JPH07285088A - Stacker robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a stacker robot that is able to maintain the degree of cleanliness in a process higher insofar as possible by conveying two cassettes without any dust on the cassette on one side available between processes to the cassette on the other available within the process. CONSTITUTION:This stacker robot is provided with a first chucking part 23a holding a cassette 3 available within the process and a second chucking part 23b holding a cassette 5 available between processes. In order to make the cassette 3 and the cassette 5 so as to hold each separately with the first chucking part 23a and the second chucking part 23b respectively, when the cassette 3 is held and conveyed, the first chucking part 23a is used, but when the cassette 5 is held and conveyed, the second chucking part 23b is used respectively.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention holds an inter-process cassette used for wafer transfer between processes in a semiconductor pretreatment process, and an in-process cassette used for wafer transfer in a process. The present invention relates to a stacker robot that conveys and conveys a sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, in the semiconductor pretreatment process (wafer process process), it is indispensable to remove dust, which has a great influence on the yield. Therefore, production by workers is being shifted to full automation. Therefore, in order to realize the automatic transfer of the wafer between each process, as shown in FIG. 6, the stocker 5 installed in each process is installed.
An inter-process cassette 51 accommodating the wafer 2 is loaded and unloaded by an automatic transport device.

In the stocker 52, a stacker robot 54 realizes automatic transfer. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the conventional stacker robot 54 includes the chucking portion 5 that holds the inter-process cassette 51.
As shown in FIG. 6, the inter-process cassette 51 stored in the inter-process loading / unloading port 53a is held by the chucking portion 56 and taken out from the loading / unloading port 53a, and then placed on the shelf 55. After being transported and temporarily stored, when it is requested by the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, it is transported from the shelf 55 to the in-process delivery port 53b to realize automatic transportation in the stocker 52.

[0004]

By the way, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of each process is installed in a clean room where high cleanliness is required, and when carrying a wafer into the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, processing convenience and In order to maintain high cleanliness, it is necessary to perform a wafer transfer process for moving the wafer from the inter-process cassette 51 used between processes to the intra-process cassette used in the process.

Therefore, if the wafer transfer between the stocker 52 and the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is automated to further promote the automation of the transfer in the process, the wafer transfer apparatus is installed in the stocker 52 and the wafer transfer apparatus is installed. In addition, it is necessary to convey the inter-process cassette 51 and the intra-process cassette by the stacker robot 54 to perform the wafer transfer process.

However, the conventional stacker robot 5 described above is used.
In No. 4, since the air cleanliness between the processes is lower than the air cleanliness in the process, the wafer transfer device is connected to the inter-process cassette 51.
When the chuck and the in-process cassette are held and conveyed by the chucking unit 56, a lot of dust attached to the inter-process cassette 51 adheres to the in-process cassette via the chucking unit 56, There is a problem of reducing the air cleanliness inside.

Therefore, according to the present invention, an inter-process cassette 51 is provided.
An object of the present invention is to provide a stacker robot 54 that can convey the inter-process cassette 51 and the intra-process cassette without adhering the dust to the intra-process cassette.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an inter-process cassette used for transferring a wafer between processes and a wafer in a process requiring higher air cleanliness than the above-mentioned processes. The cassette for in-process used for the transportation is held by the chucking means and transported, and has the following features.

That is, the chucking means is characterized by having a first chucking portion for holding the in-process cassette and a second chucking portion for holding the in-process cassette.

[0010]

The stacker robot holds the in-process cassette and the inter-process cassette separately by the first chucking portion and the second chucking portion. Therefore, even if a lot of dust adheres to the inter-process cassette due to conveyance between processes with low cleanliness, this dust is
It does not adhere to the in-process cassette held by the first chucking part but only to the second chucking part that holds the inter-process cassette. Therefore, the stacker robot can convey both cassettes without adhering the dust in the inter-process cassette to the intra-process cassette,
It is possible to maintain high cleanliness in the process in which the in-process cassette is used.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3, the stacker robot according to the present embodiment is provided on the stocker 2 installed in each step of performing semiconductor pretreatment in a clean room. The stocker 2 includes in-process shelves 4 ..., inter-process shelves 6 facing the in-process shelves 4 ..., and a traveling platform 8.8 laid between both shelves 5 ... 6 ... , And wafer transfer devices 9 and 9 for moving the wafer between the cassettes 3 and 4 and 4 are symmetrical with respect to the in-process rim liner 7.

The above-mentioned in-process shelves 4 are adapted to temporarily store the in-process cassettes 3 on which the cleanliness of the in-process cassettes 3 is required to be higher than that between the processes. It is used in the process. On the other hand, the inter-process shelf 6 ... Is the inter-process cassette 5 used between the processes.
... are mounted and temporarily stored, and more dust is attached to the inter-process cassette 5 than the intra-process cassette 3.

A stacker robot 1 is provided on a traveling platform 8 laid between the shelves 5, ... As shown in FIG. 4, the stacker robot 1 includes a traveling unit 10 that travels on a traveling platform 8, a post unit 11 that is vertically provided on the traveling unit 10, and a cassette holding unit that is vertically movable on the post unit 11. The cassette holding portion 14 includes an arm portion 12 that can be swung with respect to the post portion 11 and a hand portion 13 that can be swung with respect to the arm portion 12.

As shown in FIG. 2, the hand portion 13 has a drive shaft 15 which can rotate in the forward and reverse directions and a key 1 on the drive shaft 15.
6 and a pair of crank members 18 having one end rotatably provided on the central shaft 17.
And a moving member 19/19 rotatably provided at the ends of these crank members 18/18, and a moving member 19/1.
9 has slide blocks 20 and 20 fixedly mounted thereto, and slide rails 21 and 21 on which the slide blocks 20 and 20 are slidably engaged. 19 are moved in opposite directions along the slide rail 21.

