Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/JP5913572B2/en
Timestamp: 2020-07-05 15:08:03
Document Index: 594383653

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 28', 'art 28', 'art 6', 'art 11', 'art 46', 'art 49']

JP5913572B2 - Storage container, shutter opening / closing unit of storage container, and wafer stocker using them - Google Patents
Storage container, shutter opening / closing unit of storage container, and wafer stocker using them Download PDF
JP5913572B2
JP5913572B2 JP2014511183A JP2014511183A JP5913572B2 JP 5913572 B2 JP5913572 B2 JP 5913572B2 JP 2014511183 A JP2014511183 A JP 2014511183A JP 2014511183 A JP2014511183 A JP 2014511183A JP 5913572 B2 JP5913572 B2 JP 5913572B2
JP2014511183A
JPWO2013157462A1 (en
崎谷　文雄
文雄 崎谷
勝則 坂田
2012-04-16 Priority to JP2012093247 priority Critical
2012-04-16 Priority to JP2012093247 priority
2013-04-10 Application filed by ローツェ株式会社 filed Critical ローツェ株式会社
2013-04-10 Priority to PCT/JP2013/060838 priority patent/WO2013157462A1/en
2015-12-21 Publication of JPWO2013157462A1 publication Critical patent/JPWO2013157462A1/en
2016-04-27 Publication of JP5913572B2 publication Critical patent/JP5913572B2/en
E05F15/78—Power-operated mechanisms for wings with automatic actuation using wireless control using light beams
The present invention relates to a storage container used for temporarily storing a wafer being processed or a test wafer in a semiconductor manufacturing process that requires advanced fine particle removal and chemical contaminant removal, a shutter opening / closing unit of the storage container, And a wafer stocker using these.
Precision electronic components, which are substrates such as semiconductor wafers and liquid crystal display panels, are subjected to various manufacturing and inspection processes such as photoresist coating, thin film deposition, oxide film and nitrification film creation, etching, and heat treatment in order. It is commercialized through various processes. When one processing step on the substrate surface is completed in the processing step, the substrate is stored in a sealable clean container called FOUP (Front-Opening Unified Pod) and transferred to the next step by transfer means in the factory. However, a waiting time occurs due to a difference in time until the processing of each processing step is completed. At this time, the substrate is temporarily stored in a storage device called a stocker and waits until the next processing is started. In particular, in the semiconductor manufacturing process, in order to optimize a processing process when a new processing process is set, an operation for determining a processing parameter that is actually operated by using a test wafer called a test wafer. Is done.
Conventionally, these waiting semiconductor wafers and test wafers are stored in a FOUP and placed on a shelf provided in a relatively high-clarity zone in a clean room. In order to reduce the area occupied by the wafer as much as possible, instead of storing the wafer in the FOUP, a wafer stocker is required that stores it in a dedicated container for storage and stores it with the interval between the wafers as narrow as possible. It has come to be.
In Patent Document 1, a wafer is placed on each storage ring, and space is saved by stacking these storage rings at intervals so that the wafer surfaces do not contact each other. In addition, the top and bottom surfaces of each stacked storage ring are covered with a cover, and the storage area of each wafer is isolated from the external environment, and the inside is maintained in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen. It is also possible to do. Wafers are loaded into and unloaded from each storage ring by dedicated transfer means installed in the stocker. In that case, the transfer means are accessed by a drive mechanism that lifts each storage ring individually by a predetermined amount. A space is formed.
With the above structure, the amount of wafers stored in the unit space has increased, but a new problem has occurred. When a wafer stored in a stacked storage ring is carried out, or when a wafer is carried into a storage ring, the storage ring to be accessed and the storage ring below it can be accessed by the gripper of the transfer means. Lifted by the opening means by height. Thereafter, when the access of the gripper is finished, the lifted storage ring is returned to the original stacking position by the opening means. At this time, the lifted storage ring and the adjacent storage ring collide with each other. This causes a problem that the dust contaminates the wafer placed on the storage ring.
Furthermore, the target storage ring and all the storage rings arranged above it are lifted by the opening means, so that the volume of the wafer storage space formed by each storage ring and the upper and lower covers is temporarily increased. An atmosphere containing dust is sucked into the storage space from the outside environment. Furthermore, although this prior art has means for replacing the interior of the storage space with an inert gas atmosphere, the gas filled in the storage space can be quickly transferred to the outside due to the large opening area during loading and unloading. When an opening operation is performed, it is necessary not only to supply a large amount of inert gas each time, but also to the semiconductor wafer being processed by oxygen and moisture contained in the atmosphere flowing in from the external environment. A natural oxide film is formed and the next process becomes incomplete, resulting in a decrease in yield.
Special table 2009-500256 gazette
Accordingly, the present invention provides a wafer stocker capable of preventing the inflow of the external atmosphere, maintaining the wafer storage space in a desired atmosphere with a relatively small amount of gas, and preventing dust from adhering to the wafer surface. It is an issue to provide.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the storage container according to claim 1 of the present invention has an opening on one surface, and can support a plate-shaped object in the vertical direction at regular intervals. A main body having a plurality of shelves arranged, and a spacer that is arranged between the plurality of shelves and maintains an interval between the shelves adjacent in the vertical direction, and a side surface other than the opening of the main body, and A cover member that covers the upper and lower sides, and a plurality of shielding plates that cover the openings corresponding to the plurality of shelf plates, and separates the shielding plate from the shelf plates and moves up and down to the main body portion. And a shutter part that enables access to the object to be supported and stored, the main body part has a nozzle part for supplying clean gas therein, and the shutter part is supplied from the nozzle part The gas is out of an appropriate amount while maintaining the internal pressure of the main body. Outflow capable the respect to the main body portion is disposed at a small gap, each said shielding plate of the shutter have the same height and disposed interval of the shelves, vertically moved individually It is characterized by being stacked in a possible manner .
According to the storage container of the first aspect, since the main body of the storage container and the shutter are disposed in a non-contact state with each other, dust due to friction is not generated. Moreover, since the inside of the main body is maintained at a higher pressure than the external environment by the gas supplied from the nozzle, the atmosphere containing dust and water vapor from the outside does not enter.
Further, an opening accessible by the transfer robot can be provided by raising the shutter by one step. Further, since the shutter only moves in the vertical direction, it is possible to prevent the external atmosphere including dust from being involved. Further, since the shutter and the main body are arranged with a gap therebetween, no dust is generated due to vertical movement.
The storage container according to claim 2 of the present invention is the storage container according to claim 1, characterized in that the shelf plate is disposed at an interval accessible by a robot finger that holds the storage object. Yes.
According to the storage container of Claim 2, it becomes possible to carry in and carry out the stored object by the transfer robot.
The storage container according to claim 3 of the present invention is the storage container according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein each of the shielding plates of the shutter is movable up and down within a plane regulated by a position regulating member. It is characterized by.
According to the storage container of the third aspect , the shutter can prevent a positional shift when the shutter is moved up and down by the position regulating member.
The storage container according to claim 4 of the present invention is the storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the main body portion detects the presence or absence of a storage object supported by the shelf board. It has the detection window which can permeate | transmit the light irradiated from the photosensor to perform.
According to the storage container of the fourth aspect , the object to be stored inside the container can be detected by the optical sensor without opening the shutter.
The storage container according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the storage container according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the gas supplied from the nozzle into the main body portion is supplied to each shielding plate. It is characterized in that the flow rate can be switched between open and closed.
According to the storage container of the fifth aspect , it is possible to maintain a clean atmosphere in the main body when the shutter is opened.
The storage container according to claim 6 of the present invention is the storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein a gap between the shutter and the main body portion forms a labyrinth structure. It is characterized by.
According to the storage container of the sixth aspect , since the gas flows out through the labyrinth-shaped channel, the positive pressure in the storage container can be easily maintained.
The storage container according to claim 7 of the present invention is the storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the main body has positioning members on the upper surface and the lower surface, and is stacked in the vertical direction. It is possible to arrange it.
According to the storage container of the seventh aspect , it is possible to easily stack the storage containers while preventing displacement.
The shutter opening / closing unit according to claim 8 of the present invention is a shutter opening / closing unit that opens and closes the shutter of the storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the shutter opening / closing unit is A hook that can be engaged with a notch provided in the shielding plate, a shutter support mechanism, and a lift drive unit that moves the shutter support mechanism up and down parallel to the stacking direction of the storage container. It is characterized by that.
