JPH06183663A - Elevator for clean room - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the adhesion of dust to goods to be carried by providing a purifying equipment in a cage elevated within a shaft connecting the upper and lower floors of a clean room, and providing a horizontal carrying mechansim to carry in/out the goods to be carried between the cage and the clean room. CONSTITUTION:An elevator 1 for a clean room is provided with a box-shaped cage 2 which moves in a shaft 11 connecting the upper and lower floors of a clean room 10 while mounting goods 1a to be carried such as wafer cassettes therein. A purifying equipment 3 is mounted in the cage 2, and the air inside the cage 2 is purified by its action. This purifying equipment 3 mainly consists of a fan and a filter. A horizontal carrying mechanism 5 is provided in the cage 2 in order to carry in/out the goods 1a to be carried between the cage 2 and the clean room of the specified floor, and the mechanism 5 carries the goods 1a to be carried between the cage and the clean room 10 by successively moving a first and second tables mounted on a base in the horizontal direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a clean room elevator for carrying an object to be conveyed between upper and lower floors of a clean room.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, semiconductor device production equipment has become larger and the length of the production line has become longer.
For this reason, the production line is often constructed over a plurality of floors of the clean room, and there is an increasing need for a clean room elevator that can transfer an object such as a wafer cassette between the upper and lower floors.

3 and 4 are schematic sectional views for explaining a conventional elevator for a clean room. First, the elevator 1 for a clean room shown in FIG. 3 has a vertical transfer mechanism 4 in a shaft 11 connecting a plurality of floors of the clean room 10.
Is provided, and the entire air in the shaft 11 is purified by the purification device 3.

The vertical transport mechanism 4 comprises a motor 42 and a wire 41 or a chain (hereinafter, wire),
The rotation of the motor 42 moves the wire 41 in the vertical direction. A horizontal transport mechanism 5 for mounting the transported object 1a is attached to the wire 41. In order to transport the transported object 1a using such a clean room elevator 1, first, the transported object 1a is mounted on the horizontal transport mechanism 5, and the vertical transport mechanism 4 is driven to transfer the transported object 1a to the clean room 10 on a predetermined floor. After moving the conveyed object 1a, the horizontal conveying mechanism 4
The object to be transported 1a is moved into the clean room 10 using. At this time, since the air in the shaft 11 is purified and the negative pressure is lower than that in the clean room, dust is not attached to the transported object 1a and the clean room 10 and the shaft 11 are in communication with each other. The cleanliness of the clean room 10 can be maintained.

The clean room elevator 1 shown in FIG. 4 is for carrying and transporting an object to be transported 1a in a box-shaped cage 2, and the cage 2 is arranged in a shaft 11 in a vertically movable state. The cage 2 is moved to a predetermined floor of the clean room 10 by the vertical transport mechanism 4. In cage 2,
A purifying device 3 for purifying the air in the cage 2 is attached to prevent dust from adhering to the transported object 1a.

In order to convey the conveyed object 1a using the clean room elevator 1, the conveyed object 1a is placed in the cage 2.
After mounting, the motor 42 of the vertical transport mechanism 4 is driven to move the wire 41 in the vertical direction, and the cage 2 connected to one end of the wire 41 is placed on a predetermined floor of the clean room 10. A handling robot 13 is provided in advance on each floor of the clean room 10. The handling robot 13 on the floor on which the cage 2 is arranged is used for the cage 2
The transported object 1a placed inside is taken out. In this state, the handling robot 13 is moved to place the transported object 1a on the predetermined conveyor 12. In some cases, the cage 2 may be provided with a roller conveyor so that the transported object 1a may be placed on the roller conveyor. A shutter (not shown) is provided between the cage 2 and each floor of the clean room 10, and the shutter is opened only when the handling robot 13 or the roller conveyor is in and out, so that the shaft not cleaned The air in 11 does not enter the clean room 10 side.

