unit that divides the substrate along the scribe line. and a conveyance unit that conveys the image to a predetermined position.

According to the configuration according to this aspect, the same effects as in the first aspect can be achieved.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a storage device that can safely and smoothly supply substrates to a transfer area within the device, and a substrate processing device equipped with the storage device.

The effects and significance of the present invention will become clearer from the following description of the embodiments. However, the embodiments described below are merely examples of implementing the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to what is described in the embodiments below.

FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view showing the configuration of a substrate supply system according to an embodiment. FIG. 1(b) is a perspective view showing a cassette housed in the substrate supply system. FIG. 1(c) is a perspective view showing the storage device of the substrate supply system, and corresponds to FIG. 1(a). FIGS. 2(a) to 2(c) are perspective views showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIGS. 6(a) to 6(c) are perspective views showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) are enlarged views of the vicinity of the link mechanism. FIG. 6(c) is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIGS. 8(a) to 8(c) are perspective views showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b) are enlarged views of the vicinity of the link mechanism. FIG. 8(c) is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIGS. 10A and 10B are perspective views showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIG. 10(a) is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the link mechanism. FIG. 10(b) is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 9. FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b) are perspective views showing the configurations of the pull-out mechanism and the moving mechanism of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIGS. 12A and 12B are perspective views showing a substrate supply system and a transport path according to the embodiment. FIGS. 13A and 13B are perspective views showing a substrate supply system and a transport path according to the embodiment. FIG. 14(a) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIG. 14(b) is a flowchart showing the operation of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus including the substrate supply system according to the embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that in each figure, for convenience, an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis that are orthogonal to each other are added. The XY plane is parallel to the horizontal plane, and the Z-axis direction is vertical. The positive side of the Z-axis is the upper side, and the negative side of the Z-axis is the lower side. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the Z-axis direction is the "stacking direction" described in the claims. In this embodiment, this stacking direction may be expressed as "up-down direction". Further, the Y-axis direction is the "direction perpendicular to the stacking direction" as described in the claims. This Y-axis direction may be referred to as a "horizontal direction" in this embodiment.

<Embodiment>
The storage device 100 of this embodiment is used to supply a wafer to a transport path for transporting the wafer to a predetermined device during the manufacture of semiconductor wafers, which are materials for semiconductor devices widely used in electronic equipment and the like. In this embodiment, the substrates stored in storage device 100 are semiconductor wafers attached to an annular frame with dicing tape. Hereinafter, "the semiconductor wafer attached to the annular frame with dicing tape" will be simply referred to as "wafer W."

In this embodiment, the storage device 100 is a storage device built into a substrate supply system 1 that includes a drawer mechanism 200 that pulls out wafers W from the storage device 100, and a movement mechanism 300 that moves the wafers W to a predetermined position. This will be explained as a device. In addition, in the description of this embodiment, the position where the wafer W is completely pulled out from the substrate supply system 1 will be referred to as the "pull-out position", and the position where the wafer W is transferred from this pull-out position to the transport path will be referred to as the "delivery position". .

Examples of the material of the wafer W include single crystal silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), and gallium arsenide (GaSa). The above-mentioned material, thickness, and size of the semiconductor wafer are appropriately selected and designed depending on the type, function, etc. of the semiconductor device to be manufactured.

FIGS. 1(a) to 1(c) are perspective views showing the configuration of the substrate supply system 1. FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of the substrate supply system 1, FIG. 1(b) is a perspective view showing a cassette containing wafers W, and FIG. 1(c) is a perspective view of the storage device 100. It is a diagram.

As shown in FIG. 1(a), the substrate supply system 1 includes a storage device 100, a drawer mechanism 200, and a movement mechanism 300. Note that although the entire storage device 100 is covered with a casing, this casing is omitted for convenience of explanation. From now on, in all the figures, the casing that covers the entire storage device 100 is omitted.

The storage device 100 stores wafers W to be supplied to the transport path. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1B, a plurality of wafers W are stored in a stacked state in a cassette, and this cassette is stored in the storage device 100. In this embodiment, two cassettes, a first cassette 10 and a second cassette 20, are prepared. Grooves 12 are provided on the inner surfaces of the side walls 11a and 11b of the first cassette 10 at predetermined intervals. By being inserted into this groove 12, the wafer W is housed in a supported state inside the first cassette 10.

A handle 13 is provided on the top of the first cassette 10, which is used when the operator carries the first cassette 10. The second cassette 20 has the same configuration as the first cassette 10, so a description thereof will be omitted. Although the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 are described as a common cassette in the above, the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 are provided on the inner surfaces of the side walls 11a and 11b. The intervals between the grooves 12 may be varied, and the number of wafers W accommodated may also be varied.

The storage device 100 stores the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 described above. As shown in FIG. 1C, the storage device 100 includes a first storage section 101 and a second storage section 102 that are arranged side by side in the stacking direction of the wafers W, that is, in the vertical direction. Further, the storage device 100 includes a placement unit 110 on which the first cassette 10 is removably placed in the first storage unit 101, a housing 103 that covers the first storage unit 101, and a housing 103 that covers the first storage unit 101. The device includes a door 104 that is attached to the mounting portion 110, and a handle 112 that is installed to the mounting portion 110.

As described above, in the storage device 100, the first storage section 101 is covered with the housing 103, and the door 104 that opens and closes in the horizontal direction is provided. The door 104 is attached to a casing that covers the entire storage device 100, which is not shown in FIGS. can. Further, the door 104 can be made of a transparent member so that the operator can visually check the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 while the substrate supply system 1 is in operation. FIG. 1C shows a case where the door 104 is transparent.

The above-described casing 103, door 104, placing section 110, and handle 112 are similarly provided for the second storage section 102.

