KR20030036377A - SMIF Loader for Automatic Opening and Closing, and/or Transfer of Material Storage Box at Semiconductor Manufacturing - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A standard mechanical interface(SMIF) standard mechanical interface loader for automatic opening and closing, and/or transfer of material storage box at a semiconductor fabrication process is provided to maximize efficiency of whole equipment and shorten an interval of production time by switching and returning the material storage receptacle precisely and rapidly and by transmitting the information on the condition of a material to higher equipment. CONSTITUTION: A vertical transfer structure including an electric motor, a belt and a pulley is attached to a main plate(101). A base(600) is vertically coupled to the main plate. A controller, a fan especially designed for forming a clean air current and a cover designed for the inflow of the clean air current are settled in a base vertically coupled to the main plate. A port plate(400) is fixedly attached to the vertical transfer structure of the main plate, capable of being attached to the base. A stage is fixedly attached to the base, capable of being attached to the vertical transfer structure of the main plate. A cassette loading apparatus loads a cassette into connection equipment through an opening(109) of the main plate, fixed into the horizontal transfer structure including the electric motor, the belt and the pulley such that the horizontal transfer structure is attached to a portion under the port plate.

Description

SMIF Loader for Automatic Opening and Closing, and / or Transfer of Material Storage Box at Semiconductor Manufacturing}

The loader device of the present invention is an automation equipment technology related to equipment for automatically conveying materials such as wafers or lattices in a semiconductor manufacturing process, and SMIF among standards recommended by SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International), which is one of the world's semiconductor associations. (Standard Mechanical Interface) Included in the equipment that makes up a system.

SMIF in the SEMI standard is about local cleanness.The pod, which is a sealed wafer storage container, and ME (mini-environment) which keeps only the local space clean to block particles, which are airborne contaminants, which may occur during wafer manufacturing process. It proposes a minimum common standard for devices for interfacing between pods and ME or process equipment. The present invention relates to a new and improved wafer, reticle or cassette loader device while accommodating this standard.

Among the components constituting the SMIF system, the pad, which is a sealed wafer storage container, which is the object of the loader device of the present invention, includes a cassette, a cover, and a bottom door. In general, 200mm wafers or reticles use pods in which the cassette is separated and the bottom is open.In the case of 300mm wafers, FOUP (Front Opening Unified POD) is used, which is integrated with the cassette. .

Although the present invention is based on the 200mm wafer or the pad for the reticle, the present invention can also be applied to the FOUP for 300mm wafer or the cassette for the glass substrate, and other sealed and open material storage containers.

The technical problem to be achieved through the sump loader device of the present invention is to automatically open and close the material storage container. The tasks involved in carrying out these technical tasks are: (1) all electrical and mechanical devices for searching and correcting the position, orientation, seating state, etc. when the pod is loaded into the port plate by an automatic conveying device or operator; Function, (2) all pod detection devices and functions that can automatically determine the type of material storage container, (3) all pod holding devices and functions that can suppress external influences in unlocking pods, ( 4) All opening and closing devices and functions for locking and releasing the latch keys used in the operation of the locking device for binding the pod door and the pod cover, and (5) all the pod doors and cassettes separated from the pod cover to be moved up and down. Vertical conveying device and function, (6) All retrieval device and function to search the material status inside the pod during vertical conveying, (7) Material handling robot with small Z-axis feed distance Indexed step-by-step vertical feeder and function for end-effectors, (8) for material handling robots and end-effectors with small X-axis travel after vertical and vertical transfer of poddoors and cassettes All stage feeders and functions, (9) all cassette transfer devices and functions for loading cassettes on the machine side, (10) one or more all protrusion detection devices to protect equipment and materials from material handling robots and obstacles, and Functions, (11) all seating arrangements and functions for rearranging the material detected by the protrusion detection device, and (12) control devices that control these functions and devices in the proper order and transmit the results to other adjacent equipment. And (13) inducing a flow of airflow to keep the interior of the loader device clean while the functions are being performed or in process standby. There are registered designed stationary exterior ME (Mini-environment) cover.

