TWI718335B - Manipulator and transfer robot - Google Patents

Abstract

The formation does not allow the processing chips to adhere to the robot arm.

A plate-shaped manipulator comprising: a first holding member 21 for non-contact suction and holding of wafers by flowing air along one side; and a second holding member 22 for sucking and holding the wafer on the other side. The holding member 21 is provided with The first plate member, a groove formed on one surface and one end open to the outer periphery of the plate member, a jet port that ejects air from the other end of the groove to one end, and the first plate member formed in the holding assembly 21 so that the jet port and the mounting portion are equipped The holding unit 22 is provided with a second plate member, a suction port that communicates with the suction source on the other side, and a suction port formed inside the holding unit 22 so that the suction port is connected to a second plate attached to the mounting part of the robot. 2 The suction path connected by the connection port.

Description

Manipulators and transport robots

Invention field

The present invention relates to a robot for holding wafers on a processing device or the like, and a transfer robot for holding wafers by the robot to transfer the wafers.

Background of the invention

In processing devices such as cutting devices and grinding devices that process semiconductor wafers, for example, a plate-shaped workpiece is taken out of the cassette placed on the cassette table and transported to a holding table, and the plate-shaped workpiece is processed After completion, the processed plate-shaped workpiece is stored in the cassette. In addition, the processing device is equipped with a transport robot that takes out the wafer from the cassette or stores the wafer in the cassette, and the transport robot is equipped with a robot arm ( For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Prior art literature Patent literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-198960

Summary of the invention

The manipulator described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above is on its holding surface A suction port is formed, and a communication path is formed inside, and the communication path connects the holding surface with a suction source constituted by a vacuum generator or the like. In addition, in a state where the holding surface is in contact with the wafer, the suction force generated by the suction by the suction source is transmitted to the suction port on the holding surface, whereby the robot can suck and hold the wafer.

Here, if there is warpage on the wafer or the front surface becomes uneven, suction and hold cannot be performed. Therefore, air may be ejected from the holding surface of the manipulator to cause the Bernoulli effect (Bernoulli effect) to be adsorbed and held. However, such a robot arm must eject a large amount of air, and the thickness of the air flow path in the robot arm is increased to increase the thickness, so it may not be able to enter the cassette. In addition, for example, in the invention of Japanese Patent No. 4299111, although the holding part enters the cassette, the thickness of the manipulator is thick, so when the thickness of the wafer becomes thick, it becomes impossible to enter the cassette. .

In addition, in the case where the processing device equipped with the transfer robot is, for example, a grinding device, grinding chips generated by the grinding process will adhere to the wafer after the processing that becomes the target of the transfer, and when the robot is brought into contact with When the ground surface of the wafer attracts and holds the wafer, the grinding debris may adhere to the holding surface of the robot arm. In addition, the grinding debris has adhered to the robot hand in the state of holding the surface, and the new wafer before processing may be sucked and held, which may cause the grinding debris to adhere to the wafer before processing.

Therefore, in a robot arm that is equipped with a transfer robot installed in a processing device and holds a wafer to be transferred, there is the following problem: it is necessary to be able to enter the cassette to carry out the in and out of the wafer, and it is not necessary to When machining debris such as grinding debris adheres to the holding surface, the holding surface is soiled, and it is transported so that the processing debris does not adhere to the wafer to be newly processed.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a manipulator, which is a plate-shaped manipulator having one surface for sucking and holding a wafer, and a mounting part attached to a robot, and a holding member that makes the One of the sides is connected with an air supply source to eject air, and the air is allowed to flow in the direction of one of the sides to generate negative pressure to suck and hold the wafer. The holding assembly is provided with a groove with one end open to the outer periphery on one of the sides. The other end of the groove blows air to the one end of the air ejection port, and the air supply path formed in the interior so that the air ejection port communicates with the connection port provided in the mounting portion, the robot is to make the air ejected from the The air ejected from the port circulates in the groove, and a negative pressure is generated on one of the surfaces to suck and hold the wafer, and it is set to be able to take out the wafer from the cassette that contains the wafer in the form of a rack, and to be able to align the wafer. The cassette stores the wafers.

Preferably, this manipulator is provided with a switching assembly that switches a first air flow rate and a second air flow rate, and the first air flow rate allows the air ejected from the air ejection port to circulate in the groove and The flow rate of air that adsorbs and holds the wafer on one of the aforementioned surfaces in a non-contact manner, and the second air flow rate allows air larger than the first air flow rate to circulate in the groove and contact the one surface to adsorb and hold the wafer The first air flow rate and the second air flow rate are switched by the switching component to select non-contact and contact for adsorption and maintenance.

