KR100796675B1 - Method and device for changing a semiconductor wafer position - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a displacement device of at least one semiconductor wafer, having at least one positioning mark (3) and located in a pedestal designed to receive a plurality of semiconductor wafers (2), the device comprising a wafer capture arm and an arm In addition to the displacement means and the like, in the case of the arm, it includes a capture means for fixing the outer peripheral portion of the wafer, and a wafer alignment means or the like interlocked with the capture means to bring the positioning mark to a predetermined position. On the other hand, the displacement means 120 of the capture arm 1 include displacement means in three directions X, Y, and Z in space, and the capture means 5 and the alignment means 6 are rigid structures 7. Positioned on the outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer.

Wafer, displacement, positioning mark, capture means, alignment means, semiconductor

Description

Displacement method and device for semiconductor wafers {METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CHANGING A SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER POSITION}

1A is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of an apparatus for displacement of at least one semiconductor wafer.

FIG. 1B is an enlarged detailed perspective view of FIG. 1A. FIG.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the capture arm according to the present invention.

3 is a view from above of the figure shown in FIG. 2;

4 is a side view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged first detail view of the side of the drawing illustrated in FIG. 2.

6 is an enlarged secondary detail view of a partial cross section of the figure shown in FIG. 2;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the capturing arm according to the present invention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the manufacture of various electronic components, from substrates or wafers made of semiconductor raw materials such as silicon to integrated circuits, in particular having at least one positioning mark and designed to accommodate multiple semiconductor wafers. A method and apparatus for displacement of at least one semiconductor wafer located within a pedestal.

Conventional technology employs a method of capturing one side of a wafer to move the position of a semiconductor wafer from one point to another, but an apparatus is used to fix the wafer to the center through aspiration. At this time, regardless of the positional movement of the semiconductor wafer, by aligning the wafer so that the positioning mark of the wafer is at a predetermined position, the positioning marks of all the wafers located in one pedestal are aligned.

Indeed, in the case of methods and apparatuses according to the existing technology, the more the contact of an object with the wafer surface, the more easily the wafer is made of materials which are extremely vulnerable to various contaminations. In addition, the movement and orientation of semiconductor wafers takes considerable time, resulting in enormous time and expense in wafer processing.

As is already known, US Pat. No. 5,102,291 discusses a wafer orientation method and apparatus for capturing and securing the outer periphery of the wafer in a pedestal to minimize contamination that may be caused by direct contact with each side of the silicon wafer. Here, one wafer is captured between two movable arms that can be moved by a translation along a straight line, and the four compression rollers that lift the wafer before the roller contacts the outer peripheral portion of the wafer are used to capture the wafer. The two capture arms continue to translate along the direction of induction and gradually approach each other until pressure is exerted on the outer periphery, so that the captured silicon wafer uses multiple compression rollers that operate in a plane and are capable of driving at least one or more. , May in turn be oriented in a specific position of the pedestal. In addition, the device is such that the displacement of the captured wafer due to the two trapping arms is only on a straight line. In addition, a mechanical captor, an electro-optical machine, or the like is used to detect a desired wafer direction. For the wafer in the notch, the patent recommends using a rod that can be inserted smaller than the notch if the wafer is in the desired position.

On the other hand, US Pat. No. 5,445,486 describes an apparatus for inserting a capture arm between silicon wafers fixed to a pedestal to move the wafer to another pedestal, where the capture arm is positioned at the outer periphery of the bottom surface of one or more wafers. It is supposed to capture. In the case of the apparatus, the alignment means of the transferred wafer is not included.

The semiconductor wafer processing method requires a displacement of one wafer, several wafers, or an entire semiconductor wafer located in one pedestal, ie, transfer to another pedestal, or a positioning mark for identification of each wafer in the pedestal. It was about changing the angular position of the semiconductor wafer on the pedestal to align or simply mark the positioning mark at a certain position.