[0007]

However, these elevators for clean rooms have the following problems.
That is, the elevator 1 for a clean room as shown in FIG.
Then, the shaft 1 that connects the upper and lower floors of the clean room 10
Since it is necessary to purify the air in the entire inside of 1, the size of the purifying device 3 is increased and it is difficult to ensure the airtightness of the shaft 11. Further, in the elevator 1 for a clean room as shown in FIG. 4, it is necessary to equip each floor of the clean room 10 with the handling robot 13, which is a problem in downsizing the equipment. Further, when the roller conveyor in the cage 2 is used, dust is generated due to vibration during the transportation of the transported object 1a, and the transported object 1a
There is a risk of adhesion to a.

[0008]

The present invention is an elevator for a clean room, which has been made to solve such problems. That is, this elevator for a clean room is for moving the inside of a shaft connecting the upper and lower floors of the clean room to convey a predetermined object to be conveyed, and a cage of a box body for mounting the object to be conveyed is set in the shaft. The cage is arranged so that it can move up and down, the air in the cage is purified by a purifier, and the cage can be arranged on a predetermined floor by a vertical transport mechanism. Moreover, in this cage, a horizontal transport mechanism for loading and unloading the transported object is provided between the cage side and the clean room side of the predetermined floor.

[0009]

Since the air in the cage is purified by the purifying device, it is possible to prevent dust from adhering to the transported object mounted in the cage. Moreover, since the horizontal transport mechanism is provided in the cage, it is possible to load and unload the transported object from the cage side. That is, even if a horizontal transfer mechanism such as a handling robot is not provided on the clean room side, the object to be transferred can be transferred between the upper and lower floors. Further, since the horizontal transfer mechanism that horizontally moves along the rails enables smooth operation, it is possible to suppress the generation of dust.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the elevator for a clean room according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a clean room elevator 1 of the present invention. That is, the elevator 1 for the clean room is for moving the inside of the shaft 11 connecting the upper and lower floors of the clean room 10 to carry the object to be transferred 1a such as a wafer cassette, and is mainly movable up and down in the shaft 11. A box-shaped cage 2 arranged in a state, a purifying device 3 for purifying the air in the cage, a vertical transfer mechanism 4 for moving the cage 2 up and down and placing it in a clean room 10 on a predetermined floor, and It is composed of a horizontal transport mechanism 5 provided in the cage 2.

The purifying device 3 is mainly composed of a fan and a filter, purifies the air sucked into the cage 2 from the shaft 11 side, and carries the transported object 1a mounted in the cage 2.
Prevents dust in the air from adhering to. Such a purifying device 3 is provided in the upper and lower parts of the cage 2 and immediately below the horizontal transfer mechanism 5, and forms a downflow of air as shown by an arrow in the figure. Therefore, even if dust is generated from the horizontal transport mechanism 5, the dust is adsorbed by the purifying device 3 provided in the lower portion of the cage 2.

A horizontal transfer mechanism 5 provided in the cage 2
2 includes a second table 52 attached to the base 51 and a first table 53 attached to the second table 52, as shown in the schematic perspective view of FIG. The second table 52 and the first table 53 can be moved horizontally with respect to the table 51.

That is, the second table 52 is attached to the base 51 via the rail 56a, and the drive motor 5
The second table 52 horizontally moves on the base 51 in conjunction with the belt 55a that rotates by 4. Further, the first table 53 is attached to the second table 52 via the rail 56b, and the first table 53 is interlocked with the belt 55b which rotates with the movement of the second table 52.
Moves horizontally on the second table 52. That is, the operation in which the first table 53 further horizontally moves on the second table 52 horizontally moving is obtained. With such a horizontal transfer mechanism 5, it is possible to install in a small space, and at the time of transfer, the transferred object 1a can be sent out from the cage 2 to the conveyor 12 at a position outside and outside.

