KR20160055477A - Wafer carrier transfer apparartus in chemical mechanical polishing system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a transfer device for a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system. The transfer device for a CMP system includes: a guide rail which is arranged along a first path, a part of a moving path for a wafer carrier moving while holding a wafer to go through a polishing surface table where a chemical mechanical polishing process is performed; a fixed rail which is arranged along a second path, another part of the moving path; and a carrier holder which is installed to be movable along the fixed rail while an accommodation rail is installed to be movable with an axial direction component for the end of the accommodation rail and the end of the guide rail are selectively in contact with each other. While the end of the accommodation rail and the end of the guide rail are selectively in contact with each other, the wafer carrier moves between the accommodation rail and the guide rail, so even if additional pneumatic pressure is not supplied to the wafer carrier and the force of holding the wafer is not increased, the wafer held by the wafer carrier can pass through the bent point of a moving path from the first path to the second path. As a result, the device can transfer the wafer stably and reliability and improve transfer accuracy.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a wafer carrier transfer device for a chemical mechanical polishing system,

The present invention relates to a transfer device for a wafer carrier of a chemical mechanical polishing system, which comprises a chemical mechanical polishing system in which a chemical mechanical polishing process is carried out while a wafer is transported along a transfer path by a wafer carrier, And more particularly, to a transfer device for a wafer carrier of a chemical mechanical polishing system capable of removing an impact generated when a wafer is moved to a carrier holder that houses the carrier.

BACKGROUND ART In general, a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process is known as a standard process for polishing a surface of a substrate by relatively rotating between a substrate such as a wafer for manufacturing a semiconductor provided with a polishing layer and a polishing table.

A conventional chemical mechanical polishing system disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-12586 discloses a configuration in which a wafer carrier is installed in a rotatable carrier carrier to simultaneously polish a plurality of wafers on each polishing table, There is a problem that the efficiency of the process is deteriorated because the operation of returning the electric wires back to the original position is necessary.

In order to solve such a problem, according to Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1188579 proposed and proposed by the present applicant, as shown in FIG. 1, a wafer carrier (hereinafter referred to as a " wafer carrier " 120 and the wafer 55 is mounted on the polishing table 100 in a step-by-step manner. As a result, a plurality of polishing plates can be disposed in a narrow space without electric wiring twisting, thereby improving space efficiency and polishing efficiency.

1 to 3, the circulating movement path includes a first path 132 of two rows passing through a plurality of polishing platens 110 and a second path 132 extending between the two first paths 132 A third path 134 arranged in parallel with the first path 132 and a pair of second paths 131 and 133 arranged at both ends of the first path 132 and the third path 134 . Here, the first path 132 is defined by the guide rail 132R, the second paths 131 and 133 are defined by the fixed rails 131R and 133R, and the third path 134 is defined by the third guide Is determined by the rail 134R.

The carrier paths 135 and 136, which move in a state holding the wafer carrier 120, are arranged in the second paths 131 and 133, respectively, P3, P4, and P5 at which the carrier holder 135, 136 can be moved to the first path 132 or the third path 134, the wafer carrier 120 are connected to each other so that the paths 131-134 can pass through each other. That is, the wafer carrier 120 moves along the guide rail 132R and the third guide rail 134R independently in the first path 132 and the third path 134, It can not move along the fixed rails 131R and 133R and moves by the movement of the carrier holders 135 and 136 in a state where the carrier holders 135 and 136 are positioned.

At this time, the wafer carrier 120 is always more effective in controlling the movement of the wafer carrier 120 when it moves in the circulating path 120d, always in a certain direction. To this end, the carrier holders 135 and 136 are oriented in the same direction as the guide rail 132R and the third guide rail 134R defining the first path 132 and the third path 134, A pair of receiving rails 135R are provided. Therefore, the wafer carrier 120 is always kept constant in the direction toward the case where the direction in which the wafer carrier 120 is located on the receiving rail 135R is located on the guide rail 132R and the third guide rail 134R. Since the receiving rail 135R is formed at the same dimension and spacing as the guide rail 132R and the third guide rail 134R, the first path 132 and the third path 134 are separated from the second path 131 And 133 can be smoothly performed.

