JPH06221802A - Measuring device of wafer carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To furnish a measuring device of a wafer carrier which enables execution of accurate measurement without using a wafer. CONSTITUTION:An overload detecting mechanism 5 of which a measuring piece 3 having a pair of comb teeth parts 31 corresponding to the shapes of discrete grooves 10a of a wafer carrier 10 is fitted on a base 2 so that it is movable horizontally substantially and which makes a detecting means 52 operate when the comb teeth parts 31 and the grooves 10a are brought into contact with each other by moving the measuring piece 3 by a horizontal movement mechanism 4, is provided. Besides, bottom contact detecting mechanisms 22 are provided for a mounting part 21, a space between the paired comb teeth parts 31 is made to correspond to a space between the right and left grooves 10a, an actuating force between the horizontal movement mechanism 4 and a joining member 51 is adjusted, and the positions of the comb teeth parts 31 in the vertical direction are adjusted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wafer carrier measuring apparatus for measuring the molding accuracy of a wafer carrier that houses a plurality of wafers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A wafer carrier for accommodating and carrying a plurality of wafers is generally formed of a resin such as a fluororesin which is lightweight and has excellent chemical resistance. In the process of manufacturing a semiconductor device such as an LSI, when a plurality of wafers are collectively processed or when they are continuously processed,
A wafer carrier containing a plurality of wafers is mounted on a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and the wafer is taken out from the wafer carrier.

For this reason, if the wafer carrier is not formed with high precision, it may not be possible to accurately take out the wafer. Therefore, when the wafer carrier is formed or before it is mounted in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the wafer carrier is formed in advance. Accuracy needs to be measured. This wafer carrier measuring device will be described with reference to the perspective view of FIG. That is, the measuring apparatus 1 includes a base 2 for mounting the wafer carrier 10 on the mounting portion 21 on the upper surface, and a plurality of plates 7 provided corresponding to the pitch of the wafers 11 housed in the wafer carrier 10. It consists of

Wafer carrier 1 using this measuring device 1
In order to perform the measurement of 0, first, the number of wafers 11 that can be accommodated in the wafer carrier 10 is stored, and then the mounting portion 2 of the base 2 is mounted.
Installed in 1. As a result, the opening side of the wafer carrier 10 faces the plate 7, and in this state the wafer carrier 10 is moved in the direction of the plate 7 (arrow A in the figure).

Since the distance between the plates 7 corresponds to the pitch of the wafers 11 to be housed, the plates 7 can be inserted into the spaces between the wafers 11, respectively. In the inserted state, each plate 7 is slightly raised (arrow B in the figure), and the wafer 11 is placed on the plate 7. Then, the wafer carrier 10 is moved in the direction of arrow C in the figure, and the wafer 11 is pulled out from the wafer carrier 10. Next, the wafer carrier 10 is again moved in the direction of the plate 7 (arrow A in the figure), and the wafer 11 on the plate 7 is inserted into the wafer carrier 10. Next, the plate 7 is slightly lowered (arrow D in the figure), and the wafer 11
Is returned to the original position in the wafer carrier 10, and the wafer carrier 10 is moved in the direction of arrow C in the figure.

In this series of operations, if the wafer 11 can be smoothly taken in and out of the wafer carrier 10, it is judged that the wafer carrier 10 is accurately molded. On the other hand, when one of the wafers 11 contacts the wafer carrier 10 and cannot be smoothly taken in and out when the wafer 11 is taken in and out, it is determined that the molding of the wafer carrier 10 is defective. That is, the plate 7 serves as a gauge for the measurement of the wafer carrier 10, and the molding accuracy is measured with the plate 7 as a reference. Such measurement is performed at a ratio of several to one manufacturing lot of the wafer carrier 10, and the molding accuracy of the lot is inspected.

[0007]

However, such a wafer carrier measuring apparatus has the following problems. That is, for the plate as the measuring probe of the wafer carrier, thin plates having a large area must be accurately stacked in accordance with the pitch of the accommodated wafers. However, it is difficult to stack such thin plates accurately, and an error in plate spacing is likely to occur, which is insufficient to accurately measure the molding accuracy of the wafer carrier.