In this way, the storage device 100 includes the first storage section 101 and the second storage section 102, and the first storage section 101 and the second storage section 102 are each provided with a door 104. . Therefore, for example, while the wafers W are being supplied to the transport path from the first cassette 10 stored in the first storage section 101, the operator opens the door 104 of the second storage section 102 and The placing section 110 of the storage section 102 of No. 2 can be pulled out in the negative direction of the Y-axis. At this time, if the second cassette 20 is not stored in the second storage section 102 or the wafers W are not stored in the second cassette 20 (that is, all the wafers from the second cassette 20 If the wafers W are being supplied to the transport path), the operator stores the wafers W in the second cassette 20 and appropriately places the second cassette 20 on the placing section 110 of the second storage section 102. After that, the placing section 110 of the second storage section 102 is pulled in in the positive direction of the Y-axis. In this way, the second cassette 20 can be stored in the second storage section 102.

1A and 1C, for convenience of explanation, the shutter 140 of the first storage section 101 and the shutter 140 of the second storage section 102 are shown so that the inside of each storage section can be seen. Although shown in the open state, this does not correspond to actual operation. This also applies to FIGS. 12(a) to 13(b).

Further, as shown in FIG. 1(c), the storage device 100 includes a moving section 120, a regulating section 130, a lifting mechanism 150, a supporting section 160, a link mechanism 170, and a detecting means 180. There is. Note that the moving unit 120 is not illustrated in FIG. 1(c) but is illustrated in FIG. 4.

FIGS. 2(a) to 2(c) are perspective views showing different states of the storage device 100, and the left side view and right side view correspond to each other.

As shown in FIGS. 2(a) to 2(c), the storage device 100 mainly has four states. FIG. 2A shows a state in which the placing section 110 is pulled out from the second storage section 102 (first state). At this time, since the shutter 140 of the second storage section 102 is closed, the operator cannot put his hand into the storage device 100. FIG. 2(b) shows a state in which the placing section 110 is accommodated in the second storage section 102 (second state). FIG. 2C shows a preparation state (third state) for opening the shutter 140 of the second storage section 102. FIG. FIGS. 1A and 1C correspond to a state (fourth state) in which the shutter 140 of the second storage section 102 has been completely opened. Hereinafter, the configuration of the storage device 100 will be explained in terms of these four states. Here, the shutter 140 of the first storage section 101 opens upward, and the shutter 140 of the second storage section 102 opens downward. As described above, although the opening direction is different between the upper and lower sides, the configuration for opening the shutter 140 is the same. Therefore, the following description will focus on the second storage section 102 arranged in the upper stage.

Further, when the storage device 100 is in the first state (the state shown in FIG. 2(a)), the second cassette 20 is removably placed on the placement section 110 of the second storage section 102. At this time, the position of the placing part 110 of the second storage part 102 is the "attachment/detachment position" described in the claims. When the storage device 100 is in the second state (the state shown in FIG. 2(b)), the second cassette 20 is placed on the placing section 110 of the second storage section 102, and the second cassette 20 is placed in the second storage section 102. It is stored in the section 102. The position of the placing section 110 of the second storage section 102 at this time is the "storage position" described in the claims.

First, a case will be described in which the storage device 100 is in the first state, that is, the placing section 110 is located at the attachment/detachment position.

3 and 4 are perspective views showing the configuration of the storage device 100, and show the storage device 100 in the first state. 3 and 4, the second cassette 20, the housing 103, and the door 104 are omitted, and in FIG. 4, the detection means 180 is further omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the storage device 100 includes the above-described placing section 110, moving section 120, regulating section 130, shutter 140, lifting mechanism 150, supporting section 160, and link mechanism 170. In addition to the detection means 180, a pedestal 190 is provided. In addition, in the mounting section 110 in FIG. 3, a portion surrounded by a broken line is an area where the second cassette 20 is mounted.

Four positioning members 111 for positioning the second cassette 20 are provided on the upper surface of the mounting section 110. When placing the second cassette 20 on the placing section 110, both ends of the side walls 11a and 11b of the second cassette 20 are fitted into the four positioning members 111 (see FIG. 1(c)).

The moving unit 120 horizontally moves the placing unit 110 between the attachment/detachment position and the storage position. The moving section 120 includes a linking member 121, horizontal slide members 122a and 122b, a guide member 123, and a protruding member 124. Note that the linking member 121 is not shown in FIG. 3 but is shown in FIG. 4.

The linking member 121 includes a member 121a having a stepped cross section in the X-axis direction and a transfer roller 121b. A hole is formed in the lower part of the member 121a in the X-axis direction, and the rotation shaft of the transfer roller 121b is passed through this hole. A shutter 140 is attached to the rising portion of the upper part of the member 121a (see FIG. 5(c)).

The horizontal slide member 122a is provided on the mounting section 110 side, and the horizontal slide member 122b is provided on the pedestal 190 side. When the mounting section 110 moves in the horizontal direction, the horizontal slide member 122a moves relative to the horizontal slide member 122b. Thereby, the mounting section 110 can be moved in the horizontal direction.

The guide member 123 is an elongated rectangular member, and is installed on the pedestal 190. The Y-axis positive side and negative side of the guide member 123 are formed with gentle slopes toward the center, and a V-shaped recess 123a is formed at the end on the Y-axis positive side. The lower end portion of the protruding member 124 provided on the mounting portion 110 is formed into a hemispherical shape (not shown). When the mounting portion 110 is moved horizontally to the storage position by the horizontal slide members 122a and 122b, the hemispherical portion of the protruding member 124 slides on the inclined surface of the guide member 123. As a result, the placing section 110 is appropriately braked and can be moved to the pedestal 190 while being decelerated. Further, the hemispherical portion of the protruding member 124 fits into the recess 123a, so that the placing portion 110 is positioned in the second storage portion 102.

