JPH0542977Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a mechanical wafer transfer chuck that holds a wafer with a chuck claw without using a vacuum, and particularly relates to preventing lateral displacement of a wafer during anti-chucking. be.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

Conventional wafer transfer chucks generally use a vacuum to hold the wafer with its suction force. Disadvantages of this case include damage due to contact between the wafer and filler (suction port), reduction in cleanliness, and malfunction of the vacuum equipment due to suction of processing liquid adhering to the wafer. In some cases, a check that does not depend on the situation may be required. On the other hand, in the case of a mechanical wafer transfer chuck, the tip of the chuck claw overhangs the wafer surface and interferes with the other party's holder or transfer chuck when receiving or transferring the wafer, so the chuck may be anti-jawed during the approach. The wafers had to be brought in from the chuck, which caused the wafers to shift laterally and risk falling out of the chuck.

[Purpose of invention]

The object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical wafer transfer chuck which does not cause lateral displacement of the wafer when the wafer is transferred in an anti-chuck state, in which the wafer is held by chuck claws without using a vacuum.

[Summary of the idea]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention uses a plurality of chuck claws to hold the wafer between the wafer receiving surface on the chuck body side, and an elastic body such as a spring on the outer periphery of the wafer. It is equipped with a guide that can protrude from the surface, and this guide prevents the wafer from shifting laterally even when the wafer is transferred in an anti-yack state.

[Example of idea]

Figures 1 to 5 below show an embodiment of the present invention.
The diagram will be explained. FIG. 1 shows a state in which a wafer transport chuck A according to the present invention holds a wafer 3 and is transferred to a concentric position directly below a machine holder or another wafer transport chuck (hereinafter referred to as a holder) B. . The chuck body 1 of this wafer transfer chuck A is attached to the tip of an arm C. The arm C is configured to be able to move vertically and horizontally (including rotation) by a transfer mechanism (not shown), and also rotate as necessary to reverse the wafer transfer chuck A.

In FIG. 1 of the chuck body 1, a recess 2' is provided in the upper surface 2, and a ring-shaped upper surface (hereinafter referred to as wafer receiving surface) 2 with a small width (2 to 4 mm) surrounds this recess 2'. Thus, a portion near the outer periphery of the wafer 3 is supported.

A plurality of chuck pawls 5 supported by a fulcrum pin 4 are provided on the outer periphery of the chuck body 1. The chuck pawl 5 is adapted to be swung around the fulcrum pin 4 by a driving device 9 such as a cylinder. When the chuck pawl 5 is in the chuck state by the drive device 9, as shown enlarged in FIG.
Movement is restricted by the stopper surface 8 of the chuck body 1, and there is a slight clearance between the upper surface and the outer peripheral surface of the wafer 3.

In addition, on the outer periphery of the chuck body 1, there are a plurality of pin-shaped guides (on the chuck claws 5) that can be slid up and down and that can be protruded by a certain amount in a direction perpendicular to the wafer receiving surface 2 by means of an elastic body 6 such as a spring on the back. It may also be a ring-shaped body with a cutout in the contact area) 7
is provided. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 5, this guide 7 is designed to have a slight clearance from the outer peripheral surface of the wafer 3.

Next, the operation of transferring the wafer 3 to the holder B will be explained. First, the chuck claw 5 is opened, and the wafer receiving surface 2 is brought into contact with the wafer 3, which is positioned at a predetermined position by a conveyor belt (not shown) from outside the machine or the apparatus, or with a slight gap, by moving the arm C. The chuck claws 5 are closed by the driving device 9 to hold the wafer 3 on the wafer transport chuck A. Note that this wafer transfer chuck A is designed so that the surface of the wafer 3, that is, the surface on which semiconductor devices are actually formed (the lower surface in FIG. 1), faces the wafer receiving surface 2, and holds the wafer. The side that is attracted by tool B, that is, the upper surface in the figure, is the back surface. The surface of the wafer 3 is supported only at its outer periphery by a recess 2' provided in the wafer receiving surface 2, and is held by chuck claws 5 with a slight gap as shown in FIG. This will prevent damage. Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the arm C is moved so that the wafer transfer chuck A faces directly below the concentric position of the holder B, and the arm C is further raised. Before the chuck pawl 5 of the wafer transport chuck A contacts the holder B, the chuck pawl 5 is opened until its tip retreats to the rear (downward in FIG. 2) from the upper surface of the wafer 3, as shown in FIG. At this time, the holding of the wafer 3 by the chuck claw 5 is released, but since there is a guide 7 that protrudes from the wafer receiving surface 2 by a predetermined amount, the wafer 3 is held on the wafer receiving surface 2 without causing lateral displacement. continues to be.

