TW202129815A - Wafer box transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

A wafer box transfer device includes a frame and a shifter. The frame is installed on a side of a front-end module and near an entrance of the front-end module for moving in a wafer box; the shifter has a rail, a shifting seat, and a driver; the rail is transversely disposed on the frame; the shifting seat is connected to the rail for placing the wafer box; and the shifting seat is driven by the driver to displace back and forth on the rail. The wafer box transfer device keeps the positions of setting the wafer box and putting the wafer box into the front-end module different to ensure that users will not be near the entrance where the wafer box enters into the front-end module. This arrangement has the effects of preventing accidents and shortening the distance of moving the wafer box by the front-end module.

Description

Wafer cassette transfer device

A wafer cassette transfer device, especially a transfer device used to transfer the wafer cassette to the front-end module (EFEM) of the equipment.

In the semiconductor manufacturing process, in order to improve yield and quality, wafers are processed in a clean room. However, with the advancement of higher integration of components, miniaturization of circuits, and larger wafers, In terms of technology and cost, it is difficult to keep the entire clean room in a clean state. Therefore, there are related companies that use Equipment Front End Module (EFEM) to connect the process equipment, only for the space around the wafer. The front-end module of this kind of equipment will be equipped with a load port (Load Port) on one side. After the user places the wafer cassette at the load port, the front-end module of the equipment uses the robotic arm to transfer the wafer cassette. Moved into the equipment front-end module, but the setting of this loading port has the following defects:

1. The loading port must be very close to the front-end module of the equipment to reduce the space occupation. However, when the user places the wafer cassette to the loading port, the placement is not easy due to the small space, and it is easy to cause crystals. The problem of the round box falling.

2. When the mechanical arm of the front-end module of the equipment moves the wafer cassette, if the user does not pay attention and approaches the loading port, it is prone to danger. In the light, it may cause harm to the wafer cassette, and in the worst case, it may cause personal injury.

Therefore, how to solve the above-mentioned problems and deficiencies of the loading port is the subject that the relevant industry urgently wants to research and develop.

The main purpose of the present invention is to use the cassette transfer device to make the placement of the wafer cassette different from the position where it enters the front-end module of the equipment, so as to ensure that the user will not approach the cassette at the entrance to the front-end module of the equipment. In order to avoid danger, the front-end module of the equipment can move the wafer cassette in a shorter distance.

The secondary purpose of the present invention is to utilize the difference between the two ends of the track of the cassette transfer device and the front-end module of the equipment to increase the space for the user to place the cassette, so that the user can place the cassette smoothly It will not increase the overall width of the equipment front-end module and the wafer cassette transfer device excessively.

To achieve the above objective, the wafer cassette transfer device of the present invention is provided with a rack and a shifter. The rack is arranged on the side of the equipment front-end module and is close to the entrance of the equipment front-end module for the wafer cassette to be moved into the equipment front-end module. The displacer has a rail, a displacement seat and a driver. The rail system is horizontally arranged on the frame, and its two ends are respectively formed with a feeding end and a discharging end. The discharging end is located at the entrance of the front-end module, and the displacement seat is connected to The track is also used for placing the wafer cassette, and the displacement seat is driven by the driver to move back and forth between the feeding end and the discharging end.

In the aforementioned wafer cassette transfer device, the distance between the discharge end of the rail of the shifter and the front-end module of the equipment is smaller than the distance between the inlet end and the front-end module of the equipment.

In the aforementioned wafer cassette transfer device, the rack is respectively provided with a photoelectric switch at the inlet end and the outlet end close to the rail.

Please refer to the first to fourth figures, it can be clearly seen from the figures that the present invention is provided with a frame 1 and a shifter 2:

The rack 1 is located on the side of the equipment front-end module 4. The rack 1 is provided with a first photoelectric switch 11 and a second photoelectric switch 12. The first photoelectric switch 11 is close to the equipment front-end module 4, and the second photoelectric switch 12 It is located on the other side of the first photoelectric switch 11 away from the equipment front-end module 4, and the first photoelectric switch 11 and the second photoelectric switch 12 are respectively located at both ends of the rack 1, and the first photoelectric switch 11 is close to the equipment front-end module 4 Entrance 41.

