JPS6331934A - In-line conveyor for wafer or wafer carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To process wafers in parallel and shorten the workhours required, by transferring these wafers from a wafer processor at the upstream to that at the downstream in consecutive order by the wafer conveyor installed between these wafer processors. CONSTITUTION:An in-line conveyor 102 conveying a wafer is installed between both wafer processors 100 and 101. The conveyor 102 has a pair of support members 2 on a frame 1, and a guide member 3 is tightly installed between these support members. And, a similar frame, a support member (unillustrated herein) and a guide member are set up in each symmetric position. And, a stage 4 is guided by a pair of guide members 3 via pulleys 7a and 7b of a side plate 6, mounting a wafer carrier 15 on a transfer table 5, and it is reciprocated between these processors 100 and 101. With this constitution, wafer processing takes place in parallel, thus workhours for its processing is reducible.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention is arranged between wafer processing apparatuses that process wafers, and provides mutual communication between the apparatuses in order to cause each M'rM position to perform processing. The present invention relates to an in-line transport device that transports wafers or wafer carriers.

(Prior Art) There are devices that process wafers, such as prober devices for inspecting wafers for defects. When inspecting wafers for defects with this prober device, several types of wafers are set on a wafer carrier. Typically, all wafers of one type in a wafer carrier are inspected using one prober device, and then wafers of a different type are manually transferred to another prober device for inspection.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In processing wafers in this way = 2, etc., processing time becomes longer as several types of wafers are processed in chronological order, and wafers or wafer carriers are transferred between devices. The transfer of data had to be done manually, and there were problems with inline processing.

An object of the present invention is to provide an in-line transfer device that can shorten wafer processing time by operating a plurality of wafer processing devices in parallel (means for solving the problem). The transfer device is disposed between devices that process wafers, and includes a transfer means that operates when receiving a wafer or a wafer carrier from one device and delivering the wafer or wafer carrier to the other device, and a transfer device that operates to receive a wafer or a wafer carrier from one device and transfer the wafer or wafer carrier to the other device. and a conveyance mechanism that automatically conveys the receiving means from one of the apparatuses to the other apparatus.

(Function) According to the present invention, even while a wafer is being processed in one wafer processing device, the wafer carrier can be automatically transferred to another wafer processing device to process another wafer.

(Example) FIGS. 1 to 4 show examples of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an in-line transfer device arranged between wafer processing devices, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the in-line transfer device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 viewed from the back side of the device, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of some parts of the device.

In FIG. 1, an in-line transfer device 102 is disposed between wafer processing equipment, here probe stations 100 and 101 that electrically inspect wafers for defects. This probe station 100 includes a guide member 12 fixed to a pedestal 11, a tray 13 that moves along the guide member 12, and a pallet 14 on which a wafer carrier 15 is mounted on the tray 13. . This pallet 14 is pivotally supported by the tray 13 at one end, and is configured to tilt upward at a certain angle when moved to the end of the guide 12. This pallet 14 and tray 13
When the pallet 14 is lifted upward, it is separated from the tray 13. A more detailed description of the probe station 100 will be omitted since it is already well known. Probe station 101 has a similar configuration to probe station 100.

This in-line transfer device 102 is configured to receive a pallet 14 carrying a wafer carrier 15 from one probe station 100 and deliver the pallet 14 carrying the wafer carrier 15 to the other probe station 101.

Next, the inline conveyance device will be explained based on FIGS. 1 and 2.

In FIG. 1, an inline conveyance device 102 includes a pair of support members 2 fixed on a pedestal 1, and a pair of support members 2
A guide member 3 is fixedly provided between them, and a similar pedestal, support member, and guide member (not shown) are provided at symmetrical positions of the support member 2 and guide member 3.

The stage 4 is guided by the pair of guide members 3 and 18 and moves between the probe stations 100 and 101 via pulleys 7a, 7b and 17a, 17b of the side plates 6 and 16 provided on both sides, respectively.

