US20060181098A1 - Wafer transfer apparatus, wafer gripper, and wafer gripper guide used in such wafer transfer apparatus - Google Patents

Wafer transfer apparatus, wafer gripper, and wafer gripper guide used in such wafer transfer apparatus Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US20060181098A1
US20060181098A1 US11/312,430 US31243005A US2006181098A1 US 20060181098 A1 US20060181098 A1 US 20060181098A1 US 31243005 A US31243005 A US 31243005A US 2006181098 A1 US2006181098 A1 US 2006181098A1
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
wafer
gripper
bottom wall
set forth
guide
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US11/312,430
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Toshio Iida
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
NEC Electronics Corp
Original Assignee
NEC Electronics Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by NEC Electronics Corp filed Critical NEC Electronics Corp
Assigned to NEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION reassignment NEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: IIDA, TOSHIO
Publication of US20060181098A1 publication Critical patent/US20060181098A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/683—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping
    • H01L21/687—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches
    • H01L21/68707—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. chucks, clamps or pinches the wafers being placed on a robot blade, or gripped by a gripper for conveyance

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a wafer transfer apparatus which may be used to transfer a semiconductor wafer from one apparatus to another apparatus in a semiconductor device manufacturing field, and more particularly relates to a wafer transfer apparatus which may be incorporated in an ion implantation equipment to load and unload semiconductor wafers into and from the ion implantation equipment.
  • the present invention relates to a wafer gripper and a wafer gripper guide which are used in such a wafer transfer apparatus to grip the semiconductor wafer.
  • an ion implantation equipment is used to implant ions into semiconductor wafers.
  • the ion implantation equipment includes a processing chamber housing in which a vacuum state is created, an ion beam generator provided in the processing chamber housing, a rotary disk rotatably provided in the processing chamber housing, and a plurality of circular pedestals arranged at regular intervals along a periphery of the rotary disk.
  • Each of the circular pedestals is formed as a metal (e.g. aluminum) plate coated with silicone rubber, and a semiconductor wafer to be processed is placed and clamped on each of the circular pedestals.
  • an ion beam is emitted from the ion beam generator, while the rotary disk is rotated at a high rotational speed, e.g. 1200 rpm, and is swung at a speed, e.g. 46 mm/sec, in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis of the rotary disk, so that all the wafers can be uniformly and completely scanned with the ion beam.
  • a high rotational speed e.g. 1200 rpm
  • a speed e.g. 46 mm/sec
  • the processing chamber housing is provided with a wafer loading/unloading chamber housing which is integrally and outwardly extended therefrom, and the wafer loading/unloading chamber housing is associated with a wafer loading/unloading unit.
  • a wafer transfer apparatus is incorporated in the wafer loading/unloading chamber housing such that semiconductor wafers are transferred one by one from the wafer loading/unloading unit to the processing chamber housing, and the transferred wafer is placed and clamped on one of the circular pedestals.
  • the wafers are placed and clamped on all circular pedestals, i.e., when the loading of the wafers in the processing chamber housing is completed, the wafers are processed with the ion beam in the above-mentioned manner, the processed wafers are transferred one by one from the processing chamber housing to the wafer loading/unloading unit by the wafer transfer apparatus. Namely, the unloading of the wafers from the processing chamber housing to the wafer loading/unloading unit is carried out by the wafer transfer apparatus.
  • the wafer transfer apparatus includes a wafer gripper composed of first and second gripper arms which are pivotally joined to each other by a pivot joint.
  • the first gripper arm terminates with a curved end portion having a gripper guide securely attached thereto
  • the second gripper arm terminates with a semi-circularly curved end portion having two gripper guides.
  • Each of the gripper guides is formed with a generally V-shaped groove for receiving a peripheral edge of the wafer, and the first and second gripper arms are operated so that the peripheral edge of the wafer is engaged in and disengaged from the generally V-shaped grooves of the gripper guides. Namely, by operating the gripper arms, it is possible to releasably grip the wafer with the gripper guides.
  • the wafer is gripped with the gripper guides by operating the gripper arms, and the processed wafer is unclamped on the pedestal. Thereafter, the gripper arms are moved so that the gripper guides carrying the processed wafer are moved from the pedestal.
  • some of the wafers may be stuck on the silicone rubber surfaces of the pedestals.
  • the wafers there are a centrifugal force to which the wafers is subjected, moisture contents included in the processing chamber housing, a formation of a silicon dioxide layer on a surface of the wafer, (in this case, the wafer is made of silicon), and so on.
  • the gripper arms may fail in the removal of the processed wafer from the pedestal, because the peripheral edge of the processed wafer is disengaged from the generally V-shaped grooves of the gripper guides without removing the wafer from the pedestal.
  • the processed wafers are relatively weakly stuck on the silicone rubber surface of the pedestal, it is possible to remove the processed wafers from the pedestal, but one or two of the gripper guides may be disengaged from the processed wafers, so that the processed wafers may fall off from the gripper arms.
  • the silicone rubber surface of the pedestal is treated as a rough surface in order to prevent the sticking of the wafer on the pedestal, although the silicone rubber surface of the pedestal is treated as a rough surface, the rough surface easily deteriorates to become a smooth surface.
  • the pedestals carrying no semiconductor wafers are periodically irradiated with an argon ion beam by using the ion beam generator, to thereby improve the deterioration of the silicone rubber surface, but it is very costly to periodically repeat this process.
