JPH0428622A - Semiconductor carrier device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent dust contamination by providing a linear motor drive travel body to carry semiconductors in a vacuum tunnel so that it floats by means of a magnetic coil and by providing this magnetic coil part in an air room supplied with air from an unloading station. CONSTITUTION:A travel body 14 to carry semiconductors travels along a T type rail 12 set in a vacuum tunnel 10 in a floating state by a direction control magnetic coil 36 provided on a first coil 32 and a second coil 34 of a linear motor and a rail 12 and a floatation magnetic coil 38 provided on the travel body 14. Additionally, a battery 40 to supply power to the direction control magnetic coil 36 and the floatation magnetic coil 38 and a control board 42 are provided in an air room 46 formed on the travel body 14 and air is supplied to the air room 46 from an air supply unit of an unloading station. Consequently, it is possible to prevent dust attachment on a print wiring base plate.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] Regarding a semiconductor transport device that transports wafers, etc., a linear motor inside a vacuum tunnel is realized by attaching a magnetic coil for levitation to a traveling body and allowing electrical parts to function normally even in a vacuum. For the purpose of The vacuum tunnel has a chamber, and an atmosphere supply means for supplying the atmosphere to the atmosphere chamber is provided at a semiconductor loading/unloading station of the vacuum tunnel.

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a semiconductor transport device that transports wafers and the like using a linear motor.

In recent semiconductor manufacturing processes, there is a strong demand for high-density packaging as well as prevention of dust from adhering to wafers and the like. For this reason, each semiconductor processing step is installed in a clean room, and great care is taken to prevent dust from scattering into the semiconductor processing section.

Further, semiconductor materials such as wafers are transported from one processing section to the next processing section by a transport device. Even during such transportation, extreme care must be taken to prevent dust from adhering to the wafer.

[Conventional technology]

Wafers are transported by various transport devices in semiconductor manufacturing processes. For example, in the case of wafers that undergo similar processing, a plurality of wafers are transported at the same time, and in the case of wafers that undergo different processing for each wafer, they are transported one by one using a dedicated transport vehicle.

As mentioned above, in the semiconductor manufacturing process, it is necessary to prevent dust from adhering to the semiconductor from each process to transportation, and if a transportation device that can prevent dust from adhering is required, it is necessary to prevent dust from adhering to the semiconductor from one processing step to the next. The idea was to connect the processes with a vacuum tunnel and transport the wafer through this vacuum tunnel.

However, when a transport vehicle with wheels is run in a vacuum tunnel, dust is generated due to friction between the wheels and the travel path or between the wheels and the wheel attachment, and there is a possibility that the dust may adhere to the wafer. be. Therefore, if a magnetically levitated traveling body driven by a linear motor is run in a vacuum tunnel, there is no friction, so no dust is generated, and the wafer can be transported cleanly.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

When placing a magnetically levitated vehicle driven by a linear motor in a vacuum tunnel, the traveling method and levitation method of the vehicle became a problem. A linear motor consists of a primary winding and a secondary conductor that act relative to each other, one of which is attached to a rail and a running body in a vacuum tunnel, respectively. Also, the magnetic coil for levitation can be attached to the wall of the vacuum tunnel and act on the traveling body, or
Alternatively, it can be attached to a traveling body and applied to the wall of a vacuum tunnel.

When the primary winding of the linear motor is attached to the rail and the secondary conductor is attached to the running body, there is no need to make electrical connections to the running body. In this case, if the conveyance section is short, the primary winding may not need to be laid along the entire length of the rail, but only in the area necessary for acceleration. However, when the levitation magnetic coil is attached to the wall surface of the vacuum tunnel, the levitation magnetic coil must be installed along the entire length of the vacuum tunnel because the levitation action of the traveling object must not be interrupted.

Therefore, in order to save on the levitation magnetic coil and to simplify control, it is preferable to attach the levitation magnetic coil to the traveling body.

However, when the levitation magnetic coil is attached to the traveling body, it is necessary to supply electric power for the levitation magnetic coil to the traveling body and to provide a control device for the levitation magnetic coil. It is possible to use a pantograph for power supply, but the pantograph causes a layer of powder due to friction. Therefore, in order to supply power in a non-contact manner, it is preferable to mount a battery on the traveling body.

