JPS63208414A - Substrate carrying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate a complex carrying mechanism by providing an open/ close mechanism of the door for substrate container enclosing a substrate carry- in/carry-out opening at a fixed position on the body of a carrying device, thereby adapting an exposure device functionable during replacement of the substrate to a multi-variety small quantity production line. CONSTITUTION:A door is closed and a reticle 6 is prepared onto a draw-out hand 2, then a quick hand 3 is lowered and a vacuum at the holding section 7 thereof is turned ON, thereafter the vacuum of the hand 2 is turned OFF so as to attract the reticle 6 from the hand 2 to the hand 3. Then the hand 3 is rised and the reticle 6 is lifted, thereafter the hand 3 is rotated by 180 deg. so as to replace the reticle 6 and move the reticle 6 to the position of a feed hand 4. Here, the hand 4 is positioned immediately below the holding section 7-2 of the hand 3. Thereafter, the hand 3 is lowered and the vacuum of the hand 4 is turned ON while the vacuum of the hand 3 is turned OFF so as to pass the reticle 6 to the hand 4 and rise the hand 3. In such a manner, a used reticle and a new reticle can be mounted together on a carrying path and replaced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a substrate transport device for automatically transporting a thin plate-like object (hereinafter referred to as a substrate) such as a reticle or a mask in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

Note that the explanation in this specification using a reticle as an example can be similarly applied to a mask.

[Prior Art] In a semiconductor photolithography process, in order to form a pattern on each chip of a wafer, a mask with an actual size pattern is brought into close contact with the surface of the wafer and exposed and baked, or the wafer is exposed to a pattern several times B to 10 times the actual size. A reticle on which a pattern for one chip of about 100 yen is formed is reduced through optical means and projected onto a wafer to print the pattern.

To complete one semiconductor device, this pattern baking process is usually performed several to several dozen times on one wafer. Specifically, first, a reticle for a certain mask process is set in an exposure apparatus, and a pattern baking process is performed on a predetermined amount (for example, 100 wafers) of wafers. After the baking process, the sea urchin claw group is processed as necessary by etching, impurity diffusion, formation of conductive layers, insulating layers, semiconductor layers, and coating of photoresist, and then the reticle is transferred to the next masking process. The reticle pattern printing process is performed on all of these wafers. Thereafter, the baking process is repeated in the same manner to obtain a wafer with the desired pattern.

Incidentally, the reticles used in such a printing process are housed one by one in a reticle cassette. and,
A desired substrate is taken out from multiple cassettes stored in a cassette library fixed to the exposure equipment main body, followed by a long conveyance path to a substrate dust inspection device, and the substrate inspected for dust is transported again to a long transport path. The substrate was configured to be sent to an exposure position within the main unit along a transport route, and the substrate transport route was the same for both the forward and return routes.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in such a conventional substrate transfer device, when replacing a substrate, unused substrates are transferred to the next substrate until they are removed from the path, that is, until the storage process is completed. There was a problem in that it took a long time to replace the board, and the device was in a waiting state for a long time.

In general, semiconductor manufacturing lines include lines for mass production of a small number of products and lines for production of a large number of products in small quantities.In the case of the latter line, board replacement is performed frequently, and the time required for the board replacement is There is a problem in that the long waiting state of the device for the substrate significantly reduces productivity.

On the other hand, a substrate transfer device in which the forward and return paths of the transfer path are separated has been proposed so as to be compatible with a high-mix, low-volume production line, but this device has the disadvantage that the mechanism for transferring the substrate is complicated.

The present invention eliminates the drawbacks of the conventional example described above. In particular, the exposure apparatus can be adapted to a high-mix, low-volume production line when exchanging substrates in the exposure apparatus, and the substrate does not require a complicated transport mechanism. The purpose is to provide a conveyance device.