According to the shutter opening / closing unit of the eighth aspect, it is possible to open and close each shielding plate of the storage container that is stacked in the vertical direction by one shutter opening / closing unit.
A shutter opening / closing unit according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the shutter opening / closing unit according to the eighth aspect, wherein the shutter opening / closing unit includes an optical sensor for detecting presence / absence of an object to be conveyed supported by the shelf plate. The optical sensor is composed of a pair of a light projecting portion and a light receiving portion, and is attached to the shutter shutter support mechanism.
According to the shutter opening / closing unit of the ninth aspect , the two operations of opening / closing the shutter and detecting an object to be stored in the storage container by the optical sensor can be performed by the lifting / lowering operation of one lifting / lowering drive unit.
The wafer stocker according to claim 10 of the present invention is a clean booth, a FOUP opener joined to an outer surface of the clean booth, and one or more stacked in the vertical direction in the clean booth. A storage container, the shutter opening / closing unit, a wafer transfer unit for transferring a wafer between the FOUP and the storage container, and a stocker control unit are provided.
According to the wafer stocker of the tenth aspect , it is possible to provide a wafer stocker that does not generate dust due to friction caused by opening and closing the shutter.
A wafer stocker according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is the wafer stocker according to the tenth aspect , wherein the stocker control unit supplies gas into the storage container in accordance with an operation of opening and closing the shutter of the shutter opening / closing unit. It is characterized by having a function of adjusting the flow rate.
According to the wafer stocker of the eleventh aspect , it is possible to suppress the change in the internal atmosphere of the storage container due to the shutter opening / closing operation.
A wafer stocker according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is the wafer stocker according to the tenth or eleventh aspect , wherein the storage shelves formed by stacking the storage containers in the vertical direction and the storage shelves at equal intervals. A plurality of storage units, a rotation driving unit that rotates the storage units, a shutter opening / closing unit disposed at a position adjacent to the storage units, and the wafers are transferred between the FOUP and the storage container. And a wafer transfer unit.
According to the wafer stocker of the twelfth aspect , the number of stored articles can be increased.
The wafer stocker according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the wafer stocker according to the twelfth aspect , wherein the storage unit includes a circular mounting table for mounting a plurality of the storage shelves at equal intervals. It is said.
According to the wafer stocker of the thirteenth aspect , the number of stored articles that can be stored in the stocker per unit area can be dramatically increased.
According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the inflow of the external atmosphere, maintain the wafer storage space in a desired atmosphere with a relatively small amount of gas, and prevent dust from adhering to the wafer surface. .
It is the perspective view which showed each member which comprises the board | substrate storage container of this invention. It is the perspective view which showed the shutter and peripheral member in the board | substrate storage container of this invention. It is the figure which showed the wafer transfer operation | movement in the substrate storage container of this invention. It is the figure which showed the flow of the clean gas supplied in the inside of the board | substrate storage container of this invention. It is the figure which showed the positioning member with which the board | substrate storage container of this invention is provided. It is the figure which showed one Embodiment of the shutter opening / closing unit of this invention. It is the top view which showed the wafer stocker which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the wafer stocker which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is the top view which showed the wafer stocker which is another embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the wafer stocker which is another embodiment of this invention. It is the top view which showed the wafer stocker provided with the storage unit which is another embodiment of this invention. It is the top view which showed the wafer stocker provided with the storage unit which is another embodiment of this invention, and a horizontal articulated robot. It is sectional drawing which showed the wafer stocker provided with the storage unit which is another embodiment of this invention, and a horizontal articulated robot. It is the top view which showed the wafer stocker provided with the storage unit and EFEM which are another embodiment of this invention. It is a graph of the test regarding the clearance gap performed using the board | substrate storage container of this invention, and the flow volume of supply gas. It is a graph of the fluctuation | variation test of internal atmosphere by the shutter opening / closing performed using the board | substrate storage container of this invention.
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing members constituting the substrate storage container 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the substrate storage container 1 and the shielding plate 15. A plurality of shelves 3 on which a substrate 2 is placed are stacked and fixed at a predetermined interval in the substrate storage container 1 via a spacer 4 so as to be parallel to each other.
In the case of the present embodiment described below, the substrate 2 that is the object to be stored exemplifies the semiconductor wafer W that is a plate-like member. Further, when the wafer W is stored in or taken out of the substrate storage container 1, the vertical distance of the shelf 3 is set to 7 mm so that the holding means for holding the wafer W can access the substrate storage container 1. . The shelf 3 forms a shelf that is arranged in a layered manner so that the wafers W are placed horizontally and each shelf is located at the same position when viewed from above.
Further, the shelf plate 3 has a substantially U-shape when viewed from above, and a wafer provided on a part of the inner circumference so that the central part can move up and down with the robot finger holding the object to be stored. The shape is cut away leaving the support portion 5. The wafer support portion 5 in contact with the wafer W of the shelf board 3 is coated with a resin or natural rubber so as not to damage the wafer W. In addition, in this embodiment, although the shelf board 3 which forms a shelf step is a plate-shaped member, this invention is not limited to this. For example, it is good also as forming a groove | channel in the plate-shaped member arrange | positioned vertically at equal intervals, and mounting a to-be-contained object in this groove | channel. Furthermore, it is also possible to reduce the number of parts by integrally forming a plurality of spacers 4 and a plurality of shelf boards 3 stacked in the vertical direction.
An upper plate 6 is fixed to the shelf plate 3 at a predetermined interval above the shelf plate 3 forming a shelf stage on which the objects are placed, and a lower plate 7 is fixed to the shelf plate 3 at a predetermined interval. On the peripheral surface of the assembly composed of the shelf plate 3 and the upper and lower plates 6, 7, the surface other than the main body opening 10 through which the wafer W passes is covered with a cover 9. It is screwed or bonded to the upper and lower plates 6 and 7 that cover all surfaces except one surface to perform so as to maintain an airtight state or an internal atmosphere.
In addition, the pattern formed on the surface of the semiconductor wafer being processed reacts with oxygen or water vapor contained in the atmosphere to form a natural oxide film, and the next process may become incomplete. In order to solve this problem, by supplying an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon to the inside of the substrate storage container 1, the oxygen concentration in the substrate storage container 1 is reduced to the order of ppm, or moisture in the atmosphere is removed. Therefore, a so-called atmosphere replacement process is required in which the inside of the substrate storage container 1 is brought into a low oxygen or dry state by supplying clean dry air.
Therefore, in the substrate storage container 1 of the present invention, an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon or a clean gas such as clean dry air is applied to the inside of the substrate storage container 1 on the surface facing the main body opening 10 for carrying in and out the wafer W. A nozzle 11 for discharging is disposed. The nozzle 11 is fixed to the lower plate 7, and discharges the gas supplied from the gas supply means through the tube from the through hole 12 opened in the lower plate 7 into the substrate storage container 1. Details will be described later.
An opening portion (main body opening portion 10) is provided in a cover 9 that covers the main body portion that is formed of an assembly 8 in which a plurality of shelf boards 3 and spacers 4 are stacked. A rectangular punch hole is formed in the vicinity of both ends of the cover 9 facing each other with the main body opening 10 interposed therebetween, and a transparent resin cover 13 is attached so as to cover the punch hole. The hole and the transparent resin cover 13 have a role as a window for detecting the presence or absence of the wafer W by transmitting light along the optical axis 14 of the wafer presence / absence sensor provided in the shutter support mechanism described later. ing.
The material of the transparent resin cover 13 is preferably a resin, particularly polycarbonate or acrylic. However, instead of such a resin, glass or other material having transparency enough to transmit the optical axis 14 of the sensor is used. You can use it. Further, by making the internal pressure higher than the external pressure, the cover 9 made of an opaque material that does not transmit light, such as stainless steel or aluminum, is provided with a slit having a width that does not hinder maintaining the inside in a predetermined atmosphere. You may comprise so that the sensor light along the optical axis 14 may pass through this slit.
By controlling the external pressure to be higher than the internal pressure and maintaining the internal atmosphere so that the amount of air or other gas that escapes from the slit is equal to the amount of gas to be supplied or the amount to be supplied is increased. Such a configuration can be obtained. Furthermore, it is also possible to detect the presence or absence of the wafer W by an image recognition system using a reflected light sensor or a camera by providing only one detection window on any one surface.