The regulating section 130 is configured to prevent the placing section 110 from moving in the horizontal direction between the attachment/detachment position (first state) and the storage position (second state), and when the placing section 110 is in the storage position. When the wafer W is in the position (second state), the wafer W is prevented from jumping out from the second cassette 20 toward the back (Y-axis positive side) and falling. The regulating portion 130 abuts against the rear end surface of the second cassette 20 . That is, it comes into contact with the wafer W housed in the second cassette 20. The regulating section 130 is a plate-shaped member, and in this embodiment, two regulating sections 130 are provided. The regulating portion 130 is supported by a support plate 131.

The shutter 140 blocks the second storage section 102 and the pulled-out position. In the second storage section 102, when the wafer W is pulled out from the second cassette 20, the shutter 140 is opened, and when the mounting section 110 moves from the storage position to the attachment/detachment position, the shutter 140 is closed.

The elevating mechanism 150 moves the shutter 140 up and down. The elevating mechanism 150 includes a drive section 151, a receiving member 152, and elevating slide members 153a and 153b.

The drive unit 151 is a cylinder. A receiving member 152 is connected to the lower end of the rod 151a of the drive section 151. The receiving member 152 is formed of a frame-shaped member that is open on the Y-axis negative side. The upper and lower gaps 152a of the receiving member 152 fit into the above-mentioned transfer roller 121b. As will be explained later, when the storage device 100 is in the second to fourth states, the transfer roller 121b is fitted into the gap 152a of the receiving member 152 (for example, see FIG. 6(b)). Since the receiving member 152 is connected to the rod 151a, when the driving section 151 is driven, the receiving member 152 moves up and down together with the driving section 151.

The elevating slide members 153a and 153b are provided between the shutter 140 and the support portion 160, and move the shutter 140 up and down. An elevating slide member 153a is attached to the shutter 140, and an elevating slide member 153b is attached to the support portion 160. When the shutter 140 moves up and down, the up/down slide member 153a slides relative to the up/down slide member 153b, so the shutter 140 goes up and down.

The support section 160 is a member having a step-like cross section in the Y-axis direction (see FIG. 6(a)), and is installed on the mounting section 110. The regulating portion 130 is supported via a link mechanism 170 that will be described next.

The link mechanism 170 includes a link base 171, a link plate 172, two link bars 173, and a link roller 174.

The link base 171 and the link plate 172 are plate-shaped members and are connected by two link bars 173. The link base 171 is attached to the shutter 140, and the link plate 172 is attached to the support plate 131. A link roller 174 is rotatably provided at the bottom of the link plate 172. The link roller 174 contacts the lower horizontal surface of the support portion 160 . Note that the two link bars 173 are not illustrated in FIG. 3 but are illustrated in FIG. 4.

As described above, the shutter 140 is supported by the support section 160 via the horizontal slide members 122a and 122b. A link base 171 is attached to the shutter 140, and a link plate 172, which is connected to the link base 171 via a link bar 173, is attached to the support plate 131. The link base 171 and link plate 172 constitute a four-bar link with two link bars 173. With this link mechanism, the link plate 172 slides while maintaining a vertical state. This support plate 131 supports the regulating portion 130. Therefore, the regulating section 130 is supported by the shutter 140 via the link mechanism 170, and the regulating section 130 is supported by the supporting section 160 via the link mechanism 170.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the first state, the link bar 173 of the link mechanism 170 is horizontal to the mounting section 110. Therefore, the link base 171 and the link plate 172 are slightly separated from each other. In other words, the shutter 140 to which the link base 171 is attached is separated from the support plate 131 to which the link plate 172 is attached. Since the regulating part 130 is attached to the support plate 131, the shutter 140 and the regulating part 130 are spaced apart from each other.

The detection means 180 is a sensor provided on the Y-axis positive side of the pedestal 190. The detection means 180 detects that the wafer W has fallen from the second cassette 20 onto the transport path.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the first state, when the mounting section 110 is pulled out and located at the attachment/detachment position, the regulating section 130, the support plate 131, and the shutter 140 are also moved horizontally along with the mounting section 110. Move to. This is a state in which the regulating portion 130 is in contact with the wafer W, as shown in FIG. 2(a), particularly in the right-hand diagram of FIG. 2(a). Therefore, when taking out the second cassette 20 from the mounting section 110 and when placing the second cassette 20 on the mounting section 110, the operator only needs to put his/her hand into the area of the mounting section 110. This prevents the operator's hands from entering the transport path. Therefore, the operator can safely attach and detach the second cassette 20.

Next, a case will be described in which the storage device 100 is in the second state, that is, the placing section 110 is located at the storage position.

5 and 6(a) to 6(c) are perspective views showing the configuration of the storage device 100, and show the storage device 100 in the second state. 6(a) and 6(b) are enlarged views of the vicinity of the link mechanism, and the shutter 140 is omitted in FIG. 6(b). FIG. 6(c) is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 5. Furthermore, in FIGS. 5 and 6(a) to (c), the second cassette 20, the housing 103, the door 104, and the detection means 180 are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the placing section 110 is moved to the storage position, the linking member 121, the regulating section 130, the supporting plate 131, the shutter 140, and the supporting section 160 return to the state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. It moves horizontally together with the mounting section 110 while maintaining the same. At this time, as shown in FIG. 10(b), the transfer roller 121b of the linking member 121 that has moved horizontally together with the shutter 140 fits into the gap 152a of the receiving member 152. At this time, the width of the transfer roller 121b is set wide so that when the transfer roller 121b rolls on the base 190, it can continuously transfer onto the receiving member 152. Further, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the upper frame of the receiving member 152 and the shutter 140 do not interfere with each other.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, when the storage device 100 is in the second state, the link mechanism 170 is the same as in the first state, so the restriction part 130 and the shutter 140 are still separated. The regulating portion 130 is slightly spaced apart from the wafer W, and the regulating portion 130 is in contact with the wafer W. This is shown in FIG. 2(b), in which the regulating portion 130 is in contact with the wafer W.