The moving member 19 has a connecting shaft 2 attached thereto.
The hand grippers 23, 23 are fixedly mounted via the 2.2, 22.
By moving 19 in opposite directions, a holding operation and an opening operation are performed. As shown in FIG. 1, each hand gripper 23 has a first chucking portion 23a (chucking means) for in-process and a second chucking part for in-process.
The chucking portion 23b (chucking means) is formed vertically offset from each other, and the first chucking portion 23 is formed.
A is adapted to hold the upper end of the in-process cassette 3 when the in-process cassette 3 is conveyed. on the other hand,
The second chucking portion 23b is configured to hold the upper end portion of the inter-step cassette 5 when the inter-step cassette 5 is conveyed.

In the above structure, the stacker robot 1
The operation of will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, when the inter-process cassette 5 is transported by the automatic transport device and is carried into the inter-process loading / unloading port, the stacker robot 1 moves toward the loading / unloading port as shown in FIG. The vehicle will travel on the platform 8. When the stacker robot 1 reaches the loading / unloading port, the cassette holding unit 14 is moved up and down to move the second chucking unit 23b formed on the hand gripper 23 of the hand unit 13 as shown in FIG.
Will be adjusted to the height position of the upper end of the inter-process cassette 5.

When the adjustment of the height position is completed, the arm portion 1
2 and the hand portion 13 are turned, and as shown in FIG.
The inter-process cassette 5 is located between the hand grippers 23 of the hand unit 13. And drive shaft 1
5, the crank member 18, 18, the moving member 19
By narrowing the distance between the hand grippers 23 and 23 via the connection shafts 22 and 22, the upper ends of the inter-process cassettes 5 are held by the second chucking portions 23b and 23b. After that, as shown in FIG. 3, the inter-process cassette 5 is taken out from the loading / unloading port, transported to the inter-process shelf 6, and stored.

Next, when performing the wafer transfer processing, the stacker robot 1 moves to the inter-process shelf 6 and, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper end of the inter-process cassette 5 is moved to the second chucking part 23b. -Hold by 23b, taken out from the inter-process shelf 6 and conveyed to the wafer transfer device 9 of FIG. After that, the stacker robot 1 moves to the in-process shelf 4, and as shown in FIG. 1, the upper end of the inter-process cassette 5 in which the wafer is not stored is moved to the first chucking portions 23a and 23a.
It is held by a and conveyed to the wafer transfer device 9 of FIG. When the wafer transfer device 9 moves the wafer from the in-process cassette 5 to the in-process cassette 3, the in-process cassette 3 causes the first chucking portion 23a.
-It is held by 23a and conveyed to the in-process shelf 4, and the inter-process cassette 5 is held by the second chucking portions 23b and 23b and conveyed to the inter-process shelf 6. .

After this, when the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus issues a processing start instruction, the in-process cassette 3 to be processed is held by the first chucking portions 23a, 23a and moved to the in-process loading / unloading port. Will be done.

As described above, the stacker robot 1 of this embodiment has the first chucking portions 23a, 23a for holding the in-process cassette 3 and the second chucking portions 23b, 23b for holding the in-process cassette 5. And has a cassette 3 for the inside of the process and a cassette 5 for the inside of the process between the first chucking portions 23a and 23a and the second chucking portions 23b and 2.
When holding and transporting the in-process cassette 3 so that they are held separately from each other, the first chucking portion 2
3a and 23a are used, and the second chucking portions 23b and 23b are used when the inter-process cassette 5 is held and conveyed.

As a result, when a large amount of dust adheres to the inter-process cassette 5 due to conveyance between processes having low cleanliness, this dust is generated by the second chucking portion 23b. It will adhere to 23b,
The in-process cassette 3 held by the first chucking portions 23a and 23a includes the second chucking portions 23b and 2b.
Since the 3b is not in contact with the second chucking portion 23b
・ 23b dust does not adhere. Therefore, the stacker robot 1 can convey both cassettes 3 and 5 without adhering the dust in the inter-process cassette 5 to the intra-process cassette 3, and thus can maintain a high degree of cleanliness in the process. Has become.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, the chucking means has the first chucking portion for holding the in-process cassette and the second chucking portion for holding the in-process cassette. Since the in-process cassette and the inter-process cassette are separately held by the first chucking unit and the second chucking unit, dust from the inter-process cassette adheres to the in-process cassette. There is an effect that it is possible to carry both cassettes without performing them and maintain a high degree of cleanliness in the process.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a vertical cross section of a stacker robot according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a cross section of a stacker robot.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a stocker.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a stacker robot installed on a traveling platform.

FIG. 5 shows a conventional example, and is a schematic configuration diagram showing a vertical section of a stacker robot.

FIG. 6 shows a conventional example and is a plan view of a stocker.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Stacker robot 2 Stocker 3 In-process cassette 4 In-process shelf 5 In-process cassette 6 In-process shelf 7 In-process rim liner 8 Traveling platform 9 Wafer transfer device 10 Traveling part 11 Post part 12 Arm part 13 Hand part 14 cassette holding part 23 hand gripper 23a first chucking part 23b second chucking part

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An inter-process cassette used for transporting a wafer between processes, and an intra-process cassette used for transporting a wafer in a process requiring a higher air cleanliness than the above process. In a stacker robot that is held and conveyed by chucking means, the chucking means has a first chucking portion that holds an in-process cassette and a second chucking portion that holds an inter-process cassette. A stacker robot that is characterized by