[Means and effects for solving the problem] In order to achieve the above object, the substrate transport device according to the present invention has an opening for carrying a substrate into the interior or carrying out a substrate accommodated therein. The substrate storage container has a door that hermetically covers the opening thereof, and an opening/closing mechanism for the door is provided at a fixed position on the main body of the transport device.

This makes it possible to carry in and out the substrate without providing a complicated door opening/closing mechanism for the hand for carrying in and out of the substrate, which is the case with conventional reticle conveyance devices.

Note that a plurality of substrate storage containers may be used and arranged in a stacked manner.

[Example] Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail using the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a transport mechanism portion of a high-speed reticle changer to which a substrate transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a reticle drive and a rally for holding a plurality of reticle cassettes 5 that store reticles one by one in a stacked manner and moving them in the vertical direction (arrow AI in the figure). A door opening/closing mechanism (not shown) is provided at a fixed position of the reticle library 1 corresponding to the reticle take-out position.

2, removing the reticle 6 from the reticle cassette 5;
This is a drawer hand for storing and transporting. The drawer hand 2 is movable in the direction of arrow A2. When the reticle 6 is taken out and transported by the pull-out hand 2, the bar code of the reticle 6 is simultaneously read by a bar code reader (not shown) provided beside the transport path. 3 holds the reticle 6 by vacuum 2
This is a quick hand that has two holding parts 7-1 and 7-2 and can hold two reticles 6 at the same time. This quick hand 3 can be moved up and down (arrow A3) or rotated around the shaft 8 (arrow A4). Then, the reticle 6 is transferred from the drawing hand 2 to the feeding hand 4.
At the same time, the new and old reticles 6 are exchanged.

A feeding hand 4 feeds the reticle 6 into the aligner body and also positions the reticle 6 with respect to the aligner body. This feeding hand 4 can be rotated around the shaft 9 (arrow A6) or moved up and down (arrow A5).

The operation when carrying in the reticle 6 in the above configuration is as follows.
This will be explained with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

First, in step Sll, the reticle library 1 is raised or lowered to a predetermined position in order to pull out the designated reticle (in the slot). Next, in step S12, the reticle cassette 5 is opened.

This opens an opening for pulling out the reticle 6 from the reticle cassette 5. The door is opened and closed by a cassette door opening and closing mechanism attached to the reticle library 1. Next, in step S13, the drawer hand 2 is advanced toward the reticle cassette 5.

Next, in step S14, the reticle library 1 is lowered by a distance necessary for transferring the reticle 6.

In this state, the reticle 6 is placed on the drawing hand 2. Therefore, in step S15, the vacuum of the drawer hand 2 is turned on to hold the reticle 6. Next, in step SIB, the drawer hand 2 is moved back and returned to its home position. During this operation, a barcode reading operation is simultaneously performed in step S17. After confirming that the drawer hand 2 has retreated in step S18, the door of the cassette 5 is closed in step S19. The above sequence (O to ■ in Figure 2)
, pull out the reticle 6 to be used next in advance and place it in the hand 2.
Prepare above.

Next, in step S20, the quick hand 3 is lowered,
In step S21, the vacuum of the holding section 7 of the quick hand 3 is turned on, and in step S22, the vacuum of the drawer hand 2 is turned off, and the reticle 6 on the drawer hand 2 is attracted to the quick hand 3. Then, in step S23, the quick hand 3 is raised to lift the reticle 6. Next, in step S24, the quick hand 3 is rotated 180 degrees around the axis 8 and the reticle 6 is replaced.
The reticle 6 is moved to the position of the feeding hand 4. At this time, it is assumed that the feeding hand 4 is located directly below the holding portion 7-2 of the quick hand 3. After that, in step S25, the quick hand 3 is lowered, and in step S25, the quick hand 3 is lowered.
At step S26, the vacuum of the feeding hand 4 is turned on, and at step S27, the vacuum of the quick hand 3 is turned off, and the reticle 6 is delivered to the feeding hand 4. and step S
Raise Quick Hand 3 at 28.

The reticle 6 that has been used is exchanged with the reticle 6 that will be used next by the above sequence (■ to ■ in FIG. 2).

