JPH0541142U - Transfer device for wafer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] Full automation of wafer transfer between a jig with a bottom opening and a jig with a bottom opening. [Structure] A carrier (2) of an upper and lower opening jig is mounted on a lower stage (4), and a clean case (3) of a bottomed jig is mounted on an upper stage (5). The upper stage (5) is supported by the rotary support (9) and holds the clean case (3) with the jig retainer (7), and the rotary support (9) rotates 180 ° to clean the clean case (3). ) Is turned upside down and faces the carrier (2). The wafer (1) in the clean case (3) is appropriately locked by the rotating lock claw (8), and the lock claw (8) is interlocked with the lifting body (6) that moves up and down through the carrier (2). Rotate. Wafer (1) from clean case (3) facing vertically to carrier (2)
Is held by the lifting body (6) and moves down, or the wafer (1) is transferred from the carrier (2) to the clean case (3).
Is held by the lifting body (6) and moves up.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention is an apparatus for transferring wafers between two jigs that are vertically aligned and housed, more specifically, a processing case with upper and lower openings and a case with a lid with a top opening and a bottom, and a wafer from one to the other. And an automatic transfer device.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 There are various types of jigs for vertically aligning and storing a plurality of wafer-shaped articles depending on the application such as storage, transportation, and manufacturing, and the jigs are transferred many times during the handling process. .. For example, wafers are stored in a jig with a top opening and a bottom, which is called a clean case, and shipped to the manufacturing factory.The wafer is then transferred from the clean case to a jig for processing / processing carriers and boats. Can be replaced.

8 and 9 show a clean case (3) and a carrier (2) of the above jig, which will be described. The clean case (3) in FIG. 8 is a case with a top opening, and a plurality of wafers (1) are vertically inserted from the top opening. Grooves (10) are formed vertically on the inner wall surfaces of the clean case (3) that face each other, and the peripheral edge portion of the wafer (1) is fitted into the groove (10) to allow a plurality of wafers (1) to be cleaned. (3) Aligned and stored in. The opening of the clean case (3) is appropriately closed with a lid (not shown). The carrier (2) in FIG. 9 is a frame body having upper and lower openings, and the peripheral edge portion of the wafer (1) is fitted into the groove (11) vertically formed on the facing inner wall surface so that the wafer (1) is A plurality of them are arranged and stored in the carrier (2).

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 The transfer of the wafer (1) from the clean case (3) to the carrier (2) can be automatically performed simply as follows. The groove (10) of the clean case (3) and the groove (11) of the carrier (2) have the same pitch, and the carrier (2) which is turned upside down is placed on the clean case (3). Then, the wafer (1) is moved from the upper clean case (3) to the lower carrier (2) by its own weight. Also, the transfer of the wafer (1) from the carrier (2) to the clean case (3) can be automatically performed by stacking both jigs and turning them upside down. However, if the jigs of the clean case (3) and the carrier (2) are actually stacked and turned upside down, the wafer (1) does not move smoothly between the jigs due to its own weight, and the wafers (1) cannot be transferred in a lump.

Therefore, when the wafer (1) is transferred from the carrier (2) to the clean case (3), both jigs are stacked and a pusher is inserted from the bottom opening of the carrier (2) to remove the wafer (1). Positively move 1) to the clean case (3). However, when transferring the wafer (1) from the bottomed clean case (3) to the carrier (2), the bottom of the clean case (3) interferes and the pusher is inserted into the clean case (3). Therefore, the wafer (1) cannot be moved from the clean case (3) to the carrier (2). Therefore, the operator manually transfers the wafers (1) from the bottomed clean case (3) to the carriers (2) one by one using a pin set. This manual wafer transfer has a large number of wafers and is extremely inferior in workability, and there is a concern that the wafers may be damaged by the tweezers.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a wafer transfer device capable of reliably and automatically transferring a wafer between a bottomed jig and another jig. It