The present invention addresses the above-mentioned shortcomings and suggests ways to take advantage of the new advantages. An object of the present invention is to prevent displacement of at least one semiconductor wafer by minimizing the possibility of contamination as well as preventing any contamination caused by capturing one side of the wafer.

It is also an object to enable displacement of at least one semiconductor wafer capable of modifying the orientation of the wafer simultaneously with other processing operations, in particular the movement or transfer of the wafer.

In addition, the use of special equipment for wafer orientation and positioning mark alignment has been avoided, thereby focusing on securing space in the semiconductor wafer processing plant.

Finally, it is an object to perform capture and orientation operations on a plurality of semiconductor wafers, where the orientation of the wafer is performed simultaneously with other operations, in particular with multiple wafer movement operations.

More specifically, the present invention is for the displacement of at least one semiconductor wafer, having at least one positioning mark and located within a pedestal designed to receive a plurality of semiconductor wafers,

A primary displacement with respect to the arm in the first direction in space, using a capture arm, inserted into the pedestal,

Performing a secondary displacement with respect to the arm in a second direction in space to capture at least one peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer,

A series of steps, such as orienting at least one captured semiconductor wafer such that said positioning mark is at a predetermined position.

Here, the reason for capturing the outer circumferential portion of the semiconductor wafer is to prevent various contaminations caused by the wafer capturing and to minimize the possibility of contamination, and the orientation of the wafer is performed simultaneously with other operations, in particular, the movement of the wafer. In particular, by performing the wafer wafer alignment operation at the same time as capturing the wafer, it is not necessary to provide a separate processing post for wafer alignment, thereby ensuring sufficient wafer processing space.

The method according to the invention,

Perform a third displacement with respect to the capture arm in the primary direction, at least one of the semiconductor wafers being pulled out of the pedestal as opposed to when the primary displacement

At least one or more semiconductor wafers are moved from one point to another in three- or three-dimensional spaces by displacing the arm selected in the middle of the three directions in space, wherein at least one of the positioning marks is in a predetermined position. And a series of steps, such as orienting the semiconductor wafer and performing displacement with respect to the capture arm.

In particular, the method according to the invention,

A primary displacement with respect to the arm in the first direction in space, using a capture arm, inserted into the pedestal,

Performing a secondary displacement with respect to the arm in a second direction in space to capture a plurality of semiconductor wafer outer peripheral portions,

A series of steps, such as orienting the captured semiconductor wafer such that each of the positioning marks corresponding to the semiconductor wafer is aligned.

In particular, the method described above,

Perform a third displacement with respect to the capture arm in the primary direction, with the plurality of semiconductor wafers being pulled out of the pedestal as opposed to when the primary displacement

Shifting the plurality of semiconductor wafers from one point in the other in three directions or dimensions to another point by displacing the arm selected in three directions in space, orienting the semiconductor wafers to align the positioning marks And at the same time, a series of steps, such as performing a displacement with respect to the capture arm.

In addition, the present invention is for the displacement of at least one semiconductor wafer having at least one positioning mark and located in a pedestal designed to receive a plurality of semiconductor wafers, wherein the capture arm of the at least one semiconductor wafer and the capture arm In addition to the displacement means, the capture arm,

Capture means for securing at least one peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer;

At least one or more semiconductor wafer aligning means, etc., cooperating with said capturing means for bringing said positioning mark into a predetermined position,

The capturing means and the orienting means are located on a rigid structure, the capturing means being arranged around an outer circumferential portion of at least one semiconductor wafer, and wherein the displacement means of the capturing arm are adapted to displace in three directions in space. It relates to an apparatus comprising a.

In particular, the capture arm,

Capture means for securing a plurality of semiconductor wafer outer peripheral portions,

-Alignment means of the captured semiconductor wafer, etc., cooperating with the capturing means, such that each of the positioning marks corresponding to the semiconductor wafer is aligned,

The capturing means and the orientation means are located on a rigid structure, and the capturing means are disposed around an outer circumferential portion of at least one semiconductor wafer.