In addition, the present invention is a robot hand, which is a plate-shaped robot hand that has one surface that sucks and holds the wafer in a non-contact manner, the other surface that sucks and holds the wafer, and a mounting part that is attached to the robot, and includes : The first holding component connects one of the sides with the air supply source and ejects air and allows the air to flow along the one side to generate negative pressure to suck and hold the wafer; and the second holding component connects the other side to the suction source Communicating with and sucking and holding the wafer, the first holding assembly includes: a flat plate-shaped first plate member, a groove formed on one of the surfaces so that one end opens to the outer peripheral side of the first plate member, and the other end of the groove An air ejection port that ejects air to the one end, and an air supply path that is formed inside the first holding member and connects the air ejection port to the first connection port provided in the mounting portion, and the second holding member includes : A flat plate-shaped second plate member, a suction port that communicates the other surface with the suction source, and a suction port formed inside the second holding member that communicates the suction port with a second connection port provided in the mounting portion The way of attraction.

In addition, the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a transfer robot that is equipped with a holder and transfers wafers. The holder is a mounting part on which the aforementioned robot is installed, and the transfer robot has: a communication path through which a connection is made. A valve body at one end selectively communicates the aforementioned suction source and the aforementioned air supply source; and a connecting assembly, connected to the other end of the communication path, and switches the communication destination of the communication path to the machine installed in the holder Any one of the first connection port and the second connection port of the hand, and the connection assembly includes: The communication path is divided into two branch parts, a first pipe connecting the branch part and the first connection port, is arranged in the first pipe and blocks the flow of air from the first connection port toward the branch part The first check valve of, the second piping connecting the branch and the second connection port, the throttle valve arranged in the second piping, and the throttle valve in parallel with the second piping and blocking The second check valve for the flow of air in the direction from the branch to the second connection port.

The robot of the present invention is equipped with a holding component that connects one side with an air supply source to eject air and let the air flow in the direction of one side to generate a negative pressure to suck and hold the wafer, and the holding component is provided with: A groove with one end open at the outer periphery, an air ejection port that ejects air from the other end of the groove to the one end, and an air supply path formed inside so that the air ejection port communicates with the connection port provided in the mounting portion, The air ejected from the air jet is circulated in the groove, and a negative pressure is generated on one side by the white effort effect to suck and hold the wafer, so even the wafer with warpage or unevenness can be sucked and held, and It becomes possible to make the manipulator thinner, and it becomes possible to make it enter the cassette.

In addition, the robot of the present invention is provided with a first holding component that connects one surface to an air supply source and ejects air, and allows air to flow along one surface to generate a negative pressure to suck and hold the wafer, and the other surface to be connected to the suction source The second holding unit that communicates with and sucks and holds the wafer. The first holding unit is provided with a flat plate-shaped first plate member, a groove formed on one side of which one end opens to the outer peripheral side of the first plate member, and another A jet port that ejects air from one end to one end is formed inside the first holding assembly to eject air The air supply path communicates with the first connection port provided in the mounting portion, and the second holding assembly is provided with a flat plate-shaped second plate member, a suction port that communicates with the suction source on the other side, and is formed in the second The suction port in the holding assembly communicates with the second connection port provided in the mounting portion. Therefore, the robot of the present invention can selectively hold the wafer in a contact state or in a non-contact state. For example, the wafer before processing can be set to allow the second holding component to contact and attract It is held and transported, and the processed wafer to which the grinding debris adheres can be set to be transported by the first holding member by suction and holding in a non-contact manner to prevent the grinding debris from adhering to the robot. In addition, since the robot arm will not be contaminated by the grinding debris attached to the ground wafer, it can prevent the robot arm from attaching the grinding debris to the wafer to be newly processed. .

The transfer robot of the present invention is the most suitable device configuration for effectively operating the manipulator of the present invention, and it can be transported to the wafer to be newly processed without attaching grinding debris to the wafer to be newly processed. Up to the specified transportation location.

1: Transport robot

12: Installation Department

14: Supporter

2: Manipulator

21, 23, 24: the first holding component

211, 231, 241: the first plate member

211a, 231a: one side

211b, 221b: bonding surface

212, 222, 232: base

213, 233: groove

213a, 223a, 233a, 215a, 235b: one end

214, 234: Air outlet

215, 235: Air supply path

216, 236: 1st connection port

22: The second holding component

221: The second board member

221a: the other side

223: Attraction

224: Attraction

226: 2nd connection port

3: Drive part

30: 1st arm

31: 2nd arm

32: Manipulator spinning component

33: 1st arm spinning component

34: 2nd arm spinning component

40: Motor

40a: Front end

40b: Rear end

41: shell

42: encoder

5: Link components

50: Branch

51: 1st piping

52: The second piping

53: 1st check valve

54: Throttle valve

55: 2nd check valve

60: Air supply source

61: Attraction source

7: Valve body

8: connecting path

8a: other end

8b, 213b, 233b, 215b, 235a: the other end

9: Z-axis direction moving mechanism

L1: imaginary line

T: hold the stage

T1: Holding part

T1a: Keep the face

T2: Frame

W: Wafer

Wa: front

Wb: back

±X, ±Y, ±Z: direction

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a transport robot.