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The present invention collects wafers from one side to the other side of a first jig having upper and lower openings such as the carrier for vertically aligning and accommodating a plurality of wafers and a second jig having a bottom with an upper end opening such as the case. In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the device is mounted on a lower stage on which a first jig facing up and down and an upper stage on which a second jig is mounted and a lower stage. An ascending / descending body that moves up and down through the first jig, a jig retainer that appropriately sandwiches the second jig mounted on the upper stage with the upper stage, and a second jig mounted on the upper stage. The lock claw that is properly inserted into the jig and locked to the wafer to prevent the wafer from falling naturally from the second jig, the upper stage, the jig retainer and the lock claw are supported on the front surface. Rotating support that rotates the vertical direction 180 degrees as appropriate The upper jig and the second jig sandwiched between the upper stage and the jig holder by the rotary support are inverted 180 ° to face the first jig of the lower stage. It is characterized in that the wafer is moved directly from the first jig to the second jig or vice versa.

[0008]

[Action]

 When the wafer is transferred from the first jig to the second jig, the second jig is turned upside down so that both jigs face each other up and down, and the wafer of the first jig is moved to the second jig with the lifting body. Then, the wafer in the second jig is locked by the lock claws to lower the lifting body, and the rotary support is rotated 180 ° to move the upper and lower sides of the second jig. Return to normal. The lifting body in this case functions as a pusher. When transferring the wafer from the second jig to the first jig, lock the wafer of the second jig with the lock claw and turn the second jig 180 ° with the rotation support. Upside down to the second jig, place the wafer of the second jig on the lifting body, unlock the lock claws, and lower the lifting body. The supported wafer moves to the first jig. As a result, a plurality of wafers are automatically transferred in a batch from the bottomed second jig to the first jig.

[0009]

【Example】

 Examples will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. This embodiment shows a wafer transfer device between the clean case (3) and the carrier (2) jig shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, in which the upper and lower first jigs are mounted on the carrier (2) and the upper end. The second jig having an open bottom corresponds to the clean case (3).

FIG. 1 shows an overall view of the device of the present invention, which is a frame-shaped lower stage (4) for positioning and mounting a carrier (2) on the lower front surface of a main body (13) installed on a floor (12). Then, an elevating body (6) penetrating the carrier (2) is arranged. The lower stage (4) is vertically driven by a first motor (15) incorporated in the main body (13). The lifting body (6) is fixed to the upper end of a lifting rod (14) that moves up and down in front of the main body (13) and moves up and down through the lower stage (4) and the carrier (2) above it. The lifting rod (14) is vertically driven by a second motor (16) built in the body (13).

A circular drum-shaped rotary support (9) is vertically arranged on the upper front surface of the main body (13), and a frame-shaped upper stage (5) and a frame-shaped jig are provided on the front surface of the rotary support (9). A presser foot (7) and a pair of lock claws (8) are arranged. The rotary support (9) is intermittently driven 180 ° by a third motor (17) built in the main body (13). The third motor (17) rotates the rotary shaft (9 ') of the rotary support (9) via the belt (20). The upper stage (5) is located directly above the lower stage (4), and the clean case (3) is positioned and mounted on this. The upper stage (5) is vertically driven by a fourth motor (18) incorporated in the rotary support (9). The jig retainer (7) is fixed in place on the front surface of the rotary support (9). The jig holder (7) and the upper stage (5) that moves up and down face each other in parallel, and the clean case (3) is appropriately sandwiched between them. The pair of locking claws (8) lock the wafer (1) in the clean case (3) and prevent the wafer (1) from dropping spontaneously from the upside down clean case (3). , Fixed to the tips of a pair of arms (21) that rotate along the front surface of the rotary support (9). The pair of arms (20) are rotationally driven in opposite directions by a fifth motor (19) incorporated in the rotary support (9). When the pair of arms (21) rotate inward as shown by the arrows in FIG. 3, each lock claw (8) penetrates through the jig retainer (7) and a plurality of wafers stored in the clean case (3). The wafer (1) is locked in the clean case (3) by hitting the outer periphery of (1).

