JPH1187459A - Substrate conveyance apparatus, semiconductor manufacturing system and manufacture of device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a substrate conveyance apparatus in which a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus body corresponds to an open carrier by a method wherein an indexer which can be accessed from a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is installed at the carrier of a pod which is mounted on a detachable pod mounting base at a minienvironment pod. SOLUTION: After an SMIF pod 20 has been installed, and the SMIF pod 20 and a through carrier 21 which is housed in it are then set to a separable state by a load lock unit. Then, a carrier base 24 is moved downward by an indexer 23, and it is stopped in a position in which a wafer can be taken out by a conveyance robot for a semiconductor wafer. Here, information on the existence of the wafer inside the carrier 21 in its lowering operation and information on an oblique housing operation or the like are obtained by wafer detecting sensors 25, 26. The wafer is taken out from the through carrier 21 which is positioned in a prescribed position, it is carried into a PA station, and it is housed in the original position of the through carrier 21 by the conveyance robot.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technique for supplying a substrate used in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus from a cassette (carrier) to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and recovering the substrate from the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus to the carrier.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional technique will be described with reference to FIG. In a semiconductor exposure apparatus, for example, a stepper, a carrier 4 containing a plurality of substrates 4 (hereinafter referred to as wafers) is transferred from a wafer 4 to a wafer 4.
Are sequentially taken out by the transfer robot 1 and loaded into a mechanical pre-alignment (hereinafter referred to as PA) station. PA
At the station, the positioning of the orientation flat 4a is performed. In this alignment, after the wafer 4 is held by the PA chuck 8, the position of the edge of the wafer 4 is detected by the PA optical systems 9 to 11 while rotating the wafer 4 by the PAθ stage 7, and the position of the orientation flat 4a is determined. Then, the eccentric amount of the wafer 4 is calculated, and the wafer is positioned at a predetermined position by the PAX stage 5, the PAY stage 6, and the PAθ stage 7. This operation is called an orientation flat detection operation (hereinafter, an orientation detection operation). Thereafter, the wafer 4 is held by a substrate holding means (hand) (not shown) and transferred to the wafer chuck 12 of the exposure station. Thereafter, the X stage 13 and the Y stage
Exposure is performed by performing step feed by the stage 14. After the exposure, the wafer 4 is taken out of the wafer chuck 12 by the transfer robot 1 and the carrier 3 is removed.
Will be collected.

[0003] Here, a carrier for accommodating a plurality of substrates is an open carrier type in which the carrier is set in an apparatus without entering the clean box, and an airtight mini-environment pod in which the carrier is set in the apparatus while accommodated in the clean box. An SMIF (Standard Mechanical Interface) pod type is used. For example, in an environment with relatively good cleanliness, open carriers are mainly used, but when moving between processes with poor cleanliness, etc., SMIF pods are used to prevent particles from adhering to the carrier and substrate. ing.
In addition, using AGV (carrier transport robot),
In some cases, the carrier is automatically set in the device.

[0004]

However, the above conventional example has the following disadvantages. That is, SMI
In the case of the F pod type, as shown in FIG.
The space above the pod 20 is outside the device, and only the carrier inside the pod is introduced into the device by lowering the carrier 21 after releasing the lock portion (not shown) of the lower portion of the SMIF pod 20. And transfer robot 3
1 allows the substrate to be supplied / collected. FIG. 9 shows a state where nothing is arranged in the space above the SMIF pod 20. Also, if another unit is to be arranged in a space above the SMIF pod 20,
In the case of the AGV, the standard is to leave a space above the SMIF pod 20 of 225 mm or more. For this reason, other units cannot be arranged in this portion. Here, the specifications of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment can be adapted to both open carriers and SMIF pods, and
To be able to cope with the AGV also increases in space and cost. If the device is manufactured only for the full specification, it is wasteful for a user who needs only one function.

Therefore, the specifications of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus can be adapted to all cases and can be easily changed. When only a single function is required, other specifications are omitted and no waste is caused. It would be preferable to have the device.