In FIG. 2, the stage 4 has side plates 6 and 1 on both sides thereof.
6 is provided, and pulleys 7a, 7b and 17a, 17b are provided on the side plates 6 and 16, respectively.
A moving table 5 that slides thereon is provided on the upper surface of the moving table 5, and a speed increasing mechanism 20 for increasing the speed of the moving table 5 compared to the movement of the stage 4 is built-in. Since the guide members 3 and 18 fixed to the pedestal 1 are tilted at a constant angle with respect to the pedestal 1, the stage 4 is also tilted at a constant angle. The bottom of the stage 4 is provided with an interlocking section that interlocks with the joint section 22 that is coupled to the chain lO that drives the stage 4. Further, a drive motor 8 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the stage 4 for raising and lowering the stage 4 with respect to the side plates 6.degree. 16. The speed increasing mechanism 20 is configured, for example, to amplify the driving force of the chain 10 driving the stage 4 via the joint 20.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, a drive motor 8 fixed to the bottom of the stage 4 has an output gear 8a and a connecting gear 8.
It is connected to the rack 6a of the side plate 6 via b. The stage 4 is moved up and down with respect to the side plates 6 and 16 by the drive motor 8.

Next, the operation of the inline conveyance device 102 will be explained.

When the motor 21 of the inline conveyance device 102 rotates,
As the sprockets 9a and 9b rotate, the stage 4 is moved via the chain 10 and the joint 22 coupled thereto. As the stage 4 is moved toward the probe station 100, the speed increasing device 20 built into the stage 4 moves the moving table 5 toward the probe station 100.
Moved to the 00 side. Then, when the stage 4 stops at the end on the probe station 100 side, the table 5 protrudes from the table 4 and the tray 13 and pallet 14
It becomes stuck between the two and stops. At this time, when the motor 8 is rotated, the stage 4 rises while being tilted at a certain angle, so that the pallet 14 is placed on the moving table 5, the pallet 14 is completely separated from the tray 13, and the stage 4 is moved upwards. 14 has been received.

In this way, ff1li! of the wafer carrier 15 is placed on the moving table 5 of the stage 4! When the loaded pallet 14 is placed and receiving is completed, the motor 21 is rotated in reverse. As shown in FIG. 3, when the motor 21 is reversely rotated, the stage 4 moves to start conveying the pallet 14, and the stage 4 carrying the pallet 14 is moved to the other probe station 10I. As the stage 4 moves, the speed increasing mechanism 20 also reverses, moving the moving table 5 toward the probe station 101 side.

When the stage 4 stops at the end of the probe station 101, the moving table 5 of the stage 4, which is tilted at a certain angle, protrudes from the stage 4 and stops on the tray of the probe station 101. Then, by rotating the motor 8 in the reverse direction, the pallet 14 on which the wafer carrier 15 is placed is lowered and placed on the tray, completing the conveyance.

It goes without saying that this in-line transport device may be used by being placed between semiconductor exposure devices and the like.

Therefore, by arranging the in-line transfer device between the wafer processing devices, even if the wafer carrier has several types of wafers, while the wafers are being processed and inspected in one wafer processing device, the wafers in the other The wafer carrier can be transported to the processing '41 to process and inspect another wafer, enabling parallel processing and inspection, and has the effect of shortening the processing time. Further, when wafer processing is completed in one wafer processing apparatus and the wafer carrier is transferred to another wafer processing %MW, it can be automated without manual intervention, so that the wafer processing process can be performed in-line.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, since wafers or wafer carriers can be automatically transferred between wafer processing devices, a plurality of wafer processing devices can be operated in parallel to process wafers. It can save time. in particular,
Even while a wafer is being processed in one wafer processing device, the wafer carrier can be automatically transferred to another wafer processing device to process another wafer. Therefore, by using a plurality of wafer processing apparatuses, a full-line system can be easily realized.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 4 show embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows an in-line device placed between wafer processing devices (explanation of symbols of main parts).

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A delivery means that is disposed between wafer processing devices that process wafers and operates when receiving a wafer or wafer carrier from one of the devices and delivering the wafer or wafer carrier to the other device; An in-line transfer device for wafers or wafer carriers, comprising a transfer mechanism that transfers the transfer means that receives the wafer or wafer carrier from one of the devices to the other device.