JPH0435312B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a conveyance device having a structure in which a plate-shaped member is suction-held at the tip of an arm and the arm is rotated in a horizontal plane, and in particular relates to a conveying device that holds a plate-shaped member by suction at the tip of an arm and rotates the arm in a horizontal plane. (e.g. silicon wafers) are transported and supplied to processing machines and inspection machines,
This invention relates to a conveyance device that has been improved to be suitable for removal and discharge.

[Background of the invention]

Conventionally, as one type of grinding device for grinding thin and fragile workpieces (hereinafter referred to as wafers) such as silicon wafers, the wafer is placed on a chuck such as a rotary table or an index table, and the wafer surface is polished with a grindstone. A grinding device that performs grinding processing is known.

However, in the conventionally known grinding apparatus and the work transfer apparatus attached thereto, when grinding the back surface of the wafer in the cassette, the wafer in the cassette must be manually turned upside down. Such manual intervention is not only undesirable from the viewpoint of saving labor, but also extremely undesirable from the viewpoint of increasing the risk (probability of occurrence) of contaminating or damaging the wafer.

Therefore, in the conventional technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 56-142262, the arm member that holds the wafer by suction is rotated 180 degrees in a vertical plane to turn the wafer being held upside down. .

However, as wafers have become larger in diameter in recent years, this method requires a relatively large equipment area, and the trajectory whose radius is the length of the arm that rotates 180° becomes a dangerous area.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and
While conveying a plate-shaped member in a horizontal plane, it is possible to automatically turn the plate-shaped member from front to back without changing its vertical or horizontal position.Moreover, the required installation area is small, and it can be used in large hazardous areas. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a conveyance device that does not involve

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the conveying device of the present invention is a device for conveying a plate-shaped object by suctioning and holding it at the tip of an arm member that rotates in a horizontal plane centering on the base end. The arm member is configured to be able to turn around the longitudinal axis of the arm member to turn over the front and back of the plate-shaped conveyed object held therein, and the arm member is configured such that the longitudinal axis of the arm member is ,
It is characterized in that it passes through the center of the suction/holding surface for the object to be transported.

[Embodiments of the invention]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a grinding machine equipped with an embodiment of the conveying device of the present invention.

A is the main body portion of the grinding machine, B is a loading portion configured by applying the conveying device of the present invention, and C is an unloading portion.

The loading section B inverts the wafers (not shown) stored in the cassette 10 and supplies them to the grinding machine main body section A.
The wafer is removed and stored in a cassette 10'.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the grinding machine, and FIG. 3 is a side view.

1 is the bed of the grinding machine body A, 2 is the column, and 3 is the spindle head.

The bed 1 is equipped with an index table 4, and a plurality of chucks 5 are provided on the index table 4.

One pair each of two types of arms 12 and 13 are provided.

The arm 13 has the function of transferring the wafer 6 to the chuck 5 on the index table 4, that is, the function of transporting it in a horizontal plane.

The arm 12 chucks the wafer 6' into the cassette 10, turns it upside down, and transfers it to the arm 13.
It also has the function of transferring the wafers received from the arm 13 upside down and storing them at the 6'' position in the cassette 10'.

Figure 4 shows the arm 1 dedicated to loading and unloading the wafer mentioned above.
3 and an enlarged plan view depicting the vicinity of the arm 12 having the function of reversing the wafer up and down (front and back).

The configuration of the arms 12 and 13 described above will be described later with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. Now regarding Figure 4,
Explain its function.

The arm 12 rotates around the center of rotation D by arrows L and R.
It rotates 90 degrees to the left and right as shown in the figure, and a suction pad 29 is provided at its tip.

On the other hand, the wafers 6' are placed in the cassette 10 at arrows a,
It is sent out to positions 6a and 6a' as shown in a' by a pusher (not shown).

The arm 12 is connected to 6a by the suction pad 29.
It picks up the wafer at position 6a', rotates in the directions of arrows L and R, and transports it to position 6b.
The wafer is rotated 90 degrees around DE, the upper and lower sides of the wafer are turned over, and the wafer is delivered to the arm 13.