In this way, when the placing part 110 horizontally moves from the first state to the second state, that is, from the attachment/detachment position to the storage position, the regulating part 130 and the shutter 140 do not change their positional relationship with each other. It moves horizontally together with the mounting section 110. Therefore, while the mounting section 110 is horizontally moving from the attachment/detachment position to the storage position, the regulating section 130 continues to be in contact with the wafer W. Therefore, there is no possibility that the wafer W will jump out from the second cassette 20 toward the supply area and fall. Moreover, since the shutter 140 closes the supply area side, it is reliably prevented that the operator's hand enters into the storage device 100.

Next, a description will be given of a state in which the storage device 100 is in a third state, that is, the placing portion 110 is located at the storage position and the shutter 140 is just opened.

7 and 8(a) to (c) are perspective views showing the configuration of the storage device 100, and show the storage device 100 in the third state. 8(a) and 8(b) are enlarged views of the vicinity of the link mechanism, and the shutter 140 is omitted in FIG. 8(b). FIG. 8(c) is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 11. Furthermore, in FIGS. 7 and 8(a) to (c), the second cassette 20, the housing 103, the door 104, and the detection means 180 are omitted.

When the mounting section 110 is positioned at the storage position, the storage apparatus 100 prepares to open the shutter 140 so that the wafer W can be supplied from the second cassette 20. Here, when the shutter 140 is moved up and down all at once, the regulating portion 130 is also moved up and down integrally with the shutter 140. Since the regulating section 130 is in contact with the wafer W, the regulating section 130 moves up and down while rubbing the wafer W. Since this causes deterioration in the quality of the wafer W, it is necessary to separate the wafer W from the regulating section 130 and then raise the shutter 140. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8(a) to (c), in preparation for opening the shutter 140 in the storage apparatus 100, the wafer W and the regulating part 130 are separated (third state).

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8(a) to (c), when a predetermined pressure is applied to the drive portion 151, the rod 151a moves up by a predetermined stroke. As a result, the receiving member 152 connected to the rod 151a moves up by a predetermined stroke while the transfer roller 121b of the linking member 121 is fitted. Since the member 121a of the linking member 121 is attached to the shutter 140, as the receiving member 152 rises, the linking member 121 and the shutter 140 move up integrally by a predetermined stroke. At this time, the shutter 140 is guided so as to be vertically movable by the vertical slide members 153a and 153b.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, a link base 171 is attached to the shutter 140. Therefore, when the shutter 140 rises, the link base 171 also rises, and the two link bars 173 (see FIG. 10(b)), which were maintained in the horizontal direction, rotate. At this time, a link roller 174 rotatably provided on the link plate 172 rolls on a horizontal surface at the bottom of the support portion 160 toward the positive side of the Y-axis, thereby moving the link plate 172 toward the positive side of the Y-axis. Since the link plate 172 is attached to the support plate 131, the support plate 131 also moves toward the positive side of the Y-axis. As a result, the regulating portion 130 supported by the support plate 131 moves slightly toward the positive side of the Y-axis from the state shown in FIGS. 5 and 6(a) to (c). The link plate 172 moves in the horizontal direction while maintaining a vertical state by the four-bar link. Then, the regulating section 130 also moves in the horizontal direction, and the regulating section 130 separates from the wafer W. Thereby, the regulating portion 130 can move away from the wafer W and then rise without coming into contact with the wafer W, that is, without shifting the position of the wafer W.

Next, a case will be described in which the storage device 100 is in a fourth state, that is, the placing section 110 is located at the storage position and the shutter 140 is opened.

9, 10(a), and (b) are perspective views showing the configuration of the storage device 100, and show the storage device 100 in the fourth state. FIG. 10(a) is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the link mechanism, and FIG. 10(b) is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 13. Further, in FIGS. 9, 10(a), and (b), the second cassette 20, the housing 103, the door 104, and the detection means 180 are omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 9, 10(a), and (b), when a predetermined pressure is continuously applied to the drive unit 151 from the third state, the rod 151a further moves up by a predetermined stroke. As a result, the transfer roller 121b of the linking member 121 is moved upward by a predetermined stroke while being fitted into the receiving member 152 connected to the rod 151a. Thereby, the shutter 140 is raised integrally with the regulating part 130, and the second storage part 102 can be opened to the supply area.

Note that the shutter 140 of the first storage section 101 moves downward. The first storage section 101 is composed of the same members and mechanisms as the second storage section 102. In the first storage section 101, the support section 160 and the link mechanism 170 are provided upside down from the support section 160 and the link mechanism 170 of the second storage section 102. Other configurations are provided similarly to the second storage section 102.

As described above, in the first storage section 101, the link mechanism 170 is provided in an upside-down state from the state in which it is provided in the second storage section 102. The link roller 174 of the second storage section 102 is stably positioned on the horizontal surface of the stepped portion of the support section 160 due to its own weight, even without providing a biasing member to the link mechanism 170.

On the other hand, in the first storage section 101, the link roller 174 is located below the horizontal surface of the stepped portion of the support section 160. Thereby, the link roller 174 becomes movable by its own weight. When the link roller 174 moves, the link plate 172 also moves, making the link mechanism 170 unstable. Therefore, the link mechanism 170 of the second storage section 102 is provided with a biasing member (not shown) for biasing the link roller 174 upward. Thereby, the link mechanism 170 of the first storage section 101 is stabilized.

With the storage device 100 configured as described above, when the placing section 110 is pulled out from each storage section toward the attachment/detachment position, the regulating section 130 and the shutter 140 are also pulled out. The same applies when returning the placing section 110 to the storage position. Therefore, while the mounting section 110 is moving, the regulating section 130 continues to face the wafer W, and it is possible to reliably prevent the wafer W from falling from the cassette. Further, when the placing section 110 is positioned at the attachment/detachment position, the back of each storage section is closed by the shutter 140, so that it is possible to prevent the operator from inserting his/her hand into the storage device 100.