For this reason, the main body of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is compatible with an open carrier, and in the case of the SMIF pod, a separate unit is used, so that the entire semiconductor manufacturing apparatus can use an open carrier.
It is preferable that the above four conditions are satisfied, such that the above conditions can be satisfied, an AGV path can be secured, and an AGV path can be secured, and in-line with a coater developer (hereinafter referred to as C / D) is possible.

As a conventionally conceived device for separately placing SMIF, separately placed SMIF compatible units 61 and 62 are arranged in front of the device as shown in FIG.
Take out the carrier from the MIF pod and set the carrier table 3
A device to be mounted on 2,33 was considered. A related patent is Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 6-38443. But,
In such a unit, the open carrier cannot be used because the opening / closing door of the device for placing the carrier on the carrier tables 32 and 33 is closed by the unit. Also, as shown in FIG. 11, the normal passage of the AGV is about 800 mm, and if the above-mentioned separate SMIF unit is installed in this portion, the running space of the AGV is lost, so that the AGV cannot be handled. there were.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and when the main body of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is compatible with an open carrier and is attached to the main body of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus by a separate type, the above-described semiconductor manufacturing apparatus as a whole can be used. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate transfer apparatus which can cope with at least one or all of the four conditions and can be easily attached and detached.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate transfer apparatus provided on a side surface of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, wherein the substrate transfer apparatus comprises: A pod mounting table on which a mini-environment pod can be attached and detached from the front of the apparatus, and an indexer for making a carrier of the pod mounted on the pod mounting table accessible from within the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. .

In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate transfer apparatus for loading and unloading a substrate in and out of the carrier in cooperation with the indexer, and at a predetermined substrate transfer position between the carrier and the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. And a transfer robot for transferring the substrate between the two.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A substrate transfer apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a mounting table for an SMIF pod or an open carrier, an interface between a C / D and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a C / D side, and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. It has an indexer for the SMIF pod and an interface for the interface. Further, the substrate transfer device is provided on a side surface of the semiconductor manufacturing device.

A substrate transfer apparatus according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an interface with a C / D, an interface with a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body, and an SMI.
It has an F pod or an open carrier mounting table, has two interfaces, a wafer loading unit capable of accessing the SMIF pod or the open carrier, and has an indexer for the SMIF pod. Further, the substrate transfer device is provided on a side surface of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body.

[0013]

According to the above configuration, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is set to the open carrier system and is compatible with SMIF / AGV and C /
When in-line correspondence with D is required, it is possible to provide an apparatus which can easily cope with the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus without changing it.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a top view of a substrate transfer apparatus 50 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. A semiconductor exposure apparatus (semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body) 40 and a coater developer 41 are arranged on each side. Have been. FIG. 2 is a view of a portion of the transport device 50 of FIG. In FIG. 1, a space is provided for installing a SMIF pod 20, which is a mini-environment pod having an airtight inside, on the front side of the passage. This SMIF
The pod 20 may be installed by a person or by an AGV. The height at which the SMIF pod 20 is installed so that the AGV can be installed is 900 mm ≦ installation height ≦ 13
It is preferably set to 00 mm. When installing the SMIF pod with the AGV, the AGV transports the SMIF pod 20 through the passage and moves the SMIF pod 20 to the position shown in FIG.
Put. After the SMIF pod 20 is installed, the SMIF pod 20 and the carrier 21 housed therein are made separable by an unlocking unit (not shown).
Next, the carrier table 24 is moved downward by the indexer 23 and stopped at a position where the wafer 4 can be taken out by the transfer robot 31 for the semiconductor exposure apparatus. At the time of the downward movement, information such as the presence / absence of the wafer 4 stored in the carrier and the oblique insertion of the wafer 4 is obtained by the light emitting side sensor 25 and the light receiving side sensor 26 of the wafer detection sensor.

The wafer 4 is taken out of the carrier (through-carrier) 21 positioned at a predetermined position by the transfer robot 31 and carried into a PA station (not shown), and the exposure is completed through the steps shown in the conventional example. Then, the wafer 4 is stored in the original position of the carrier 21 by the transfer robot 31.