  • an object of the present invention is to provide a wafer transfer apparatus including a wafer gripper composed of a pair of gripper arms which are constituted such that a safe removal of a processed semiconductor wafer from a pedestal can be ensured when the processed semiconductor wafer is stuck on the pedestal.
  • Another object of the present invention is to provide a wafer gripper and a wafer gripper guide which are used in such a wafer transfer apparatus.
  • a wafer transfer apparatus for transferring a semiconductor wafer, which comprises a wafer gripper composed of first and second gripper arms which are pivotally joined to each other, a first gripper guide attached to the first gripper arms, a second gripper guide attached to the second gripper arms, and a driving unit that operates the first and second grippers such that the semiconductor wafer is releasably gripped with the first and second gripper guides of the first and second gripper arms.
  • Each of the first and second gripper guides is formed with a groove for receiving a peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer, and the groove is configured as a generally V-shaped groove featuring a ridge element protruded from an outer side edge thereof.
  • a wafer gripper for gripping a semiconductor wafer which comprises first and second gripper arms which are pivotally joined to each other, a first gripper guide attached to the first gripper arms, and a second gripper guide attached to the second gripper arm.
  • Each of the first and second gripper guides is formed with a groove for receiving a peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer, and the groove is configured as a generally V-shaped groove featuring a ridge element protruded from an outer side edge thereof.
  • an end portion of the first gripper arm is formed as a curved end portion to which the first gripper guide is attached
  • an end portion of the second gripper arm is formed as a semi-circularly curved end portion to which the second gripper guide is attached.
  • the semi-circularly curved end portion terminates with an arch extension which is detachably connected thereto, and the second gripper guide is attached to the arch extension.
  • the arch extension may have a third gripper guide attached thereto.
  • a wafer gripper guide comprising a body portion which is formed with a groove for receiving a peripheral edge of a semiconductor wafer, with the groove being configured as a generally V-shaped groove featuring a ridge element protruded from an outer side edge thereof, and an attachment portion extended from the body portion.
  • the generally V-shaped groove is defined by a bottom wall face, and a pair of tapered side wall faces extending from the lateral sides of the bottom wall face, and the ridge element is protruded from an outer side edge defining one of the tapered side wall faces.
  • the bottom wall face is configured as an arch bottom wall face having substantially the same curvature as that of a peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer.
  • the arch bottom wall face may have a width which is substantially equivalent to a thickness of the semiconductor wafer.
  • the ridge element may have a height of at most 0.5 mm.
  • FIG. 1 is an elevational view of an ion implantation equipment, in which an embodiment of the wafer transfer apparatus according to the present invention is included;
  • FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3 C are elevational views of the wafer loading/unloading unit of FIG. 1 , for explaining the movement of the movable wafer cassette included therein;
  • FIG. 4 is an enlarged elevational view of the wafer gripper of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 5A is a partially-enlarged front view of the tow gripper arms of FIG. 4 ;
  • FIG. 5B is a partially-enlarged side view of one of the gripper arms of FIG. 5A ;
  • FIG. 5C is a partially-enlarged side view of the other gripper arm of FIG. 5A ;
  • FIG. 6A is a plan view of the wafer gripper guide of FIG. 5B ;
  • FIG. 6B is a side view of the wafer gripper guide of FIG. 6A ;
  • FIG. 7A is a plan view of one of the wafer gripper guide of FIG. 5C ;
  • FIG. 7B is a side view of the wafer gripper guide of FIG. 7A ;
  • FIG. 8A is a plan view of another of the wafer gripper guides of FIG. 5C ;
  • FIG. 8B is a side view of the wafer gripper guide of FIG. 8A ;
  • FIG. 9 is a detailed elevational view of the driving unit of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the X-X line of FIG. 2 ;
  • FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional view taken along the XI-XI line of FIG. 10 , in which the pair of wafer catchers are in a closed state;
  • FIG 11 B is a cross-sectional view taken along the XI-XI line of FIG. 10 , in which the pair of wafer catchers are in an opened state;
  • FIGS. 12A and 12B are explanatory views for explaining the operation of a cam mechanism included in the casing of FIG. 10 ;
  • FIGS. 13A, 13B and 13 C are explanatory views for explaining the movement of the pair of wafer catchers of FIG. 10 ;
  • FIGS. 14A, 14B , 14 C and 14 D are explanatory views for explaining the operation of the wafer transfer apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 15 is an explanatory view for explaining the operation of the wafer transfer apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIGS. 16A and 16B are explanatory views for explaining the operation of the wafer transfer apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIGS. 17A and 17B are explanatory views for explaining the operation of the wafer transfer apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIGS. 18A to 18 C are explanatory views for explaining the operation of the wafer transfer apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIGS. 19A and 19B are explanatory views for explaining the operation of the wafer transfer apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIGS. 20A to 20 C are explanatory views for explaining the operation of the wafer transfer apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIGS. 21A to 21 C are explanatory views for explaining the removal operation of a processed wafer from a pedestal when the processed wafer is stuck on the pedestal by the wafer transfer apparatus of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIGS. 22A to 22 C are explanatory views for explaining a removal operation of a processed wafer from a pedestal when the processed wafer is stuck on the pedestal by the prior art wafer transfer apparatus.
  • the ion implantation equipment includes a processing chamber housing 12 .
  • the processing chamber housing 12 is movably supported by a movable support unit.
  • the processing chamber housing 12 is illustrated at a slant position, but it may be positioned at a vertical position or a horizontal position by operating the movable support unit (not shown), if necessary.