Next, the drawer mechanism 200 will be explained.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are perspective views showing the configurations of the drawer mechanism 200 and the moving mechanism 300.

The pull-out mechanism 200 pulls out the wafers W from the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 in order to supply the wafers W to the transport path. The drawer mechanism 200 includes a hand 210, a drive mechanism 220, a guide section 230, an evacuation mechanism 240, and a sensor 250.

The hand 210 grips the periphery of the wafer W. The drive mechanism 220 moves the hand 210 in the horizontal direction.

The guide section 230 guides the wafer W pulled out from the cassette to the transport path while supporting it. The guide section 230 includes rails 231a and 231b, and guide support members 232a to 232c that support the rails 231a and 231b. The rails 231a and 231b are arranged on the positive and negative sides of the X-axis. Guide support members 232a and 232b are in contact with the lower portions of the rails 231a and 231b, respectively. A guide support member 232c is connected to the lower part of each of the guide support members 232a and 232b.

Further, the guide support members 232a to 232c are rectangular plate members. In FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), the guide support member 232a is divided into two parts, but it may be integrated into one body. When being transferred, interference between the hand 210 and a member that receives the wafer W at the transfer position (for example, a gripping member on the transport path side) is avoided.

The sensor 250 detects the wafer W to be supplied when the hand 210 pulls out the wafer W from the cassette. The hand 210, the sensor 250, and the retraction mechanism 240 are connected via a connecting member in this order from the Y-axis negative side. Further, the retraction mechanism 240 is arranged below the hand 210 and the sensor 250.

Moreover, the evacuation mechanism 240 is specifically an air cylinder. When a predetermined pressure is applied to the evacuation mechanism 240 from the air cylinder driving section 405, the evacuation mechanism 240, the hand 210 and the sensor 250 connected via the connecting member move downward integrally. Note that the air cylinder drive section 405 is illustrated in FIG. 14(a).

The drive mechanism 220 horizontally moves the wafer W held by the hand 210. The drive mechanism 220 includes a pull-out guide section 221 that moves the wafer W in the horizontal direction, and a moving member 222 that moves the pull-out guide section 221. As shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), the drawer guide portion 221 is arranged in a space surrounded by guide support members 232a to 232c, and is attached to the guide support member 232c. Furthermore, a retraction mechanism 240 is attached to the moving member 222.

In the pull-out mechanism 200, when the moving member 222 moves the pull-out guide part 221 in the horizontal direction, the retracting mechanism 240, the sensor 250, the hand 210, the guide part 230, and the wafer W move integrally in the horizontal direction.

The moving mechanism 300 moves the drawer mechanism 200 up and down between the first storage section 101 and the second storage section 102. The moving mechanism 300 includes an elevating guide 310 that moves the drawer mechanism 200 up and down, and an elevating member 320 that moves the elevating guide 310 up and down.

The elevating member 320 is attached to the guide support member 232b. In the moving mechanism 300, when the elevating member 320 moves on the elevating guide 310, the drawer mechanism 200 moves up and down integrally via the elevating member 320.

Next, the supply of the wafer W to the transport path by the substrate supply system 1 will be explained. Here, the substrate supply system 1 will be described assuming that the wafer W is supplied to the transport path 500.

Further, in this embodiment, the wafers W stored in the lowest part of the first cassette 10 stored in the first storage section 101 are sequentially supplied to the transport path.

12(a) to 13(b) are perspective views showing the configuration of the substrate supply system 1 and the transport path 500. 12(a) shows a case where the wafer W is pulled out by the drawing mechanism 200, and FIG. 12(b) shows a case where drawing out of the wafer W by the drawing mechanism 200 is completed. 13(a) shows the drawing mechanism 200 immediately before delivering the wafer W to the delivery position of the transport path 500, and FIG. 13(b) shows the state immediately before the delivery of the wafer W to the delivery position of the transport path 500 It shows the case.

Note that in FIGS. 12(a) to 13(b), the shutters 140 provided in the first storage section 101 and the second storage section 102 are open.

As shown in FIGS. 12(a) to 13(b), the conveyance path 500 includes a conveyance mechanism 510, two conveyance rails 520, a guide member 530, and a conveyance hand 540. The transfer hand 540 grips the wafer W delivered from the substrate supply system 1 . A transport hand 540 is attached to the transport rail 520 guide member 530, and when the transport mechanism 510 is driven, the guide member 530 moves along the guide of the transport mechanism 510. Thereby, the wafer W is transported along the transport rail 520.

As shown in FIG. 12(a), the moving mechanism 300 integrally moves the drawer mechanism 200 downward and positions it at a predetermined height position. At this time, the moving mechanism 300 integrally moves the pull-out mechanism 200 to a position where the hand 210 faces the wafer W to be supplied stored in the first cassette 10 or the second cassette 20. Then, the hand 210 positioned at the height of the wafer W to be supplied is moved by the drive mechanism 220 to the Y-axis negative side and grips the wafer W to be supplied. At this time, the sensor 250 detects the wafer W to be supplied. This operation of the substrate supply system 1 is referred to as a "pull-out operation."

As shown in FIG. 12(b), when the wafer W is gripped by the hand 210, the drive mechanism 220 pulls out the wafer W toward the positive side of the Y-axis. The drawn-out wafer W is supported by the rails 231a and 231b and positioned at the drawn-out position while being guided. At this time, the hand 210 is holding the wafer W. This operation of the substrate supply system 1 is referred to as a "draw-out completion operation."

As shown in FIG. 13(a), when the wafer W is positioned at the pull-out position, the moving mechanism 300 integrally moves the pull-out mechanism 200 upward. At this time, the moving mechanism 300 integrally moves the pull-out mechanism 200 so that the height positions of the rails 231a and 231b match the height position of the transport rail 520 of the transport path 500. Furthermore, the hand 210 is in a state where it is gripping the wafer W. This operation of the substrate supply system 1 is referred to as a "delivery preparation operation."