On the other hand, the present invention is for capturing at least one semiconductor wafer, having at least one positioning mark and located in a pedestal designed to receive a plurality of semiconductor wafers,

Capture means for securing at least one peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer;

At least one or more semiconductor wafer aligning means, etc., cooperating with said capturing means for bringing said positioning mark into a predetermined position,

The capturing means and the orienting means are located on a rigid structure, wherein the capturing means are disposed around an outer circumferential portion of at least one semiconductor wafer.

The capturing means each comprise at least three stops, each having rotational degrees of freedom and arranged around at least one outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer, while the alignment means is adapted to prevent friction of at least one semiconductor wafer. Used drive rollers are included.

Here, the drive roller consists of one of the stops providing power at least partially.

On the other hand, the positioning mark is a kind of notch in the outer circumferential portion of at least one or more semiconductor wafers, and each of the three stops includes two driving rollers free to rotate while being adjacent to each other.

In particular, the drive rollers include at least one first contact surface each having a truncated conical shape, so that the wafer can be supported through at least one cylindrical edge of the semiconductor wafer.

The generator of the at least one first contact surface in the shape of a truncated cone forms an angle of 5 ° to 45 ° with a vertical line lowered to the at least one semiconductor wafer.

Each of the driving rollers has a vertex connected to the bottom of the first contact surface having a truncated conical shape, and an angle formed by a busbar with a vertical line lowered to at least one of the semiconductor wafers is greater than an angle formed by the busbar of the first contact surface. Of the second contact surface.

The alignment means includes the first beam and a cutting detector of the first beam, which are cut when the notch is not located in front of the first beam.

The capturing means according to the present invention includes position detecting means for detecting at least one of the semiconductor wafers when they are located in the pedestal.

In the case of the position detecting means, a characteristic dimension of at least one or more of the semiconductor wafers is included, including a second beam which cooperates with the first beam, thereby fixing at least one or more of the semiconductor wafers in the pedestal. It is possible to make it.

In addition, at least one characteristic dimension of at least one of the semiconductor wafers, including the third beam interlocked with the first beam or the second beam, is included so that the first beam or the second beam is not positioned in front of the notch. At least one semiconductor wafer may be fixed in the pedestal.

On the other hand, the capture arm according to the present invention,

Capture means for securing a plurality of semiconductor wafer outer peripheral portions,

-Alignment means of the captured semiconductor wafer, etc., interlocked with the capturing means, such that each of the positioning marks corresponding to the semiconductor wafer is aligned.

Other various features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings below, along with embodiments of the method and apparatus, the capture arm, etc. according to the present invention.

The device 100 shown in part in FIGS. 1A and 1B is for displacement of a semiconductor wafer, which is located within a pedestal (not shown) having at least one positioning mark and designed to receive a plurality of semiconductor wafers. The capturing means 110 and the displacement means 120 of the capturing means. As will be described later on the basis of the drawings of FIGS. 2 to 6, in the case of the capturing means 110, the capturing means 5 for fixing the outer circumferential portion of the semiconductor wafer and the capturing means 5 so that the positioning marks are at a predetermined position. And alignment means for the semiconductor wafer to be interlocked with each other.

On the other hand, the apparatus 100 includes a frame 10 on which two semiconductor wafer pedestals (not shown) are placed. Each of the pedestals is mounted on a support plate (not shown) arranged vertically with the doors 102 and 103 adjacent to each other so that the wafers stacked in the respective housings of the pedestals can be viewed in a horizontal position. In particular, the apparatus 100 is capable of moving the wafer to another pedestal while allowing each positioning mark corresponding to these wafers to be at a predetermined position.

As shown in part in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the capturing means 110 is coupled with the displacement means 120 to allow movement in three dimensions: X, Y and Z.

