KR101352570B1 - Method for transferring substrates and facility for treating substrates - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of transferring a semiconductor substrate. The substrate processing method according to the present invention includes a substrate transfer apparatus having a plurality of hand portions, and the substrate transfer apparatus simultaneously transfers the substrates seated in the slots of the storage container accommodating the substrates, thereby improving the throughput of substrate transfer. In particular, the substrate transfer apparatus improves the throughput of substrate transfer by performing loading and unloading of the substrate even when the substrate is placed in fewer slots than the number of the hand portions.

Semiconductor, Substrate, Wafer, Transfer, Loading, Unloading, Robot Arm, Substrate Transfer Device

Description

Substrate transfer method and substrate processing equipment {METHOD FOR TRANSFERRING SUBSTRATES AND FACILITY FOR TREATING SUBSTRATES}

1 is a view showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus using a substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention.

2 and 3 are a perspective view and a front view showing an example of the substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG.

4 is a flowchart showing a substrate processing method according to the present invention.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of loading and unloading a substrate by the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention.

Description of the Related Art [0002]

10: process module

20: transfer module

26: substrate transfer device

30: storage container

100: base

210, 230: first transfer part

220, 240: second transfer unit

The present invention relates to a method for transferring a substrate, and more particularly, to a method for processing a method for transferring a semiconductor substrate.

The semiconductor manufacturing process is a process for producing a semiconductor integrated circuit chip by continuously or selectively performing deposition, etching, coating, ion implantation, development, exposure, and cleaning processes on a semiconductor substrate (hereinafter referred to as a "wafer"). . In the semiconductor manufacturing process, wafers are transferred between devices performing the above-described process. At this time, in order to protect the wafers from foreign substances or chemical contamination in the air, a plurality of wafers are accommodated and moved by a receiving member such as a cassette. In addition, as a semiconductor chip is manufactured by a complete automation system, an equipment front end module (EFEM), which serves as an interface of a wafer, serves as an interface between a process module and the receiving container. M ") is installed.

In the above-described EMPM, a substrate transfer device for transferring a wafer between the storage container and the process module is provided. As the substrate transfer device, a robot arm is usually used. Commonly used robotic arms have one arm. The arm has one hand portion on which a sheet of wafer is placed and a rod portion connected thereto to move the hand portion. In the above-described substrate transfer apparatus, the rod unit operates the hand unit during the process to sequentially move the sheets of wafers. However, the above-described substrate transfer apparatus transfers wafers one by one, so that the transfer time of the substrate is long between the storage container and the process module, thereby reducing the throughput of substrate transfer per unit time.

In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing method for improving the throughput of substrate transfer.

A substrate transfer method according to the present invention for achieving the above object uses a substrate transfer device having a plurality of hand portions for seating the substrate to load and load the substrate into / from a storage container having a plurality of slots in which the substrate is placed. The substrate transfer apparatus performs loading and unloading of the substrate even when the substrate is placed in fewer slots than the number of the hand portions.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the substrate transfer apparatus includes a first arm and a second arm each having two hand parts, wherein one of the first arm and the second arm performs loading of the substrate. And the other of the first arm and the second arm performs unloading of the substrate.
The present invention also provides a substrate processing facility. The substrate processing facility transfers a substrate between a load port, a process module, and a storage container placed on the load port, and a process module, in which a storage container having slots is placed so as to be stored at a predetermined distance from each other in a vertical direction. It includes a transfer module. The process module is provided with a standby member in which slots are formed so that the substrates are spaced apart by a predetermined distance from each other in a vertical direction, and the transfer module includes a substrate transfer device having a plurality of hand portions for seating the substrate and a wafer of the substrate transfer device. It includes a controller for controlling the transfer of. The controller loads or unloads the substrates placed in the slots when the substrates are placed in the slots less than the number of the hand portions when loading or unloading the substrates from the storage container or the waiting member. And a plurality of processing modes for simultaneously loading or unloading the substrates placed in the slots when the substrates are placed in the same number of slots as the number of the hand portions.
In one embodiment, the substrate transfer apparatus includes a base, a first arm portion and a second arm portion coupled to the base, and one or both of the first arm portion and the second arm portion have a plurality of hand portions. And the controller controls unloading of the substrate by the first arm and loading of the substrate by the second arm.
In another example, the substrate transfer apparatus includes a base, a first arm portion and a second arm portion coupled to the base, and one of the first arm portion and the second arm portion includes a plurality of the hand portions. The other is provided with only one hand part, and the controller controls the unloading of the substrate to be made by the first arm part and the loading of the substrate to be made by the second arm part.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiment of the present invention may be modified in various forms, the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by the embodiments described below. This example is provided to more fully explain the present invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the shape of the elements in the drawings are exaggerated to emphasize a more clear description. In addition, although the embodiment of the present invention has been described with an apparatus for transferring a semiconductor substrate as an example, the present invention is also applicable to an apparatus for transferring a glass substrate used for manufacturing a flat panel display.

