JPS6221623A - Transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a travelling body from dust swirling up right above by providing a side wall surrounding the side of a gas layer formed between a travelling path and the travelling body while providing an exhaust path communicating to the gas layer. CONSTITUTION:When air A is jetted from an air pallet 6 of a travelling bed 2, an air layer 10 is formed between the travelling bed 2 is brought to the floating-up condition. When the travelling bed 2 is energized by a liner motor 8 under such condition, said bed 2 travels in the desired direction to transfer a wafer 13. Said air A jetted from the air pallet 6 of the travelling bed 2 forms the air layer 10 between said bed 2 and guide table 1 and then is exhausted to be sucked into an exhaust path 11 opened to a side wall 9. Then, dust 15 on the guide table 1 is carried by the flow of air A, exhausted from the exhaust path 11 and discharged to a space at the side of the guide table 1 so that the dust 15 does not swirl up right above the travelling bed 2.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field] The present invention relates to a conveying technology, particularly a technology for conveying a traveling body as an object to be conveyed by forming a gas layer between it and a traveling path.
For example, the present invention relates to techniques that are effective in transporting wafers, semiconductor devices, etc. in the manufacture of semiconductor devices.

[Background technology]

In the manufacturing of semiconductor devices, equipment for transporting wafers is equipped with a running path and a running platform that floats by blowing compressed air onto the running path, and the wafer held in a jig is placed on the running platform and transported. Some are configured to do so.

However, the present inventors have discovered that in such a transfer device, there is a problem in that the wafers are contaminated because the compressed air blown out from the running table kicks up dust that has accumulated on the running path. revealed by.

An example of the technology for transporting wafers using an air conveyor is given in "Electronic Materials 19" published by Kogyo Choseikai Co., Ltd.
"November 1982 special edition" published November 18, 1982 P
There are 109 to P116.

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to provide a conveyance technique that can prevent dust from flying up.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[Summary of the invention]

A brief overview of typical inventions disclosed in this application is as follows.

That is, by providing a side wall that surrounds the side surface of the gas layer formed between the running path and the running body, and by providing an exhaust passage so as to communicate the gas layer with the lateral space of the running body, the air inside the gas layer is The dust is discharged to the side of the traveling body through the exhaust passage, thereby preventing the dust from flying up into the space directly above the traveling body.

[Embodiment 1] FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a conveying device which is an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view thereof.

In this embodiment, the conveying device includes a guide table 1 forming a traveling path and a traveling base 2 as a traveling body. The guide table 1 is placed on the floor of a factory, etc., to achieve the desired conveyance.
A steel-shaped guide rail 3 is laid along the running road surface.

The traveling platform 2 is constructed with an overhanging structure consisting of a horizontal part 4 and a vertical part 5. The horizontal part 4 is on the upper surface of the guide table l, and the lower part of the vertical part 5 is on the upper surface of the guide table 1 and the guide rail 3. They are arranged on the guide table 1 so as to face each other in between. An air pallet 6 that blows out compressed air (hereinafter referred to as air) A as a blowing gas is integrally provided on the lower surface of the horizontal portion 4 of the traveling platform 2. It is configured to spray approximately perpendicularly to the upper surface of the.

A plurality of casters 7 are rotatably supported on the vertical portion 5 of the traveling platform 2 so as to be able to move on both sides of the guide table 1 and the guide rail 3, respectively.
This allows the carriage 2 to maintain a constant clearance from the side surface of the table 1. In addition, a near motor 8 is installed between the vertical part 5 of the traveling platform 2 and the side surface of the guide table 2.
is provided, and the motor 8 urges the carriage 2 in a desired direction to move it relative to the table 1.

A side wall 9 is provided on the guide table 1 so as to protrude along one side of the traveling table 2 with a certain gap between them. It surrounds one side of JiitlO. An exhaust passage 11 is provided in the side wall 9 so that the air in the air layer IO can be exhausted to the side of the traveling body 2, and the exhaust passage 11 has a louver 1 as a flow rate control means for adjusting the exhaust amount.
2 is provided.

Next, the action will be explained.

A plurality of wafers 13 as objects to be transported are placed on the carriage 2 in a state where they are stored in a jig 14 . When the air A is blown out from the air pallet 6 of the traveling platform 2, an air layer 10 is formed between the traveling platform 2 and the guide table 1, so that the traveling platform 2 is in a floating state. In this state, when energized by the linear motor 8, the carriage 2 moves in a desired direction and transports the wafer 13.

During this traveling, since the traveling base 2 is floating above the guide table 1, there is no friction, and the generation of dust due to this is suppressed.

Incidentally, dust floating in the atmosphere also accumulates on the guide table 1. The dust 15 accumulated on the table 1 is kicked up by the air A jetted from the air pallet 6 when the traveling table 2 passes, and is blown up into the space directly above the traveling table 2, and the dust 15 is thrown onto the traveling table 2. Wafer placed 1
3. There is a risk of contamination.

