JPH06329209A - Wafer cassette carrying device of semiconductor manufacturing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce a waiting time when a cassette is carried in and out and improve throughput by providing a receiving device for receiving a wafer cassette to a cassette stocker and mounting a cassette relay stage against this receiving device. CONSTITUTION:A wafer transferring machine and a cassette stocker 2 are positioned between a wafer cassette receiving device 1 provided with a liftable cassette receiving base 6 capable of loading two wafer cassettes 7 and a port elevator provided with a port on which wafers are supported on multiple stages in horizontal position. The wafer in the cassette 7 stored on the each shelf of the stocker 2 is taken out by the chucking head of the wafer transferring machine and transferred to the port. In this kind of carrying device, a cassette relay stage 20 composed of a lower stage 21 supported by a support 24 and an upper stage 23 for lifting by a lifting means 22 is mounted against the receiving device 1 and a cassette from an external carrying device is loaded temporarily.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wafer cassette carrier in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional wafer transfer in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

In the figure, 1 is a wafer cassette transfer device, and 2 is a wafer cassette transfer device.
Is a cassette stocker, 3 is a buffer cassette stocker,
Reference numeral 4 denotes a wafer transfer machine, and 5 denotes a boat elevator.

A cassette stage 19 is provided on the side opposite to the cassette stocker 2 of the wafer cassette transfer device 1, and a wafer cassette 7 transferred by an external cassette transfer device (not shown) is placed on the cassette stage 19. It

The wafer cassette transfer device 1 has a cassette receiving table 6 which can be moved up and down. The cassette receiving table 6 can receive two wafer cassettes 7 in parallel, and the wafer cassettes 7 that have been received are described above. The cassette stocker 2 can be moved back and forth, and the wafer cassette 7 is inserted into and discharged from the cassette stocker 2. Further, the wafer cassette 7 is transferred between the cassette stocker 2 and the buffer cassette stocker 3.

[0006] The cassette stocker 2 has a two-row, multi-tiered (four in the figure) cassette shelf 8 and the cassette shelf 8
Is provided on the slide stage 9 so as to be traversable.

The buffer cassette stocker 3 is provided above the cassette stocker 2, and the cassette shelf 8
It has a cassette shelf 10 having the same structure as the above.

The wafer transfer machine 4 has an elevating stage 11 which can be moved up and down.
Is rotatably provided, and a chucking head 14 having a plurality of wafer chucks 13 is movably provided on the rotary seat 12 in a horizontal direction.

The boat elevator 5 has an elevating arm 15 capable of ascending and descending, and the elevating arm 15 has a boat seat 1
6 is provided, and a boat 17 can be mounted on the boat seat 16. Wafers 18 are held in a horizontal posture on the boat 17 in multiple stages.

The wafer 18 is transferred between the outside and the inside of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus by transferring the wafer cassette 7 with the wafer 18 loaded in the wafer cassette 7.

The wafer cassette 7 loaded with the wafer 18 is placed on the cassette stage 19 by the external cassette carrying device (not shown). The wafer cassette transfer device 1 receives the wafer cassette 7 from the cassette stage 19 by the cassette receiving table 6. The wafer cassette transfer device 1 elevates and lowers the cassette pedestal 6 to face the cassette pedestal 6 to an empty shelf of the cassette shelf 8, and inserts and mounts the wafer cassette 7 on the cassette shelf 8.

When the wafer cassette 7 for transferring the wafers 18 to the boat 17 is determined, the cassette stocker 2 traverses the cassette shelf 8 and makes the target wafer cassette 7 correspond to the chucking head 14.

The wafer transfer device 4 transfers the wafer 18 to the boat 17 by a combination of lifting and lowering of the lift stage 11, rotation of the rotary seat 12 and horizontal movement of the chucking head 14. Wafer 18 to boat 17
When the transfer is completed, the boat elevator 5 raises the elevating arm 15 to load the boat 17 into a reaction furnace (not shown) and process the wafer 18.

After the processing is completed, the elevating arm 15 is lowered to move the boat 17 to the cassette stocker 2, the cassette stocker 2 to the wafer cassette transfer device 1, and the wafer cassette transfer device 1 to the cassette stage 19.
The wafer 18 is transferred in the reverse order of the above-described transfer procedure.