Here, the difference between a normal carrier and a through carrier will be described. A normal carrier can load and unload a wafer in one direction. On the other hand, the through carrier can carry in / out a wafer from two directions (here, 180 ° direction). In this case, when viewed in FIG. 1, both sides of the carrier C / D 41 and the semiconductor exposure apparatus 40
It is possible to take out the wafer from both sides. Further, in the case of a through carrier, a step is provided so that the wafer does not drop because the wafer easily falls. When loading and unloading a wafer, the wafer is lifted by more than this step difference.

When a predetermined number of exposures have been completed, the carrier table 24 is moved upward by the indexer 23 so that the carrier 21 and the SMIF pod 20 are not separated by the lock unit (not shown). In this state, the SMIF pod 20 can be replaced. The AGV collects the SMIF pod 20 containing the exposed wafer 4 and stores the SMIF pod 20 containing the resist-coated wafer 4 therein.
The MIF pod 20 is installed and transported to the location of the development process.

In the above description, the carrier 2 on the lateral side of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus (the semiconductor exposure apparatus 40 and the C / D 41) is used.
Although the case where the wafer 4 is loaded directly from 1 has been described, the wafer 4 can be supplied / collected also in the following two cases.

First, when the wafer 4 is supplied from the C / D 41, the semiconductor exposure device 4 in the C / D device 41 is used.
The wafer, which is taken out from a carrier (not shown) provided on the side opposite to 0 and is coated with a resist, is carried into a semiconductor exposure apparatus and exposed. That is, when no carrier is used between the C / D device 41 and the semiconductor exposure device 40, the interfaces 51 and 52 below the carrier table 24 are used.
A relay position between the C / D 41 and the semiconductor exposure apparatus 40 can be set. The wafer coated with the resist on the C / D 41 side is placed on the IN-side interface 51 by the transfer robot 31b on the C / D 41 side, and the wafer is transferred to a P (not shown) by the transfer robot 31 in the semiconductor exposure apparatus 40.
After being loaded into the A station, the exposure is completed through the steps shown in the conventional example, and the wafer is placed on the OUT-side interface 52 by the transfer robot 31. The wafer is carried into the C / D 41 side by the transfer robot 31b and development is performed. Alternatively, the semiconductor exposure apparatus 40 and the C / D 41
The wafer is once conveyed to the C / D 41 side from the carrier (through carrier) 21 set in between, the wafer coated with the resist is carried into the through carrier 21, and the wafer is carried into the semiconductor exposure apparatus side for exposure. Can also.

Second, the wafer 4 can be supplied / collected by setting a carrier on the supply side carrier tables 32 and 33 of the semiconductor exposure apparatus 40.
That is, it is possible to cope with open carriers.

Further, the semiconductor exposure apparatus 40 and C /
It is preferable that a positioning pin or the like be provided on the D41 side to make the transporting device 50 easily attachable and detachable.

Here, the vertical mechanism for taking out the wafer is performed by the indexer 23.
b may have a vertical mechanism. That is, the carrier and the interface may be fixed, and the transfer robot may have a vertical stroke capable of accessing all of these positions. In this embodiment, the carrier and the interface are arranged vertically, but they may be arranged horizontally.

With the above configuration, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus (semiconductor exposure apparatus 40 and C / D 41) is compatible with an open cassette, and the SMIF pod is configured as a separate unit. The device can be used, can support SMIF / AGV, can secure an AGV path, and can be in-line with the coater developer. The separate unit can be easily attached to and detached from the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

Second Embodiment A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. For mini-environment pods for wafer carriers that hermetically store wafers of size 12 inches or larger, open the door on the front of the carrier instead of the SMIF pod type, which pulls down the carrier and allows the wafer to be loaded and unloaded. FOUP (Front O), which is a mini-environment pod of the front open type that allows the wafer to be loaded and unloaded
Pening Unified Pod) is being considered. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a transport device in which the FOUP can be installed will be described. FIG. 3 is viewed from the same direction as FIG.

