JPH0541141U - Wafer checking mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Object] To realize a wafer chucking mechanism capable of supporting and chucking a wafer by a single drive source and preventing damage to the wafer due to malfunction by a simple configuration. [Structure] When the drive source 15 is operated to move the moving block 11 to the right side in the drawing, the moving rod 5 moves to the right side in the drawing via the coil spring 14, and the moving pin 4 fixed to the moving rod 5 moves to the right side. Can be moved to. When the moving block is moved further, the second shaft 16 moves further to the right, pushes the lever body 17, and rotates the lever body 17. The wafer support 7 moves upward, and the wafer 10 is separated from the transfer arm and is completely placed on the wafer support 7. next,
When the moving block 11 is moved to the left side, the wafer 1
0 is placed on the wafer holder 1, the pressing of the moving rod 5 by the first shaft 12 is released, the moving pin is pulled by the spring 6 toward the fixed pin 2, and the wafer 10 is chucked.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a wafer chucking mechanism that places a wafer on a sample holder such as a scanning electron microscope and chucks the wafer on the holder.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 FIG. 3 shows a wafer chucking mechanism for chucking a wafer placed on a sample holder of a conventional scanning electron microscope or the like. Reference numeral 1 is a wafer holder (base), and a fixing pin 2 is attached to one end of the upper portion thereof. The movable pin 4 is provided in the opening 3 of the wafer holder 2 with respect to the fixed pin 2. The moving pin 4 is attached to the moving rod 5, but the moving pin 4 is always subjected to a force attracted toward the fixed pin by a spring 6 provided between the holder 1 and the moving rod 5. The moving rod 5 is biased rightward in the figure by the chucking drive rod 21. Reference numeral 7 is a wafer support, and 8 is a drive rod for driving the wafer support 7 in the vertical direction. A wafer transfer arm 9 has a wafer 10 placed on the arm 9. The relationship among the transfer arm 9, the wafer 10, the fixed pin 2, the movable pin 4, and the wafer support 7 is shown in FIG. The operation of placing the wafer 10 on the wafer holder 1 with such a structure and chucking the wafer 10 will be described below.

First, the wafer 10 is transferred by the transfer arm 9 onto the wafer holder 1. Next, the drive rod 8 is driven upward by an appropriate drive source to move the wafer support 7 upward, and the wafer 10 is placed on the support 7. When the wafer 10 is completely supported by the wafer support 7, the transfer arm 9 is retracted. After that, the chucking driving rod 21 is pushed by an appropriate driving source to move the moving rod 5 to the right in the figure, and the moving pin 4 is moved to widen the distance between the fixed pin 2 and the moving pin 4. Next, the drive rod 8 is driven to move the wafer support 7 downward, and the wafer 10 is placed on the wafer holder 1. After the wafer 10 is placed on the holder 1, the chucking drive rod 6 is pulled to the left side, and the drive rod 5 and the moving pin 4 are moved to the left side by the force of the spring 6 to move the wafer 10 to the fixed pin 2 and the moving pin. Chuck between 4 and. When carrying out the wafer 10 from the holder 1, the discharging operation is performed in the reverse order of the above procedure.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 The above configuration requires two drive sources, a vertical drive source for supporting the wafer 10 and a wafer chucking drive source, and the drive timings of the two drive sources can be electrically controlled accurately. It is necessary to complicate the configuration. If either of the two drive sources malfunctions, the wafer cannot be chucked accurately or the wafer may be damaged.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to support and chuck a wafer by a single driving source, and to perform a wafer operation with a simple structure due to malfunction. The purpose is to realize a wafer chucking mechanism that can prevent damage to the wafer.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 A wafer chucking mechanism based on the present invention comprises a base of a wafer holder, a support member for moving the wafer up and down at the center of the base, a lever for pushing the support member upward, and a wafer mounted on the base. A fixed pin for regulating one end, a moving pin for regulating the other end of the wafer at a position facing the fixed pin, an elastic body for giving a force to pull the moving pin toward the fixed pin, and a movable pin. Moving means for moving in a direction away from the fixed pin by a fixed distance, the moving block, first pressing means for pressing the moving means of the moving pin via the elastic body by moving the moving block, and moving A second pressing means for pressing the lever body by the movement of the block and pushing up the wafer supporting member upward, and a first pressing hand by the initial movement of the moving block. The movable pin is moved by a predetermined distance by means of the movement of the movable block following the initial movement, and the lever is pushed by the second pressing means to push the wafer support member upward, and by the reverse movement of the movable block, the fixed pin is moved. It is characterized in that the wafer is arranged between the moving pins, and the pressing of the moving means of the moving pins is released to chuck the wafer.

[0007]

[Action]

 The wafer chucking mechanism based on the present invention moves the moving pin a predetermined distance by the first pressing means by the initial movement of the moving block, and moves the lever body by the second pressing means by the movement following the initial movement of the moving block. The wafer is supported by pushing the wafer support member upward, and by moving the moving block in the opposite direction, the wafer is placed between the fixed pin and the moving pin, and the pressing of the moving means of the moving pin is released to chuck the wafer.

