JPS60198747A - Vertical conveyor for wafer in vacuum - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To carry a wafer without contaminating the surface of the wafer under a vertical state by mounting a vertical wafer gripping section having a pawl connected to the outer circumferential section of the wafer and an operating piece operating a wafer holding mechanism for a substrate holder to the nose of a wafer transfer arm. CONSTITUTION:A substrate holder mechanism 7 is mounted into a process chamber 4. A wafer lifting gear 8, a wafer transfer arm 10, a nose thereof has a wafer vertical gripping section 9, a wafer carrier 11 and a carrier pitch-feed mechanism 12 are fitted into a spare chamber 5. Wafers in the wafer carrier 11 are transferred in the vertical direction in succession by the wafer lifting gear 8. The wafer lifting gear 8 has an arcuate wafer receiving section 8a reciving the lower sections of the outer circumferential sections of the wafers, and is moved vertically so as to transport the wafers in the vertical direction. The wafer vertical gripping section 9 mounted to the nose of the arm 10 has a plurality of pawls 13 connected to the outer circumferential sections of the wafers and an operating pin 16 cooperating with a wafer holding mechanism 15 for a substrate holder 14.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a vertical wafer transfer device in a vacuum process device such as an etching device or a sputtering device.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems] In general, when handling wafers, it is important to take care in the design of the wafer transport system to prevent dust generated from moving parts such as sliding parts of the mechanical system from adhering to the surface of the wafer. , The spatial layout of the mechanism is an important issue. 9th point: ・ Before or during the transfer of the wafer, the wafer is turned over and transferred with the wafer processing side facing downwards, or the wafer is transferred vertically. There are ways to do this. In the former method, the transport mechanism becomes complicated, and in the case of a wafer having a relatively large diameter, a considerable space is required as a core wall in the transport system because the wafer is turned over. On the other hand, the latter method uses a vacuum chuck in a dry etching apparatus to transport the wafer vertically to the substrate holder in the atmosphere, or as shown in FIG. There is a wafer transport device for a sputtering device that transports a wafer along a sliding guide member 6. However, in this method, the wafer 1 slides in contact with the sliding guide member 3, which tends to generate dust in the transport system, and when processing both sides of the wafer 1, the surface on the sliding guide side is contaminated with dust. It cannot be used because it is prone to scratches due to dynamic contact.

[Summary of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vertical wafer transfer device that can transfer a wafer vertically between a wafer carrier and a substrate holder in a vacuum without substantially contaminating the surface of the wafer.

To achieve this objective, the wafer vertical transfer device in vacuum according to the present invention includes a wafer lifting device that vertically moves the wafer up and down, a substrate holder equipped with a wafer holding mechanism, and a link between the wafer lifting device and the substrate holder. a wafer transfer arm equipped with a wafer vertical gripping part at its tip, which can reciprocate with the wafer lifting device, and has a claw that locks on the outer periphery of the wafer lifted by the wafer lifting device and an actuator that operates the wafer holding mechanism of the substrate holder; It is characterized by the ability to transport wafers in a vertical position at all times.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 shows a vacuum processing apparatus equipped with a wafer vertical transfer device according to the present invention, in which numeral 4 is a process chamber, 5 is a preliminary chamber, and a partition valve 6 is provided between these chambers. A substrate holder mechanism 7 is shown within the process chamber 4 . Also shown in the preliminary chamber 5 is a wafer lifting device 8 and a wafer transfer arm 10 equipped with a wafer vertical gripping portion 9 at its tip. It is configured to reciprocate between a position in the chamber 4 and a position opposite to the substrate holder through an opening formed by opening of the partition valve 6. The preliminary chamber 5 includes a wafer carrier 11 and a carrier pitch feed mechanism 12.
is installed.

The wafers in the wafer carrier 11 are sequentially transferred vertically by the wafer lifting device 8, as shown in FIG. The wafer elevating device 8#'i, an arcuate wafer receiver for receiving the lower part of the outer circumference of the wafer, has a portion 8a and is configured to move up and down so as to vertically transfer the wafer. Wafer vertical grip part 9 attached to the tip of the wafer transfer arm 10
is equipped with a plurality of claws 16 that lock onto the outer periphery of the wafer and an actuation pin 16 that cooperates with the wafer holding mechanism 15 (FIG. 4) of the substrate holder 14. Each of the claws 13 can be opened and closed, and the actuation pin 16 is made to move in the direction of its axis.

FIG. 4 shows an interlocking mechanism between the wafer vertical gripping section 9 and the substrate holder 14. As shown in FIG.

The operation of the illustrated apparatus configured in this way will be described below.

To explain the case of transferring the wafer 1 from the wafer carrier 11 to the substrate holder 14, first, the wafer carrier 1
The wafer in 1 is lifted vertically to an upper position by a wafer lifting device 8. Next, the urchin I/transfer arm 10 is operated to bring the wafer vertical gripping section 9 at its tip close to the position facing the lifted wafer with the claws 13 open, and the claws 13 are closed to remove the wafer. Hold the local area. After that, the wafer lifting device 8 is lowered, and the wafer is held in the claw 1 of the wafer vertical gripping part 9.
Only 3 is retained. The wafer thus held is transported to a position facing the substrate holder 14 in the process chamber 4 by rotation of the wafer transport arm 10 (FIG. 4a). Then, as shown at '9 in FIG. 4, the operating pin 16 of the wafer vertical gripping section 9 is driven to push the wafer holding mechanism 15 of the substrate holder 14 open against the spring 15a. The open substrate holder 14 of the wafer holding mechanism 15 is driven toward and receives the wafer as shown in FIG. 4d. Thereafter, the actuating pin 16 of the wafer vertical gripper 9 is returned as shown in FIG. 4f, and the substrate holder 14 is returned to its original position holding the wafer (FIG. 4g). In this way, a series of conveyance operations are performed. Further, when removing a processed wafer from the substrate holder 14, the same procedure is performed in reverse order.

[Action of the invention]

In this way, in the present invention, the wafer can always be handled in a vertical state, and the substrate holder can mechanically clamp and hold the wafer.

During wafer transport, the wafer is held only at its outer periphery, thereby keeping contamination of the wafer surface to a minimum.

Further, in the present invention, the wafer vertical gripping portion is sized according to the size of the wafer, and therefore can be easily applied to wafers of any size.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, the wafer is always handled vertically, so
There is less dust adhering to the wafer surface, and since the wafer is held only at its outer periphery during transportation, there is less contamination on the wafer surface as mentioned above.Furthermore, the mechanical interlocking clamp mechanism is used, so the wafer Delivery is ensured.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional vertical conveyance system, Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing main parts of the device of the present invention, and Fig. 4 is This is a diagram explaining the operation. In the figure, 8: wafer lifting device, 9: wafer vertical gripping section, 10: wafer transfer arm, 13: claw. 14: Substrate holder, 15: Wafer holding mechanism. 16: Working bin. Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] A wafer lifting device that vertically moves the wafer up and down, a substrate holder equipped with a wafer holding mechanism, and a device that can reciprocate between the wafer lifting device and the substrate holder and locks onto the outer periphery of the wafer lifted by the wafer lifting device. It consists of a wafer transfer arm equipped with a wafer vertical gripping part at its tip, which has a claw for holding the wafer and an actuator for operating the wafer holding mechanism of the substrate holder, so that the wafer can be transferred in a vertical state at all times. Wafer vertical transfer device in vacuum.