Next, the clean room elevator 1 of the present invention
A method of conveying the object to be conveyed 1a using will be described. First, the transferred object 1a including a wafer cassette or the like is mounted on the horizontal transfer mechanism 5 described above. In the case of performing the fully automatic transfer, the transferred object 1a transferred to the vicinity of the clean room elevator 1 by the conveyor 12 in the clean room 10
Is taken out using the horizontal transport mechanism 5 extending from the cage 2 side, and is drawn into the cage 2. A shutter 6 is provided between the clean room elevator 1 and the clean room 10.
Is provided, and is opened only when the horizontal transport mechanism 5 is extended.

Next, the shutter 6 is closed to keep the clean room 10 and the cage 2 airtight. And
With the object to be transferred 1a mounted in the cage 2, the motor 42 of the vertical transfer mechanism 4 is driven to move the wire 41. As a result, the cage 2 is vertically transported in the shaft 11 and stopped at the position of the clean room 12 on the floor of the transport destination. As described above, since the cleaning device 3 is provided in the cage 2, the cleanliness inside the cage 2 is maintained even when the cage 2 is moved, and dust adheres to the transported object 1a. There is no such thing.

Then, the shutter 6 is opened to bring the clean room 10 on the floor to which the paper is conveyed and the cage 2 into communication with each other.
Then, the horizontal transport mechanism 5 in the cage 2 is extended to send the transported object 1a to the clean room 10 side. As described above, the horizontal transport mechanism 5 is arranged in the downflow of air by the purifying devices 3 provided above and below the cage 2, and the other purifying devices 3 are provided directly below the horizontal transport mechanism 5.
a is also provided. Therefore, dust generated by mechanical friction due to the operation of the horizontal transport mechanism 5 is not immediately adsorbed by the purification device 3a immediately below and scattered in the cage 2. Moreover, since the air purified by the purifying device 3a is discharged to the outside of the cage 2 by the upper and lower purifying devices 3, a high degree of cleanliness inside the cage 2 can be always maintained.

With such a clean room elevator 1, the object 1a can be conveyed between the upper and lower floors of the clean room 10 while always maintaining a high degree of cleanliness. Then, the object to be transferred 1a transferred from the cage 2 side to the clean room 10 on the transfer destination floor in such a state is
It is mounted on the conveyer 12 installed in the clean room 10 and is advanced to the next step.

Further, as another example of the horizontal transfer mechanism 5 described above, for example, a table is horizontally moved by using a stepping motor and a ball screw, or a table with wheels using a telescopic arm. Various things can be applied, such as one that horizontally moves. In particular, in the horizontal transfer mechanism 5 that uses a table with wheels, since the rails that receive the wheels are provided on the conveyor 12, the stability is high when the table is extended, and the heavy object 1a is transferred. It is effective when you do.

[0019]

As described above, the use of the clean room elevator according to the present invention has the following effects. In other words, it is only necessary to purify the air in the cage,
It is possible to simplify the purification device and the equipment for maintaining airtightness. Further, since the horizontal transfer mechanism is provided in the cage, it is not necessary to provide a device such as a handling robot on each floor of the clean room, and the floor of the clean room can be effectively used. Therefore,
It becomes possible to maintain a high degree of cleanliness between the upper and lower floors of a clean room and to carry the object with simple equipment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a lift for a clean room of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a horizontal transport mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view (No. 1) for explaining a conventional elevator for a clean room.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view (No. 2) for explaining a conventional elevator for a clean room.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Elevator for clean room 1a Transported object 2 Cage 3 Purification device 4 Vertical transport mechanism 5 Horizontal transport mechanism 6 Shutter 10 Clean room 11 Shaft 12 Conveyor

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An elevator for a clean room, which moves in a shaft connecting upper and lower floors of a clean room to convey a predetermined object to be transported, wherein the elevator is arranged in a vertically movable state in the shaft, and
For a clean room, which comprises a box-shaped cage for mounting the transported object therein, a purifying device for purifying the air in the cage, and a vertical transport mechanism for arranging the cage on a predetermined floor. An elevator, wherein the cage is provided with a horizontal transfer mechanism for loading and unloading the object to be transferred between the cage and the clean room on the predetermined floor. Elevator.