In the case of the capturing means 110, it lies in front of the first pedestal mounted perpendicular to the door 103 to select a semiconductor wafer to be inserted into the pedestal through movement in the Z dimension, and if necessary, without hitting the wafer above. Move to the top of the Z dimension to fix the wafer, then remove the wafer from the pedestal through reverse movement in the Y dimension, and the capture means 110 is perpendicular to the door 102 by movement in the X and Z dimensions. And a second pedestal, and the front surface of the housing corresponding to the wafer inserted into the pedestal. In this process, the semiconductor wafer is oriented in the optimum direction at a specific position so that each positioning mark corresponding to all the semiconductor wafers is aligned.

In particular, it is worth noting that with the apparatus shown in FIG. 1A, the wafer can be oriented in a particular pedestal without having to send the wafer to another pedestal. To do this, simply place the capturing means 110 in a position to hold the wafer in the pedestal, which is placed under the wafer and, in some cases, does not hit the wafer on top and in the top of the Z dimension. In this case, the wafer is fixed to the wafer, the wafer is placed in the same housing while the wafer is oriented at a specific position, and then the capturing means 110 is removed again.

FIG. 1B is a view showing the capturing means 110 coupled with the first section 121 of the displacement means 120 so that the capturing means can be moved by a degree of translational freedom in the Z direction. The first section 121 of the displacement means has a translational freedom in the Y direction as shown in FIG. 1A and is coupled with the second section 122 of the displacement means 120, as well as having a translational freedom in the X direction. It is also coupled to the frame 101 of the device 100.

Although not shown in the drawings, the capturing means includes a capturing means for fixing a plurality of semiconductor wafer outer periphery portions, and a capturing semiconductor wafer, which is interlocked with the capturing means to align each positioning mark corresponding to the semiconductor wafer. Orientation means may be included. As will be described later with respect to the capturing means 110 mounted on the apparatus 100 in the drawing, this modified embodiment is a case where it is possible by substituting the capturing arm shown on FIG. In particular, it should be noted that the catching arm 1 shown in Figs. 2 to 4 constitutes the catching means 110 of the apparatus 100 partially shown in Figs. 1A and 1B.

In the case of the capture arm 1 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer 2 located in a pedestal (not shown) that accommodates a plurality of similar semiconductor wafers can be captured. Each of the semiconductor wafers 2 has a positioning mark 3, which basically appears in the form of a notch 3 formed in the outer peripheral portion of the wafer 2. Here, the outer circumferential portion 4 of the semiconductor wafer 2 is referred to as a surface formed of a thin wafer plate, and two stop portions are included at the end thereof. The shape of this surface formed of thin plates may be cylindrical or half-torus with a rounded outer surface. In addition, the outer circumferential portion of the wafer may include an annular surface having a thin thickness above and below.

On the other hand, in the case of the capture arm 1 shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the capture means 5 for fixing the outer peripheral portion 4 of the semiconductor wafer 2 and the respective positioning marks corresponding to the semiconductor wafer are constant. Orienting means 6 of the semiconductor wafer 2, which interlocks with the capturing means 5 to bring it into position, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 4, the capturing means 5 and the alignment means 6 are rigidly designed to allow partial insertion between two consecutive wafers located in one pedestal, ie, wafers 2 and 2B indicated by double lines. It is disposed on the structure 7. The upper wafer 2A indicated by the double line represents a semiconductor wafer located in a pedestal (not shown), and is not to be hit when the wafer 2 is captured. On the other hand, the capturing means each have a rotational degree of freedom and includes three stops arranged around the outer peripheral portion 4 of the semiconductor wafer 2, while the alignment means 6 has a drive roller 9 utilizing friction of the wafer. It includes.

On the other hand, the base of the rigid structure 7 has a U-shaped side on which two of the three stops 8 are arranged, wherein the other stop 8 is connected to one of the U-shaped branches 10. Drive roller 9 is arranged on the remaining branches 11. In addition, as shown in Figure 3, the reinforcing bar (reinforcing bar) (12) is mounted about both the middle of the U-shape. The rigid structure 7 can be manufactured in a wide variety of forms, and in particular, it must be able to be partially inserted between two consecutive wafers so that the capturing means 5 can capture the outer peripheral portion of the wafer. In addition, it should be possible to orient the captured wafer without severe deformation in the thin portion of the end that is intended to be inserted between the two wafers. In order to increase the performance of the capture arm, a light weight and high strength structure 7 is selected. The two U-shaped branches 10 and 11 inserted between two consecutive wafers are preferably made of metal, and the two connecting portions 12 and 13 and the ends 14 of the U-shaped branches not inserted between the semiconductor wafers. 15) may be a rigid plastic material.