The lower stage (4), the lifting body (6), and the upper stage (5) each have an upper and lower two-stage structure. For example, the lower stage (4) moves up and down as shown in FIG. A stage main body (4a) and a jig base (4b) installed in parallel on the stage main body (4a) via a spring (4c). The overload detection sensor (4d) is fixed on the stage body (4a), and the carrier (2) is positioned and mounted on the jig base (4b) by the positioning block (22). The sensor (4d) detects an overload when the lower stage (4) rises for wafer replacement as described later. In other words, if the ascending lower stage (4) or carrier (2) accidentally hits something and is overloaded, the jig base (4b) will resist the spring (4c) against the stage body (4a). The sensor (4d) detects this and the abnormal occurrence of overload is detected, and the ascending operation is interrupted. Each of the upper stage (5) and the lifting body (6) has such an overload detection function, and the structure thereof is the same as that of the lower stage (4), and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 2B shows a vertical drive mechanism for the lower stage (4) and the lifting body (6). For example, the first motor (15) rotates the ball screw (24) forward and backward through the belt (23), and vertically moves the bracket (25) screwed to the ball screw (24) to move the lower stage (4). Move up and down. Similarly, the second motor (16) rotates the ball screw (27) forward and reverse through the belt (26), and vertically moves the bracket (28) screwed on the ball screw (27) to move the lifting rod ( 14) and the lifting body (6) are moved up and down. In addition, (29) and (30) shown in (b) of FIG. 2 are vertical movement guides of the brackets (25) and (28).

3 to 7 show an operation sequence of transferring the wafer (1) from the clean case (3) to the carrier (2), and this operation will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 3, a clean case in which an empty carrier (2) is mounted on the lower stage (4) at the lower limit position, and a wafer (1) is stored on the upper stage (5) at the lower limit position. Install (3). The upper stage (5) is raised by the fourth motor (18) to bring the upper end of the clean case (3) into contact with the jig retainer (7), and hold that state. The jig retainer (7) hits the clean case (3) except the upper end opening of the clean case (3), and clamps the clean case (3) with the upper stage (5). If an abnormal overload occurs when the upper stage (5) is raised, this is detected by a sensor (not shown) mounted on the upper stage (5) of the two-stage structure and the rise is interrupted. After the upper stage (5) is lifted, the pair of lock claws (8) is rotated by the fifth motor (19) from the solid line position in FIG. 3 to the broken line position, and the tips of the lock claws (8) are cleaned in the clean case (3). The wafer (1) is locked by abutting against the wafer (1) therein and the state is held.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the rotary support (9) is rotated by 180 ° by the third motor (17), the clean case (3) is turned upside down, and the opening is opened in the carrier (2). Facing directly above. The fall of the wafer (1) from the clean case (3) is prevented by the lock of the lock claw (8). In this state, the lifting body (6) is raised by the second motor (16), and the upper surface of the lifting body (6) is brought into contact with the lower ends of all wafers (1) in the clean case (3) as shown in FIG. And keep that state. Then, after that, the pair of lock claws (8) are rotated outward to the position of the chain line in FIG. 5 to separate them from the wafer (1) and the jig retainer (7) to unlock the wafer (1). The wafer (1) is still held in the clean case (3) by the ascending / descending body (6).

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the lower stage (4) is raised by the first motor (15), the upper end of the carrier (2) is brought into contact with the jig retainer (7), and the state is maintained. .. At this time, the carrier (2) and the grooves (10) and (11) of the clean case (3) face each other vertically. A guide groove (31) corresponding to each groove (10) (11) may be formed on the inner surface of the jig retainer (7). In this case, the groove (10) (above and below the guide groove (31) ( Align the three so that 11) is located. After that, when the lifting / lowering body (6) is lowered, the plurality of wafers (1) held by the lifting / lowering body (6) in the clean case (3) are collectively lowered together with the lifting / lowering body (6) to form a groove. Guided from the (10) to the guide groove (31) and then to the groove (11), it is stored in the carrier (2) as shown by the chain line in FIG. Before and after this storage is completed, the carrier (2) is lowered to the original lower limit position together with the lifting body (6). This state is shown in FIG. After that, rotate the rotary support (9) 180 ° to return it to the original position in Fig. 3, lower the upper stage (5) and take out the emptied clean case (3), and lower stage (5). The carrier (2) containing the wafer (1) is taken out from 4).