  • the housing 12 defines a vacuum chamber 14 as a processing chamber in which semiconductor wafers to be processed are contained.
  • the processing chamber 14 is in communication with a vacuum exhaust unit (not shown) to create a vacuum state therein.
  • the processing chamber housing 12 includes a rotary disk 16 for carrying semiconductor wafers to be processed.
  • the rotary disk 16 has a plurality of circular pedestals 18 arranged at regular intervals along a periphery thereof, and the wafers to be processed are placed and clamped on the respective circular pedestals 18 .
  • each of the circular pedestals 18 is securely attached to the rotary disk 16 , they can be removed from the rotary disk 16 , for example, when being exchanged with a fresh pedestal.
  • each of the circular pedestals 18 is formed as a metal (e.g. aluminum) plate coated with silicone rubber, and has a diameter which is somewhat smaller than that of the wafer to be processed.
  • the rotary disk 16 may have a diameter of 1,200 mm.
  • each of the circular pedestals 18 is provided with a clamp unit including a centering stopper 20 , a pair of wafer pusher pins 22 , and a hydraulic cylinder (not shown) associated with the wafer pusher pins 22 .
  • a clamp unit including a centering stopper 20 , a pair of wafer pusher pins 22 , and a hydraulic cylinder (not shown) associated with the wafer pusher pins 22 .
  • the processing chamber housing 12 is provided with a wafer loading/unloading chamber housing 24 which is integrally and outwardly extended therefrom, and the wafer loading/unloading chamber housing 24 is associated with a wafer loading/unloading unit 26 .
  • the wafer loading/unloading unit 26 includes a base stand 28 securely installed on a floor FL, a gutter-like frame 30 rotatably attached to a top of the base stand 28 at a pivot shaft 32 , and a movable wafer cassette 34 movably received in the gutter-like frame 30 .
  • the wafer loading/unloading unit 26 is provided with a suitable driving unit for properly controlling the rotational movement of the gutter-like frame 30 and the movement of the wafer cassette 34 .
  • the movable wafer cassette 34 containing the wafers to be processed in the ion implantation equipment 10 , is air-tightly engaged with a side wall of the wafer loading/unloading chamber housing 24 .
  • an opening 36 is formed at the side wall of the wafer loading/unloading chamber housing 24 , and the movable wafer cassette 34 is engaged with the side wall so as to air-tightly close the opening 36 .
  • one of the wafers to be processed, contained in the wafer cassette 34 is visible, and is representatively indicated by reference W.
  • the opening 36 is closed by an air-tight valve until the wafer cassette 34 is air-tightly engaged with the aforesaid side wall.
  • the wafers W are loaded one by one from the wafer cassette 34 in the ion implantation equipment 10 so that each of the wafers W is placed and clamped on a corresponding pedestal 18 by the wafer pusher pins 22 in conjunction with the centering stopper 20 , and are unloaded from the ion implantation equipment 10 in the wafer cassette 34 after the wafers-W are processed in the ion implantation equipment 10 .
  • the processing chamber housing 12 may be positioned at any one of the various positions, i.e. the slant position, the vertical position, the vertical position and so on, it is possible to ensure the air-tight engagement of the wafer cassette 34 with the side wall of the wafer loading/unloading chamber housing 24 by suitably rotating the gutter-like frame 30 .
  • the wafer cassette 34 is provided with a movable carriage 38 , which is also shown in FIG. 2 .
  • the movable carriage 38 is moved between a projected position as shown in FIG. 3A , at which the movable carriage 38 is projected from a top opening of the wafer cassette 34 , and a retracted position as shown in FIG. 3B , at which the movable carriage 38 is retracted in the wafer cassette 34 .
  • the wafer cassette 34 includes a driving unit for controlling the movement of the carriage 38 between the projected position and the retracted position.
  • the movable carriage 38 is positioned at the projected position, and the wafers W are loaded in the movable carriage 38 .
  • the number of loaded wafers W is thirteen.
  • the wafer cassette 38 is turned in a counterclockwise direction so that the top opening of the wafer cassette 24 is directed to the aforesaid air-tight valve of the opening 36 .
  • the wafer cassette 34 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 1 .
  • the wafer loading/unloading chamber housing 24 has an additional housing 40 integrally extended from a side wall of the chamber housing 24 .
  • the additional housing 40 is opposed to the side wall at which the opening 36 is formed.
  • the additional housing 40 provides a space for receiving the movable carriage 38 of the wafer cassette 34 .
  • the movable carriage 38 is moved step by step from the aforesaid retracted position toward the aforesaid projected position.
  • the projected portion of the movable carriage 38 is received in the space defined by the additional housing 40 .
  • the wafer transfer apparatus is generally indicated by reference 41 , and carries out a loading of the wafers W from the movable carriage 38 into the processing chamber housing 12 and an unloading of the wafers W from the processing chamber housing 12 into the movable carriage 38 .
  • the wafer transfer apparatus 41 includes a wafer gripper 42 which is provided in the wafer loading/unloading chamber housing 24 , and a driving unit 44 which is provided on the wafer loading/unloading chamber housing 24 at an outside of the chamber housing 24 to operate the wafer gripper 42 .
  • the wafer gripper 42 is composed of gripper arms 42 A and 42 B which are pivotally joined to each other by a pivot joint 46 with bearings. Namely, the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B are pivoted to each other at the pivot joint 46 in a scissors-like manner.
  • the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B are intersected with each other at a location, indicated by reference LC, sited above the pivot joint 46 .
  • the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B may be formed of a suitable metal material, such as aluminum, stainless steel or the like.
  • FIG. 5A which shows the upper end portions of the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B of FIG. 4 at an enlarged scale
  • the gripper arm 42 A is hidden by the gripper arm 42 B, the gripper arm 42 A being illustrated by a broken line.
  • the gripper arm 42 B is omitted from FIG. 5A
  • the upper end portion of the gripper arm 42 A is obtained as shown in FIG. 5B .
  • the gripper arm 42 A is omitted from FIG. 5A
  • the upper end portion of the gripper arm 42 B is obtained as shown in FIG. 5C .