Specifically, the arm 12 is attached to the wafer 6a or 6a.
Hold the lower surface of a' by suction, turn it upside down and place it on the intermediate table 11. The arm 13 suction-holds the inverted wafer 6b using the suction pad 29, and swivels as shown by the reciprocating arc arrow b to mount it on the chuck 5 at a position 6c.

The removal and storage of the wafer 6c is performed in the reverse order to the above.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V in FIG. 4.

The above-mentioned vertical reversal arm 12 is connected to the plate 16
Although not shown, it is supported by the grinding machine body via a bracket that connects the plate and the grinding machine body. A motor 17 attached to the plate 16 is driven to rotate the shaft 22 via gears 15, 18, 19, and 21. An arm 12 for up-down (front-to-back) reversal is connected to the lower end of the shaft 22, and when driven by a motor 17, the arm 12 rotates in a horizontal plane to transport the wafer 6 held by a suction pad 29. Then, another motor 24 is driven to turn the wafer 6 upside down by 90 degrees. The reversing motor 24 rotates the shaft 26 via gears 25 and 27. Further, the vertical reversal arm 12 is eccentrically attached to the end of the shaft 26 (that is, the wafer 6 held by suction)
is eccentrically arranged so as to coincide with a plane containing the axis of the shaft 26. As a result, even if the wafer 6 is turned over, its vertical position hardly changes. Further, the reversing arm 12 is driven up and down by the cylinder 9 even when the center portion of the wafer 6 is attracted. The inverted wafer 6 is placed on the table 11
placed on top.

Since the reversing arm 12 attracts the central part of the wafer 6, when the reversing arm 12 rotates around the axis and reverses the wafer 6, the wafer 6 is rotated on a horizontal plane due to the reversal. Do not change position.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken from FIG. 4, and shows the arm 13 dedicated to rotation (not turned upside down). It is similar to the arm 12 described above (FIG. 5) except that it does not have a configuration for vertically inverting.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the device of the present invention, since the front and back sides of the plate-shaped member are reversed around the longitudinal axis of the arm, the required installation area is small, and the plate-shaped member does not need to be rotated in a vertical plane. Since the front and back sides are turned over, there is no need to create a large danger area. Moreover, since the axis of the arm member is aligned with the adsorption/holding surface of the plate-shaped member (object to be transported), when the arm member is reversed around the axis, the plate-shaped member can be moved vertically and horizontally. position remains almost unchanged. The above-mentioned position in the left and right direction means a position on a horizontal plane. Further, since the plate-like member is turned over without manual intervention, there is no risk of staining or damaging the plate-like member, which is an excellent practical effect.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a grinding machine equipped with an embodiment of the plate-shaped member conveying device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a side view thereof. Fig. 4 is an operational explanatory diagram depicting enlarged details of the main parts of the plan view (Fig. 2), and Fig. 5
The figure is a V-V sectional view of Figure 4, and Figure 6 is the same -
FIG. 1...Bed, 2...Column, 3...Spindle head, 4...Index table, 5...
chuck, 6, 6', 6''... wafer as a plate-shaped member to be transported, 10, 10'... cassette containing wafer, 12... arm constructed by applying the present invention, 13... wafer Arm for transportation, 19,
21, 25, 27...gear, 16...plate,
17, 24...Motor, 26...Shaft, 29
...Adsorption pad.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In an apparatus for transporting a plate-shaped object by suctioning and holding it at the tip of an arm member that rotates in a horizontal plane around its base end, the arm member is The arm member is configured to be able to rotate around an axis to turn over the front and back of the held plate-like conveyed object, and the axis in the longitudinal direction of the arm member attracts and holds the conveyed object. A conveying device for a plate-shaped member, characterized in that the conveyance device passes through the center of a surface. 2. The plate-like member conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plate-like member is a semiconductor wafer. 3. A patent characterized in that the above-mentioned rotating arm transports a semiconductor wafer, which is a workpiece, between a grinding machine and a cassette, and supplies and removes the semiconductor wafer from the grinding machine. A conveying device for a plate-like member according to claim 2.