In FIG. 3, the FOUP 42 is set from the front of the transfer device. Next, the lock of the front open door 34 of the FOUP 42 is released by the door lock / release mechanism 36, and the front open door 34 is moved to the lower position (position shown) together with the transfer device door 35 by the swing arm 37 and the door up / down mechanism 38. Evacuate.

The carrier 21 is moved by the carrier transport mechanism 53.
Is moved from the FOUP 42 to a predetermined position accessible by the transfer robot 31 (FIG. 1), and the transfer robot 3
Step 1 takes out the wafer. The process from taking out the wafer to storing the wafer in the same portion of the carrier 21 after exposure is the same as in the first embodiment. After the exposure of all the wafers is completed, the carrier 21 is
In the FOUP 42. Thereafter, the door up / down mechanism 38
Then, the transfer device door 35 and the front open door 34 are moved to the upper lock position by the swing arm 37, the front open door 34 is pressed against the carrier 21, and the FOUP 42 is locked by the door lock / release 36.

In this type, since the carrier 21 and the interfaces 51 and 52 are fixed, it is necessary for the transfer robot 31 to have a vertical stroke corresponding to the number of wafers stored in the carrier 21. The case where the wafer is carried into the semiconductor exposure apparatus from the C / D 41 is the same as in the first embodiment.

When the carrier 21 is not used, the wafer can be loaded from the C / D 41 and exposed by using the interfaces 51 and 52 as in the first embodiment.

In the FOUP, it is necessary to prevent the passage-side surface of the pod from coming out of the passage, or to suppress the protrusion amount so as not to hinder the running of the AGV. As described above, it is possible to cope with the case of FOUP when the wafer size is 12 inches or more.

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, even if the carrier of the first embodiment is not a through carrier type, it can be handled. The view from above is the same as FIG. FIG. 4 corresponds to FIG. 2 viewed from the direction A in FIG. The difference from FIG. 2 is that a rotation mechanism 55 for rotating a table that moves up and down the carrier and the interface is provided. A normal carrier 21 which is not a through carrier is set, and a carrier 2 is set.
Since one opening is in one direction, the opening is directed toward the apparatus (semiconductor exposure apparatus 40 or C / D 41) for transferring a wafer. Since the method from the removal of the wafer to the exposure and the collection method are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description is omitted here.

The semiconductor exposure apparatus 40 in the C / D 41
When the wafer taken out of a carrier (not shown) provided on the opposite side and coated with a resist is carried into the semiconductor exposure apparatus 40 and used, the interfaces 51 and 52 do not need to rotate.

When the carrier 21 is used only on the semiconductor exposure apparatus 40 side, the rotating mechanism 55 need not be provided. In this case, the interfaces 51 and 52 and the carrier 21 may be set so that the opening is directed toward the semiconductor exposure apparatus from the beginning.

With the above configuration, a general-purpose carrier can be used, so that it can be shared with carriers in other processes.

Fourth Embodiment FIG. 5 shows a substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
Is a top view of the apparatus, and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body (for example, a stepper) 40 and a coater developer 41 are arranged on each side. FIG. 6 is a view of the portion of the substrate transfer device of FIG. In FIG. 5, SMIF pod 2
A space will be provided to place 0 in front of the passage. This SM
The IF pod 20 may be installed by a person or by an AGV. SMIF so that AGV can be installed
The height at which the pod 20 is installed is 900 mm ≦ installation height ≦
It is preferable to set it to 1300 mm. SMIF with AGV
When the pod is installed, the AGV transports the SMIF pod 20 through the passage and places the SMIF pod 20 at the position shown in FIG. After the SMIF pod 20 is installed, the SMIF pod 20 and the carrier 21 housed therein are made separable by an unlocking unit (not shown). Next, the carrier table 24 is lowered by the indexer 23 and stopped at a position where the wafer 4 can be taken out by the transfer robot 22. At the time of the lowering, information such as the presence or absence of the wafer 4 stored in the carrier and whether or not the wafer is inserted obliquely is obtained by the light emitting side sensor 25 and the light receiving side sensor 26 of the wafer detecting sensor. The transfer robot 22 transfers the wafer 4 from the carrier 21 positioned at a predetermined position.
And loaded into the interface (substrate mounting table) 27 with the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body 40. The wafer 4 is taken out by the transfer robot 31 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body 40, carried into a PA station (not shown), and the exposure is completed through the steps shown in the conventional example.
Is transferred by the transfer robot 31 to the interface (substrate mounting table) 28 with the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body 40. The exposed wafer is again taken out of the interface 28 with the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body 40 by the transfer robot 22 and stored at the original position of the carrier 21. When the predetermined number of exposures are completed, the carrier table 24 is moved upward by the indexer 23 so that the carrier 21 and the SMIF pod 20 are not separated by the lock unit (not shown). In this state, the SMIF pod 20 can be replaced.