  • the upper end portion of the gripper arm 42 A is shaped as a curved end portion 48 A, which has a wafer gripper guide 50 A securely attached to a side of a free tip end thereof.
  • the upper end portion?of the gripper arm 42 B is shaped as a semi-circularly curved end portion 48 B, which terminates with an arch extension 51 which is detachably connected thereto.
  • the arch extension 51 has two wafer gripper guides 50 B and 50 C securely attached to respective sides of the tip ends thereof.
  • the arch extension 51 is fine or thin, and thus is susceptible to damage. This is the reason why the arch extension 51 is detachably connected to the semi-circularly curved end portion 48 B. Namely, when the arch extension 51 is damaged, only the damaged arch extension 51 can be exchanged with a fresh arch extension without exchanging the entirety of the gripper arm 42 B. Nevertheless, the arch extension 51 may be integrally formed as a part of the semi-circularly curved end portion 48 B, if necessary.
  • the gripper guide 50 A includes an elongated rectangular head 50 A 1 defined as a body portion, which is formed with a groove 50 A 2 for receiving a peripheral edge of the wafer W (not shown).
  • the groove 50 A 2 is configured as a generally V-shaped groove which is defined by an arch bottom wall face 50 A 3 having substantially the same curvature as that of the peripheral edge of the wafer W, and a pair of tapered side wall faces 50 A 4 and 50 A 5 extending from the lateral sides of the arch bottom wall face 50 A 3 .
  • the arch bottom wall face 50 A 3 has a width which is substantially equivalent to a thickness of the wafer W so that the peripheral edge of the wafer W is fittedly abutted against the arch bottom wall face 50 A 3 when the wafer W is received in the generally V-shaped groove 50 A 2 .
  • the gripper guide 50 A features a ridge element 50 A 6 protruded from an outer side edge defining the tapered side wall face 50 A 5 .
  • the gripper guide 50 A includes a plate element 50 A 7 defined as an attachment portion, which is integrally extended from the elongated rectangular head 50 A 1 , and which has a pair of screw bores 50 A 8 for attaching the plate element 50 A 7 to the curved end portion 48 A of the gripper arm 42 A by screws, as shown in FIG. 5B .
  • the attachment of the plate element 50 A 7 to the curved end portion 48 A of FIG. 5B is carried out such that the ridge element 50 A 6 is farthest apart from the curved end portion 48 A of FIG. 5B .
  • the gripper guide 50 B includes a generally trapezoid head 50 B 1 defined as a body portion, which is formed with a groove 50 B 2 for receiving the peripheral edge of the wafer W (not shown). Similar to the generally V-shaped groove 50 A 2 of the guide gripper 50 A of FIGS.
  • the groove 50 B 2 is configured as a generally V-shaped groove which is defined by an arch bottom wall face 50 B 3 having substantially the same curvature as that of the peripheral edge of the wafer W, and a pair of tapered side wall faces 50 B 4 and 50 B 5 extending from the lateral sides of the arch bottom wall face 50 B 3 .
  • the arch bottom wall face 50 B 3 has a width which is substantially equivalent to the thickness of the wafer W so that the peripheral edge of the wafer W is fittably abutted against the arch bottom wall face 50 B 3 when the wafer W is received in the generally V-shaped groove 50 B 2 .
  • the gripper guide 50 B features a ridge element 50 B 6 protruded from an outer side edge defining the tapered side wall face 50 B 5 .
  • the gripper guide 50 B includes a block element 50 B 7 defined as an attachment portion, which is integrally extended from the trapezoid head 50 B 1 , and which has a pair of screw bores 50 B 8 for attaching the block element 50 B 7 to the arch extension 51 of the gripper arm 42 B by screws, as shown in FIG. 5C .
  • the attachment of the block element 50 B 4 to the arch extension 51 is carried out such that the ridge element 50 B 3 is farthest apart from the arch extension 51 .
  • FIGS. 8A and 8B which are a plan view and a side view, respectively, of the gripper guide 50 C of FIG. 5C
  • the gripper guide 50 C includes a generally triangle head 50 C 1 defined as a body portion, which is formed with a groove 50 C 2 for receiving a peripheral edge of the wafer W (not shown). Similar to the generally V-shaped groove 50 A 2 of the guide gripper 50 A of FIGS.
  • the groove 50 C 2 is configured as a generally V-shaped groove which is defined by an arch bottom wall face 50 C 3 having substantially the same curvature as that of the peripheral edge of the wafer W, and a pair of tapered side wall faces 50 C 4 and 50 C 5 extending from the lateral sides of the arch bottom wall face 50 C 3 .
  • the arch bottom wall face 50 C 3 has a width which is substantially equivalent to the thickness of the wafer W so that the peripheral edge of the wafer W is fittedly abutted against the arch bottom wall face 50 C 3 when the wafer W is received in the generally V-shaped groove 50 C 2 .
  • the gripper guide 50 C features a ridge element 50 C 3 protruded from an outer side edge defining the tapered side wall face 50 C 5 .
  • the gripper guide 50 C includes a plate element 50 C 7 defined as an attachment portion, which is integrally extended from the trapezoid head 50 C 1 , and which has a pair of screw bores 50 C 8 for attaching the plate element 50 C 7 to the arch extension 51 of the gripper arm 42 B by screws as shown in FIG. 5C .
  • the attachment of the block element 50 C 7 to the arch extension 51 is carried out such that the ridge element 50 C 6 is farthest apart from the arch extension 51 .
  • each of the gripper guides 50 A, 50 B and 50 C is formed as a block piece composed of a suitable synthetic resin material.
  • each of the gripper guides 50 A, 50 B and 50 C may be formed as a molded product.
  • each of the gripper guides 50 A, 50 B and 50 C may be shaped from a resin blank by a numerical control (NC) lathe machine.
  • NC numerical control
  • the driving unit 44 includes a base plate member 52 securely attached to the side wall of the wafer loading/unloading chamber housing 24 , and the base plate 52 has a guide rail 52 A integrally formed therewith, and a bracket 52 B securely attached thereto.
  • the driving unit 44 also includes a hydraulic cylinder 54 securely supported by the bracket 52 B, and a support plate member 56 securely suspended from a plunger 65 A of the hydraulic cylinder 54 .
  • the support plate member 56 has a shoe portion 56 A slidably engaged with the guide rail 52 A, and thus the support plate 56 can be moved along the guide rail 52 A by actuating the hydraulic cylinder 54 .
  • the support plate member 56 also has a pair of guide rails (only one of which is visible and indicated by reference 56 B in FIG. 9 ) securely attached to the bottom side edges thereof.
