JPH0342429A - Storage/delivery managing system for board - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To deliver or store a required exposure board quickly and correctly by providing a control means controlling the horizontal and vertical movement of a conveying means based on the storage position information and controlling the movement in the depth direction of a board holding means based on the depth position information. CONSTITUTION:When the identification information of an exposure board to be delivered from a storage shelf is designated by a designating means 65, the storage position information corresponding to the identification information is read out from a storage position memory means 62. A control means 60 controls the horizontal and vertical movement of a conveying means based on the storage position information to convey the exposure board held by a board holding means to the designated position of a storage shelf. The board holding means holds and extracts an exposure board stored at this position. The extracted exposure board is conveyed to a board holder by the conveying means and carried in to the required position of the board holder.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention is applicable to thin plate-like materials such as exposure masks and reticles used in photolithography processes during the manufacturing process of semiconductor wafers and glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices. The exposure substrates are stored between a storage shelf that stores and stores the exposure substrates and a substrate holder that temporarily stores the exposure substrates taken out from the storage shelves to transport the exposure substrates to the exposure machine. This invention relates to a board storage/retrieval management system that manages the delivery of boards.

<Prior Art> In recent years, line automation has been rapidly progressing in the photolithography process of semiconductor manufacturing lines. In particular, in production lines that produce a wide variety of products in small quantities, the number of exposure substrates (hereinafter simply referred to as substrates) such as masks and reticles used to print circuit patterns on semiconductor wafers becomes enormous.
There is a strong demand for improving process efficiency by picking out a desired substrate from a group of substrates without fail and quickly setting it on an exposure machine.

In order to meet such demands, for example,
There is a substrate transport device as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 22448.

This substrate transfer device takes out a required substrate from a movable cassette library (referred to as a substrate holder in the present invention) that temporarily stores a plurality of substrates taken out from a storage shelf and transports it to an exposure machine. During the process, the board information added to the board is detected, and this board information is transmitted to the exposure machine to initialize the exposure machine in advance, thereby reducing the time required to replace the board. .

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> The above-mentioned substrate transport device is intended to improve processing efficiency of the process by automating the transfer of substrates between the cassette library and the exposure machine. It is valid.

However, even if the above-mentioned board transfer device is used, it is still necessary to take out the required board from a storage shelf containing a large number of boards, store it in a cassette library, and then store used boards from the cassette library in the storage shelf. Since this work is done manually, there are problems in that it takes time to take out and store the boards, and it is easy to make mistakes.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is a storage and storage system for boards that can quickly and accurately take out required boards from a storage shelf and store the boards in a storage shelf. The purpose is to provide a retrieval management system.

Means for Solving the Problems> In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention has the following configuration.

That is, the present invention provides a storage shelf for storing and storing a plurality of exposure substrates, and a storage shelf for temporarily storing the exposure substrates in order to transfer required exposure substrates between the storage shelf and the exposure machine. A substrate storage/retrieval management system comprising: a substrate holder for controlling the transfer of exposure substrates between the storage shelf and the substrate holder; A substrate gripping means for loading and unloading the substrate at required locations on the substrate holder; A transport means for transporting the substrate gripping means between the storage shelf and the substrate holder; Horizontal and vertical position information of the storage shelf; and information on each exposure substrate! 3! shelf information storage means for storing information relating to the depth position where the exposure substrates are placed, identification information of exposure substrates to be taken out and stored, and/or
or specifying means for specifying storage position information of the exposure substrate; storage position storage means for storing storage position information corresponding to identification information for each exposure substrate; or based on reading storage position information from the storage position storage means according to the identification information of the exposure substrate given from the designation means,
Control means for controlling horizontal and vertical movement of the transport means, and controlling movement of the substrate gripping means in the depth direction based on depth position information read from the shelf information storage means based on the storage position information. It is equipped with the following.

Effect〉 The effects of the present invention are as follows.

