JPH09260226A - Semiconductor manufacturing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a solution to locally clean for promoting a highly purified environment of a semiconductor plant by considering maintainability. SOLUTION: In a lower purified clean room environment, products are carried by a conveyer car 21 and a conveying area including the conveyer car 21 is covered by a tunnel room 13 having an independent cleaning mechanism and a doorway for the semiconductor products having opening and closing mechanism prepared in the tunnel room 13 is connected to each processing apparatus 11. A vicinity of these apparatus is equipped with a prefabricated clean booth, a purified air supplying mechanism for this clean booth, and an ventilation mechanism removing dusts. Therefor, the environment of water surrounding is capable of keeping a higher cleanness and an initial cost and maintenance cost of a clean room can be decreased.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing system suitable for implementation in a semiconductor factory or the like where a highly clean atmosphere is required.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As the degree of integration of semiconductors increases, the atmosphere of semiconductor factories needs to be highly clean. A conventional clean room is a system in which air that has been purified through a filter is circulated throughout the room, and a downflow condition is entirely adopted in the work area. The air cleaned by the filter installed on the ceiling portion flows below the ceiling portion and escapes from the floor surface having many holes. In order to obtain a highly clean atmosphere in the work area, a mechanism that continuously circulates a large amount of air, and an expensive filter are required to the same extent in the factory area.

As a solution to this problem, local cleaning has been introduced to intensively improve the cleanliness of the equipment installation portion where the wafer is in contact with the atmosphere in a clean room for a long time.
By increasing the filter density on the upper part of the device to improve the cleanliness of the air supplied to the device atmosphere, and by installing a threshold from the ceiling part in front of and behind the device, dust generated by humans on the aisle side, for example, enters the device side. I try not to. As a method for finer control of cleanliness, Japanese Patent Publication 7-56879
There is an official gazette. According to the present invention, the area is divided into three parts, that is, the wafer transfer section and the apparatus installation space, and the apparatus installation space is divided into a wafer handling section and an apparatus main body section. An independent fan and a filter are installed on the upper part of the wafer handling section to form a closed loop with the inside of the apparatus. In this state, the cleanliness increases in the order of wafer transfer section <apparatus body section <wafer handling section. An independent air cleaning mechanism is provided above the transfer vehicle of the wafer transfer unit to maintain the cleanliness of the wafer.

[0004]

The above-mentioned invention is premised on that all devices form a closed space and a fan and a filter are installed on the upper part thereof, but it is considered that each device has a different structure for each process. I haven't. Particularly in the case of an exposure apparatus, if there is vibration from the fan, the exposure performance will inevitably deteriorate. In addition, no consideration is given to the contamination intake from the wafer transfer section, which has the lowest cleanliness when transferring wafers between an individually air-conditioned transfer vehicle and the equipment, and the transfer vehicle has an individual fan so that the charging frequency is high. No consideration is given to the fact that the operating rate is rising and the operating rate is decreasing.

As a method for solving the above problems, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-34
There is 2841 publication. The present invention connects devices with a clean tunnel in a nitrogen atmosphere or a vacuum atmosphere and a standardized wafer transfer device, and in the event of a device failure, covers the device or clean tunnel in a clean boot to constantly repair the external atmosphere. Is. However, this method does not consider the method for maintaining the cleanliness of the clean tunnel and the influence when the clean tunnel fails.

If the cleanliness inside the clean tunnel is to be maintained in vacuum, a precise clean tunnel structure for ensuring the airtightness is required, and further vacuum pumps are required at regular intervals, which inevitably leads to an increase in cost. When an inert gas atmosphere is used in the clean tunnel, it is not necessary to have a completely sealed structure, but it is necessary to keep the internal pressure positive at all times in order to prevent contamination from being taken in from the outside. It must continue to be fed into a clean tunnel with a distance.

When a trouble occurs in a part of the clean tunnel, the whole clean tunnel becomes unusable and it takes a long time to clean the inside of the clean tunnel again. Furthermore, no consideration is given to the stagnant flow of the entire line because there is no backup means for transferring the product to the device during repair.

[0008]

In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, in a clean room in which the cleanliness is suppressed, the product is transported by using a transport vehicle which has been used conventionally and has a proven record. A transport area including a transport vehicle is covered with a simple tunnel having an independent cleaning mechanism, and a semiconductor product carry-in / out port having an opening / closing mechanism provided in the tunnel is connected to a processing device.

Further, it is achieved by a system equipped with an assembly-type clean booth near the apparatus, a mechanism for supplying clean air to the clean booth, and an exhaust mechanism for removing dust and the like.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, an embodiment of the first invention of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a clean room structure to which the present invention is applied. The entire building is shielded from the outside by an outer wall 1, and the inside has a three-layer structure of a ceiling part 2, a working part 3 and a utility part 4, and the working part 3 and the utility part 4 have an inner wall 5 having a constant distance from the outer wall 1. It is surrounded by. A void 6 is formed between the outer wall 1 and the inner wall 5 to form a space continuous with the ceiling portion 2. At the boundary between the blow-through 6 and the utility section 4, a blower mechanism 7 and a blower mechanism 7 for supplying a constant amount of air to the blow-through side.
The filter 8 is installed on the surface contacting with the utility section 4. A filter 9 having the same specifications is laid at the boundary between the ceiling portion 2 and the working portion 3, and a hole 10 is provided at the boundary portion between the working portion 3 and the utility portion 4.

A tunnel chamber 1 having a wafer processing apparatus 11 in a working portion 3 and an air cleaning unit 12 in a ceiling portion.
3 and the control panel 14 of the apparatus are installed. A buffer unit 17 having an opening / closing mechanism 16 is mechanically connected between the tunnel chamber 13 and the processing device 11 through a window 15. A carrier 21 having a handling arm 20 on which a wafer 19 is placed is arranged inside the tunnel chamber 18.
A hole 22 is provided in the floor of the tunnel chamber 13.

Although the method of directly connecting the tunnel chamber 13 and the processing device 11 has an effect of suppressing an increase in connecting parts, the passage on the front surface of the processing device 11 is usually used when the device is carried in and out, so that the width of the passage is wide. Cannot be narrower than a certain value, and if the tunnel chamber 13 and the processing device 11 are directly connected in this state, the area of the tunnel chamber 13 which requires high cleanliness increases. Further, when the front surface of the apparatus is completely blocked by the tunnel room, maintenance work and the like may be hindered, and the arrangement of the buffer section 17 is effective. The utility section 4 is provided with a power supply 23, a vacuum unit 24, and the like, which are equipment attached to the apparatus.

In the above-described structure, when the air blowing mechanism 7 is operated, the dust removed by the filter 8 is sent out from the blow-through 6 toward the ceiling portion 2, and further passes through the filter 9 to produce clean air in the working portion. It flows downwards in 3 substantially vertically. After passing through the hole 10 and entering the utility section 4, the air is again collected by the blower mechanism 7 and circulated. Here, the cleanliness of the working unit 3 is normally class 1000 to 10000 due to the filters 8 and 9.
It only needs to be maintained at a certain level.

A part of the circulating air in the working unit 3 enters the tunnel chamber 13 through the air cleaning unit 12, and then passes through the hole 22 and escapes to the utility unit 4. The cleanliness inside the tunnel chamber 13 is maintained at class 1 or lower by the air cleaning unit 12. Except during wafer loading / unloading, the opening / closing mechanism 16 is always closed at the connection with the buffer, and the air flow inside the tunnel chamber 13 is not disturbed.

In FIG. 1, the structure is such that wafers are exchanged only on one side of the tunnel chamber 13, but it is more efficient to connect the devices arranged on both sides of the passage if the wafer transfer capacity is large. Further, if the space becomes narrow, the structure may be such that the transport vehicle 21 runs in parallel in the tunnel chamber 13.

FIG. 2 shows a case in which the cleanliness inside the tunnel chamber 13 is further improved. The wall surface of the tunnel chamber 13 has a double structure, and air blown downward from the holes 22 is blown by the blower 26.
This is a structure for returning to the air cleaning unit 12 again.
Since the tunnel structure becomes complicated, it should be used only in semiconductors that require high cleanliness, or in parts that are transported to equipment that performs processes.

FIG. 3 shows the exchange of the wafer 19 between the buffer unit 17, the transfer vehicle 21 and the processing apparatus 11 described in FIG. The buffer portion 17 is fixed to the tunnel chamber 13 and the processing device 11 by a stopper 27, and the opening / closing mechanism 1
Reference numeral 6 independently has a boundary portion 16a with the tunnel chamber 13 and a boundary portion 16b with the processing device 11. However, the opening / closing mechanism 16 includes the buffer unit 17, the tunnel chamber 13, and the processing device 11.
It does not matter which is installed. Further, the buffer portion 17 has a mechanism 28 for substituting an inert gas such as nitrogen, and a stretchable structure 29 such as a bellows is partially included for position adjustment.

When the transfer vehicle 21 stops in front of the buffer section 17, the handling arm 20 holds the wafer 19 and becomes ready for wafer transfer operation, and the buffer section 17 is filled with an inert gas by the inert gas replacement mechanism 28. Replace and discharge impure gas. However, when the inside of the buffer section 17 is always replaced with an inert gas when the opening / closing mechanism 16 is closed, the above operation is omitted. After that, the opening and closing mechanism 16 on both sides
Then, the handling arm 20 on the carrier 21 moves the wafer to the apparatus side in a state where the wafer 19 is placed, and the wafer is placed on the wafer placing table 30 inside the processing apparatus 11. In this figure, no gas is introduced when the wafer 19 is carried in and out, but the possibility of cross contamination between the tunnel chamber and the apparatus is further reduced by flowing an inert gas in a direction that blocks the wafer moving direction and forming an air curtain. it can.