[0008]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a wafer chucking mechanism based on the present invention, and FIGS. 4 to 6 are views for explaining the operation of the mechanism of FIG. The same parts or similar parts as those of the embodiment of FIG. 1 and the conventional mechanism of FIG. 3 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. In this embodiment, the moving rod 5 is moved by the movement of the moving block 11, but the movement of the moving block 11 is transmitted to the moving rod 5 by the first shaft 12. Although the first shaft 12 can freely move with respect to the moving block 11, a coil spring 14 is provided between the stopper pin 13 of the first shaft 12 and the moving block 11 to move the moving block 11. Is transmitted to the first shaft 12 via the coil spring 14. The moving block 11 is moved by the drive source 15 in the left and right directions in the drawing. A second shaft 16 is attached to the moving block 11, and the second shaft 16 presses the lever body 17. The lever body 17 rotates about a shaft 18 as a fulcrum, and the right rotation of the lever body 17 moves the wafer support body 7 upward, and conversely, the left rotation of the lever body 17 moves the wafer support body 7 downward. Be moved to.

The operation of such a configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the drive source 15 is operated to move the moving block 11 rightward in the drawing by the stroke A. FIG. 4 shows this state. The movement of the stroke A of the moving block 11 causes the moving rod 5 to move to the right side in the drawing via the coil spring 14, and the moving rod 5 is a stopper pin provided on the wafer holder 1. It abuts 19 and its movement stops. At this time, the moving pin 4 fixed to the moving rod 5 is moved to the right side, and the distance between the fixed pin 2 and the moving pin 4 becomes the maximum distance. At this time, in the initial state, the distance between the tip of the second shaft 16 and the lever body 17 is separated by approximately stroke A, and the movement of the stroke A of the moving block 11 acts on the lever body 17. Nothing happens. Next, the moving block is further moved by the stroke B. FIG. 5 shows this state, and the movement of the moving rod 5 is blocked by the stopper pin 19 even when the moving block 11 moves, and the movement of the moving block 11 is absorbed by the coil spring 14. On the other hand, the second shaft 16 further moves to the right, pushes the lever body 17, and rotates the lever body 17 to the right. The rotation of the lever 17 causes the wafer support 7 to move upward, separating the wafer 10 from the transfer arm and completely placing the wafer 10 on the wafer support 7. At this stage, the transfer arm 9 is retracted from the upper part of the holder 1.

Next, the moving block 11 is moved to the left side by the stroke B, contrary to the above. This state is shown in FIG. 6, and the movement of the moving block 11 also moves the second shaft 16 to the left, and the lever 17 rotates counterclockwise to move the wafer support 7 downward. As a result, the wafer 10 is placed on the wafer holder 1. After that, if the moving block 11 is moved to the left by the stroke A, the pressing of the moving rod 5 by the first shaft 12 is released, and the moving pin is pulled in the direction of the fixed pin 2 by the spring 6, Wafer 10 is chucked between 2 and the moving pin. When ejecting the chucked wafer from the wafer holder 1, the ejection can be performed by moving the moving block 11 in one direction in the same steps as described above. As described above, in this embodiment, the moving block 11 can be moved in one direction to continuously move the chucking moving pin 4 and lift the wafer from the transfer arm 9. It is possible to use a single drive source, and it is not necessary to electrically control the timing of moving the moving pin and lifting the wafer as in the conventional case.

[0011]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, the wafer chucking mechanism according to the present invention moves the moving pin a predetermined distance by the first pressing means by the initial movement of the moving block, and moves it by the second movement by the movement of the moving block following the initial movement. The pushing means pushes the lever to push the wafer support member upwards, and the reverse movement of the moving block places the wafer between the fixed pin and the moving pin, and releases the pressing of the moving pin moving means. Since the wafer is chucked, the wafer can be supported and chucked by a single driving source, and the wafer can be prevented from being damaged by a malfunction with a simple structure.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a wafer chucking mechanism according to the present invention, which is a diagram in an initial state.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a relationship between a wafer, a transfer arm, and a wafer support.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a conventional wafer chucking mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a view showing an embodiment of a wafer chucking mechanism according to the present invention, showing a state in which a moving pin is moved.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a wafer chucking mechanism according to the present invention, showing a state in which a wafer is supported by a wafer support.

FIG. 6 is a view showing an embodiment of a wafer chucking mechanism according to the present invention, showing a state where a wafer is placed on a wafer holder.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Wafer holder 2 ... Fixed pin 4 ... Moving pin 5 ... Moving rod 7 ... Wafer support 9 ... Transfer arm 10 ... Wafer 11 ... Moving block 12, 16 ... Shaft 14 ... Coil spring 15 ... Drive source 17 ... Lever

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A base of a wafer holder, a support member for vertically moving the wafer at a central portion of the base, a lever body for pushing the support member upward, and a fixing pin provided on the base for regulating one end of the wafer. , A moving pin for regulating the other end of the wafer at a position facing the fixed pin,
An elastic body for giving a force to pull the moving pin toward the fixed pin, a moving means for moving the moving pin in a direction away from the fixed pin by a certain distance, a moving block, and an elastic body by moving the moving block. The moving block includes first pressing means for pressing the moving means of the moving pin via the second pressing means and second pressing means for pressing the lever body by moving the moving block and pushing up the wafer supporting member. By the initial movement of the moving block, the moving pin is moved by a predetermined distance by the first pressing means, and by the movement following the initial movement of the moving block, the lever is pressed by the second pressing means to push up the wafer supporting member and move it. The wafer is arranged between the fixed pin and the moving pin by the reverse movement of the block, and the pressing of the moving means of the moving pin is released to chuck the wafer. Wafer chucking mechanism.