Fig. 2(A) is a perspective view showing an example of the first holding member in a state where the bonding surface faces the upper side. Fig. 2(B) is a perspective view showing an example of the first holding member in a state where the wafer suction surface, that is, one of the surfaces faces upward.

Fig. 3(A) is a perspective view showing an example of the second holding member in a state where the bonding surface faces the upper side. FIG. 3(B) is a perspective view showing an example of the second holding member in a state where the other surface of the wafer suction surface faces the upper side.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a manipulator.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a manipulator in which a first connection port and a second connection port are formed on one surface.

Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the configuration of a connecting assembly, a valve body, and a communication path.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing an example of a first holding member having a rectangular outer shape.

Fig. 8 is a plan view showing an example of a first holding member in which a groove is formed.

The form used to implement the invention

The transfer robot 1 shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, arranged on a grinding device not shown in the figure, and performs the following operations: unloading the wafer W stored in the cassette in the form of a rack from the cassette, and transferring the wafer W is held by the plate-shaped manipulator 2 and stored in the cassette, or transported to the holding table T. The plate-shaped manipulator 2 included in the transfer robot 1 has one surface 211 a that sucks and holds the wafer W in a non-contact manner, the other surface 221 a that sucks and holds the wafer, and a mounting portion 12 that is attached to the transfer robot 1.

The wafer W shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, a semiconductor wafer with a circular plate shape. A plurality of devices are formed on the front Wa of the wafer W, and for example, the front Wa is protected by a protective tape not shown in the drawings. . The back surface Wb of the wafer W becomes the surface to be processed by the grinding process.

The manipulator 2 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a first holding assembly 21 and a second holding assembly 22. The first holding assembly 21 is oriented downward in FIG. 1 One of the surfaces 211a is connected to the air supply source 60 and air is ejected, and the air flows along one of the surfaces 211a to generate negative pressure to suck and hold the wafer W. The second holding member 22 is the other one facing upward in FIG. One side 221a communicates with the suction source 61 to suck and hold the wafer W.

The first holding member 21 shown in FIGS. 2(A) and (B) can absorb and hold the wafer W in a non-contact manner using Bernoulli's principle. The first holding member 21 is formed of engineering plastics such as acrylic or polycarbonate, stainless steel, etc., and has an outer diameter that is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the disc-shaped wafer W shown in FIG. The first plate member 211 formed in a substantially circular flat plate shape has a rectangular base 212 integrally formed on the outer peripheral portion of the first plate member 211. Furthermore, one of the surfaces 211a of the first plate member 211 is processed to be smooth, and the end (ridgeline) of one of the surfaces 211a of the first plate member 211 may be chamfered so as not to be on the first plate member 211. When the wafer W is in contact with the wafer W, the wafer W is damaged. The outer shape of the first holding member 21 is not limited to a substantially circular shape, and may be formed in a triangular cross shape in which a part of the circular shape is partially cut away, as shown by a one-dot chain line L2 in FIG. 2(B), for example.

On one surface 211a of the first plate member 211, a groove 213 is formed such that one end 213a opens to the outer peripheral side of the first plate member 211. The surface on the opposite side to the one surface 211a of the first plate member 211 becomes the bonding surface 211b to be bonded to the second holding member 22 shown in FIG. 1. The groove 213 extends radially from the center of one surface 211a toward the outer side of the first plate member 211 in the radial direction and at an equal angle (for example, 120 degrees) in three directions, and is provided from one surface 211a to the first plate. The left and right depths of the middle portion in the thickness direction (Z-axis direction) of the member 211. The width and depth of each groove 213 are There are fixed cross-sections of the same size. In addition, the number of grooves 213 formed is not limited to the number in this embodiment, and four or more grooves may be radially formed on one surface 211a at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. In addition, by narrowing only a part of the width of the groove 213, the narrowed part here accelerates the air passing through the groove 213. The part of the base 212 on the -Y direction side than the imaginary line L1 is formed when the first holding assembly 21 is combined with the second holding assembly 22 shown in FIGS. 3(A) and (B). The mounting part 12 shown in FIG. 1 of the transport robot 1. In addition, for example, at the outer peripheral end portion of the first plate member 211, a peripheral area contacting the wafer W may be provided to restrict the movement of the wafer W in the direction of the surface of the first plate member 211 (that is, the lateral sliding of the wafer W). Guiding Department. This guide portion is made of, for example, rubber or sponge, and the outer peripheral end portion of the first plate member 211 is provided so as to be offset from one end 213a of the groove 213 at a certain interval in the circumferential direction, and a plurality (for example, 90 degree intervals are 4).