1 is a front perspective view of a normal state of the sump loader apparatus of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front perspective view of the pod open state by the stage descending of the present invention the sump loader device,

3 is a perspective view of the pod open state of the present invention the sump loader device;

4 is a main plate and stage coupling diagram of the sump loader apparatus of the present invention,

5 is a detailed view of the vertical conveying body of the present invention the sump loader device,

6 is a main plate and base coupling diagram of the sump loader device of the present invention,

7 is an exploded view of a stage of the sump loader apparatus of the present invention;

8 is a perspective view of the pod fixing device of the present invention the sump loader device,

9 is a perspective view of a cassette conveying apparatus and a port plate of the sump loader apparatus of the present invention;

10 is a rear view of the cassette feeder of the present invention the sump loader device,

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the cassette feeder back of the present invention the loader loader,

An embodiment of an automatic opening and closing of a material storage container of the present invention and a smudge loader device for conveyance is shown in Figs. 1 to 9 as a whole or for each part. This embodiment is configured using a 200 mm smif pod (SMIF POD), but as described above, the loader device includes an FPD (150 mm wafer and 200 mm wafer pod, an open cassette, a radicle pod, and an FPD (LCD). It is well known that it can also be used in glass substrate cassettes for manufacturing and other sealed or open material storage containers.

Fig. 1 shows a front perspective view of the loader device, and Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the stage 300 of the loader device transferred in the vertical direction. In the present exemplary embodiment, the cassette 491 is described with reference to a loader device having a device for transmitting the equipment side. However, in another embodiment, the fixed stage 300 and the port plate 400 capable of vertical transfer are configured. Sometimes. In addition, the wafer transfer robot having a short Z-axis movement or the stage 300 vertically transferred for the end effect may be configured to be able to stop the movement step by step or sequentially in each slot of the cassette 491.

Whatever the loader device is, the basic configuration module is almost the same, and through this, it is possible to maximize the recycling and material compatibility of the same design, thereby significantly reducing not only the cost of the facility but also the maintenance and repair cost.

As in the representative embodiment of the loader device shown in Figure 1, the loader device is a stage 300 on which the pot plate 400 and the pod door of the shelf structure on which the material storage container including the 200 mm smudge pod is placed. ), And the main plate 101 in the form of a frame structure for fixing or transporting them, and four parts of the base 600 including the controller 610.

The main plate 101 having the opening 109 for conveying the cassette 491 or conveying the material by the material conveying robot is the port plate 400 and the base in the present embodiment in which the stage 300 moves downward. 600 and the vertical carrier 200 is connected and fixed, the permeable protrusion detection sensors 114, 115, the reflection mirror 112 to detect other obstacles as shown in Figure 3 in the opening 109 It is attached to the side. This structure is shown in detail throughout FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5.

Figure 3 shows a rear perspective view of the loader device and the rear opening of the main plate 101, a small opening 116 for air flow inlet and a connection terminal 117 for communication with the power supply terminal and process equipment of the loader device of the present invention. ) Is attached.

4 and 5 show the detailed structure including the vertical vertical transfer assembly and the support structure attached to the main plate 101. Basically, the assembly has a pair of linear guide rails 207 and a block 205 attached to the main plate 101 on both left and right sides to ensure the load and precise movement of the object to be transferred. Vertical carrier fixing brackets 213 are assembled to the linear guide block 205 in a pair of left and right, respectively, and they are connected and fixed by the vertical carrier support shaft 204 with each other. In addition, a belt 214 for power transmission is connected to the block 205 on the left side, and the belt 214 circumscribes a pair of pulleys 210 at the top and the bottom, and the left linear guide block again in a long oval shape. 205. The pulley 210 is fixed to the main plate 101 by a pair of pulley fixing brackets 211, and a tension adjustment bracket for adjusting the tension of the belt 214 on the fixing bracket 211. 212) is connected. The inner side of the lower pulley 210 is connected to the electric motor 201 to receive power, and the pulley 210 pulls the belt 214 by the rotation of the electric motor 201 and is connected to the belt 214. Through the linear guide block 205, the vertical carrier fixing bracket 213, and the support shaft 204, the port plate 400 or the stage 300 integrally assembled may be vertically vertically transported.

