JPH02110047A - Wafer carrying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To supply and take out a wafer with one motor by fixing a spring to a carrying arm so that a linear guide is pulled through a stainless belt, and regulating the angle between the carrying arm and a rotation arm. CONSTITUTION:The linear guide 7; to which the roller 8, touching the cam 6 provided to a rotation arm 3, is mounted; is pulled with a spring 11 through a stainless belt 9, and stopped with the roller 8, mounted to the guide 7, touching the cam 6. The angle between a carrying arm 1 and the arm 3 is decided with the position of the roller 8, and when the arm 3 is rotated, since the roller 8 is always pushed to the cam 6 with the spring 11, the arm 1 changes the angle with the arm 3 according to the curve of the cam 6 and moves describing a certain locus. Consequently a wafer can be carried from one direction to another one with one motor without using a gear and utilizing a cam curve.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Use Minute Hand) The invention is applicable to semiconductor manufacturing equipment such as Avorl, which deposits #golds on silicon wafers using plasma, for example. The present invention relates to a wafer transport device for supplying and removing wafers to and from a reaction chamber.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a conventional wafer transfer device called a frog leg system. 1 is a transfer arm on which a wafer is placed, and is connected to a telescopic adjacent vehicle 20b via a shaft 191k19b. The telescoping gears have the same shape, are fixed to the telescoping arms 21 & 21b, and mesh with each other. Telescopic arm 21sJ! lb is a rotatable 1 bite zb
1 and 2ki are connected to the telescopic arm 2 via.

The telescopic arm 21c is fixed to the telescopic gear (9) by a shaft 19a, and the telescopic arm 21d is fixed to the telescopic gear 20d by a shaft +9d. The telescopic gears 20cx2oa have the same shape and mesh with each other. The telescopic gear meshes with the drive gear 4, and the drive gear 23 is connected to the motor 24.
Rotate by a.

Next, the operation of the apparatus consisting of the rotation mechanism 6 and the motor for rotating the entire structure about the center of the shaft 19i will be explained. The wafer is placed on the transfer arm 1 and placed in the cassette chamber. It is transported to the reaction chamber. motor 2
When 4a operates, the drive gears rotate. drive gear n
When the telescopic gear 19e rotates, the telescopic gear 19e and the shaft 19e rotate. Since the telescoping gear 200 meshes with another telescoping gear Jd, the telescoping gear "A) d and the shaft +9d rotate. 1 to the shaft 19
The rotation directions of 9d are opposite to each other.

As described above, when the axis 9α19d rotates, the axis 1.9Q1
Rotate around 9d. When the telescoping arms 21c to 21d rotate upward in the figure, the telescoping arms 21 & 21b close, and the transport arm 1 extends upward. Conversely, when the extension arms 21c and 21d rotate downward in the figure, the transport arm 1 contracts downward. Furthermore, by operating the motor 24b to drive the rotation mechanism δ when the transport arm l is retracted, the direction in which the transport arm extends can be changed. Therefore, for example, if the direction (upward) where the transport arm is located in the figure is the carry-in side, then 1
The wafer is transported with the 80° opposite side (downward) as the unloading side.

[Invention or problem to be solved]

In the configuration of the prior art as described above, the movement path VI of the transport arm is a straight line, and in order to change the transport direction, a separate motor is required to extend and retract the paddle arm. When transporting wafers in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, looking at the movement trajectory 2 of the wafer transport arm, when moving the transport arm past the gate pulp and into the wafer cassette, it follows a straight line, and when it moves from there to the reaction section, it follows the direction. need to change.

As a result, two motors are required as in the conventional example. Therefore, if a straight line and an arc path can be created with one motor, one of the two conventional motors will be unnecessary.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wafer transport device that can transport wafers into and out of a reaction chamber using a single motor.

[Means to solve the problem]

The wafer transfer device according to the present invention connects the transfer arm for placing a wafer on the rotating arm, and also has a cam installed around a drive shaft that activates the rotating arm, and a roller that contacts the cam is installed on the rotating arm. A linear guide is provided, and this linear guide and the transfer arm are connected with a stainless steel band. Through this stainless steel band, a spring is attached to the transfer arm in each of the linear guides, and the angle between the transfer arm and the rotating arm is defined. This is how it was done.

[Effect]

In the present invention, a linear guide equipped with a roller that contacts a cam provided on a rotating arm is stretched by a spring through a stainless steel band, and the roller that is not attached to the linear guide comes into contact with the cam and stops. The angle between the transport arm and the rotating arm is determined by the position of this roller. When the rotating arm rotates, the roller is pressed against the cam by the spring, so the curve of the cam causes the transport arm to change the angle with the rotating arm. It changes and moves along a certain trajectory. Utilizing blade planting, a single motor can transport a wafer from one direction to another without using gears.

(Example) An example of the present invention will be explained below.
In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a four-feeding arm on which a wafer is placed, which is rotatably connected to a (b) rotation arm 3 by @2.

The other end of the rotary arm 3 is fixed to a drive shaft 4, and the drive shaft 4 is connected to a motor (not shown) on the atmosphere side through a vacuum seal 5. A G gocam 6 is provided around the drive shaft 4 on the vacuum side. The above rotating arm 3
A linear guide 7 is attached to the lower surface of the roller 8, and a roller 8 is attached to the linear guide 7 so as to rotate freely.