The shifter 2 has a rail 21, a shift base 22, and a driver 23. The rail 21 is transversely arranged on the rack 1, that is, the extension direction of the rail 21 is transverse to the direction in which the wafer cassette 3 enters the entrance 41 of the equipment front-end module 4 The two ends are respectively formed with a feeding end 211 and a discharging end 212. The discharging end 212 is located at the entrance 41 of the equipment front-end module 4, and the distance between the discharging end 212 and the equipment front-end module 4 is L1. It is less than the distance L2 between the feeding end 211 and the front-end module 4 of the equipment; and the displacement base 22 is connected to the rail 21 for placement of the wafer cassette 3, and the displacement base 22 is driven by the drive 23 at the feeding end 211 and the discharging end 212 to move back and forth.

Please refer to the second to fifth figures. It can be clearly seen from the figures that when the present invention is in use, the driver 23 will first move the displacement base 22 to the feeding end 211 of the rail 21, allowing the user to move the crystal The round box 3 is placed on the displacement seat 22, and the driver 23 drives the displacement seat 22 to move to the discharge end 212 of the rail 21, so that the robot arm (not shown in the figure) of the equipment front-end module 4 can transfer the wafer from the entrance 41 The cassette 3 is moved into the equipment front-end module 4, and after the wafer cassette 3 is moved into the equipment front-end module 4, the driver 23 drives the displacement base 22 to move to the feeding end 211 of the rail 21 again, waiting for the user to place the wafer cassette 3 in the displacement Block 22; Furthermore, the first photoelectric switch 11 and the second photoelectric switch 12 will continue to detect when the displacement block 22 is in operation to ensure the safety of the user and the wafer cassette 3.

Therefore, the present invention can solve the shortcomings and deficiencies of the conventional technology and can improve the efficiency. The key technology of the present invention is:

1. The rail 21 is horizontally arranged on the frame 1, and the drive 23 is used to drive the displacement seat 22 to move back and forth between the feeding end 211 and the discharging end 212, so that the user places the wafer cassette 3 away from the equipment front-end module 4 The entrance 41 to avoid danger to users.

2. Utilize the distance L1 between the discharge end 212 of the rail 21 and the equipment front-end module 4, which is smaller than the distance L2 between the feed end 211 and the equipment front-end module 4, so that the user has a larger space when placing the wafer cassette 3. To facilitate the user to place the wafer cassette 3 on the displacement seat 22, and the displacement seat 22 brings the wafer cassette 3 to the entrance 41 of the equipment front-end module 4, the wafer cassette 3 can be closer to the equipment front-end module 4. In order to reduce the displacement distance of the mechanical arm of the front-end module 4 of the equipment.

1: rack 11: The first photoelectric switch 12: The second photoelectric switch 2: Displacer 21: Orbit 211: Feeding End 212: discharge end 22: Displacement seat 23: drive 3: Wafer box 4: Equipment front-end module 41: Entrance L1, L2: spacing

The first figure is a schematic diagram of the appearance of the present invention and the device front-end module. The second figure is a schematic diagram of the appearance of the present invention. The third figure is a schematic diagram of the wafer cassette placed in the present invention. The fourth figure is a top view of the wafer cassette placed in the present invention. The fifth figure is a schematic diagram of the mobile wafer cassette of the present invention.

1: rack

11: The first photoelectric switch

12: The second photoelectric switch

2: Displacer

21: Orbit

211: Feeding End

212: discharge end

22: Displacement seat

23: drive

3: Wafer box

4: Equipment front-end module

Claims (3)

A wafer cassette transfer device, especially a transfer device used to transfer the wafer cassette to an equipment front-end module (EFEM), is provided with a rack and a shifter, and is characterized by: The rack is arranged on the side of the equipment front-end module, and is close to the entrance of the equipment front-end module for the wafer cassette to be moved into the equipment front-end module. The shifter has a track, a displacement seat and a driver. The ends are respectively formed with a feeding end and a discharging end. The discharging end is located at the entrance of the front-end module of the equipment, and the displacement seat is connected to the track for placement of the wafer cassette, and the displacement seat is driven by the drive at the feeding end Displacement back and forth with the discharge end. The wafer cassette transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the discharge end of the track of the shifter and the front-end module of the equipment is smaller than the distance between the inlet end and the front-end module of the equipment. The wafer cassette transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the rack is respectively provided with a photoelectric switch at the inlet end and the outlet end near the rail.

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