A further problem arose here. Since this traveling body is used in a vacuum tunnel, the electrical components are exposed to vacuum for a long time, and a phenomenon occurs in which the gas inside the electrical components escapes due to the vacuum suction action. For example, batteries become unusable due to evaporation of battery fluid. Since control parts and the like are manufactured in the atmosphere, they are designed to function normally with some air contained inside them, but their function may fluctuate as the air escapes.

An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor transport device that realizes a linear motor in a vacuum tunnel by attaching a magnetic coil for levitation to a traveling body and allowing electrical components to function normally even in a vacuum.

[Means to solve the problem]

A semiconductor transport device according to the present invention has a vacuum tunnel equipped with rails, a semiconductor transport traveling body driven by a linear motor is disposed in the vacuum tunnel so as to be able to travel along the rails, and a levitation magnetic coil is provided. is attached to the conveying traveling body, and the conveying traveling body has an atmospheric chamber containing electrical components connected to the levitation magnetic coil, and
The present invention is characterized in that an atmospheric supply means for supplying atmospheric air to the atmospheric chamber of the transport vehicle is provided at a semiconductor loading/unloading station of the vacuum tunnel.

[For production]

In the above configuration, the semiconductor transport vehicle levitates within the vacuum tunnel by the magnetic action of the levitation magnetic coil,
Driven by a linear motor.

This magnetic coil for levitation is attached to the transport vehicle,
Electrical components are housed in the atmospheric chamber. Therefore, the electrical components are not directly subjected to the vacuum of the vacuum tunnel, but are supplied with air from the air supply means provided at the semiconductor loading/unloading station of the vacuum tunnel every time the traveling body stops. Therefore, the electrical components function normally even within the vacuum tunnel.

〔Example〕

Referring to FIG. 1, the semiconductor transport device according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a semiconductor transport vehicle 14 that is disposed within a vacuum tunnel 10 and is movable along rails 12. As shown in FIG. Third
As shown, the vacuum tunnel 10 has a top wall 10a
, a bottom wall 10b, and side walls 10C and 10d.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum tunnel 1o is equipped with a plurality of semiconductor unloading stations 16. A wafer supply section 18, three wafer processing sections 20, and a wafer discharge section 22 are provided adjacent to each semiconductor loading/unloading station 16 via a filter. Wafer supply section 1
8 is formed, for example, as a vacuum stocker, and the wafer discharge section 22 is formed, for example, as a vacuum box. The inside of the vacuum tunnel 10 can be maintained at a desired level of vacuum by the vacuum pumps communicating with the wafer supply section 18 and the wafer discharge section 22. The wafer processing unit 20 includes, for example, several steps necessary to form a semiconductor from a silicon wafer.

As shown in FIG. 2, the semiconductor loading/unloading station 16 is provided with a transfer means 24 constituted by a robot, and an articulated arm 26 of this transfer means 24 is provided with a suction hole 28 for suctioning and holding the silicon wafer W. . The arm 26 can extend and contract, rotate, and move up and down,
Wafer processing section 2 outside the traveling body 14 and vacuum tunnel 10
0 (wafer supply unit 18, wafer discharge unit 22) and unloads the silicon wafers. This wafer processing section 2o is also maintained in a vacuum state, so that transfer can be performed without breaking the vacuum. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a wafer support clamp 83° is provided at the top of the traveling body 14, and the wafer support portion 30 is provided with a groove into which the silicon wafer W is placed in a drawn-out manner. A movable locking member (not shown) can also be provided on the wafer support 30 to positively clamp the silicon wafer W.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rail 12 has a T-shaped cross section, and the primary winding 32 of the near motor is provided on the upper surface of the T-shaped rail 12. As shown in FIGS.

The primary winding 32 does not extend over the entire length of the rail 12, but is provided locally at the semiconductor loading/unloading station 16 to the extent necessary for accelerating the traveling body 14 (first
figure). The running body 14 has an inverted U-shape that wraps around the T-shaped rail 12, and a secondary conductor 34 of a linear motor is attached to the lower surface of the horizontal top of the inverted U-shaped running body 14. The primary winding 32 and the secondary conductor 34 face each other with a predetermined gap.

A direction control magnetic coil 36 that cooperates with the top side surface of the rail 12 is provided on the inner surface of the vertical side of the inverted U-shaped running body 14. A magnetic levitation coil 38 is provided which cooperates with the underside of the top of the rail 12. The magnetic coil 38 for levitation is, for example, the rail 12
The traveling body 14 is levitated by the suction action. a gap between the direction control magnetic coil 36 and the rail 12;
Additionally, means (rIIJ not shown) for detecting the gap between the levitation magnetic coil 38 and the rail 12 are provided, and the direction control magnetic coil 36 and the levitation magnetic coil 38 are adjusted to maintain the gap appropriately. Energization is controlled.

