Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10P—GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H10P72/00—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof
  • H10P72/30—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
  • H10P72/33—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof for conveying, e.g. between different workstations into and out of processing chamber
  • H10P72/3312—Vertical transfer of a batch of workpieces
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G49/00—Conveying systems characterised by their application for specified purposes not otherwise provided for
  • B65G49/05—Conveying systems characterised by their application for specified purposes not otherwise provided for for fragile or damageable materials or articles
  • B65G49/07—Conveying systems characterised by their application for specified purposes not otherwise provided for for fragile or damageable materials or articles for semiconductor wafers Not used, see H10P72/00
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F27—FURNACES; KILNS; OVENS; RETORTS
  • F27B—FURNACES, KILNS, OVENS OR RETORTS IN GENERAL; OPEN SINTERING OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • F27B17/00—Furnaces of a kind not covered by any of groups F27B1/00 - F27B15/00
  • F27B17/0016—Chamber type furnaces
  • F27B17/0025—Chamber type furnaces specially adapted for treating semiconductor wafers
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F27—FURNACES; KILNS; OVENS; RETORTS
  • F27B—FURNACES, KILNS, OVENS OR RETORTS IN GENERAL; OPEN SINTERING OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • F27B5/00—Muffle furnaces; Retort furnaces; Other furnaces in which the charge is held completely isolated
  • F27B5/04—Muffle furnaces; Retort furnaces; Other furnaces in which the charge is held completely isolated adapted for treating the charge in vacuum or special atmosphere
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F27—FURNACES; KILNS; OVENS; RETORTS
  • F27B—FURNACES, KILNS, OVENS OR RETORTS IN GENERAL; OPEN SINTERING OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • F27B5/00—Muffle furnaces; Retort furnaces; Other furnaces in which the charge is held completely isolated
  • F27B5/06—Details, accessories or equipment specially adapted for furnaces of these types
  • F27B5/12—Arrangement of devices for charging
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F27—FURNACES; KILNS; OVENS; RETORTS
  • F27B—FURNACES, KILNS, OVENS OR RETORTS IN GENERAL; OPEN SINTERING OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • F27B5/00—Muffle furnaces; Retort furnaces; Other furnaces in which the charge is held completely isolated
  • F27B5/06—Details, accessories or equipment specially adapted for furnaces of these types
  • F27B5/13—Arrangement of devices for discharging
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F27—FURNACES; KILNS; OVENS; RETORTS
  • F27D—DETAILS OR ACCESSORIES OF FURNACES, KILNS, OVENS OR RETORTS, IN SO FAR AS THEY ARE OF KINDS OCCURRING IN MORE THAN ONE KIND OF FURNACE
  • F27D3/00—Charging; Discharging; Manipulation of charge
  • F27D3/12—Travelling or movable supports or containers for the charge
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10P—GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H10P72/00—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof
  • H10P72/30—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
  • H10P72/34—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof for conveying, e.g. between different workstations the wafers being stored in a carrier, involving loading and unloading
  • H10P72/3411—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof for conveying, e.g. between different workstations the wafers being stored in a carrier, involving loading and unloading involving loading and unloading of wafers
  • H10P72/3412—Batch transfer of wafers
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10P—GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H10P72/00—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof
  • H10P72/70—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof for supporting or gripping
  • H10P72/76—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. clamps or pinches
  • H10P72/7602—Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof for supporting or gripping using mechanical means, e.g. 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 vertical heat treatment apparatus and a method of transferring an object to be processed, and in particular, it is possible to collectively transfer a plurality of objects to be processed to a holder having a ring-shaped support plate. To improve the transfer mechanism.
• Manufacturing of a semiconductor device includes a step of subjecting an object to be processed, for example, a semiconductor wafer, to various heat treatments such as oxidation, diffusion, CVD, and annealing.
• a vertical heat treatment apparatus that can heat-treat a large number of wafers at once is used.
• This vertical heat treatment apparatus includes a heat treatment furnace having a furnace rota- tion at the lower part, a lid for hermetically closing the furnace, and a plurality of wafers provided on the lid being vertically moved via a ring-shaped support plate.
• Holder also referred to as a wafer boat
• Holder that holds the wafer at predetermined intervals in the direction
• a lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the lid to carry the holder into and out of the heat treatment furnace
• a storage container that stores a plurality of wafers at predetermined intervals.