However, since the guide rails 132R and 134R of the first path 131 and the third path 134 and the fixed rail 131R of the second paths 131 and 133 form a bent area of about 90 degrees, The guide rails 132R and 132R of the first path 131 and the third path 134 of the carrier holder 135 moving along the second paths 131 and 133 as shown in FIG. The gap 13c must be present between the electrodes 134R and 134R. Thus, while the wafer carrier 120 is being supported by the rollers 127U, 127L, 127 between the guide rails 132R, 134R and the receiving rail 135R of the carrier holder 135, There is a problem that the impact of the step on the wafer carrier 120 acts on the wafer carrier 120.

Since the wafer carrier 120 grasps the wafer W while maintaining the air pressure retained in the wafer carrier 120 in a state in which power is not supplied from the outside, the wafer carrier 120 is received from the guide rails 132R and 134R There has been caused a problem that the gripping posture of the wafer W fluctuates or falls due to an impact generated while the wafer W is being transferred to the rail 135R.

Accordingly, it is possible to eliminate the impact generated during the movement from the guide rails 132R, 134R to the receiving rail 135R during the movement of the circulating path of the chemical mechanical polishing system, thereby realizing a stable and reliable movement of the wafer carrier 120 A necessity is urgently required.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a chemical mechanical polishing system in which a chemical mechanical polishing process is carried out while a wafer is carried along a movement path by a wafer carrier, And to remove an impact generated when the wafer is moved to the carrier holder.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for transferring a substrate in which a wafer carrier on which a substrate is mounted is not provided with a drive unit necessary for transferring the substrate, .

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a method of polishing a wafer carrier having a wafer held thereon, the wafer carrier being arranged along a first path corresponding to a part of the movement path through which the polishing platen is subjected to the chemical mechanical polishing process A guide rail; A fixed rail arranged along a second path corresponding to another part of the movement path; A carrier holder movably installed along the stationary rail and movably installed with the axial direction component so that an end of the receiving rail and an end of the guide rail selectively contact with each other; Wherein the wafer carrier moves between the receiving rail and the guide rail while the end of the receiving rail and the end of the guide rail selectively contact each other. Device.

This is because when the wafer carrier moves between the guide rails of the first path and the receiving rails of the carrier holder moving through the second path, the receiving rails move in the axial direction components and the end portions of the receiving rails and the end portions of the guide rails The wafer carrier moves in the contact state to move the wafer carrier between the guide rails and the receiving rails so that the wafer carrier can be transported without impact or fluctuation while keeping the wafer carrier quiet.

Thus, even if the force to grasp the wafer is not increased by supplying additional air pressure to the wafer carrier, the wafer gripped by the wafer carrier can pass through the folded region of the first path and the second path without impact, It is possible to achieve an effect that the transfer accuracy can be improved by transferring the transfer material stably and reliably.

At this time, the height of the upper surface of the receiving rail and the height of the upper surface of the guide rail are equal to each other, with the end of the receiving rail and the end of the guide rail selectively contacting each other. As a result, there is no clearance between the receiving rail and the guide rail, and no height difference is present at the same time, so that silent transfer in the deflected area becomes possible.

At least one of a convex portion and a concave portion to be engaged with each other is formed between the end of the guide rail and the end of the receiving rail to allow the wafer carrier to be in a rail connection state in a bent region passing from the first path to the second path To a more reliable and accurate position.