Further, the plate must be inserted with the wafer accommodated in the wafer carrier, and when the molding accuracy of the wafer carrier is poor, the wafer and the wafer carrier come into contact with each other when the wafer is taken in and out by the plate. This may cause inconveniences such as the wafer dropping from the plate and scratching the wafer. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wafer carrier measuring apparatus that can perform accurate measurement without using a wafer.

[0009]

The present invention is an apparatus for measuring a wafer carrier, which has been made to solve such problems. That is, this measuring device is for measuring the molding accuracy of a wafer carrier that accommodates wafers in the grooves provided on the left and right inner surfaces, and a mounting portion for mounting the wafer carrier is provided on the upper surface of the base. With a pair of comb blades provided corresponding to the shape of each groove of the wafer carrier mounted on the base in a state where it can be moved substantially horizontally, and with the wafer carrier mounted on the mounting part, A horizontal movement mechanism is provided for moving the probe approximately horizontally in the direction of the wafer carrier and inserting the comb blade into the groove of the wafer carrier. Further, a connecting member that movably connects the probe to the horizontal moving mechanism is attached to the horizontal moving mechanism via a predetermined urging force, and the inserted comb blade portion comes into contact with the inner surface of the groove. In this state, an overload detection mechanism that activates a predetermined detection means when the contact pressure becomes larger than the urging force is provided.

Further, the mounting portion is provided with a bottom contact detection mechanism which comes into contact with the four corners of the wafer carrier to detect the horizontal state of the wafer carrier. Moreover, by providing a rail groove along the direction of movement of the probe and moving the pair of comb blades along this rail groove, the distance between the pair of comb blades corresponds to the distance between the left and right grooves of the wafer carrier. Or
Also, the urging force between the horizontal movement mechanism and the connecting member is adjusted, and the vertical position of the pair of comb blades is adjusted.

[0011]

With the wafer carrier mounted on the mounting portion of the base, the horizontal movement mechanism is used to move the probe approximately horizontally in the direction of the wafer carrier. As a result, the pair of comb blades provided on the probe is inserted into the grooves provided on the left and right inner surfaces of the wafer carrier. The pair of comb blades
Since the groove is provided corresponding to the shape of the groove, the probe can be inserted into the back of the wafer carrier with a slight gap between the pair of comb blades and the groove.

That is, if the wafer carrier is molded accurately, the probe can be inserted without the pair of comb blades and the groove contacting each other, but if the molding accuracy is poor, the pair of comb blades can be inserted. It will come into contact with the groove. Between the horizontal moving mechanism and the probe, there is a connecting member attached to the horizontal moving mechanism with a predetermined urging force, so that the pressure generated by the contact between the pair of comb blades and the groove is increased. Is larger than the urging force of the connecting member, the connecting member is displaced with respect to the horizontal movement mechanism. Due to the displacement of the connecting member, the detection means operates to detect defective molding accuracy of the wafer carrier.

Further, the bottom contact detection mechanism provided on the mounting portion of the wafer carrier can determine whether the four corners of the wafer carrier are accurately in contact with each other and detect the horizontal state of the wafer carrier. Moreover, by moving the probe along the rail groove, the distance between the pair of comb blades corresponds to the distance between the left and right grooves of the wafer carrier, and the biasing force between the horizontal movement mechanism and the connecting member is adjusted. The quality criterion can be set to a desired value, or the positions of the pair of comb blades can be adjusted in the vertical direction to suit the type of wafer carrier.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A wafer carrier measuring apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a wafer carrier measuring apparatus of the present invention. That is, this measuring apparatus 1 is for measuring the molding accuracy of the wafer carrier 10, and particularly, the probe 3 is inserted into the grooves 10a provided on the inner surfaces on the left and right of the wafer carrier 10 to perform the inspection.