When the identification information of the exposure substrate to be taken out from the storage shelf is specified by the specifying means, the storage position information corresponding to the identification information is read from the storage position storage means. The control means controls the movement of the transport means in the horizontal and vertical directions based on this storage position information, and transports the exposure substrate gripped by the substrate grip means to a specified position on the storage shelf. The substrate gripping means grips and takes out the exposure substrate stored at that position. The taken out exposure substrate is conveyed to the substrate holder by the conveyance means, and is carried into a desired position of the substrate holder.

There are the following modes for storing the Emi Gosku board and Ruitoyo exposure substrate in a predetermined position on the storage shelf. For example, there is a mode in which the storing position of the exposure substrate is directly specified from the specifying means, and another example is a case where identification information of the exposure substrate is specified from the specifying means.

When storage position information of the exposure substrate is given by the designation means, based on the storage position information, or when identification information of the exposure board is given by the designation means,
Based on reading storage position information corresponding to the identification information from the storage position storage means, the control means controls the horizontal and vertical movement of the transport means to store the exposure substrate gripped by the substrate gripping means. Transport it to the specified position on the shelf.

Then, depth position information corresponding to the storage position information is read from the shelf information storage means, and based on this information, the movement of the substrate gripping means in the depth direction is controlled, and the exposure substrate is moved to a predetermined depth position within the storage shelf. Place NIi on.

<Example> Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 is an M1 schematic diagram of the board storage/retrieval management system according to the embodiment, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a plan view.
) is a front view.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a storage shelf that stores and stores a plurality of exposure substrates by dividing them horizontally and vertically. This storage shelf l stores, for example, a reticle as an exposure substrate. The reticle is housed in a reticle case 4 as shown in FIG.

The reticle case 4 is provided with a front lid 3 that can be opened and closed, and the reticle 2 stored therein is provided on the front of the front lid 3.
A barcode 5 is pasted as identification information for identifying the model, attributes, etc. of the device. On both sides of the reticle case 4, there are formed claws 6 that are engaged when the reticle case 4 is delivered, and guides 7 for guiding.

The detailed structure of the storage shelf 1 is shown in FIG. The shelf on which each reticle case 4 is individually placed is composed of a pair of left and right shelf guides 8, and on the bottom of each guide 8 there is a support bin 9 that supports the reticle case 4, and a support bin 9 that supports the reticle case 4 in the left and right direction. A guide bin IO is installed upright to regulate the movement of the guide bin IO.

Returning to FIG. 1, the reference numeral 11 designates a substrate holder that temporarily stores the reticle case 4 taken out from the storage shelf 1 in order to transfer it to an exposure machine (not shown). This substrate holder 11 has a holder mounting base 13 screwed onto a screw shaft 12.
By rotating the screw shaft 12 with a pulse motor 80, the substrate holder 11 can be set at a predetermined substrate delivery height.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a substrate gripping mechanism as a substrate gripping means for gripping the reticle case 4 and taking it in and out of the storage shelf I.

This substrate gripping mechanism 14 is moved horizontally (in the X direction in the figure) and vertically (in the Y direction in the figure) on the storage shelf 1 by the transport mechanism 15.
transported to any location.

The transport mechanism 15 includes a substrate gripping mechanism 14 as a vertical transport mechanism.
A screw shaft 16 screwed into the screw shaft 16 and a pulse motor 1 driving the screw shaft 16
7, and also includes a rank-binion mechanism 18 and a pulse motor 19 for driving the same as a horizontal conveyance mechanism.

The tlI command of the substrate gripping mechanism 14 is shown in FIG.

3A is a plan view of the substrate gripping mechanism 14, and FIG. 1B is a front view thereof.