(Example)

1 is a view showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus using a substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention, Figures 2 and 3 are a perspective view and a front view showing an example of the substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 1, a facility for treating substrate 1 has a process module 10 and a transfer module 20. In one example, the process module 10 is a module that performs a cleaning process. The process module 10 includes at least one process chamber (not shown) that continuously performs a series of processes such as chemical cleaning, cleaning, and drying processes. For example, the process chamber is a device for cleaning a substrate (hereinafter referred to as a "wafer") by a single sheet. The process chamber has a housing, a spin chuck, and a nozzle. The housing provides space for cleaning the wafer therein, and the spin chuck supports and rotates the wafer within the housing during the process. The nozzle cleans the wafer by spraying the cleaning liquid onto the wafer surface rotated by the spin chuck.

One side of the process module 10 is provided with a transfer module 20 for transferring a wafer between a container (hereinafter, referred to as a "container") 30 containing a wafer and the process module 10. According to one example, the transfer module 20 may be an equipment front end module that performs an interface function between the container 30 and the process module 10. The transfer module 20 has a frame 22, a load port 24, and an substrate for treating substrate 26. The frame 22 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The rear surface adjacent to the process module 10 is provided with an opening, which is a passage through which the wafer is transported between the frame 22 and the process module 10.

A load port 24 on which the storage container 30 is placed is installed at one side of the front face opposite to the rear surface of the frame 22. One or more load ports 24 may be installed. The containment vessel 30 may be a closed containment vessel 30 such as a front open unified pod (FOUP) to protect the wafer from foreign matter or chemical contamination in the air during transfer. The wafer is accommodated in the storage container 30 in a horizontal state, and slots (not shown) are formed in the storage container 30 so that the wafers are spaced apart by a predetermined distance from each other in the vertical direction. Receptacle 30 is loaded with load port 24 by a transfer system (not shown), such as an overhead transfer, overhead conveyor, or automatic guided vehicle (AGV or RGV). ) Is placed on. In the frame 22, an opener 28 for automatically opening and closing the door of the storage container 30 placed on the load port 24 may be installed. In the frame 22, a substrate transfer device 26 for transferring wafers from the storage container 30 to the process module 10 is located.

In addition, the process module 10 is provided with a waiting member (not shown). The waiting member is provided for waiting the wafers transferred from the storage container 30 before the above-described process is performed. The structure of the atmospheric member may be generally similar to that of the storage container 30. That is, the waiting member includes slots having the same structure as the slots of the storage container 30, and supports wafers stacked up and down in the slots. Therefore, the wafers transferred from the storage container 30 are accommodated in the slots of the waiting member to wait. In addition, the processed wafers are stored in the slots of the waiting member again.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the process module 10 performs a cleaning process as an example, but the process module 10 may perform various substrate processing processes. For example, according to another example of the present invention, the process module 10 is a module for performing a photolithography process, and in the process module 10, a unit that continuously performs a series of processes such as coating, developing, and exposure processes. (Not shown) may be provided. Optionally, the process module 10 may be a chamber that performs a single process such as an etching process or a deposition process.

Then, the structure of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus 26 which concerns on this invention is demonstrated in detail. 2 and 3, the substrate transfer apparatus 26 may include a base 100, a first arm member 230, a second arm member 240, It has a driving part (not shown), and a controller (not shown). The first arm part 230 and the second arm part 240 are respectively installed in the base 100. The first arm portion 230 is used to take out the wafer from the storage container 30, and the second arm portion 240 is used to store the wafer into the storage container 30. Hereinafter, the process of taking out the wafer from the storage container 230 is referred to as wafer unloading, and the process of storing the wafer into the storage container 30 is referred to as wafer loading. The first arm portion 230 and the second arm portion 240 are driven by a driver, and the controller controls the driving of the first and second arm parts 230, 240 of the driver.