As shown in FIG. 13B, when the rails 231a and 231b of the pull-out mechanism 200 are positioned at the height of the transport rail 520, that is, at the delivery position, the hand 210 releases the wafer W. Then, a predetermined pressure is applied to the evacuation mechanism 240, and the hand 210 and the sensor 250 move below the transport rail 520. Thereby, hand 210 and sensor 250 do not interfere with transport hand 540. Note that in this state, the wafer W is still supported by the rails 231a and 231b. This operation of the substrate supply system 1 is referred to as a "transfer completion operation."

When the hand 210 releases the wafer W, the guide member 530 to which the transfer hand 540 is attached moves along the guide of the transfer mechanism by driving the transfer mechanism 510, and the transfer hand 540 grips the wafer W. The wafer W is then transported to a predetermined location while being supported by the transport rails 520.

As described above, the substrate supply system 1 supplies the wafer W to the transport path. The substrate supply system 1 repeatedly performs the above-described withdrawal operation, withdrawal completion operation, delivery preparation operation, and delivery completion operation while there are wafers W to be supplied.

In this embodiment, when all the wafers W stored in the first cassette 10 are supplied to the transport path, the pull-out mechanism 200 and the moving mechanism 300 move the wafers W stored in the second cassette 102 The wafer W is pulled out from the cassette 20 and supplied to the transport path. At this time, similarly to when the wafers W were pulled out from the first cassette 10, the pull-out mechanism 200 and the moving mechanism 300 pull out the wafers W stored in the lowest part of the second cassette 20 in order.

While the substrate supply system 1 is pulling out the wafer W from the second cassette 20 and supplying it to the transport path, the operator opens the door 104 of the first storage section 101 and closes the loading section of the first storage section 101. 110 in the Y-axis negative direction, and position the mounting section 110 at the attachment/detachment position. Then, the operator takes out the first cassette 10 from the placement section 110 of the first storage section 101, stores a new wafer W in the first cassette 10, and transfers the wafer W to the placement section 110 of the first storage section 101. 110, the first storage section 101 can be positioned at the storage position again. In this way, even while the first cassette is being taken out from the first storage section 101, the wafer W is being pulled out from the second cassette 20 and the operation of supplying it to the transport path is continued. Therefore, the operating rate of the substrate supply system 1 can be increased.

The wafer W may be transferred on the transport path by holding the wafer W by hand, as described above, or by suctioning and holding the wafer W by, for example, a member equipped with a suction pad.

[Supplying operation of board supply system]
Next, the operation of supplying the wafer W by the substrate supply system 1 will be described. FIG. 14(a) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the substrate supply system 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 14(a), the substrate supply system 1 includes a storage device 100, a drawer mechanism 200, a movement mechanism 300, and further includes a control section 400, an input section 401, a detection section 402, , is provided. It also includes a drawer guide drive unit 403, a lift guide drive unit 404, and an air cylinder drive unit 405, which are drive units for the drawer guide unit 221, the lift guide 310, and the evacuation mechanism 240, respectively.

The control unit 400 includes an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU, and memory such as a ROM, RAM, and hard disk. The control section controls each section according to a program stored in the memory.

The input unit 401 receives a start when the substrate supply system 1 supplies the wafer W to the transport path. The detection unit 402 detects the position of the wafer W to be supplied in the substrate supply system 1 . Further, the detection unit 402 may be configured to detect that the wafer W is supplied to the transport path. The detection unit 402 can use, for example, a sensor, an imaging device, or the like.

FIG. 14(b) is a flowchart showing the operation of the substrate supply system 1 according to this embodiment. This control is executed by the control unit 400 shown in FIG. 14(a). Here, similarly to the above, the operation when the wafer W is supplied from the substrate supply system 1 to the transport path 500 will be described.

Moreover, in the flowchart of FIG. 14(b), "start" is the point in time when the input unit accepts the start of supplying the wafer W to the transport path. Note that a first cassette 10 and a second cassette 20 containing wafers W are stored in the first storage part 101 and the second storage part 102 of the storage apparatus 100, respectively. Further, the wafers W housed in the lowermost part of the first cassette 10 are sequentially supplied to the upper wafers W.

In step S11, the elevating guide drive unit 404 drives the elevating guide 310 to move the pull-out mechanism 200 to the height position of the wafer W to be supplied, and the sensor 250 is caused to detect the wafer W to be supplied. This is the above-described withdrawal operation and corresponds to the state shown in FIG. 12(a).

In step S12, when the sensor 250 detects the wafer W to be supplied, the control unit 400 causes the pull-out guide drive unit 403 to drive the hand 210 to grip the wafer W to be supplied, pull it out in the horizontal direction, and pull it out. position. This is the above-described withdrawal completion operation and corresponds to the state shown in FIG. 12(b).

In step S13, the control unit 400 causes the elevation guide drive unit 404 to drive the elevation guide 310, and positions the pull-out mechanism 200 at the height of the transport rail 520 of the transport path 500. This is the above-mentioned delivery preparation operation and corresponds to the state shown in FIG. 13(a).

In step S14, when the detection unit 402 detects that the wafer W is located at the height of the transport rail 520, the control unit 400 causes the pull-out guide drive unit 403 to drive the hand 210, and Gripping of the wafer W is stopped. Then, the control unit 400 causes the air cylinder drive unit 405 to apply a predetermined pressure to the retraction mechanism 240, and moves the hand 210 downward. This avoids interference between the hand 210 and the transport hand 540. This is the above-described transfer completion operation and corresponds to the state shown in FIG. 13(b).

After step S14, the wafer W is delivered to the transport path 500 (see FIG. 13(b)) and transported to a predetermined location. In step S15, when the detection unit 402 detects that the delivery of the wafer W is completed, the control unit 400 determines whether the wafer W to be supplied is in the first cassette 10 or the second cassette 20. . If there is a wafer W to be supplied (S15; YES), each operation of steps S11 to S14 described above is repeatedly executed. If there is no wafer W to be supplied (S15; NO), the supply of the wafer W to the transport path by the substrate supply system 1 ends.