The other end 213b of each groove 213 communicates with each air ejection port 214 formed in the center of one surface 211a. The air ejection ports 214 each open toward the radially outer side of one surface 211a, and eject air horizontally from the other end 213b of each groove 213 toward one end 213a. For example, the area of the air ejection port 214 is formed to be smaller than the cross-sectional area of the air supply path 215. In addition, instead of forming the ejection port 214 on one surface 211a as in the present embodiment, for example, a removable nozzle pad is arranged on one surface 211a of the first plate member 211, and is provided on this nozzle pad. The air ejection port 214 may also be formed.

As shown in Figure 2(A), the inside of the first holding assembly 21 is also That is, from the inside of the first plate member 211 to the inside of the base 212, the air supply path 215 through which air flows is formed to extend linearly. In addition, the air supply path 215 does not open on the bonding surface 211 b of the first holding member 21. One end 215a of the air supply path 215 is formed from the inside of the base 212 toward one of the surfaces 211a, and communicates with the first connection port 216 opened on one of the surfaces 211a. As shown in FIG. 2(B), the other end 215 b of the air supply path 215 is in communication with each air ejection port 214. The first connection port 216 communicates with the air supply source 60 shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore, spray holes or the like may be formed in the air supply path 215 to accelerate the air passing through the air supply path 215.

The second holding member 22 shown in FIG. 3(A) and (B) is formed of engineering plastics such as acrylic or polycarbonate or stainless steel, etc., and has an outer diameter similar to that of the disc-shaped wafer W The second plate member 221 having a substantially same outer diameter is formed into a substantially circular flat plate shape, and is provided with the same shape as the first holding member 21. In addition, the end portion (ridge line) of the other surface 221 a of the second plate member 221 may be chamfered to prevent the wafer W from being damaged when the second plate member 221 contacts the wafer W. The second plate member 221 is provided with a bonding surface 221b which is bonded to the bonding surface 211b of the first plate member 211 shown in Figs. 2(A) and (B), which is opposite to the bonding surface 221b The side surface is the other surface 221a on which the robot 2 attracts and holds the wafer W. The outer shape of the second holding member 22 is not limited to a substantially circular shape. For example, as shown by an imaginary one-point chain line L2 in FIG. 2(B), the shape of the first holding member 21 is formed to be circular In the case of a triangular cross that is partially cut away from a part of it, it is advisable to form a triangular cross in the same way.

On the outer peripheral part of the second plate member 221 is a rectangular base The part 222 is integrally formed. As shown in FIG. 3(A), the inside of the second holding unit 22, that is, from the inside of the base 222 to the inside of the second plate member 221, a suction path 223 is formed. The suction path 223 is formed to linearly extend inside the base 222 toward the inside of the second plate member 221, and inside the second plate member 221 to extend in an arc shape along the outer circumference of the second plate member 221. Furthermore, the suction path 223 does not open on the bonding surface 221b of the second holding component 22.

A plurality of suction openings 224 are formed in the second plate member 221. The suction openings 224 are the suction source shown in FIG. 1 composed of the other surface 221a of the second plate member 221 and an air compressor, a vacuum generator, etc. 61 is connected. The suction ports 224 are, for example, a group of 9 in total of 3×3, and each suction port 224 is formed to penetrate from the suction path 223 toward the other surface 221 a, and is connected to the suction path 223. For example, each of the suction ports 224 forming a group of nine in total is opened at three locations on the outer peripheral portion of the other surface 221a at equal angular intervals (for example, 120 degrees) in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, the shape of the suction path 223 and the number and configuration of the suction ports 224 are not limited to this embodiment. For example, the suction path 223 may be linearly directed into the second plate member 221 inside the base 222. It extends radially from the center in the second plate member 221 toward the outside in the radial direction at an equal angle. In addition, the outer peripheral part of the other surface 221a of the suction port 224 may be opened at four or more locations at equal angles in the circumferential direction, or the diameter of the suction port 224 may be increased and the outer peripheral part of the other surface 221a It is opened one by one at three places at intervals of 120 degrees in the circumferential direction. In addition, a ring-shaped suction pad made of an elastic member such as rubber may be arranged on each suction port 224.

The one end 223a on the base 222 side of the suction path 223 shown in FIG. 3(A) is formed from the inside of the base 222 toward the other surface 221a, and communicates with the second connection port 226 opened on the other surface 221a. The part of the base 222 on the -Y direction side than the imaginary line L1, when the second holding assembly 22 and the first holding means 21 are combined, is formed to be mounted on the transport robot 1 as shown in FIG. 1 Department 12.

In the state where the first holding member 21 shown in Figures 2(A) and (B) overlaps the second holding member 22 shown in Figures 3(A) and (B), as shown in Figure 4, you can use The bonding surface 211 b of the first holding member 21 and the bonding surface 221 b of the second holding member 22 are bonded with an appropriate adhesive or the like, and the manipulator 2 is assembled from the first holding member 21 and the second holding member 22. Furthermore, it is also possible to provide a structure in which screw holes etc. are formed in the 1st holding member 21 and the 2nd holding member 22, so that the attachment of the 1st holding member 21 and the 2nd holding member 22 may be performed by a screw etc.

In addition, in the present embodiment, although two plates of the first plate member 211 and the second plate member 221 can be bonded together to form the robot 2, it is also possible to form the first holding assembly with one plate instead of being bonded together. 21 and the second holding assembly 22.

In this embodiment, although the first connection port 216 is formed on one surface 211a and the second connection port 226 is formed on the other surface 221a, it may be formed on either surface 211a or the other surface 221a. The first connection port 216 and the second connection port 226. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the 1st connection port 216 and the 2nd connection port 226 may be formed in the other surface 221a.

The transport robot 1 shown in FIG. 1 is equipped with the drive part 3 which moves the manipulator 2 to a predetermined position. The driving part 3 is composed of, for example, the first arm 30, The second arm 31, the manipulator revolving assembly 32 that makes the manipulator 2 revolve in the horizontal direction, the first arm revolving assembly 33, and the second arm revolving assembly 34 are composed of storage elements such as CPU and memory. The control unit not shown in the figure controls its operation.

The upper surface of one end of the first arm 30 is connected to the shaft-shaped manipulator winding assembly 32. The lower surface of the other end of the first arm 30 is the upper surface of one end of the second arm 31 connected through the first arm winding assembly 33. A second arm winding assembly 34 is connected to the lower surface of the other end of the second arm 31. In addition, the second arm winding assembly 34 is arranged on the Z-axis direction moving mechanism 9.

The manipulator revolving component 32 is a component that causes the manipulator 2 to revolve horizontally with respect to the first arm 30 by the rotation force generated by a revolving driving source not shown in the figure. The first arm revolving assembly 33 is configured to revolve the first arm 30 horizontally with respect to the second arm 31 by the rotation force generated by a revolving driving source not shown in the figure. The second arm revolving assembly 34 is configured to revolve the second arm 31 horizontally with respect to the Z-axis direction moving mechanism 9 by the rotational force generated by a revolving drive source not shown in the figure. In addition, the movement of the Z-axis direction moving mechanism 9 is controlled by the control unit to move the manipulator 2 up and down in the Z-axis direction on a grinding device not shown.

A housing 41 is fixed to the upper end of the manipulator winding assembly 32. The housing 41 rotatably supports a motor 40 having an axis in the Y-axis direction orthogonal to the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) . The rear end portion 40 b of the motor 40 and the encoder 42 that is connected to the rear end portion 40 b of the motor 40 and rotationally drives the motor 40 are housed in the inside of the housing 41. The front end portion 40a of the motor 40 protrudes from the housing 41 in the -Y direction, and the front end portion 40a is connected with the holder 14 on which the mounting portion 12 of the manipulator 2 is installed. Accompanied by encoder 42 make horse By reaching 40 rotations, the manipulator 2 connected to the motor 40 through the support 14 is rotated, and the one side 211a of the manipulator 2 and the other side 221a of the manipulator 2 can be reversed up and down. In addition, the motor 40 may be configured to be movable in the horizontal direction from the housing 41 by, for example, an air cylinder or the like.

The first connecting port 216 of the first holding assembly 21 and the second connecting port 226 of the second holding assembly are connected to the connecting assembly 5. The connecting assembly 5 can switch the first of the manipulator 2 installed on the holder 14 The connection port 216 and the second connection port 226. For example, the connection assembly 5 arranged on the holder 14 is connected to the other end 8a of the communication path 8 constituted by a flexible resin pipe or a metal pipe. For example, the communication path 8 uses an unillustrated rotary joint or the like inside the driving part 3 and arranges pipes so as to be flexible. Alternatively, the pipe is arranged to be flexible on the outside of the driving part 3, and the other end 8b of the communication path 8 is selectively connected to the suction source 61 through the valve body 7 fixed to the side of the second arm winding assembly 34 of the driving part 3 With the air supply source 60.

The valve body 7 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6 plays a role of switching the communication destination of the communication path 8 to either the suction source 61 and the air supply source 60. For example, the electromagnetic (electromagnet) valve shown in FIG. 6 , Allowing current to flow through the electromagnet to generate magnetic force to attract a spool in the moving valve body by the magnetic force, thereby switching the air flow path to be connected to either the suction source 61 or the air supply source 60. Furthermore, the valve body 7 is not limited to a solenoid valve.

