JPH0545489B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a square mask substrate transfer mechanism for transferring a square mask substrate (work) between a storage cassette and the like in a square mask substrate inspection apparatus or the like. It is something.

When manufacturing IC devices, which are semiconductor products,
As a first step, a mask substrate is created. The mask substrate material (substrate) is made of crystal or glass, and recently the shape is exclusively rectangular (square), and the size is 4 to 7 inches (approximately 10 to 18 cm) on a side. There are various types.

The substrate goes through various processes sequentially,
A circuit pattern is formed on its surface to form a mask substrate, and ICs are manufactured using the projection method based on this mask substrate. In this way, since the mask substrate is the mother body of the IC, if there are any flaws or dust on its surface, it will cause and have a large effect on the failure of all ICs manufactured.
It is necessary to avoid contact with surfaces as much as possible during each process, as well as during loading/unloading/transfer of workpieces between processing or inspection equipment. In addition, strict measures must be taken to prevent dust generation from various processing/inspection devices or their accompanying attachment/detachment/transfer mechanisms.

Conventionally, in a mask substrate inspection apparatus, a plastic belt is used to transfer a sample workpiece to a storage cassette, but the belt comes into contact with the back surface of the workpiece, which may cause flaws.
In addition, a mechanism called a drawer table is used to take out and insert workpieces, but it is not only complex and large in size, but also requires the setup of a part of the mechanism in order to accommodate various workpiece sizes. It is inconvenient that it is necessary to change, and it is not something that should be satisfied.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention provides a transfer/pushing mechanism for inserting a square mask substrate into a storage cassette without contacting the surface of the workpiece and without requiring setup changes for workpieces of various sizes. First, it is an object of the present invention to provide a transport mechanism for a rectangular mask substrate that has a simple structure.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In the present invention, the workpiece, which is a rectangular mask substrate, is transferred and pushed mechanically, but the mechanism and the workpiece come into contact with each other on the sides of the workpiece and on the side surface and the front side. This is limited to the ridgeline formed on the back side.

Figure 1a shows a V-shaped workpiece mounting table 2 used in the present invention, in which a workpiece (square mask substrate) is mounted.
1 is placed on the two sides of the V-shape of the mounting table 2 so as to be in contact with each other at the side ridge lines.

FIG. 1b shows a tapered roller 3 used in the present invention, and the roller 3 has conveying surfaces that are inclined downward toward the center. The workpiece 1 is placed on opposing rollers 3 (only one pair is shown) with the ridge lines of two opposing sides of the workpiece 1 in contact with each other. When pushing the side surface of the workpiece 1 in the direction of arrow B with the extrusion tool 4 as the extrusion mechanism, the roller 3 rotates freely as the workpiece 1 advances, but the contact between the two is on the two opposing sides of the workpiece 1. Limited to ridges.

FIG. 1c is a layout diagram of the workpiece 1, the workpiece mounting table 2, and the tapered roller 3. 5 in the figure is the workpiece mounting table 2 from the position of the inspection performed in the previous stage.
The conveyance chuck for conveying the workpiece 1 up to the point shown in FIG.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of each stage of the procedure for transferring the workpiece 1 according to the present invention. In the figure, A indicates the work 1 chucked on the above-mentioned transport chuck 5, and when the chuck is lowered, the work 1 is placed on the mounting table 2 with the ridge line in contact with it, as shown in the figure B. When the mounting table 2 further descends to the state shown in FIG. 3C, the mounting table 2 becomes irrelevant and the work 1 is transferred to the rollers 3. Here, when the side surface of the workpiece is pressed in the direction of the arrow B by the extrusion tool 4, the workpiece 1 is brought into contact with the ridge lines of two opposing sides of the workpiece 1 and transferred as described above.

[Embodiment] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a square mask substrate transfer mechanism according to the present invention. A vertical shaft 8' connected to the vertical movement shaft 8 is provided at the center of the base plate 6, and a V-shaped workpiece mounting table 2 is attached to the upper part of the vertical shaft 8'. The motor 9 is used to raise and lower the workpiece mounting table 2.
Two frame bars 7 are fixed in parallel on both sides with the workpiece mounting table 2 in between, and a series of tapered rollers 3 are supported and arranged on each frame bar. These rollers 3 have conveying surfaces that are inclined downward toward the center.

The sizes of the mounting table 2 and rollers 3, as well as the spacing between adjacent rollers 3 or opposing spacing, etc., are determined based on the minimum and maximum sizes of the workpieces being tested. The selection should be made so that it can be applied. Current 4-7
This is quite possible for inch (approximately 10 to 18 cm) workpieces. In addition, by doing this, there is no need to change the setup when changing the workpiece size. The mover 14 is moved via the steel belt 11.

Now, when the workpiece 1 is placed on the mounting table 2 by the aforementioned transport chuck 5, the motor 9 is rotated under the control of a sequencer, the mounting table 2 is lowered, and the workpiece 1 is transferred to the rollers 3. . Next, the pushing tool 4 is pushed out by the rotation of the motor 12, and the workpiece 1 is transferred to the storage cassette 15.

[Effects of the Invention] The rectangular mask substrate transfer mechanism according to the present invention solves the problems of scratches and dust that occur on the workpiece in the conventional belt method mentioned earlier, as well as the complexity of the mechanism and the need for setup changes in the storage cassette drawer stand. are all excluded. That is, since the method uses a V-shaped mounting table and tapered rollers to contact only the ridgeline of the workpiece and transfer the workpiece without contacting the front and back surfaces, there is no risk of degrading the quality of the workpiece. In addition, both the workpiece mounting table 2 and the tapered roller 3 can accommodate workpieces of various sizes, so there is no need to change setups, and they have excellent performance due to their simple principles and simple structure. There are significant contributions to semiconductor production technology.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1a is a diagram showing a workpiece placed on a V-shaped workpiece mounting table used in the square mask substrate transfer mechanism according to the present invention, and FIG. 1b is a diagram showing a workpiece placed on a tapered roller used in the square mask substrate transfer mechanism according to the present invention. FIG. 1c is a layout diagram showing the relative positions of various parts in the square mask substrate transfer mechanism according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the workpiece transfer procedure in the square mask substrate transfer mechanism according to the present invention,
The figure shows one of the square mask substrate transfer mechanisms according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective external view of the embodiment. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Workpiece, 2...Workpiece mounting table, 3...Tapered roller, 4...Extrusion tool, 5...Transportation chuck, 6...Base plate, 7...Frame bar, 8
...Vertical drive mechanism, 8'...Vertical movement axis, 9...1
2... Motor, 10... Pulley, 11... Steel belt, 13... Guide rod, 14... Mover, 1
5...Storage cassette section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Provided at the center of the base plate, with a vertical cross section of V
A workpiece mounting table having a V-shape and supporting a rectangular mask substrate (workpiece) on the ridge lines of two sides of the workpiece and movable in a vertical direction, and on both sides of the workpiece mounting table, the above-mentioned It is horizontally supported on two opposing sides of two parallel frame bars fixed to the base plate, and has conveying surfaces that tilt downward toward each other toward the center.
The workpiece is transferred from the workpiece table by lowering the workpiece table, and two sets of tapered rollers supporting the workpiece at the ridge lines of two opposing sides thereof, A rectangular mask substrate transfer mechanism comprising: an extrusion mechanism that transfers the workpiece by pushing out a side surface of the workpiece placed on the roller.