The base plate 20 of the substrate gripping mechanism 14 has the screw shaft 16 described above.
The substrate gripping mechanism 14 is moved up and down along the guide rod 21 and attached to the base plate 20 in the depth direction of the storage shelf 1 (Z in the figure).
A pulse motor 22 and a screw shaft 23 driven by the pulse motor 22 are installed as a drive mechanism for moving the robot in the direction (direction). 24 is reticle case 4
A screw shaft 23 is screwed onto this support plate 24, and a guide rod 23a is inserted therethrough. The support plate 24 is provided with a press plate 25 for pressing the end of the reticle case 4 from above and regulating its movement, and an air cylinder 26 connected to the press plate with a pin.

The tip of the holding plate 25 has an r T J shape, and both ends of a shaft 27 loosely fitted to the base thereof are inserted into and supported by the guide holes 29 of the supporting plate 28 .

The guide hole 29 is in the form of a horizontal long hole, and its front end (the left end in FIG. 4(b)) is bent downward in an inclined manner. As a result, when the rod 26a of the air cylinder 26 is retracted, the holding plate 25 is located upward,
When the rod 26a is extended, the end of the wheel shaft 27 falls into the recess at the front end of the guide hole 29, and the holding plate 25 descends to hold down the reticle case 4.

Note that the support plate 24 of the substrate gripping mechanism 14 includes optical sensors S1 and S2 for detecting the reticle case 4, and a barcode reader S3 for selling the barcode 5 affixed to the reticle case 4. is attached. This barcode reader S3 corresponds to a specifying means for specifying identification information of the reticle 2 to be stored in the storage tank 1.

Returning to FIG. 1, reference numeral 30 is a transfer mechanism for transferring the reticle case 4 between the substrate gripping mechanism 14 and the substrate holder It. The configuration of this delivery mechanism 30 is shown in FIG. 5, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a plan view.
1-[arrow view in the figure, the same figure (C) is a (■-■ arrow view in Figure 81).

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 31 denotes a pair of gripping arms that grip the reticle case 4 from the side. Each gripping arm 3
A recess 32 that engages with a tab 6 formed on the side surface of the reticle case 4 is formed inside the tip of the reticle case 4 . The base of each gripping arm 31 is connected to a row rear actuator 33, and by driving this row rear actuator 33, the gripping arm 31 is configured to open and close.

Each row reactuator 33 is attached to a moving base 34. A screw shaft 35 is screwed into the moving base 34, and a guide rod 36 is inserted therethrough.
By driving a pulse motor 37 connected to a screw shaft 35, the grip arm 31 is configured to move back and forth (move in the Z direction) integrally with the moving base 34.

38 is a base plate to which a screw shaft 35 and a guide bar 36 are attached; a screw shaft 51 is screwed onto this base plate 38, and a guide rod 52 is inserted through the base plate 38; 53 (see FIG. 1(a)), the delivery mechanism 30 is configured to move in the X direction. Side plates 39 are provided on the longitudinal side surfaces of the base plate 3, and each side plate 39
When the reticle case 4 is delivered, the reticle case 4
A plurality of guide rollers 4 support the guide 7 from below.
0 and a support roller 4 that supports the bottom surface of the reticle case 4.
1 is attached.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5(C), an L-shaped link 43 is swingably supported on the side plate 39, and a reticle case 4 is attached to the substrate holder 11 at the tip of each L-shaped link 43.
Alternatively, a positioning roller 42 is attached that contacts the side surface of the reticle case 4 to position it when it is delivered from the substrate gripping mechanism 14. This L-shaped link 4
The lower end of 3 is in contact with a rod-shaped cam 44. Figure 5(b)
As shown in FIG. 3, the origin side (
Right in Figure 5(b)! A recess 46 is formed in @). When the cam follower 45 comes into contact with this cam surface and moves, the rod-shaped cam 44 moves up and down, and the positioning roller 42 is opened and closed.

The above-mentioned rod-shaped cam 44 is in contact with the tip of a bushing rod 47 that is supported by the base plate 38 so as to be movable up and down.

A cam follower 48 is attached to the lower end of the bushing rod 47. By moving the cam follower 48 over a bar-shaped cam 50 mounted in the X direction on a fixed base 49, the action of the bushing rod 47 also causes the bar-shaped cam to
4 can be moved up and down.

