JPH0126107Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a carrier for photomask substrates, silicon wafers, etc. used in manufacturing semiconductor devices such as ICs and LSIs.

(Prior Art) A photomask substrate or a silicon wafer is used for fine photo etching, and it is extremely difficult for people to touch the surface of the substrate. Therefore, these substrates are transported and stored with great care, and during transportation, workers hold the edges of the substrates to avoid touching the surfaces of the substrates.

Conventionally, photomask substrates were 76 to 127 mm square, so they were carried by holding the edges as described above, and there was no special jig for the purpose of carrying them.

By the way, the inventor of this application proposed the invention of Utility Model Application No. 186600/1983 in view of the prior art. This idea is
A handle is rotatably attached to the base of a semicircular or U-shaped frame, and support rings are provided at the tip of the frame and inside the handle, and the two support rings hold the periphery of the photomask board. The substrate was held by utilizing the downward rotational force sometimes generated at the tip of the frame.

(Problem that the invention seeks to solve) If the board was small enough to allow the periphery of the board to be grasped with one hand, a transport jig would not have been necessary.
When the board is 150 to 250 square or 150 to 250 round, it is difficult to grip the edge of the board with one hand, so you have to hold the board with both hands, but in this case it becomes unstable and the board surface This caused the product to be touched or dropped.

Furthermore, it is difficult to hold a silicon wafer by supporting it at a single point, such as with tweezers, and even if it is possible to hold it, internal distortion due to the wafer's own weight causes defects.

Furthermore, in the device proposed by the inventor of the present application, the weight of the frame was used to support the substrate, so a substrate placed vertically could be transported;
There was a problem that it was difficult to take out and transport substrates placed on a flat surface.

The present invention is a jig for transporting photomask substrates or silicon wafers without touching the substrate surface with fingertips, and the jig is capable of taking out and transporting the substrate whether it is vertical or flat. ,
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a transport jig that can be used manually by an operator when a handle is attached, and that can be attached to an industrial robot without making any changes.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and consists of a handle fitting rotatably attached to the base of a semicircular or U-shaped frame. This is a conveying tool in which a support ring having engagement grooves in vertical and horizontal directions is attached to the inside of the frame tip and the handle fitting, and the frame tip and the handle fitting are biased in a direction toward each other.

(Function) When the peripheral edge of the photomask board is brought into contact with the support ring of the handle and the frame, the board is held vertically or horizontally, but the board is held vertically or horizontally by the biasing means installed between the frame and the handle. It is held firmly.

(Example) Figure 1 shows a jig for transporting a square substrate.
The frame body 1 is made of metal and has a U-shaped front shape.
The open part faces downward, and a handle fitting 2 is rotatably coupled to one end with a pivot 3. Support wheels 4, 4 are attached with pins 5, 5 to the tip of the frame 1 and to the inner protrusion 2a of the handle fitting 2, which faces this portion. The support wheel 4 is made of plastic.
For example, Teflon is used, and a shaft hole 41 into which the pin 5 is inserted and an upper groove 42 into which the frame 1 is inserted perpendicularly to the shaft hole are formed on the upper front side.
Furthermore, a valley engagement groove 43 having a small diameter at the center is formed below the shaft hole 41. In addition, the support ring 4 has a shaft hole 4.
When viewed from the front, a front engagement groove 44 is formed further below the valley engagement groove 43, and a cutout 45 is formed on the side of the front engagement groove 44.

The support ring 4 is fixed with the pin 5 by inserting the frame body 1 or the handle metal fitting 2 into the upper groove 42, but the support ring 4 is installed so that the front engagement groove 44 faces both the frame body and the handle metal fitting. It is necessary to be When the photomask substrate A is held in a vertical position, it is supported by the valley engagement grooves 43, and when it is held in a flat position, it is supported by the front engagement grooves 44.

Near the attachment point between the frame body 1 and the handle fitting 2 by the pivot 3, there are support rings 4, 4 of the frame body and the handle fitting.
A spring 6 is attached so that the springs 6 are biased inwardly toward each other. Further, the frame body 1 is provided with an outer protruding portion 1a extending from the mounting portion of the pivot 3 toward the handle fitting 2, and a push fitting 7 is attached to this outer protruding portion 1a.

In addition, on the frame 1, auxiliary support wheels 8, 8 are provided with pins 9, 8 at appropriate intervals between the pivot 3 and the support ring 4.
Installed in 9. Since the auxiliary support ring 8 is used to hold the substrate in a vertical position, it is only necessary to form a valley engagement portion 10 having a small diameter in the center.

The photomask substrates A are housed in a case or the like, but in order to transport them one by one to another location, hold the handle fitting 2 in your hand and use the pusher fitting 7 to move the frame 1 around the pivot 3. The supporting wheels 4, 4 are brought into contact with the periphery of the substrate A to be transported. When the substrate A is conveyed in a vertical position, the peripheral edge of the substrate is locked by the valley engagement groove 43 of the support ring 4, while when the substrate is conveyed in a flat position, the peripheral edge of the substrate is locked by the front engagement groove 44. However, the substrate is transported to a desired location without falling due to the pressing force of the support wheels 4, 4 against the substrate due to the action of the spring 6.

Although the handle parts attached to the handle fitting 2 are omitted in FIG. 1, a member having an easy-to-grip shape is normally attached to the handle fitting as a handle part. Further, this device can be attached to an automatic conveyance machine such as an industrial robot without making any changes, and in this case, the handle fitting 2 is attached to the conveyance machine.

In the embodiment, a rectangular frame was explained. The apparatus of this embodiment can transport square photomask substrates both vertically and horizontally, and can transport round substrates horizontally. Further, for a round substrate, the frame can be formed into a semicircle, but in this case, the only difference is the shape of the frame, and the other structures remain the same.

(Effects of the invention) This invention has a rotatable frame for the handle, and a support ring with vertical and horizontal engagement grooves attached to the tip of the frame and inside the handle. Therefore, the photomask substrate can be held and transported in both vertical and horizontal directions.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the whole assembly, Figure 2 is a front view of the same, Figure 3 is a support wheel, A is a front view, B is a partially cutaway side view, Figure 4 is an auxiliary support wheel, A is a front view, and B is a partially cutaway side view. 1... Frame body, 2... Handle fitting, 3... Pivot, 4
... Support ring, 5 ... Pin, 6 ... Spring, 7 ... Push metal fitting, 8 ... Auxiliary support ring, 9 ... Pin, 10 ...
...Trough engaging portion, 1a...Outer protrusion, 2a...Inner protrusion, 41...Shaft hole, 42...Top groove, 43
...Trough engagement groove, 44...Front engagement groove, 45...
Cutout section.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A handle fitting is rotatably attached to the base of a U-shaped or semicircular frame body, and a support ring having engagement grooves formed vertically and horizontally is attached to the tip of the frame body and the inside of the handle fitting. A conveyor for photomask substrates, etc., in which a biasing member is attached between the frame and the handle in the direction in which the support wheels approach each other.