• Also referred to as a carrier or a cassette
• a transfer mechanism for transferring a wafer between the holder and the holder.
• the transfer mechanism has a plurality of substrate supports (also called forks) arranged at predetermined intervals.
• the ring-shaped support plate is used as a countermeasure for suppressing or preventing a slip (crystal defect) generated at a peripheral portion of the wafer during a high-temperature heat treatment.
• JP5-13547A is a push-up type transfer mechanism (hereinafter referred to as "transfer mechanism A") provided with a transfer substrate support 50 and a push-up substrate support 51, as shown in FIG.
• transfer mechanism A a push-up type transfer mechanism
• the transfer substrate support 50 also has a plate-like body strength having an upper surface supporting the lower surface of the wafer W
• the push-up substrate support 51 has three support pins 52 each having an upper surface supporting the lower surface of the wafer W.
• the transfer substrate support 50 supporting the wafer W is placed above the ring-shaped support plate 15 in the holder 9, and then the push-up substrate support 51. This Each is disposed below the ring-shaped support plate 15 (FIG. 12 (a)).
• the wafer support W is lifted from above the transfer substrate support 50 by lifting the push-up substrate support 51, and in this state, the transfer substrate support 50 is retreated from the holder 9 (FIG. 12 (b)).
• the pushing-up substrate support 51 is lowered to place the wafer W on the ring-shaped support plate 15, and then the pushing-up substrate support 51 is retreated from the holder 9 ((c in FIG. 12). )). Thereby, the transfer operation of one wafer is completed.
• JP2003-338531A discloses a vertical heat treatment apparatus provided with a transfer mechanism (hereinafter referred to as “transfer mechanism B” t ⁇ ⁇ ) for suspending and supporting a wafer below a fork (substrate support).
• This transfer mechanism includes a plurality of locking members having an L-shaped cross section projecting below the fork, and these locking members support the lower surface of the wafer peripheral portion on the upper surface of the L-shaped horizontal portion.
• Each locking member is between a supporting position in which each locking member supports the wafer and a release position in which each locking member moves outside the outer peripheral edge of the wafer to release the support of the wafer.
• the actuator is driven by the actuator.
• the locking members disposed on the distal end side and the proximal end side of the fork are both movable, so that a complicated structure is attached to the fork, and the complicated structure is attached to the fork in the height direction. This causes an increase in size, and as a result, it is difficult to reduce the pitch between the ring-shaped support plates of the holder.
• a comprehensive object of the present invention is to improve the throughput of a vertical heat treatment apparatus.
• An object of the present invention is to enable a plurality of workpieces to be transferred to a holder having a ring-shaped support plate, thereby shortening the transfer time of the workpiece. Poko is there.
• Another object of the present invention is to simplify the structure of the transfer mechanism, particularly the gripping mechanism of the substrate support, so that the substrate support can be inserted into a narrow gap, and thereby the pin between the ring-shaped support plates can be inserted.
• An object of the present invention is to make it possible to reduce the size of a switch and increase the number of objects to be heat-treated at one time.
• the present invention provides a heat treatment furnace having a furnace B at a lower part, a lid for hermetically sealing the furnace, and a plurality of objects to be processed provided on the lid being vertically moved through a ring-shaped support plate.
• a transfer mechanism for transferring the object to be processed between a storage container for accommodating a plurality of objects to be processed at a predetermined interval and the holder.
• a gripping mechanism for gripping the object to be processed on the lower side, and the gripping mechanism is fixed to the front end of each of the substrate supports and fixedly locks the front edge of the object to be processed. And a movable locking portion that is movably attached to the base end of each of the substrate supports and that detachably locks the rear edge of the object to be processed.
• each of the substrate supports has a receiving portion for receiving the front and rear peripheral portions of the object to be processed such that a gap exists between the lower surface of the substrate support and the upper surface of the object.
• a gap exists between the lower surface of the substrate support and the upper surface of the object.
• each of the ring-shaped support plates is provided with a notch for avoiding interference with the fixed locking portion and the movable locking portion.
• the workpiece can be reliably gripped without the gripping mechanism interfering with the ring-shaped support plate.
• At least one of the substrate supports is provided with a mapping sensor, and the mapping sensor emits a light beam traveling between two tip portions of the substrate support by an object to be detected.