Note that the substrate supply system 1 may be configured to include a display unit that displays the status of the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20. For example, if a display screen (not shown) is connected to the substrate supply system 1, and there are unprocessed wafers W remaining in both the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20, that is, the wafers W to be supplied remain, the display "Processing" is displayed on the screen. This display allows the operator to understand that the wafer W is being supplied to the transport path from the first cassette 10 or the second cassette 20.

Further, when the first cassette 10 is empty, or when the planned number of wafers W has been supplied to the transport path, and unprocessed wafers W remain in the second cassette 20, "First cassette 10: Processing completed" is displayed. With this display, the operator immediately takes out the first cassette 10 from the first storage section 101, stores a new wafer W in the first cassette 10, and then moves the first cassette 10 back into the first storage section. 101.

Furthermore, when the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 are empty, or when the planned number of wafers W have been supplied to the transport path, "processing complete" is displayed. This display allows the operator to understand that the supply of wafers W has been completed.

In this way, when the display section is provided, the operator can quickly grasp the status of the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 stored in the storage device 100, so that the operator can work smoothly. be able to.

When the substrate supply system 1 is configured as described above, as shown in FIGS. 12(a) to 13(b), the pull-out mechanism 200 extracts wafers from the second cassette stored in the second storage section 102. If the first cassette 10 is empty while the W is being pulled out and supplied to the conveyance path, the operator pulls out the loading section 110 from the first storage section 101 and places the first cassette 10 in the loading section. The wafer W to be supplied is taken out from the cassette 110 and placed in the first cassette 10 . Then, the first cassette 10 can be stored in the first storage section 101 again. As a result, when all the wafers W are supplied from the first cassette 10 to the transport path, the wafers W are accommodated in the first cassette 10 without temporarily stopping the supply operation by the pull-out mechanism 200, and the wafers W are It can be stored in the storage section 101. Therefore, the wafers W can be continuously supplied to the transport path from the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20, and the operating rate of the substrate supply system 1 can be increased.

Further, the wafer W supplied from the second cassette 20 to the transport path may be processed by a predetermined device and then returned to the second cassette 20 through the same transport path. In this case, after all the wafers W supplied from the second cassette 20 to the transport path have returned to the second cassette 20, the second cassette 20 is taken out from the second storage section 102, and the second cassette 20 is removed from the second cassette 20. The processed wafer W can be recovered from the wafer W, the unprocessed wafer W can be stored in the second cassette 20, and the unprocessed wafer W can be stored in the second storage section 102 again.

Further, the substrate supply system 1 does not move the storage device 100 in the vertical or horizontal directions. In general, semiconductor wafers are thin, brittle, and susceptible to impact. Therefore, when the storage apparatus 100 moves, there is a possibility that the wafers W to be supplied may be damaged due to shaking or vibration. In this regard, in the substrate supply system 1, the wafer W is pulled out by the pull-out mechanism 200 and the moving mechanism 300. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the wafers W from being damaged within the storage apparatus 100.

Further, the drawer mechanism 200 includes rails 231a and 231b. Thereby, when the hand 210 pulls out the wafer W, the wafer W is pulled out while being supported by the rails 231a and 231b. Therefore, the wafer W can be pulled out smoothly.

Furthermore, in the storage device 100, the first storage section 101 and the second storage section 102 are arranged side by side in the stacking direction of the wafers W. Thereby, the pull-out mechanism 200 can be moved only in the stacking direction, and the hand 210 can be positioned on the wafers W of the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20. Therefore, the configuration and control of the moving mechanism 300 can be simplified.

Further, in the substrate supply system 1, the stacking direction is the vertical direction. Thereby, the wafers W can be housed in the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 in a stable state. Further, the wafer W can be stably drawn out from the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 in the horizontal direction.

Further, in the substrate supply system 1, wafers W are supplied from the first cassette 10 of the first storage section 101. In other words, the drawer mechanism 200 moves in one direction from the bottom to the top without moving back and forth in the stacking direction. Therefore, when the first cassette 10 becomes empty, the first cassette 10 is promptly taken out from the storage device 100, a new wafer W is stored in the first cassette 10, and the first cassette 10 is placed in the first storage again. It can be stored in the section 101. Therefore, the supply of wafers W is performed smoothly and efficiently.

Note that the wafers W may be supplied from the second cassette 20. In this case, the wafers W may be supplied in order from the top of the second cassette 20 so that the pull-out mechanism 200 moves in one direction in the stacking direction.

Further, in the substrate supply system 1, when supplying the wafers W from the first cassette 10 of the first storage section 101, the wafers W are supplied in order from the wafer W accommodated at the bottom of the first cassette 10. . Thereby, the wafers W can be efficiently supplied to the transport path from one cassette. Therefore, the work cycle is such that an empty cassette or a cassette containing processed wafers W is taken out from the storage device 100, unprocessed wafers W are stored in the cassette, and the cassette is stored in the storage device 100 again. can be accelerated.

<Effects of embodiment>
As shown in FIG. 3, the regulating section 130 is supported by the mounting section 110 via a supporting section 160 and a link mechanism 170. Therefore, the regulating section 130 moves integrally with the movement of the placing section 110 in the horizontal direction. Therefore, while the cassette and the mounting section 110 are horizontally moved from the attachment/detachment position to the storage position, the restriction section 130 comes into contact with the portion of the wafer W housed in the cassette on the supply area side. Thereby, it is possible to reliably prevent the wafer W from jumping out from the cassette to the supply area side and falling during the movement of the mounting section 110.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the loading section 110 is positioned at the loading/unloading position, the entrance/exit of the loading section 110 is blocked by the shutter 140. It is possible to prevent hands from being inserted into the storage device 100.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8(a) to 8(c), when the regulating section 130 is raised or lowered to open the supply area side of the second storage section 102, the regulating section 130 is removed from the wafer W. It can be evacuated to the supply area side. Therefore, the regulating portion 130 can be prevented from moving up and down while rubbing against the wafer W, and the wafer W can be prevented from being damaged.