Next, the plurality of shielding plates 15 that close the main body opening 10 of the substrate storage container 1 and the shutter portion S formed by the plurality of shielding plates 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 3 is a view showing a wafer transfer operation in the substrate storage container of the present invention. Each shielding plate 15 has a height of the same dimension as the upper and lower intervals (the height of the shelf plate + the height of the spacer) of each shelf plate 3 installed in a stacked manner, and with respect to the mounting surface of the wafer W. It arrange | positions so that it may be supported by the lower plate 7 in the state piled up in the perpendicular direction. The shielding plate 15 has a U-shape when viewed from above, and is formed so as to cover the main body opening 10 of the substrate storage container 1 around both sides (see FIG. 2).
In the closed state, each shielding plate 15 is disposed so as to be positioned at the approximate center or slightly below the upper and lower adjacent two shelf plates 3. Since the distance between the lower surface of each wafer W and the lower surface of the corresponding shielding plate 15 has such a height dimension that the finger 24 of the robot can pass through, the corresponding shielding plate 15 can be lifted by that height dimension. The wafer W accommodated in the finger 24 of the robot can be lifted.
When the shielding plate 15 is opened, the finger 24 of the robot passes straight between the upper surface of the shielding plate 15 located below the opening 16 and the lower surface of the wafer W and moves straight. Refer to FIG. The opening of the shielding plate 15 will be described later with reference to FIG. The inserted finger 24 of the robot is lifted slightly to lift the wafer W and separate it from the shelf 3. Refer to FIG. Next, the finger 24 of the robot performs a backward movement operation in the horizontal direction, and carries the wafer W out of the substrate storage container 1. At this time, the wafer W passes through between the upper surface of the shelf plate 3 and the lower surface of the raised shielding plate 15 and is carried out. Refer to FIG. The height of the opening 16 is defined by the thickness of the wafer W and the thickness of the finger 24 holding the wafer W and the rising distance when the finger 24 is lifted. This is possible from the viewpoint of maintaining the environment inside the substrate container 1. The smaller one is preferable.
Further, in order to prevent horizontal displacement due to vertical movement of each shielding plate 15, in the substrate storage container 1 of the present invention, through holes 17 are formed on both left and right sides of each shielding plate 15, and the through holes 17 are formed in the through holes 17. The positioning shaft 18 that is a member that restricts the horizontal position (position restricting member) is inserted. The positioning shaft 18 is disposed so as to be perpendicular to the surface of the wafer W stored in the storage container, similarly to the stacking direction of the shielding plates 15.
Here, the opening and closing of the shielding plate 15 is performed by moving the target shielding plate 15 and the shielding plate 15 located above the shielding plate 15 in the vertical direction in a plane perpendicular to the surface of the wafer W along the positioning shaft 18. Slide it to. The positioning shaft 18 is fixed at both ends to projecting portions formed on the left and right sides of the upper and lower plates 6, 7.
In addition, although the substrate storage container 1 of this embodiment is provided with the column-shaped positioning shaft 18 as a position control member of the shielding board 15, this invention is not limited to it. Instead of the cylindrical positioning member, for example, a conical protrusion is provided on the upper surface of the shielding plate 15 and a recess having a shape corresponding to the conical protrusion is provided on the lower surface. Positioning and sliding operations may be performed. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which provides a dent in the both right and left ends of the shielding board 15, arrange | positions a positioning rail so that it may fit in this dent, and can slide up and down.
By the way, the shielding plate 15 slides around the main body opening 10 of the substrate storage container 1 to generate dust due to friction with surrounding members. The dust enters the substrate storage container 1 and is stored therein. The trouble that it adheres to the wafer W which exists is considered. Therefore, in the substrate storage container 1 of the present invention, the shutter portion S composed of a plurality of shielding plates 15 provides a slight gap 19 with respect to the cover 9 and the upper and lower plates 6, 7 on the entire circumference of the main body opening 10. Has been placed.
4A is a cross-sectional view of the substrate storage container 1 as viewed from above, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view as viewed from the side. In the substrate storage container 1 of the present embodiment, the width of the gap 19 between the shielding plate 15 and each member such as the cover 9 and the upper and lower plates 6 and 7 around the main body opening 10 of the substrate storage container 1 is 0.5 mm. Furthermore, if the diameter of the through-hole 17 provided in the shielding plate 15 is substantially the same as the diameter of the positioning shaft 18 or the dimension of the positioning shaft 18 to the diameter +0.5 mm, the shielding plate 15 can be The vertical movement is possible without contacting the member.
When a clean gas such as an inert gas or clean dry air is supplied from the nozzle 11 to the inside of the substrate storage container 1 with the shielding plate 15 being closed, the atmosphere remaining in the substrate storage container 1 The gas released from the gas is pushed out of the container through the gap 19 provided around the main body opening 10 described above, and the time required for atmosphere replacement with the supply gas can be shortened. In addition, by continuing to supply a small amount of gas even after the replacement with the predetermined atmosphere, the inside of the substrate storage container 1 becomes a positive pressure compared to the external environment, and this positive pressure atmosphere is a gap around the body opening 10. By fulfilling the role of an air seal that flows out from 19 to the outside, it is possible to prevent the ingress of air containing dust and water vapor from the outside.
Furthermore, by using such a positive pressure, it is possible to prevent dust generated by friction between the shielding plate 15 and the positioning shaft 18 from entering the inside of the container when the shielding plate 15 moves up and down. it can. In addition, the gap 19 can adopt a shape that allows air to flow out linearly from the inside of the substrate storage container 1. However, the gap 19 has a labyrinth structure that changes the flow direction of the gas and reduces the outflow speed, so that the shielding plate It is possible to maintain the positive pressure inside the substrate storage container 1 while preventing contact between the peripheral member 15 and surrounding members.
Note that simply supplying clean gas from the supply source to the inside of the substrate storage container 1 causes the turbulent flow generated by gas injection to wind up the dust that has been sedated in the substrate storage container 1, and the dust that has been rolled up. May adhere to the surface of the wafer W. Therefore, the nozzle 11 provided in the substrate storage container 1 of the present invention is a supply nozzle for supplying the gas introduced from the gas supply source (not shown) through the tube into the substrate storage container 1 vigorously diffuses. It is desirable to provide a diffusion restraining member for preventing this.
FIG. 4C schematically shows a cross-sectional shape of the nozzle 11 including the diffusion suppressing member 11c. The introduction pipe 11 a that introduces gas into the substrate storage container 1 is provided with a plurality of ejection ports 11 b that eject gas. The diffusion suppressing member 11c covers the introduction pipe 11a in order to prevent the gas into the container from diffusing vigorously. The diffusion suppressing member 11c is made of a material that can pass the gas ejected from the introduction pipe 11a and prevent the gas from being directly diffused into the container directly from the introduction pipe 11a, such as a porous material. Is preferred. The introduction pipe 11a is provided with a large number of jet outlets 11b. The jet outlets 11b are provided so as to discharge gas toward gaps in the height direction of the wafers W placed on the respective shelf plates 3. It is preferable.
The cylindrical diffusion suppressing member 11c is preferably a member that suppresses the gas jet power without reducing the outflow amount of the supplied gas as much as possible. For example, it is preferable to use a porous ceramic, or a metal sintered body obtained by sintering stainless steel or nickel. By supplying an inert gas or clean dry air through this jet power suppressing member, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of turbulent flow and supply it into the substrate storage container 1 in a laminar flow state. A flow parallel to the wafer W can be formed between the wafers W placed inside while maintaining the above, and the wafer W can flow out to the outside through the gap 19.
Further, an adjusting means for adjusting the flow rate of the gas supplied between the supply source and the nozzle 11 is provided, and the supply flow rate of the gas is changed in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the shielding plate 15 to thereby change the inside of the substrate storage container 1. It is possible to efficiently maintain the low oxygen concentration atmosphere. For example, when the means for opening and closing the shielding plate 15 opens the shielding plate 15, a larger amount of gas is released into the substrate storage container 1 than when the shielding plate 15 is closed. Thereby, even if gas flows out from the opening 16, the gas in the substrate storage container 1 can be maintained at a high concentration. In addition, by supplying a relatively large amount of gas at the time of opening, dust can be prevented from passing through the opening 16 and entering the substrate storage container 1.