As shown in FIG. 6, the connection assembly 5 that communicates to either the suction source 61 and the air supply source 60 through the valve body 7 and the communication path 8 is provided with a branch 50 that divides the communication path 8 into two, and a connection branch. 50 is connected to the first The first pipe 51 of the port 216, the first check valve 53, which is arranged in the first pipe 51 and blocks the flow of air from the first connection port 216 to the branch 50, connects the branch 50 and the second connection port The second pipe 52 of 226, the throttle valve 54 arranged in the second pipe 52, and the throttle valve 54 are arranged in parallel to the second pipe 52 and block the air in the direction from the branch portion 50 to the second connection port 226 The second check valve 55 that flows.

The operation of the robot 2 and the operation of the transfer robot 1 when the robot 2 shown in FIG. 1 holds the wafer W and the transfer robot 1 transfers the wafer W will be described below.

First, the motor 40 rotates the connecting assembly 5, and sets the manipulator 2 with the other surface 221a facing downward. Next, the Z-axis direction moving mechanism 9 shown in FIG. 1 moves the transfer robot 1 in the Z-axis direction to position the transfer robot 1 so that the back side Wb of the wafer W contained in the wafer cassette, etc., not shown, and the machine The other side 221a of the hand 2 faces each other.

Next, the driving unit 3 rotates the robot hand 2 to position the robot hand 2 such that, for example, the center of the back surface Wb of the wafer W is located in the triangle connecting the three suction openings 224 on the other surface 221a. Then, the robot hand 2 descends in the −Z direction so that the other surface 221 a contacts the back surface Wb of the wafer W.

The conveying robot 1 is set to a state where the suction source 61 communicates with the communication path 8 by the valve body 7, and is sucked by the suction source 61 shown in FIGS. 2 The flow path constituted by the connection port 226, the connection assembly 5, the communication path 8 and the valve body 7 generates a flow of air from the other surface 221a toward the suction source 61. In the link group Inside the element 5, the second check valve 55 arranged in the second pipe 52 shown in FIG. 6 is opened, and the air in the direction from the other surface 221a toward the suction source 61 advances through the second check valve 55. Since the first check valve 53 is not opened in the first pipe 51, no air is circulated in the first pipe 51. By generating a flow of air from the other surface 221a to the direction of the suction source 61, an attractive force can be generated on the other surface 221a of the second plate member 221, and the wafer W can be contacted by the robot by this attractive force. 2 Attract and maintain.

The driving part 3 drives the robot hand 2 to carry the wafer W attracted and held by the robot hand 2 from the wafer cassette (not shown), and transport it to the holding table T shown in FIG. 1. The holding table T shown in FIG. 1 includes, for example, a holding portion T1 that has a circular outer shape and is made of a porous member to attract and hold the wafer W, and a frame T2 that supports the holding portion T1. The robot 2 that sucks and holds the back surface Wb of the wafer W is set so that the back surface Wb of the wafer W becomes the upper side, and the wafer W is placed on the holding table T. The holding portion T1 is connected to a suction source not shown in the figure, and conveys the attractive force generated by the suction source to the holding surface T1a, whereby the holding table T attracts and holds the wafer W on the holding surface T1a . In addition, together with stopping the suction by the suction source 61, the suction source 61 and the air supply source 60 can be switched by the valve body 7 to the communication path 8 which is in communication with the suction source 61 and the air supply source 60. Connected. In addition, the air supply source 60 passes through the valve body 7 and the communication path 8 to supply air to the connection assembly 5. The supplied air passes through the throttle valve 54 of the connection assembly 5 and passes through the second connection port 226, the suction path 223, and the suction port 224, and a small amount of air is ejected downward from the other surface 221a of the manipulator 2. With the ejection pressure of this air, the vacuum suction remaining between the other surface 221a and the wafer W is destroyed The wafer W can be reliably separated from the robot hand 2 when the wafer W is formed. Then, the wafer W is separated from the other surface 221 a of the robot 2, the holding table T holds the wafer W, and the robot 2 is retracted from the holding table T.

Furthermore, when air is supplied from the air supply source 60 as described above, the air may be ejected from one surface 211a together with the air ejected from the other surface 221a.

With the back surface Wb facing the upper side, the wafer W held by the holding table T is ground and thinned to a predetermined thickness from the back surface Wb side by a grinding unit (not shown). In the grinding, although the back surface Wb of the wafer W is washed with washing water, incomplete grinding debris may adhere to the back surface Wb of the wafer W. The polished wafer W is transported from the holding table T by the transport robot 1.

When carrying out the wafer W from the holding table T, first, the motor 40 rotates the coupling assembly 5, and sets the robot 2 with one surface 211a facing downward. Next, the driving part 3 causes the manipulator 2 to revolve, and the Z-axis direction moving mechanism 9 shown in FIG. 1 moves the robot 1 in the Z-axis direction to position the transport robot 1 such that the holding table T is placed on the back side Wb The back surface Wb of the wafer W held in the upward state faces one of the surfaces 211 a of the robot hand 2.