Next, the configuration of the control system of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG.

60 is a CPU corresponding to the control means in the present invention, and this CPtJ60 controls the pulse motor I7, 19, 22, 37, 53 and the air cylinder 2 of the above-mentioned substrate storage/retrieval device via the input/output interface 67.
6. Row reactuator 33, barcode reader S
3, and is connected to a group of sensors installed at various locations on the device.

Reference numeral 61 represents a ROM that stores an operation program for the apparatus, and reference numeral 62 represents a RAM that includes a shelf information storage section 63 and a storage position storage section 64. The shelf information storage unit 63 stores horizontal and vertical position information of each machine in the storage 1IIt, and depth position information at which the reticle case 4 should be placed in each shelf. This depth position information indicates that the reticle case 4 is located at the fence i.
3! This data is created and set in advance for each machine so that each machine is placed at a fixed position in the depth direction with respect to the support pin 9 that serves as a reference for the placement position (see Figure 3).
In addition, each reticle case 4 is stored in the storage position storage section 64.
Horizontal and vertical storage position information of the storage shelf 1 in which each reticle case 4 is to be stored is stored in association with the identification information.

Reference numeral 65 denotes a keyboard for specifying identification information of the reticle 2 and storage position information of the reticle 2. This keyboard 65, together with the above-mentioned barcode reader S3, corresponds to the specifying means in the present invention. Reference numeral 66 is a CRT for displaying manually entered information and messages for the operator.

68 is a communication interface for communicating with a host computer 71 via a process controller 70 that manages a plurality of reticle storage shelves. The host computer 7I manages, for example, the entire semiconductor device manufacturing line.

Next, the operation of the system having the above configuration will be explained.

(A) Reticle 2 Retrieval Operation (1) Reticle 2 Identification Information Input Reticle to be retrieved from the keyboard 65 in order to retrieve the desired reticle 2 from among the large number of reticles 2 stored in storage m1. Enter the identification information in step 2. Alternatively, in a controlled process where the time at which a desired reticle 2 is to be taken out is determined in advance, the identification information and the time to take out the reticle 2 may be transmitted from the host computer 71 via the process controller 70 and the communication interface 68. It is also possible to store the identification information in the RAM 62 and automatically read out the identification information of the required reticle 2 stored in the RAM 62 when a predetermined take-out time comes.

(2) Horizontal and vertical movement of the transport mechanism 15 When the identification information of the reticle 2 to be taken out is given as described above, the CPtJ 60 stores the horizontal and vertical position information of the reticle 2 corresponding to the identification information in the storage position of the RAM 62. Storage section 64
Based on this horizontal and vertical position information, drive control of the horizontal drive pulse motor 19 and vertical drive pulse motor 17 of the transport mechanism 15 is performed to move the substrate gripping mechanism 14 to the reticle 2. Move it to the shelf where it is stored.

(3) Board gripping machine that moves in the depth direction of the board gripping mechanism 14 $
114 is moved to a predetermined position in the storage ml, the pulse motor 22 is driven, so that the support plate 24 is moved in the depth direction of the storage JIIl and inserted below the reticle case 4 in the shelf. At this time, the iron 26a of the air cylinder 26 retracts, and the holding plate 25
is in the upper position.

When the support plate 24 is moving, the optical sensor S
Based on the detection signal 1, it is confirmed whether the reticle case 4 is stored in the shelf. When it is confirmed that the reticle case 4 is stored, the board gripping mechanism 14
is driven further inward. Then, when the tip of the reticle case 4 reaches the position of the optical sensor S2 in front of the support plate 24, the pulse motor 22 is stopped based on the detection signal of the optical sensor S2. At this time, the barcode reader S provided on the substrate grip II tI 14
3 reads the barcode 5 of the reticle case 4 and compares it with the specified identification information of the reticle 2.
You may also check to see if there are any errors.