Next, in step S29, the reticle positioning mechanism attached to the feeding hand 4 positions the reticle 6 with respect to the aligner body. Thereafter, in step S30, the reticle 6 is fed into the aligner body by the feeding hand 4.

The reticle 6 is set in the aligner body by the above sequence (■ to Q in FIG. 2).

The operation of carrying the reticle into the aligner body has been completed above.

Next, the operation for carrying out the reticle 6 will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S31, the feeding hand 4 is returned to the changer side and the reticle is carried out from the aligner main body (third
O~■) in the figure.

Next, in step S32, the quick hand 3 is lowered,
In step S33, the vacuum of the holding section 7 of the quick hand 3 is turned on, and in step S34, the vacuum of the feeding hand 4 is turned off. Then, pick up the reticle 6 on the feeding hand 4 with the quick hand 3, and then
Raise Quick Hand 3 at 35. Then, in step 336, the quick hand 3 is rotated 180° around the axis 8.
After rotating, the quick hand 3 is lowered in step S37. Then, in step 338, the hook of the drawer hand 2 is turned on, and in step S39, the hook of the quick hand 3 is turned on.
The vacuum of the holding section 7 is turned off, and the reticle 6 is transferred onto the drawer hunt 2. Next, in step S40, the quick hand 3 is raised.

The reticle 6 is replaced by the above sequence (■ to ■ in FIG. 3). This part is the sequence shown in Figure 2.
This is the same operation as the reticle exchange part in ~■. Therefore,
With a single operation, the two operations of loading sequence ■~■ and unloading sequence ■~■ can be realized simultaneously.

Next, in step S41, the reticle library 1 is moved to a predetermined position, and then in step S42, the door of the cassette 5 in which the reticle 6 to be taken out is to be stored is opened.

The cassettes for transport are prepared by the above sequence (■ to ■ in FIG. 3).

Next, in step S43, the drawer hand 2 is moved forward, in step S44, the vacuum of the drawer hand 2 is turned off to release the adsorption of the reticle 6, and in step S45, the reticle library 1 is raised by the distance necessary for delivery, and in step At 346, drawer hunt 2 is retracted. With this operation, the reticle 6 is stored in the cassette 5. Thereafter, the door of the cassette 5 is closed in step S47.

The reticle 6 is housed in the cassette 5 by the above sequence (■ to Q in FIG. 3).

Through the above steps, the reticle is carried out from the aligner main body.

Next, the operation for exchanging the reticle will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the reticle unloading operation of sequences O to (2) is performed.

Next, reticle exchange operations of sequences ① to ① are performed.

As a result, the carrying-in operation sequences ① to ② (reticle exchange) are also automatically executed.

Next, the cassette preparation operation in sequence ■~■, the reticle storage operation in sequence ■~O, and the sequence ■~
The reticle of 0 is set on the aligner body at the same time in a parallel operation.

The aligner body is notified of the completion of reticle exchange when sequences 1 to 0 are completed.

Thereafter, the reticle to be used next is prepared by steps O to (3). At the end of this operation, the reticle exchange is completed.

Note that this embodiment can also be modified and implemented as follows.

For example, in Fig. 4, the sequence of unloading operation ■
The cassette preparation operations of ~■ may be performed in parallel with the sequences O~■.Alternatively, in the reticle library 1 in this embodiment, the dustproofing of the reticle 6 in the cassette 5 is generally the same as that of the cassette 5. However, by providing a mechanism for pressing the cassette on the reticle library 1, higher airtightness can be achieved.

According to this embodiment, the drawbacks of conventional reticle transport in which the transport path is the same for both the forward and return paths are improved. In other words, unlike when replacing a reticle, it was not possible to feed the next reticle until the unused reticle disappeared from the conveyance path, whereas according to this embodiment, the next reticle can be fed in with the used reticle from the aligner body. It is possible to replace the reticle by placing it on the transport path at the same time.