  • the driving unit 44 further includes a hydraulic cylinder 58 securely attached to a side wall of the support plate member 56 , and a bearing drum 60 suspended from the guide rails 56 B of the support plate member 56 through a pair of suspension arm members, only one of which is visible and indicated by reference 60 A in FIG. 9 .
  • the bearing drum 60 has a bracket member 60 B, one end of which is securely attached to the bearing drum 58 , and the other end of the bracket member 60 B is securely connected to a plunger 58 A of the hydraulic cylinder 58 .
  • the suspension arm members 60 A are slidably engaged with the guide rails 56 B of the support plate member, and thus the bearing drum 58 can be moved along the guide rails 56 B by actuating the hydraulic cylinder 58 .
  • the bearing drum 60 has an opened end face wall 60 F, which is near to the side wall of the wafer loading/unloading chamber housing 24 , and a closed end face wall, which is far from the side wall of the side wall of the chamber housing 24 .
  • the opened end face wall 60 F of the bearing drum 60 has an opening formed therein, and the closed end face 60 G wall of the bearing drum 60 is air-tightly closed.
  • the side wall of the chamber housing 24 has an opening 62 , which is formed therein so as to be opposed to the opened end face wall 60 F of the bearing drum 60 .
  • a flexible bellows 60 C is provided between the opened end face wall of the bearing drum 60 and the side wall of the chamber housing. 24 .
  • an end of the flexible bellows 60 C is air-tightly attached to the opened end face wall 60 F of the bearing drum 60
  • the other end of the flexible bellows 60 C is air-tightly attached to the side wall of the chamber housing 24 so as to surround the opening 62 .
  • the bearing drum 60 has a shaft 60 D rotatably supported therein, and the shaft 60 D outwardly extends from the opened end face wall 60 F of the bearing drum 60 , and passes through the flexible bellows 60 C and the opening 62 . Then, the shaft 60 S is securely connected to the lower end of the gripper arm 42 A.
  • the driving unit 44 further includes a hydraulic cylinder 64 which is supported by a bracket member 60 E securely attached to a side of the bearing drum 60 at the closed end face wall 60 G thereof.
  • the hydraulic cylinder 64 is used to slightly rotate the gripper arm 42 B at the pivot joint 46 of FIG. 4 with respect to the gripper arm 42 A.
  • the bearing dram 60 contains a linkage acting between an lower end of the gripper arm 42 B and a plunger of the hydraulic cylinder 64 .
  • one end of the linkage is operationally connected to the lower end of the gripper arm 42 B, and the other end of the linkage, which air-tightly passes through the closed end face wall 60 G of the bearing drum 60 , is operationally connected to the plunger of the hydraulic cylinder 64 , such that the gripper arm 42 B is slightly rotated at the pivot joint 46 of FIG. 4 with respect to the gripper arm 42 A.
  • the driving unit 44 further includes a reduction gear drum 66 supported by a bracket member 60 H suspended from the bearing drum 60 , and an electric motor 68 operationally connected to the reduction gear drum 66 .
  • the reduction gear drum 66 contains a reduction gear train, an input shaft of which is connected to the electric motor 68 .
  • An output shaft of the reduction gear train is covered with an air-tight housing 66 A, which is in communication with an interior of the bearing drum 60 .
  • the output shaft of the reduction gear drum 66 has a gear wheel mounted thereon
  • the shaft 60 D of the bearing drum 60 has a gear wheel mounted thereon
  • a toothed drive belt is entrained between the gear wheels. Namely, a rotational drive force of the electric motor 68 is transmitted to the shaft 60 D of the bearing drum 60 through the reduction gear train and the toothed drive belt.
  • the pair of gripper arms 42 A and 42 B are moved together upward and downward along the length of the guide rail 52 A.
  • the hydraulic cylinder 58 is actuated, the pair of gripper arms 42 A and 42 B are laterally moved together along the length of the guide rails 56 B.
  • the electric motor 68 is driven, the pair of gripper arms 42 A and 42 B are rotated together around an axis of the shaft 60 D of the bearing drum 60 .
  • the hydraulic cylinder 64 is actuated, only the gripper arm 42 B is slightly rotated at the pivot joint 46 with respect to the gripper arm 42 A.
  • the wafers W are processed with an ion beam in the processing chamber housing 12 . Thereafter, the processed wafers are unloaded from the processing chamber housing 12 into the wafer cassette 34 . while the unloading of the processed wafers from the processing chamber housing 12 is carried out, the wafer cassette 38 , which is loaded with not processed wafers W, is at the position shown in FIG. 1 .
  • the ion implantation equipment is constituted so that the unloading of the processed wafers from the processing chamber housing 12 into the wafer cassette 34 and the loading of the not processed wafers W from the wafer cassette 34 into the processing chamber housing 12 are simultaneously carried out.
  • a wafer catcher 70 is incorporated in the processing chamber housing 12 so as to cooperate with the wafer transfer apparatus 41 according to the present invention, whereby the unloading of the processed wafers from the processing chamber housing 12 into the wafer to cassette 34 and the loading of the not processed wafers W from the wafer cassette 34 into the processing chamber housing 12 can be simultaneously carried out.
  • reference 12 A indicates an opening formed in the processing chamber housing 12
  • the opening 12 A is air-tightly closed by a lid member 12 B detachably attached to the processing chamber housing 12 A
  • the lid member 12 V has a hole 12 C formed therein.
  • the wafer catcher unit 70 includes a hydraulic cylinder (not shown) securely attached to the processing chamber housing 12 , and a movable casing 72 connected to a plunger of the hydraulic cylinder. By actuating the hydraulic cylinder, the movable casing 72 is moved in one of two directions indicated by a double-headed arrow AR.
  • FIGS. 11A and 11B which are cross-sectional views taken along the lines XI-XI of FIG. 10 .
  • the wafer catcher unit 70 also includes a pair of wafer receivers 74 , which are symmetrical with each other, and each of which features a generally V-shaped configuration.
  • each of the wafer receivers 74 has a base portion 74 A, a pair of arms 74 B integrally extended from the base portion 74 A, and a pair of claw elements 74 C each attached to a free end of one of the arms 74 B.
  • the not processed wafer W shown by a phantom line, is placed on the base portions 74 A and the arms 74 B, and can be securely caught by engaging the claw elements 74 C with the peripheral edges of the not processed wafer W.