On the other hand, when the shielding plate 15 is in a closed state, the gas consumption can be suppressed by reducing the gas supply amount when a predetermined concentration is reached. Regarding the timing of switching the gas supply amount, for example, an oxygen concentration meter is installed in the substrate storage container 1 and the gas supply amount is adjusted when the oxygen concentration is below or above a predetermined oxygen concentration. Or you may comprise so that supply_amount | feed_rate may be adjusted with progress of time of each operation | movement, and progress of time, such as how many seconds before and after the opening operation | movement and closing operation | movement of the shielding board 15. In particular, it is easy to efficiently adjust the gas supply amount by controlling the driving means for opening and closing the shielding plate 15 and the adjusting means for adjusting the gas supply amount by a common control unit. Become.
In FIG. 2, the substrate storage container 11 of the present embodiment is shown as having 10 shelves 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. Usually, in the semiconductor manufacturing factory, the semiconductor wafer W is accommodated in the FOUP 38 and moves between the processes. Since a general FOUP 38 can store 25 semiconductor wafers W, it is possible to store 25 or a multiple of the substrate storage container 1 of the present invention in order to manage the wafers W. Is preferable.
In addition, a plurality of substrate storage containers 1 according to this embodiment can be stacked one above the other. The upper and lower plates 6 and 7 of the substrate storage box 1 are provided with positioning members 20 for accurately positioning the upper and lower substrate storage containers 1 when the plurality of substrate storage containers 1 are stacked in the vertical direction. The positioning member 20 includes a positioning pin provided on the upper surface of the upper plate and a positioning block provided on the bottom surface of the lower plate.
FIG. 5A shows an upper plate 6 of the lower storage container 1 and a positioning member 20 of the lower plate 7 of the storage container 1 stacked on the upper side when the two substrate storage containers 1 are stacked up and down. It is a figure which illustrates the state engaged. FIG. 5B is a perspective view illustrating the positioning pin 21 disposed on the upper surface of the upper plate 6, and FIG. 5C is a perspective view illustrating the positioning block 23 disposed on the bottom surface of the lower plate 7. FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 5, on the upper surface of the upper plate 6, columnar positioning pins 21 having a hemispherical upper surface are erected at three locations on a predetermined circle. A positioning block 23 having a groove 22 having a V-shaped cross section is disposed on the bottom surface of the lower plate 7 at a position opposite to the position where the positioning pins 21 are erected.
The positioning block 23 shown in FIG. 5 is a position corresponding to the positioning pin 21 so that the center of the V-shaped groove 22 coincides with a straight line extending from the center position of a circle passing through each central axis of the positioning pin 21. It is arranged. By providing the positioning member 20 having such a shape, the stacked substrate storage containers 1 are accurately arranged at the same position in the upper and lower directions. In order to stack more stably, it is desirable that the respective substrate storage containers 1 are fixed to each other with a fixing member. Further, from the viewpoint of suppressing the stacked height, it is preferable that the height of the positioning pin 21 and the positioning block 23 be as low as possible. In this embodiment, the positioning when the positioning pin 21 and the positioning block 23 are in contact with each other. The height of the entire member 20 is about 12 mm.
Next, the shutter opening / closing unit 25 for opening and closing the shielding plate 15 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway view illustrating the entire shutter opening / closing unit 25. The shutter opening / closing unit 25 includes a shutter support mechanism 27 that inserts hooks 26 for opening and closing into notches formed at both left and right ends of the shielding plate 15, and the shielding plate 15 and the shutter support mechanism 27 are moved up and down in the vertical direction. It is comprised from the raising / lowering drive part 28 to be made.
The hook 26 has a shape in which a tip portion can be fitted into a notch portion of the shielding plate 15, and is attached to a columnar support shaft 29 erected on the shutter support mechanism 27 via a bearing. It has been. A protrusion 30 is formed at the other end of the hook 26, and this protrusion 30 is connected to the piston rod 32 of the air cylinder 31. Accordingly, in the protrusion 30, the hook 26 rotates about the support shaft 29 in conjunction with the forward / backward movement of the piston rod 32 due to the supply of compressed air to the air cylinder 31.
Since each member of the shutter support mechanism 27 is housed in the covers 27a and 27b, even if dust is generated by the rotation operation, the shutter support mechanism 27 does not scatter to the outside. In the example of FIG. 6, the hook 26 is disposed approximately 30 mm above the upper surface of the support beam 35. Further, the covers 27 a and 27 b covering the support mechanism 27 are arranged so as to be a distance larger than the diameter of the wafer W. Therefore, when the wafer W is loaded / unloaded by the finger 24 of the robot, the finger 24 accesses the inside of the substrate storage container 1 above the support beam 35 and between the covers 27a and 27b, and loads or loads the wafer W. Can be carried out.
In the shutter opening / closing unit 25 of this embodiment, the air cylinder 31 is provided as means for rotating the hook 26, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a motor or an electromagnet may be used in place of the air cylinder 31, or the hook 26 may be rotated by directly fixing the hook 26 to the rotation shaft of the motor or rotary actuator. Furthermore, the hook 26 may be linearly reciprocated between the support position and the support release position to engage with the shielding plate 15.
In the shutter opening / closing unit 25 of the present embodiment, the piston rod 32 is retracted and retracted so that the tip of the hook 26 is fitted with the notch portion of the shielding plate 15 to be a support position for supporting the shielding plate 15 and extends and advances. It is comprised so that it may become a support release position. Note that compressed air is supplied to and shut off from the air cylinder 31 by opening and closing the electromagnetic valve 33. The opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve 33 is controlled by the support control means 80.
The air cylinder 31 is provided with a detection sensor 34 for detecting the advance / retreat position of the piston rod 32. By detecting the advance / retreat position of the piston rod 32, it is detected whether the hook 26 is in the support position or the support release position. You can do that. The on / off signal of the detection sensor 34 is transmitted to the support control means 80. The advancing / retreating mechanism including the hook 26, the support shaft 29, and the air cylinder 31 is attached to the support beam 35 at a symmetrical position with respect to the notch portions formed at the left and right ends of the shielding plate 15.
Furthermore, a light projecting unit 36 and a light receiving unit 37 of a transmitted light optical sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the wafer W in the substrate storage container 1 are attached to the support beam 35 so as to face each other through brackets, respectively. The positions and inclinations of the light transmitting unit 36 and the light receiving unit 37 are adjusted so that the light receiving unit 37 irradiated from the light projecting unit 36 along the optical axis 14 is detected. In addition, the light projecting unit 36 is installed so as to protrude from the support beam 35 at a position where the optical axis 14 of the irradiated light passes through the window portion of the cover 9 and is blocked by the wafer W, and the light receiving unit 37 projects light. It protrudes from the support beam 35 so as to be positioned on the optical axis 14 of the light emitted from the portion 36.
With the above-described configuration, the light projecting unit 36 and the light receiving unit 37 are simultaneously moved in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the wafer W placed inside the substrate storage container 1, so that the top of the shelf 3 in the substrate storage container 1 is If the wafer W is present, the light from the light projecting unit 36 is blocked by the wafer W and does not reach the light receiving unit 37. If the wafer W is not present on the shelf 3, the light from the light projecting unit 36 is The light reaches the light receiving unit 37 without being blocked by the wafer W. Based on this information, the presence or absence of the wafer W in the substrate storage container 1 can be determined.
Further, if the driving means for moving the light projecting section 36 and the light receiving section 37 is provided with means for detecting positional information such as an encoder or a sensor, the timing of light projection and light shielding during movement in the vertical direction is stored in the storage device. As a result, it is possible to detect (mapping) on which shelf board 3 the wafer W is present and on which shelf board 3 the wafer W is not present. The on / off signal of the transmitted light sensor is transmitted to the support control means 80.
The optical axis 14 irradiated from the light projecting unit 36 to the light receiving unit 37 may be arranged so as to be parallel to the wafer W on the shelf 3, but the light from the light projecting unit 36 to the light receiving unit 37 may be arranged. The shaft 14 can be inclined with respect to the wafer W so as to have a predetermined angle. In particular, when the width of the optical axis 14 is larger than the thickness of the wafer W, the wafer W cannot sufficiently block the light, so that it is preferable to dispose the optical axis 14 at an angle.
Next, the support beam 35 that is a base member of the shutter support mechanism 27 and the lift drive unit 28 that moves the shutter support mechanism 27 up and down in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the wafer W will be described in detail. The support beam 35 supports a shutter support mechanism 27 that rotates the hook 26 at the upper part, and emits light to the light projecting unit 36 inside, and detects the light received by the light receiving unit 37 and turns it on / off. A sensor amplifier that outputs to the support control means 80 as an off signal is accommodated.