[0015]

Transfer of the wafer cassette 7 between the external cassette transfer device and the wafer cassette transfer device 1 is performed by temporarily relaying the wafer cassette 7 at the cassette stage 19. Therefore, when the external cassette carrying device carries more wafer cassettes 7 than can be placed on the cassette stage 19,
While the wafer cassette transfer device 1 transfers the wafer cassette 7 on the cassette stage 19 to the cassette stocker 2, the external cassette transfer device operates on the cassette stage 19
You must be waiting in front of.

Therefore, there is a problem that the efficiency of inserting and paying out the wafer cassette 7 into the cassette stocker 2 is not improved, and the throughput of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus as a whole cannot be improved.

In view of the above situation, the present invention aims to eliminate the waiting time during the transportation of the wafer cassette and improve the throughput of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

[0018]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a cassette stocker for accommodating wafer cassettes in a plurality of rows and a plurality of stages, a wafer cassette transfer device for inserting and ejecting the wafer cassette into and from the cassette stocker, and a wafer cassette are mounted. The present invention is characterized by comprising a plurality of mountable stages and a cassette relay stage which faces the cassette stocker transfer device.

[0019]

The wafer cassette transferred from the external cassette transfer device is once relayed by the cassette relay stage, the wafer cassette relayed by the cassette relay stage is inserted into the cassette stocker by the wafer cassette transfer device, and from the wafer cassette transfer device. The delivered wafer cassette is transferred to the cassette relay stage, and the external cassette carrying device carries out the wafer cassette on the cassette relay stage.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a main part of this embodiment, and FIG.
The same parts as those shown in the figure are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

The cassette relay stage 20 provided facing the wafer cassette transfer device 1 has the following structure.

A lower stage 21 facing the cassette stocker 2 is supported by a column 24, and the column 24 receives an elevating means 22 such as a cylinder. The elevating means 22 is provided with an upper stage 23, which elevates the upper stage 23. It is possible.
The upper stage 23 can be mounted on the lower stage 21.

On each of the lower stage 21 and the upper stage 23, two wafer cassettes 7 can be placed.

The operation will be described below.

The elevating means 22 lowers the upper stage 23, and the upper stage 23 is mounted on the lower stage 21. In this state, the wafer cassette 7 is transferred onto the Sekijo stage 23 by an external cassette carrying device (not shown).

The elevating means 22 is driven to raise the upper stage 23 so that the wafer cassette 7 can be mounted on the lower stage 21. The wafer cassette 7 of the next lot is mounted on the lower stage 21 by an external cassette carrying device (not shown).

In parallel with the transfer operation of the wafer cassette 7 to the lower stage 21 by the external cassette transfer device (not shown), the transfer operation of the wafer cassette 7 between the upper stage 23 and the buffer cassette stocker 3 by the wafer cassette transfer device 1 is performed. I do.

The transfer operation of the wafer cassette 7 to the upper stage 23 by the external cassette transfer device (not shown) may be performed at the upper position of the upper stage 23, or may be performed while the upper stage 23 is lowered. Good.

In the above embodiment, the stage on which the cassette is placed has two stages, but it may have three stages or more, or the stage can be moved up and down, but it may be fixed at a required height. It goes without saying that various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, the waiting time for loading / unloading the wafer cassette to / from the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus can be shortened, so that the throughput can be improved and the external cassette carrying apparatus can be moved relative to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. It is possible to improve the efficiency, reduce the number of the external cassette carrying devices installed, and reduce the facility cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective explanatory view showing a main part of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Wafer cassette transfer device 2 Cassette stocker 4 Wafer transfer machine 6 Cassette receiving stand 7 Wafer cassette 20 Cassette relay stage 21 Lower stage 22 Elevating means 23 Upper stage

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A cassette stocker for accommodating wafer cassettes in a plurality of rows and a plurality of stages, a wafer cassette transfer device for inserting and ejecting wafer cassettes to and from the cassette stocker, and a plurality of stages on which the wafer cassettes can be mounted. A wafer cassette transfer device for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, comprising: a cassette relay stage provided to face a stocker transfer device. 2. The wafer cassette transfer device of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one stage can be raised and lowered.