Next, the robot hand 2 is lowered in the -Z direction until one surface 211a of the robot hand 2 and the back surface Wb of the wafer W are not in contact with each other. After the manipulator 2 has been lowered to a predetermined position in the Z-axis direction, the air supply source 60 supplies air of a predetermined pressure toward the valve body 7. Because the transfer robot 1 is set to communicate with the air supply source 60 and the communication path 8 through the valve body 7, the valve body 7, the communication path 8, the connecting assembly 5, and the first connection port In the flow path constituted by 216, the groove 213, and the air ejection port 214, a flow of air in the direction from the air supply source 60 to the first holding surface 211a is generated. Inside the connection assembly 5, the first check valve 53 arranged in the first pipe 51 is opened, and the air supplied from the air supply source 60 passes through the first check valve 53 to advance. Although the second check valve 55 is not opened in the second pipe 52, the small amount of air throttled by the throttle valve 54 can be ejected from the other surface 221a through the second connection port 226. That is, when air is supplied from the air supply source 60, air can be ejected from both of the one surface 211a and the other surface 221a.

The air ejected from the air ejection port 214 circulates at a high speed in the radial direction in the grooves 213 formed on one surface 211a. Here, for example, since the cross-sectional area of the air supply path 215 shown in FIG. 2(A) is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the air outlet 214 shown in FIG. 2(B), it moves from the air supply path 215 to the air jet The outlet 214 can accelerate the air flow rate and increase the static pressure, thereby sucking in the surrounding air, and generating the adsorption force for adsorbing the wafer W. In addition, the air circulates in the straight-shaped grooves 213 toward the radiation direction at a high speed in a rectified state, and the air around both sides of the grooves 213 is sucked into the grooves 213 by the Bernoulli effect, and negative effects are generated near the grooves 213 Pressure to form an adsorption force to the wafer W. Then, the robot 2 can suck and hold the wafer W on one surface 211a in a non-contact state.

After the robot 2 sucks and holds the wafer W in a non-contact manner, the sucking and holding of the wafer W by the holding table T is released. In addition, the robot hand 2 is lifted in the +Z direction to unload the wafer W from the holding table T. With the drive unit 3, the robot 2 that sucks and holds the processed wafer W in a non-contact manner can be rotated, and the processed wafer W can be transported to the wafer cleaning device Wait. The robot 2 that transports the wafer W after processing is moved in order to transport the wafer W to be newly processed.

Furthermore, one of the surfaces 211a of the manipulator 2 may also be provided with a throttle valve not shown between the air supply source 60 and the valve body 7 to adjust the flow rate of the air supplied to the check valve 53 side, and non-contact The state sucks and holds the wafer W. At this time, by increasing the flow rate of the air to be supplied, the wafer W can be brought into contact with one surface 211a and held by suction. That is, the throttle valve can be used as a switching element to make it function, wherein the switching element can be switched to a first air flow rate that sucks and holds the wafer on one side in a non-contact manner, and makes the first air flow rate higher than the first air flow rate. Larger air circulates in the groove and contacts one of the surfaces to adsorb and maintain the second air flow rate of the wafer. By making the wafer W contact one of the surfaces 211a, and holding the wafer W by one of the surfaces 211a, the lateral slip of the wafer W can be prevented.

In this way, the robot hand 2 of the present invention can selectively hold the wafer W in a contact state or in a non-contact state. As described above, it is possible to form the wafer W before processing. 2 The other surface 221a of the holding component 22 is in contact to attract, hold and transport, and form a processed wafer W with grinding debris attached to it. The first holding component 21 is sucked and held in a non-contact manner to prevent the attachment of grinding debris. Convey on the robot 2 side. In addition, because the robot 2 will not be contaminated by the grinding debris attached to the wafer W after grinding, it can prevent the robot 2 from allowing the grinding debris to adhere to the wafer W to be newly processed. situation.

The conveying robot 1 of the present invention can efficiently perform the action of not adhering grinding chips on the manipulator 2, and it can be used without grinding When chips adhere to the wafer W to be newly processed, it is transported to a predetermined transport location.

In addition, the manipulator 2 and the transport robot 1 of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and the size or shape of the respective components of the manipulator 2 and the transport robot 1 shown in the drawings are also not limited. Therefore, it is possible to make appropriate changes within the range where the effects of the present invention can be exhibited. For example, regarding the first holding member 21, there are various embodiments shown below.