In addition, the upper and lower ends of the linear guide rail 207 fixed to the right side of the main plate 101 for the accurate movement and safety of the vertical conveying member 200, the forward limit sensor 209, the reverse limit sensor 202 and A collision buffer guide 208 is attached, and the forward and reverse sensor plates 203 and 206 for detecting the position sensors are fixed to the right vertical carrier fixing bracket 213.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the main plate 101 and the vertical transport assembly module have a rear pulley module cover 118 to prevent passage of particles, which are fine pollutants in the air, and to secure a passage for maintaining a flow of airflow. ), A front pulley module cover 122, a rear linear guide module cover 113, and a pair of linear guide module covers 110 are attached. The covers are connected to the pair of exhaust fans 121 mounted on the base 600 while being kept in a closed state and configured to continuously maintain the flow of airflow.

The base 600 shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 is connected to the above-described main plate 101 to support the loader device. When the stage 300 is moved downward as in this embodiment, the port plate support 509 is connected to the port plate 400 on the base 600 to structurally stabilize the port plate 400 without vibration. As shown in FIG. 1, a controller fixing plate 611 and a power supply 612 including an controller board 613 for controlling various devices in an appropriate order and transmitting the related contents to the process equipment, and an external communication connection terminal. And a front panel 620 to which various switches are attached, a central exhaust fan 120 for maintaining a clean state in a ME (mini-environment) space formed of an exterior cover, and a base 600 and a main plate 101. A base connection reinforcement bracket 119 is attached to connect and reinforce the structural support base. In addition, the bottom surface of the base 600 is attached with a screw groove and a horizontal adjustment function for the connection and fixing with the process equipment.

The pod 490 is mounted on the port plate 400 of the loader device by an automatic transfer device or an operator including an automated guided vehicle (AGV). As shown in Figures 1 and 7, there are eight pod guiding pins 402 on the port plate cover 401 to provide the correct position and orientation when loading the pod 490, as shown in the SEMI standard. Three registration pins 301 which can identify the direction are attached to the top of the 300.

7 shows an exploded view of the stage 300, the stage 300 has a top plate 321 to which the exterior cover 320 and the registration pin 301 are attached to protect the surface, and the stage horizontally. It consists of a bottom frame to which the direction conveying body 200 is attached. In addition to the registration pins 301, the top plate 321 has three pod position detection sensors 302 which can detect that the pod 490 has not been normally placed by the mechanical devices when the pod 490 is misplaced. ) And the pod presence confirmation sensor 319 is attached. In addition, the lower frame 322 has an electric motor 303 for driving the latch key 310 to couple or detach the pod cover and the pod door, and in particular, a material conveying robot having a short X-axis feeding distance and an end effector (End-). A horizontal forward and backward conveying member 326 composed of a belt 324 and a pulley 323 for an effector is incorporated.

The pod door and the cassette 491 separated from the pod cover by the latch key 310 of the stage 300 are connected to the vertical conveying body 200 which moves up and down as in the embodiment of FIG. 491) is lowered to a specific position enough to load or to every slot position for a material transport robot with a short Z-axis travel. At this time, the search apparatus 470 for searching the state of the material attached to the bottom center of the port plate 400 searches for the presence or absence of the wafer in the cassette 491 and makes an index.