The support beam 35 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the horizontal direction, and one side is fixed to the lift base 39 of the lift drive unit 28. Since the support beam 35 of the present embodiment has a one-side support structure in which one end is fixed to the lifting base 39, in order to suppress bending due to the weight of the support beam 35 itself or the weight of the shielding plate 15 to be lifted, for example, It is preferably formed of a lightweight and highly rigid material such as aluminum, stainless steel, or carbon fiber. It is also possible to provide one lifting mechanism at each end of the support beam and fix both ends of the support beam 35 to each lifting base 39.
The raising / lowering drive unit 28 has a U-shaped cross-section with one open side and a vertically long box-shaped frame 40, and a motor 41 as a driving source inside the box-shaped frame 40 via a pulley and a belt. And a ball nut 43 that is fitted to the ball screw shaft 42 and moves up and down by the rotational movement of the screw shaft 42. The box-shaped frame 40 is erected so as to be perpendicular to the surface of the wafer W stored in the substrate storage container 1 with the open surface directed in the direction in which the support beam 35 is disposed. A ball screw shaft 42 is arranged in parallel with the standing direction of the box frame 40.
Further, the elevating drive unit 28 includes two slide guides 44 laid on both sides of the ball screw shaft 42 in parallel with the ball screw shaft 42 inside the box-shaped frame 40. The mover 45 and the ball nut 43 of the two slide guides 44 are fixed to each other by a lifting base 39. With this configuration, the lift drive unit 28 can smoothly lift and lower the lift base 39 and the shutter support mechanism 27 fixed to the lift base 39 by the rotational driving force of the motor 41.
In addition, since there is a high possibility that dust due to friction is generated from the ball screw shaft 42 and the slide guide 44 by the lifting operation, the shape of the lifting base 39 prevents dust from scattering from the box frame 40 to the outside. It is desirable to have a shape. For example, the elevating base 39 of the present embodiment has a U-shape when viewed from above so as to cover the open portion of the box-shaped frame 40, and prevents dust from scattering.
The motor 41 as a drive source is suitable because an AC / DC servo motor or a stepping motor has high responsiveness and a positioning function. Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a brake means for preventing the rotating shaft of the motor 41 from rotating when the power is turned off so that the shutter support mechanism 27 and the elevating base 39 are not lowered by its own weight when the power supply to the motor 41 is turned off. .
Moreover, although the raising / lowering drive part 28 of this embodiment transmits the rotational drive force of the motor 41 to the ball screw shaft 42, the raising / lowering base 39 is moved up and down, However, This invention is not limited to this, A ball screw For example, the pinion gear meshed with the rack laid in the box-shaped frame 40 may be moved up and down by rotating with a motor, or a belt suspended in the vertical direction may be moved with a motor. It is good also as moving up and down by rotating. Furthermore, it is also possible to employ a lift drive mechanism using a linear motor. However, it is necessary to take measures to avoid troubles such as lowering due to its own weight when the power is turned off or dropping due to running out of the belt when the driving means including this embodiment is used for raising and lowering driving.
Next, operations of the shutter support mechanism 27 and the lift drive unit 27 will be described. The operation of the electrical components such as the motor 41, the air cylinder 31, and the detection sensor 34 provided in the shutter support mechanism 27 and the elevation drive unit 28 is controlled by the stocker control unit 81. First, a mapping operation is performed to detect on which shelf 3 in the substrate storage container 1 arranged in a stacked manner the wafer W is present. In the mapping operation, the shutter support mechanism 27 is raised or lowered from the uppermost or lowermost one of the stacked substrate storage containers 1 to the other to move the optical axis 14 connecting the light projecting unit 36 and the light receiving unit 37. This is done by moving up and down.
The lift drive unit 28 that has received the movement command of the motor 41 transmitted from the stocker control unit 81 controls the rotation of the motor 41 so that the optical axis 14 moves from the lowermost position to the uppermost position of the substrate storage container 1. The support mechanism 27 is moved up and down. During movement, when the optical axis 14 is blocked by the wafer W, the support control means 80 of the shutter support mechanism 27 transmits a sensor light blocking signal to the stocker control unit 81. The control unit 81 that has received the sensor light shielding signal causes the storage unit included in the stocker control unit 81 to store the position data of the shutter support mechanism at the time of receiving the signal. When the elevating drive unit 28 further moves and passes the wafer W that has blocked the optical axis 14, the optical axis is again incident on the light receiving unit. The support control means 80 of the shutter support mechanism 27 also transmits this incident signal to the stocker control unit 81.
The stocker control unit 81 that has received the incident signal causes the storage unit included in the stocker control unit 81 to store the position data of the shutter support mechanism 27 at the time of receiving the signal. Here, by comparing the position data when the optical axis 14 is shielded with the position data when the optical axis 14 is incident, the thickness of the object that shields the optical axis 14 is determined. The thickness data at this time is collated with the thickness data of the wafer W taught in advance, and it is determined whether or not the object whose light axis 14 is shielded is the wafer W. When the wafer W is recognized, it is collated with the position data of the shelf 3 taught in advance, and the shelf 3 on which the wafer W exists is stored in the storage means. By repeating this process while the shutter support mechanism is moving, data on the presence or absence of wafers (mapping data) on each shelf 3 is created and stored in the storage means.
When the stacked substrate storage containers 1 are scanned by moving the optical axis 14 from the lower end to the upper end, structures such as the upper plate 6 and the lower plate 7 in addition to the wafer W shield the optical axis 14. In order to select the data in which the structure shields the optical axis 14 and the data in which the wafer W shields light, the storage unit provided in the stocker control unit 81 previously knows the thickness dimension and the vertical position of the structure by teaching work. Remember. Further, the position of each shelf 3 is taught and stored. When it is recognized that the object blocking the optical axis 14 is not the wafer W, the data is discarded, and when the object is recognized as the wafer W, the position data is collated with the previously taught data to determine which shelf plate 3 stores whether the wafer is mounted or not as data.
Next, the opening / closing operation | movement of the shielding board 15 is demonstrated. First, the stocker control unit 81 transmits a movement command to the lift drive unit 28 so as to move to the opening / closing position of the target shielding plate 15. The elevation drive unit 28 drives the motor 41 based on the position data previously taught and stored in the storage means, and moves the shutter support mechanism 27. After the movement, when the stocker control unit 81 transmits a shutter clamp command to the support control means 80 of the shutter support mechanism 27, the support control means 80 of the shutter support mechanism 27 operates the electromagnetic valve 33 to supply compressed air to the air cylinder 31. The hook 26 is rotated to the closed position. Since the rotation of the hook 26 is detected by the detection sensor 34, the support control means 80 of the shutter support mechanism 27 transmits a shutter clamp completion signal to the stocker control unit 81 when the detection signal is received.
The stocker control unit 81 that has received the shutter clamp completion signal next transmits a lifting command for the shielding plate 15 to the lift drive unit 28. Receiving the lifting command, the lifting / lowering drive unit 28 drives the motor 41 based on the lifting movement data previously taught and stored in the storage means, and lifts the shielding plate 15. When the lifting operation of the shielding plate 15 is completed, the lifting drive unit 28 transmits a lifting completion signal to the stocker control unit 81, and the lifting operation of the shielding plate 15 is completed. If the relative position of the hook 26 and the optical axis 14 is defined so that the optical axis 14 is shielded by the target wafer W at the position where the lifting / lowering drive unit 28 completes the lifting operation, the shielding plate 15 is removed. After the opening operation is completed, the presence of the wafer W can be reconfirmed. By doing so, it is possible to prevent troubles during transfer of the wafer W.
Here, when the shielding plate 15 is opened, the robot finger 24 can access the shelf plate 3, so that predetermined wafer W loading / unloading operations are performed. When the loading / unloading of the wafer W is completed, the shielding plate 15 is lowered. The lowering operation of the shielding plate 15 is performed by following the procedure of the lifting operation described above from the reverse.
When a lowering command for the shielding plate 15 is transmitted from the stocker control unit 81, the received elevating drive unit 28 causes the motor 41 to return to the position before the lifting operation. Thereafter, the stocker control unit 81 transmits a shutter unclamp command to the support control means 80 of the shutter support mechanism 27, and the support control means 80? Performs an unclamping operation. When the unclamping operation is completed, the stocker control unit 81 transmits a movement command to the support control unit 80 so as to move the shutter support mechanism 27 to the next predetermined position, or transmits a command to stand by at that position. The opening / closing operation of the shielding plate 15 ends.
Next, with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the wafer stocker 46 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the wafer stocker 46 according to the first embodiment of the present invention from above, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A 'in FIG. The stocker 46 of this embodiment includes a frame 47 that forms an internal space, a clean booth formed by a cover that is attached to the frame 47 and blocks the interior from the external environment, and a substrate storage that is fixed to the frame 47 in a stacked state. The container 1, the shutter opening / closing unit 25 that opens and closes the shielding plate 15 of the substrate storage container 1, the wafer transfer unit 48 that transfers the wafer W between the substrate storage container 1 and the FOUP 38, and the frame 47 are joined and sealed. An opener 49 for placing the FOUP 38 as a container to open the interior and an aligner 50 for positioning the wafer W in the horizontal direction and the rotation direction are configured.
Further, an FFU (Fan Filter Unit) 51 for forming the air flow inside the wafer stocker 46 from the upper side to the lower side is installed on the upper surface of the frame 47. The FFU 51 is designed to filter the air sucked from the outside into a clean state from which dust is removed by a filter and send it into the wafer stocker 46 as a laminar flow, thereby maintaining the pressure inside the clean booth slightly higher than the external environment. It works to do. An opening is provided on the floor of the clean booth so that laminar clean air sent from the FFU 51 flows out to the external environment.
The opening is preferably configured so that the opening area can be adjusted, and the FFU 51 and the opening having a moderately adjusted opening area prevent ingress of air containing dust from the outside and are clean. The internal space of the wafer stocker 46 can be maintained in a clean atmosphere by efficiently discharging dust generated from a drive mechanism or the like disposed inside the booth to the outside.
The opener 49 has a mounting table on which the FOUP 38 is mounted, an opening for distributing the wafer W, and a door for opening and closing the opening. When the FOUP 38 is mounted on the mounting table, the door is lowered after the door and the cover of the FOUP 38 are integrated, and the inside of the FOUP 38 and the internal space of the wafer stocker 46 can communicate with each other while being sealed from the outside. Is to do.
The aligner 50 is an apparatus for aligning the center position of the wafer W with a recess provided for alignment called a notch. The aligner 50 is unique to each wafer W and is stamped on the surface of the wafer W at the same time as alignment. It has a function of reading the ID number. The aligner 50 is not an essential component for the wafer stocker, but is necessary when the wafers W need to be managed individually for each ID.
The wafer transfer unit 48 is a cylindrical coordinate robot 54 in which two sets of arm bodies 53 connected with a reduction ratio by a predetermined pulley and a timing belt are arranged on a base 52 that rotates in a horizontal plane by driving a motor. Is provided. A finger 24 for attracting and holding the wafer W is provided at the tip of each arm body 53 (in FIG. 7, only one finger 24 is shown because the upper and lower positions of the fingers 24 overlap). The cylindrical coordinate robot 54 has a structure in which each arm rotates in a horizontal plane by a driving force of a motor, whereby the arm body 53 performs a bending / extending operation, and the finger 24 provided at the tip portion is linearly moved by the bending / extending operation. doing.
Further, the wafer W held by the finger 24 can be transferred to a predetermined position in the horizontal plane by the turning operation of the base 52 and the bending operation of the arm body 53. Further, the wafer transfer unit 48 includes a Z-axis drive unit 55 that moves the cylindrical coordinate type robot 54 up and down along the direction in which the substrate storage containers 1 are stacked, and the substrate storage container having a height different from that of the fingers 24. 1 is also accessible.
In the wafer stocker 46 of the present embodiment, a cylindrical coordinate type robot 54 is disposed at the center when viewed from above, and the substrate storage container 1 is concentrically centered on the turning axis of the turnable base 52 of the robot 54. , An opener 49, an aligner 50, and the like are arranged. The substrate storage container 1 and the opener 49 are arranged at positions where the respective opening portions face each other with the robot 54 interposed therebetween.
The substrate storage container 1 has a configuration in which 10 sets of shelves 3 are arranged as one set, and the set is stacked in 10 stages. Thus, 100 wafers W can be accommodated, which corresponds to four FOUPs 38 that can accommodate 25 wafers W therein. In addition, although arrangement | positioning of 10 steps | paragraphs or more is fully possible, about the height of accumulation, it is restricted by the ceiling height etc. of the factory in which a stocker apparatus is installed.
Each substrate storage container 1 is connected to a pipe for supplying a gas such as an inert gas or clean dry air to a nozzle 11 provided therein. This pipe supplies a large amount of the gas until the predetermined low oxygen concentration is reached when the shutter is opened and after the shutter is closed, and after the predetermined low oxygen concentration is reached, the inside of the substrate storage container 1 has a predetermined oxygen concentration. Two systems of piping for supplying the gas with a small flow rate for maintaining the above are connected to the respective substrate storage containers 1. Switching between a large flow rate pipe and a small flow rate pipe is switched by a separate electromagnetic switching valve. The switching of the piping is performed by a stocker control unit 81 provided in the wafer stocker 46.
The supply source of the inert gas or clean dry air may be stored in a tank, or may be supplied from a supply tank provided in a factory. Furthermore, since the gas supplied from the supply source may contain dust generated from members such as storage tanks, pipes, and joints, it is supplied in a clean state through a clean filter for collecting dust on the way. After the supply pressure of the gas supplied from the supply source is adjusted by a regulator, it is adjusted to a large flow rate and a small flow rate by a flow rate adjustment valve corresponding to each substrate storage container 1. The tip of each flow rate adjustment valve of the large flow rate and the small flow rate is connected to a switching valve, and a gas at a predetermined flow rate is supplied to the desired substrate storage container 1 by an electrical signal from the stocker control unit 81.
Next, the operation of the wafer stocker 46 of this embodiment will be described. The wafer W stored in the FOUP 38 is conveyed to an FOUP mounting table on the opener 49 by AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle), OHT (Overhead Hoist Transfer) or manually. Thereafter, when the lid is opened by the opener 49, the wafer W stored therein is transferred to the aligner 50 by the robot 54. When the aligner 50 performs notch alignment and ID number reading, the read ID number is stored in the storage means of the stocker control unit 81 provided in the stocker 46.
Here, the stocker control unit 81 storing the ID number refers to the wafer presence / absence data for each shelf 3 obtained by the mapping operation of the shutter opening / closing unit 25 described above, and the shelf 3 of the predetermined substrate storage container 1. A command is issued to place the wafer W thereon, and the wafer transfer unit 48 transfers the wafer W to the designated position of the shelf 3. Here, the stocker control unit 81 operates a switching valve of a pipe communicating with the storage container 1 to increase the amount of inert gas supplied to the storage container into which the wafer W is to be loaded.
Next, the shutter opening / closing unit 25 performs an operation of opening the shielding plate 15. Since the inert gas continues to flow out from the opening 16 of the shielding plate 15 when the shielding plate 15 is opened, the dust generated by the opening operation of the shielding plate 15 does not enter the inside of the substrate storage container 1 and is directed downward by the FFU. It flows out from the lower side of the stocker 46 to the outside by a clean laminar flow. When the shielding plate 15 is opened, the finger 24 holding the wafer W is inserted to a previously taught position inside the substrate storage container 1. Thereafter, the fins 24 are moved downward by a movement amount taught in advance, and the wafer W is placed on the shelf 3. After the wafer W is placed, the wafer transfer unit 48 moves the finger 24 back to the standby position, and the wafer W placement process is completed.
After the wafer W placement process is completed, the stocker control unit 81 lowers the shutter opening / closing unit 25 and closes the shielding plate 15. At this time, since the inside of the substrate storage container 1 into which the wafer W has been loaded has not yet reached a predetermined low oxygen concentration, a large flow rate of inert gas will continue to be supplied. Switch to flow rate. In addition, the substrate storage container 1 in which the shielding plate 15 is not opened and closed maintains a state in which a small amount of inert gas is supplied in order to maintain the inside at a predetermined low oxygen concentration.
Next, unloading of the stored wafer W to the FOUP 38 can be performed by following the operation procedure described above in the opposite procedure. The stocker control unit 81 that has received a command for unloading a predetermined wafer W from a higher-level program that manages the processes of the entire semiconductor manufacturing factory transfers the predetermined wafer W to an empty FOUP 38 based on the data stored in the storage means. It will be carried in. Since the ID number of each wafer W is acquired and managed at the time of loading, it is not necessary to go through the aligner at the time of unloading and is directly transferred from the substrate storage container 1 to the FOUP 38.
For example, when a command for carrying out two wafers is issued, the wafer W can be taken out from the substrate storage container 1 by the two fingers 24 provided in each of the two arm bodies 53. Can be simultaneously mounted on the FOUP 38. In particular, by setting the distance between the upper and lower fingers 24 to be the same as the distance at which the wafer W of the FOUP 38 is placed, two wafers W can be loaded simultaneously by simultaneously expanding and contracting the two arm bodies 53. The conveyance time can be shortened.
Next, a wafer stocker 56 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 is a plan view showing the wafer stocker 56 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a wafer stocker of FIG. 9 as viewed from the line BB ′ of FIG. 7 (please insert the line BB ′ in FIG. 9). 56 is a sectional view of 56. FIG. The transfer robot provided in the wafer stocker 56 of the present embodiment is a cylindrical coordinate having a structure in which the pulley and the belt provided in the first embodiment are connected by a predetermined reduction ratio to extend and contract the arm body, and thus the finger 24 in a linear direction. Instead of the type robot 54, a horizontal articulated robot 58 capable of independently rotating the base ends of the arms of the arm body 57 with individual motors is mounted. Since each arm of the horizontal articulated robot 58 can freely rotate, it has the feature that it can access not only the front of the robot 58 but also the front or back of the robot 58 as shown in FIG. Yes.
The horizontal articulated robot 58 mounted on the wafer stocker 56 of the present embodiment has a first arm 60 that is rotatably supported at one end by a base 59, and one end that is rotatably supported by the other end of the first arm. Second arm 61, and two fingers 24 each having one end rotatably supported by the other end of the second arm. The first arm 60, the second arm 61, and the two arms The fingers 24 are connected to each other so as to be rotatable by individual motors.
With this configuration, the cylindrical coordinate type robot 54 can only perform a linear expansion / contraction operation toward a target position, so that each arm and finger 24 can perform an interpolation operation, thereby causing the arm to move forward or backward. It is also possible to access it. Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the horizontal articulated robot 58 is provided with a Z-axis drive unit 55 that moves up and down along the stacking direction of the storage containers, and is arranged in a stacked manner. Each finger 24 can also access the substrate storage container 1 formed.
Further, the wafer stocker 56 of this embodiment includes two storage units 63. Each storage unit 63 has four storage shelves 62 formed by stacking the substrate storage containers 1 in the vertical direction at regular intervals with an angle of 90 degrees so that the main body openings 10 face outward. Thus, these four storage shelves 62 can be rotated in a horizontal plane. The storage unit 63 includes a support member 64 that supports four storage shelves 62 that are installed at equal intervals, and a rotation drive unit 65 that rotates the support member 64.
The support member 64 provided in the present embodiment has a structure in which a storage shelf 62 is placed on a circular rotary table 67 that is rotatably fixed to a base 66 via a bearing. A support column 68 having a fixing member for fixing the upper portion of each storage shelf 62 is erected, and the rotary table 67, the support column 68, and each storage shelf 62 are leveled by the driving force of the rotation drive unit 65. It integrally rotates inside. Further, if the storage shelves 62 are fixed to each other by the coupling members, the storage shelves 62 will not be swung by inertia force even when the rotary table 67 is rotated and stopped.
The rotation driving unit 65 that rotates the support member 64 is configured such that a driving force of a motor 69 capable of controlling a rotation position, such as a stepping motor or a servomotor, is fixed to a rotating shaft of the motor 69 and a bottom surface of the rotary table 67. It is structured to transmit via a belt that is stretched between a pulley fixed to the belt. The control of the motor 69 is controlled by a control unit (not shown) provided in the storage unit 63, and the control unit can rotate the support member 64 at an arbitrary rotation angle.
Further, the shutter opening / closing unit 25 is disposed at a position adjacent to the storage unit 63, and after the rotary table 67 stops at a predetermined rotational position, the shielding plate 15 of the substrate storage container 1 can be opened and closed. Yes. In order to stop the storage unit 63 at a position where the hook 26 can be inserted into the notch provided in the shielding plate 15, a high positioning accuracy is required. Therefore, a sensor 70 for determining whether or not the rotary table 67 is stopped at a predetermined position may be provided.
The wafer stocker 56 of the present embodiment is provided with four openers 49 for placing the FOUP 38 and opening and closing its lid. The opener 49 is joined to the frame 71 of the stocker 56.
A wafer transfer unit 48 on which a horizontal articulated robot 58 is mounted is arranged at a position facing the opening of the mounted FOUP 38. The shutter opening / closing unit 25 is disposed on both the left and right sides of the wafer transfer unit 48, and the storage units 63 are disposed at positions corresponding to the shutter opening / closing unit 25.
Further, in the arm movement space formed between the opener 49 inside the wafer stocker 56, the wafer transfer unit 48 and the shutter opening / closing unit 25, the position of the wafer W is not at a position where it interferes with the wafer W transfer operation of the arm body 57. An aligner 50 for positioning is disposed. Further, an FFU 51 is provided on the upper portion of the frame 71 and the cover forming the wafer stocker 56, and a clean booth is formed inside the wafer stocker 56 by the frame 71, a cover (not shown) and the FFU 51.
In the wafer stocker 56 of this embodiment, 100 wafers W can be stored in one storage shelf 62 as in the first embodiment, and the wafers W are stored in the entire two storage units 63. The number of sheets is 800, and the number of stored sheets can be dramatically increased from the first embodiment. Further, the number of wafers W stored in the storage shelf 62 is regulated by the installation environment of the semiconductor manufacturing factory where the storage shelf 62 is installed. By increasing the storage number of the storage shelves 62, it is possible to significantly increase the total number of stored devices. It is.
In this embodiment, the horizontal articulated robot 58 is provided. In addition to this, the opener 49 is provided with a wafer transfer unit 48 having a cylindrical coordinate robot 54 as shown in FIG. Horizontal movement means 78 is provided for reciprocally moving in parallel to the horizontal line in the horizontal plane. The cylindrical coordinate type robot 54 is moved to a position facing the FOUP 38 and the storage shelf 62, and the wafer W It is good also as carrying in and carrying out.
Next, a wafer stocker 72 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 12 is a view showing the wafer stocker 72 of this embodiment from the top. The wafer stocker 72 of this embodiment includes an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) 73. The EFEM 73 is an apparatus for transferring the wafer W between the FOUP 38 and a processing apparatus that performs various processes such as exposure, resist coating, and etching on the wafer W in the semiconductor manufacturing process. At least the opener 49, the transfer robot, and the aligner 50 It is composed of Further, in the EFEM 73 provided in the present embodiment, a delivery table 74 for delivering the wafer W to and from the wafer stocker 72 is disposed on a surface facing the surface on which the opener 49 is disposed.
In the wafer stocker 72 of the present embodiment, a wafer transfer unit 48 on which the above-mentioned horizontal articulated robot 58 is mounted is disposed in the vicinity of the center of the internal space formed by the frame 75, the cover, and the FFU 51 when viewed from above. Further, four storage units 63 disclosed in the previous embodiment are arranged around the wafer transfer unit 48 at a predetermined interval.
The shutter opening / closing unit 25 is disposed at a position corresponding to each of the four storage units 63. The four shutter opening / closing units 25 and the storage unit 63 are arranged in an operable space of the arm body 57 provided in the horizontal articulated robot 58. With the above configuration, the horizontal articulated robot 58 and the delivery table 74 are stored. Wafers W can be transferred between the substrate storage containers 1 of the unit 63.
With the above configuration, in the wafer stocker 72 of the present embodiment, 16 storage shelves 62 capable of storing 100 wafers W can be arranged, so that a total of 1600 wafers W can be stored. It is possible to store twice as many wafers W as the wafer stocker. Further, the number of wafers W stored in the storage shelf 62 is regulated by the installation environment of the semiconductor manufacturing factory where the storage shelf 62 is installed. It is.
The EFEM 73 provided in this embodiment is formed by a frame 76 different from the frame 75 forming the wafer stocker 72, and the frame 76 and the frame 75 are coupled to each other by a coupling means. Further, the EFEM 73 provided in the present embodiment includes four openers 49 along the longitudinal direction of the frame 76, and the wafer W is delivered to and from the FOUP 38 placed on each opener 49 by a handling robot 77 disposed therein. It will be transferred to and from the stand 74. Further, the EFEM 73 provided in the present embodiment includes the FFU 51 on the upper portion of the frame 76 so that the space inside the EFEM 73 and the transferred wafer W can be always maintained in a clean atmosphere.