(4) Grasping operation pulse motor 2 of reticle case 4
2 stops, the pulse smoke 17 for vertical conveyance of the conveyance mechanism 15 is driven, and the support plate 24 is driven slightly upward. As a result, the support pin 9 of the shelf guide 8
The reticle case 4 that was placed on the support plate 2
Transferred to 4th.

Then, the rod 26a of the air cylinder 26 is driven to extend, thereby pushing the holding plate 25 forward. When the shaft 27 of the holding plate 25 moves forward along the guide hole 29 and falls into the recess at its tip, the holding plate 25 descends and the end of the reticle case 4 is gripped by the support plate 24 and the holding plate 25. Ru.

(5) Transporting operation of reticle case 4 When the reticle case 4 is gripped by the substrate gripping mechanism 14, the pulse motor 2
2 is reversely driven, the reticle case 4 gripped by the substrate gripping mechanism 14 is taken out from the storage [M1]. Then, by driving the pulse motor 19 and the pulse motor 17 of the transport mechanism 15, the substrate gripping mechanism 14 reaches the transfer position W of the reticle case 4 (the position of the substrate gripping mechanism 14 indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1). transported.

(6) Delivery operation of the reticle case 4 from the substrate gripping mechanism 14 to the delivery mechanism 30 When a sensor (not shown) detects that the substrate gripping mechanism 14 has been transported to the delivery position, the reticle case 4 is also placed on standby at the delivery position. By driving the pulse motor '37 of the delivery mechanism 30, the movable base 34 is moved forward. At this time, the row reactuator 33 is set so that the gripping arm 31 is in the open state. When the moving base 34 is extended to a predetermined position, the pulse motor 3
7 stops, the row rear actuator 33 is driven to bring the grip arm 31 into the closed state, and the recess 32 of the grip arm 31 engages with the claw 6 of the reticle case 4.

When the reticle case 4 is gripped by the gripping arm 31, the holding plate 25 of the substrate gripping mechanism 14 is driven upward. Then, the pulse motor 37 of the delivery mechanism 30 is driven in reverse, so that the movable base 34 is moved backward. When the reticle case 4 is transferred from the substrate gripping mechanism 14 to the delivery mechanism 30, the guide 7 of the reticle case 4 is guided by the guide roller 40, and then the bottom surface of the reticle case 4 is supported by the support roller 41 and held at a predetermined position. will be moved to.

When the reticle case 4 moves to a predetermined position and is stopped, the cam follower 45 attached to the moving base 34 reaches the recess 46 of the bar-shaped cam 44, causing the bar-shaped cam 44 to
descends. In this way, the L-shaped link 43 that is in contact with the upper surface of the rod-shaped cam 44 is displaced inward, the positioning roller 42 is brought into contact with the side surface of the reticle case 4, and the left and right positions of the reticle case 4 are determined.

(7) Operation of carrying the reticle case 4 from the delivery mechanism 30 to the substrate holder 11 When the reticle case 4 is transferred to the delivery mechanism 30 as described in (6) above, the pulse motor 5 of the delivery mechanism 30
3 is driven, the delivery mechanism 30 is horizontally driven in the direction of the standby position of the substrate holder 11.

When a sensor (not shown) detects that the transfer mechanism 30 has reached a position facing the substrate holder 11, the pulse motor 53 is stopped. At the stop position of the delivery mechanism 30, the rod-shaped cam 50 on the fixed base 49 has a convex surface. Therefore, when the delivery mechanism 30 comes to the stop position,
The bush rod 47 is pushed up by the bar-shaped cam 50, the bar-shaped cam 44 is raised, and the shaped link 43 is displaced outward, thereby releasing the contact between the positioning roller 42 and the reticle case 4.