On the other hand, in order to increase the adhesion rate of the friction drive roller 9, the wafer is guided through angular displacement, particularly by adhesion, on a part or the entire busbar of the surface constituting the outer peripheral portion 4 of the wafer 2. For this purpose, a friction drive band operable at the outer circumferential portion of the semiconductor wafer 2 is used. The drive band 27 of the drive roller 9 uses an annular joint 25 made of an elastic material, especially a drive material 26 protruding from the drive wheel 26 as shown in FIG. Make it work. The annular joint 25 is especially necessary for marking cylindrical drive surfaces.

The driving roller 9 serves to induce rotational movement by using the rigid part of the arm, for example, the motor 20 mounted on the reinforcing rod 12 as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. Thus, the transmission of rotational force between the motor 20 and the drive roller 9 is possible through belts, gears, or the like.

The drive roller consists of one of three stops 8, which are adapted to transmit power, at least in part. In this case (not shown), the stopper enables the angular movement of the semiconductor wafer as well as the rotational movement in the case shown in the drawing, and secures the static equilibrium of the wafer by interlocking with the other two stoppers when the semiconductor wafer is captured. Do it. In the case of the stop 8, an appropriate drive band is required, as previously described for the drive roller 9.

In particular, each of the three stops 8 is characterized by including two driven rollers 8A, 8B which are free to rotate while being adjacent to each other as shown in FIG. This is because the notch 3 constituting the positioning mark of the wafer 2 passes through the stop 8 when the wafer rotates, or when the wafer is captured in a pedestal (not shown), it is positioned in front of the stop 8. This is to prevent the notch from disturbing the movement of the driving roller or the static balance of the wafer. Here, the driving roller is placed at a position where each contact surface with the wafer is in contact with the wafer thin plate surface. If the notch 3 lies in front of the driven roller 8A or 8B of one of the three stops, the adjacent stops 8B or 8A will each ensure a static and dynamic equilibrium of the wafer. As already mentioned for one of the stops 8 for transmitting power, only one of the driven rollers 8A or 8B plays the role of power transmission and the other is linked thereto.

In the embodiment shown in the figure, the rotational axes of the driven rollers 8A, 8B and the drive rollers 9 are perpendicular to the horizontal plane defined by the semiconductor wafer 2. In some cases, it may be considered that the rollers are different in axial direction along the roller contact surface on the wafer so that the roller does not come into contact with either side of the semiconductor wafer.

As shown in FIG. 5, the driven roller 8A or 8B includes a truncated primary contact surface 16, so that the semiconductor wafer 2 can be supported through the cylindrical edge 17 of the wafer. . Fig. 5 shows a side view of the driven roller 8A or 8B, and is intended to capture a wafer that is reliably or exactly horizontally positioned. In particular, the bus bar of the truncated primary contact surface 16 forms an angle α between 5 ° and 45 ° with the vertical line lowered on the semiconductor wafer. Further, each of the driven rollers 8A or 8B has a vertex 19 connected to the bottom of the first contact surface 16 each having a truncated conical shape, and the angle formed by the bus line with the vertical line lowered to the semiconductor wafer 2 is a truncated cone. And a truncated second contact surface 18 which is larger than the angle α formed by the busbar of the first contact surface in the shape. In addition, the vertices 19 of the second contact surface 18 in the shape of a truncated cone may present a horizontal annular plane (not shown) of thin radial radial annulus that causes the wafer to lie at the annular end of its underside. have.

Among other things, it adopts a different type of rotating surface instead of the first and second rotating surfaces formed of curved busbars, which may be conical shaped planes 16, 18, such as concave, convex, or other shaped planes. It is noteworthy that you can.