In addition, since the elevating mechanism 150 for elevating and lowering the shutter 140 is also used for elevating and lowering the regulating section 130, the mechanical system and control system can be simplified.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6(a) to (c), when the placing section 110 moves to the storage position, the linking member 121 attached to the shutter 140 fits into the receiving member 152 on the lifting mechanism 150 side. Thus, the elevating mechanism 150 and the shutter 140 are linked. Thereby, the shutter 140 can be smoothly raised and lowered by the raising and lowering mechanism 150 in the storage position.

Further, since the transfer roller 121b is also used as the linking member 121, the configuration can be simplified. Further, in the storage position, the transfer roller 121b fits into the receiving member 152 to restrict movement of the linking member 121, so that the placing portion 110 can be appropriately positioned in the storage position.

In this embodiment, the storage device 100 is configured to have two storage sections, but three or more storage sections may be provided.

Further, the wafer W supplied to the transport path may be configured to return to the cassette in which it was housed before being supplied. In this case, the wafer W is delivered to the hand 210 of the pull-out mechanism 200 from the transport path at the delivery position. The moving mechanism 300 positions the pull-out mechanism 200 at a position before the wafer W is supplied. Then, the wafer W is inserted into the cassette by the pull-out mechanism 200.

With this configuration, the wafers W that have been subjected to a predetermined process can be collected all at once and moved to another process.

Furthermore, the storage device 100 described above can be combined with a plurality of units that process wafers to configure the substrate processing device 30.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 30 including the substrate supply system 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, the substrate processing apparatus 30 includes a scribing unit 40 that forms scribe lines on the surface of the wafer W, a film laminating unit 50 that affixes a film to the surface of the wafer W on which the scribe lines are formed, and a film laminating unit 50 that affixes a film to the surface of the wafer W on which the scribe line is formed. an inversion unit 60 that inverts the wafer W so that the surface to which the film is attached is on the lower side; and a break unit 70 that divides the wafer W along the scribe line by applying a predetermined force to the surface to which no film is attached. and a transport section 80 that transports the wafer W to a predetermined position. In FIG. 15, the substrate supply system 1 is covered with a housing. In the substrate processing apparatus 30 having the above configuration, the substrate supply system 1 smoothly supplies wafers W, so that the operating rate of the apparatus can be reduced. can be increased.

The embodiments of the present invention can be appropriately modified in various ways within the scope of the technical idea shown in the claims.

1...Substrate supply system 10...First cassette 20...Second cassette 30...Substrate processing device 40...Scribe unit 50...Film laminating unit 60...Reversing unit 70...Break unit 80...Transportation section 110...Placement section 120... Moving part 121...Linking member 121b...Transfer roller 130...Regulating part 140...Shutter 150...Elevating mechanism 152...Receiving member 170...Link mechanism 180...Detecting means W...Substrate (wafer)

Claims (8)

A storage device for storing a cassette in which a plurality of substrates are pulled out from a cassette in which a plurality of substrates are stacked in a drawable manner and subjected to a processing step, the storage device comprising:
a mounting section on which the cassette is removably mounted;
a moving unit that horizontally moves the mounting unit between the cassette attachment/detachment position and the cassette storage position;
a regulating section that is movably supported by the mounting section, faces a rear end surface of the cassette placed on the mounting section , and restricts the substrate from jumping out from the cassette to the rear side ; A storage device characterized by comprising: The storage device according to claim 1,
The regulating section is supported by a support section via a link mechanism that causes the regulating section to approach and move away from the rear end surface of the cassette as the regulating section moves up and down.
A storage device characterized by: The storage device according to claim 1 or 2,
a shutter that is movably supported by the mounting section on the back side of the regulating section ;
an elevating mechanism for elevating and lowering the shutter in the storage position;
The regulating portion is integrally supported by the shutter.
A storage device characterized by: The storage device according to claim 3,
The elevating mechanism includes a receiving member that is driven in the vertical direction,
The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the shutter is integrally provided with a linking member that fits into the receiving member in the storage position. The storage device according to claim 4,
a transfer roller that is integrally provided with the shutter and that transfers the mounting section between the attachment/detachment position and the storage position;
The transfer roller constitutes the linking member,
The storage device according to claim 1, wherein when the placement section moves to the storage position, the transfer roller fits into the receiving member. The storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A storage device comprising: a detection means for detecting whether or not the substrate has protruded from the cassette. The storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
a first storage section that removably stores the first cassette;
a second storage section that removably stores the second cassette;
A storage device characterized in that, while the substrate is being pulled out from the first cassette and subjected to a processing step, the second cassette is taken out from the second storage section. A storage device for storing a cassette in order to pull out a substrate from a cassette in which a plurality of substrates are stacked and housed in a drawable manner and use it for a processing process, the storage device comprising:
a mounting section on which the cassette is removably mounted;
a moving unit that horizontally moves the mounting unit between the cassette attachment/detachment position and the cassette storage position;
a regulating section that is movably supported by the mounting section, faces a rear end surface of the cassette placed on the mounting section , and restricts the substrate from jumping out from the cassette to the rear side ; A storage device comprising;
a scribe unit that forms scribe lines on the surface of the substrate;
a film laminating unit that attaches a film to the surface of the substrate on which the scribe line is formed;
an inversion unit that inverts the substrate so that the surface to which the film is attached faces downward;
a break unit that divides the substrate along the scribe line by applying a predetermined force to the surface to which the film is not attached;
A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a transport section that transports the substrate to a predetermined position.

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