When carrying the reticle case 4 into the substrate holder 11, the pulse motor 37 is driven to move the moving base 34 forward, thereby inserting the reticle case 4 into the substrate holder 11. When the reticle case 4 is inserted into the substrate holder ll, the row reactuator 33
is driven, and the gripping arm 31 is displaced to the open state. Then, the pulse motor 37 is driven in reverse, and the moving base 3
4 is returned to the normal position, the pulse motor 53 is further driven in the reverse direction, and the delivery mechanism 30 is returned to the original delivery position (the position of the delivery mechanism 30 shown by the solid line in FIG. 1(a)).

By repeating the above operations, the designated reticles 2 are sequentially taken out from the storage 11111 and carried into the substrate holder II.

When all the necessary reticles 2 are carried into the substrate holder H, the substrate holder 11 is transferred to the exposure machine by hand or automatic transportation.

CB) Next, the operation for storing the used reticle 2 placed in the substrate holder 11 in the storage shelf 1 will be explained.

(Operation for taking out the reticle case 4 from the holder 11) When taking out the reticle case 4 from the substrate holder 11, the delivery mechanism 30 is set to a position facing the substrate holder 11, and the pulse motor 37 is driven to move it. The base 34 is advanced, and the gripping arm 31 grips the reticle case 4 in the substrate holder 11 and carries it out from the substrate holder 11. Next, the pulse smoke 53 is driven, and the reticle case 4 is removed from the substrate holder 11.
is transported to a delivery position to the substrate gripping mechanism 14.

(2) Delivery of the reticle case 4 from the delivery mechanism 30 to the substrate gripping mechanism 14 When the delivery mechanism 30 reaches the delivery position to the substrate gripping mechanism 14 and stops, the pulse motor 37 is driven and the movable base 34 is extended. At this time, the substrate gripping mechanism 14
The holding plate 25 is waiting in an open state, and the sensor S2 detects the reticle case 4 drawn out from the 8g side 30, and the holding plate 25 is driven to the closed state. The reticle case 4 is the substrate gripping mechanism 1
4, the gripping arm 31 is driven to the open state, and then, after the movable base 34 retreats, the substrate holder 11
The reticle case 4 is driven to the delivery position to carry out the next reticle case 4.

(3) Reading the identification information of the reticle case 4 When the reticle case 4 is received by the substrate gripping mechanism 14, the barcode reader S3 provided in the substrate gripping mechanism 14 reads the barcode 5 pasted on the reticle case 4.
is read. Identification information of the reticle 2 obtained by reading the barcode 5 is sent to the CPU 60. The CPU 60 sends the storage position information of the reticle 2 (horizontal and vertical position information of the storage shelf 1) corresponding to this identification information to the RA.
Read from the storage position storage section 64 of M62.

(4) The transport operation CP of the reticle case 4 [J60 is the transport machine! The pulse motors 17 and 19 of 115 are driven to transport the base reticle case 4 to a predetermined shelf position.

(5) Storing operation of reticle case 4 When the reticle case 4 reaches a predetermined shelf position, the CPU 60 stores the depth position information of the shelf position from the shelf information storage section 63 of the RAM 62 based on the storage position information of the reticle 2. The read CPU 60 drives the pulse motor 22 of the substrate gripping mechanism 14 based on this depth position information.
The reticle case 4 held by the support plate 24 and the holding plate 25 is fed forward and inserted into the shelf. At this time, the optical sensor S1 attached to the tip of the support plate 24 confirms whether or not another reticle case 4 is in the shelf position. If no other reticle case 4 is contained, the gripped reticle case 4 is further extended and transported to a predetermined depth position.

When the reticle case 4 reaches a predetermined position, the pulse motor 22 is stopped, the presser plate 25 is driven upward, and the gripping state of the reticle case 4 is released. Subsequently, the pulse motor 17 of the transport mechanism 15 is driven, and the support plate 24 is slightly lowered. As a result, the reticle case 4 on the support plate 24 is transferred onto the support pins 9 of the shelf guide 8.