• the position of the object to be detected can be detected by moving the substrate support so as to be blocked. In this way, by scanning a plurality of workpieces respectively held by the ring-shaped support plates in the holder along the arrangement direction, the presence / absence of the workpieces on each ring-shaped support plate is detected.
• Mapping Can do Since it is possible to detect whether or not the object to be processed has protruded from the holder before and after the processing, it is possible to prevent an accident such as damage to the object to be processed.
• the fixed locking portion and the movable locking portion are made of a heat-resistant resin material.
• the durability of the fixed locking portion and the movable locking portion is improved, and these locking portions do not become a source of contamination of the object to be processed.
• the present invention further provides a heat treatment furnace having a furnace lower part at a lower portion, a lid body for sealing the furnace part, and a plurality of workpieces provided on the lid body via a ring-shaped support plate.
• a transfer mechanism for transferring the object to and from the tool, wherein the object to be processed is transferred by the vertical heat treatment apparatus provided with the transfer mechanism.
• a transfer mechanism having a gripping mechanism for gripping an object to be processed under each substrate support, and wherein the gripping mechanism has a tip end of the substrate support.
• the substrate supports are arranged above the object at the transfer starting point.
• the object to be processed is gripped by bringing the movable locking portion close to the fixed locking portion to move the respective substrate supporting members that grip the object to be processed in the next step V above the transfer target point. Then, the object to be processed is released by moving the movable locking portion away from the fixed locking portion to release the object to be processed and to place the object on the transfer target point. I do.
• FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing one embodiment of a vertical heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention.
• FIG. 2 is a side view of a transfer mechanism.
• FIG. 3 is a side view of the transfer mechanism of FIG. 2 as viewed from another direction.
• FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a substrate holder of the transfer mechanism and its related components.
• FIG. 5 is a plan view of a ring-shaped support plate.
• FIG. 6 is a plan view from below showing the substrate support.
• FIG. 7 is a plan view showing another substrate support with downward force.
• FIG. 8 is a schematic side view showing a fixed locking portion and a receiving portion at a distal end portion of the substrate support.
• FIG. 9 is a schematic side view showing a movable locking portion and a receiving portion on the base end side of the substrate support.
• FIG. 10 is a schematic side view showing a movable locking portion and a driving portion on the base end side of the substrate support.
• FIG. 11 is a schematic side view for explaining the operation of the transfer mechanism.
• FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a transfer mechanism in a conventional vertical heat treatment apparatus.
• FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing one embodiment of a vertical heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention
• FIG. 2 is a side view of a transfer mechanism
• FIG. 3 is a view of the transfer mechanism of FIG. Side view
• Figure 4 FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the substrate holder of the mounting mechanism and its related components
• FIG. 5 is a plan view of the ring-shaped support plate.
• the vertical heat treatment apparatus 1 has a casing 2 forming an outer shell of the apparatus, and a vertical heat treatment furnace 3 is provided above the inside of the casing 2. .
• the heat treatment furnace 3 accommodates an object to be processed (also referred to as a substrate to be processed), for example, a thin disk-shaped semiconductor wafer W, and performs a predetermined process, for example, a CVD process.
• the heat treatment furnace 3 is a vertically long processing vessel having a lower end opened as a furnace b 4
• a heater (heating mechanism) 7 that covers the periphery of the reaction tube 5 and can heat the inside of the reaction tube 5 to a predetermined controlled temperature, for example, 300 to 1200 ° C., and a power are mainly configured.
• a stainless steel base plate 8 that supports the reaction tube 5 and the heater 7 that constitute the heat treatment furnace 3 is provided horizontally.
• the base plate 8 has an opening (not shown) for receiving the reaction tube 5.
• the reaction tube 5 is inserted upward through the opening of the base plate 8 from below, and the outward flange formed at the lower end of the reaction tube 5 is fixed to the base plate 8 by a flange holding member.
• a reaction tube 5 is set on a base plate 8.
• the reaction tube 5 can be removed from the base plate 8 for washing or the like.
• the reaction tube 5 is connected with a plurality of gas introduction tubes for introducing a processing gas or an inert gas for purging into the reaction tube 5, and a vacuum pump, a pressure control valve, etc., capable of controlling the pressure inside the reaction tube 5 under reduced pressure. (Not shown).