This measuring apparatus 1 is mainly mounted on a base 2 provided with a mounting portion 21 for mounting the wafer carrier 10, and is mounted on the base 2 in a substantially horizontally movable manner. A pair of comb blade portions 31 corresponding to the grooves 10a
And a horizontal movement mechanism 4 for moving the probe 3 substantially horizontally in the direction of the wafer carrier 10, and the comb blade portion 31 of the probe 3 inserted into the groove 10a of the wafer carrier 10.
And an overload detection mechanism 5 that activates the detection means 52 when it comes into contact with.

Each of the pair of comb blade portions 31 has an arm 32.
The arm 32 is attached to one end of the horizontal movement mechanism 4 via the connecting member 51 in a movable state. The arm 32 is provided with a link portion 33, and the comb blade portion 31 side of the arm 32 can be moved up and down in parallel as necessary to accommodate the type of the wafer carrier 10. Since the comb blade portion 31 is formed with high precision corresponding to the shape of the groove 10a of the wafer carrier 10, the inspection using the comb blade portion 31 as a reference enables accurate measurement.

Further, the horizontal moving mechanism 4 can move horizontally on a rail 42 provided on the upper surface of the base 2 by pushing a lever 41. That is, when no load is applied to the probe 3, the horizontal movement mechanism 4 moves on the rail 42 by the pressing force applied to the lever 41, and the probe 3 smoothly moves on the base 2 substantially horizontally. become.

Further, the mounting portion 21 of the wafer carrier 10 on the base 2 is provided with a bottom contact detection mechanism 22 for contacting the four corners of the wafer carrier 10 and detecting the horizontal state thereof. The bottom contact detection mechanism 22 is a kind of contact sensor, and when the bottom of the wafer carrier 10 comes into contact with the bottom contact detection mechanism 22, the bottom contact detection mechanism 22 is pushed by a predetermined amount to operate a photoelectric switch or the like. Therefore, if the wafer carrier 10 is molded without distortion, the four corners come into contact with the bottom contact detection mechanisms 22 to inform that the wafer carrier 10 is a good product. On the other hand, when the wafer carrier 10 is unnecessarily distorted, any of the four corners does not come into contact with the bottom contact detection mechanism 22, or even if the contact occurs, the photoelectric switch or the like is operated. Therefore, the wafer carrier 10 is informed that the wafer carrier 10 is defective.

Next, a method of measuring the wafer carrier 10 using this measuring apparatus 1 will be described. That is, in order to measure the wafer carrier 10 using this measuring apparatus 1, the probe 3 is inserted into the wafer carrier 10 with the wafer carrier 10 mounted on the mounting portion 21 of the base 2 and the probe 2 is measured. 3 is a method for detecting the contact state between the pair of comb blades 31 provided on the wafer No. 3 and the left and right grooves 10a of the wafer carrier 10. Such a measuring method will be described in order with reference to the side view of FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 2A, the wafer carrier 10 is mounted on the mounting portion 21 of the base 2. In this state, a pair of comb blades 31 (one in the figure) is arranged near the opening of the wafer carrier 10. That is, the connecting member 51 that connects the horizontal moving mechanism 4 and the probe 3 is attached via a predetermined urging force of the spring 50 between the horizontal moving mechanism 4 and the horizontal moving mechanism 4.
A force is applied to the mounting portion 21 side.

As a result, the limit plate 53 provided on the connecting member 51 is separated from the detecting means 52 such as the photoelectric sensor provided on the horizontal moving mechanism 4. In addition, the horizontal moving mechanism 4 and the connecting member 51 by the spring 50 are provided.
The biasing force between and can be adjusted by changing the mounting position of the spring 50.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, by pushing the lever 41 attached to the horizontal moving mechanism 4,
The horizontal moving mechanism 4 is moved to insert the pair of comb blades 31 provided on the probe 3 into the wafer carrier 10. Figure 3
[Fig. 4] is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating an inserted state of the comb blade portion 31. That is, the shape of the comb blade 31a of the comb blade portion 31 is
It is provided so as to correspond to the shape of the groove 10a of the wafer carrier 10, and when the comb blade portion 31 is inserted, a slight gap is formed between each comb blade 31a and each groove 10a.