When the reticle case 4 is stored in a predetermined position on the storage shelf 1,
The pulse motor 22 reverses and the support plate 24 retreats, and then the pulse motor 1719 of the transport mechanism 15 is driven, so that the substrate gripping mechanism 14 transfers to and from the transfer mechanism 30 to receive the next reticle case 4. returned to position.

By repeating the above operations, the reticle cases 4 in the base temporary holder 11 are stored in the corresponding shelf positions in order.

In the above operation description, when the reticle case 4 is stored in a predetermined position on the storage shelf l, the storage position information of the reticle 2 is read out from the RAM 62 by selling the barcode 5 of the reticle case 4. However, the storage position information may be input directly from the keyboard 65.

Further, in the embodiment described above, in order to be able to pull out the substrate holder 11 forward, the reticle case 4 is transferred between the substrate holder 11 and the substrate gripping mechanism 14 via the transfer mechanism 30. By doing this, the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 can be attached to the wall within the process, thereby saving space. On the other hand, if it is allowed to pull out the substrate holder 11 from the rear, there is no need to provide the delivery mechanism 30 and the substrate holder 1
1 and the substrate gripping mechanism 14. According to such an apparatus, the configuration of the apparatus is simplified by not providing the transfer mechanism 30. can do.

Furthermore, although the embodiments have been described using a reticle as an example of an exposure substrate, it goes without saying that the same applies to an exposure mask.

Further, in the embodiment, when taking out the reticle case 4 from the storage shelf 1, the movement of the pulse motor 22 is controlled based on the detection signal of the optical sensor S2 provided on the support plate 24 of the substrate gripping mechanism 14. The reticle case 4 may be taken out by controlling the movement of the pulse motor 22 based on the depth position information stored in the seed information storage section 63 in the same way as when the case 4 is stored.

<Effects of the Invention> As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the structure is such that the exposure substrate can be automatically taken out from the storage shelf and the exposure substrate can be stored in the storage shelf. Therefore, compared to the conventional method in which the process was performed manually, the required exposure substrates can be taken out and stored quickly and accurately, and the processing efficiency of the photolithography process is improved.

Further, the present invention stores in advance the horizontal and vertical position information of each shelf position of the storage shelf as well as the depth position information at which the exposure substrate should be placed according to each shelf position, and During storage, the exposure substrate is placed at a position corresponding to this depth information, which simplifies the configuration of the device compared to installing sensors at individual shelf positions to determine the depth position. Become.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 6 relate to one embodiment of the present invention, with Figure 1 being a schematic diagram showing each mechanical part constituting the board storage/retrieval management system, and Figure 2 being an external perspective view of the reticle case. , Figure 3 is a perspective view of the fence guide of the storage shelf, Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram of the board gripping mechanism, Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram of the delivery mechanism, and Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram of the delivery mechanism.
The figure is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A storage shelf that houses and stores a plurality of exposure substrates or a storage case containing exposure substrates (hereinafter simply referred to as exposure substrates), and the required exposure between the storage shelf and the exposure machine. a substrate holder for temporarily storing the exposure substrate in order to transfer the exposure substrate, and a substrate storage/holder for managing the transfer of the exposure substrate between the storage shelf and the substrate holder.
A take-out management system, comprising: a substrate gripping means for gripping the required exposure substrate and taking it in and out of the storage shelf or the substrate holder at a required location; and transporting the substrate gripping means between the storage shelf and the substrate holder. a transport means, a shelf information storage means for storing horizontal and vertical position information of the storage shelf, information regarding the depth position at which each exposure substrate is placed, and identification information of the exposure substrate to be taken out and stored. ,and/
or specifying means for specifying storage position information of the exposure substrate; storage position storage means for storing storage position information corresponding to identification information for each exposure substrate; and storage position information given from the specification means. controlling horizontal and vertical movement of the conveying means based on the storage position storage means, or based on reading storage position information according to the identification information of the exposure substrate given from the designation means from the storage position storage means; A control means for controlling the movement of the substrate gripping means in the depth direction based on the depth position information read from the shelf information storage means based on the storage position information. management system.