A battery 40 and a control panel 42 are installed inside the traveling body 14. The batch 1J40 supplies power to the magnetic coil 36 for direction control and the magnetic coil 38 for levitation, and the control panel 42 controls the magnetic coil 36 for direction control and the magnetic coil 38 for levitation. Furthermore, when a locking member for the silicon wafer W is provided on the wafer support portion 3o, the control panel 42 also controls such a locking member.

The running body 14 has an atmospheric chamber 4 formed by a surrounding wall 44.
6 are provided, and these batteries 4o and control panel 42 are housed in an atmospheric chamber 46. As shown in Figure 4,
The levitation magnetic coil 38 (and the direction control magnetic coil 36
) is arranged facing the atmospheric chamber 46, and the bobbin of the atmospheric chamber 46
magnetic coil 38 for levitation by cold air supplied to
And the magnetic coil 36 for direction control can be cooled.

Further, a photoelectric sensor 48 is provided on the side wall 10c of the semiconductor loading/unloading station 16 of the vacuum tunnel 10. The traveling body 14 is provided with a detection projection 5o, and when the detection projection 50 crosses the sensor 48, it is detected that the traveling body 14 has reached the semiconductor unloading station 16, and the driving of the linear motor is stopped. Further, a charging terminal 52 is provided on the bottom wall 10b of the semiconductor loading/unloading station 16 of the vacuum tunnel 10, and a terminal 54 communicating with the battery 4° is provided on the bottom of the traveling body 14. Therefore, semiconductor unloading station 1
6, the battery can be charged to 4 degrees. Note that the charging terminals 52 and 54 can be provided so as to be movable forward and backward, so that they do not come into contact with each other while the traveling body 14 is in motion, but come into contact after stopping.

Additionally, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, an atmospheric supply means 56 is provided at the semiconductor unloading station 16.

As shown in FIG. 5, the atmosphere supply means 56 extends through an outer cylindrical seal member 58 that is fitted into a hole 10e provided in the side wall 10c of the vacuum tunnel 10, and through the inside of the outer cylindrical seal member 58. It consists of an inner cylindrical atmosphere supplying vibro o. The outer cylindrical seal member 58 is provided at the tip of the inner cylindrical atmosphere supply vibro 0, and is movable forward and backward relative to the side wall 10c. A seal 61 seals between the outer cylindrical seal member 58 and the hole 10e provided in the side wall 10C. The outer cylindrical seal member 58 includes a disk-shaped seal head 62 located within the vacuum tunnel IO, and a seal ring 64 is attached to the seal head 62. Running body 14
A hole 66 is also provided in the surrounding wall 44 forming the atmospheric chamber 46, and this hole 66 is always closed by a closing member 68 disposed within the atmospheric chamber 46, and a spring 7o urges the closing member 68 in the closing direction. It is strong. The sealing head 62 can be pressed against the outer surface of the surrounding wall 44, thus sealing the hole 66 of the surrounding wall 44 from the vacuum of the vacuum tunnel 10 and allowing the inner cylindrical atmospheric supply pipe Go to communicate with the atmospheric chamber 4G. I can do it.

The inner cylindrical atmosphere supply vibro o can move forward and backward with respect to the outer cylindrical seal member 58, and the seal 72 seals between the inner cylindrical atmosphere supply vibro 0 and the outer cylindrical seal member 58. A spring 74 is disposed between the inner cylindrical atmosphere supply vibro 0 and the outer cylindrical seal member 58, and when the inner cylindrical atmosphere supply vibro 0 is advanced toward the atmosphere chamber 46, the seal head of the outer cylindrical seal member 58 62 is the spring 74
It comes into contact with the surrounding wall 44 by the spring force of.

The inner cylindrical atmosphere supply vibro 0 is connected to a flexible vibrator 78 having a control valve 76, and the supply of atmosphere is controlled by opening and closing the atmosphere supply control valve 76. It should be noted that a configuration can be provided in which pre-cooled atmospheric air is supplied, thereby facilitating cooling of the above-mentioned levitation magnetic coil 38 and direction control magnetic coil 36.

