JPS6322407A - Printed circuit board accommodating rack - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To save labor in process control by jointing a printed circuit board accommodation rack with the accommodation chamber of a semiconductor manufacturing device, and furnishing a memory for such data of printed circuit board accommodated in the rack as nature, accommodation position, etc. CONSTITUTION:A cassette library 2 is movable with possibility of fixing by the use of a locking member 15 furnished on the overall air-conditioner chamber side 2 and a roller 2a installed on the library side 2. The library 2 is equipped with a memory 21 to store such parameters necessary for operation of the device, as the name and accommodation position of reticles in cassette 4 accommodated in said library, and initially set items about the relevant reticles, and it is possible to feed parameters in the stepper body console by coupling with the chamber 1.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a substrate used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, particularly a device that automatically exchanges thin plate-shaped objects such as masks and reticles (hereinafter referred to as substrates). Regarding storage racks.

Such a substrate storage rack stores, for example, a plurality of cassettes that individually store exposure substrates (masks or reticles), and is suitably used as a cassette library for an automatic substrate exchange device. In this case, the automatic substrate exchange device carries the cassette containing the desired substrate from the library into the air conditioning chamber where the device main body and dust inspection device are housed, takes out the substrate from the cassette in this chamber, and inspects it for dust. The board that has been sent to the device and inspected for dust is sent to the exposure position of the main body of the device, and when replacing the board, the unnecessary lid board is stored in the cassette, and this cassette is returned to the original library. It has become.

"Prior Art" Conventionally, this type of cassette library for automatic board replacement was fixed to the main body of the device, which limited the number of boards that could be replaced unattended. In particular, when replacing several boards that can be stored in the library, such as in a multi-minimum production line, the cassettes should be replaced with cassettes placed outside, such as on an Lf cassette storage shelf. a- There was a point. Such replacement work is generally done manually, which is not only troublesome in itself, but also a source of dust that cannot be ignored due to the human body, and increases the defective rate of the product. There is also the problem of increased force (increased force).Furthermore, when setting substrates processed in peripheral equipment such as pellicle bonding equipment and reticle cleaners into the library, this is done manually, which causes the same problem. , each time a cassette is replaced or set, the cassette's storage location, identity, etc.)
＼It was necessary to input the parameters manually.

Therefore, the inventors of the present invention have proposed that the library be configured to be an AU that can be connected to and separated from the main body of the apparatus such as the exposure apparatus and various peripheral devices, and to be movable, so that the entire cassette library can be replaced. According to this proposal, it is possible to solve the above-mentioned problem of waste and reduce some of the labor.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the problem of the labor required for inputting various parameters has not been solved yet) None A.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems in the conventional example described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate storage rack suitable for making a semiconductor manufacturing line unmanned and dust-free.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention configures a substrate storage rack to be movable and connectable to a storage chamber of a semiconductor manufacturing device, and to store substrates inside the rack. A means for storing the identity, storage position, etc., and a means for connecting the storage means to the information reading means on the main body side to be connected are added.

[Operations and Effects] As described above, according to the present invention, the mobile cassette library (substrate storage rack) is provided with a means (memory element) for storing the identity and storage position of the substrates stored inside. Therefore, if a means to read the information is added to each device to which the library is connected, it will be possible to link, connect, and communicate between each semiconductor manufacturing device and peripheral device via the library, and the library will be connected to the device. When connected, complicated data input by humans is no longer necessary, making it possible to support unmanned factory online systems and labor-saving process management.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows a reduction projection exposure apparatus (
In this figure, 1 is an overall air conditioning chamber, and 2 is a mobile reticle cassette library.

FIG. 2 is a partially transparent view of the entire air conditioning chamber 1 of FIG. 1. FIG. In the same figure, 10 is the stepper main body, 11
and 12 are respectively an imaging lens and an illumination device which constitute the main body 10 of the stage 9, and 13 is a stage (an object to be exposed, such as a semiconductor wafer, on which the pattern of the reticle 6 is printed by the main body 10).