Among the loader device components of the present invention, an open pod detection device 480 is additionally attached to the upper side of the port plate 400 to automatically determine the type of material storage container. This is illustrated in a perspective view of the inner surface of the port plate 400 for the purpose of describing the pod holding device 403 of FIG. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the pod fixing device 403 is attached to suppress the external influence in releasing the pod. The pod fixing device 403 shown in detail in FIG. 8 is positioned symmetrically to the left and right of the port plate 400, and includes a pod fixing plate 404, an electric motor 405, and an upper fixing bracket 406 for fixing or releasing the pod. , A lower fixing bracket 407, and a buffer spring 408. The pod fixing plate 404 is directly connected to the electric motor 405 firmly fixed to the fixing brackets 406 and 407 to fix or release the pod cover according to the rotation of the electric motor 405, and the impact on the pod fixing plate 404 is excessive. A buffer spring 408 is inserted between the upper bracket 406 and the lower bracket 407 to prevent this from being applied. The pod cover may be firmly fixed while being safely and gently handled by the buffer spring 408 when the loader is operated.

The pod cover separated from the pod door by the latch key 310 of the stage 300 has a vertical conveying body 200 in which the port plate 400 moves up and down in the case of an embodiment different from the embodiment of FIG. 2. It is connected to the ascending position to a specific position to load the cassette 491. At the same time, the search apparatus 470 for searching the state of the material attached to the bottom center of the port plate 400 searches for the presence or absence of the wafer in the cassette 491 and makes an index.

In addition, during vertical vertical transfer of the port plate 400 or the stage 300, the wafer inside the cassette 491 is not located at the center of the cassette 491 and is damaged in the direction of the opening 109 of the main plate 101. Whether or not there is a risk of check through the protrusion detection device attached to the lower portion of the port plate 400, the material detected by the protrusion detection device is crossed with the wafer detection device 470 at the bottom center of the port plate 400 It may be rearranged to the protruding wafer repositioning device 460 located.

9, 10 and 11 show an embodiment and detailed configuration of a cassette transfer device 410 that can be mounted on the bottom of the port plate. The cassette transfer device 410 for loading the cassette 491 to the equipment side through the opening 109 of the main plate 101 after opening the pod as necessary is settled in the cassette 491 as shown in FIG. A gripper 420 including a sensor 421 for detecting a state is attached to the gripper horizontal transfer support 411 through a linear guide block 433 and a linear guide rail 431 for gripper transfer, and the gripper 420. It is connected to the gripper 420 through the power transmission connecting plate 432 of the cam and link structure for transmitting power to the motor 434 in the center of the horizontal transport support 411 for the operation of. When the gripper 420 contracts or expands due to the rotation of the gripping motor 434, a pair of forward and reverse sensors 435 and a sensor plate 422 are horizontal to check the correct position. It is attached to the left side of the transfer support 411.

After the gripper 420 picks up the cassette 491, the stage 300 is further lowered by a specific distance to secure a space appropriately for transporting the cassette 491 to the equipment side. The transfer assembly for transferring the cassette 491 to the process equipment side has a pair of right and left linear guides for transferring cassettes attached to the left and right pair of cassette transfer assembly fixing brackets 454 fixed to the bottom surface of the port plate 400. The gripper horizontal transfer support 411 is connected to the rail 455 and the block 451. The power for transferring the horizontal transfer support 411 in the direction of the process equipment is a motor 440 attached to the end of the right cassette transfer assembly fixing bracket 454 and a pulley fixed to the outside of the right fixing bracket 454. 450 and belt 453.

The cassette transfer device 410 should have a sufficient transfer distance to completely transfer the cassette 491 to the process equipment through the opening 109 of the main plate, and after the transfer is completed, the cassette transfer robot of the process equipment Alternatively, the wafer transfer robot transfers the cassette unit or the wafer sheet unit. At this time, the cassette conveying apparatus including the gripper 420 is in a standby state until the conveyance is completed.

While performing the above functions or in the process standby state, the interior of the loader device should be kept clean, which includes an exhaust fan 120 that can cause the flow of air in the base 600 to sufficiently flow the air flow. Achievement is achieved through an exterior cover designed to maintain and block external contaminant ingress.