Further, the inner cylindrical atmosphere supply vibro 0 is connected to the piston rod 82 of the control air cylinder 80, and when the traveling body 14 reaches the semiconductor loading/unloading station 16, the control air cylinder 80 is operated to operate the inner cylindrical atmosphere supply vibro 0.
is advanced toward the atmospheric chamber 46. In this way, when the inner cylindrical atmosphere supply vibro 0 advances toward the atmosphere chamber 46, the sealing pad 62 first contacts the surrounding wall 44 and seals the hole 66, and then the inner cylindrical atmosphere supply vibro 0 moves toward the atmosphere chamber 46. Closing member 6
8 to open the closing member 68, which supplies the atmospheric chamber 46 with atmospheric air. As a result, the atmospheric chamber 46 is filled with atmospheric air, and the battery 40 and the control panel 42 can be operated normally even though they are used inside the vacuum tunnel 10. Note that the total time during which the traveling body 14 is stopped at the semiconductor loading/unloading station 16 is not so small compared to the total traveling time during which the traveling body 14 is traveling, and therefore, the supply of atmosphere is performed only at the semiconductor loading/unloading station 16. That's enough.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the semiconductor transport device according to the present invention has the following features:
Since the semiconductor is levitated in the vacuum tunnel by the magnetic action of the levitation magnetic coil and transported by a traveling body driven by a linear motor, it is possible to prevent dust from adhering to the semiconductor. Furthermore, the magnetic coil for levitation is attached to the traveling body, the electrical components are housed in an atmospheric chamber, and each time the traveling body stops, air is supplied from the atmosphere supply means installed at the semiconductor loading/unloading station in the vacuum tunnel, so electricity is supplied. The components function normally even in a vacuum tunnel, so that a semiconductor transfer device that operates simply and reliably can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a semiconductor transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view showing details of the loading/unloading station, Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the vacuum tunnel, and Fig. 4 is a line taken along the line shown in Fig. 3. 1'V-TV, FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the atmospheric supply means. 10...Vacuum tunnel, 12...Renohe 14...
- Traveling body, 16... Loading and unloading station, 1B... Wafer supply section, 20... Wafer processing section,
22... Wafer discharge section, 24... Transfer means, 30
...Wafer support capacity, 32...Primary winding, 34...
・Secondary winding, 36, 38 River magnetic coil, 40・
...Battery, 42...Control panel, 46...Atmospheric chamber, 56...Atmospheric supply means, 5B...Outer cylindrical seal member, 60...Inner cylindrical atmosphere supply pipe, 62... - Seal head, 66... hole, 68... closing member, 76... atmosphere supply control valve, 80...
Control air cylinder.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A vacuum tunnel (10) equipped with a rail (12), and a semiconductor transporting body (14) driven by a linear motor (32, 34) runs along the rail. A magnetic coil for levitation (3
8) is attached to the conveying traveling body, and the conveying traveling body communicates with the levitation magnetic coil (40, 42).
and an atmosphere supply means (56) for supplying the atmosphere to the atmosphere chamber of the conveyance vehicle.
) is the semiconductor loading/unloading station of the vacuum tunnel (
16) A semiconductor transport device characterized by being provided in. 2. The primary winding of the traveling linear motor (32) is attached to the rail.
2. The semiconductor transport device according to claim 1, wherein a secondary conductor (34) of the linear motor is provided on the transport traveling body. 3. The semiconductor transport device according to claim 1, wherein the electrical components housed in the atmospheric chamber are a battery (40) that supplies power to the levitation magnetic coil and a control device (42) for the levitation magnetic coil. . 4. The semiconductor transport device according to claim 3, wherein a charging means (52) for charging the battery is provided at the semiconductor loading/unloading station. 5. A semiconductor processing section (20) is provided outside the vacuum tunnel adjacent to the semiconductor loading/unloading station, and a transfer means (24) is provided while the semiconductor processing section is maintained in a vacuum.
2. The semiconductor transport device according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor transport device transports the semiconductor between the transport vehicle and the semiconductor processing section. 6. The atmospheric supply means (56) for supplying atmospheric air to the atmospheric chamber of the conveyance traveling body is connected to the constituent wall (10c) of the vacuum tunnel.
It consists of a pipe (60) that extends movably forward and backward through the air chamber, and sealing means (58, 64) provided at the tip of the pipe. A closing member (68) for the air introduction hole is provided, and when air is introduced, the pipe is advanced toward the atmospheric chamber so that the sealing means is engaged with a wall constituting the atmospheric chamber to seal the air introduction hole. 2. The semiconductor transport device according to claim 1, wherein the pipe is inserted into the air introduction hole while opening the closing member.