  • each of the wafer receivers 74 has an L-shaped rod element 74 D integrally extended from the base portion 74 A, and the L-shaped rod element 74 D passes through the hole 12 C of the lid member 12 B of FIG. 10 , and a lower end portion of the L-shaped rod element 74 D is received in the movable casing 72 of FIG. 10 .
  • the cam mechanism includes a pair of cam followers 76 A and 76 B which are suitably guided by a guide structure (not shown), and a wedge-shaped cam 78 which is slidably engaged with the cam followers 76 A and 76 B.
  • the respective lower end portions of the L-shaped rod elements 74 D of FIG. 10 are connected to extensions (not shown) of the cam followers 76 A and 76 B, which extensions are resiliently biased by a resilient element (not shown), such as a coil spring or the like, so that the cam followers 76 A and 76 B are moved toward each other.
  • a resilient element such as a coil spring or the like
  • the wedge-shaped cam 78 has a pair of cam faces 78 A and 78 B which cooperate with the respective cam followers 76 A and 76 B. Also, the wedge-shaped cam 78 is connected to a plunger of a hydraulic cylinder, indicated by reference 80 .
  • the wedge-shaped cam 78 is at a retracted position, and thus the wafer catchers 74 approach each other. At this time, the wafer catchers 74 are in a closed state in which the not processed wafer W can be caught by the claw elements 74 C of the wafer catchers 74 , as shown in FIG. 11A .
  • the wafer catcher unit 70 includes a flexible bellows 82 for maintaining the vacuum state created in the wafer loading/unloading chamber housing 24 .
  • the flexible bellows 82 is provided between the lid member 12 B and the casing 72 such that the L-shaped rod element 74 D is air-tightly surrounded by the flexible bellows 82 .
  • the operation of the wafer catcher unit 70 of FIG. 10 is explained with reference to FIG. 13A, 13B and 13 C.
  • the wafer catchers 74 are moved between an initial position at which the wafer catchers 74 are farthest apart from the pedestal 18 ( FIG. 13A ), an intermediate position at which the wafer catchers 74 are partially advanced from the initial position toward the pedestal 18 ( FIG. 13B ), and a fully-advanced position at which the wafer catchers 74 are closest to the pedestal 18 ( FIG. 13C ).
  • the rotary disk 16 is intermittently rotated by a driving unit (not shown) such that the pedestals 18 are aligned with the wafer catchers 74 one after another.
  • FIGS. 14A to 14 D With reference to FIGS. 14A to 14 D, FIG. 15 , FIGS. 16A and 16B , FIGS. 17A and 17B , FIGS. 18A to 18 C, FIGS. 19A and 19B , and FIGS. 20A to 20 C, the operation of the wafer transfer apparatus 41 of FIG. 1 is explained below.
  • the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B of the wafer gripper 42 are at the initial position.
  • both the upper end portions 48 A and 48 B of the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B are rotated from the initial position in a clockwise direction until the gripper guide 50 A is engaged with a not processed wafer W loaded in the movable carriage 38 , as shown in FIG. 14B .
  • the peripheral edge of the not processed wafer W is received in the generally V-shaped groove 50 A 2 of the gripper guide 50 A (see: FIGS. 6A and 6B ).
  • both the upper end portions 48 A and 48 B of the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B are moved upward so that the not processed wafer W is lifted up from the movable carriage 38 of the wafer cassette 34 of FIG. 2 , as shown in FIG. 14D .
  • the not processed wafer W is unloaded from the movable carriage 38 .
  • both the upper end portions 48 A and 48 B of the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B are rotated in the counterclockwise direction so that the not processed wafer W is transferred from the wafer loading/unloading chamber housing 24 into the processing chamber housing 12 , as shown in FIG. 15 .
  • the not processed wafer W concerned is moved to a pedestal-aligned position at which the not processed wafer W is aligned with a corresponding pedestal 18 , with the pedestal-aligned position corresponding to the intermediate position (see: FIG. 13B ) of the pair of wafer catchers 74 .
  • the pedestals 18 are not visible, because the pedestals 18 are hidden by processed wafers, indicated by reference W′, which are placed and clamped on the pedestals 18 by the centering stopper 20 and the wafer pusher pins 22 .
  • the wafer catchers 74 which are in the opened state (see: FIG 11 B), are moved from the initial position (see: FIG. 13A ) to the intermediate position (see: FIG. 13B ), so that the not processed wafer W is contacted with the wafer catchers 74 , as shown in FIG. 16A .
  • the wedge-shaped cam 78 is moved from the thrust position (see: FIG. 12B ) to the retracted position (see: FIG. 12A ), so that wafer catchers 74 are in the closed state, as shown in FIG. 16B , so that the not processed wafer W is securely caught by the claw elements 74 C of the wafer catchers 74 .
  • the wafer receivers 74 are once returned from the intermediate position (see: FIG. 13B ) to the initial position (see: FIG. 13A ).
  • the hydraulic cylinder 58 by actuating the hydraulic cylinder 58 (see: FIG.
  • both the upper end portions 48 A and 48 B of the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B are advanced from the aforesaid pedestal-aligned position toward the corresponding pedestal 18 until the upper end portions 48 A and 48 B reach a wafer-gripping position at which the processed wafer W′, clamped on the pedestal 18 by the centering stopper 20 and the wafer pusher pins 22 , can be gripped by the gripper guides 50 A, 50 B and 50 C.
  • both the upper end portions 48 A and 48 B of the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B are shown at the aforesaid wafer-gripping position.
  • both the upper end portions 48 A and 48 B of the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B are rotated in the clockwise direction by driving the electric motor 68 until the gripper guide 50 A is engaged with the processed wafer W′, as shown in FIG. 18B .
  • the peripheral edge of the processed wafer W′ is received in the generally V-shaped groove 50 A 2 of the gripper guide 50 A (see: FIGS. 6A and 6B ).
  • the wafer pusher pins 22 are moved apart from the centering stopper 20 , and thus the processed wafer W′ is unclamped from the corresponding pedestal 18 .
  • both the upper end portions 48 A and 48 B of the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B are returned from the aforesaid wafer-gripping position as shown in FIGS. 18A, 18B and 18 C to the pedestal-aligned position as shown in FIG. 15 corresponding to the intermediate position (see: FIG. 13B ) of the wafer catchers 74 .
  • both the upper end portions 48 A and 48 B of the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B are rotated in the clockwise direction to transfer the processed wafer W′ from the processing chamber housing 12 to the wafer loading/unloading chamber housing 24 , and the processed wafer W′ is positioned above the movable carriage 38 , as shown in FIG. 19A .