On the contrary to the above operation, when the wafer (1) is transferred from the carrier (2) accommodating the wafer (1) to the empty clean case (3), the above operation may be reversed. That is, in the state of FIG. 7, the lower stage (4) is raised, the carrier (2) is applied to the jig retainer (7), and the lifting body (6) lifts the wafer (1) in the carrier (2). It moves to a clean case (3) and the state of FIG. 6 is obtained. Next, only the lower stage (4) and the carrier (2) are lowered, and the pair of lock claws (8) are rotated to lock the wafer (1) in the carrier (2) to the state shown in FIG. After that, the elevating body (6) is lowered, and then the rotation support body (9) is rotated 180 ° to obtain the state shown in FIG. The lock claw (8) is rotated to release the lock, and the upper stage (5) is lowered.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned transfer device between the clean case (3) and the carrier (2) between the two jigs, and can be modified in accordance with the two jigs. For example, although not shown, the first jig having upper and lower openings mounted on the lower stage may be a frame boat that stands a wafer and supports only the lower peripheral edge thereof. In the case of such a boat, a groove into which the lower peripheral edge of the wafer is fitted is formed on the upper surface of the lifting body used for moving the wafer between the boat and the second jig, and the wafer is held in this groove. It should be able to move up and down.

[0019]

[Effect of the device]

 According to the present invention, not only is the wafer automatically transferred from the first jig with the upper and lower openings to the second jig with the upper opening, but also the second jig is transferred to the first jig. Automatic transfer of wafers is also possible easily and easily, and it is possible to greatly improve the workability of the wafer transfer process in the storage, transportation, and manufacturing of wafers using a bottomed jig, and between two jigs. There is no need to worry about damaging the wafer when it is moved, and the manufacturing yield can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing an embodiment of the device of the present invention, (a) is a front view, and (b) is a side view including a partial cross section.

2 is a partially enlarged view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, in which (a) is a side view,
(B) is a rear view

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged front view showing respective operating states of main parts of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged front view showing each operating state of the main part of the apparatus shown in FIG.

5 is a partially enlarged front view showing each operating state of the main part of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged front view showing respective operating states of main parts of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged front view showing respective operating states of main parts of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a front view including an example of a partial cross section showing an example of a jig with a top opening and a bottom.

FIG. 9 is a front view including a partial cross section showing an example of a jig having upper and lower openings.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Wafer 2 First Jig (Carrier) 3 Second Jig (Clean Case) 4 Lower Stage 5 Upper Stage 6 Elevator 7 Jig Presser 8 Lock Claw 9 Rotation Support

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A lower stage, on which a first jig, which is vertically opposed, is mounted; A jig holder for appropriately sandwiching the moving lifting body and the second jig mounted on the upper stage with the upper stage, and a second jig which is appropriately inserted into the second jig mounted on the upper stage. The lock claw that locks to the wafer in the jig to prevent the wafer from falling naturally from the second jig, the upper stage, the jig retainer, and the lock claw are supported on the front side, and The second support is provided with a rotary support that rotates the entire body in the vertical direction by 180 ° as appropriate, and is clamped between the upper stage and the jig holder by the rotary support.
In the state where the jig is reversed 180 ° and faced the first jig of the lower stage, the lifting jig moves directly from the first jig to the second jig.
A plurality of wafers vertically aligned from one side to the other side between the first jig having the upper and lower openings and the second jig having the upper end opening for moving the wafer to the jig or vice versa. Wafer transfer device. 2. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first jig is a carrier and the second jig is a clean case with a lid.