The sump loader device of the present invention automatically and quickly opens and closes the storage container quickly and accurately in a semiconductor manufacturing process using a sealed or opened material storage container as described above, and transfers information related to the state of the material to the upper device. By transferring, the efficiency of the whole plant can be maximized and production time can be reduced to increase the yield.

In addition, induction of a constant flow of air to form a space in which the outer cover surrounding the port plate 400 and the stage 300 is expanded and maintains a clean state when in the air or in operation, with or without a storage container. Therefore, it is expected to minimize the error caused by the particles of the wafer or the lattice by suppressing or eliminating generation of particles that are pollutants in the atmosphere.

Claims (9)

In the material storage container automatic opening or closing loader device, A main plate with a vertical transfer structure including an electric motor, a belt and a pulley, A base coupled vertically to the main plate and having a control panel and a fan specially designed for forming a clean airflow, and a cover designed for inflow of clean airflow; And A port plate attached to the vertical transport structure of the main plate and fixedly attached to the base; A stage fixedly attached to the base and attachable to the vertical transport structure of the main plate; And And a cassette loading device fixed to a horizontal transport structure including a motor, a belt, and a pulley attached to the bottom of the port plate to load the cassette into the connection equipment through the opening of the main plate. Automatic loading and closing of material storage container, sum loader device. The method of claim 1, A device for retrieving and correcting a position, a direction, a seating state, etc. when the material storage container including the pod is loaded on the port plate by an automatic conveying device or an operator; And A rotary latch key device which separates or couples a cover and a door of a storage container to an upper portion of the stage; And Characterized by the horizontal forward and backward transfer device consisting of a belt and pulley for the end-effector and the material conveying robot having a small X-axis feed distance after the vertical vertical transfer of the pod door and cassette at the bottom of the stage Automatic loading and closing of material storage container, sum loader device. The method of claim 1, wherein the port plate on the top A sensing device capable of automatically determining whether the material storage container including the pod is hermetic or open; When the cover and the door of the storage container is separated, the external influence can be suppressed, and a storage device for automatically opening and closing the material storage container, characterized in that it includes a fixing device for maintaining a closed space during the opening operation of the storage container. Preloader device. According to claim 3, wherein the port plate lower inner surface A retrieval device for mapping or retrieving the state of materials during vertical movement of the vertical conveying body; And A sensing device for inspecting whether an external obstacle or material protrudes from the storage container; And Automatic loading and closing material storage container, characterized in that it comprises a seating device for rearranging the abnormal position material detected by the detection device. According to claim 3, Under the port plate Automatic opening and closing material storage container, characterized in that the loading device for loading the cassette into the process equipment after opening the storage container, the smipper loader for transport. According to claim 1, wherein the main plate front A vertical direction transfer device for transferring the door and the cassette separated from the storage container cover up and down through a belt and a pulley connected to an electric motor; And A double exterior cover designed to be detachable to protect the main plate and to be easily detachable in case of damage; And Storage container automatic opening and closing, transport loader sump loader device characterized in that the inner cover is attached to both sides designed to discharge the air pollutants that can occur during the start-up of the transfer device through the clean air flow inlet. According to claim 6, Inside the main plate Fixing the motor, the belt, the pulley of the vertical transfer device, Openings were formed for withdrawing cassettes or robots for material transfer; A material storage container automatic opening and closing, transport loader sump loader device characterized in that it comprises a device for reducing obstacles such as the material transfer robot in the opening. The method of claim 1, Coupled vertically with the main plate, A calibration structure of the pot plate or / or stage is attachable; Specially designed fan for forming control panel and clean airflow, and base for seating cover designed for inflow of clean airflow. The method of claim 1, Vertically coupled to the bottom of the front of the port plate, Automatic opening and closing of a material storage container characterized by a fixed exterior ME cover designed to induce a flow of air to maintain the interior of the loader device in a clean state while the process is in progress or in the process standby state, with or without the material storage container. , Smipper loader for conveying.