  • both the upper end portions 48 A and 48 B of the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B are moved downward so that the processed wafer W′ is loaded in the movable carriage 38 of the wafer cassette 34 at the location from which the not processed wafer W, caught by the wafer catchers 74 at this stage, has been removed, as shown in FIG. 19B .
  • the upper end portions 48 A and 48 B of the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B are operated in substantially the manner as explained with reference to FIGS. 16A and 16B , and FIGS. 17A and 17B , so that the gripper guides 50 A, 50 B and 50 C are disengaged from the processed wafer W′ loaded in the movable carriage 38 .
  • the movable carriage 38 is moved by one step from the aforesaid retracted position toward the aforesaid projected position, so that the next wafer W to be processed is positioned at the position at which it should be gripped by the gripper guides 50 A, 50 B and 50 C of the upper end portions 48 A and 48 B.
  • the wafer catchers 74 by which the not processed wafer W is caught, are moved from the initial position (see: FIG. 13A ) to the fully-advanced position (see: FIG. 13C ), so that the not processed wafer W is contacted with the corresponding pedestal 18 , as shown in FIG. 20A .
  • the pedestal 18 is not visible because it is hidden by the not processed wafer W.
  • the wafer pusher pins 22 are moved toward the centering stopper 20 by actuating the hydraulic cylinder (not shown), and thus the not processed wafer W is clamped on the pedestal 18 by the wafer pusher pins 22 in conjunction with the centering stopper 20 , as shown in FIG. 20B .
  • the wedge-shaped cam 78 is thrust from the retracted position (see: FIG. 12A ) into the space between the cam followers 76 A and 76 B, as shown in FIG. 12B , so that the wafer catchers 74 are in the opened state, as shown in FIG. 20C .
  • the claw elements 74 C of the wafer catchers 74 are disengaged from the not processed wafer W, as shown in FIG. 20C .
  • the wafer catchers 74 are returned to the initial position (see: FIG. 13C ).
  • the rotary disk 16 is rotated by the driving unit (not shown) such that a next pedestal 18 carrying the processed wafer W′ is aligned with the wafer catchers 74 .
  • each of the processed wafers W′ may be stuck on the silicone rubber surface of the pedestal 18 .
  • the gripper guides 50 A, 50 B and 50 C are moved from the wafer-gripping position (see: FIGS. 18A, 18B and 18 C) toward the pedestal-aligned position (see: FIG. 15 ).
  • the wafer W′ is strongly stuck on the silicone rubber surface of the pedestal 18 , the upper end portions 48 A and 48 B of the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B (see: FIG.
  • FIGS. 22A, 22B and 22 C a prior art gripper guide 50 is representatively shown.
  • This gripper guide 50 may be configured in substantially the same manner as each of the gripper guides 50 A, 50 B and 50 C (see: FIGS. 6A and 6B , FIGS. 7A and 7B and FIGS. 8A and 8B ), except that the gripper guide 50 features no ridge element ( 50 A 6 , 50 B 6 , 50 C 6 ).
  • the gripper guides 50 are moved from the wafer-gripping position toward the pedestal-aligned position.
  • the upper end portions 48 A and 48 B of the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B are deformed so that the gripper guides 50 are moved such that the peripheral edge of the processed wafers W′ slides along tapered side wall faces of the V-shaped grooves, as representatively shown in FIG. 22B .
  • the gripper guides 50 are disengaged from the wafer W′, as representatively shown in FIG. 22C .
  • the gripper guides 50 when the gripper guides 50 are disengaged from the processed wafer W′, it may be subjected to a reaction force so that the wafer W′ is removed from the pedestal 18 . Further, when the wafer W′ is relatively weakly stuck on the silicone rubber surface of the pedestal 18 , it is possible to remove the processed wafer W′ from the pedestal 18 by using the gripper guides 50 , but one or two of the gripper guides 50 may be disengaged from the processed wafer W′, so that the processed wafer W′ may fall off from the upper end portions 48 A and 48 B of the gripper arms 42 A and 42 B (see: FIG. 4 ).
  • JP-2000-306982A discloses a stopper member having a generally U-shaped groove for receiving a peripheral edge of a wafer to thereby hold the wafer on a pedestal.
  • the generally U-shaped groove has a width which is slightly larger than a thickness of the wafer, and thus a secure hold of the wafer on the pedestal can be ensured.
  • this stopper member should not be substituted for the gripper guides 50 A, 50 B and 50 C of FIG. 21A, 21B and 21 C, because it is difficult to successively receive the peripheral edge of the wafer in the generally U-shaped groove having the width slightly larger than a thickness of the wafer.
  • the edges of the U-shaped groove may be chipped to thereby produce particles. Of course, the production of the particles should be avoided in the semiconductor device manufacturing field.
  • each of the gripper guides 50 A, 50 B and 50 C has a gripping force of more than 3,000 g.
  • the respective generally V-shaped groove 50 A 2 50 B 2 and 50 C 2 of the gripper guides 50 A, 50 B and 50 C should have lengths of at least 14 mm, 12 mm and 5.1 mm before the 8-inch wafer can be securely gripped by the gripper guides 50 A, 50 B and 50 C.
  • the ridge element 50 A 6 , 50 B 6 and 50 C 6 should have a height of at least 0.2 mm before the removal of the processed wafer W′ from the pedestal 18 can be ensured when the wafer W′ is strongly stuck on the silicone rubber surface of the pedestal 18 .
  • the higher the height of the ridge element 50 A 6 , 50 B 6 and 50 C 6 the larger a damage to which the wafer W′ is subjected upon the removal of the wafer W′ from the pedestal 18 .
  • the height of the ridge element 50 A 6 , 50 B 6 and 50 C 6 should be at most 0.5 mm.
  • the height of the ridge element 50 A 6 , 50 B 6 and 50 C 6 should fall within a range from 0.3 mm to 0.4 mm.
  • the ridge element 50 A 6 , 50 B 6 and 50 C 6 should have a sufficient strength.
  • a thickness of the ridge element 50 A 6 , 50 B 6 and 50 C 6 should be at least 0.5 mm.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Robotics (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Container, Conveyance, Adherence, Positioning, Of Wafer (AREA)
US11/312,430 2004-12-27 2005-12-21 Wafer transfer apparatus, wafer gripper, and wafer gripper guide used in such wafer transfer apparatus Abandoned US20060181098A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2004376297A JP2006186023A (ja) 2004-12-27 2004-12-27 ウェハ把持具およびウェハ移載装置
JP2004-376297 2004-12-27