• a work area (loading area) 10 is provided below the base plate 8 in the housing 2. Utilizing the work area 10, the holder (boat) 9 provided on the lid 6 is loaded into the heat treatment furnace 3 (that is, the reaction tube 5) and unloaded from the heat treatment furnace 3, Further, transfer of the wafer W to the holder 9 is performed.
• the work area 10 is provided with an elevating mechanism 11 for loading the boat 9 into the heat treatment furnace 3 and elevating the lid 6 for unloading from the heat treatment furnace 3.
• the lid 6 abuts the opening end of the furnace B 4 to seal the furnace B 4.
• a rotation mechanism (not shown) for rotating the holder 9 is provided below the lid 6.
• the holder 9 includes a main body 9a that supports a plurality of wafers W in multiple stages, and supports the main body 9a. And a leg 9b, which is connected to the rotation shaft of the rotation mechanism.
• the holder 9 in the illustrated example is made of, for example, quartz, and has a large diameter, for example, 300 mm in diameter, and a large number of, for example, about 75 wafers W. It can be held at a pitch of 11mm.
• a lower heating mechanism (not shown) is provided between the main body 9a and the lid 6 to prevent a temperature drop in the reaction tube 5 due to heat radiation from the furnace B4. In this case, the holder 9 does not need to have the leg 9b.
• the main body 9a is placed on the lid 6 via a heat insulating cylinder.
• the holder 9 includes a plurality of columns 12, a top plate 13 and a bottom plate 14 connected to the upper and lower ends of the columns 12, and a ring-shaped support plate 15 disposed on the columns 12.
• the ring-shaped support plates 15 are arranged in multiple stages by engaging with concave portions or convex portions provided at predetermined intervals on the columns 12.
• the ring-shaped support plate 15 is made of, for example, stone or ceramic, has a thickness of about 2 to 3 mm, and is formed to have a slightly larger outer diameter than the outer diameter of the wafer W.
• a mounting table (also referred to as a load port) 17 is provided at the front of the housing 2.
• a storage container (also referred to as a carrier or a cassette) 16 storing a plurality of, for example, about 25 wafers W at predetermined intervals is mounted on the mounting table 17, and the storage container 16 is inserted into the housing 2 or vice versa. ENO and W are carried in and out.
• the storage container 16 is a closed storage container having a detachable lid (not shown) on the front surface thereof.
• a door mechanism 18 for removing the lid of the storage container 16 and communicating the inside of the storage container 16 with the work area 10 is provided.
• the work area 10 has a plurality of substrate supports (also referred to as forks) 20 arranged at a predetermined interval, and performs transfer of the wafer W between the storage container 16 and the holder 9.
• a mechanism 21 is provided.
• a storage shelf 22 for stocking the storage container 16 and a storage container 16 from the mounting table 17 to the storage shelf 22 or vice versa are provided on the front upper side inside the housing 2 outside the work area 10.
• a transport mechanism (not shown) for transport is provided. Further, when the lid 6 is opened, the furnace B 4 is placed above the work area 10 in order to suppress or prevent the heat in the furnace having a high temperature from being released to the work area 10 below.
• a shutter mechanism 23 for covering or closing is provided.
• the transfer mechanism 21 supports a plurality of wafers W, for example, five wafers W at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. It has a plurality of, for example, five substrate supports (also referred to as forks or support plates) 20 (20a-20e).
• the center substrate support 20a can be moved independently in the front-rear direction independently of the other substrate supports.
• Substrate supports other than the central substrate support 20a (first, second, fourth and fifth from the top) 20b, 20c, 20d and 20e are vertically moved with respect to the central substrate support 20a by a pitch conversion mechanism (not shown). Can move steplessly.
• the five substrate supports 20a to 20e can change the vertical interval (pitch) in a stepless manner based on the center substrate support 20a. Accordingly, even when the storage pitch of the wafer W in the storage container 16 and the mounting pitch of the wafer W in the holder 9 are different, a plurality of wafers W can be simultaneously transferred between the storage container 16 and the holder 9. Can be transferred.
• the transfer mechanism 21 includes an elevating arm 24 that can move up and down, and a box-shaped base 25 that is rotatably mounted on the elevating arm 24 in a horizontal plane.