Therefore, while the lever 41 is gradually pushed to move the probe 3 to the back of the wafer carrier 10, the groove 10a of the wafer carrier 10 and the comb blade 3 of the comb blade portion 31 are moved.
If there is no contact with 1a, it means that the wafer carrier 10 is molded with high precision. That is, if the comb blade portion 31 can be smoothly inserted into the wafer carrier 10, it means that the wafer can be accurately taken in and out, and it is determined that the wafer carrier 10 is accurately molded.

While the probe 3 is moved to the back of the wafer carrier 10, the groove of the wafer carrier 10 and the comb blade 3
When the comb blade 31a of No. 1 contacts, the contact pressure is applied to the connecting member 51 via the arm 32 (see the small arrow in the figure). When this contact pressure is larger than the biasing force of the spring 50, the connecting member 51 moves to the side opposite to the moving direction of the horizontal moving mechanism 4 with respect to the horizontal moving mechanism 4.

By the movement of the connecting member 51 with respect to the horizontal moving mechanism 4, the threshold plate 53 attached to the connecting member 51 operates the detecting means 52 attached to the horizontal moving mechanism 4. That is, when the detection means 52 is composed of, for example, a photoelectric sensor, the cut-off plate 53 blocks the light of this photoelectric sensor, and transmits a predetermined signal to judge that the molding accuracy of the wafer carrier 10 is not good. .

After the quality of the molding accuracy of the wafer carrier 10 is determined in this way, the result is displayed on a predetermined display means (not shown) provided on the upper surface of the base 2 or the like. For example, the display means is composed of a lamp such as an LED, and displays the quality of the wafer carrier 10 and the bottom contact detection mechanism 22 of the wafer carrier 10 (see FIG. 1).
The horizontal state is displayed according to (See).

In this measurement, the comb blade 31 and the wafer carrier 10 are caused by the distortion of the wafer carrier 10.
There is also a case where the wafer carrier 10 comes into contact with the groove 10a of the wafer carrier 10. However, even if the distortion of the wafer carrier 10 causes the molding accuracy of the groove 10a, the overall molding accuracy when the wafer carrier 10 is actually mounted is You will be able to inspect. Further, the balance between the contact pressure between the comb blade portion 31 and the groove 10a can be determined by adjusting the biasing force between the connecting member 51 and the horizontal movement mechanism 4 described above. That is, it becomes possible to change the criterion for determining whether or not the molding accuracy of the wafer carrier 10 is good, as necessary.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating a wafer carrier, and FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view illustrating another example.
That is, the wafer carrier 10 as shown in FIG. 4 is provided with a so-called taper angle (θ) such that the interval between the grooves 10a provided on the left and right becomes narrower from the opening side toward the inner side. is there. Such a wafer carrier 10
In, the gap between the grooves 10a on the opening side is slightly wider than the width of the wafer 11, which facilitates insertion of the wafer 11. In addition, the distance is narrowed toward the inside so that the inserted wafer 11 can be stopped at a predetermined position.

FIG. 5 shows such a wafer carrier 10.
The mechanism for performing the measurement corresponding to the above is shown. The distance between the pair of comb blades 31 is the groove 10a of the wafer carrier 10.
It is adjusted according to the interval of. That is, the rail groove 61 is provided along the moving direction of the arm 32 to which the pair of comb blade portions 31 are attached, and the arm 3 is provided via the roller 62 that moves along the rail groove 61.
2 will move.

The rail groove 61 is composed of a parallel portion and an inclined portion. When the roller 62 advances along the parallel portion, the interval between the pair of comb blade portions 31 is constant, and the inclined portion is formed by the roller 6.
2 advances, the pair of comb blades 31 corresponding to the taper angle (θ) of the groove 10a of the wafer carrier 10 described above.
Moves while the space between is narrowing. By adjusting the distance between the pair of comb blade portions 31 in this manner, accurate inspection can be performed even when measuring the wafer carrier 10 provided with the taper angle (θ).