The AGV collects the SMIF pod 20 containing the exposed wafer 4 and stores the SMIF pod 20 containing the resist-coated wafer 4 before exposure.
Is installed. The collected SMIF pod 20 is transported to the location of the developing process.

In the above description, the case where the wafer 4 is loaded by the carrier 21 from the lateral side of the main body of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus has been described.
The wafer 4 can be supplied / collected. First, when the wafer 4 is supplied from the C / D, the wafer 4 coated with the resist by the C / D is placed on the interface 29 with the C / D, and the wafer 4 is transferred by the transfer robot 22 to the interface on the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body side. 27. This wafer 4
As described above, the exposure is completed and mounted on the interface 28 with the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body. The wafer 4 is transferred by the transfer robot 22 to the interface 3 with the C / D.
Put on 0. The wafer 4 is captured and developed on the C / D side. That is, inline is possible. Secondly, the wafer 4 can be supplied / collected by setting a carrier on the carrier tables 32 and 33 on the supply side which is held in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body. That is, it is possible to cope with open carriers.

The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body 40 and C
It is preferable that a positioning pin or the like is provided on the / D41 side to easily attach and detach the substrate transfer device.

In the above description, an example is shown in which one SMIF pod 20 or one FOUP 42 is used, but a plurality of SMIF pods 20 or FOUPs 42 may be prepared. In addition, wafer 4
The vertical mechanism for taking out is performed by an indexer, but the transport robot 22 may have a vertical mechanism. In addition, the interface for the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body and the interface for C / D are provided in the transfer apparatus. However, if these interfaces are provided in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body and the C / D, there is no need to provide them on the substrate transfer apparatus side. . Further, a PA stage can be provided on the substrate transfer device side in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body, and this can be used as an interface for the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body.

With the above configuration, the main body of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is compatible with an open carrier, and the SMIF pod is configured as a separate unit so that an open carrier can be used in the entire semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.
The device can be an AGV compatible, can secure an AGV path, and can be inlined with a coater developer (C / D). Further, the substrate transfer apparatus can be easily attached to and detached from the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body.

Fifth Embodiment A fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As aforementioned,
The mini-environment pod, which holds large diameter wafers of 12 inches or larger, can be loaded and unloaded by opening the door on the front of the carrier in addition to the SMIF type, which allows the wafer to be loaded and unloaded by pulling the carrier down. A FOUP that can be set in a proper state has been considered. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a transport device in which the FOUP can be installed will be described. FIG. 7 is viewed from the same direction as FIG. FOU
P42 is set from the front of the transfer device.

Next, the lock of the front open door 34 is released by the door lock / release mechanism 36, and the front open door 34 is retracted to the lower position by the swing arm 37 and the door vertical mechanism 38. The transfer robot 22 is positioned at a desired wafer height in the carrier by the robot up-down mechanism 39, and the transfer robot 22 takes out the wafer 4. The taken-out wafer 4 is placed on the interface 27 for the semiconductor exposure apparatus, and the exposed wafer 4 is taken out from the interface 28 for the semiconductor exposure apparatus in the same manner as in the fourth embodiment. The wafer is collected by the transfer robot 22 from the interface 28 for the semiconductor exposure apparatus, is positioned at the position where the wafer is taken out of the carrier by the robot up / down mechanism 39, stores the wafer 4, and returns the transfer robot 22 to a predetermined position. After all the wafers 4 have been exposed and collected, the front open door 34 is pressed against the carrier by the door up / down mechanism 36 and the swing arm 37 so that the carrier can be taken out, and the door lock / release mechanism 36 locks the door. Do.

In the FOUP, it is necessary to prevent the surface of the pod on the passage side from coming out of the passage, or to suppress the protrusion amount so as not to hinder the running of the AGV.

As described above, FOUP suitable for a case where the wafer size is 12 inches or less can be supported.

Embodiment of Device Production Method Next, an embodiment of a device production method using the semiconductor exposure apparatus described above will be described.

FIG. 12 shows a micro device (a semiconductor chip such as an IC or an LSI, a liquid crystal panel, a CCD, a thin film magnetic head,
2 shows a flow of manufacturing a micromachine or the like. Step 1
In (Circuit Design), a device pattern is designed. Step 2 is a process for making a mask on the basis of the designed pattern. On the other hand, in step 3 (wafer manufacture), a wafer is manufactured using a material such as silicon or glass. Step 4 (wafer process) is called a pre-process,
An actual circuit is formed on the wafer by lithography using the prepared mask and wafer. The next step 5 (assembly) is called a post-process, and is a process of forming a semiconductor chip using the wafer produced in step 4, and includes processes such as an assembly process (dicing and bonding) and a packaging process (chip encapsulation). including. In step 6 (inspection), inspections such as an operation confirmation test and a durability test of the semiconductor device manufactured in step 5 are performed. Through these steps, the semiconductor device is completed,
This is shipped (step 7).

FIG. 13 shows a detailed flow of the wafer process. Step 11 (oxidation) oxidizes the wafer's surface. Step 12 (CVD) forms an insulating film on the wafer surface. Step 13 (electrode formation) forms electrodes on the wafer by vapor deposition. In step 14 (ion implantation), ions are implanted into the wafer. Step 1
In 5 (resist processing), a photosensitive agent is applied to the wafer. In step 16 (exposure), the circuit pattern on the mask is printed on the wafer by exposure. Step 17 (development) develops the exposed wafer. In step 18 (etching), portions other than the developed resist image are removed. Step 19
In (resist removal), unnecessary resist after etching is removed. By repeating these steps, multiple circuit patterns are formed on the wafer. If the wafer transfer between the above steps is performed using the substrate transfer apparatus or the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, a device with a high degree of integration, which has conventionally been difficult to manufacture, can be manufactured at low cost.

In the above description, the main body of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is compatible with the open carrier, and the separate unit is compatible with the mini-environment pod. However, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is compatible with the mini environment pod, and the separate unit is compatible with the open carrier. Is included in the present invention.

[0048]

As described above, according to the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention, the main body of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is compatible with an open carrier, and the mini-environment pod is configured as a separate unit. Can configure a semiconductor manufacturing equipment that can use open carriers.
Further, by attaching the separate unit, it is possible to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus capable of coping with a pod-AGV and securing an AGV passage, and inline with a coater developer (C / D). Further, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body and the substrate transfer device can be easily attached and detached. It is also possible to support FOUP when the wafer size is 12 inches or more.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a substrate transfer device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the substrate transfer device of FIG. 1 as viewed from a direction A in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, illustrating a substrate transfer apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, illustrating a substrate transfer apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a substrate transfer device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a side view of the substrate transfer device of FIG. 5 as viewed from a direction A in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, illustrating a substrate transfer apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional substrate transfer device.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a space above a SMIF pod.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram corresponding to a front view of the SMIF pod.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram corresponding to a front view of the SMIF pod.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a flow of manufacturing a micro device.

13 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of the wafer process in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 22, 31, 31b: transfer robot, 2, 3: carrier, 4: substrate (wafer), 4a: orientation flat, 5: PAX stage, 6: PAY stage,
7: PAθ stage, 8: PA chuck, 9-11: P
A optical system, 12: Wafer chuck 13: X stage
14: Y stage, 20: SMIF pod, 21: Carrier, 23: Indexer, 24: Carrier stand, 25: Wafer detection sensor light emitting side, 26: Wafer detection sensor light receiving side, 27, 28: Semiconductor manufacturing device side interface,
29, 30: C / D side interface, 32, 33:
Carrier table, 34: front open door, 35: door for transfer device, 36: door lock / release mechanism, 37: swing arm, 38: door up / down mechanism, 39: robot up / down mechanism, 40: semiconductor manufacturing apparatus (stepper), 41: Coater developer, 42: FOUP, 50, 100: Substrate transfer device, 51: IN side interface, 52: OUT side interface, 53: Carrier transfer mechanism, 55: Rotation mechanism, 61, 62, 71: Conventional separate installation SMIF compatible unit.

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. A substrate transfer device arranged on a side surface of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, comprising: a pod mounting table on which a mini environment pod can be attached and detached from the front of the substrate transfer device; and a pod mounting table mounted on the pod mounting table. An indexer for enabling access to a pod carrier from within the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. 2. The means for moving the indexer up and down or moving horizontally between a position where the carrier is mounted and the carrier can be accessed by at least a transporting means of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a position where the pod is attached / detached. The substrate transfer device according to claim 1, further comprising: 3. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the carrier is a through carrier, the carrier can be accessed from both side surfaces of the substrate transport apparatus. 4. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the indexer has means for rotating the carrier by at least 180 ° in a horizontal plane, so that the carrier can be accessed from both side surfaces of the substrate transport apparatus. . 5. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the indexer has an interface accessible by a transport unit of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. 6. The interface of a second semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, wherein the substrate is carried in by a transfer means of a first semiconductor manufacturing apparatus disposed on one side of the substrate transfer apparatus and the interface is provided on the other side. A first interface from which the substrate is carried out by the carrying means, and a second interface from which the substrate is carried in by the carrying means of the second semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and the board is carried out by the carrying means of the first semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.
The substrate transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said interface is provided. 7. A transfer robot for transferring a substrate into and out of the carrier in cooperation with the indexer and transferring the substrate between the carrier and a predetermined substrate transfer position with respect to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The substrate transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: 8. The indexer according to claim 7, wherein the indexer moves up and down or moves horizontally between a position where the carrier is mounted and at which the carrier is accessible to the carrier and a position where the pod is attached and detached. The substrate transfer device according to any one of the preceding claims. 9. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus further includes a transport unit that transports a substrate in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and the substrate transfer position is a substrate disposed in a position accessible by the transport unit in the substrate transport apparatus. 9. The substrate transfer device according to claim 7, wherein the substrate transfer device is a mounting table. 10. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus has an open carrier mounting table and a transfer unit for transferring a substrate into and out of the open carrier mounted on the mounting table, and the substrate transfer position is determined by the substrate transfer apparatus. 9. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said transfer means is a substrate mounting table arranged at a position accessible to said transfer means. 11. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said substrate transfer is performed in said semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. 12. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is a semiconductor exposure apparatus including a pre-alignment stage for roughly positioning a substrate before processing, and said substrate transfer position is said pre-alignment stage. 13. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is a semiconductor exposure apparatus and / or a coater developer.
The substrate transfer device according to any one of the above. 14. The pod is a SMIF pod or F
The substrate transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate transfer device is an OUP. 15. A structure in which a separate substrate transfer device is arranged between the semiconductor exposure apparatus and the coater developer to satisfy two or more of in-line correspondence, mini-environment pod correspondence, and open carrier correspondence. A semiconductor manufacturing system characterized by the above-mentioned. 16. The semiconductor manufacturing system according to claim 15, wherein said separate substrate transfer device is the substrate transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 12. 17. A semiconductor manufacturing system, wherein an indexer and an interface accessible from both are provided between an exposure apparatus and a coater developer. 18. A device manufacturing method, wherein a device is manufactured using the semiconductor manufacturing system according to claim 15.