• a first moving body 26 that enables the central single substrate support 20a to move forward
• two upper and lower substrates that are disposed above and below the central substrate support 20a, respectively 4
• a second moving body 27 that allows the substrate supports 20b-20e to move forward is provided so as to be able to move forward and backward along the longitudinal direction of the base 25.
• a moving mechanism (not shown) is provided inside the base 25 to operate the first and second moving bodies 26 and 27 as described above.
• this moving mechanism and the pitch modification for example, those disclosed in ⁇ 2001-44260 ⁇ can be used.
• Each of the substrate supports 20 is formed of, for example, a thin plate of alumina ceramic, and is preferably formed in a substantially U-shape in plan view with a distal end branched into two branches (see FIGS. 4, 6 and 6). 7).
• the transfer mechanism 21 includes a gripping mechanism 28 that can hold the wafers W one by one from the front and back under each substrate support 20.
• the gripping mechanism 28 includes a fixed locking portion 30 provided at the front end of the substrate support 20 and locking the front edge of the wafer W, A movable locking portion 31 provided at the base end portion for detachably locking the rear edge of the wafer W is provided, and a driving mechanism for driving the movable locking portion 31, for example, an air cylinder 32.
• the wafer W By moving the movable locking portion 31 forward with the air cylinder 32, the wafer W can be sandwiched (grabbed) between the movable locking portion 31 and the fixed locking portion 30 from the front and rear, and By retreating the wafer 31, the wafer W can be released. It is preferable that the base end of the substrate support 20 be provided with a notch 33 for avoiding interference with the movable locking portion 31.
• the fixed locking portion 30 and the movable locking portion 31 have inclined surfaces 30a and 3 la in order to support the peripheral portion of the wafer W such that the wafer W does not detach therefrom due to its own weight. It is preferable to! Further, the front and rear peripheral portions of the wafer W are provided as spacers on each of the substrate supports 20 so that a gap g exists between the lower surface of each of the substrate supports 20 and the upper surface of the wafer W held thereon. Receiving parts 34 and 35 are preferably provided. In the illustrated example, one receiving portion 34 is provided on each of the left and right sides of the distal end portion of the substrate support 20, and one receiving portion 35 is provided on each of the left and right sides of the base end portion.
• the receiving portion 34 on the distal end side and the fixed locking portion 30 are formed physically (as a single component), thereby achieving compactness.
• the fixed locking part 30, the movable locking part 31, and the receiving parts 34 and 35 are made of heat-resistant resin such as PEEK (Polyetheretherketone). , Preferred in terms of,.
• Notches 36 and 37 are preferably provided in the ring-shaped support plate 15 in order to avoid interference with the receiving portion 35 on the base end side as necessary. Note that when the outer diameter of the ring-shaped support plate 15 is smaller than the outer diameters of the arrows, W, the notch portions 36 and 37 need not necessarily be provided in the ring-shaped support plate 15.
• the upper surface of the substrate support 20 and the lower surface of the fixed locking portion 30 are positioned so that one substrate support 20 can be inserted into a gap between the two vertically adjacent ring-shaped support plates 15, 15.
• the distance h between them is smaller than the distance k (about 7.7 mm) between the lower surface of the upper ring-shaped support plate 15 and the upper surface of the wafer W placed on the lower ring-shaped support plate 15, for example, 5.95. It is preferably about mm.
• a mapping sensor 40 for mapping the wafer W held by the holder 9 is provided at the tip of the substrate support 20a used for transferring a single wafer.
• a sensor head 40a of a mapping sensor 40 capable of transmitting and receiving infrared rays is provided at one end of the substrate support 20, and a mating sensor is provided at the other end of the substrate support 20.
• a reflecting mirror 41 is provided for reflecting the infrared light emitted from the 40 sensor heads 40a and entering the sensor head 40a of the matching sensor 40.
• the mapping sensor 40 has a detection mechanism (not shown), and a light emitting element and a light receiving element provided in the detection mechanism are connected to a sensor head 40a via an optical fiber 42. As shown in FIG. 5, the transfer mechanism 21 scans the mapping sensor 40 in the vertical direction (perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.
• the mapping sensor 40 can also be used to detect a teaching target member installed at a target transfer position when the transfer mechanism 21 performs automatic teaching. During automatic teaching, if the transfer mechanism 21 moves to a position where the target member blocks the infrared light, the position of the target member is divided based on the encoder value of the drive system of the transfer mechanism 21 at that time. Will be issued.