On the other hand, the height of the truncated first contact surface 16 is continuous so that the captured wafer spans the truncated first contact surface 16 or the first and second contact surfaces 18 of the driven rollers 8A, 8B. It is defined according to the relationship between the variable height between the two wafers, the inclination by the angle α of the bus bar of the first contact surface 16, and the accuracy of the relative position of the capture arm with respect to the wafer before the capture. For example, with respect to the height of the truncated first contact surface 16 depending on the amount of free space between two consecutive wafers placed on the pedestal, the length of the horizontal projection by the bus bar of the truncated first contact surface is determined by the semiconductor wafer. It must be equal to or greater than the radius error of the arm's position relative to.

The driven rollers 8A and 8B are made of a rigid plastic material, but use weak rotational inertia in order to facilitate rotation by friction of the semiconductor wafer. To this end, the driven rollers 8A and 8B are mounted on the structure 7 via a bearing (not shown).

It should be noted that the driven rollers 8A and 8B shown in Figs. 2 to 5 are designed to be capable of capturing the horizontally arranged wafers as mentioned above. In addition, the case of capturing wafers arranged in different directions, for example, can be considered. In this case, the roller is a means for keeping the wafer from the displacement of the capture means or the capture arm under the influence of gravity, such as a third conical-shaped contact surface which is also symmetric to the second conical-shaped contact surface to the wafer surface (not shown). The rigid structure 7 in a movable state to allow the wafer to skip the third contact surface in the shape of a truncated cone and to move the movable stop until it contacts the wafer lamination so that the wafer has only rotational freedom. To be mounted on the top.

The alignment means 6 of the capture arm shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 cut the first beam 21 and the first beam, which are cut when the notch 3 of the wafer 2 does not come in front of the beam 21. Sensor 23 and the like. At this time, the beam 21 may be a vertical light beam radiated by the electroluminescent diode 22, and the cutting detector may be a photosensitive cell 23 located in front of the radioactive diode. The beam 21 is positioned so as to allow the notch 3 to pass the beam 21 to the photosensitive cell 23 upon angular movement of the wafer 2 under the influence of the driving roller 9, but otherwise The beam 21 is cut by the wafer 2. When the position of the notch 3 is indicated on the photosensitive cell 23 by the reception of the beam 21, the wafer 2 is oriented by the driving roller 9 having a desired angle so that the positioning mark 3 is positioned at a predetermined position. Left). The driving roller 9 and the photosensitive cell 23 are controlled and controlled by an automated central processing unit (not shown).

In the case of the capture arm shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the semiconductor wafer 2 includes a position detecting means of the wafer when the semiconductor wafer 2 is located in a pedestal (not shown). The position detecting means functions to bring the capturing arm to an optimum position before capturing the semiconductor wafer 2. This detection means randomly sets two points in the outer peripheral portion 4 of the wafer 2 to be captured, for example, via two beams 21, 24 located on the structure 7, and then in FIG. 3. As indicated, it functions to define two points on the horizontal plane. In the case of the beam 24, there is a possibility that it is a luminous flux emitted by the electroluminescent diode, and the cleavage detector may be a photosensitive battery located in front of the radioactive diode. In particular, the position detecting means comprises a characteristic dimension of the semiconductor wafer 2, such as the outer diameter of the wafer, including the first beam 21 and the second vertical beam 24 interlocked therewith, so that the horizontal plane Accordingly, the semiconductor wafer is positioned in the pedestal (not shown).

In order to set an appropriate position when capturing the wafer 2, two points of the outer circumferential portion 4 of the wafer 2 are limited to a predetermined position during the close displacement of the arm including the beams 21 and 24. The two separate beams 21 and 24 detect the position of the chord of the arcuate wafer outer periphery as soon as each beam is cut by the outer periphery of the wafer 2, but the diameter of the circular periphery of the wafer is known. In order to determine the position of the wafer and capture the wafer between the stops 8 as described above, the arm must be placed in the proper position.