Furthermore, the structure of the transport mechanism is simple. That is, the reticle library only moves up and down, the pull-out hand moves forward and backward, and the quick hand and feed-in hand move up and down and rotate, respectively, thereby allowing efficient reticle exchange.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the side of the reticle library in which cassettes containing reticles are arranged in a stacked manner is configured to move up and down to remove the reticle from the cassette. Therefore, there is no need for a mechanism for moving the pull-out hand up and down, which was required in the past.

Furthermore, since the position at which the reticle is pulled out from the cassette is always fixed, a cassette door opening/closing mechanism is provided to fix the reticle at that position. That is, the door opening/closing mechanism conventionally provided on the side of the drawer hand is no longer necessary, and the door opening/closing mechanism can be provided at a fixed position. This allows the drawer hand to have a simple configuration.

Next, the dustproof container used in the reticle changer of this example will be explained.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the dustproof container used as a reticle cassette in this embodiment in an open state, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the main part of the container in a closed state.

In FIG. 5, an upper lid 101 and a lower tray 102 constitute a sealed casing 103. The upper lid 101 is hinged to the lower plate 102 at the back so that it can be opened and closed. Top lid 10
1 has an opening 1 for automatic insertion and removal of the board 110.
04 (Fig. 6) is formed.

A door 105 for sealingly covering the opening 104 is hinged to the top lid 101. Door 105 is spring 106
is always biased in the closing direction. Four wooden bins 109 for mounting and supporting a board are protruded from the lower tray 102. Further, stoppers 111 for positioning the substrate are provided on both left and right side surfaces and the rear surface of the inside of the lower plate 102. A substrate 110 such as a reticle is guided by a stopper 111 and placed on the bin 109.

A pair of snap-type locking members 107 and 108 are attached to each outer side surface of the upper lid 101 and the lower tray 102 to connect the upper lid 101 and the lower tray 102. On the inner surface of the upper lid 101, a cantilever-shaped four-piece board holding leaf spring 112 with one end fixed to the upper lid side is attached. Each leaf spring 1
12, as shown by the solid line in FIG.
It is configured to be pressed to the side. Each leaf spring 112 is engaged with a pressure release member 113 made of a shape memory alloy. The pressure release member 113 has a substantially U-shape, and has a tip 113b in contact with the leaf spring 112, and a side base connected to a terminal 113a fixed to the upper lid side. Each terminal 11
3a are connected in series by pattern wiring or suitable wiring means 114, or connected to electrode terminals 115 on the external side of the top cover 101. The electrode terminal 115 is provided at a position such that when the dustproof container is inserted into the reticle library 1, it is connected to a current-carrying terminal (not shown) provided in the reticle library 1. Normally, the shape memory alloy constituting the suppression release member 113 has a shape that does not hinder the plate spring 112 from applying a pressing force to the substrate 110, as shown by the solid line in FIG. The plate spring 112 is set to be deformed into a shape (dotted line in FIG. 6) that moves upward and lifts the leaf spring 112 and separates it from the substrate 110 by passing an electric current through the plate spring 112.

By storing the board 110 in the dust-proof container configured as described above and closing the upper M101, the board 110 is attached to the leaf spring 112.
is pressed onto the bottle 109 and held fixed. Such dustproof containers are stacked and set in a plurality of stages, as shown in a reticle cassette 5 in FIG. 1, in an automatic substrate attachment/detachment mechanism connected to, for example, an exposure/printing device or the like.

When automatically removing the substrate, the pressure release member 113 made of a shape memory alloy is energized. As a result, the shape memory alloy is heated and deformed, and as shown by the dotted line in Figure 6, the leaf spring 1
12 is separated from the substrate 110 and the pressing force is released. In this state, the door 105 is opened (dotted line in Figure 6), and the substrate 110 inside the container is taken out by an automatic loading and unloading mechanism (not shown). After using the substrate 110, if you want to automatically store the substrate 110 in the container again, insert the substrate 110 into the container with the shape memory alloy energized, place it on the bottle 109, and cut off the returning current. The memory alloy returns to the shape of the solid line, and the leaf spring 112 again presses the substrate 110 to hold it fixedly on the pin 109.

Note that the number, arrangement position, shape, etc. of the plate springs 112 serving as the substrate suppressing means are arbitrary. In addition, the connection method between the shape memory alloy electrodes, the electrode terminal extraction position, etc. are arbitrary, and the electrode terminal 1 is placed in the optimal position according to the structure of the rice hulling device in which the container is attached.
15 can be provided. For example, in FIG. 5, four shape memory alloys are connected in series, and both ends are drawn out to two electrode terminals, but two ends of each shape memory alloy are connected to a total of eight electrode terminals 115. Alternatively, the terminals 113a may be connected to each other so as to selectively energize only the necessary shape memory alloy, such as by further drawing out the wiring from the center point 114a in FIG. 5 to one electrode terminal 115. You can also.

In addition, instead of energizing the pressure release member 113 directly to operate it, as shown in FIG. May be heated.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the pressure release member 113 may be operated by irradiating a heat ray 122 such as infrared rays instead of applying current.

Furthermore, instead of the shape memory alloy of the previous embodiment, a bimetal 123 is used as shown in FIG.
It may also be deformed so as to separate it from the substrate. Also,
The plate spring 112 itself may be made of bimetal.Alternatively, as shown in FIG.
Alternatively, as shown in FIG.
, 126 may be provided to press and hold the substrate 110 from both sides of the substrate 110.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12, a bimorph or monomorph element 127 such as a piezo may be used to deform the leaf spring 112 so as to separate it from the substrate when energized. In this case, a solar cell or the like may be built into the container and used as a power source.

Moreover, magnetic force can also be used as shown in FIGS. 13-15. In FIG. 13, a pattern 128 made of magnetic material is formed around the substrate 110, and a permanent magnet 12 is used instead of the bottle 109.
It is composed of 9 parts. Pattern 1 made of this magnetic material
Instead of 28, the periphery of the substrate 110 may be made of a magnetic material. A coil 130 is wound around the magnet 129,
By energizing this, the magnetic force of the magnet 129 is applied to the coil 1.
It is canceled out by the electromagnetic force of 30. As a result, the substrate 11
0 is pressed and the pressure is released.

In FIG. 14, the plate spring 112 is deformed by an electromagnet 131 so as to be separated from the substrate.

In FIG. 15, first, the coil 132 is energized to increase the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 133 to attract the leaf spring 112 and press the substrate 110. Although the leaf spring 112 is normally located at a distance from the substrate 110, once it is attracted to the magnet 133, its magnetic force continues to hold the substrate 110 even if the current in the coil 132 is cut off.

To release the suppression, a current may be passed through the coil 132 in a direction that cancels out the magnetic force of the magnet 133.

On the other hand, the opening 104 of this dustproof container can be opened and closed in various ways. For example, in the dustproof containers described in FIGS. 5 to 15, the door 105 is controlled from the outside using a shape memory alloy.
It can be opened and closed. FIG. 16 is a plan view and a side view of a dustproof container equipped with such a mechanism.

In the figure, a door 1 for sealingly covering the opening 104 is shown.
05 is connected to the upper lid 101 with a hinge 119, and the door 105
is always urged in the closing direction by a spring 106.

The top lid 101 and the door 105 are connected by a shape memory alloy 116. This shape memory alloy 116 deforms in the direction of opening the door 105 when it reaches a predetermined temperature by being energized or the like. 11
7 is a suitable wiring means for connecting the two shape memory alloys 116, and 118 is an electrode terminal exposed on the external side surface of the upper ii 101.

When automatically taking out the board, the electrode terminal 1 is
Electricity is applied to the shape memory alloy 116 via the wire 18 . This deforms the shape memory alloy 116 and opens the door 105 of the top lid 101 as shown in FIGS. 16(a) and 16(e).

Then, as described above, the shape memory alloy 113 is energized to release the pressure on the substrate 110, and the automatic loading and unloading mechanism takes out the substrate 110 from the container. After using the substrate 110, when the substrate 110 is automatically stored in the container again, the shape memory alloy 116 is energized, the door 105 is opened, the substrate 110 is inserted into the container, and the substrate 110 is placed on the bin 109. After the current is cut off, the shape memory alloy 116 returns to its original shape due to the spring 106, and the door 105 returns to the opening 1 of the top cover 101.
Close 04.

Note that the number, arrangement position, shape, etc. of the shape memory alloy 116 are arbitrary. In addition, the connection method between the shape memory alloy electrodes, the electrode terminal extraction position, etc. are arbitrary, and the electrode terminal 118 can be provided at the optimal position according to the structure of the device to which the container is attached, and the necessary shape memory It is also possible to selectively energize only the alloy 116.

Further, instead of directly applying electricity to the shape memory alloy 116 to operate it, a rubber heater or other suitable heating means may be used to heat the suppression heating means directly or from outside the container via a suitable heat transfer material.

Furthermore, the shape memory alloy 116 may be operated by irradiating it with heat rays such as infrared rays instead of applying current.

In addition to using a shape memory alloy as described above, the cassette door may be opened and closed mechanically.

FIG. 17 shows an example in which a mechanical door opening/closing mechanism 201 is used to open and close the cassette door in the reticle changer of FIG. 1, and FIG. 18 shows a reticle cassette used in such a reticle changer. Even in this case, the door opening/closing mechanism can be provided on the fixed part.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, there is provided an opening for storing the substrates inside or taking out the substrates stored therein, and a door for sealingly covering the opening. Since the opening/closing mechanism for opening and closing the door of the substrate storage container is provided at a fixed position on the main body of the transport device, there is no need to provide a door opening/closing mechanism in the hunt for loading and unloading the substrates.

As a result, the hand can be configured easily, and the substrate can be quickly carried in and out.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the transport mechanism of a high-speed reticle changer to which a substrate transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation when loading a reticle. is a flowchart for explaining the operation when carrying out the reticle, FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation when exchanging the reticle, and FIG. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the main parts of the dust-proof container in a closed state. Figures 7 to 15 are cross-sectional views of the main parts showing other embodiments of the dust-proof container. Figure 16 is a plan view and side view of the dust-proof container. 17 is a schematic configuration diagram of a transport mechanism portion of a reticle changer using a mechanical door opening/closing mechanism, and FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a reticle cassette with a mechanical door opening/closing mechanism. 1 Reticle library, 2: Drawer hand, 3: Quick hunt, 4: Feeding hand, 5 Reticle cassette, 6: Reticle, 101: Upper lid, 102: Lower plate, 103: Housing, 109: Pin, 110: Substrate, 112: Leaf spring, 113: Suppression release member, 116: Shape memory alloy. Patent Applicant Canon Co., Ltd. Agent Patent Attorney Tatsuo Ito Agent Patent Attorney Tetsuya Ito Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11 Figure 12 Figure 13 Figure 14 Figure 15

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A substrate storage container having an opening for carrying a substrate into the interior or carrying out a substrate stored therein, and a door for sealingly covering the opening. 1. A substrate transport device comprising: a transport means for transporting the substrate storage container; and an opening/closing mechanism for the door provided at a fixed position along the transport path of the substrate storage container. 2. The substrate transport device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the substrate storage containers are arranged in a stacked manner. 3. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transport means moves the plurality of substrate storage containers arranged in a stacked manner in the vertical direction. 4. A hand that moves in a horizontal direction in synchronization with the conveyance means to carry out substrate loading/unloading operations with respect to the substrate storage container, and the opening/closing mechanism of the door is disposed corresponding to the substrate loading/unloading position. The substrate transport device according to scope 3. 5. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the substrate is a reticle or a mask.