However, in this embodiment, the dust on the guide table is exhausted to the outside of the guide table from the exhaust path provided on the side wall of the guide table, so that the dust is prevented from flying up into the space directly above the carriage.

That is, the air A blown out from the air pallet 6 of the traveling platform 2 creates an air layer 10 between the traveling platform 2 and the guide table 1.
After forming, the gas is discharged so as to be sucked into an exhaust path 11 opened in the side wall 9. At this time, the dust 15 on the guide table 1 rides on the flow of air A and moves to the exhaust path 11.
Since the dust 15 is discharged from the guide table 1 and discharged into the side space of the guide table 1, the dust 15 does not fly up directly above the traveling platform 2.

In this embodiment, the vertical portion 5 of the traveling platform 2 has an air layer 10
, so that a part of the air A flows along this vertical portion 5 and is discharged to the side of the guide table l in the same way as from the exhaust path II. That is, the vertical portion 5 of the carriage 2 substantially constitutes a side wall surrounding the air layer, and the gap between the vertical portion 5 and the side surface of the guide table 1 substantially constitutes an exhaust path.

Note that it is desirable that the exhaust flow rate in the exhaust 'gIIll be appropriately adjusted by the louver 12 in response to the adjustment of the amount of air jetted out depending on the increase or decrease in the load of the traveling platform 2.

[Example 2] FIG. 3 is a front sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiment 2 differs from Embodiment 1 in that an air outlet 6A is provided in the guide table IA to inject air upward, and a pair of side walls 9A are provided at both ends of the carriage 2A. It is provided so as to surround both side surfaces of the air layer 10, and an exhaust passage 11A is provided on the side wall 9.
The point is that the gap is substantially formed by the gap between A and both side surfaces of the guide table IA.

When air is blown upward from the guide table as in this example, dust hardly accumulates on the guide table, but dust may accumulate on the guide table when the conveyance device is stopped. . The accumulated particles are blown upward by the air from the jet nozzle, but when the carriage passes, eddies are generated on both sides of the carriage, causing dust to flow into the space directly above the carriage.

However, in the second embodiment, both sides of the carriage 2A are surrounded by the side walls 11A, and moreover, the air space 1
Since the exhaust path 11A is connected to the air layer 10
The dust blown up is sucked into the exhaust passage 11A and is discharged to the side of the traveling base 2A. Therefore, dust does not fly up into the space directly above the carriage 2A, and the wafer 13 on the carriage 2A is not contaminated thereby.

〔effect〕

(1) By providing a side wall that surrounds the side surface of the gas layer formed between the running path and the running body, and by providing an exhaust passage that communicates with the gas layer, dust in the gas layer is removed to the side of the running body. Since the dust can be discharged, it is possible to prevent dust from rising into the space directly above the traveling body.

(2) By preventing dust from flying up into the space directly above the traveling body, it is possible to prevent the top of the traveling body from being contaminated with dust.

(3) By arranging the side wall on the traveling path side, there is no need to provide a side wall on the traveling body, so it can be used even when the object to be transported (such as a wafer) is the traveling body itself.

(4) By arranging the side wall on the traveling body side, it is not necessary to construct the side wall over the entire length of the traveling path, so an increase in equipment costs, etc. can be suppressed.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically explained above based on Examples, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the Examples and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. Nor.

For example, the driving means for the traveling body is not limited to the use of a beam near motor, but may also be a structure that utilizes air jet force.

The ejected gas is not limited to air, but may also be nitrogen gas or the like.

The traveling object is not limited to a traveling table, but may also be the object to be transported itself.

[Application field]

In the above explanation, the invention made by the present inventor is mainly applied to the field of application of wafers, which is the background of the invention, but the invention is not limited to this, and the invention is not limited to this. It can also be applied to

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing a conveying device as an embodiment of the invention, FIG. 2 is a side view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a front sectional view showing another embodiment of the invention. 1. IA...Guide table (traveling path), 2.2A.
・・Traveling platform (traveling body), 3... Guide rail, 4...
・Horizontal part, 5... Vertical part, 6... Air pallet, 7
... Caster, 8... Linear motor (drive means),
9.9A...Side wall, lO...Air layer, 11, IIA
...Exhaust path, 12...Louver (flow control means), 1
3... Wafer (object to be transported), 14... Jig, 15...
...Dust. Figure 1, //3

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The vehicle includes a side wall surrounding the side surface of a gas layer formed between the running path and the running body, and an exhaust path that communicates the gas layer with a space on the side of the running body. Conveyance device. 2. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the side wall is disposed on the traveling road side. 3. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the side wall is arranged on the traveling body side. 4. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust path is provided with a flow rate control means for adjusting the amount of exhaust gas.