In particular, it should be noted that the first beam 21 used within the range of the wafer alignment means is also used within the range of the position detection means to simplify the capture arm. Of course, two separate beams may be used as the alignment means and the position detection means, respectively.

On the other hand, the position detecting means includes a third beam (not shown) that interlocks with the first beam 21 or the second beam 24, the characteristic dimensions of the semiconductor wafer, such as the outer diameter of the wafer, and the like. If the first or second beam lies in front of the notch, which serves as a positioning mark, the semiconductor wafer can be positioned in the pedestal. To this end, the third beam combines with the case of the first or second beam not located in front of the notch to obtain the arc of the outer periphery of the wafer, and also the two points of the arc of the arc of the outer periphery of the wafer. Determine the location where the location can be detected. In fact, in the case of notches, generally a non-negligible length is inserted into the wafer, which can lead to significant error in positioning the wafer if the string dimensions are incorrectly measured. In the case of the third beam, the string value can be obtained by preventing at least two or more beams from coming in front of the notch. In addition, it can be implemented in a manner similar to the previous two beams.

The operation of the capture arm shown in Figures 2 to 4 is as follows. First, as previously described based on the figures of FIGS. 1A and 1B, an arm is inserted into a pedestal containing a semiconductor wafer requiring displacement. Thus, using the position detecting means as described above, the arm is moved under the wafer to move the position of the wafer above the arm and then adjust the position of the arm to fit the wafer between the driven rollers 8A and 8B. do. When the wafer is captured, the wafer is located at least on the first contact surface 16 in the shape of a truncated cone formed on the portion of the driven rollers 8A, 8B so that the roller portion of the second contact surface 18 is formed by gravity or on each driven roller. The vertex 19 should be exactly or exactly centered immediately after the angular shift by the roller. Thus, as indicated in FIG. 5, the wafer is placed on the stops 8A, 8B through the lower cylindrical edge 17. Subsequently, the angular motion of the wafer is performed using the driving roller 9 until the notch 3 detects the angular position to be placed at a predetermined position by operating the photosensitive battery and rotating the wafer. At the time of wafer rotation, the wafer is in a state spanning the first contact surface of the truncated cone formed in the portions of the driven rollers 8A and 8B. As previously described, the wafer is in the pedestal when the desired position is reached.

The capturing arm shown in FIG. 7 includes capturing means for fixing the outer circumferential portions of the plurality of semiconductor wafers 2, captured semiconductor wafer orientation means, etc., interlocked with the capturing means to align the positioning marks. . Here, the capturing means is insertable in the void space between the semiconductor wafers mounted on the pedestal (not shown), and includes a portion of the plurality of structures 7 joined by one rigid pedestal 30 as indicated in the figure. Doing. As described above with respect to the structure 7, each structure is equipped with a rotation drive roller of the wafer to be supported, three wafer support stops 8 and two beams 21 and 24. In the case of the arm shown in Fig. 7, each notch 3 serves to align by simultaneously capturing a number of wafers 2 located in the pedestal and then simultaneously aligning the wafers to be in position. Thus, the notches align while the wafer moves from one point to another.

Hereinafter, embodiments of various methods according to the present invention will be described. The first embodiment of the method according to the invention relates to a mechanical method for the displacement of one or more semiconductor wafers having a notch and located in a pedestal holding a plurality of semiconductor wafers, in particular the outer peripheral part of the semiconductor wafer being captured. It then consists of a series of steps, such as orienting the semiconductor wafer and bringing the corresponding notch in position. The method can be implemented by using the apparatus according to the present invention as described above, and in particular, it is possible to align the notches of the semiconductor wafer located in the pedestal without being removed from the pedestal.

A second embodiment of the method according to the invention is to move a semiconductor wafer from one point to another and then orientate the semiconductor wafer simultaneously, bringing the corresponding notch in position and aligning it. This method can be implemented by using a wafer transfer device as described above.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the manufacture of various electronic components, from substrates or wafers made of semiconductor raw materials such as silicon to integrated circuits. It can be applied to a method and apparatus for displacement of at least one semiconductor wafer located therein.