For example, the first holding assembly 23 shown in FIG. 7 is composed of engineering plastics such as acrylic or polycarbonate, stainless steel, etc., and includes a rectangular plate-shaped first plate member 231 and a first plate The member 231 is an integrally formed rectangular base 232. On one surface 231a of the first plate member 231, a groove 233 is formed linearly so that one end 233a is open to the outer peripheral side of the front end of the first plate member 231, and one of the surfaces 231a is used to suck and hold the wafer in a non-contact manner. The face of W. The end surface of the other end 233b of the groove 233 communicates with one air ejection port 234, and the air ejection port 234 is formed to open in the center of one surface 231a toward the surface direction of one surface 231a. The air ejection port 234 ejects air from the other end 233b of the groove 233 toward one end 233a. The inside of the first holding unit 23, that is, from the air ejection port 234 to the base 232, is formed so that two air supply paths 235 through which air flows are linearly extended. As shown in FIG. 7, the other ends 235 a of the two air supply paths 235 merge into one and communicate with the air ejection port 234. One end 235b of each air supply path 235 is formed from the inside of the base 232 toward one of the surfaces 231a, and is connected to each first connection port that opens on one of the surfaces 231a 236 is connected. Each first connection port 236 communicates with the air supply source 60 shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore, spray holes or the like may be formed in each air supply path 235 to accelerate the air passing through the air supply path 235. Furthermore, a second holding member is attached to the other surface opposite to the one surface 231a. The second holding member is provided with a suction port communicating with the suction source and is formed in a rectangular shape like the first holding member 23. In addition, the first connection port 236 and the second connection port connected to the suction source may be arranged on the same surface of one of the surfaces 231a side or the other surface side opposite to the one surface 231a.

For example, the first holding assembly 24 shown in FIG. 8 may be changed to the first plate member 231 of the first holding assembly 23 shown in FIG. The first plate member 241 is formed in a substantially circular flat plate shape with an outer diameter of approximately the same outer diameter. Regarding the configuration other than the point of changing the first plate member 231 to the first plate member 241, the first holding unit 24 and the first holding unit 23 are configured in the same manner. The part on the -Y direction side than the imaginary line L1 of the base 232 of the first plate member 231 shown in FIG. 7 and the first plate member 241 shown in FIG. 8 is formed to be mounted on the transport robot 1 shown in FIG. 1 Installation department.

1: Transport robot

2: Manipulator

3: Drive part

5: Link components

7: Valve body

8: connecting path

8a: one end

8b: the other end

9: Z-axis direction moving mechanism

12: Installation Department

14: Supporter

21: No. 1 holding component

211: The first plate member

211a: One side

212, 222: Base

213a: one end

216: 1st connection port

22: The second holding component

221: The second board member

221a: the other side

224: Attraction

226: 2nd connection port

30: 1st arm

31: 2nd arm

32: Manipulator spinning component

33: 1st arm spinning component

34: 2nd arm spinning component

40: Motor

40a: Front end

40b: Rear end

41: shell

42: encoder

60: Air supply source

61: Attraction source

L1: imaginary line

T: hold the stage

T1: Holding part

T1a: Keep the face

T2: Frame

W: Wafer

Wa: front

Wb: back

±X, ±Y, ±Z: direction

Claims (2)

A manipulator is a plate-shaped manipulator. It has one surface for sucking and holding the wafer, the other surface for sucking and holding the wafer, and a mounting part installed on the robot. It is connected to the air supply source and ejects air and allows the air to flow in the direction of one side to generate negative pressure to suck and hold the wafer; and the second holding component connects the other side with the suction source and sucks and holds the wafer. The first holding assembly includes: a flat plate-shaped first plate member, a groove formed by opening one end to the outer peripheral side of the first plate member on one of the surfaces, and an air jet that blows air from the other end of the groove to the one end An outlet, and an air supply path formed inside the first holding assembly and connecting the air ejection port with the first connection port provided in the mounting portion, and the second holding assembly includes: a flat plate-shaped second plate member, A suction port that communicates the other surface with the suction source, and a suction path that is formed inside the second holding member and connects the suction port to a second connection port provided in the mounting portion. A transfer robot is provided with a supporter equipped with the aforementioned mounting part of the manipulator of claim 1 and can transfer wafers. The transfer robot has: a communication path which is selectively connected to the aforementioned suction through a valve body connected to one end Source and the aforementioned air supply source; and a connecting component, connected to the other end of the communication path, and the communication path The communication target is connected to the first connection port and the second connection port of the manipulator installed in the holder, and the connection assembly includes: a branch portion that divides the communication path into two, and connects the branch portion and The first piping of the first connection port, the first check valve that is arranged in the first piping and blocks the flow of air in the direction from the first connection port to the branch, connects the branch and the second The second piping of the connection port, the throttle valve arranged in the second piping, and the throttle valve arranged in parallel with the throttle valve and arranged in the second piping to block the air in the direction from the branch to the second connection port The second check valve for flow.

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