JPH0493046A - Wafer transfer apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To clean a hand automatically without the help of an operator by providing the following: a wafer transfer machine which grips the hand by using a clamp; and a hand conveyance machine which conveys the clamp to a cleaning tank and to a nozzle for drying use and which cleans and dries the hand. CONSTITUTION:A hand 4 is advanced and is inserted into two rings. At the same time, the locking mechanism of a clamp A9 is detached and the hand is gripped by a clamp B10. After that, the clamp A9 of a wafer transfer machine is returned, and the hand 4 is detached. The hand 4 which is gripped by the clamp B10 of a hand conveyance machine 8 is transported to a cleaning tank 6 along a guide groove and is cleaned. After finishing this cleaning operation, the hand 4 is stopped between two nozzles 7 for drying use and is dried by N2 gas which is spouted from the nozzles 7 for drying use. After this drying operation, the hand 4 is gripped by the clamp A9 of the wafer transfer machine; the clamp A9 is retreated; the hand is detached from the clamp B10. Thereby, the hand 4 which is cleaned is attached to the wafer transfer machine and is on standby for a next transfer operation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a wafer transfer device used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, and more particularly to a wafer transfer device having a cleaning and drying mechanism for a hand that supports a wafer.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, automation of diffusion devices and CVD devices equipped with vertical furnaces has progressed, and wafer transfer devices have come to be installed in most of these devices. For example, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 6, as a transfer method using a conventional general wafer transfer machine, a wafer 3 stored in a carrier 1 is transferred to a tongue-shaped hand 4 made of quartz or the like of a hand drive unit 5. support, x, y,
Transfer to boat 2 by moving in the z and θ directions. After the heat treatment or film formation, the wafer 3 on the boat 2F is returned to the carrier 1 to complete the transfer.

At this time, as a measure against particles during wafer transfer, an EPA filter is installed on the wafer transfer machine to prevent dust from adhering to the wafer surface. Since the wafer 3 is supported by contact, if there is dust on the hand 4, it will adhere to the back side of the wafer 3 and cause contamination. It is necessary to wipe the hand 4 directly or wash it in a washing machine after removing the hand 4.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The above-described conventional wafer transfer machine has a disadvantage in that in order to clean the hand, the operator must wipe the hand directly or remove the hand and wash it in a washing machine. In this case, the wafer processing apparatus necessarily had to be stopped while the hand was being cleaned, which also led to a decrease in the operating rate of the apparatus. An object of the present invention is to provide a wafer transfer device that can automatically clean a hand without bothering the operator.

[Means to solve the problem]

The wafer transfer device of the present invention includes a wafer transfer device in which a hand is gripped by a clamp for transferring wafers stored in a carrier to a boat of a vertical furnace, and a wafer transfer device that transfers wafers stored in a carrier to a boat of a vertical furnace; The hand conveying machine is used to transfer the hand and to transfer the clamp holding the transferred hand to a cleaning tank and a drying nozzle to wash and dry the hand.

〔Example〕 Next, the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 are front views showing its operation. As shown in FIG. 1, this embodiment includes a wafer transfer machine comprising a carrier 1, a boat 2, a hand 4 that supports the wafer 3, and a hand drive section 5 that drives the hand 4, and the hand 4 is cleaned and dried. It is composed of a cleaning tank 6 for drying and a hand conveyor 8 having a drying nozzle 7 for drying N2 gas or the like.

Normally, wafer transfer between carrier 1 and boat 2 is not performed during heat treatment and film formation on wafer 3, and the wafer transfer machine is not used during that time.
At that time, the hand 4 is cleaned. The functions of this embodiment will be explained below. The end of the hand 4 is inserted into a clamp 89, and is clamped by a locking mechanism using a spring, a claw, or the like. The hand 4 is rotated in the direction of the hand conveyor 8, moves further forward, and is inserted into the two rings provided in the clamp BIO of the hand conveyor tM8 as shown in FIG. 2, and at the same time the locking mechanism of the clamp A9 is released. ,
It is held by the clamp B10.

The ring of this clamp BIO tightens and grips the hand 4 by a spring action. In this way, both the clamp A9 and the clamp B]-0 can be attached to and detached from the hand 4.

After that, clamp A9 of the wafer transfer machine returns, and hand 4
to leave. After that, as shown in Fig. 3, the hand conveyor 8
The hand 4 held by the clamp BIO is carried along the guide groove to the cleaning tank 6 and cleaned. As a cleaning method, pure water cleaning using a nozzle is effective. After cleaning,
As shown in FIG. 4, the hand 4 is stopped between two drying nozzles 7, and is dried with N2 gas discharged from the drying nozzles 7. After drying, in order to return the hand 4 to the wafer transfer machine, it is gripped by the clamp A9 of the wafer transfer machine in the reverse operation of the cleaning operation, and the clamp 89 is moved back and removed from the clamp B1-0.

The cleaned hand 4 is now attached to the wafer transfer machine and stands by for the next transfer. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a wafer transfer device that can automatically clean the hand 4 without bothering the operator.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing another embodiment of the present invention. In this example, a ring is also attached below the clamp BIO,
” 1 The hand 4 can be held on both sides of the bottom,
The rest of the structure is the same as that of the previous embodiment. According to this embodiment, since two hands 4 can be gripped by the clamp B]-0 at the same time, one hand 4 can clean the other hand 4 while the wafer 3 is being transferred to the boat 2. Therefore, the two hands 4 can be used alternately, the cleaning time per hand 4 can be lengthened, and there is an advantage that wafers can be transferred using a clean hand 4.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, by providing a wafer transfer machine comprising a hand that grips a wafer and a hand drive unit that drives the hand, and a hand transport machine having a cleaning tank and a drying nozzle, The hand can be automatically cleaned without bothering the operator, and it is possible to prevent dust from adhering to the back surface of the wafer.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2, Fig. 3,
FIG. 4 is a front view showing the operation of one embodiment of the invention, FIG. 5 is a front view of another embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conventional wafer transfer machine. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Carrier, 2...Boat, 3...-Wafer, 4...Hand, 5-...Hand drive unit, 6...Cleaning tank, 7-...Drying nozzle, 8... Hand conveyor, 9
...Clamp A, 1-0...Clamp B.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A wafer transfer machine that holds a hand with a clamp to transfer wafers stored in a carrier to a boat of a vertical furnace, and a hand that transfers the hand from the clamp to the clamp of the hand transfer machine after transfer. 1. A wafer transfer device comprising: the hand conveying machine for conveying a clamp holding a wafer to a cleaning tank and a drying nozzle, and cleaning and drying the hand.