The movement method of the receiving rail can be driven in various forms, but it is preferable to move in the axial direction by the linear motor having high positional accuracy. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it may be configured to move by a driving means such as a lead screw or a cylinder, which is not shown in the drawing, by a rotary motor.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a polishing apparatus comprising: a guide rail arranged along a first path corresponding to a part of a movement path through which a wafer carrier moving in a state holding a wafer can pass through a polishing platen on which a chemical mechanical polishing process is performed; A fixed rail arranged along a second path corresponding to another part of the movement path; A carrier holder movably installed along the stationary rail, the carrier holder having the receiving rail movably installed with an axial component so that an end of the receiving rail and an end of the guide rail selectively contact with each other; A movable rail movably installed in an axial direction of at least one of the guide rail and the receiving rail so that the guide rail and the receiving rail can move in contact with each other; Wherein the wafer carrier moves between the receiving rail and the guide rail in a state in which the movable rail is selectively in contact with any one of the guide rail and the receiving rail. Thereby providing a transfer device.

That is, according to another embodiment of the present invention, instead of moving the receiving rail of the carrier holder having a size smaller than that of the guide rail, the moving rail further includes a movable rail capable of inserting or withdrawing the receiving rail of the guide rail or the carrier holder, The guide rails and the receiving rails can be continuously arranged by reciprocating movement of the movable rails.

Similarly, when the movable rail selectively contacts one of the end portion of the receiving rail and the end portion of the guide rail, the height of the upper surface of the movable rail and the height of the upper surface of the rail contacting the movable rail are the same desirable.

At least one of a convex portion and a concave portion which are engaged with each other is formed between the end of the guide rail and the end of the receiving rail so that the guide rail and the first receiving rail come into mutual contact with each other in a predetermined posture and position, The step on the upper surface of the rail can be surely removed.

The first path and the second path are not parallel but arranged in a bent area, and assist the movement of the wafer carrier by the movable rail in the area where the guide rail and the receiving rail are bent.

The present invention will be described in detail in Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1188579 filed by the applicant of the present application, as a part of the present invention.

As described above, according to the present invention, when a wafer carrier moves between a guide rail of a first path of a movable chemical mechanical polishing system and a receiving rail of a carrier holder moving on a second path, The wafer carrier moves in a state in which the end portion of the receiving rail and the end portion of the guide rail come into mutual contact with each other or the movable rail moves from the end portion of the receiving rail or the guide rail and come into mutual contact, Since the step along the gap between the guide rail and the receiving rail is eliminated while the carrier is moving in and out, an advantageous effect can be obtained in which the wafer carrier can be moved in a silent state without jolting or rocking.

That is, according to the present invention, even if the force for grasping the wafer is not increased by supplying additional pneumatic pressure to the wafer carrier, the wafer gripping the wafer carrier in the folding region of the movement path can impact So that it is possible to achieve stable and reliable transfer even in a broken area, thereby improving the accuracy of the transfer.

Further, in order to connect the guide rail and the receiving rail in mutual contact, either the convex portion or the concave portion which are mutually engaged with each other is formed on the contact surface, so that the wafer carrier passes from the first path to the second path It is possible to obtain an advantageous effect that the rail connection state in the bent region can always be constantly, reliably, and accurately adjusted in a step-free state.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a configuration of a transfer device of a conventional movable chemical mechanical polishing system;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of Fig. 1,
3 is an enlarged view of a portion 'A' in FIG. 2,
Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing the rail structure in the bent region of Fig. 1,
5 is a schematic plan view showing a configuration of a transfer device of a mobile chemical mechanical polishing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention,
Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing the rail structure in the bent region of Fig. 5,
7A is an enlarged view of a portion 'A' in FIG. 6,
FIG. 7B is an enlarged view of a portion 'A' in FIG. 6 according to another embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7A,
Figs. 9A and 9B are diagrams showing the action of the wafer carrier passing through the bent area, Fig.
10 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a bent region according to another embodiment of the present invention,
11A is a view showing the configuration of a movable chemical mechanical polishing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention in a bent region,
11B is an enlarged view of a portion 'C' in FIG. 11A,
Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line XII-XII in Fig. 10,
13A and 14B are plan views showing various bent regions to which the present invention can be applied.

Hereinafter, a chemical mechanical polishing system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the present invention.

As shown in the drawing, a chemical mechanical polishing system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of polishing platens 110 having a polishing pad mounted on an upper surface thereof and rotatably fixed to a frame 10, A wafer carrier 120 in which a substrate 55 is mounted on a lower portion so as to polish the mounted substrate 55 on the polishing platen 110 and a rotary union is installed inside the wafer carrier 120; Guide rails 132R and 134R and fixed rails 131R and 136R that move or grasp along the path 120d and a polishing table 110 where a chemical polishing process is performed when the substrate 55 is polished while rotating When the wafer carrier 120 moves along the movement path 120d and is positioned above the polishing platen 110, the wafer carrier 120 is docked to supply pneumatic pressure to the rotary union of the wafer carrier 120, (55) So as to transmit the power it consists of a docking unit 180.

The polishing table 110 is fixed to the frame 10 so as to be rotatable to polish the substrate 55 such as a wafer and a polishing pad for polishing the substrate 55 is attached to the uppermost layer. A backing layer of soft material is interposed. Although not shown in the drawing, the polishing table 110 is provided with a slurry supply portion for supplying slurry on the polishing pad and a conditioner for reforming the polishing pad.

Here, the polishing platens 110 are arranged on the first path 132 among the circulating paths 120d formed of paths arranged in a linear shape so as not to be continuous with each other. 5, in the first path 132, the wafer carrier 120 is operated to polish on the polishing platen 110 while moving the substrate 55 in only one direction (left direction). As described above, the polishing process of the substrate 55 is performed while uniformly moving the substrate 55 to be polished in only one direction, thereby improving the efficiency of the process.

The wafer carrier 120 is controlled to move along the path 120d while the various components 123-127 are fixed in the casing 122 and the plurality of wafer carriers 120 are moved independently of each other. For reference, the wafer carrier 120 is shown as a " tight vertical line " in FIG.

Since the wafer carrier 120 moves along the guide rails 132R, 133R, 134R, and 200R arranged in a straight line on both sides of the wafer carrier 120 in the process of moving along the circulation path 120d, The wafer carrier 120 is always maintained in a posture in which it is viewed in a constant direction so that rotational movement is not performed during movement and only translational movement is performed.

Each of the wafer carriers 120 includes a carrier head for gripping the substrate 55, a rotary union for pressing the substrate 55 in the direction of the surface of the substrate 55 while allowing the rotation of the substrate 55, A driven hollow rotary shaft to which the driven hollow rotary shaft 124 is transmitted, a power transmitting element including a shaft, gear, and the like for transmitting a rotary driving force transmitted to the driven hollow rotary shaft 124 and a rotary driving force transmitted by the power transmitting element, A guide roller 127 rotatably mounted on upper and lower sides of both sides of the wafer carrier 120 to receive the rails 132R, 134R, and 200R in the space therebetween, And a permanent magnet 128 in which an N pole permanent magnet 128N and an S pole permanent magnet 128S are alternately arranged on the upper surface so that the wafer carrier 120 moves on the principle that the wafer carrier 120 moves.

The permanent magnet strip 128 formed on the upper side of the case 122 of the wafer carrier 120 and spaced apart from the permanent magnet strip 128 are formed on the wafer carrier 120 so that the wafer carrier 120 can move along the first path 132 and the third path 134. [ By adjusting the intensity and direction of the current applied to the coil 90 fixed to the frame 10 from the external power source 88 by arranging the coil 90 in the direction of the paths 132 and 133, The interaction between the coil 90 fixed to the wafer carrier 10 and the permanent magnet strips 128S, 128N, 128 fixed to the wafer carrier 120 causes the wafer carrier 120 And is guided along the first path 132 and the third path 134 while being guided by the guide rails 132R and 134R. The permanent magnet strips (not shown) arranged on the upper side of the carrier holder 200 are spaced apart from the permanent magnet strips (not shown) so that the carrier holder 200 holding the wafer carrier 120 can move along the second paths 131, The coil 90 is arranged at the position of the coil 90 to adjust the intensity and direction of the current applied to the coil 90 so that the interaction between the coil 90 and the permanent magnet strip causes the carrier holder 200, Are guided along the second paths 131 and 133 while being guided by the fixed rails 131R and 133R.

Similarly, coils 90 are arranged on the carrier holder 200 so that the carriers can pass between the carrier holder 200 and the first path 132 and the third path 134, And may move to the outside of the carrier holder 200 or move into the carrier holder 200 by interaction with the permanent magnet strips 128 arranged on the upper side.

As described above, in moving along the predetermined path 120d toward the polishing platen to polish the substrate 55 mounted on the wafer carrier 120, a motor or a power supply (not shown) for moving the wafer carrier 120 88 arranged in the wafer carrier 120 while adjusting the intensity and direction of the current applied from the external power source 88 to the coils 90 provided outside the wafer carrier 120, The wafer carrier 120 can be moved along the path 120d through magnetic interaction with the pair of N pole permanent magnet strips 128N and S pole permanent magnet strips 128S.

In this way, since the wafer carrier 120 is not provided with the movement driving means inside the wafer carrier 120, the wafer carrier 120 becomes lighter and moves to a predetermined position on the polishing platen through easier positioning while consuming lower power. . In addition, if the wafer carrier 120 is provided with the movement driving means, it is necessary to supply power to the movement driving means, which causes a fatal problem in which the wafer carrier is twisted according to the movement of the wafer carrier. .

The circulating path 120d includes two rows of first paths 132 passing through a plurality of polishing platens 110 and two rows of first paths 132 arranged in parallel with the first path 132 A third path 134 and a pair of second paths 131 and 133 arranged at both ends of the first path 132 and the third path 134. Here, the first path 132 is defined by the guide rail 132R, the second paths 131 and 133 are defined by the fixed rails 131R and 133R, and the third path 134 is defined by the third guide Is determined by the rail 134R.

A segmental coil 90 is arranged on the upper side or the lower side along a movement path 120d on which the wafer carrier 120 moves. A permanent magnet 128 opposing the coil 90 is arranged on the wafer carrier 120, The N poles 128N and the S poles 128S are alternately arranged to move along the movement path 120d even if power is not separately supplied to the wafer carrier 120 by current control applied to the coils 90 .

Here, the respective paths 131-134 are arranged so as not to be connected to each other, but the carrier paths 200 for moving the wafer carriers 120 while holding the wafer carriers 120 are installed in the second paths 131 and 133, respectively Only when the carrier holder 200 has reached the position P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 where it can be moved to the first path 132 or the third path 134, The segmented paths 131-134 become connected to each other. That is, the wafer carrier 120 moves along the guide rail 132R and the third guide rail 134R independently in the first path 132 and the third path 134, The carrier holder 200 can not move along the fixed rails 131R and 133R and moves by the movement of the carrier holder 200 in a state where the carrier holder 200 is positioned.

To this end, the carrier holder 200 is provided with a guide rail 132R and a third guide rail 134R which face the same direction as the first path 132 and the third path 134, A pair of receiving rails 200R are provided. Therefore, the wafer carrier 120 is always kept constant in the direction toward the case where the direction in which the wafer carrier 120 is located on the receiving rail 200R is located on the guide rail 132R and the third guide rail 134R. Since the receiving rail 200R is formed at the same dimension and spacing as the guide rail 132R and the third guide rail 134R, the distance from the first path 132 and the third path 134 to the second path 131 And 133 can be smoothly performed.

6, the movable rail 200E may be provided on the receiving rail 200R of the carrier holder 200 so as to be movable along a direction in which the rail extends (axial direction). The movable rail 200E moves relative to the receiving rail 200R in the axial direction 200d by being inserted into or withdrawn from the receiving rail 200R to come into contact with the end of the guide rail 132R. Accordingly, the wafer carrier 120 can be smoothly moved between the guide rail 132R and the receiving rail 200R without the empty space 13c being formed therebetween by the empty space.

8, the upper surface S2 of the movable rail 200E is formed at the same height as the upper surface S1 of the receiving rail 200R so that the roller 127 is moved while the wafer carrier 120 is moving. The wafer carrier 120 can be moved between the guide rail 132R and the receiving rail 200R without a shock due to a height difference and in a quiet state without impact.

At this time, in order to move the movable rail 200E in the axial direction 200d with respect to the receiving rail 200R, as shown in Fig. 8, permanent magnets 220 of N pole and S pole are provided in the movable rail 200E, And a current is applied to the coil 210 provided at a position opposite to the permanent magnet 220 from the driving unit M1 so that the movable rail 200E is moved to the receiving rail 200R ) Or draws it out of the apparatus. In this way, the movable rail 200E can be configured to move to the receiving rail 200R with the linear motor principle, but according to another embodiment of the present invention, the movable rail 200E is configured to move by the lead screw or the pneumo-hydraulic cylinder using the rotary motor It is possible.

A convex portion 200p is formed at the end of the movable rail 200E to engage with the concave portion 132n formed at the end of the guide rail 132R. The concave portion 132n and the convex portion 200p are fitted to each other while the movable rail 200E is in contact with the guide rail 132R so that the positions and postures of the rails 200E and 132R are in a scheduled state It is possible to reliably prevent a height deviation step from being generated due to the occurrence of a greater amount of deflection compared to the other one of the movable rail 200E and the guide rail 132R. Here, the concave portion 132n and the convex portion 200p may be formed in a shape 200p '200n' as shown in FIG. 7b, and may include various shapes that can interlock with each other and make the height of each other constant. do.

10, the movable rail 200E is mounted on the receiving rail 200R of the carrier holder 200. However, according to another embodiment of the present invention, The movable rail 300E may be mounted on the guide rail 300R instead of the receiving rail 201R of the carrier holder 200 and movable rails 200E and 300E may be mounted on both the receiving rail 200R and the guide rail 300R of the carrier holder 200. [ ) May be mounted.

Although the configuration of the bending region Ec as the connecting portion of the first path 132 and the second path 131 is illustrated in the drawing, the present invention can be applied to the connection between the first path 132 and the second path 133 The same applies to the declination area Ec and the tortuosity area Ec which is the connection part between the three paths 134 and the second paths 131 and 133.

In the meantime, the transfer device of the chemical mechanical polishing system according to the present invention is provided with a first path 132 and a second path 131, 133 which are vertically arranged apart from each other at both ends of the third path 134, The wafer carrier 120 can be moved even in the bent region Ec where the direction changing portion of the circulating path 120d is formed as a sharp apex path by being selectively connected by the carrier holder 200 13A and 13B, the first path 132 ', 132 "and the third path 134 (see FIG. 13A) are arranged in a rectangular shape, a triangle shape, ', 134''and the second regions 231 and 232, 331 and 333 may be formed in various shapes including a curved region.

The operation of the first embodiment of the present invention constructed as above will be described in detail.

Step 1 : When the wafer carrier 120 moves along the guide rail 132R by the interaction of the permanent magnet 128 and the coil 90, as shown in Fig. 9A, The protrusion 200p of the movable rail 200E is engaged with the concave portion 132n of the guide rail 132R while the movable rail 200E is pulled out from the movable rail 200R to the receiving rail 200R and the guide rail 200R 132R are aligned and connected to each other. In this state, the wafer carrier 120 can move (120x) from the first guide roller 132R to the receiving rail 200R through the movable rail 200E without collision.

Step 2 : Then, when the movable rail E is retreated (200d2) to the receiving rail 200R and the movable rail E is separated from the guide rail 132R, the wafer carrier 120 When the carrier holder 200 moves to the receiving rail 200R of the carrier holder 200, the carrier holder 200 moves along the second path 131 along the fixed rail 131R.

According to the second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figs. 11A to 12, the receiving rail 301R of the carrier holder can be configured to move in the axial direction 301d directly. That is, as shown in Fig. 12, the permanent magnet 320 is alternately arranged in the receiving rail 301R with the S pole and the N pole, and the coil 310 is provided in the frame 299 around the receiving rail 301R, The rail 301R can be directly moved in the axial direction 301d.