Claims (11)

At least one positioning mark (3) is provided, the displacement device of at least one semiconductor wafer (2) located on a pedestal comprising a plurality of housings stacked in a first space direction (Z) perpendicular to the plane of the wafer as, The displacement device comprises one capture arm and displacement means of the capture arm, The displacement means, A first section 121 for displacing the capture arm 1 in a first space direction Z, in order to capture the at least one semiconductor wafer by an outer peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer, A second section 122 which causes, by the first displacement of the capture arm, the capture arm to pass through the housing in a second spatial direction Y parallel to the face of the wafer, and Means for causing the capture arm 1 to displace in a third spatial direction X, The capture arm, Capturing means for capturing said at least one semiconductor wafer by said outer circumferential portion, each having at least three stops, each having rotational degrees of freedom and disposed around the diameter of the outer circumferential portion 4 of the at least one semiconductor wafer 2; Capture means comprising (8), and Orienting means comprising at least one semiconductor wafer cooperating with said capturing means for bringing said positioning mark into a predetermined position, said orientation means comprising a drive roller 9 for frictionally driving said at least one semiconductor wafer; And The capturing means (5) and the orienting means (6) are located on the rigid structure (7) of the arm. The method of claim 1, The capturing arm comprises capturing means for capturing a plurality of semiconductor wafers by an outer circumferential portion, and means for aligning the captured semiconductor wafer, which are interlocked with the capturing arm to align the respective positioning marks of the semiconductor wafer. Displacement device of a semiconductor wafer comprising a. The method of claim 1, And said drive roller (9) consists of one of said three stops (8) at least partially driveable. The method according to claim 1 or 3, The positioning mark is a notch 3 in the outer circumferential portion 4 of the at least one semiconductor wafer 2, the three stops 8 being adjacent to each other and free to rotate two driven rollers 8A, 8B), each of which includes a displacement device for a semiconductor wafer. The method of claim 4, wherein The driven roller 8 is adapted to support the at least one first contact surface 16 in the shape of a truncated cone in order to support the at least one semiconductor wafer 2 through the cylindrical edge 17 of the semiconductor wafer 2. Displacement device of a semiconductor wafer, characterized in that it comprises a respective. The method of claim 5, And the bus bar of the at least one truncated cone-shaped first contact surface forms an angle α between 5 ° and 45 ° with a vertical line with respect to the at least one semiconductor wafer (2). The method of claim 6, The driven roller 8 includes a second contact surface 18 in the shape of a truncated cone, and a vertex 19 of the second contact surface 18 is connected to the bottom side of the first contact surface 16 in the shape of a truncated cone. The bus bar of the second contact surface 18 is an angle perpendicular to the at least one semiconductor wafer 2 and forms an angle greater than the angle α of the bus bar of the truncated first contact surface. Displacement device of a semiconductor wafer. The method of claim 4, wherein The alignment means 6 includes a first beam 21 that can be cut when the notch 3 is not located in front of the first beam 21 and a cut that detects whether the first beam is cut. Displacement device of a semiconductor wafer comprising a detector (23). The method of claim 2, And position detecting means (21, 24) for detecting the position of the at least one semiconductor wafer when the at least one semiconductor wafer (2) is located in the pedestal. The method of claim 9, The position detecting means may include a second beam 24 that interlocks with the first beam 21 and the at least one semiconductor wafer 2 to fix the position of the at least one semiconductor wafer in the pedestal. Displacement device of a semiconductor wafer, characterized in that it comprises a characteristic dimension. The method of claim 10, The position detecting means (21, 24), when the first beam or the second beam is located in front of the notch (3), in order to fix the position of the at least one semiconductor wafer in the pedestal, And a third beam cooperating with the beam (21) or the second beam (24) and characteristic dimensions of said at least one semiconductor wafer (2).

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