Figure 3 shows 1. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a reticle conveyance system. In the figure, 4 is Japanese Patent Application No. 60-214591, Japanese Patent Application No. 60-2
14FdZ and the reticle cassette (substrate storage container) presented in Japanese Patent Application No. 1983-293830, 5 is the cassette holder presented in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 80-293630,
6 is a reticle, and 7 is a barcode reader/pattern position detection device. PI' is a first cassette storage position, which corresponds to the library 2 position. P2 is an elevator position where the cassette holder 5 taken out from the cassette storage position P is raised and lowered to a predetermined position, and P3 is an elevator position P2.
P4 is the reticle extraction position (second cassette storage position) where the reticle 6 is extracted from the cassette 4 that has been fed together with the cassette holder 5; ), ps is the reticle foreign object inspection position, P6 is the transfer position for the mechanism that carries the reticle to and from the exposure position (the second support is the transfer position)
, P7 is the exposure position, and P8 is the reticle 6 after the exposure process.
This is the aerodynamic set standby position where the cassette 4 is stored.

In the above configuration, the reticle cassettes 4 arranged in a stacked manner in the reticle cassette library 2 (first cassette storage position PI) are moved to the cassette storage position by the elevator mechanism in response to a command from the console of the exposure apparatus main body. From + to elevator position P2 with holder 5
The reticle is then moved up and down to a predetermined height, and then sent to and stored in the reticle extraction position P (second cassette storage position). When the reticle cassette 4 and the cassette holder 5 are stored in the second cassette storage position P3, the cassette opening/closing drive source (not shown) located at this position P is activated, the cassette 4 is opened, and the internal reticle is opened. 6
Make it removable.

Due to the shapes of the upper and lower lids of the cassette 4, in this open state, the presence or absence of the reticle 6 inside the cassette 4 can be detected from the lateral direction.

Next, a reticle extracting mechanism (not shown) operates, and the opened cassette 4 is moved to the reticle extracting position P.
Pull out the reticle 6 from the. The extracted reticle 6 passes through the first transfer position P4 and enters the reticle foreign object inspection position P5, where it is scanned by the extraction mechanism under a foreign object inspection light to check whether there is any foreign object on the reticle 6 or not. The location is confirmed. The reticle 6 determined to be unusable for the process at this stage is returned to the original reticle cassette library 2 by the reverse operation to that described above.

Reticle 6 determined to be usable for process as a result of foreign object inspection
In this case, the first receiver is sent to the transfer position P4, and at this position, the receiver is transferred to the vertical conveyance mechanism waiting below, and the second receiver is raised to the transfer position P6.

At this position, the receiver passes the reticle 6 to the feeding mechanism that feeds it into the exposure apparatus, and transports it to the exposure position P7. During this transport, the reticle barcode reader/pattern position detection unit 7 scans the reticle 6 being fed. Then, it is detected how far the pattern position of the reticle 6 is manufactured with respect to the end face of the reticle. At the same time, the barcode pattern written on the reticle is read according to the exposure process conditions related to that reticle.
The data is sent to the console of the exposure equipment main body, and the reticle 6
Mechanical settings related to the exposure process are completed before the image is transported to the exposure position P.

On the other hand, the reticle 6 is placed in the second cassette storage position P mentioned above.
The removed cassette 4 is closed by the opening/closing mechanism, and is transported to the reticle storage position W p a during the vertical transportation and feeding of the reticle 6 to the exposure position P, and the reticle is returned when the exposure process is completed. 6 is waiting in this position.

The reticle 6 that has completed the exposure process is transported by the aforementioned feeding mechanism to the second transfer position P6, and is transferred to the reticle storage mechanism waiting at this position. Then, the cassette opening/closing mechanism drive source located at the storage position Pa is activated.
The cassette 4 waiting at the storage position P8 is opened. In this state, the reticle storage mechanism moves the reticle 6 to the cassette 4.
The opening/closing mechanism operates again to close the cassette 4.

The cassette 4 containing the reticle 6 is returned to the reticle extraction position P3 by the cassette exchange mechanism, and
The elevator mechanism waiting at this position returns the reticle cassette library 2 to the original reticle cassette library 2 via the elevator position P2.
It is returned to the storage position P1 inside.

The aforementioned cassette exchange mechanism can accommodate two cassettes. Therefore, if the reticle for the next process is commanded in advance, the reticle for the next process will be inspected for foreign matter before the reticle that has completed the process is returned, and the first receiver will be transferred to the second receiver at the transfer position P4. The reticle from the previous process was ejected from the transfer position P6 (reticle storage position P
7), the next reticle can be sent immediately after.

By the way, in a conventional automatic reticle exchange device, a reticle is taken out from a cassette in a reticle library and reciprocated along a long path to an exposure position. For this reason, there is a high probability that dust will adhere to the reticle during transportation, and in particular, in devices such as steppers that repeatedly print the reticle pattern on multiple locations on a single wafer, dust may adhere to the reticle for each shot or A major drawback was that the rate of defective products due to dust on each chip was high. In this example,
As mentioned above, library 2 (cassette storage position p+)
By conveying the reticle 6 together with the cassette 4 between the cassette extracting position P2 (or the cassette standby position pa) of the air conditioning chamber 1, the above-mentioned major drawback is solved.

FIG. 4 is an external view of the mobile cassette library 2 shown in FIG. 1 seen from the back, that is, an external view of the side where the reticle cassette 4 to be fed into the exposure apparatus by the automatic exchanger is carried out together with the cassette holder S. . In the figure, a storage means 21 is attached to the library main body 2, which includes a readable and writable storage element in which the names of the cassettes stored in the library 2, parameters indicating the identity of the reticles, etc. are stored. Reference numeral 22 denotes a cassette storing section of the library, which is arranged on the front and back surfaces of the library main body 2.

Arrow A in the figure indicates the direction in which the reticle cassette 4 is removed by the automatic exchanger.

This mobile cassette library covers the entire air conditioning chamber 1.
or can be freely connected to and disconnected from the stepper body, and
The library 2 has good compatibility with each other or with other reticle-related devices, and is of a movable type so that the library 2 containing a predetermined number of cassettes can be sequentially replaced according to the process or product type.

Therefore, in order to support a high-mix, low-volume production line, each cassette library that stores a variety of substrates can be replaced online, etc. When replacing the reticle cassette that is fed into the exposure equipment main body, the temperature-controlled chamber allows the exposure equipment to If the temperature is stable, it is possible to prevent temperature fluctuations in the temperature control chamber and the exposure apparatus due to manual replacement work with the window of the temperature control chamber opened on the table.

In addition, if the above configuration is adopted, as shown in FIG. 11, maintenance of the reticle area such as a pattern generator 1a, a stand-alone dust inspection device 1b, a reticle cleaning device 1c, or a veritaru gluing device (not shown) can be performed. It is easy to connect to an inspection machine, eliminates the need for human intervention during reticle replacement, maintenance, inspection, etc., and increases redundancy in a dust-free environment.

In FIG. 4, the storage means 21 records parameters necessary for device operation, such as the name and storage position of the reticle in the reticle cassette stored in the library 2, and initial setting items around the reticle in the stepper. A memory element that can be freely written and erased is configured, and is in a positional relationship that allows it to be connected to a reading means configured in the general air conditioning chamber 1 or the stepper main body, and when the connected state is established, the parameters are sent to the stepper main body console 3. is now possible.

FIG. 5 shows the storage status of the cassette holder 5 in the library 2 and the operations when taking it in and out manually (arrow B in the figure) and taking it in and out by an automatic machine (arrow A in the figure). In the figure, 4 is the aforementioned reticle cassette, and 5 is a cassette holder. 23 and 25 are roller rows, 24 is a movable roller row frame, and 26 is a library casing and guide rail. Reference numeral 27 denotes a stopper mechanism constructed on the roller array array 24, which prevents the cassette holder 5 from shaking within the library. 28 is Koro,
29 is a stopper for holding the holder 5 on the roller row frame between 24 and 24. This cassette library 2
The left and right stages of are configured in the same way.

The moving direction and stroke of the cassette holder 5 in the library 2 correspond to the cassette setting indicated by the arrow B by a human hand and the loading/unloading operation indicated by the arrow A by the automatic transport machine. , a stroke that allows the holder 5 to be inserted and removed in the direction of the back surface is required. Furthermore, since the library 2 is connected to and separated from the overall air conditioning chamber 1 or the stepper body, there is no actuator in the library 2 that serves as a driving source for movement, and the holder 5 can only be put in and taken out by humans. by hand or by power transmitted from an automatic machine.

The second stage in FIG. 5 shows a state in which the cassette holder 5 is removed from the library 2. In other words, the elevator mechanism (not shown) of the automatic conveyance machine can hold the desired cassette holder 5.
When facing the position, the actuator of the elevator mechanism grasps the stopper 29, pulls the roller row frame 24 to the illustrated position, and then releases the stopper 29. Next, a pull-out hook configured in the elevator mechanism catches the claw 5a attached to the cassette holder 5, and
Pull out the cassette holder 5 to the position shown. As a result, the cassette holder 5 comes out of the library 2.

In addition, when the holder 5 shown in the second stage is pulled out, the stopper mechanism 27 is attached to the rail 26 as shown in the figure.
Since the cassette holder 5 is in a supported state, it acts as a stopper for the returned holder 5, and the cassette holder 5 can always be stored in a fixed position with respect to the roller row frame 24.

The third row in FIG. 5 shows the state when the cassette is replaced manually. In this state, the stopper mechanism 27 comes off the supporting rail 26 and is in the released state, and the cassette holder 5 is stopped when the claw 5a comes into contact with the stopper member 24a fixed to the roller row frame 24. It becomes easy to change the cassette from any direction.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the exposure apparatus of FIG. 2 viewed from the right side.

In the figure, the reticle cassette library 2 is in contact with the exposure apparatus chamber (general air conditioning chamber) 1, and in this state, the locking member 15 configured on the exposure apparatus chamber side,
Catching roller 2a configured on the cassette library 2 side
coupling occurs, and the relative positions of chamber 1 and library 2 are fixed.

The data stored in the storage means 21 configured in the reticle cassette library 2 is read by the reading means 16 configured in the exposure apparatus chamber 1, and the storage stage position of each reticle stored in the library 2 is determined. Data such as parameters of various processes related to the reticle are sent to the main body and pooled in the main body's storage means.

The reticle extracted according to the instructions from the main body is conveyed to the second cassette storage position P by the elevator mechanism at the elevator position P2. This position is located in the middle of the reticle cassette library 2, and minimizes the difference in transport time due to height difference between each cassette position in the reticle cassette library 2. Also, when manually installing a cassette without using the reticle cassette library 2, if you place the cassette at the reticle extraction position P, the reticle extraction position P will be on the floor where the exposure device is installed. Since the height from the top is about 1 m 20 cm, manual operation and setting are easy due to the positional relationship.

The main aim of the mechanism and each function of this embodiment is to prevent dust from adhering to the reticle while it is being transported, especially when transporting a single reticle from the outside. In order to prevent the adhesion of floating scum, the foreign object inspection unit 8 is made into a clean box, and the reticle transfer area that comes out of the cassette is made into a clean box.
This is realized by a heavy box 8a, an 8-fold door 8C1, an air conditioner, etc. In other words, in order to prevent dust and floating dust from the cassette exchange mechanism and the cassette opening/closing mechanism from entering the reticle transport area, the air pressure of each part is highest in the foreign object inspection unit 8 (inside box 8a), and then in the reticle transport area (box 8a). 8b), chamber interior 1 (outside box 8b), and outside the chamber. In FIG. 6, 8c is a door that blocks floating dust from flowing into the reticle foreign object inspection unit 8 from the reticle transport area. Further, 101 is an air conditioning unit, 102
103 is a cooling device, 103 is a blower, 104 is a heating device, 105 is a filter, and 106 is a temperature sensor.

21b is a sealing material.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation mechanism of the basic configuration shown in FIG. 3 from the reticle extraction position P3 to the reticle storage position P6 fixed to the exposure apparatus.

In FIG. 7, the cassette 4 pulled out from the cassette library 2 along with the holder 5 is sent to the reticle extraction position (second cassette storage position) ps, and placed and fixed on the vertically movable holder support stand 71. At this position P3, a cassette opening/closing mechanism that separates the upper and lower lids constituting the cassette 4 is configured, and it was confirmed that the holder 5 was fed and fixed to the vertical 8-movement holder support stand 71. After this point, the cassette opening/closing mechanism is activated, the upper lid of the cassette 4 is opened, and the reticle 6 inside can be taken out from outside the cassette 4. When this state is reached, the reticle extraction fork 30 extracts the reticle 6 from the cassette 4 and feeds it at a constant speed into the reticle foreign object inspection unit 8 (FIG. 6) located on the extension of the reticle in the extraction direction. On the other hand, when it is confirmed that the reticle 6 has come out of the cassette 4, the cassette opening/closing mechanism is activated and the cassette 4 is closed.

The holder support base at the reticle extraction position P3 is 8
Two holder support stands 71 and 72 are provided above and below the movable holder support stand, and when it is confirmed that the cassette 4 is empty and the cassette 4 is closed, the holder support stand 71 of the vertically movable position is moved to the lower position. The posture holding type holder support base 72 located at the upper position can be exchanged in its upper and lower positions. As a result, the empty cassette 4 described above is sent to the upper position (reticle storage position pa), and at this position P6, the reticle transported to the exposure position P described above is returned to the reticle storage position upon completion of the exposure process. Waiting until it is delivered to P8.

Referring to FIG. 6, the reticle 6 extracted from the cassette 4 is normally fed into the reticle foreign object inspection unit 8 as it is. However, if a pellicle dust-proof film is attached to the reticle 6, due to the configuration of the current reticle foreign object inspection unit, the area inside the frame of the reticle 6 that cannot be inspected (reticle 6 and the pellicle dust-proof film There is a joint corner of the frame). In order to inspect this area, the reticle 6 is rotated 180 degrees in plane, and then the reticle inspection unit 8 inspects that area again. The θZ mechanism 40 located at the transfer position P4 has this plane rotation mechanism.

Returning to FIG. 7, when the reticle 6 completes the foreign object inspection by the reticle foreign object inspection unit and the receiver returns to the transfer position P4, the θZ mechanism 40 moves the reticle extraction fork 3
0, take out the reticle 4 from the fork 30 by scooping it up from the bottom, rotate it by θ in accordance with the reticle setting direction of the exposure device, and move the receiver to the transfer position P by the upward movement by the Z mechanism.
Send to 6.

The amount of θ rotation by the θZ mechanism 40 can be set for each board at a 1/4 rotation pitch up to 3/4 rotation based on input from the console or data read from the storage means 21. With this 02 mechanism 40, this device can be used in a wide variety of reticle cassettes used in various devices and in the setting direction of the reticle in the cassette without the troublesome task of manually aligning the reticle in the cassette. It is possible to exchange reticles between various devices in an unmanned online manner while maintaining the cleanliness of the reticle cassette and the reticle. In other words, machine compatibility can be improved.

At position P6, reticle hands 52 and 53, which are configured in the reticle transport mechanism 50 and have opening/closing operations, are waiting in an open state, and at that position, the reticle 6 is positioned and supported on the lower side. The reticle transport hand 51 picks up the reticle 6 at the transfer position P6, and transports the reticle 6 in a straight line to the exposure position P7 in the exposure room while supporting the reticle 6 from below with its two orthogonal end faces abutting against each other. A barcode reader/pattern position detection unit 7 is configured at 01 locations along this straight line, and while the reticle 6 is being conveyed at a constant speed, it can confirm the designated reticle, read the reticle-related parameters of the exposure device, and check the current This is to detect how far the pattern of the reticle 6 that is being gripped is offset from the center of the exposure device, and to complete the settings of the exposure device by the end of the conveyance.

The reticle transport hand 51 that has arrived at the exposure position P7 opens the reticle hands 52 and 53 and transfers the reticle 6 at that position.
is released and the reticle 6 is placed on a support (not shown) of the exposure device. Thereafter, the reticle conveying hand 51 waits for the exposure process to end while keeping the reticle hands 52 and 53 open.

The reticle 6 that has completed the exposure process is transferred to the reticle transport hand 5
1, the receiver is transported from the exposure position P to the transfer position P6. At the transfer position P6, the θZ mechanism 40 is lowered and retracted to the lower initial position, and the reticle storage fork 90 has completed preparations for transferring the reticle.

When the reticle transport hand 51 places the reticle 6 on the reticle storage fork 90 at the transfer position P6, the reticle hands 52 and 53 are in an open state. As a result, the reticle storage fork 90 can store a reticle in the empty reticle cassette waiting at the reticle storage position P8, without interference between the mechanisms (51 and 90).

The reticle extraction position P is also located at the reticle storage position P8.
There is an opening/closing mechanism driving source similar to that of the one in , and its operation opens the cassette 4 waiting at position P8, and after confirming that there is no reticle in the cassette 4, operates the reticle storage fork 9o to remove the reticle 6. is stored in the cassette 4. After storing, the reticle storage fork 90 moves to the cassette 4.
When the user goes outside, the cassette opening/closing mechanism drive source operates, and the cassette 4 becomes closed.

Thereafter, the holder support base performs the vertical switching operation again to move the cassette 4 to the lower position (reticle extraction and removal position) P3.
Please wait at. This cassette 4 is returned to the reticle library by a cassette unloading mechanism.

In response to these series of operations, the operation of the cassette transport mechanism,
Reticle extraction operation, reticle foreign object inspection, θZ operation,
If the reticle conveyance operation, reticle storage operation, cassette vertical exchange operation, cassette storage into the library, and supply operation are performed in series, the reticle exchange time for each process will take about 3 to 4 minutes. In contrast, in this embodiment, two holder support stands 71 are provided at the second cassette storage position.
゜72 is installed and the cassette 4 is carried out from the library 2.
After the reticle is extracted by the reticle extraction fork 30 at the reticle extraction position P3 and becomes empty, the upper cover is closed and the cassette is exchanged up and down, and the reticle is sent to the reticle storage position P8, and the cassette is moved to the posture holding type holder support stand instead. 72 is brought to the reticle extraction position P, so that a reticle cassette required for the next process can be transported and placed on this posture holding type holder support stand 72. Therefore, in this embodiment, the replacement timing is calculated in advance based on the time when the exposure device finishes the current process or the processing time for the number of urchins to be exposed. If each transport operation of the next process reticle is started in anticipation of the required time, the next process reticle can be kept on standby on the θZ mechanism 40, and the previous process reticle can complete the exposure process and move to the reticle storage position P6. When the reticle is sent, the θZ mechanism 40 carrying the reticle for the next process moves upward, and the receiver moves to the transfer position P.
If a sequence program such as that shown in step 6 is added, the above exchange time can be reduced to 30 seconds or less.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the cassette exchange mechanism 70 shown in FIG. 7.

Next, the cassette exchange mechanism 70 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. In the figure, 71.72 is a holder support base, 73.73 is a pulley fixed to the holder support base 71.72, and 74 is an arm that rotatably supports the shaft of the pulley 73.73 at a specified interval. The arm 74 is mounted on the horizontally moving slider 7 at a midpoint position 75 between the pulleys 73 and 73.
6, and upper and lower pulleys 73 are connected by a belt 77. For this reason, the support arm 74 has a center of rotation 7
Although the holder support bases 71 and 72 can be rotated relative to 5, the holder support bases 71 and 72 can be moved up and down without changing their parallel postures. The vertical B-type holder support base 71 is restrained by a vertical guide 79 and three rollers 78 supporting the vertical guide 79 so that it can move up and down only in the Z direction in a horizontal position.

The horizontal movement slider 76 is a vertically movable holder support base 71
As the arm moves up and down, it can move horizontally while supporting the arm center 75, and the entire weight is transferred to the two ends of the shaft 80
It is supported in several places. Reference numeral 81 is a rotary actuator that rotates the arm 74 with respect to the horizontal slider 76 using a shaft 80 that fixes the arm center 75 .

When a counterclockwise rotational input is applied to the arm 74 in the state shown in FIG.
rises in two directions while remaining horizontally supported. In addition, since the attitude holding type holder support stand 72 is horizontal in the attitude of the vertical movement type holder support stand 71, the pulleys 73, 73 and the belt 7
7, it moves in an arc around the shaft 80 while maintaining the same horizontal posture. However, since the shaft 80 is supported by the horizontal movement slider 76, it moves horizontally toward the left in the figure as the holder support base 71 moves, and therefore the holder support base 72 moves as shown in FIG. It moves by drawing a trajectory that is a combination of circular motion and horizontal motion. That is, in FIG. 8, when the arm 74 is rotated 180'' counterclockwise from the same state as in FIG.
At the same time, the holder support base 72 rotates through the position 72' and moves vertically to the position 72. As a result, the positions of holder support stands 71 and 72 are swapped. To return to the original state, arm 74
Now rotate it 180 degrees clockwise.

Since the posture holding type holder support base 72 operates substantially horizontally at the end of the movement, it can be operated with less impact by operating a damper and a fixing mechanism as shown at 82 in FIG. The movement of the vertically movable holder support stand 71 is based on the axis 8.
Due to the rotational movement around the rotation center of 0, it becomes a deceleration mechanism at the end of the movement.

Furthermore, while the arm 74 rotates around the center of rotation of the shaft 80, the holder support bases 71 and 72 are counterbalanced around the shaft 80, so the force required for the rotation is not very large. .

Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram of the reticle feeding mechanism.
) is the state in which the reticle is grabbed and transported to the exposure position P,
FIG. 9(b) shows a state in which the second receiver is at the transfer position Pa and the reticle is opened.

In the figure, 52 is a hand with a positioning XY reference roller, and 53 is a Y
A hand with a reference roller, 56 is an opening/closing operation actuator, 6
0 is a slider, 61 is a rotating shaft, 62 is a lever, 63 is a roller, 62a is a lever rotating shaft, 62b is a spring, 65 is a flat belt, 66 is a slider stopper, 67 is an outer cover, 6
8 is a driving pulley, 69 is a driven pulley, and 70a is a slide rail.

The slider 60 fixes both ends of the flat belt 65 and
5 is stretched around a lever rotation shaft 62a via a roller 63 supported by a lever 62, and the lever 62 is stretched around a belt 65.
The lever 62 and the spring 62b are applied with tension by the spring 1i2b to take up the slack of the slider 6.
It is configured on the left and right of 0. The belt 65 is stretched to a driving pulley 68 via driven pulleys 69 on the left and right sides. As shown in FIG. 9(a), the slider 60 that has reached the exposure position P7 hits the slider stopper 66 fixed on the slide rail 70a, which is its trajectory, and from this state, when the drive pulley 68 is rotated a small amount, , ゛Tension T on the left side as shown.

increases and the tension T2 on the right side decreases, so the difference numerator
t 'T 2 moves the slider 60 to the slider stopper 66
press against. If this pressing force is stable, the reproducibility at this position will be high.

This principle is the same for both left and right positions.

The flat belt 65 has a width equal to the thickness of the sliding portion of the reticle conveying hand 51 in the height direction, and the outer cover 67 covers all of the parts except for the sliding portion of the reticle conveying hand 51 of the reticle feeding mechanism 51. The aforementioned window of the sliding portion substantially closes the opening. When configured in this way, exhaust (
(not shown), the inside of the space becomes negative pressure, the dust generated by the sliding movement is discharged to the outside, and the dust generated by the conveyance gate structure is prevented from adhering to the reticle being conveyed.

In the second receiver shown in FIG. 9(b), the reticle transfer hand 51 that has come to the transfer position P6 is also pressed against the slide stopper [16] in the same manner as described above to improve reproducibility at this position (stop position). It is.

When the opening/closing actuator 59 operates at these stop positions, its point of action moves the coupling shaft 5B. The hand 52 with XY reference rollers and the hand 53 with Y reference rollers are levers with the left and right rotating shafts 61 formed on the slider 60 as their fulcrums. A closed state is established, and a reticle can be exchanged with the θZ mechanism 40 and the reticle storage fork 90.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the reticle being positioned and handled, and shows the principle of alignment of the reticle substrate while the reticle is being gripped.

As described above, the hands 52 and 53 are brought into the closed state as shown in the figure by the operation of the opening/closing actuator.

54, 55, and 56 are rollers, two of which are attached to the hand 52 and one to the hand 53. Since the reticle is generally square, the outer periphery of the rollers 55.5fi and the end face of the reticle are in contact with each other, and the outer periphery of the other roller 54 is pressed so that the other end is in contact with the outer periphery of the reticle. Possible, becomes possible.

Reference numerals 57 and 57 are eccentric rollers whose rotation center is eccentric from the center of the circle, and whose outer periphery has a high coefficient of friction, and which have built-in springs so that the reverse forces Fl and F2 shown in the figure are constantly applied, and which act on the reticle. In the state where it is not there, it is stopped at the position 57a. When the reticle is pinched with the hand closed, the hand 52 with the XY reference roller and the hand 53 with the Y reference roller move in the same direction as F in the figure, and apply a force F to the reticle. The eccentric rollers 57 configured on both hands 52 and 53 are
Rotate as shown in b. At this time, if the relationship F) F2 > Fl is created and the closed positions of both hands 52 and 53 are fixed by the stroke regulation of the connecting shaft 5B, the movement of the left and right eccentric rollers 57 and the relationship between their outer peripheries and the reticle end faces. Forces F, , F2 are generated due to the friction coefficient of the eccentric roller 57 and the force of the eccentric roller 57 trying to return to 57a, and these component forces are applied to the roller 54.
The force that presses the reticle against the outer circumference of 55.56, f
A force of W+yl+fy2 is generated to align the end face of the reticle on the hand.

In this state, if the receiver places a barcode reader/pattern position detector 7 on the path of conveyance from the transfer position P6 to the exposure position P7 and measures the pattern position of the reticle being conveyed, this pattern position will be on the alignment end surface of the reticle substrate. It is possible to know how far away the reticle is from the reticle, and this can be used as mechanical setting data for the main unit to deal with manufacturing errors in the reticle.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 are external views of a projection exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a reticle conveyance system of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an illustration of a reticle conveyance system of the present invention. Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram of the inside of the library; Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram as seen from the right side of the device; Figure 7 is an external appearance of each operating mechanism at the reticle extraction position and reticle storage position within the apparatus. Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the cassette exchange mechanism, Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the reticle feeding mechanism, Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the alignment principle of the reticle handling mechanism, and Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the reticle handling mechanism. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the device connected to other peripheral devices. 1. Entire air-conditioning chamber of 1-nichipper 2: 8-dynamic cassette library 4: Substrate storage case 5: Cassette holder 6: Reticle 7: Barcode reader/pattern position inspection device P,: First cassette storage position F2: Elevator position F3: Second cassette storage position F4: First holder is transfer position F5 Elm particle foreign object inspection position F6: Second holder is transfer position F7: Exposure position F6: Aerodynamic set standby position 15: Memory content reading means attached to chamber side 21: Storage means 21b: Sealing material 22 Library door 23: Roller 24: Roller row frame 25 Guide roller 26: Rail 27: Stop collar 29: Stopper 30 Niticle extraction fork 40: 02 mechanism 50 Niticle feeding mechanism 51 Niticle transport hand 52: Positioning XY reference roller hand 53: Y reference roller hand 54, 55.56: Roller 57: Eccentric roller 58: Connection shaft 59: Opening/closing actuator 60 Ni-slider 61: Rotating shaft 62 Nilever 62a Nilever one rotation shaft 62b: Spring 83 : Roller 64: Stopper 65: Flat belt 66: Slider stopper 67: Outer cover 68: Drive pulley 69: Followed pulley 70a Ni-slide rail 70: Cassette exchange mechanism 71: Vertical rectangular movement type holder support base 72: Posture holding type holder support Base 73 Nib-Riff 4: Support arm 76: Horizontal movement slider 77: Belt 78: Roller 79 Ni guide 80: Axis 81: Rotary actuator 82: Damper 101: Air conditioning unit! 02: Cooler 103: Air blower 104 7 Individual heater 105: Filter 108: Temperature sensor.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A substrate outlet for supplying a substrate into an air-conditioned chamber in which the apparatus main body is housed; a coupling means for detachably coupling with the chamber in a region including the outlet; A substrate storage device characterized by having a coupling terminal that is coupled to a terminal connected to an information processing means on the chamber side when coupled to the chamber by the coupling means, and an information supply means for transmitting internal substrate information to the information processing means on the chamber side. rack. 2. The substrate storage rack according to claim 1, wherein the information supply means includes an element that can be rewritten by external input. 3. The substrate storage rack according to claim 1, which is placed on a roller and is movable.