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20060181098A1 true US20060181098A1 (en) 2006-08-17

Family

ID=36738929

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US11/312,430 Abandoned US20060181098A1 (en) 2004-12-27 2005-12-21 Wafer transfer apparatus, wafer gripper, and wafer gripper guide used in such wafer transfer apparatus

Country Status (2)

Country Link
US (1) US20060181098A1 (ja)
JP (1) JP2006186023A (ja)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20080023134A1 (en) * 2006-07-31 2008-01-31 Nitto Denko Corporation Method for joining adhesive tape to semiconductor wafer, method for separating protective tape from semiconductor wafer, and apparatuses using the methods

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7896602B2 (en) * 2006-06-09 2011-03-01 Lutz Rebstock Workpiece stocker with circular configuration
US8852391B2 (en) * 2010-06-21 2014-10-07 Brewer Science Inc. Method and apparatus for removing a reversibly mounted device wafer from a carrier substrate

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6216883B1 (en) * 1998-07-24 2001-04-17 Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha Wafer holding hand
US6474712B1 (en) * 1999-05-15 2002-11-05 Applied Materials, Inc. Gripper for supporting substrate in a vertical orientation
US20030085582A1 (en) * 2001-07-13 2003-05-08 Woodruff Daniel J. End-effectors for handling microelectronic workpieces

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP4745536B2 (ja) * 2001-06-04 2011-08-10 株式会社日本マイクロニクス 表示用基板の搬送装置

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6216883B1 (en) * 1998-07-24 2001-04-17 Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha Wafer holding hand
US6474712B1 (en) * 1999-05-15 2002-11-05 Applied Materials, Inc. Gripper for supporting substrate in a vertical orientation
US20030085582A1 (en) * 2001-07-13 2003-05-08 Woodruff Daniel J. End-effectors for handling microelectronic workpieces

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20080023134A1 (en) * 2006-07-31 2008-01-31 Nitto Denko Corporation Method for joining adhesive tape to semiconductor wafer, method for separating protective tape from semiconductor wafer, and apparatuses using the methods
US7857029B2 (en) * 2006-07-31 2010-12-28 Nitto Denko Corporation Method for joining adhesive tape to semiconductor wafer, method for separating protective tape from semiconductor wafer, and apparatuses using the methods

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JP2006186023A (ja) 2006-07-13

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US6238283B1 (en) Double-sealed work conveying and transferring apparatus and container inspecting method
US4923054A (en) Wafer transfer apparatus having an improved wafer transfer portion
US7699574B2 (en) Work-piece processing system
US20160233118A1 (en) Workpiece transport device
US20040234359A1 (en) Work-piece treatment system having load lock and buffer
JP2002520846A (ja) ウエハの洗浄装置
KR102157458B1 (ko) 반도체 웨이퍼의 마운트 방법 및 반도체 웨이퍼의 마운트 장치
US20070018469A1 (en) Contamination-free edge gripping mechanism with withdrawable pads and method for loading/unloading and transferring flat objects
US20060181098A1 (en) Wafer transfer apparatus, wafer gripper, and wafer gripper guide used in such wafer transfer apparatus
JPH09216602A (ja) 輸送用カセット蓋を取付け、取外す自動装置
US6190118B1 (en) Tilt mechanism for wafer cassette
JPS63153839A (ja) 基板の回転保持装置
JP7002347B2 (ja) ワークの搬送装置、及び、ワークの搬送方法
JP4277092B2 (ja) ウェハのアライナー装置
JPH10128808A (ja) ゲートカットシステム
CN220740470U (zh) 晶圆减薄装置
KR102504029B1 (ko) Cmp 공정용 다중 웨이퍼 이송 장치
JPH077066Y2 (ja) リンクレバー挿入機
JPH07201947A (ja) ウェハー搬送用のロボットハンドおよびこのロボットハンドによるウェハーの保持方法
JPH11291152A (ja) インゴットの切断方法及び切断装置
JPS594039A (ja) ウエ−ハ搬送装置
JPH06244266A (ja) ウェハ搬送車
KR100567791B1 (ko) 렌즈 가공 장치
JP4522622B2 (ja) 板状物搬出入装置並びに板状物の搬出方法及び搬入方法
KR20150145957A (ko) 웨이퍼 공급 장치

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: NEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION, JAPAN

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:IIDA, TOSHIO;REEL/FRAME:017403/0123

Effective date: 20051202

STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION