WO2020090518A1 - Substrate supply system and substrate processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

This substrate supply system (1) supplies substrates (W) to a conveyance path from a cassette (10) which houses a plurality of substrates (W) in a state stacked separated by a prescribed interval, and is provided with: a first storage unit (101) which detachably stores a first cassette (10); a second storage unit (102) which detachably stores a second cassette (20); a pull-out mechanism (200) which pulls substrates (W) out of the first cassette (10) and the second cassette (20) in a direction perpendicular to the direction of stacking of the substrates (W) and transfers these to the conveyance path; and a moving mechanism (300) which moves the pull-out mechanism (200) between the first storage unit (101) and the second storage unit (102).

Description

Substrate supply system and substrate processing equipment

The present invention relates to a substrate supply system for supplying a substrate.

Conventionally, semiconductor devices widely used in electronic equipment are manufactured from wafers in which optical devices are incorporated in each of the areas divided into a plurality of areas. Here, the semiconductor device is manufactured, for example, by the following steps. First, the outer peripheral surface of the single crystal ingot is ground so that the diameter of the single crystal ingot is uniform and sliced into a disk shape having a thickness of about 1 mm. This is a so-called wafer. Both sides of the wafer are ground to a predetermined thickness (grinding step). Subsequently, both surfaces of the wafer are polished, and mirror-finished with high flatness is performed (polishing step). Then, the polished wafer is cleaned (cleaning step) to complete the wafer. After that, a circuit pattern is printed on the surface of the wafer and divided along predetermined lines.

The following Patent Document 1 discloses a cutting device that cuts a wafer along a predetermined line provided on the wafer. This cutting device has a cassette that stores a plurality of wafers (unprocessed wafers) before being cut and a cassette that stores wafers that have been cut (processed wafers) on the chuck table. Placed on. The unprocessed wafers are sequentially transferred from the cassette, cut, and then transferred to the cassette that accommodates the processed wafers.

JP, 2014-175422, A

In Patent Document 1, when all the unprocessed wafers are unloaded from the cassette and the cassette is emptied, the cassette is removed from the apparatus and a new unprocessed wafer is stored in the cassette. Then, the cassette is mounted on the apparatus again, and the wafer cutting process is newly executed.

Here, it takes a certain amount of time to remove and attach the cassette to the device. Therefore, during this time, the wafer cannot be supplied to the apparatus, and the operation rate of the apparatus decreases. In particular, it may be envisaged that the safety mechanism is activated during the removal of the cassette in order to prevent accidental access to the interior of the device. In this case, the time required for removing and mounting the cassette to the device becomes longer, and as a result, the operating rate of the device is further reduced.

In view of such a problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate supply system capable of increasing the operating rate of the device, and a substrate processing apparatus including the substrate supply system.

The first aspect of the present invention relates to a substrate supply system that supplies the substrates from a cassette that accommodates a plurality of substrates in a stacked state at predetermined intervals to a transfer path. In the substrate supply system according to this aspect, a first storage unit that detachably stores the first cassette, a second storage unit that detachably stores the second cassette, and the substrate are the first storage unit. Between the cassette and the second cassette, a drawer mechanism that draws out in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the substrates and transfers it to the transport path, and the drawer mechanism between the first storage section and the second storage section. And a moving mechanism for moving.

According to the configuration of this aspect, for example, while the drawing mechanism draws the substrate from the second cassette and supplies the substrate to the transport path, the first cassette that has finished supplying the substrate is first stored. The first cassette can be stored in the first storage portion, and the first cassette can be stored in the first storage portion again. As a result, when all the substrates are supplied from the first cassette to the transport path, the substrates are accommodated in the first cassette without temporarily stopping the supply operation by the drawing mechanism, and the first cassette is transferred to the first cassette. Can be stored in the storage section. Therefore, the substrate can be continuously supplied from the first cassette and the second cassette to the transfer path, and the operating rate of the substrate supply system can be increased.

In the substrate supply system according to this aspect, the number of storage devices that detachably stores the cassettes is not limited to two, and three or more storage devices may be provided.

Alternatively, the substrate supplied from the second cassette to the transfer path may be processed by a predetermined device and then returned to the second cassette through the same transfer path. In this case, after all of the substrates supplied from the second cassette to the transport path have returned to the second cassette, the second cassette is taken out of the second storage section and the processed substrate is removed from the second cassette. The unprocessed substrate can be stored in the second cassette and stored again in the second storage section.

In the substrate supply system according to this aspect, the pulling-out mechanism supports and guides the hand that holds the substrate, a drive mechanism that moves the hand in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction, and the pulled-out substrate. A guide part, and the moving mechanism may be configured to position the hand so as to face the substrate to be supplied when the hand pulls the substrate out of the first cassette and the second cassette.

Generally speaking, substrates such as semiconductor wafers are thin, brittle, and weak against impact. When such a substrate is supplied to the transport path, if the storage unit or the cassette is moved vertically or horizontally, the substrate may be damaged in the cassette due to shaking or vibration. In this respect, in this configuration, the storage unit and the cassette do not move, and the hand moves in the stacking direction by the moving mechanism to pull out the substrate to be supplied from the cassette. This makes it possible to reliably prevent the substrate from being damaged in the cassette. Further, the drawer mechanism includes a guide portion. Thus, when the pulling-out mechanism pulls out the substrate from the cassette, the substrate is pulled out while being supported by the guide portion. Therefore, the substrate can be pulled out smoothly.

In the substrate supply system according to this aspect, the first storage unit and the second storage unit are arranged side by side in the stacking direction, and the moving mechanism is configured to move the drawer mechanism in the stacking direction. Can be done.

According to the configuration of this aspect, by moving the drawing mechanism only in the stacking direction, the drawing mechanism can be positioned at the accommodation position of each substrate of the first cassette and the second cassette. Therefore, the configuration and control of the moving mechanism can be simplified.

In this case, the stacking direction may be configured to be a vertical direction.

With this configuration, the substrate can be stored in the cassette in a stable state. Further, since the substrate is pulled out horizontally from the cassette, the substrate can be stably pulled out from the cassette.

In the substrate supply system according to this aspect, a control unit that controls the moving mechanism may be provided, and the control unit may be configured to move the drawing mechanism in one direction of the stacking direction by the moving mechanism.

According to the configuration of this aspect, the drawer mechanism moves in one direction without moving back and forth in the stacking direction. As a result, the substrates are sequentially supplied to the transport path from one of the first cassette and the second cassette. Then, the empty cassette can be quickly taken out of the storage device, a new substrate can be stored in the cassette, and the new substrate can be stored in the storage device again.

If the substrate supplied to the transfer path is collected in the original cassette, the processed substrate is processed after the substrate supplied to the transfer path is processed by a predetermined device and transferred to the original cassette. The cassette in which the is stored is removed from the storage device. Then, similarly to the above, the unprocessed substrate can be stored in the cassette and then stored again in the storage device. In this way, the substrate can be supplied smoothly and efficiently.

In this case, the stacking direction is an up-down direction, and the control unit may be configured to move the pull-out mechanism in one direction from the lower side to the upper side by the moving mechanism.

According to the configuration of this aspect, the drawer mechanism is configured such that the substrate housed at the bottom of the cassette arranged at the lower side is moved to the substrate housed at the top of the cassette arranged at the upper side. Until the board is pulled out in order. As a result, the substrate can be efficiently supplied from one cassette to the transfer path. Therefore, it is possible to expedite the cycle of the work of taking out the cassette containing the empty or processed substrate from the storage device, storing the unprocessed substrate in the cassette, and storing it again in the storage device. it can.

The second aspect of the present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate. A substrate processing apparatus according to this aspect is a substrate supply system that supplies the substrates to a transport path from a cassette that accommodates a plurality of substrates in a stacked state at a predetermined interval, and detachably accommodates the first cassette. A first storage portion, a second storage portion that detachably stores the second cassette, and the substrate is drawn from the first cassette and the second cassette in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the substrates. And a moving mechanism for moving the pullout mechanism between the first storage section and the second storage section. Further, the substrate processing apparatus of the present aspect, a scribe unit that forms a scribe line on the surface of the substrate, a film laminating unit that attaches a film to the surface of the substrate on which the scribe line is formed, and the film is attached. A reversing unit for reversing the substrate so that the face is on the lower side, a break unit for dividing the substrate along the scribe line by applying a predetermined force to the surface on which the film is not attached, And a transport unit that transports the substrate to a predetermined position.

With this configuration, the same effect as that of the first aspect is achieved.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate supply system capable of increasing the operating rate of the device, and a substrate processing apparatus including the substrate supply system.

The effect or significance of the present invention will be further clarified by the description of the embodiments below. However, the embodiment described below is merely an example for embodying the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to what is described in the following embodiment.

1A to 1C are perspective views showing the configuration of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the configuration of the substrate supply system. FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the configuration of the cassette housed in the substrate supply system. FIG. 1C is a perspective view showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system, and corresponds to FIG. FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B are perspective views showing the configurations of the drawing mechanism and the moving mechanism of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. 3A and 3B are perspective views showing the substrate supply system and the transfer path according to the embodiment. 4A and 4B are perspective views showing the substrate supply system and the transfer path according to the embodiment. FIG. 5A is a block diagram showing the configuration of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIG. 5B is a flowchart showing the operation of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. 6A to 6C are perspective views showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. 10A to 10C are perspective views showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. 10A and 10B are enlarged views around the link mechanism. FIG. 10C is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. 12A to 12C are perspective views showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. 12A and 12B are enlarged views around the link mechanism. FIG. 12C is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. 14A and 14B are perspective views showing the configuration of the storage device of the substrate supply system according to the embodiment. FIG. 14A is an enlarged view around the link mechanism. FIG. 14B is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 13. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus including the substrate supply system according to the embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that, for convenience, X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis orthogonal to each other are added to each drawing. The XY plane is parallel to the horizontal plane, and the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction. The Z-axis positive side is the upper side, and the Z-axis negative side is the lower side. Further, in the present embodiment, the Z-axis direction is the “stacking direction” described in the claims. In the present embodiment, this stacking direction may be referred to as the “vertical direction”. The Y-axis direction is the “direction perpendicular to the stacking direction” described in the claims. This Y-axis direction may be described as “horizontal direction” in the present embodiment.

<Embodiment>
[Structure of substrate supply system]
The substrate supply system 1 according to the present embodiment is used for supplying a wafer to a transfer path for transferring the wafer to a predetermined device when manufacturing a semiconductor wafer which is a material of a semiconductor device widely used in electronic devices and the like. In the present embodiment, the substrate to be supplied by the substrate supply system 1 is a semiconductor wafer attached to an annular frame with a dicing tape. Hereinafter, the "semiconductor wafer attached to the annular frame with the dicing tape" is simply referred to as "wafer W". Further, in the description of the present embodiment, the position where the wafer W is completely pulled out from the substrate supply system 1 is referred to as a “drawing position”, and the position where the wafer W is transferred to the transfer path is referred to as a “transfer position”. ..

Examples of the material of the wafer W include single crystal silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), and gallium arsenide (GaSa). 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 to be manufactured.

1A to 1C are perspective views showing the configuration of the substrate supply system 1. 1A is a perspective view of the substrate supply system 1, FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing a cassette in which a wafer W is stored, and FIG. 1C is a perspective view of a storage device 100. It is a figure.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the substrate supply system 1 includes a storage device 100, a drawer mechanism 200, and a movement mechanism 300. Although the entire storage device 100 is covered with a housing, this housing is omitted for convenience of description. Hereinafter, in all of the drawings, the casing that covers the entire storage device 100 is omitted.

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

A handle 13 used by an operator to carry the first cassette 10 is provided above the first cassette 10. Since the second cassette 20 has the same configuration as the first cassette 10, the description will be omitted. In the above description, the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 are described as a common cassette, but the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 are provided on the inner side surfaces of the side walls 11a and 11b. The intervals of the grooves 12 may be different, and the number of wafers W to be accommodated may be different.

The storage device 100 stores the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 described above. As shown in FIG. 1C, the storage device 100 includes a first storage portion 101 and a second storage portion 102 that are arranged side by side in the stacking direction of the wafers W, that is, in the vertical direction. Further, the storage device 100 includes a mounting portion 110 on which the first cassette 10 is detachably mounted, a housing 103 that covers the first storage portion 101, and a door 104 in the first storage portion 101. A handle 112 installed on the placement unit 110 and a shutter 140 that shuts off the storage device 100 from the pulled-out position are provided.

As described above, in the storage device 100, the first storage portion 101 is covered with the housing 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. 1A and 1C) that covers the entire storage device 100. When the door 104 is opened and closed, the first storage unit 101 can be accessed. it can. Further, the door 104 can be made of a transparent member so that the operator can visually recognize the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 during the operation of the substrate supply system 1. FIG. 1C illustrates the case where the door 104 is transparent.

The case 103, the door 104, the mounting portion 110, and the handle 112 described above are similarly provided for the second storage portion 102.

As described above, the storage device 100 includes the first storage portion 101 and the second storage portion 102, and the door 104 is provided in each of the first storage portion 101 and the second storage portion 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 opens the door 104 of the second storage unit 102 to The mounting portion 110 of the second storage portion 102 can be pulled out in the Y-axis negative direction. At this time, when the second cassette 20 is not stored in the second storage section 102 or when the wafer W is not stored in the second cassette 20 (that is, all the wafers from the second cassette 20 are stored). When W is supplied to the transfer path), the operator stores the wafer W in the second cassette 20 and appropriately mounts the second cassette 20 on the mounting unit 110 of the second storage unit 102. After that, the mounting portion 110 of the second storage portion 102 is pulled in the Y-axis positive direction. In this way, the second cassette 20 can be stored in the second storage section 102.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the shutter 140 is opened in the storage device 100 when the wafer W is supplied to the transfer path. For example, in the above case, since the wafer W is supplied from the first storage unit 101 to the transfer path, the shutter 140 provided in the first storage unit 101 is open. On the other hand, in the second storage section 102, the second cassette 20 is being taken out. In such a case, if the shutter 140 of the second storage unit 102 is opened, the operator's hand may accidentally enter the back (Y-axis positive side) of the second storage unit 102, which is dangerous. Alternatively, when the second cassette 20 in which a new wafer W is stored is stored in the second storage section 102, the wafer W may jump out of the second cassette 20 and fall. Therefore, the shutter 140 of the second storage unit 102 is closed in order to block the space between the second storage unit 102 and the pulled-out position. 1A and 1C, for convenience of description, the shutter 140 of the first storage unit 101 and the shutter 140 of the second storage unit 102 are illustrated so that the inside of each storage unit can be seen. The open state is shown, but it does not correspond to the actual operation. This is the same in FIGS. 3A to 4B.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1C, the storage device 100 includes a moving unit 120, a restricting unit 130, an elevating mechanism 150, a supporting unit 160, a link mechanism 170, and a detecting unit 180. There is. The moving unit 120 is not shown in FIG. 1C but is shown in FIG. The detailed configuration of the storage device 100 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 6 to 14B.

Next, the drawer mechanism 200 will be described.

2A and 2B are perspective views showing the configurations of the drawer mechanism 200 and the movement mechanism 300.

The drawing mechanism 200 draws the wafer W from the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 in order to supply the wafer W to the transfer path. The drawer mechanism 200 includes a hand 210, a drive mechanism 220, a guide section 230, a retracting mechanism 240, and a sensor 250.

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

The guide unit 230 guides the wafer W pulled out from the cassette to the transfer path while supporting the wafer W. The guide portion 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 X-axis positive side and the negative side. The guide support members 232a and 232b are in contact with the lower portions of the rails 231a and 231b, respectively. A guide support member 232c is connected to the lower portion of each of the guide support members 232a and 232b.

The guide support members 232a to 232c are rectangular plate members. 2A and 2B, the guide support member 232a is divided into two bodies, but the guide support member 232a may be integrated into one body. In the retracting mechanism 240, the wafer W pulled out from the storage device 100 is used as a transfer path. When the wafer is delivered, the interference between a member that receives the wafer W at the delivery position (for example, a holding member on the transfer path side) and the hand 210 is avoided.

The sensor 250 detects the wafer W to be supplied when the hand 210 pulls out the wafer W from the cassette. The hand 210, the sensor 250, and the retracting mechanism 240 are connected in this order from the Y-axis negative side via a connecting member. Further, the retracting mechanism 240 is arranged below the hand 210 and the sensor 250.

Further, the retracting mechanism 240 is specifically an air cylinder. When a predetermined pressure is applied to the retracting mechanism 240 from the air cylinder drive unit 405, the retracting mechanism 240 and the hand 210 and the sensor 250 connected via the connecting member move integrally downward. The air cylinder drive unit 405 is illustrated in FIG.

The drive mechanism 220 moves the wafer W held by the hand 210 in the horizontal direction. The drive mechanism 220 includes a drawing guide part 221 that moves the wafer W in the horizontal direction, and a moving member 222 that moves the drawing guide part 221. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the drawer guide portion 221 is arranged in the space surrounded by the guide support members 232a to 232c, and is attached to the guide support member 232c. A retracting mechanism 240 is attached to the moving member 222.

In the pulling-out mechanism 200, when the moving member 222 moves the pulling-out guide part 221 in the horizontal direction, the retracting mechanism 240, the sensor 250, the hand 210, the guide part 230, and the wafer W integrally move in the horizontal direction.

The moving mechanism 300 moves the drawer mechanism 200 up and down between the first storage unit 101 and the second storage unit 102. The moving mechanism 300 includes an elevating guide 310 that elevates the drawer mechanism 200, and an elevating member 320 that elevates the elevating guide 310.

The lifting member 320 is attached to the guide support member 232b. In the moving mechanism 300, the raising / lowering member 320 moves the raising / lowering guide 310, so that the drawer mechanism 200 is integrally raised / lowered via the raising / lowering member 320.

Next, the supply of the wafer W to the transfer path by the substrate supply system 1 will be described. Here, the substrate supply system 1 will be described on the assumption that the wafer W is supplied to the transfer path 500.

Further, in the present embodiment, the wafers W stored in the lowermost part of the first cassette 10 stored in the first storage unit 101 are sequentially supplied to the transfer path.

FIGS. 3A to 4B are perspective views showing the configurations of the substrate supply system 1 and the transfer path 500. FIG. 3A shows the case where the wafer W is drawn out by the drawing mechanism 200, and FIG. 3B shows the case where the drawing of the wafer W by the drawing mechanism 200 is completed. 4A shows a state immediately before the drawing mechanism 200 delivers the wafer W to the delivery position of the transfer path 500, and FIG. 4B shows that the delivery of the wafer W to the delivery position of the transfer path 500 is completed. The case is shown.

As shown in FIGS. 3A to 4B, the transport path 500 includes a transport mechanism 510, two transport rails 520, a guide member 530, and a transport hand 540. The transfer hand 540 holds the wafer W transferred from the substrate supply system 1. The transport hand 540 is attached to the guide member 530 of the transport rail 520, and when the transport mechanism 510 is driven, the guide member 530 moves along the guide of the transport mechanism 510. As a result, the wafer W is transferred along the transfer rail 520.

As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the moving mechanism 300 integrally moves the pull-out mechanism 200 downward and positions it at a predetermined height position. At this time, the moving mechanism 300 integrally moves the pulling mechanism 200 to a position where the hand 210 faces the wafer W to be supplied, which is accommodated in the first cassette 10 or the second cassette 20. Then, the hand 210 positioned at the height position of the wafer W to be supplied moves to the Y-axis negative side by the drive mechanism 220 and holds 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 referred to as "drawing operation".

As shown in FIG. 3B, when the wafer W is gripped by the hand 210, the drive mechanism 220 pulls the wafer W to the Y axis positive side. The pulled-out wafer W is supported by rails 231a and 231b and positioned at the pull-out position while being guided. At this time, the hand 210 is in a state of holding the wafer W. This operation of the substrate supply system 1 is referred to as "drawing completion operation".

As shown in FIG. 4A, when the wafer W is positioned at the extraction position, the moving mechanism 300 integrally moves the extraction mechanism 200 upward. At this time, the moving mechanism 300 integrally moves the drawer mechanism 200 so that the height positions of the rails 231a and 231b and the height position of the transport rail 520 of the transport path 500 match. The hand 210 is in a state of holding the wafer W. This operation of the substrate supply system 1 is referred to as "delivery preparation operation".

As shown in FIG. 4B, when the rails 231a and 231b of the pullout mechanism 200 are positioned at the height position of the transfer rail 520, that is, the delivery position, the hand 210 releases the wafer W. Then, a predetermined pressure is applied to the retracting mechanism 240, and the hand 210 and the sensor 250 move below the transport rail 520. As a result, the hand 210 and the sensor 250 do not interfere with the transport hand 540. In this state, the wafer W is still supported by the rails 231a and 231b. This operation of the substrate supply system 1 is referred to as "delivery completion operation".

When the hand 210 releases the wafer W, the transfer mechanism 510 is driven to move the guide member 530 to which the transfer hand 540 is attached along the guide of the transfer mechanism, and the transfer hand 540 holds the wafer W. Then, the wafer W is transported to a predetermined place while being supported by the transport rail 520.

The substrate supply system 1 supplies the wafer W to the transfer path as described above. The substrate supply system 1 repeatedly executes the above-mentioned drawing operation, drawing completion operation, delivery preparation operation, and delivery completion operation while the wafer W to be supplied is present.

In the present embodiment, when all the wafers W stored in the first cassette 10 are supplied to the transfer path, the pull-out mechanism 200 and the moving mechanism 300 are the second storage units stored in the second storage unit 102. The wafer W is pulled out from the cassette 20 and is supplied to the transfer path. At this time, similarly to when the wafer W is pulled out from the first cassette 10, the pull-out mechanism 200 and the moving mechanism 300 sequentially pull out the wafer W stored in the lowermost part of the second cassette 20.

While the substrate supply system 1 pulls out the wafer W from the second cassette 20 and supplies the wafer W to the transfer path, the operator opens the door 104 of the first storage unit 101 to set the mounting unit of the first storage unit 101. 110 is pulled out in the negative direction of the Y-axis, and the mounting portion 110 is positioned at the mounting / removing position. Then, the operator takes out the first cassette 10 from the mounting portion 110 of the first storage portion 101, stores a new wafer W in the first cassette 10, and places the mounting portion of the first storage portion 101. After being mounted on 110, the first storage unit 101 can be positioned again at the storage position. In this way, even while the first cassette is being taken out from the first storage unit 101, the wafer W is pulled out from the second cassette 20 and the supply operation to the transfer path is continued. Therefore, the operating rate of the substrate supply system 1 can be increased.

The delivery of the wafer W on the transfer path may be performed by holding the wafer W by the hand as described above, or by sucking and holding the wafer W by, for example, a member having a suction pad.

[Supply operation of substrate supply system]
Next, a wafer W supply operation by the substrate supply system 1 will be described. FIG. 5A is a block diagram showing the configuration of the substrate supply system 1. As shown in FIG. 5A, the substrate supply system 1 includes a storage device 100, a drawer mechanism 200, and a movement mechanism 300, and further includes a control unit 400, an input unit 401, and a detection unit 402. , Is provided. Further, a pull-out guide drive unit 403, which is a drive unit of each of the pull-out guide unit 221, the elevating guide 310, and the retracting mechanism 240, an elevating guide drive unit 404, and an air cylinder drive unit 405 are provided.

The control unit 400 includes an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU and 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 receives a start when the substrate supply system 1 supplies the wafer W to the transfer path. The detection unit 402 detects the position of the wafer W to be supplied in the substrate supply system 1. Further, the detection unit 402 may be configured to detect that the wafer W has been supplied to the transfer path. The detection unit 402 can use, for example, a sensor, an imaging device, or the like.

FIG. 5B is a flowchart showing the operation of the substrate supply system 1 according to this embodiment. This control is executed by the control unit 400 shown in FIG. 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.

Further, in the flowchart of FIG. 5B, “start” is the time when the input unit receives the supply start of the wafer W to the transfer path. The first storage unit 101 and the second storage unit 102 of the storage device 100 respectively store the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 in which the wafer W is stored. Further, the wafers W stored in the lowermost part of the first cassette 10 are sequentially supplied to the upper wafers W.

In step S11, the elevating guide driving unit 404 drives the elevating guide 310 to move the extraction mechanism 200 to the height position of the wafer W to be supplied, and the sensor 250 to detect the wafer W to be supplied. This is the above-mentioned drawing operation, and corresponds to the state shown in FIG.

In step S12, when the sensor 250 detects the supply target wafer W, the control unit 400 causes the extraction guide drive unit 403 to drive the hand 210 to hold the supply target wafer W and to extract the supply target wafer W in the horizontal direction. Position in position. This is the above-mentioned drawing completion operation, and corresponds to the state shown in FIG.

In step S13, the control unit 400 causes the elevating guide driving unit 404 to drive the elevating guide 310 to position the drawer mechanism 200 at the height position of the conveying rail 520 of the conveying path 500. This is the delivery preparation operation described above, and corresponds to the state shown in FIG.

In step S <b> 14, when the detection unit 402 detects that the wafer W is located at the height position of the transfer rail 520, the control unit 400 causes the extraction guide drive unit 403 to drive the hand 210, and the hand 210 operates. The gripping of the wafer W is stopped. Then, the control unit 400 causes the air cylinder drive unit 405 to apply a predetermined pressure to the retracting mechanism 240, and moves the hand 210 downward. This avoids interference between the hand 210 and the transport hand 540. This is the delivery completion operation described above, and corresponds to the state shown in FIG.

After step S14, the wafer W is transferred to the transfer path 500 (see FIG. 4B) and transferred to a predetermined place. In step S15, when the detection unit 402 detects that the delivery of the wafer W is 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 operations in steps S11 to S14 described above 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 ends.

The substrate supply system 1 may be configured to include a display unit that displays the states of the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20. For example, when a display screen (not shown) is connected to the substrate supply system 1 and unprocessed, that is, the wafer W to be supplied remains in both the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20, "Processing" is displayed on the screen. From this display, the operator can grasp that the wafer W is being supplied from the first cassette 10 or the second cassette 20 to the transfer path.

In addition, when the first cassette 10 is empty, or when a predetermined number of wafers W are supplied to the transfer path and unprocessed wafers W remain in the second cassette 20, “First cassette 10: processing completed” is displayed. By this display, the operator immediately takes out the first cassette 10 from the first storage unit 101, newly stores the wafer W in the first cassette 10, and again stores the first cassette 10 in the first storage unit 101. It can be stored in 101.

Further, when the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 are empty, or when the planned number of wafers W are supplied to the transfer path, “processing completed” is displayed. From this display, the operator can know that the supply of the wafer W is completed.

In this way, when the display unit is provided, the operator can quickly grasp the states of the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 stored in the storage device 100, and thus the operation can be performed smoothly. be able to.

[Structure of storage device]
Next, the configuration of the storage device 100 will be described.

6A to 6C are perspective views showing different states of the storage device 100, and the left side view and the right side view correspond to each other.

As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, the storage device 100 has four main states. FIG. 6A shows a state (first state) in which the mounting portion 110 is pulled out from the second storage portion 102. At this time, since the shutter 140 of the second storage unit 102 is closed, the operator cannot put his or her hand in the storage device 100. FIG. 6B shows a state (second state) in which the mounting portion 110 is accommodated in the second storage portion 102. FIG. 6C shows a preparation state (third state) for opening the shutter 140 of the second storage section 102. The state where the opening of the shutter 140 of the second storage unit 102 is completed (the fourth state) corresponds to FIGS. 1A and 1C. Hereinafter, the configuration of the storage device 100 will be described separately for these four states. Here, the shutter 140 of the first storage unit 101 is opened upward, and the shutter 140 of the second storage unit 102 is opened downward. In this way, although the opening direction is different between the upper and lower sides, the structure for opening the shutter 140 is the same. Therefore, in the following description, the description will focus on the second storage section 102 arranged in the upper stage.

Further, when the storage device 100 is in the first state (the state shown in FIG. 6A), the second cassette 20 is detachably mounted on the mounting portion 110 of the second storage portion 102. At this time, the position of the placement unit 110 of the second storage unit 102 is referred to as the “attachment / detachment position”. When the storage device 100 is in the second state (the state shown in FIG. 6B), the second cassette 20 is in the state of being mounted on the mounting portion 110 of the second storage portion 102, and the second storage It is stored in the unit 102. The position of the placement unit 110 of the second storage unit 102 at this time is referred to as a “storage position”.

First, the case where the storage device 100 is in the first state, that is, the placement unit 110 is located at the attachment / detachment position will be described.

7 and 8 are perspective views showing the configuration of the storage device 100, showing the storage device 100 in the first state. The second cassette 20, the housing 103, and the door 104 are omitted in FIGS. 7 and 8, and the detection unit 180 is further omitted in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the storage device 100 includes the mounting portion 110, the moving portion 120, the regulating portion 130, the shutter 140, the elevating mechanism 150, the supporting portion 160, and the link mechanism 170 described above. In addition to the detection means 180, a pedestal 190 is provided. In addition, in the mounting portion 110 of FIG. 7, the portion surrounded by the broken line is an area where the second cassette 20 is mounted.

On the upper surface of the mounting part 110, four positioning members 111 for positioning the second cassette 20 are provided. When mounting the second cassette 20 on the mounting portion 110, both ends of the side walls 11a and 11b of the second cassette 20 are fitted to the four positioning members 111 (see FIG. 1C).

The moving unit 120 moves the placing unit 110 in the horizontal direction between the attachment / detachment position and the storage position. The moving unit 120 includes a link member 121, horizontal slide members 122a and 122b, a guide member 123, and a protruding member 124. The link member 121 is not shown in FIG. 7, but is shown in FIG.

The link member 121 includes a member 121a having a stepped cross section in the X-axis direction and a transfer roller 121b. A hole is formed in the lower part of the member 121a in the X-axis direction, and the rotation shaft of the transfer roller 121b is passed through the hole. The shutter 140 is attached to the rising portion above the member 121a (see FIG. 10C).

The horizontal slide member 122a is provided on the mounting portion 110 side, and the horizontal slide member 122b is provided on the pedestal 190 side. When the mounting part 110 moves in the horizontal direction, the horizontal slide member 122a moves with respect to the horizontal slide member 122b. As a result, the mounting unit 110 can move in the horizontal direction.

The guide member 123 is an elongated rectangular member and is installed on the pedestal 190. The Y-axis positive side and the negative side of the guide member 123 are formed with a gentle slope toward the center, and a V-shaped recess 123a is formed at the end on the Y-axis positive side. The lower end of the protruding member 124 provided on the mounting portion 110 is formed in a hemispherical shape (not shown). When the mounting portion 110 is horizontally moved to the storage position by the horizontal slide members 122a and 122b, the hemispherical portion of the protruding member 124 slides on the inclined surface of the guide member 123. As a result, the mounting portion 110 is appropriately braked, and the pedestal 190 can smoothly move while decelerating. Further, the hemispherical portion of the projecting member 124 is fitted into the recess 123 a, whereby the mounting portion 110 is positioned in the second storage portion 102.