• the operation of the transfer mechanism 21 when transferring the wafer W will be schematically described.
• the substrate support 20 is inserted into the storage container, and is positioned above the Ueno W to be transferred.
• the movable locking portion 31 of the gripping mechanism 28 below the substrate support 20 is powered so as to approach the fixed locking portion 30 (the gripping mechanism 28 is closed) to grip the wafer W.
• the substrate support 20 is withdrawn from the storage container force to unload the storage container force wafer W, and then the substrate support 20 is positioned above the ring-shaped support plate 15 of the holder 9 (see FIG. a)).
• the transfer mechanism 21 has a plurality of, for example, five substrate supports 20 (20a-20e), and each of the substrate supports 20 has a gripping mechanism 28 for gripping a Ueno and a W under the substrate support 20, a ring is provided.
• a plurality of wafers W for example, five wafers W can be transferred to the holder 9 having the plate-like support plate 15, and the transfer time can be greatly reduced.
• a gripping mechanism 28 is fixedly mounted on the distal end of the substrate support 20 and locks the front edge of the wafer W, and is movably mounted on the base end of the substrate support 20.
• a movable locking portion 31 for detachably locking the rear edge of the wafer W.
• the locking portion at the front end of the substrate support 20 is of a fixed type, (Substrate support)
• the conventional transfer mechanism B see Background Art
• both the locking members disposed at the distal end and the proximal end of the substrate support 20 are movable
• the overall structure of the substrate support 20 is reduced. This can be simplified, and the thickness of the substrate support 20 can be reduced. Since the thin substrate support 20 can be inserted into a narrow gap, the pitch between the ring-shaped support plates 15 of the holder 9 can be reduced, for example, by about 16 mm from the conventional force of about 11 mm, and as a result, the same size can be obtained.
• the holder 9 can hold a large number of wafers W. Therefore, the number of processed sheets in one heat treatment can be increased, for example, to about 50, which is about 50 times the conventional force, for example, about 1.5 times that of the conventional heat treatment, thereby improving the throughput.
• the wafer W can be easily grasped below the substrate support 20 by the grasping mechanism 28.
• the substrate support 20 is provided with receiving portions 34 and 35 for receiving the front and rear peripheral portions of the wafer W so that a gap exists between the lower surface of the substrate support 20 and the upper surface of the wafer W.
• the upper surface of the wafer W can be prevented from being scratched and scratched by the lower surface of the substrate support 20.
• the ring-shaped support plate 15 is provided with cutouts 36 and 37 for avoiding interference with the fixed locking portion 30 and the movable locking portion 31, the gripping mechanism 28 The wafer W can be reliably grasped without interference.
• At least one of the substrate supports 20 (20a) is provided with a mapping sensor 40, and the mapping sensor 40 is configured to emit a light beam traveling between two front ends of the substrate support 20a to the object ( By moving the substrate holder 20a so that it is blocked by Since the position of the body W can be detected, the plurality of workpieces W held on the ring-shaped support plate 15 in the holder 9 are arranged along the arrangement direction (in the vertical direction). ) By scanning, the presence / absence of the object W to be processed on each ring-shaped support plate 15 can be detected and recorded in association with position information (mapping).
• a fixed locking portion 30 is provided at the distal end of the substrate support 20. Since it is not a movable structure, the mapping sensor 40 can be easily installed without considering prevention of interference with the fixed locking portion 30. can do . Further, the thickness of the entire substrate support 20 can be reduced.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Container, Conveyance, Adherence, Positioning, Of Wafer (AREA)

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• 2005
  • 2005-03-01 JP JP2005055271A patent/JP2005311306A/ja active Pending
  • 2005-03-25 EP EP05726958A patent/EP1752725B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2005-03-25 TW TW094109400A patent/TW200603289A/zh not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2005-03-25 WO PCT/JP2005/005518 patent/WO2005093354A1/ja not_active Ceased
  • 2005-03-25 US US10/593,973 patent/US7677858B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2005-03-25 DE DE602005027689T patent/DE602005027689D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2005-03-25 KR KR1020057022867A patent/KR100980961B1/ko not_active Expired - Fee Related

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