The first arm portion 230 and the second arm portion 240 each have one arm 230a, 240a. Each arm 230a, 240a has a plurality of hand portions 232, a bracket 236 for fixing the hand portions 232, and a rod portion 234 connected to and moving the bracket 236. . Due to the above-described structure, the hand portions 232 provided to the respective arms 230a and 240a are moved at the same time. The hand parts 232 are arranged parallel to each other in the vertical direction. The vertical distance between the hand parts 232 is equal to the vertical distance between the wafers accommodated in the storage container 30.

2 and 3, the first arm portion 230 and the second arm portion 240 each have one arm provided with a plurality of hand portions 232. Optionally, only one of the first arm portion 230 and the second arm portion 240 has an arm provided with a plurality of hand portions 232, and the other has an arm provided with one hand portion 232. can do. In addition, each of the first arm part 230 and the second arm part 240 may optionally include a plurality of arms provided with a plurality of hand parts 232. In addition, in the present exemplary embodiment, the first arm part 230 and the second arm part 240 have two hand parts 232, but the first arm part 230 and the second arm part have been described as an example. 240 may include three or more hand portions 232.

 The controller controls the driver to adjust the movement of the first arm portion 230 and the second arm portion 240. In addition, the controller determines whether the wafer is seated in each of the slots of the storage container 30. Therefore, the controller determines the presence or absence of the wafers of the slots in the storage container 30 to control the wafer transfer of the substrate transfer device 26. The controller controls the driver to be performed by the first arm unit 230 during the loading process of the wafer and the unloading process of the wafer is performed by the second arm unit 240.

Here, when the same arm is used for wafer loading and wafer unloading, contaminants attached to the arm in the wafer unloading process before the process may be attached to the wafer in the wafer loading process after the process. Thus, according to this embodiment, a controller (not shown) controls the driver (not shown) such that wafer loading and wafer unloading are made by different arms from each other. Therefore, by separating the arm portion used for the wafer transfer before the process and the arm portion used for the wafer transfer after the process, it is possible to prevent wafer recontamination that may occur during the wafer loading process after the process.

Hereinafter, the process of the substrate processing equipment 1 having the above-described configuration will be described in detail. Here, the same reference numerals of the same components as the above-described components, and the detailed description of the components are omitted.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a substrate processing method according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of loading and unloading a substrate by the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, when the substrate treating process is started, the storage container 30 is seated in the load port 24 by the transfer system (not shown) (S110). When the storage container 30 is seated on the load port 24, the door (not shown) of the storage container 30 is opened by the switch 28, the substrate transfer device 26 is the storage container The wafer 30 is transferred to the process module 10 (S20). That is, the substrate transfer device 26 unloads the wafers placed in the slots of the storage container 30 and then loads the wafers into the slots of the atmospheric member (not shown) provided in the process module 10. The wafers loaded on the atmospheric member of the process module 10 are transferred to the process chamber to perform a wafer processing process (S30). The treatment step is a cleaning step in which foreign matter remaining on the wafer surface is removed. When the cleaning process is completed, the substrate transfer device 26 transfers the wafers on which the cleaning process is completed from the process module 10 to the storage container 30 (S40). That is, the substrate transfer device 26 unloads the wafers placed in the slots of the atmospheric member of the process module 10 and loads the wafers into the slots of the storage container 30. When all of the wafers on which the process has been performed are collected in the container 30, the container 30 is transferred from the load port 24 to the facility where the subsequent process is performed by the above-described transfer system (not shown) (S50). ).

In the process of performing the above-mentioned substrate processing process, the substrate transfer device 26 loads and unloads the substrate in the following manner. That is, referring to FIG. 5, when unloading of the substrate is started while the above-described steps S20 and S40 are performed, the controller of the substrate transfer device 26 is a slot provided in the storage container 30 or the waiting member. It is determined whether at least one substrate is placed in the field (S22). At this time, if one substrate is placed in the storage container 30 or the slot of the atmospheric member, the substrate transfer device 26 transfers the wafer in a single processing mode (S24). In the single processing mode, the substrate transfer device 26 in which the substrate transfer device 26 unloads one wafer W placed in the slot of the storage container 30 and then transfers it to a destination (a waiting member or a storage container). Preset process mode. On the contrary, if two wafers are placed in the storage container 30 or the slot of the atmospheric member (S26), the substrate transfer device 26 transfers the wafers in the multi-processing mode (S28). In the multi-processing mode, the first arm 230 of the substrate transfer device 26 unloads two wafers W placed in a slot of the storage container 30 and then transfers them to a destination (a waiting member or a storage container). This is a predetermined process mode of the substrate transfer device 26.

In the process where the first arm portion 230 of the substrate transfer device 26 described above unloads the wafer from the storage container 30 and the atmosphere member, the second arm portion 240 stores the wafer in the storage container 30 and the atmosphere. The member can be loaded with a wafer. That is, when the first arm portion 230 unloads the wafer from the slot of the storage container 30, the second arm portion 240 may load the wafer into another slot of the storage container 30. Alternatively, when the first arm portion 230 loads the wafer into the slot of the storage container 30, the second arm portion 240 may unload the wafer from another slot of the storage container 30.

As described above, in the substrate processing method according to the present invention, since a plurality of hand portions 232 are provided on the arm during the process, the entire wafer is unloaded in the storage container 30 or the entire wafer is transferred to the storage container 30. Shorten the time spent loading. In particular, in the substrate processing method according to the present invention, even when fewer wafers are seated in the slots to be unloaded, the wafer loading and unloading of the substrate transfer device 26 is performed. This shortens the time for transferring the wafer.

The foregoing detailed description is illustrative of the present invention. In addition, the foregoing description shows and describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments. That is, it is possible to make changes or modifications within the scope of the concept of the invention disclosed in this specification, the disclosure and the equivalents of the disclosure and / or the scope of the art or knowledge of the present invention. The above-described embodiments illustrate the best state for implementing the technical idea of the present invention, the use of other inventions such as the present invention in other state known in the art, and the specific fields of application and uses of the invention. Various changes required are also possible. Accordingly, the foregoing description of the invention is not intended to limit the invention to the precise embodiments disclosed. It is also to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover such other embodiments.

As described above, the substrate processing method according to the present invention can simultaneously transfer a plurality of substrates in the process to improve the throughput of substrate transfer. In particular, the present invention improves the throughput of substrate transfer by performing the transfer of the substrate even when the wafer is seated in fewer slots than the number of the hand portions of the substrate transfer apparatus.

Claims (5)

A substrate transfer apparatus having a plurality of hand portions for seating a substrate is used to load or unload the substrate to / from a storage container or a standby member having a plurality of slots in which the substrate is placed, wherein the substrate transfer apparatus includes the hand portion. Loading or unloading of the substrate is performed even if the substrate is placed in fewer slots, The substrate transfer apparatus includes a first arm and a second arm each having two hand parts, wherein one of the first arm and the second arm performs loading of the substrate, and the first arm and the And the other of the second arms performs unloading of the substrate. delete delete A load port in which storage containers in which slots are formed are placed so that the substrates are spaced apart from each other in a vertical direction by a distance; A process module; It includes a transfer module for transferring a substrate between the receiving container and the processing module placed in the load port, The process module is provided with a standby member in which slots are formed so that the substrates are spaced apart by a predetermined distance from each other in a vertical direction. The transfer module, A substrate transfer apparatus having a plurality of hand portions for mounting a substrate; A controller for controlling the transfer of the wafer of the substrate transfer device, The controller loads or unloads the substrates placed in the slots when the substrates are placed in the slots less than the number of the hand portions when loading or unloading the substrates from the storage container or the waiting member. And a plurality of processing modes for simultaneously loading or unloading the substrates placed in the slots when the substrates are placed in the same number of slots as the number of the hand portions, The substrate transfer device, Base, A first arm portion and a second arm portion coupled to the base, One or both of the first arm portion and the second arm portion includes a plurality of the hand portions, And the controller controls the unloading of the substrate to be made by the first arm portion and the loading of the substrate to be made by the second arm portion. A load port in which storage containers in which slots are formed are placed so that the substrates are spaced apart from each other in a vertical direction by a distance; A process module; It includes a transfer module for transferring a substrate between the receiving container and the processing module placed in the load port, The process module is provided with a standby member in which slots are formed so that the substrates are spaced apart by a predetermined distance from each other in a vertical direction. The transfer module, A substrate transfer apparatus having a plurality of hand portions for mounting a substrate; A controller for controlling the transfer of the wafer of the substrate transfer device, The controller loads or unloads the substrates placed in the slots when the substrates are placed in the slots less than the number of the hand portions when loading or unloading the substrates from the storage container or the waiting member. And a plurality of processing modes for simultaneously loading or unloading the substrates placed in the slots when the substrates are placed in the same number of slots as the number of the hand portions, The substrate transfer device, Base, A first arm portion and a second arm portion coupled to the base, One of the first arm portion and the second arm portion includes a plurality of the hand portions, and the other includes only one hand portion, And the controller controls the unloading of the substrate to be made by the first arm portion and the loading of the substrate to be made by the second arm portion.

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