The restriction unit 130 moves the mounting unit 110 to the storage position while the mounting unit 110 moves in the horizontal direction between the attachment / detachment position (first state) and the storage position (second state). When the wafer W is positioned (second state), the wafer W is prevented from jumping out and falling from the second cassette 20 (on the Y-axis positive side). The restricting portion 130 contacts the inner end surface of the second cassette 20. That is, it abuts the wafer W stored in the second cassette 20. The restriction part 130 is a plate-shaped member, and in the present embodiment, two are provided. The restriction portion 130 is supported by the support plate 131.

The shutter 140 blocks between the second storage unit 102 and the pull-out position. In the second storage unit 102, when the wafer W is pulled out from the second cassette 20, the shutter 140 is opened, and when the mounting unit 110 is moved from the storage position to the attachment / detachment position, the shutter 140 is closed.

The lifting mechanism 150 moves the shutter 140 up and down. The elevating mechanism 150 includes a drive unit 151, a receiving member 152, and elevating slide members 153a and 153b.

The drive unit 151 is a cylinder. The receiving member 152 is connected to the lower end of the rod 151a of the drive unit 151. The receiving member 152 is composed of a frame-shaped member whose Y-axis negative side is open. The upper and lower gaps 152a of the receiving member 152 fit into the above-mentioned transfer rollers 121b. As will be described later, when the storage device 100 is in the second to fourth states, the transfer roller 121b is fitted in the gap 152a of the receiving member 152 (for example, see FIG. 10C). Since the receiving member 152 is connected to the rod 151a, when the driving unit 151 drives, the receiving member 152 moves up and down together with the driving unit 151.

The elevating slide members 153a and 153b are provided between the shutter 140 and the support 160, and elevate the shutter 140. An elevating slide member 153a is attached to the shutter 140, and an elevating slide member 153b is attached to the support part 160.

The support part 160 is a member having a stepwise cross section in the Y-axis direction (see FIG. 9) and is installed on the mounting part 110. The restriction unit 130 is supported via a link mechanism 170 described below.

The link mechanism 170 includes a link base 171, a link plate 172, two link bars 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 bars 173. The link base 171 is attached to the shutter 140, and the link plate 172 is attached to the support plate 131. A link roller 174 is rotatably provided below the link plate 172. The link roller 174 is in contact with the horizontal surface below the support 160. The two link bars 173 are not shown in FIG. 7, but are shown in FIG.

As described above, the shutter 140 is supported by the support portion 160 via the horizontal slide members 122a and 122b. A link base 171 is attached to the shutter 140, and a link plate 172 connected to the link base 171 via a link bar 173 is attached to the support plate 131. The link base 171 and the link plate 172 form a four-bar link with the two link bars 173. With this link mechanism, the link plate 172 slides while maintaining the vertical state. Then, the support plate 131 supports the restriction portion 130. Therefore, the restriction unit 130 is supported by the shutter 140 via the link mechanism 170, and the restriction unit 130 is supported by the support unit 160 via the link mechanism 170.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in the first state, the link bar 173 of the link mechanism 170 is horizontal with respect to the mounting portion 110. Therefore, the link base 171 and the link plate 172 are slightly separated from each other. That is, the shutter 140 to which the link base 171 is attached and the support plate 131 to which the link plate 172 is attached are separated from each other. Since the restriction portion 130 is mounted on the support plate 131, the shutter 140 and the restriction portion 130 are separated from each other.

The detection means 180 is a sensor provided on the Y-axis positive side of the pedestal 190. The detection unit 180 detects whether the wafer W is protruding from the second cassette 20.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in the first state, when the mounting portion 110 is pulled out and is located at the attachment / detachment position, the restricting portion 130, the support plate 131, and the shutter 140 also move horizontally along with the mounting portion 110. Move to. This is a state in which the restricting portion 130 is in contact with the wafer W, as shown in FIG. 6A, particularly the right side diagram of FIG. 6A. Therefore, when taking out the second cassette 20 from the placing section 110 and when placing the second cassette 20 on the placing section 110, the operator puts his / her hand only within the area of the placing section 110. Therefore, the operator's hand does not enter the transport path. Therefore, the operator can safely attach and detach the second cassette 20.

Next, the case where the storage device 100 is in the second state, that is, the placement unit 110 is located at the storage position will be described.

9 and 10A to 10C are perspective views showing the configuration of the storage device 100, showing the storage device 100 in the second state. 10A and 10B are enlarged views around the link mechanism, and the shutter 140 is omitted in FIG. 10B. FIG. 10C is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 9. Further, in FIGS. 9 and 10A to 10C, the second cassette 20, the housing 103, the door 104, and the detection unit 180 are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the mounting section 110 is moved to the storage position, the linking member 121, the restriction section 130, the support plate 131, the shutter 140, and the support section 160 are in the states shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. While maintaining, it moves horizontally together with the mounting part 110. At this time, as shown in FIG. 10B, the transfer roller 121b of the linking member 121 horizontally moved together with the shutter 140 fits into the gap 152a of the receiving member 152. At this time, when the transfer roller 121b rolls on the pedestal 190, the width of the transfer roller 121b is set to be wider so that the transfer roller 121b can continuously transfer to the receiving member 152. Further, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10C, the upper frame of the receiving member 152 and the shutter 140 do not interfere with each other.

As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, when the storage device 100 is in the second state, the link mechanism 170 is the same as in the first state. It is slightly separated, and the restriction portion 130 is in contact with the wafer W. This is shown in FIG. 6B, in which the restricting portion 130 is in contact with the wafer W.

Thus, when the mounting unit 110 horizontally moves from the attachment / detachment position to the storage position from the first state to the second state, the positional relationship between the restriction unit 130 and the shutter 140 does not change, It horizontally moves together with the mounting unit 110. Therefore, while the mounting part 110 is horizontally moved from the attachment / detachment position to the storage position, the restriction part 130 continues to contact the wafer W. Therefore, there is no possibility that the wafer W jumps out of the second cassette 20 toward the supply region side and falls. Further, since the shutter 140 closes the supply area side, it is possible to reliably prevent the operator's hand from entering the storage device 100.

Next, a description will be given of the state where the storage device 100 is in the third state, that is, immediately before the mounting portion 110 is located at the storage position and the shutter 140 is opened.

11 and 12 (a) to (c) are perspective views showing the configuration of the storage device 100, showing the storage device 100 in the third state. 12A and 12B are enlarged views around the link mechanism, and the shutter 140 is omitted in FIG. 12B. FIG. 12C is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 11. Further, in FIGS. 11 and 12A to 12C, the second cassette 20, the housing 103, the door 104, and the detection unit 180 are omitted.

When the mounting 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, when the shutter 140 is moved up and down all at once, the restriction unit 130 also moves up and down together with the shutter 140. Since the regulating portion 130 is in contact with the wafer W, the regulating portion 130 moves up and down while rubbing the wafer W. Since the quality of the wafer W deteriorates, it is necessary to raise the shutter 140 after separating the wafer W and the restriction unit 130. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8A to 8C, in the storage device 100, in preparation for opening the shutter 140, the wafer W and the restriction unit 130 are separated (third state).

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 (a) to (c), when a predetermined pressure is applied to the drive unit 151, the rod 151a moves up by a predetermined stroke. As a result, the receiving member 152 connected to the rod 151a moves up by a predetermined stroke while the transfer roller 121b of the linking member 121 is fitted. Since the member 121a of the linking member 121 is attached to the shutter 140, the linking member 121 and the shutter 140 integrally rise by a predetermined stroke as the receiving member 152 moves up. At this time, the shutter 140 is vertically movably guided by the elevating slide members 153a and 153b.

As shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, a link base 171 is attached to the shutter 140. For this reason, when the shutter 140 moves up, the link base 171 also moves up, and the two link bars 173 (see FIG. 10B) maintained in the horizontal direction rotate. At this time, the link roller 174 rotatably provided on the link plate 172 rolls on the horizontal surface of the lower portion of the support portion 160 to the Y axis positive side, and moves the link plate 172 to the Y axis positive side. Since the link plate 172 is attached to the support plate 131, the support plate 131 also moves to the Y axis positive side. The link plate 172 moves horizontally while maintaining a vertical state by a four-bar link. As a result, the restriction portion 130 supported by the support plate 131 slightly moves from the state shown in FIGS. 9, 10 (a) to (c) to the Y-axis positive side. Then, the restriction portion 130 also moves in the horizontal direction, and the restriction portion 130 is separated from the wafer W. Accordingly, the restriction portion 130 can be lifted after being separated 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 mounting unit 110 is located at the storage position and the shutter 140 is opened will be described.

13, 14 (a) and (b) are perspective views showing the configuration of the storage device 100, showing the storage device 100 in the fourth state. 14A is an enlarged view around the link mechanism 170, and FIG. 14B is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. Further, in FIGS. 13, 14 (a) and (b), the second cassette 20, the housing 103, the door 104, and the detection unit 180 are omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 13, 14 (a) and (b), when a predetermined pressure is continuously applied to the driving unit 151 from the third state, the rod 151a further rises by a predetermined stroke. As a result, the transfer roller 121b of the linking member 121 is fitted in the receiving member 152 connected to the rod 151a, and the predetermined stroke is raised. As a result, the shutter 140 can be lifted up integrally with the restriction portion 130, and the second storage portion 102 can be opened to the supply area.

Note that the shutter 140 of the first storage unit 101 moves downward. The first storage unit 101 is composed of members and mechanisms similar to those of the second storage unit 102. In the first storage section 101, the support section 160 and the link mechanism 170 are provided upside down with respect to the support section 160 and the link mechanism 170 of the second storage section 102. Other configurations are provided similarly to the second storage section 102.

As described above, in the first storage unit 101, the link mechanism 170 is provided upside down from the state in which it was provided in the second storage unit 102. Due to its own weight, the link roller 174 of the second storage portion 102 can be stably positioned on the horizontal plane of the step portion of the support portion 160 without providing the link mechanism 170 with the biasing member.

On the other hand, in the first storage portion 101, the link roller 174 is located below the horizontal surface of the step portion of the support portion 160. As a result, the link roller 174 can be moved by its own weight. When the link roller 174 moves, the link plate 172 also moves, and the link mechanism 170 becomes unstable. Therefore, the link mechanism 170 of the second storage unit 102 is provided with an urging member (not shown) for urging the link roller 174 upward. As a result, the link mechanism 170 of the first storage unit 101 is stabilized.

With the storage device 100 having the above-described configuration, when the mounting portion 110 is pulled out from each storage portion to the attachment / detachment position side, the regulation portion 130 and the shutter 140 are also pulled out. The same applies when returning the placing part 110 to the storage position. For this reason, the restriction unit 130 continues to face the wafer W during the movement of the mounting unit 110, and it is possible to reliably prevent the wafer W from dropping from the cassette. Further, when the mounting portion 110 is positioned at the attachment / detachment position, the back of each storage portion is closed by the shutter 140, so that it is possible to prevent the operator from inserting a hand into the storage device 100.

<Effects of the embodiment>
As shown in FIGS. 3A to 4B, while the drawing mechanism 200 draws the wafer W from the second cassette stored in the second storage unit 102 and supplies the wafer W to the transfer path, When the inside of the first cassette 10 is empty, the operator pulls out the placement unit 110 from the first storage unit 101, removes the first cassette 10 from the placement unit 110, and supplies the first cassette 10 with the target. The wafer W is stored. Then, the first cassette 10 can be stored in the first storage portion 101 again. As a result, when all the wafers W are supplied from the first cassette 10 to the transfer path, the wafers W are accommodated in the first cassette 10 without temporarily stopping the supply operation by the extraction mechanism 200, and the first It can be stored in the storage unit 101. Therefore, the wafer W can be continuously supplied to the transfer path from the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20, and the operating rate of the substrate supply system 1 can be increased.

Also, the board supply system 1 does not move the storage device 100 vertically or horizontally. Generally, a semiconductor wafer is a thin film, is brittle, and is vulnerable to impact. Therefore, when the storage device 100 moves, the wafer W to be supplied may be damaged due to shaking or vibration. In this respect, in the substrate supply system 1, the wafer W is pulled out by the pulling mechanism 200 and the moving mechanism 300. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the wafer W from being damaged in the storage device 100.

The drawer mechanism 200 also includes rails 231a and 231b. Thus, when the hand 210 pulls out the wafer W, the wafer W is pulled out while being supported by the rails 231a and 231b. Therefore, the wafer W can be pulled out smoothly.

Further, in the storage device 100, the first storage section 101 and the second storage section 102 are arranged side by side in the stacking direction of the wafers W. As a result, the pull-out mechanism 200 can be moved only in the stacking direction to position the hand 210 on the wafer W of the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20. Therefore, the configuration and control of the moving mechanism 300 can be simplified.

Alternatively, the wafer W supplied to the transfer path may be returned to the cassette stored before the supply. In this case, the wafer W is delivered to the hand 210 of the pullout mechanism 200 at the delivery position of the transfer path. The moving mechanism 300 positions the drawing mechanism 200 at the position before the supply of the wafer W. Then, the drawing mechanism 200 inserts the wafer W into the cassette.

With this configuration, it is possible to collect the wafers W that have been subjected to the predetermined processing all together and move to another process.

Also, in the substrate supply system 1, the stacking direction is the vertical direction. As a result, the wafer W can be accommodated in the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20 in a stable state. Further, the wafer W can be stably pulled out in the horizontal direction from the first cassette 10 and the second cassette 20.

Further, 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 pull-out mechanism 200 moves in one direction from the lower side to the upper side without moving back and forth in the stacking direction. Therefore, when the first cassette 10 becomes empty, the first cassette 10 is promptly taken out from the storage device 100, a new wafer W is stored in the first cassette 10, and the first storage 10 is again stored. It can be stored in the unit 101. Therefore, the supply of the wafer W is performed smoothly and efficiently.

The wafer W may be supplied from the second cassette 20. In this case, the wafers W stored in the uppermost part of the second cassette 20 may be sequentially supplied so that the drawing mechanism 200 moves in one direction in the stacking direction.

Further, in the substrate supply system 1, when the wafer W is supplied from the first cassette 10 of the one storage unit 101 via the horizontal slide members 122a and 122b, the wafer stored in the lowermost part of the first cassette 10 is used. Wafers W are supplied in order from W. As a result, the wafer W can be efficiently supplied from one cassette to the transfer path. Therefore, a cycle in which the cassette containing the wafer W that has become empty or has been processed is taken out from the storage device 100, the unprocessed wafer W is stored in the cassette, and the wafer W is stored again in the storage device 100. Can be accelerated.

Further, the substrate supply system 1 described above can be combined with a plurality of units for processing a wafer to configure the substrate processing apparatus 30.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 30 including the substrate supply system 1. As shown in FIG. 15, the substrate processing apparatus 30 includes a scribe unit 40 that forms a scribe line 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 line is formed, and a film. The reversing unit 60 for reversing the wafer W so that the surface on which the film is adhered is on the lower side, and the break unit 70 for dividing the wafer W along the scribe line by applying a predetermined force to the surface on which the film is not adhered. And a transfer unit 80 that transfers the wafer W to a predetermined position. In addition, in FIG. 15, the substrate supply system 1 is covered with a housing. The substrate processing apparatus 30 having the above-described configuration supplies the wafer W smoothly by the substrate supply system 1, so that the operation rate of the apparatus is increased. Can be increased.

The embodiment of the present invention can be appropriately modified in various ways within the scope of the technical idea shown in the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Substrate supply system 10 ... 1st cassette 20 ... 2nd cassette 30 ... Substrate processing device 40 ... Scribing unit 50 ... Film laminating unit 60 ... Reversing unit 70 ... Break unit 80 ... Conveying part 101 ... 1st accommodating part 102 ... 2nd storage part 200 ... Drawing mechanism 210 ... Hand 220 ... Drive mechanism 230 ... Guide part 300 ... Moving mechanism W ... Substrate (wafer)

Claims (7)

1. A substrate supply system for supplying the substrate to a transfer path from a cassette that accommodates a plurality of substrates in a stacked state at a predetermined interval,
   A first storage part for detachably storing the first cassette;
   A second storage portion for detachably storing the second cassette;
   A pull-out mechanism that pulls out the substrate from the first cassette and the second cassette in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the substrates and transfers the substrate to the transport path;
   A substrate supply system, comprising: a moving mechanism that moves the drawer mechanism between the first storage portion and the second storage portion.
   
2. The substrate supply system according to claim 1,
   The drawer mechanism is
   A hand for holding the substrate,
   A drive mechanism for moving the hand in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction,
   A guide portion that supports and guides the pulled-out substrate,
   The substrate supply system according to claim 1, wherein when the hand pulls out the substrate from the first cassette and the second cassette, the moving mechanism positions the hand so as to face the substrate to be supplied.
   
3. The substrate supply system according to claim 1 or 2,
   The first storage portion and the second storage portion are arranged side by side in the stacking direction,
   The moving mechanism moves the drawer mechanism in the stacking direction,
   A substrate supply system characterized by the above.
   
4. The substrate supply system according to claim 3,
   The substrate supply system is characterized in that the stacking direction is a vertical direction.
   
5. The substrate supply system according to claim 3 or 4,
   A control unit for controlling the moving mechanism,
   The substrate supply system, wherein the control unit causes the movement mechanism to move the drawer mechanism in one direction of the stacking direction.
   
6. The substrate supply system according to claim 5,
   The stacking direction is a vertical direction,
   The substrate supply system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the moving mechanism to move the pulling-out mechanism in one direction from a lower side to an upper side.
   
7. A substrate supply system for supplying the substrate to a transfer path from a cassette that accommodates a plurality of substrates in a stacked state at a predetermined interval,
   A first storage part for detachably storing the first cassette;
   A second storage portion for detachably storing the second cassette;
   A pull-out mechanism that pulls out the substrate from the first cassette and the second cassette in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the substrates and transfers the substrate to the transport path;
   A substrate supply system including: a moving mechanism that moves the drawer mechanism between the first storage portion and the second storage portion;
   A scribe unit for forming scribe lines on the surface of the substrate,
   A film laminating unit for sticking a film on the surface of the substrate on which the scribe line is formed,
   A reversing unit that reverses the substrate so that the surface on which the film is attached is on the lower side;
   A break unit that divides the substrate along the scribe line by applying a predetermined force to the surface on which the film is not attached,
   A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a transfer unit that transfers the substrate to a predetermined position.

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