TWI829738B - Storage device and substrate processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a storage device capable of safely and smoothly supplying substrates to a transfer area within an apparatus, and a substrate processing device provided with the storage device. The storage device 100 of the present invention is a device for storing the cassettes 10 and 20 in order to extract the substrates W from the cassettes 10 and 20 for stacking and storing a plurality of substrates W in a detachable manner. The storage device 100 includes a placing portion 110, The supply cassettes 10 and 20 are detachably mounted; the moving part 120 moves the placing part 110 horizontally between the loading and unloading position of the cassettes 10 and 20 and the storage position of the cassettes 10 and 20; and the restricting part 130 which It is supported on the mounting part 110 so that it can move up and down, and faces the end surface of the inner side of the box 10,20 mounted on the mounting part 110.

Description

Storage device and substrate processing device

The present invention relates to a storage device for storing substrates and a substrate processing device provided with the storage device.

Conventionally, semiconductor elements widely used in electronic equipment and the like were manufactured from wafers in which optical elements and the like were assembled in each region divided into a plurality of regions. This type of wafer is subjected to various processes such as polishing both sides of the wafer and adjusting the thickness to a uniform thickness. When transporting wafers to each step, a plurality of wafers are generally stored in cassettes and installed in each device.

The following Patent Document 1 discloses a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in which a cassette containing a substrate is loaded into the apparatus using a pallet. The cassette is placed on a tray that is pulled out of the device. The cassette is moved into the device by pulling the tray in horizontally. A baffle is arranged on the inner side of the pulled-in position of the tray and can move up and down. When the tray is pulled out, the baffle moves upward in conjunction with the movement of the tray, and the inner side of the pulled-in position is blocked by the baffle. When the tray is pulled into the device, the baffle moves downward in conjunction with the movement of the tray, so that the inside of the pulled-in position is opened. Thereby, the cassette is connected to the transport area inside the pull-in position.

In this semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, when the tray is pulled out, the back side of the pull-in position is blocked by a baffle. Therefore, when the cassette is stored in the apparatus, the operator is prevented from putting his hands into the transport area inside the apparatus.

[Prior technical literature]

[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-216216

In Patent Document 1, while the tray is being loaded into the device, there is a risk that the substrate may fly out from the cassette placed on the tray in the loading direction and fall.

In view of this problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a storage device that can safely and smoothly supply substrates to a transfer area within the device, and a substrate processing device provided with the storage device.

A first aspect of the present invention relates to a storage device that stores a cassette in order to extract a plurality of substrates from a stacked cassette that can extract a plurality of substrates and supply them to a processing step. The storage device of this aspect is provided with: a placement part for detachably placing the above-mentioned box; a moving part for horizontally moving the above-mentioned placement part between the attachment and detachment position of the above-mentioned box and the storage position of the above-mentioned box; and restriction. part, which is supported on the above-mentioned placing part in an elevating manner and faces the end surface of the inner side of the above-mentioned box placed on the above-mentioned placing part.

According to this structure, since the restriction part is supported by the placement part, the restriction part moves in the horizontal direction integrally with the movement of the placement part. Therefore, while the box and the placing portion are moved horizontally from the loading and unloading position to the storage position, the restricting portion continues to face the inner end surface of the box. Thereby, during the movement of the placing portion, the substrate can be reliably prevented from flying out from the cassette toward the moving direction of the placing portion and falling.

Furthermore, the side of the cassette stored in the storage device where the substrate is pulled out is open, and the open side is called the "back side of the cassette". Hereinafter, "the inside of the box" has the same meaning.

In the storage device of this aspect, the restriction part may be supported on the support part via a linkage mechanism, and the linkage mechanism may cause the restriction part to contact the end surface of the inner side of the box as the linkage moves up and down. Close and gone.

According to this structure, when the restricting part is raised or lowered to open the inner end surface of the box, the restricting part can be retracted in a direction away from the inner end surface of the box. This prevents the restricting portion from rising and falling while rubbing against the substrate, thereby preventing damage to the substrate.

The storage device of this aspect may be configured to include: a baffle that is supported on the placement portion so as to be elevating and lowerable on the inside of the restriction portion; and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the baffle in the storage position; and the restriction. The part is integrally supported on the above-mentioned baffle.

According to this configuration, since the lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the baffle is shared for lifting and lowering the restricting portion, the mechanism system and the control system can be simplified. In addition, when the loading part is positioned at the loading and unloading position, the entrance and exit of the loading part is blocked by the baffle, thus preventing the operator from accidentally inserting his hand into the inside of the storage device when loading and unloading the cassette.

In the storage device of this aspect, the lifting mechanism may be provided with a support member driven in the up-and-down direction, and the baffle may be integrally provided with a coupling member that is embedded in the support member at the storage position.

According to this structure, when the placing portion moves to the storage position, the coupling member on the baffle side is embedded in the support member on the lifting mechanism side, and the lifting mechanism is coupled with the baffle. Thereby, in the storage position, the baffle can be smoothly raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism.

The storage device of this aspect may be configured to include a transfer roller integrally provided on the baffle and used to transfer the placement portion between the loading and unloading position and the storage position, and the transfer roller constitutes the linkage. A structural member in which the transfer roller is embedded in the support member when the placing portion moves to the storage position.

According to this structure, the transfer roller also serves as a connecting member, so that the structure can be simplified. In addition, in the storage position, the transfer roller is embedded in the support member to restrict the movement of the moving member, so that the placement portion can be appropriately positioned in the storage position.

The storage device of this aspect may be configured to include a detection means for detecting whether the substrate flies out of the cassette at the storage position.

With this structure, it is possible to quickly detect a state in which the substrate flies out of the cassette toward the back side of the cassette when the shutter is opened and the device is operating.

The storage device of this aspect may be configured to include: a first storage part that detachably stores the first box; and a second storage part that detachably stores the second box; While the substrate is extracted and supplied to the processing step, the second cassette is taken out from the second storage portion.

According to this configuration, while the substrate is extracted from the second cassette and supplied to the processing step, the first cassette that has finished supplying the substrate first can be taken out from the first storage portion, the substrate can be accommodated in the first cassette, and the substrate can be stored in the first cassette again. The first box is stored in the first storage part. Thereby, when all the substrates have been supplied from the first cassette to the conveyance path, the substrates can be accommodated in the first cassette without temporarily stopping the supply operation, and the first cassette can be accommodated in the first storage portion. Thereby, substrates can be continuously supplied to the processing step from the first cassette and the second cassette, thereby improving the operation rate of the storage device.

In addition, the substrate supplied to the processing step from the second cassette may be returned to the second cassette after being processed by a predetermined apparatus. In this case, after all the substrates supplied to the processing step from the second cassette are returned to the second cassette, the second cassette can be taken out from the second storage part, the processed substrates can be recovered from the second cassette, and the unprocessed substrates can be recovered. The substrate is stored in the second cassette and is stored in the second storage part again.