When wafer transfer chuck A is further raised,
First, the tip of the guide 7 hits the holder B, but the guide 7 is pushed against the elastic body 6, and as shown in FIG. and face each other. In this state, the holder B is operated, and the wafer 3 is held by the holder B, for example, by the suction force of a vacuum. At this time, hold the wafer 3 firmly with the holder B.
Since it is undesirable to press the wafer 3 against the wafer 3, generally the wafer 3 is brought into very light contact or is placed facing each other with a slight gap as described above. Lateral sliding of the wafer 3 is prevented by the guide 7,
The wafer 3 is accurately held at a predetermined position on the holder B.

When the wafer 3 has been transferred to the holder B in this manner, the arm C is lowered while the chuck claw 5 is kept open, and the arm C is further moved outside the machine and apparatus to prepare for the next operation.

When the wafer 3 held on the holder B is received by the wafer transfer chuck A, the operation is the opposite of the above-mentioned operation. It is preferable to face the wafer 3 with the wafer receiving surface 2 slightly separated from it, and change the vacuum on the holder B side to pressure to actively remove the wafer 3. Even in such a case, the guide 7 prevents the wafer 3 from shifting laterally, so that the wafer 3 can be transferred without causing any displacement on the wafer receiving surface 2.

Note that part or all of the vertical movement of the arm C may be performed by the holder B side.

[Effects of the invention] As explained above, the present invention is low cost because it does not use a vacuum, there is no damage to the wafer due to the filler (suction port), there is no deterioration in cleaning quality, and the outer periphery of the wafer that is not ultimately used as a product is reduced. By using the parts on the chuck surface and the receiving surface, there is no damage or other negative effects on the wafer surface, and it also has the effect of preventing the wafer from shifting laterally even when the wafer is in an anti-chuck state when receiving or receiving the wafer. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 shows the state in which the wafer is held, Figure 2 shows the state in which the holder is approached and the chuck is anti-chucked to prevent interference with the chuck claws, and Figure 3 Figure 4 shows the status of wafer delivery and reception, and Figure 4 is an enlarged view when checking.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the guide. A...Wafer transfer chuck, B...Mating holder, C...Arm, 1...Chuck body, 2...
Wafer receiving surface, 3... Wafer, 4... Fulcrum pin, 5
...Chuck pawl, 6...Spring, 7...Guide, 8...Stopper surface, 9...Cylinder.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] (1) In a transport chuck that holds a wafer with a plurality of chuck claws, the outer peripheral portion of the chuck body swings in a radial direction to hold the wafer on the wafer receiving surface of the chuck body. a plurality of chuck pawls that can be provided, and a guide that is provided with a slight clearance from the outer periphery of the wafer so as to be slidable up and down vertically with respect to the wafer receiving surface by means of an elastic body; The tips of the claws are formed so that they can face the outer periphery and top surface of the wafer when in the chuck state, and are formed so that they can be retracted backward from the top surface of the wafer on the wafer receiving surface when in the anti-chuck state. A wafer transfer chuck featuring: (2) The wafer transfer chuck according to claim 1 of the utility model registration, characterized in that the guide is a plurality of pins. (3) The wafer transfer chuck according to claim 1, wherein the guide is a ring-shaped body having a chuck claw portion cut out. (4) The wafer transfer chuck according to claim 1, wherein the wafer receiving surface is limited to a very small width inside the outer circumference of the wafer.