FIG. 4 shows a method of exchanging wafers between the tunnel chamber and the apparatus, which is different from the method shown in FIG.

In this method, the wafer 1 is once transferred to the buffer section 17.
9 has a wafer transfer mechanism 31 for loading and unloading the wafer to and from the processing apparatus 11 side to prevent the tunnel chamber 13 and the processing apparatus 11 space from directly contacting each other. After the opening / closing mechanisms 16 on both sides of the buffer section 17 are closed, the internal atmosphere is replaced with an inert gas, and then the wafer 19 is loaded from one side to close the opening / closing mechanism 16 and the opening / closing mechanism 16 on the opposite side is opened.
Out. This structure is particularly suitable for manually loading and unloading the wafer 19 from the tunnel chamber 13 due to a failure of the transport vehicle 21,
It is possible to further reduce the possibility that foreign matter originating from a person as a dust source is taken into the processing device 11 and contaminated.

In FIG. 5, a stocker 32 for the wafer 19 is installed near the buffer section 17 in the system of FIGS. By disposing wafers that were stored centrally in the stocker near the passage between bays in a distributed manner, it is possible to reduce the conventional stocker capacity and easily maintain a high-clean atmosphere, and reduce the load of transportation. By being able to disperse, it is possible to reduce equipment non-operation due to wafer waiting even when a transfer trouble occurs.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the tunnel chamber 13.
An apparatus interface unit 33, which is a component of the tunnel chamber, is placed in front of the wafer loading / unloading port of the processing apparatus 11, and is connected to the processing apparatus 11 (located in the back side in the figure) by the buffer section 17 installed in the window 15. To be done. Position adjusting units 34 having a bellows structure are provided on both sides of the device interface unit 33 to enable fine adjustment of the position. The position adjusting unit 34 includes a transport unit 35.
Are linked. A stocker 37 is provided at the end of the tunnel chamber 13.
A device interface unit 33 connected to (arranged on the back side in the drawing) is arranged. An air shower unit 36 is used at the opposite end when a person enters or leaves the tunnel chamber 13. Since the tunnel chamber 13 is composed of each unit in this way, it has high flexibility and is easy to remove and lay. When the processing device 11 is carried in and out, only the unit that physically interferes with the processing device 11 is removed,
By covering the boundary with the removal unit, the cleanliness inside the tunnel is maintained, and the wafer transferred before the removal of the unit can be continuously processed by the processing apparatus 11.
Basically, after the apparatus is installed, the apparatus interface unit 33 is adjusted according to the wafer loading / unloading position of each apparatus.
Are fixed, and then the position adjusting unit 34 and the transport unit 35 are incorporated. Therefore, the transport unit 35 has a mechanism whose length can be easily adjusted.

FIG. 7 shows an overall image of wafer transfer. As described above, the transportation in the bay is performed in the tunnel chamber 13 shown in FIG. 6, and the end portion thereof is connected to the stocker 37 of the passage portion connecting the bays by the window 15.
Since the stocker 37 is frequently transferred between bays, the stocker 37 is adjacent to a transfer system 38 configured by conventional tracked transfer, and wafers can be exchanged.

The transport system 38 has a conventional open structure because it is located in the vicinity of the filter 9 where the cleanliness is high, but the present invention requires a structure for suppressing the cleanliness of the work area 3 to a low level. The transport system 38 is surrounded by a wall 39, an air purifying filter 40 and an air intake duct 41 are installed in the ceiling part, and holes 42 are provided in the floor part. Air purifying filter 4
There is also a method of supplying air to 0 with a fan just above the air cleaning filter 40, but the air intake duct 41
Is connected to the filter 9 to take in air circulating in the entire room, thereby saving energy and simplifying the structure.
As another method, a method of replacing only the portion of the filter 9 directly above the transport system 38 with a high performance one, or the transport system 3
A method of filling the inside with a vacuum or with an inert gas is also conceivable as a closed structure surrounding 8 and can be arbitrarily selected.

FIG. 8 shows the structure of the clean booth 43 used for maintenance of the apparatus. Ideally, it is desirable that the processing part and the like form a unit structure and that the failure part can be replaced with one touch, but under the present circumstances, it is necessary to open the inside without changing the position of the processing part and replace parts. At this time, as a means for preventing the wafer from being indirectly contaminated, it is important to maintain a highly clean atmosphere and prevent dust from being generated from the work site during maintenance work. As this means, a clean booth 43 that covers the periphery of the apparatus, a clean air supply mechanism 44 that cleans the inside of the clean booth 43, and an exhaust mechanism 45 that removes dust from the vicinity of the work place are provided. The clean booth 43 connects the duct of the clean air supply mechanism 44 to supply clean air, so that the clean booth can be simplified and reduced in weight, and the clean air supply mechanism 44 can be shared by the devices.

FIG. 8 shows an air tent type in which the tent is made to stand on its own by filling the inside of the peripheral wall surface with air. It can be stored compactly when not in use because it doesn't need columns.

FIG. 9 shows a suspension type in which the blower unit is suspended from the ceiling and the surrounding wall surface is covered with an assembly type column. The hanging position is, for example, a structure that can be moved within the bay, so that each device can be easily covered with a clean booth.

FIG. 10 shows a bellows type, which is usually stored with the bellows folded and extended at the time of use to cover the entire apparatus. There is an advantage that it is easy to move and install because it becomes compact in a self-supporting state.

Each of the above methods may be applied to the exposed state of the device, and may be individually handled when the device has a device cover and can be simply sealed.

[0030]

According to the above structure, the filters installed on the ceiling of the clean room are inexpensive and can be reduced in quantity, and the amount of circulating air can be suppressed to the extent that the amount of heat radiated by the device is removed. This has the effect of reducing operating costs.

Further, by limiting the transport area requiring high cleanliness to the clean room with a tunnel structure having a positive pressure, it is possible to maintain a state without cross contamination with the surroundings.
The movement of the wafer has an effect that a highly reliable transfer system that suppresses the clean room cost can be constructed by using a transfer vehicle that has been used in the past.

Further, by making the tunnel chamber sized so that a person can work inside it, it becomes possible to perform quick repair or manual backup wafer transfer in the event of failure of the transfer vehicle. An opening / closing mechanism is provided at the carry-in / out entrance of the semiconductor product to which the tunnel room and each device are connected, and the structure is such that the trouble such as foreign matter generation does not affect each other by closing it except when the carry-in / out is carried out. It is also effective in preventing contamination from a clean atmosphere.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a clean room structure of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a tunnel chamber structure that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a first diagram showing a method of transferring wafers between a carrier and an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a second diagram showing a method of transferring a wafer between a carrier and an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a tunnel chamber structure that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a tunnel chamber structure that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a carrying method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a first clean booth structure which is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a second clean booth structure which is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a third clean booth structure which is an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: outer wall, 2: ceiling part, 3: working part, 4: utility part, 5: inner wall, 6: blow through, 7: air blowing mechanism, 8: filter, 9: filter, 10: hole, 11: processing device,
12: Air purification unit, 13: Tunnel room, 14:
Control panel, 15: Window, 16: Opening / closing mechanism, 17: Buffer unit, 18: Tunnel interior, 19: Wafer, 20: Handling arm, 21: Transport vehicle, 22: Hole, 23: Power supply, 24: Vacuum unit , 25: wall surface, 26: blower,
27: Stopper, 28: Inert gas replacement mechanism, 29: Stretchable structure, 30: Wafer mounting table, 31: Wafer transfer mechanism, 3
2: Stocker, 33: Device interface unit,
34: position adjusting unit, 35: transport unit, 36:
Air shower unit, 37: central stocker, 38:
Transport system, 39: wall, 40: air cleaning filter, 41: air intake duct, 42: hole, 43: clean booth,
44: clean air supply mechanism, 45: exhaust mechanism.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. In a clean room in which a downflow air flow is formed, a tunnel chamber having a partition plate is formed around a region in which a carrier on which a wafer is mounted and which has a wafer handling arm is movable. A high-cleaning unit formed of a fan and a filter is installed on the ceiling of the tunnel room, and a plurality of holes are installed on the floor of the tunnel room. A semiconductor device characterized in that a hole is connected to a wafer processing apparatus, and a buffer unit is provided through which the wafer placed by the carrier is transferred to the wafer processing apparatus or the processed wafer is received. Manufacturing system. 2. The semiconductor manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein the tunnel chamber has a space in which a person can work. 3. The structure of the tunnel chamber is configured by connecting a plurality of types of units, and each unit is an interface unit for loading / unloading a wafer to / from a wafer processing apparatus or a stocker, and a transfer unit connecting the interface units. 3. The semiconductor manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein the position adjusting unit has a bellows structure for adjusting connection, and an air shower unit that is a person's entrance / exit to / from a tunnel room. 4. During maintenance of the wafer processing apparatus,
A clean booth having a mechanism for connecting a duct for supplying clean air from the outside in order to prevent contamination inside the apparatus,
And an exhaust mechanism for removing dust generated during maintenance.
The semiconductor manufacturing system described in 1.