JPH0130732B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improvement in a wafer transfer device that utilizes the air bearing effect. For example, an air bearing used in the manufacture of semiconductor integrated circuits is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 51-37484.

Conventionally, wafers have been manufactured by providing a large number of air jet holes on the top surface of the main body to transfer the semiconductor wafer in a predetermined direction using the air bearing effect, and with guide walls arranged on both sides of the transfer path on the top surface of the main body to guide the transfer of the wafer. A transfer device has been proposed. This type of equipment is useful because it allows semiconductor wafers to be transferred in a predetermined direction without touching the semiconductor wafers by human hands or specific equipment, but in conventional equipment of this type, the transfer path is open to the outside air. Therefore, there is a drawback that dust in the air and dust on the wafer are blown up by the ejected air and adhere to the wafer again, contaminating it.

The gist of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor wafer transfer device having a transfer path for transferring a semiconductor wafer in a predetermined transfer direction using an air bearing effect, in which a plurality of air An ejection hole and a plurality of exhaust holes are provided, the air ejection hole is provided closer to the center of the transfer path in a relative positional relationship with the air ejection hole, and the exhaust hole is provided in a relative positional relationship with the air ejection hole. The semiconductor wafer transfer device is characterized in that the semiconductor wafer transfer device is provided near both ends of the transfer path.

Note that "the air jet holes are provided closer to the center of the transfer path in a relative positional relationship with the exhaust holes" means, for example, as shown in FIG. , 14a
It means that it is installed inside (closer to the center).

"The exhaust holes are provided near both ends of the transfer path in a relative positional relationship with the air jet holes" means, for example, as shown in FIG.
The exhaust holes 12a, 14a are air jet holes 16a,
This means that 16a and 18b are provided on the outside of 18a (near both ends), respectively.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new dust-proof wafer transfer device that eliminates such drawbacks.

One of the features of the present invention is that exhaust grooves are provided on both sides of the wafer transfer path to prevent blowing air from being rolled up, and another feature is that the wafer transfer path is sealed from the outside air with a cover member. Another feature is that a forced exhaust hole is provided at the exhaust port to compensate for the reduction in transfer speed due to the sealing of the transfer path and to discharge air from the exhaust groove. By following these features, it is possible to prevent dust from adhering to the wafer without reducing the wafer transfer speed, thereby realizing clean air bearing transfer. That is, dust in the air is prevented by installing the cover member, and dust attached to the wafer and blown away by the ejected air is forced out of the transfer path through the exhaust hole. Moreover, if the cover member is simply installed, the pressure in the transfer path will increase and the transfer speed will decrease; however, in the present invention, the airflow is actively strengthened by forced exhaust, so the transfer speed is reduced. Instead of decreasing, it is actually increasing.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to a transfer path of a wafer transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2a and 2b are longitudinal cross-sectional views along the transfer path. In these figures, reference numeral 10 denotes an apparatus main body, and a large number of air ejection holes 16a, 18a are formed on the upper surface of the apparatus in order to transfer the semiconductor wafer 20 in a predetermined direction by an air bearing effect. The air jet holes 16a and 18a communicate with air supply passages 16 and 18 that extend inside the main body along the transfer direction, respectively. Guide walls 10 are provided on both sides of the wafer 20 transfer path.
a and 10b are arranged to guide the transfer of the wafer 20. A cover member 22 is removably attached to the upper part of these guide walls 10a, 10b to seal the transfer path from outside air. Moreover, the guide walls 10a, 1
Dust collection grooves 24 and 26 are formed along the inside of the grooves 0b, and jet holes 16a and 18 are formed along the transfer path at the bottom of each of these grooves 24 and 26, respectively.
A large number of exhaust holes 12a, 14a are provided with angles opposite to a. These exhaust holes 12a, 14
a communicates with exhaust passages 12 and 14 that extend along the transfer path within the main body 10, respectively. Dust collection groove 2
4 and 26 are provided to further increase the dust collection effect, and do not necessarily need to be provided. In that case, the exhaust holes 12a and 14a are replaced by the ejection holes 16a and
It will be provided on the same plane as 18a.

In the operation of the device configured as described above, air A is pressurized into the air supply paths 16 and 18 as shown by the arrow, and the exhaust paths 12 and 14 are forcibly evacuated by drawing a vacuum V as shown by the arrow. I do. Then, the wafer 20 is exposed to the ejection holes 1 which are inclined in the forward direction.
It is transported while being held in the air by air jetted from 6a and 18a. Then, the ejected air is sucked into the exhaust holes 12a, 14a and exhausted.
The reason why the exhaust holes 12a and 14a are formed so as to have an inclination opposite to that of the jetting holes 16a and 18a with respect to the advancing direction of the wafer 20 is because the jetted air is sucked in and exhausted in an arcuate trajectory, and the wafer 20 is This is to further promote the progress of 20.

In the above operation, the cover member 22
The presence of this prevents dust from entering from the outside air,
Further, dust adhering to the wafer 20 is also removed by the air cleaner effect. Therefore, clean wafer transfer is possible. Furthermore, since the transport air flow is actively formed by forced exhaust, high-speed wafer transport is possible.

Although the apparatus of the present invention is particularly useful for automatically transferring semiconductor wafers where dust adhesion is extremely difficult, it is needless to say that the application is not limited thereto, and may be used for other wafer-like objects (for example, for semiconductor wafer exposure). It is clear that it can also be effectively used for transporting masks, thick film substrates, thin film substrates, etc.).

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a wafer transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS.
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the transfer path of the illustrated device; Explanation of symbols, 10... Main body, 12, 14... Exhaust path, 16, 18... Air supply path, 20... Wafer,
22...Cover member, 24, 26...Dust collecting groove.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a semiconductor wafer transfer device having a transfer path for transferring a semiconductor wafer in a predetermined transfer direction using an air bearing effect, a plurality of air jet holes and a plurality of air ejection holes are provided along the predetermined transfer direction of the transfer path. An exhaust hole is provided, the air ejection hole is provided closer to the center of the transfer path relative to the exhaust hole, and the exhaust hole is provided on both sides of the transfer path relative to the air ejection hole. A semiconductor wafer transfer device characterized in that each device is provided near an end.