A second aspect of the present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate. The substrate processing device of this aspect relates to a storage device that stores a cassette in order to extract a plurality of substrates from a stacked cassette that can extract a plurality of substrates and supply them to a processing step. The storage device of this aspect is provided with: a placement part for detachably placing the above-mentioned box; a moving part for horizontally moving the above-mentioned placement part between the attachment and detachment position of the above-mentioned box and the storage position of the above-mentioned box; and restriction. part, which is supported on the above-mentioned placing part in an elevating manner and faces the end surface of the inner side of the above-mentioned box placed on the above-mentioned placing part. In addition, the substrate processing device of this aspect includes: a scribing unit that forms scribing lines on the surface of the substrate; and a thin film layer. a closing unit that affixes a thin film to the surface of the substrate on which the scribed lines are formed; an inversion unit that inverts the substrate so that the surface on which the thin film is attached becomes the lower side; and a breaking unit that The surface on which the film is attached is given a predetermined force to divide the substrate along the scribed line; and a conveyor unit is used to convey the substrate to a predetermined position.

If configured in this way, the same effect as the first aspect will be exerted.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a storage device capable of safely and smoothly supplying substrates to a transfer area within the device, and a substrate processing apparatus provided with the storage device.

The effects and significance of the present invention will become clearer from the description of the embodiments shown below. However, the embodiments shown below are merely examples of implementing the present invention, and the present invention is not limited by the contents described in the following embodiments.

1:Substrate supply system

10:Box 1

11a, 11b: side wall

12:Slot

13: handle

20:Box 2

30:Substrate processing device

40: Grading unit

50: Film lamination unit

60:Reverse unit

70: Fracture unit

80:Transportation Department

100: Storage device

101: 1st Storage Department

102:Second Storage Department

103: Shell

104:door

110: Loading part

111: Positioning component

112: handle

120:Mobile Department

121:Joining components

121a:Component

121b:Transfer roller

122a, 122b: horizontal sliding member

123: Boot component

123a: concave part

124:Protruding member

130:Restriction Department

131:Support plate

140:Baffle

150:Lifting mechanism

151:Drive Department

151a: Rod

152:Supporting member

153a, 153b: lifting sliding member

160:Support part

170: Linkage mechanism

171:Connecting rod base

172:Connecting rod plate

173:Connecting rod

174:Connecting rod roller

180:Detection means

190:pedestal

200: Extraction mechanism

210:Hand

220:Driving mechanism

221:Extract the guide part

230: Guidance Department

231a, 231b: Orbit

232a~232c: Guide support components

240:Retreat mechanism

250: Sensor

300:Mobile mechanism

310: Lifting guide rail

400:Control Department

401:Input department

402:Testing Department

403: Pull out the guide drive part

404: Lifting guide drive unit

405: Cylinder drive part

500:Transportation Road

510:Transportation mechanism

520:Conveying track

530: Boot component

540:Moving hands

W: Substrate (wafer)

FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view showing the structure of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIG. 1(b) is a perspective view showing a cassette stored in the substrate supply system. FIG. 1(c) is a perspective view showing the storage device of the substrate supply system, and corresponds to FIG. 1(a).

2(a) to 2(c) are perspective views showing the structure of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment.

3 is a perspective view showing the structure of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment.

4 is a perspective view showing the structure of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the structure of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment.

6 (a) to (c) are perspective views showing the structure of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. Figure 6 (a) and (b) are enlarged views of the surroundings of the link mechanism. Figure 6(c) is a perspective view corresponding to Figure 5.

7 is a perspective view showing the structure of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment.

8(a) to (c) are perspective views showing the structure of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. Figure 8 (a) and (b) are enlarged views of the surroundings of the link mechanism. Figure 8(c) is a perspective view corresponding to Figure 7.

9 is a perspective view showing the structure of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment.

10(a) and (b) are perspective views showing the structure of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. Figure 10(a) is an enlarged view of the periphery of the link mechanism. Figure 10(b) is a perspective view corresponding to Figure 9.

11(a) and (b) are perspective views showing the structure of the extraction mechanism and the moving mechanism of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment.

12(a) and (b) are perspective views showing the substrate supply system and the transfer path according to the embodiment.

13(a) and (b) are perspective views showing the substrate supply system and the transfer path according to the embodiment.

FIG. 14(a) is a block diagram showing the structure of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIG. 14(b) is a flowchart showing the operation of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the structure of a substrate processing apparatus equipped with the substrate supply system according to the embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each figure, for the sake of convenience, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are appended to each other and are orthogonal to each other. The X-Y plane is parallel to the horizontal plane, and the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction. The positive side of the Z-axis is upward, and the negative side of the Z-axis is downward. In addition, in this embodiment, the Z-axis direction is the "lamination direction" described in the patent application. In this embodiment, the lamination direction may be expressed as "up-and-down direction". In addition, the Y-axis direction is the "direction perpendicular to the lamination direction" described in the patent application. This Y-axis direction may be expressed as "horizontal direction" in this embodiment.

<Implementation>

The storage device 100 of this embodiment is used to supply the wafers to a transport path to be transported to a predetermined device when manufacturing semiconductor wafers, which are materials for semiconductor components widely used in electronic equipment and the like. In this embodiment, the substrate stored in the storage device 100 is a semiconductor wafer attached to a ring-shaped frame using dicing protective tape. Hereinafter, the "semiconductor wafer attached to the ring-shaped frame using dicing protective tape" is simply referred to as "wafer W".

In this embodiment, the storage device 100 is explained as a storage device that is incorporated in a substrate supply system 1. The substrate supply system 1 includes an extraction mechanism 200 for extracting the wafer W from the storage device 100 and moving the wafer W to a predetermined position. The moving mechanism 300. In the description of this embodiment, the position where the wafer W is completely extracted from the substrate supply system 1 is called the "extraction position", and the position where the wafer W is transferred from the extraction position to the transfer path is called the "transfer position".

Examples of the material of the wafer W include single crystal silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), and gallium arsenide (GaAs). The above-mentioned material, thickness, and size of the semiconductor wafer are appropriately selected and designed according to the type, function, etc. of the semiconductor device intended for manufacturing.

1 (a) to (c) are perspective views showing the structure of the substrate supply system 1. FIG. 1( a ) is a perspective view of the substrate supply system 1 , FIG. 1( b ) is a perspective view of a cassette containing the wafer W, and FIG. 1( c ) is a perspective view of the storage device 100 .

As shown in FIG. 1( a ), the substrate supply system 1 includes a storage device 100 , an extraction mechanism 200 , and a moving mechanism 300 . Furthermore, the entire storage device 100 is covered by a casing, but for convenience of explanation, the casing is omitted. In the following, in all figures, the casing covering the entire storage device 100 is omitted.

The storage device 100 stores wafers W to be supplied to the transfer path. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1( b ), a plurality of wafers W are stored in a stacked state in a cassette, and the cassette is stored in the storage device 100 . In this embodiment, two cassettes 10 and 20 are prepared. Grooves 12 are provided at predetermined intervals on the inner surfaces of the side walls 11a and 11b of the first box 10 . The wafer W is inserted into the groove 12 and is accommodated in the first cassette 10 in a supported state.

A handle 13 for the operator to use when carrying the first box 10 is provided on the upper part of the first box 10 . Since the second box 20 has the same structure as the first box 10, description thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, in the above description, the first box 10 and the second box 20 are described as a common box. However, the first box 10 and the second box 20 may also have grooves 12 provided on the inner surfaces of the side walls 11a and 11b. The distance between them is different, and the number of wafers W accommodated can also be different.