Further, a spring 50 is attached between the two arms 32 to which the comb blade portion 31 is attached, and a force acts in a direction to bring the distance between the two arms 32 closer. Therefore, after the roller 62 has passed the parallel portion of the rail groove 61 and has proceeded to the inclined portion, the component force in the inclination direction of the pulling force by the spring 50 acts, and the probe 3 moves without receiving other force. Come to do.

That is, if the lever 41 attached to the horizontal moving mechanism 4 shown in FIG. 1 is slightly pushed to move the probe 3 slightly, thereafter, the probe 3 is moved to the wafer carrier 10 without pushing the lever 41. You will be able to move in the direction of. Further, since the probe 3 can be moved with a constant force by utilizing the force of the spring 50, the operating force of the overload detection mechanism 5 when the probe 3 and the wafer carrier 10 contact each other is stabilized. Therefore, more accurate inspection can be performed.

Further, as another function, a mechanism for finely adjusting the mounting position and mounting angle of the arm 32 is provided, and misalignment due to molding of the wafer carrier 10 and the groove 1 are provided.
Even if there is an angle deviation of 0a, an accurate inspection can be performed correspondingly.

[0034]

As described above, the wafer carrier measuring apparatus of the present invention has the following effects. That is, since the comb blade portion to be inserted into the groove of the wafer carrier is molded with high precision in accordance with the shape of the groove of the wafer carrier, it becomes possible to accurately measure the molding precision of the wafer carrier. Moreover, since the inspection is performed without housing the wafer in the wafer carrier, the wafer is not scratched or damaged. Further, the bottom contact detection mechanism can inspect the horizontal state when the wafer carrier is mounted. Further, by setting the interval between the pair of comb blades to correspond to the taper angle provided in the groove of the wafer carrier or adjusting the vertical position of the comb blades, etc., a more accurate inspection standard is set. It becomes possible. Furthermore, by adjusting the urging force of the connecting member that connects the horizontal movement mechanism and the probe, the criterion for judging the quality of the wafer carrier can be set as necessary, and it can be adjusted according to the usage state of the wafer carrier. It becomes possible to carry out an inspection.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a wafer carrier measuring apparatus of the present invention.

2A and 2B are side views illustrating a measurement method, in which FIG. 2A is a wafer carrier mounted state, and FIG. 2B is a comb blade inserted state.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating an inserted state of a comb blade portion.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating a wafer carrier.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view illustrating another example.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Measuring device 2 Base 3 Measuring element 4 Horizontal movement mechanism 5 Overload detection mechanism 10 Wafer carrier 10a groove 22 Bottom contact detection mechanism 31 Comb blade part

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A measuring device for measuring the molding accuracy of a wafer carrier for accommodating wafers in grooves provided on the left and right inner surfaces, respectively, and a base for mounting the wafer carrier on a mounting portion on the upper surface. A probe provided with a pair of comb blades that are attached so as to be substantially horizontally movable on the base and provided corresponding to the shape of each groove of the wafer carrier; and the wafer carrier on the mounting portion. And a horizontal movement mechanism for moving the probe in a substantially horizontal direction in the direction of the wafer carrier and inserting the comb blade into the groove of the wafer carrier; A connecting member that movably connects the probe is attached via a predetermined biasing force to the horizontal moving mechanism, and the comb blade portion to be inserted and the inner surface of the groove are in contact with each other. Contact pressure Measuring device of the wafer carrier, characterized in that it consists of an overload detection mechanism for actuating the predetermined detection means if it becomes larger than the biasing force. 2. A bottom contact detection mechanism for contacting the four corners of the wafer carrier to detect the horizontal state of the wafer carrier is provided in the mounting portion. Wafer carrier measuring device described. 3. A rail groove is provided along the moving direction of the probe, and the pair of comb blades is moved along the rail groove so that the distance between the pair of comb blades is adjusted. 2. The wafer carrier measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the left and right grooves of the wafer carrier is made to correspond. 4. The urging force between the horizontal movement mechanism and the connecting member is adjusted.
Wafer carrier measuring device described. 5. The wafer carrier measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vertical positions of the pair of comb blades are adjusted.