TWI645247B - Transmission box and transmission method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a transport box for carrying a accommodating box, wherein the transport box is provided with a connecting rod, the accommodating box can be firmly fixed in the transport box, and the overhead type disposed above the transport box can be reused The lift handling system is used to automate the transport of the transport boxes.

Description

Transfer box and transfer method using same

The present invention relates to a transport case, and more particularly to a transport case for carrying a reticle.

In the semiconductor industry, Lithography is one of the important processes. The principle is to make the preset pattern into a corresponding mask, and then use the exposure principle to project the light source through the mask to the twin. The preset pattern is developed by exposure on a circle. With the development and innovation of semiconductor technology, it is constantly becoming more and more developed. Therefore, any dust particles attached to the reticle will cause deterioration of the quality of the projection image. Therefore, the reticle must be kept clean and free of contamination at all times. Generally, the relevant preparation procedures are operated in a clean room environment.

However, generally, when the reticle is stored, the reticle is placed in a mask box having a gas-tight function to prevent the reticle from being contaminated by dust particles, and when the hood is carried, it is usually carried by a human hand. Transfer to the next stage of the process, but because of the current semiconductor manufacturing process, because the wafer size has reached more than 12 ,, the size and weight of the reticle also increase with the size of the wafer, if traditionally carried by manpower, may There is a risk of falling, causing safety concerns for the transporter or loss of cost due to damage to the reticle.

Therefore, the automated transfer transport system is often integrated by the fab's computer, and the robotic arm is used to transport the photomask case to solve the problem caused by manually carrying the photomask case.

The Republic of China Patent No. I579215 provides a vertical fixing mechanism transfer box that can be automatically coupled with an automated transport system for automatically transporting a reticle housing comprising a primary carrier base and an elastic member for carrying the reticle housing The elastic member can be changed between a fixed state or an open state to fix or remove the photomask case from the carrier base. However, in the transport box disclosed in the previous case, the elastic member in the transport box needs to be manually adjusted by the staff to change its fixed state or the open state, and the artificial operation is easily lost when manually adjusting the elastic member, and the mask case is added. The risk of damage to the inner reticle.

In order to solve the above problems, a novel transfer box is urgently needed to safely transport the reticle box, so that the transportation process is safe and rapid, and the error of human operation is greatly reduced, thereby reducing the installation and maintenance cost of the clean room, and ensuring the reticle. Cleanliness, high production yields for effective plant management.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a transport case for carrying a photomask case, wherein the transfer case is provided with a connecting rod, and the photomask case can be firmly fixed in the transfer case, and can be reused and configured. The overhead lift handling system above the conveyor box, in conjunction with an automated transport conveyor system, mechanically transports the transport boxes.

The transfer box disclosed in the present invention is used for carrying a receiving box, the transfer box comprises: a front open box body having an opening, a top portion, a bottom portion opposite to the top portion, a right side portion, a left side portion, a rear side portion opposite to the opening, and an inner space formed by the top portion, the bottom portion, the right side portion, the left side portion, and the rear side portion; a door body for closing the opening; a bearing base And disposed in the inner space for carrying the receiving box; at least one connecting rod is disposed in the inner space; and at least one sensing unit is disposed on the top, the bottom, the right side, the left side, And at least one of the rear sides. Wherein, when the door body closes the opening, the door system abuts the connecting rod, so that the connecting rod provides a lower pressure on the receiving box to abut the receiving box; the sensing unit detects the Whether a receiving box is placed in the transport box.

In an embodiment, the connecting rod includes: a first cantilever having a pivoting end pivotally connected to the carrying base or the front open box; a second cantilever, and the first a cantilever is connected and is at an angle with the first cantilever; an elastic member has a first end and a second end, the first end is disposed on the front open box, and the second end is disposed On the second cantilever; an abutting end is disposed on the first cantilever or the second cantilever adjacent to one end of the opening; and a lower pressing end is disposed on the second cantilever from one end of the opening; wherein When the door body closes the opening, the door system abuts and pushes the abutting end, so that the first cantilever and the second cantilever rotate toward the inside of the front opening box with the pivoting end as an axis, and the The lower pressing end is provided with the lower pressure from the upper portion of the receiving box to abut the receiving box.

The angle between the first cantilever and the second cantilever and the length thereof can be designed according to the size and size of the accommodating case, so as to effectively resist the accommodating case when the door body is closed, for example, the first cantilever The angle between the second cantilevers can be an angle less than 180 degrees.

In a preferred embodiment, the lower pressing end further includes a software for providing a buffering function when the receiving box is received.

In the present invention, the location of the sensing unit and the type of the sensing unit are not particularly limited as long as the receiving box can be sensed, and in a preferred embodiment, The sensing unit can be disposed at a rear side of the front open box, and the sensing unit is an optical sensing unit.

In a preferred embodiment, the number of the connecting rods is two, and the first ends of the elastic members are respectively disposed on the right side portion and the left side portion of the front open type box.

In a preferred embodiment, the connecting rod is disposed on two sides of the carrying base, and the second end of the elastic member is disposed on the second cantilever. When the door closes the opening, the connecting When the rod is rotated toward the inside of the front open box by the pivotal end of the first cantilever, the elastic member is stretched, and the lower pressing end provides the downward pressure on the receiving box from above; When the door body is removed, the elastic member contracts to lift the link, and the lower pressing end leaves the receiving box.

In a preferred embodiment, the transport box may further include a shock absorber disposed between the bottom and the support base.

In a preferred embodiment, the transport box may further include an overhead head transfer system (hereinafter referred to as an OHT connector) disposed above the front open box.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a method of transporting a accommodating case, which is characterized in that the transfer case according to claim 1 is used, the method comprising: placing the accommodating case on the carrying base of the transfer case Closing the door to close the opening of the receiving box, when the door closes the opening, the door system abuts the connecting rod, so that the connecting rod provides a lower pressure on the receiving box to resist The receiving box; and moving the transfer box using an automated transport transport system.

In a preferred embodiment, the transport box further includes an overhead lift handling system connector (OHT) disposed above the front open box, wherein the step of moving the transport box using an automated transport transport system is The method includes: grasping the OHT connector with a robot arm to move the transport box.

The transport box provided by the invention can carry the accommodating box with the reticle and cooperate with the existing automated transport transport system in the fab to transport the accommodating box, avoiding the disadvantages of manual handling and improving the production yield. And is conducive to factory management.

The above-described embodiments are only used to exemplify the embodiments of the present invention, and to explain the technical features of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present creation. Any change or equivalence that can be easily accomplished by those skilled in the art is within the scope of this creation. The scope of protection of this creation shall be subject to the scope of the patent application.

The embodiments of the present invention are described below by way of specific embodiments, and those skilled in the art can readily appreciate other advantages and effects of the present invention from the disclosure herein. It should be noted that the following drawings are simplified schematic diagrams. The number, shape and size of components in the drawings can be changed arbitrarily according to actual implementation conditions, and the component layout state can be more complicated. The present invention can also be implemented or applied by various other specific embodiments. The details of the present specification can also be modified and changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

First, please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, which are schematic views of the transport box 1000 of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the transport box 1000 accommodating the accommodating box 100, and FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the transport box 1000. . As shown, the transport box 1000 mainly includes a front open box 1, a door body 2, a load base 3, two links 4, a sensing unit 5, and a shock absorber 6.

Wherein, the front open box 1 has an opening 11, a top portion 12, a bottom portion 13 opposite to the top portion 12, a right side portion 14, a left side portion 15, a rear side portion 16 opposite the opening 11, and An inner space 17 formed by the top portion 12, the bottom portion 13, the right side portion 14, the left side portion 15, and the rear side portion 16 is formed. The door body 2 is used to close the opening 11.

The carrier base 3 is U-shaped as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, and is disposed in the internal space 17 for the receiving box 100 to be carried thereon. Two connecting rods 4 are respectively disposed on two sides of the carrying base 3, and the connecting rods 4 each include a first cantilever 41 and a second cantilever 42. In this embodiment, the first cantilever 41 and the second cantilever 42 are at a 90 degree angle, and the first cantilever 41 has a first pivoting end 411 pivotally connected to the carrier base 3, and the first One end of the second cantilever 42 adjacent to the opening 11 is an abutting end 421, and one end away from the opening 11 is a lower pressing end 422. When the door body 2 closes the opening 11, the door body 2 abuts against the abutting end 421, and the lower pressing end 422 provides a lower pressure on the receiving box 100 to fix the receiving box 100. The position is prevented from being displaced when the receiving box 100 is stored in the transport box 1000. In addition, the connecting rods 4 further comprise an elastic member 43 each having a first end 431 and a second end 432, and the first end 431 of one of the elastic members 43 The first end 431 is fixed to the front side of the front open box, and the second end 432 is disposed on the second cantilever 42. The first end 431 of the other elastic member 43 is fixed to the front open box. The second end 432 of the right side of the 1 is also disposed on the second cantilever 42.

In detail, as shown in FIG. 3, when no receiving box 100 has been placed in the transport box 1000, and the door body 2 has not closed the front open box 1, the link 4 is in an initial state. The abutting end 421 of the connecting rod 4 protrudes from the front opening type casing 1 , and at this time, the elastic member 43 has not been stretched; and when a receiving box 100 is placed on the carrying base 3 and the door body is closed At 2 o'clock, the door body 2 abuts against the abutting end 421 of the connecting rod 4 on both sides and pushes the connecting rod 4. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the connecting rod 4 is the first pivot thereof. The connecting end 411 rotates in the direction of the inside of the front opening type casing 1 so that the pressing end 422 abuts against the receiving box 100 and provides a downward pressure on the receiving box 100, thereby fixing the receiving position. Box 100. At this time, when the connecting rod 4 rotates toward the inside of the front opening type casing 1, the elastic member 43 is stretched; and when the receiving box 100 in the conveying box 1000 is to be removed, the The door body 2 is removed. When the door body 2 is removed, the elastic member 43 is contracted to restore the connecting rod 4 to its initial position, and when the lower pressing end 422 is away from the receiving box 100, The receiving box 100 accommodated in the transport box 1000 is moved.

Furthermore, the sensing unit 5 is disposed on the rear side portion 16 of the front opening box 1 and is an optical sensing unit, as long as a mirror is used to sense whether the internal space 17 is placed. The box 100 is housed.

In addition, the shock absorber 6 is disposed between the bottom portion 13 and the carrying base 3, and the shock absorber 6 prevents the vibration of the receiving box 100 from being damaged when the transport box 1000 is moved, and is damaged and placed in the receiving box. The mask inside 100.

In addition, the transport box of the present invention further includes an overhead lifting transport system connector 7 disposed above the front open box 1. Referring to FIG. 1, the OHT connector 7 has a rectangular shape and has a convex edge at the periphery. One of the plates. In a fab of more than 12 ,, the wafer is mainly carried by the wafer carrier, but the wafer carrier carrying the wafer has a certain weight, which can be easily handled by non-workers, so on the wafer handling Often through the automated transmission system, the robot arm is used to grab the protruding edge of the OHT connector and transport the wafer carrier to the machine. In the present invention, the OHT connector 7 disposed above the front open box 1 has the same function and can be grasped by the corresponding robot arm. Further, in the present invention, the size and shape of the OHT connector 7 are not particularly limited, and only need to conform to the shape grasped by the robot arm. The method for arranging the OHT connector 7 above the front opening case 1 is not particularly limited, and may be screwed or fixed by a click.

The transport box provided by the invention can carry the accommodating box with the reticle and cooperate with the existing automated transport transport system in the fab to transport the accommodating box, avoiding the disadvantages of manual handling and improving the production yield. And conducive factory management.

The above-described embodiments are only used to exemplify the embodiments of the present invention, and to explain the technical features of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present creation. Any change or equivalence that can be easily accomplished by those skilled in the art is within the scope of this creation. The scope of protection of this creation shall be subject to the scope of the patent application.

1000‧‧‧Transfer box

100‧‧‧容盒

1‧‧‧Front open box

11‧‧‧ openings

12‧‧‧ top

13‧‧‧ bottom

14‧‧‧ right side

15‧‧‧left side

16‧‧‧ Back side

17‧‧‧Internal space

2‧‧‧

3‧‧‧ carrying base

4‧‧‧ Connecting rod

41‧‧‧First cantilever

411‧‧‧First pivot end

42‧‧‧second cantilever

421‧‧‧Abutment

422‧‧‧ lower end

43‧‧‧Flexible parts

431‧‧‧ first end

432‧‧‧ second end

5‧‧‧Sensor unit

6‧‧‧ Shock absorbers

7‧‧‧OHT connector

1 is a perspective view of a receiving box housed in a transport box in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view of a transfer case in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the transfer case of an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the transfer case of an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (10)

A transport box for transporting a receiving box, the transport box comprising: a front open box having an opening, a top, a bottom opposite the top, a right side, a left side, and one of the openings a rear side portion, and an inner space formed by the top portion, the bottom portion, the right side portion, the left side portion, and the rear side portion; a door body for closing the opening; a bearing base disposed in the inner space The at least one connecting rod is disposed in the inner space. The connecting rod includes: a first cantilever having a pivoting end, the pivoting end being pivotally connected to the carrying base or a first cantilever is connected to the first cantilever; an elastic member has a first end and a second end, and the first end is disposed on the front open box, The second end is disposed on the second cantilever; the abutting end is disposed on the first cantilever or the second cantilever adjacent to one end of the opening; the lower pressing end is disposed on the second cantilever away from the opening One end; and at least one sensing unit disposed at the top At least one of the bottom portion, the right side portion, the left side portion, and the rear side portion; wherein when the door body closes the opening, the door system abuts the connecting rod, so that the connecting rod provides a pressure The receiving box is configured to detect the receiving box; and the sensing unit detects whether a receiving box is placed in the carrying box. The transfer case of claim 1, wherein when the door closes the opening, the door system abuts and pushes the abutting end, such that the first cantilever and the second cantilever The pivoting end is pivoted toward the inside of the front open box, and the lower pressing end is provided with the downward pressure on the receiving box from above to abut the receiving box. The transport box of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit is disposed at a rear side of the front open box. The transport box of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit is an optical sensing unit. The transfer case of claim 2, wherein the number of the links is two, and the first ends of the elastic members are respectively disposed on the right side portion and the left side portion of the front open type case. The transport box of claim 5, wherein the connecting rod is disposed on two sides of the carrying base, and the second end of the elastic member is disposed on the second cantilever Closely closing the opening, the elastic member is stretched when the connecting rod rotates to the inside of the front open box with the pivotal end of the first cantilever as an axis, and the lower pressing end provides the downward pressure from above To the receiving box; when the door body is removed, the elastic member contracts to lift the connecting rod, and the lower pressing end leaves the receiving box. The transport box of claim 1, further comprising a shock absorber disposed between the bottom and the load base. The transfer case of claim 1, further comprising an overhead lift handling system joint (OHT) disposed above the front open box. A method for transporting a accommodating case, characterized by using the transfer case according to claim 1, wherein the step of: placing the accommodating case on the carrying base of the transfer case; Closing the door body to close the opening of the receiving box, when the door body closes the opening, the door system abuts the connecting rod, so that the connecting rod provides a lower pressure on the receiving box to resist the Locating the cartridge; and moving the cartridge using an automated transport transport system. The method of claim 9, wherein the transfer box further comprises an overhead lift handling system joint (OHT) disposed above the front open box, wherein the automated transport transport system is used to move the The step of transporting the cassette includes: grasping the overhead lift handling system connector with a robotic arm to move the transport box.