The storage device 100 stores the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 described above. As shown in FIG. 1(c) , the storage device 100 includes a first storage part 101 and a second storage part 102 arranged in a stacking direction of the wafer W, that is, in the up-down direction. In addition, the storage device 100 includes a mounting portion 110 for detachably mounting the first box 10 in the first storage portion 101, a casing 103 covering the first storage portion 101, a door 104 attached to the casing 103, and a The handle 112 of the placing part 110.

As described above, in the storage device 100, the first storage part 101 is covered with the casing 103, and the door 104 that opens and closes in the horizontal direction is provided. The door 104 is attached to a casing (not shown in FIGS. 1(a) and (c)) that covers the entire storage device 100. When the door 104 is opened and closed, the first storage part 101 can be accessed. In addition, the door 104 may be formed of a transparent member so that the operator can visually recognize the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 during operation of the substrate supply system 1 . In FIG. 1(c), the case where the door 104 is transparent is illustrated.

The above-described housing 103, door 104, placement portion 110, and handle 112 are also provided in the second storage portion 102 in the same manner.

In this manner, the storage device 100 includes the first storage part 101 and the second storage part 102, and the door 104 is provided in each of the first storage part 101 and the second storage part 102. Therefore, for example, while the wafer W is being supplied from the first cassette 10 stored in the first storage unit 101 to the transfer path, the operator can open the door 104 of the second storage unit 102 and load the wafer W in the second storage unit 102 . The placement portion 110 is drawn out in the negative direction of the Y-axis. At this time, when the second cassette 20 is not accommodated in the second storage unit 102 or the wafer W is not accommodated in the second cassette 20 (that is, all the wafers W have been supplied from the second cassette 20 to the transfer road situation), the operator stores the wafer W in the second cassette 20, appropriately places the second cassette 20 on the placement portion 110 of the second storage portion 102, and then moves the placement portion 110 toward the Y-axis square Pull it in to the second storage part 102. In this way, the second box 20 can be stored in the second storage part 102 .

In addition, in FIG. 1(c) , for convenience of explanation, the diagram is shown in such a way that the inside of each storage part can be observed, so the baffle 140 of the first storage part 101 and the second storage part 102 are shown in the figure. The open state of the baffle 140 does not correspond to the actual movement. This situation is also the same in Figures 12(a) to 13(b).

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1(c) , the storage device 100 includes a moving part 120, a restricting part 130, a lifting mechanism 150, a supporting part 160, a link mechanism 170, and a detection means 180. In addition, the moving part 120 is not shown in FIG. 1(c), but is shown in FIG. 4.

Figures 2 (a) to (c) are perspective views showing different states of the storage device 100, and the figures on the left correspond to the figures on the right.

As shown in Figures 2(a) to (c), the storage device 100 mainly has four states. FIG. 2(a) shows a state in which the placing portion 110 has been extracted from the second storage portion 102 (first state). At this time, the baffle 140 of the second storage part 102 is closed, so the operator cannot put his hand into the storage device 100 . FIG. 2(b) shows the state in which the placing part 110 is accommodated in the second accommodating part 102 (second state). FIG. 2(c) shows a preparation state (third state) for opening the shutter 140 of the second storage part 102. The state (the fourth state) in which the opening of the baffle 140 of the second storage portion 102 is completed corresponds to FIGS. 1(a) and (c). Hereinafter, the structure of the storage device 100 will be described divided into these four states. Here, the baffle 140 of the first storage part 101 is opened upward, and the baffle 140 of the second storage part 102 is opened downward. In this way, although the opening direction is different from the upper and lower parts, the structure used to open the baffle 140 is the same structure. Therefore, in the following description, the description will focus on the second storage portion 102 arranged in the upper stage.

Moreover, when the storage device 100 is in the first state (the state shown in FIG. 2(a) ), the second box 20 is detachably mounted on the placement portion 110 of the second storage portion 102 . At this time, the position of the placing portion 110 of the second storage portion 102 is the "loading and unloading position" described in the scope of the patent application. When the storage device 100 is in the second state (the state shown in FIG. 2(b) ), the second box 20 is stored in the second storage part 102 in a state of being placed on the placement part 110 of the second storage part 102 . The position of the placing portion 110 of the second storage portion 102 at this time is the “storage position” described in the scope of the patent application.

First, a description will be given of the case where the storage device 100 is in the first state, that is, when the placing portion 110 is in the loading and unloading position.

3 and 4 are perspective views showing the structure of the storage device 100, and show the storage device 100 in the first state. In FIGS. 3 and 4 , the second box 20 , the housing 103 , and the door 104 are omitted, and in FIG. 4 , the detection means 180 is further omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the storage device 100 includes the above-mentioned placement part 110 , moving part 120 , restriction part 130 , baffle 140 , lifting mechanism 150 , support part 160 , link mechanism 170 , and detection means 180 In addition, it also has a pedestal 190. In addition, in the mounting portion 110 in FIG. 3 , the portion surrounded by a dotted line is a region for mounting the second box 20 .

Four positioning members 111 for positioning the second box 20 are provided on the upper surface of the placing portion 110 . When the second box 20 is placed on the placement part 110, both ends of the side walls 11a and 11b of the second box 20 are fitted into the four positioning members 111 (see FIG. 1(c)).

The moving part 120 moves the placing part 110 in the horizontal direction between the loading and unloading position and the storage position. The moving part 120 includes a coupling member 121, horizontal sliding members 122a and 122b, a guide member 123, and a protruding member 124. Furthermore, the coupling member 121 is not shown in FIG. 3 but is shown in FIG. 4 .

The coupling member 121 is composed of a member 121a with a segmented cross section in the X-axis direction, and a transfer roller 121b. A hole is formed in the X-axis direction at the lower part of the member 121a, and the rotation axis of the transfer roller 121b passes through this hole. A baffle 140 is installed on the upper rising portion of the member 121a (see Figure 6(c)).

The horizontal sliding member 122a is provided on the mounting part 110 side, and the horizontal sliding member 122b is provided on the pedestal 190 side. When the placing part 110 moves in the horizontal direction, the horizontal sliding member 122a moves relative to the horizontal sliding member 122b. Thereby, the placing part 110 can move in the horizontal direction.

The guide member 123 is an elongated rectangular member and is provided on the base 190 . The guide member 123 has a gently inclined surface toward the center on the positive and negative sides of the Y-axis, and a V-shaped recess 123a is formed on the end of the positive Y-axis. The lower end of the protruding member 124 provided on the placement portion 110 is formed into a hemispherical shape (not shown). Show). When the placement portion 110 moves to the storage position in the horizontal direction by the horizontal sliding members 122a and 122b, the hemispherical portion of the protruding member 124 slides on the inclined surface of the guide member 123. Thereby, the placing part 110 can be appropriately braked and moved to the base 190 while decelerating. Furthermore, by fitting the hemispherical portion of the protruding member 124 into the recessed portion 123a, the placing portion 110 is positioned in the second housing portion 102.

The restricting portion 130 moves in the horizontal direction between the loading and unloading position (first state) and the storage position (second state) of the mounting portion 110, and when the mounting portion 110 is in the storage position (second state), This prevents the wafer W from flying out from the second cassette 20 toward the inner side (the Y-axis positive side) and falling. The restriction part 130 is in contact with the inner end surface of the second box 20 . That is, it comes into contact with the wafer W accommodated in the second cassette 20 . The restricting parts 130 are plate-shaped members, and in this embodiment, two restricting parts 130 are provided. The restriction part 130 is supported by the support plate 131.

The baffle 140 blocks the second storage part 102 from the extraction position. In the second storage part 102, when the wafer W is extracted from the second cassette 20, the shutter 140 is opened, and when the placement part 110 moves from the storage position to the loading and unloading position, the shutter 140 is closed.

The lifting mechanism 150 raises and lowers the baffle 140 . The lifting mechanism 150 includes a driving part 151, a support member 152, and lifting sliding members 153a and 153b.

The driving part 151 is a cylinder. A support member 152 is connected to the lower end of the rod 151a of the driving part 151. The support member 152 is composed of a frame-shaped member opened on the Y-axis negative side. The above-mentioned transfer roller 121b is inserted into the gap 152a above and below the support member 152. Although it will be described below, when the storage device 100 is in the second to fourth states, the transfer roller 121b is fitted into the gap 152a of the support member 152 (for example, see FIG. 6(b) ). Since the support member 152 is connected to the rod 151a, when the drive part 151 drives, the support member 152 and the drive part 151 move up and down together.

The lifting sliding members 153a and 153b are provided between the baffle 140 and the support part 160, and move the baffle 140 up and down. The baffle 140 is equipped with an up-and-down sliding member 153a, and the support part 160 is equipped with an up-and-down sliding member 153b. When the baffle 140 moves up and down, the lifting sliding member 153a slides relative to the lifting sliding member 153b, so the baffle 140 moves up and down.

The support portion 160 is a member with a segmental cross-section in the Y-axis direction (see FIG. 6(a) ) and is provided in the placement portion 110 . The restriction part 130 is supported via a link mechanism 170 which will be described next.

The link mechanism 170 is composed of a link base 171, a link plate 172, two link rods 173, and a link roller 174.

The link base 171 and the link plate 172 are plate-shaped members and are connected by two link rods 173 . The connecting rod base 171 is installed on the baffle 140 , and the connecting rod plate 172 is installed on the supporting plate 131 . A link roller 174 is rotatably provided at a lower portion of the link plate 172 . The connecting rod roller 174 is in contact with the horizontal surface of the lower part of the supporting part 160 . In addition, the two connecting rods 173 are not shown in FIG. 3 but are shown in FIG. 4 .

As described above, the baffle 140 is supported by the support portion 160 via the horizontal sliding members 122a and 122b. A link base 171 is installed on the baffle 140 , and a link plate 172 connected to the link base 171 via a link rod 173 is installed on the support plate 131 . The link base 171 and the link plate 172 form a four-bar link using the two link rods 173 . By this link mechanism, the link plate 172 slides while maintaining a vertical state. Furthermore, this support plate 131 supports the restriction part 130 . Therefore, the restriction part 130 is supported by the baffle 140 via the link mechanism 170 , and the restriction part 130 is supported by the support part 160 via the link mechanism 170 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , in the first state, the connecting rod 173 of the link mechanism 170 is horizontal relative to the placing portion 110 . Therefore, the link base 171 is slightly spaced from the link plate 172 . That is, the baffle 140 on which the link base 171 is mounted is separated from the support plate 131 on which the link plate 172 is mounted. Since the restriction part 130 is installed on the support plate 131, the baffle 140 is separated from the restriction part 130.

The detection means 180 is a sensor arranged on the positive side of the Y-axis of the base 190 . The detection means 180 detects that the wafer W falls from the second cassette 20 to the transport path.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , in the first state, when the placing part 110 is pulled out and positioned at the loading and unloading position, the restricting part 130 , the supporting plate 131 , and the baffle 140 are also horizontally aligned with the placing part 110 . direction movement. As shown in FIG. 2(a) , especially the right side of FIG. 2(a) , this is a state in which the restricting portion 130 is in contact with the wafer W. Therefore, when taking out the second box 20 from the placing part 110 and placing the second box 20 on the placing part 110, the operation The operator can only put his hand into the area of the placing part 110, and the operator's hand will not enter the conveying path. This allows the operator to safely load and remove the second box 20 .

Next, the case where the storage device 100 is in the second state, that is, the placing portion 110 is in the storage position, will be described.

5 and 6 (a) to (c) are perspective views showing the structure of the storage device 100, and show the storage device 100 in the second state. Figures 6(a) and (b) are enlarged views of the periphery of the link mechanism, and Figure 6(b) omits the baffle 140. Figure 6(c) is a perspective view corresponding to Figure 5. In addition, in FIGS. 5 and 6 (a) to (c), the second box 20, the housing 103, the door 104, and the detection means 180 are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 5 , when the placement part 110 is moved to the storage position, the coupling member 121 , the restriction part 130 , the support plate 131 , the baffle 140 , and the support part 160 maintain the states shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 One side moves horizontally together with the placing portion 110 . At this time, as shown in FIG. 10( b ), the transfer roller 121 b of the coupling member 121 that moves horizontally together with the baffle 140 is inserted into the gap 152 a of the supporting member 152 . At this time, when the transfer roller 121b rolls on the base 190, the width of the transfer roller 121b is set wide so that it can adhere continuously to the support member 152. Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 10(a) and (b) , the upper frame of the support member 152 does not interfere with the baffle 140 .

As shown in FIGS. 6(a) and (b) , when the storage device 100 is in the second state, the link mechanism 170 is the same as the first state, so the restricting part 130 and the baffle 140 are still slightly separated. in contact with the wafer W. This is the case where the restricting portion 130 is in contact with the wafer W. This case is shown in FIG. 2(b) .

In this way, when the placing portion 110 moves horizontally from the first state to the second state, that is, from the loading and unloading position to the storage position, the positional relationship between the restricting portion 130 and the baffle 140 does not change, and the placement portion 110 remains unchanged. Move horizontally. Accordingly, while the mounting portion 110 moves horizontally from the loading and unloading position to the storage position, the restricting portion 130 continues to be in contact with the wafer W. This eliminates the risk of the wafer W flying out from the second cassette 20 toward the supply area and falling. In addition, since the baffle 140 blocks the supply area side, the operator's hand is reliably prevented from entering the storage device 100 .

Next, the storage device 100 is in the third state, that is, just before the placement portion 110 is in the storage position and the shutter 140 is about to be opened.

7 and 8 (a) to (c) are perspective views showing the structure of the storage device 100, and show the storage device 100 in the third state. Figures 8(a) and (b) are enlarged views of the periphery of the link mechanism, and Figure 8(b) omits the baffle 140. Figure 8(c) is a perspective view corresponding to Figure 11. In addition, in FIGS. 7 and 8 (a) to (c), the second box 20, the casing 103, the door 104, and the detection means 180 are omitted.

When the placement unit 110 is positioned at the storage position, the storage device 100 prepares to open the shutter 140 so that the wafer W can be supplied from the second cassette 20 . Here, if the baffle 140 is moved up and down instantaneously, the restricting portion 130 also moves up and down integrally with the baffle 140 . Since the restricting part 130 is in contact with the wafer W, the restricting part 130 moves up and down while rubbing the wafer W. For the wafer W, since this will lead to a decrease in the quality of the wafer W, it is necessary to separate the wafer W from the restricting portion 130 and then raise the baffle 140 . Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 (a) to (c), in the storage device 100 , the wafer W is separated from the restricting portion 130 in preparation for opening the shutter 140 (third state).

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 (a) to (c), when a predetermined pressure is applied to the driving part 151, the rod 151a rises by a predetermined stroke. Thereby, the support member 152 connected to the rod 151a rises by a predetermined stroke in the state in which the transfer roller 121b of the coupling member 121 is embedded. Since the member 121a of the coupling member 121 is installed on the baffle 140, as the support member 152 rises, the coupling member 121 and the baffle 140 integrally rise by a predetermined stroke. At this time, the baffle 140 is guided to be able to move up and down by the lifting sliding members 153a and 153b.

As shown in FIGS. 8(a) and (b) , a link base 171 is installed on the baffle 140 . Therefore, when the baffle 140 rises, the link base 171 also rises, and the two link rods 173 (refer to FIG. 10(b) ) that are maintained in the horizontal direction rotate. At this time, the link roller 174 rotatably provided on the link plate 172 rolls toward the positive side of the Y-axis on the horizontal plane at the lower part of the support portion 160, thereby moving the link plate 172 toward the positive side of the Y-axis. Since the connecting rod plate 172 is installed on the supporting plate 131, the supporting plate 131 also moves toward the positive side of the Y-axis. Thereby, the restriction part 130 supported by the support plate 131 slightly moves to the positive side of the Y-axis from the state shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 (a) to (c). The connecting rod plate 172 uses four rod connecting rods, While maintaining the vertical position, it moves in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, the restricting part 130 also moves in the horizontal direction, so that the restricting part 130 is separated from the wafer W. Thereby, the restricting part 130 can rise away from the wafer W without contacting the wafer W, that is, without shifting the position of the wafer W.

Next, the case where the storage device 100 is in the fourth state, that is, the placement part 110 is in the storage position and the shutter 140 is open, will be described.

9 and 10 (a) and (b) are perspective views showing the structure of the storage device 100, and show the storage device 100 in the fourth state. Figure 10(a) is an enlarged view of the periphery of the link mechanism, and Figure 10(b) is a perspective view corresponding to Figure 13. In addition, in FIGS. 9 and 10 (a) and (b), the second box 20, the casing 103, the door 104, and the detection means 180 are omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 (a) and (b), if the predetermined pressure is continued to be applied to the driving part 151 from the third state, the rod 151a further moves up the predetermined stroke. Thereby, the transfer roller 121b holding the coupling member 121 is inserted into the support member 152 connected to the rod 151a, and rises by a predetermined stroke. Thereby, the baffle 140 can be raised integrally with the restriction part 130, so that the second storage part 102 can be opened to the supply area.

Furthermore, the baffle 140 of the first storage part 101 moves downward. The first storage part 101 is composed of the same components and mechanisms as the second storage part 102. In the first storage part 101, the support part 160 and the link mechanism 170 are provided in opposite vertical directions to the support part 160 and the link mechanism 170 of the second storage part 102. Other structures are provided in the same manner as the second storage unit 102 .

As described above, in the first storage portion 101 , the link mechanism 170 is installed in a state opposite to the vertical direction of the state provided in the second storage portion 102 . The link roller 174 of the second storage part 102 is stably positioned on the horizontal plane of the segment of the support part 160 by its own weight even if no energizing member is provided on the link mechanism 170 .

On the other hand, in the first storage portion 101 , the link roller 174 is located below the horizontal plane of the step portion of the support portion 160 . Thereby, the link roller 174 can move by its own weight. If the link roller 174 moves, the link plate 172 also moves, so the link mechanism 170 becomes unstable. Therefore, the connecting rod in the second storage part 102 The mechanism 170 is provided with an urging member (not shown) for urging the link roller 174 upward. Thereby, the link mechanism 170 of the first storage part 101 is stabilized.

In the case of the storage device 100 configured as described above, when the placement portion 110 is pulled out from each storage portion to the loading and unloading position side, the restricting portion 130 and the baffle 140 are also pulled out. The same applies when the placing portion 110 is returned to the storage position. Therefore, while the placement portion 110 is moving, the restriction portion 130 continues to face the wafer W, which can reliably prevent the wafer W from falling out of the cassette. In addition, when the placing part 110 is positioned at the attachment and detachment position, since the back side of each storage part is blocked by the baffle 140 , the operator can be prevented from inserting his hand into the storage device 100 .

Next, the extraction mechanism 200 will be described.

11(a) and (b) are perspective views showing the structure of the extraction mechanism 200 and the moving mechanism 300.

The extraction mechanism 200 supplies the wafer W to the transport path, and therefore extracts the wafer W from the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 . The extraction mechanism 200 includes a hand 210, a driving mechanism 220, a guide 230, an evacuation mechanism 240, and a sensor 250.

The hand 210 holds the peripheral edge of the wafer W. The driving mechanism 220 moves the hand 210 in the horizontal direction.

The guide part 230 guides the wafer W extracted from the cassette to the transport path while supporting it. The guide part 230 includes rails 231a and 231b and guide support members 232a to 232c that support the rails 231a and 231b. The rails 231a and 231b are arranged on the positive side and the negative side of the X-axis. Guide support members 232a and 232b are in contact with the lower portions of each of the rails 231a and 231b. A guide support member 232c is connected to the lower part of each of the guide support members 232a and 232b.

Moreover, the guide support members 232a to 232c are rectangular plate members. In FIGS. 2(a) and (b) , the guide support member 232a is divided into two parts, but it may also be integrated.

When transferring the wafer W extracted from the storage device 100 to the transfer path, the retraction mechanism 240 avoids interference between the member that receives the wafer W at the transfer position (for example, the holding member on the transfer path side) and the hand 210 .

The sensor 250 detects the wafer W of the supply target when the hand 210 pulls out the wafer W from the cassette. The hand 210, the sensor 250, and the retraction mechanism 240 are connected in this order via the connecting member from the Y-axis negative side. In addition, the retraction mechanism 240 is arranged below the hand 210 and the sensor 250 .

Moreover, specifically, the retraction mechanism 240 is a cylinder. When a predetermined pressure is applied to the retraction mechanism 240 from the cylinder driving part 405, the retraction mechanism 240 moves downward integrally with the hand 210 and the sensor 250 connected via the connecting member. In addition, the cylinder driving part 405 is illustrated in FIG. 14(a).

The driving mechanism 220 moves the wafer W held by the hand 210 in the horizontal direction. The driving mechanism 220 includes a pull-out guide 221 that moves the wafer W in the horizontal direction, and a moving member 222 that moves the pull-out guide 221 . As shown in FIGS. 2(a) and (b) , the extraction guide 221 is arranged in the space surrounded by the guide support members 232a to 232c, and is installed on the guide support member 232c. Furthermore, the retraction mechanism 240 is installed on the moving member 222 .

In the extraction mechanism 200, if the moving member 222 moves the extraction guide 221 in the horizontal direction, the retraction mechanism 240, the sensor 250, the hand 210, the guide 230, and the wafer W move integrally in the horizontal direction. .

The moving mechanism 300 moves the extraction mechanism 200 up and down between the first storage part 101 and the second storage part 102 . The moving mechanism 300 includes a lifting guide rail 310 that lifts the extraction mechanism 200 and a lifting member 320 that moves up and down on the lifting guide rail 310 .

The lifting member 320 is installed on the guide support member 232b. In the moving mechanism 300, as the lifting member 320 moves on the lifting guide rail 310, the extraction mechanism 200 is raised and lowered integrally via the lifting member 320.

Next, the supply of the wafer W to the transfer path using the substrate supply system 1 will be described. Here, description will be given assuming that the substrate supply system 1 supplies the wafer W to the transport path 500 .

In addition, in this embodiment, the wafers W accommodated in the lowermost part of the first cassette 10 accommodated in the first accommodation unit 101 are sequentially supplied to the transfer path.

12(a) to 13(b) are perspective views showing the structure of the substrate supply system 1 and the transport path 500. FIG. 12( a ) shows a situation where the wafer W is extracted by the extraction mechanism 200 , and FIG. 12( b ) shows a situation where extraction of the wafer W by the extraction mechanism 200 has been completed. FIG. 13( a ) shows the extraction mechanism 200 before transferring the wafer W to the transfer position of the transfer path 500 , and FIG. 13( b ) shows the situation after the transfer of the wafer W to the transfer position of the transfer path 500 has been completed.

Furthermore, in Figures 12(a) to 13(b), the baffles 140 respectively provided in the first storage part 101 and the second storage part 102 are open.

As shown in FIGS. 12(a) to 13(b) , the conveyance path 500 includes a conveyance mechanism 510, two conveyance rails 520, a guide member 530, and a conveyance hand 540. The transfer hand 540 holds the wafer W transferred from the substrate supply system 1 . The conveying hand 540 is installed on the conveying rail 520 and the guide member 530. When the conveying mechanism 510 is driven, the guide member 530 moves according to the guidance of the conveying mechanism 510. Thereby, the wafer W is transported along the transport rail 520 .

As shown in FIG. 12(a) , the moving mechanism 300 integrally moves the extraction mechanism 200 downward and positions it at a predetermined height position. At this time, the moving mechanism 300 integrally moves the extraction mechanism 200 to a position where the hand 210 faces the wafer W to be supplied contained in the first cassette 10 or the second cassette 20 . Then, the hand 210 positioned at the height of the wafer W to be supplied moves to the negative side of the Y-axis by the driving mechanism 220 to hold the wafer W to be supplied. At this time, the sensor 250 detects the wafer W to be supplied. This operation of the substrate supply system 1 is called "pull-out operation".

As shown in FIG. 12(b) , when the wafer W is held by the hand 210, the driving mechanism 220 extracts the wafer W toward the positive side of the Y-axis. The extracted wafer W is positioned at the extraction position while being supported and guided by the rails 231a and 231b. At this time, the hand 210 is holding the wafer W. This operation of the substrate supply system 1 is called "extraction completion operation".

As shown in FIG. 13(a) , when the wafer W is positioned at the extraction position, the moving mechanism 300 integrally moves the extraction mechanism 200 upward. At this time, based on the height position of the rails 231a and 231b and the conveyor path The moving mechanism 300 moves the extraction mechanism 200 integrally so that the height positions of the conveying rails 520 of 500 are consistent. In addition, the hand 210 is in a state of holding the wafer W. This operation of the substrate supply system 1 is called "handover preparation operation".

As shown in FIG. 13( b ), when the rails 231 a and 231 b of the extraction mechanism 200 are positioned at the height of the transport rail 520 , that is, the transfer position, the hand 210 releases the wafer W. Then, a predetermined pressure is applied to the retraction mechanism 240 to move the hand 210 and the sensor 250 below the conveyor rail 520 . Thereby, the hand 210 and the sensor 250 do not interfere with the conveying hand 540. Furthermore, in this state, the wafer W is still supported by the rails 231a and 231b. This operation of the substrate supply system 1 is called "handover completion operation".

When the hand 210 releases the wafer W, the transport mechanism 510 is driven, whereby the guide member 530 equipped with the transport hand 540 moves according to the guidance of the transport mechanism, and the transport hand 540 holds the wafer W. Then, the wafer W is transported to a predetermined place while being supported by the transport rail 520 .

In this manner, the substrate supply system 1 supplies the wafer W to the transport path. The substrate supply system 1 repeatedly executes the above-mentioned extraction operation, extraction completion operation, transfer preparation operation, and transfer completion operation while the wafer W to be supplied is present.

In this embodiment, when all the wafers W accommodated in the first cassette 10 have been supplied to the transport path, the extraction mechanism 200 and the moving mechanism 300 extract the wafers from the second cassette 20 accommodated in the second accommodation part 102 . Circle W and supply to the conveyor road. At this time, similarly to when the wafer W is extracted from the first cassette 10 , the extraction mechanism 200 and the moving mechanism 300 sequentially extract the wafer W accommodated in the lowermost part of the second cassette 20 .

While the substrate supply system 1 extracts the wafer W from the second cassette 20 and supplies it to the transport path, the operator opens the door 104 of the first storage unit 101 and points the placement portion 110 of the first storage unit 101 in the negative Y-axis direction. Pull it out and position the mounting part 110 in the attachment and detachment position. Then, the operator can take out the first cassette 10 from the loading part 110 of the first storage part 101, receive the new wafer W in the first cassette 10, and place it on the loading part 110 of the first storage part 101. Position the first storage part 101 in the storage position again. In this way, even when the first cassette is taken out from the first storage unit 101, the wafer W is extracted from the second cassette 20 and continues to be supplied to the transport path. thus, The operation rate of the substrate supply system 1 can be improved.

Furthermore, when transferring the wafer W on the conveyance path, in addition to holding the wafer W by hand as described above, the wafer W may also be sucked and held by a member equipped with a suction pad, for example.

[Substrate supply system supply operation]

Next, the supply operation of the wafer W by the substrate supply system 1 will be described. FIG. 14(a) is a block diagram showing the structure of the substrate supply system 1. As shown in FIG. 14(a) , the substrate supply system 1 includes a storage device 100 , an extraction mechanism 200 , and a moving mechanism 300 , and further includes a control unit 400 , an input unit 401 , and a detection unit 402 . Furthermore, it is provided with the extraction guide drive part 403, the lift guide drive part 404, and the cylinder drive part 405 as the drive part of each of the extraction guide part 221, the lift guide rail 310, and the retraction mechanism 240.

The control unit 400 includes an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU, or a memory such as a ROM, a RAM, and a hard disk. The control unit controls each unit according to the program stored in the memory.

The input unit 401 accepts the start of supplying the wafer W to the transport path by the substrate supply system 1 . The detection unit 402 detects the position of the wafer W to be supplied in the substrate supply system 1 . Furthermore, the detection unit 402 may be configured to detect that the wafer W has been supplied to the transfer path. The detection unit 402 may use a sensor, a camera, or the like, for example.

FIG. 14(b) is a flowchart showing the operation of the substrate supply system 1 of this embodiment. This control is executed by the control unit 400 shown in Fig. 14(a). Here, similarly to the above, the operation when the wafer W is supplied from the substrate supply system 1 to the transfer path 500 will be described.

In addition, in the flowchart of FIG. 14(b) , "start" is the time point when the supply of the wafer W to the transfer path is started by accepting the input unit. Furthermore, the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 containing the wafer W are respectively stored in the first storage part 101 and the second storage part 102 of the storage device 100 . Moreover, the wafers W accommodated in the lowermost part of the first cassette 10 are sequentially supplied toward the wafers W above.

In step S11, the lifting guide driving part 404 drives the lifting guide rail 310, so that the pump The take-out mechanism 200 moves to a height position of the wafer W to be supplied, and causes the sensor 250 to detect the wafer W to be supplied. This is the above-mentioned extraction operation and corresponds to the state shown in Fig. 12(a).

In step S12, if the sensor 250 detects the wafer W to be supplied, the control unit 400 causes the extraction guide driving unit 403 to drive the hand 210 to grasp the wafer W to be supplied, extract and position the wafer W in the horizontal direction. in the withdrawn position. This is the above-mentioned extraction completion operation and corresponds to the state shown in Figure 12(b).

In step S13 , the control unit 400 causes the lifting guide driving unit 404 to drive the lifting guide rail 310 to position the extraction mechanism 200 at the height of the conveying rail 520 of the conveying path 500 . This is the above-mentioned handover preparation operation and corresponds to the state shown in Fig. 13(a).

In step S14, if the detection unit 402 detects that the wafer W is located at the height of the transport rail 520, the control unit 400 causes the extraction guide driving unit 403 to drive the hand 210 to stop holding the wafer W by the hand 210. . Then, the control unit 400 causes the cylinder driving unit 405 to apply a predetermined pressure to the retraction mechanism 240 to move the hand 210 downward. Thereby, interference between the hand 210 and the conveying hand 540 is avoided. This is the above-mentioned handover completion operation and is equivalent to the state shown in Figure 13(b).

After step S14, the wafer W is transferred to the transport path 500 (see FIG. 13(b)) and transported to a predetermined location. In step S15 , if the detection unit 402 detects that the transfer of the wafer W has been completed, the control unit 400 determines whether the wafer W to be supplied is in the first cassette 10 or the second cassette 20 . When there is a wafer W to be supplied (S15; Yes), the above-mentioned operations of steps S11 to S14 are repeatedly executed. When there is no wafer W to be supplied (S15; No), the supply of the wafer W to the transfer path by the substrate supply system 1 is completed.

Furthermore, the substrate supply system 1 may be configured to include a display unit that displays the status of the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 . For example, a display screen (not shown) is connected to the substrate supply system 1, and when unprocessed wafers W, that is, supply targets, remain in any of the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20, the display screen displays It is "Processing". This display allows the operator to understand the supply of the wafer W from the first cassette 10 or the second cassette 20 to the transport path.

In addition, when the first cassette 10 becomes empty, or when a predetermined number of wafers W have been supplied to the transport path, and when unprocessed wafers W remain in the second cassette 20, " Box 1 10: Processing completed." With this display, the operator immediately takes out the first cassette 10 from the first storage part 101 , stores the wafer W in the first cassette 10 again, and stores the first cassette 10 in the first storage part 101 again.

In addition, when the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 become empty, or when a predetermined number of wafers W have been supplied to the transport path, "processing completion" is displayed. Through this display, the operator can understand that the supply of wafer W has been completed.

In this way, when the display unit is provided, the operator can quickly grasp the status of the first box 10 and the second box 20 stored in the storage device 100, so that the operation can be performed smoothly.

If the substrate supply system 1 is configured as described above, as shown in FIGS. 12(a) to 13(b) , the extraction mechanism 200 extracts the wafer W from the second cassette accommodated in the second storage portion 102 toward the substrate supply system 1 . When the first cassette 10 is empty during supply on the transport path, the operator pulls out the loading part 110 from the first storage part 101, takes out the first cassette 10 from the loading part 110, and removes the wafer W to be supplied. Contained in box 10. Then, the first box 10 can be stored in the first storage part 101 again. Thereby, when all the wafers W have been supplied from the first cassette 10 to the transport path, the wafers W can be accommodated in the first cassette 10 and stored in the first cassette 10 without temporarily stopping the supply operation of the extraction mechanism 200 . 1 Storage section 101. This allows the wafers W to be continuously supplied to the transport path from the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 , thereby improving the operation rate of the substrate supply system 1 .

In addition, the wafer W supplied to the transport path from the second cassette 20 may be returned to the second cassette 20 through the same transport path after being processed by a predetermined apparatus. In this case, after all the wafers W supplied to the transfer path from the second cassette 20 are returned to the second cassette 20, the second cassette 20 can be taken out from the second storage part 102, and the processed wafers can be recovered from the second cassette 20. The unprocessed wafer W is stored in the second cassette 20 and is stored in the second storage part 102 again.

In addition, the substrate supply system 1 does not move the storage device 100 in the up and down, left and right directions. Generally speaking, semiconductor wafers are thin films, relatively brittle, and not resistant to impact. Therefore, if the storage device 100 moves, then There is a risk that the wafer W to be supplied may be damaged due to shaking or vibration. In this regard, in the substrate supply system 1 , the wafer W is extracted by the extraction mechanism 200 and the moving mechanism 300 . This can reliably prevent the wafer W from being damaged in the storage device 100 .

Furthermore, the extraction mechanism 200 is provided with rails 231a and 231b. Thereby, when the hand 210 draws out the wafer W, the wafer W is drawn out while being supported by the rails 231a and 231b. Thereby, the wafer W can be extracted smoothly.

In addition, in the storage device 100, the first storage part 101 and the second storage part 102 are arranged in an array in the stacking direction of the wafer W. Thereby, the extraction mechanism 200 can be moved only in the stacking direction, and the hand 210 can be positioned on the wafer W of the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 . Therefore, the structure and control of the moving mechanism 300 can be simplified.

In addition, in the substrate supply system 1, the stacking direction is the up-down direction. Thereby, the wafer W can be accommodated in the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 in a stable state. In addition, the wafer W can be stably pulled out from the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 in the horizontal direction.

In addition, in the substrate supply system 1 , the wafer W is supplied from the first cassette 10 of the first storage unit 101 . That is, the extraction mechanism 200 does not reciprocate in the stacking direction, but moves in one direction from below to above. Therefore, when the first cassette 10 becomes empty, the first cassette 10 can be quickly taken out from the storage device 100, a new wafer W can be stored in the first cassette 10, and then stored in the first storage part 101 again. . Thereby, the wafer W can be supplied smoothly and efficiently.

Furthermore, the wafer W can also be supplied from the second cassette 20 . In this case, it suffices to move the extraction mechanism 200 in one direction in the stacking direction so as to sequentially supply the wafers W accommodated in the uppermost part of the second cassette 20 .

In addition, in the substrate supply system 1, when the wafers W are supplied from the first cassette 10 of the first storage unit 101, the wafers W are supplied sequentially from the wafer W accommodated in the lowermost part of the first cassette 10. Thereby, the wafer W can be efficiently supplied to the transport path from one cassette. Therefore, it is possible to expedite taking out the cassette that is empty or containing the processed wafer W from the storage device 100, and then storing the unprocessed wafer W in the cassette and storing it again in the cassette. The operation cycle of the storage device 100.

<Effects of implementation>

As shown in FIG. 3 , the restriction part 130 is supported by the placement part 110 via the support part 160 and the link mechanism 170 . Therefore, the restricting part 130 moves in the horizontal direction integrally with the movement of the placing part 110 . Therefore, while the cassette and the mounting portion 110 are moved horizontally from the loading and unloading position to the storage position, the restricting portion 130 comes into contact with the portion of the wafer W accommodated in the cassette on the supply area side. This can reliably prevent the wafer W from flying out from the cassette toward the supply area side and falling down while the placement portion 110 is moving.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, when the loading part 110 is positioned in the loading and unloading position, the entrance and exit of the loading part 110 is blocked by the baffle 140, thus preventing the operator from accidentally inserting his hand when loading and unloading the box. to the inside of the storage device 100 .

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 (a) to (c), when the restricting portion 130 is raised or lowered to open the supply area side of the second storage portion 102, the restricting portion 130 can be retracted from the wafer W to supply area side. This prevents the restricting portion 130 from being raised and lowered while rubbing the wafer W, thereby preventing the wafer W from being damaged.

In addition, since the lifting mechanism 150 for raising and lowering the baffle 140 is commonly used for raising and lowering the restricting portion 130, the mechanism system and the control system can be simplified.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6 (a) to (c), when the placement portion 110 moves to the storage position, the coupling member 121 installed on the baffle 140 is embedded in the support member 152 on the lifting mechanism 150 side, and the lifting mechanism 150 is lifted. The mechanism 150 is coupled with the baffle 140 . Thereby, in the storage position, the baffle 140 can be smoothly raised and lowered by the lifting mechanism 150 .

In addition, since the transfer roller 121b also serves as the coupling member 121, the structure can be simplified. In addition, in the storage position, the transfer roller 121b is embedded in the support member 152 to restrict the movement of the linking member 121, so the placement portion 110 can be appropriately positioned in the storage position.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the storage device 100 is configured to have two storage portions, but three or more storage portions may be provided.

Alternatively, the wafer W supplied to the transport path may be returned to the cassette in which it was stored before supply. In this case, the wafer W is transferred from the transport path to the hand 210 of the extraction mechanism 200 at the transfer position. The moving mechanism 300 positions the extraction mechanism 200 at a position before the wafer W is supplied. Then, the wafer W is inserted into the cassette by the extraction mechanism 200 .

In such a configuration, the wafers W that have been subjected to predetermined processing can be collected together and transferred to other steps.

In addition, the above-mentioned storage device 100 can be combined with a plurality of units for processing wafers to form a substrate processing device 30 .

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the structure of the substrate processing device 30 including the substrate supply system 1. As shown in FIG. 15 , the substrate processing apparatus 30 includes: a scribing unit 40 that forms scribe lines on the surface of the wafer W; a film laminating unit 50 that attaches a film to the surface of the wafer W on which the scribe lines are formed; The inversion unit 60 inverts the wafer W so that the surface with the film attached becomes the lower side; the breaking unit 70 applies a predetermined force to the surface without the film attached to break the wafer W along the scribe line. separation; and a transport unit 80 that transports the wafer W to a predetermined position. Furthermore, in FIG. 15 , the substrate supply system 1 is covered with a casing.

The substrate processing apparatus 30 having the above-mentioned structure can smoothly supply the wafer W through the substrate supply system 1, so that the operation rate of the apparatus can be improved.

Various modifications can be appropriately made to the embodiments of the present invention within the scope of the technical idea shown in the patent claims.

1:Substrate supply system

10:Box 1

11a, 11b: side wall

12:Slot

13: handle

20:Box 2

100: Storage device

101: 1st Storage Department

102:Second Storage Department

103: Shell

104:door

110: Loading part

112: handle

130:Restriction Department

131:Support plate

140:Baffle

150:Lifting mechanism

160:Support part

170: Linkage mechanism

180:Detection means

200: Extraction mechanism

210:Hand

220:Driving mechanism

221:Extract the guide part

230: Guidance Department

231a, 231b: orbit

232a~232c: Guide support components

240:Retreat mechanism

250: Sensor

300:Mobile mechanism

W: Substrate (wafer)

Claims (8)

A storage device for extracting a plurality of substrates from a cassette in which the cassette is stacked and accommodating the cassette so that the cassette can be extracted and supplied to the processing step. Mounted removably; a moving part that moves the mounting part horizontally between the mounting and unloading position of the box and the storage position of the box; and a restricting part that is supported on the mounting part in an elevating and lowering manner and is connected to the mounting part. The end surface of the inner side of the box placed on the placing part faces. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the restriction part is supported on the support part via a linkage mechanism that moves the restriction part closer to and away from the inner end surface of the box as the linkage moves up and down. The storage device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a baffle that is supported on the placement portion so as to be elevating on the inside of the restriction portion; and a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the baffle in the storage position; The restriction part is integrally supported by the baffle. The storage device according to claim 3, wherein the lifting mechanism is provided with a support member driven in an up-and-down direction, and the baffle is integrally provided with a coupling member that is embedded in the support member at the storage position. The storage device according to claim 4, further comprising: a transfer roller integrally provided on the baffle for transferring the placement portion between the loading and unloading position and the storage position, and the transfer roller constitutes the connecting member. , when the placing portion moves to the storage position, the transfer roller is embedded in the supporting member. The storage device according to claim 1 or 2, which is provided with a detection means for detecting whether the substrate flies out of the box. The storage device according to claim 1 or 2, which is provided with: a first storage part that detachably stores the first box; and a second storage part that detachably stores the second box; While the first cassette extracts the substrate and supplies it to the processing step, the second cassette is taken out from the second storage portion. A substrate processing device, characterized in that it is provided with a storage device, a scribing unit, a film lamination unit, a reversal unit, a breaking unit, and a conveyance unit. The storage device is configured to stack and store a plurality of substrates in a cassette that can be pulled out. The substrate is extracted and supplied to the processing step and the cassette is stored. It is provided with: a placement part for detachably placing the cassette; and a moving part for positioning the placement part between the attachment and detachment position of the cassette and the storage position of the cassette. move horizontally between them; and a restricting part, which is supported on the above-mentioned placing part in an elevating manner and faces the end face of the inner side of the above-mentioned box placed on the above-mentioned placing part; the scribing unit is attached to the surface of the substrate To form the scribed line, the film laminating unit attaches a film to the surface of the substrate on which the scribed line is formed, and the inverting unit inverts the substrate so that the surface on which the film is attached becomes the lower side, The breaking unit applies a predetermined force to the surface to which the film is not attached to divide the substrate along the scribe lines, and the transport unit transports the substrate to a predetermined position.