Further, one end of a stainless steel band 9 is fixed to the linear guide 7, and the other end of the stainless steel band 9 is fixed to the peripheral portion of the shaft 2 of the transfer arm l. In addition, the axis 2 of the transport arm l
A bottle loa is fixed around the periphery. Rotating arm 3
A bottle lOb is fixed to the periphery of the drive shaft 4, and a spring 11 is fixed between the bottles lOa and lOb.

FIG. 2 shows an example in which the above-described wafer transfer device is installed in a semiconductor manufacturing device such as an OVD device that deposits a thin film on a silicon wafer using plasma discharge. The screw is a vacuum chamber in which a thin film is deposited, and is evacuated by a vacuum pump (not shown).The screw is a cassette chamber in which a Univaccent (not shown) is set. The wafer 014 which is evacuated to the sky in the cassette chamber 13 (not shown) is a wafer set in the cassette chamber 13.The cassette chamber 13 is equipped with a door 15 which is an entrance to the atmosphere, and there is a door between the cassette chamber B and the vacuum chamber skin. , gate pulp 16 are provided.

A transfer bin 17 for transferring the wafer 14 is provided within the vacuum chamber 12 . 18 shows the locus of the center of the wafer transfer section of the transfer arm l according to the mechanism of the present invention.

In the cassette chamber 1; 1 is a wafer cassette up and down mechanism (not shown) for moving the Univaccent up and down.

Next, its operation will be explained. In FIG. 1, due to the compressive force of the spring 11 between the rotary arm 3 and the bin lkIOb fixed to the transport arm l, the transport arm l, which is fixed to the rotary arm 3 around a shaft 2 and can rotate freely, moves as shown in the figure. As it tries to rotate in the direction of the arrow mark, the stainless steel band 9 fixed to the transport arm 1 or the linear guide 7 on the lower surface of the rotary arm 3 is pulled in the direction of the shaft 2. Sh)shi, the roller 8 or cam 6 attached to the linear guide 7 for (b) rotation.
, the linear guide 7 is stopped at a certain position.

The transport arm l is therefore fixed at an angle to the rotary arm 3. Now, when the motor (not shown) on the atmospheric side operates, the movable shaft 4 passes through the vacuum seal 5.
rotates. T and move @4 rI! The rotated rotating arm 3 rotates. Due to the U rotation of the rotating arm 3, the contact position of the roller 8 and the cam 6 changes, so the cam curve of the cam 6 causes the conveying arm 1 to move towards the rotating arm 3.
You can change the angle.

FIG. 2 shows that the cam curve of the cam 6 causes the transfer arm 1 to move along a trajectory 18 centered on the wafer transfer section. Sword set returned to the atmosphere 'M 13 to 971
15 and set the wafer 14 therein. Close door 15 and evacuate % 13 to vacuum using a vacuum pump (not shown). By opening the gate valve 16 between the vacuum chamber evacuated by a Mashiba pump (not shown) and the cassette chamber 13 and rotating the rotary arm 3, the transfer arm l is moved as shown in the trajectory 18. Move the cassette into the chamber opening. Here, the wafer 14 is transferred to the transfer arm 1 using the wafer cassette up-and-down mechanism (not shown), and the rotation arm 33 is rotated in the opposite direction to the transfer pin 17.
Make sure that the transport arm 1 is at the position. Here, the wafer 14 is placed in the reaction section using the transfer pin 17, the trochanter arm 3 is roughly rotated, and the transfer arm 1 is retracted. Furthermore, in order to transfer the wafer located in the transfer bin 17 to the cassette chamber 13, the previous operation may be reversed.

In the above embodiment, a stainless steel band is used for the component 17, but a stainless steel wire may also be used.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the case where it is used inside the semiconductor manufacturing equipment was explained, but it is also used outside the semiconductor manufacturing Hm (in the atmosphere).
The wafer may also be transported by using the same method (the same effect as in the above embodiment can be achieved).

Further, in the above embodiment, a case where the plate is used for transporting a wafer has been described, but other thin plates may be used, and the same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the movement path of the transport arm can be easily made into a path combining a straight line and an arc with one motor, and the number of motors can be reduced by one compared to the conventional technology. This also simplifies control.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wafer transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view cross-sectional view of a semiconductor equipment in danger of being equipped with a wafer transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a conventional wafer transfer device. ■Medium, l is 1 @ sending arm, 2 is axis, 3 is rotating arm, 4
is a movable shaft, 6 is a cam, 7 is a linear guide, 8 is a roller,
9 is a stainless steel band, Ik 10o GZ bin, 11 is a spring, and 14 is a wafer. Note that the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same or equivalent parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A transfer arm for transferring a transferred object, a rotation arm having a rotation support part for rotating the transfer arm, a spring for urging the transfer arm to rotate in one direction with respect to the rotation arm, and a rotation arm for rotating the transfer arm in one direction. an attached linear guide, a stainless steel band or stainless steel wire that converts the rotational motion of the transfer arm into a linear motion and transmits it to the linear guide, and an attached linear guide that is attached to the linear guide to determine a fixed angle between the transfer arm and the rotating arm. 1. A wafer transfer device comprising: a roller; a cam that contacts the roller and restricts movement of the linear guide; and a rotation drive means that rotates the rotation arm.