The transfer apparatus of the movable chemical mechanical polishing system according to the present invention constructed as described above includes a guide rail 132R of the first path 132 or the third path 134 and a carrier holder 200 ) Of the first path and the third path while moving the wafer carrier 120 in the bending area Ec of the movement path 120d by controlling the movement of the wafer W in contact with the receiving rail 200R Since the step along the gap between the rails 132R and 134R and the receiving rail 200R of the carrier holder 200 is removed, the wafer carrier can be moved in a silent state without jolting or rocking, It is possible to securely and reliably transfer the wafer W from the wafer carrier 200 even when the wafer W is being transported by impact.

Further, in order to connect the guide rail 132R and the receiving rail 200R between mutually spaced paths in a mutually contacted state, any one of a convex portion and a concave portion that are mutually engaged with each other is formed, It is possible to reliably eliminate the height deviation of the upper surface in the state where the convex portion and the concave portion are in mutual engagement by determining the shapes of the convex portion and the concave portion so that there is no deviation in the image surface, It is possible to obtain an advantageous effect that the rail connection state at the constant speed Ec can always be constantly, reliably, and accurately adjusted in a step-free state.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention.

100: chemical mechanical polishing system 110: polishing plate
120: wafer carrier 120d: circulation path
132: first path 134: third path
131, 133: second path 132R, 134R: guide rail
131R: fixed rail 200: carrier holder
200R: receiving rail 200E: movable rail

Claims (10)

A guide rail arranged along a first path corresponding to a part of a movement path through which the wafer carrier moving while holding the wafer can pass through the polishing platen where the chemical mechanical polishing process is performed;
A fixed rail arranged along a second path corresponding to another part of the movement path;
A carrier holder movably installed along the stationary rail and movably installed with the axial direction component so that an end of the receiving rail and an end of the guide rail selectively contact with each other;
Wherein the wafer carrier moves between the receiving rail and the guide rail while the end of the receiving rail and the end of the guide rail selectively contact each other. Device.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the height of the upper surface of the receiving rail and the height of the upper surface of the guide rail are equal to each other in a state where the end of the receiving rail and the end of the guide rail selectively contact each other.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein at least one of a convex portion and a concave portion which are engaged with each other is formed between the end of the guide rail and the end of the receiving rail.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the receiving rail moves in the axial direction by at least one of a linear motor, a lead screw, and a cylinder.
A guide rail arranged along a first path corresponding to a part of a movement path through which the wafer carrier moving while holding the wafer can pass through the polishing platen where the chemical mechanical polishing process is performed;
A fixed rail arranged along a second path corresponding to another part of the movement path;
A carrier holder movably installed along the stationary rail, the carrier holder having the receiving rail movably installed with an axial component so that an end of the receiving rail and an end of the guide rail selectively contact with each other;
A movable rail movably installed in an axial direction of at least one of the guide rail and the receiving rail so that the guide rail and the receiving rail can move in contact with each other;
Wherein the wafer carrier moves between the receiving rail and the guide rail in a state in which the movable rail is selectively in contact with any one of the guide rail and the receiving rail. Conveying device.
6. The method of claim 5,
The height of the upper surface of the movable rail and the height of the upper surface of the rail in contact with the movable rail are equal to each other in a state in which the movable rail selectively contacts one of the end portion of the receiving rail and the end portion of the guide rail. The transfer device of the chemical mechanical polishing system.
6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein at least one of a convex portion and a concave portion which are engaged with each other is formed between the end of the guide rail and the end of the receiving rail.
6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the movable rail moves in the axial direction by at least one of a linear motor, a lead screw, and a cylinder.
9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Wherein the first path and the second path are arranged in a non-parallel, folded area.
9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Wherein the movement path is a circulating path, and the polishing surface is a plurality of polishing surfaces.

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