The wafer stocker 72 of this embodiment has a width dimension substantially the same as the width dimension of the surface on which the opener 49 of the EFEM 73 provided adjacent thereto is disposed. By making the width dimension of the wafer stocker 72 the same or smaller than the width dimension of the EFEM 73, for example, only the EFEM 73 is left in a certain processing apparatus, and the system relating to other processes and the wafer stocker 72 are replaced. Can be easily done. In particular, in the case of a semiconductor manufacturing factory, since the work of increasing the width dimension occupied by a specific device from the existing layout is very expensive, the width dimension of the entire device is added to the width dimension of the existing EFEM 73. It is important to fit. It is also possible to have a role as an apparatus called a sorter for switching the FOUP 38 that stores the EFEM 73 according to the processing state of the wafer W.
The wafer stocker 72 of this embodiment is provided with a horizontal articulated robot 58, but in addition to this, a cylindrical coordinate robot 54 is provided in place of the horizontal articulated robot 58 as shown in FIG. A wafer transfer unit 48 may be provided. That is, a wafer transfer unit 48 having a cylindrical coordinate type robot 54 is arranged in an arm operating area defined by the four shutter opening / closing units 25, and the wafer transfer unit 48 is arranged in the direction in which the shutter opening / closing units 25 are arranged. A horizontal moving means 78 for reciprocating in parallel in the horizontal plane is provided. With the above configuration, in the case of the embodiment including the horizontal articulated robot 58, the wafer transfer unit 48 is not disposed between the adjacent shutter opening / closing units 25, so that the depth dimension of the wafer stocker 72 can be suppressed. It becomes possible.
Next, using the substrate storage container 1 of the present invention, a gap 19 between the shutter portion S and the peripheral members of the shutter portion S such as the cover 9, the upper plate 6, and the lower plate 7, and the supply amount of nitrogen gas that is a clean gas Test data relating to the replacement completion time according to will be described with reference to a graph.
FIG. 15 is a graph in which the time to reach the target oxygen concentration is measured by the difference in the width of the gap 19 and the flow rate of the supply gas. The graph assumes that the size of the gap 19 is two conditions of 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm, and supplies the substrate storage container 1 having these two gaps with two conditions of 5 liters per minute and 10 liters per minute. The time required to reach a predetermined oxygen concentration of 500 ppm was measured. In addition, although the test which made the dimension of the clearance gap 19 3.0 mm was also conducted, the predetermined oxygen concentration was not reached.
From the test results, when nitrogen gas was supplied at 10 liters per minute, the gap 19 reached the target oxygen concentration about 20 seconds earlier at 1.0 mm, but when nitrogen gas was supplied at 5 liters per minute In the case where the gap 19 is 0.5 mm, the target oxygen concentration is reached approximately 30 seconds earlier. If 10 liters of gas is supplied continuously, the arrival time can be shortened. However, considering the total gas consumption, if 10 liters are supplied, the arrival time is less than half that of 5 liters. Is small. Further, when a relatively small amount of 5 liters is supplied, the arrival time reaches the target oxygen concentration earlier when the size of the gap 19 is 0.5 mm. Considering this, the gap 19 is set to 0.5 mm, and when the shutter portion S is opened and closed, 10 liters of clean gas is supplied per minute, and after reaching the target concentration, 5 liters per minute is supplied. It is desirable to switch to the amount from the relationship between the amount of clean gas consumed and the arrival time.
Next, the change of the oxygen concentration inside the storage container 1 when the size of the gap 19 was set to 0.5 mm and the shutter portion S was opened, and the arrival time to the oxygen concentration of 500 ppm after the shutter portion S was closed were measured. FIG. 16 is a graph showing the test results. The value on the X-axis side indicates the elapsed time in seconds when the supply of nitrogen gas into the storage container 1 is started as 0. In the test, the shutter portion S is opened at an elapsed time of 575 seconds and closed at an elapsed time of 590 seconds. The opening / closing time is set to 15 seconds in consideration of the time required for opening / closing the series of shutter portions S and transferring the wafer W is about 15 seconds.
As a result of the test, the oxygen concentration which was 500 ppm before opening the shutter part S increases only to about 3000 ppm even when the shutter part S is opened and closed. If the oxygen concentration is 3000 ppm, there is no possibility that the pattern formed on the surface of the wafer W reacts with oxygen to form an oxide film, so that even if the shutter portion S is opened and closed, the wafer stored in the storage container 1 is contained. It can be said that W has no adverse effect.
Further, when 10 liters of nitrogen gas was continuously supplied, the oxygen concentration could reach 500 ppm about 110 seconds after the shutter portion S was closed. From this result, it can be said that even if the shutter portion S is opened, the oxygen concentration is not greatly affected, and the time for returning to the predetermined oxygen concentration can be greatly shortened compared to the above-described test. Can do.
Although the present invention has been described in detail, the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, and detailed structures and the like in the embodiments are within the scope of the present invention described in the claims by those skilled in the art. Changes can be made as appropriate without departing from the above. For example, it is an item that can be appropriately designed to change the object to be stored into a plate member such as a glass substrate for liquid crystal, a reticle, or a mask instead of the wafer W, and the material and shape of each part are also required. It can be appropriately selected depending on the situation.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Board | substrate storage container 2 Board | substrate 3 Shelf board 4 Spacer 5 Wafer support part 6 Upper plate 7 Lower plate 8 Assembly 9 Cover 10 Main body opening part 11 Nozzle 11a Introducing pipe 11b Spout 11c Diffusion suppression member 15 Shielding board 18 Positioning shaft (position) Regulatory member)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Positioning member 21 Positioning pin 23 Positioning block 24 Finger 25 Shutter opening / closing unit 26 Hook 27 Shutter support mechanism 28 Lifting drive part 46 Wafer stocker of 1st Embodiment 48 Wafer transfer part 49 Opener 50 Aligner 54 Cylindrical coordinate type robot 56 2nd implementation Wafer stocker 63 storage unit 72 wafer stocker 80 of the third embodiment 80 support control means 81 stocker control unit S shutter unit
It has an opening on one surface, and a plurality of shelves arranged at regular intervals in the vertical direction so as to be able to support a plate-shaped object inside, and are arranged between the plurality of shelves and vertically A main body portion having a spacer portion for maintaining an interval between the adjacent shelf plates;
A cover member that covers a side surface and top and bottom of the main body portion other than the opening;
A plurality of shielding plates that cover the openings corresponding to the plurality of shelf plates, and are supported and housed in the main body portion by moving the shielding plates up and down separately from the shelf plates With a shutter part that allows access to things,
The main body has a nozzle for supplying clean gas therein, and the shutter section allows the gas supplied from the nozzle to flow out to the outside in an appropriate amount while maintaining the internal pressure of the main body. It is arranged with a small gap against it ,
Each of the shielding plates of the shutter unit has the same height as the interval between the shelves, and is individually stacked so as to be vertically movable .
The storage container according to claim 1, wherein the shelf plate is disposed at an interval accessible by a robot finger that holds the storage object.
3. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein each of the shielding plates of the shutter portion is vertically movable in a plane regulated by a position regulating member.
The body portion may be any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises a light permeable detection window to be emitted from the optical sensor for detecting the presence of the supported carried object to the shelf board The storage container according to Item 1.
The gas supplied into the main body from the nozzle, according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is possible to switch the flow at the time of closing and during opening of each shield plate Storage container.
The storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein a gap between the shutter portion and the main body portion forms a labyrinth structure.
The said main-body part has a positioning member in an upper surface and a lower surface, and can be piled up and arrange | positioned in the perpendicular direction, The storage container of any one of Claims 1-6 characterized by the above-mentioned.
A shutter opening / closing unit that opens and closes the shutter part of the storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the shutter opening / closing unit is engaged with a notch provided in the shielding plate. A shutter opening / closing unit, comprising: a hook that can be engaged, a shutter support mechanism, and an elevating drive unit that elevates and moves the shutter support mechanism in parallel with the stacking direction of the storage container.
The shutter opening / closing unit includes an optical sensor that detects the presence / absence of an object supported by the shelf plate, and the optical sensor includes a pair of a light projecting unit and a light receiving unit, and is attached to the shutter support mechanism. The shutter opening / closing unit according to claim 8 , wherein the shutter opening / closing unit is provided.
And clean booth, a FOUP opener joined to the outer surface of the clean booth, according to any one of the preceding claims arranged vertically one or more stacked into in a clean booth 1 to claim 7 wherein said storage container, and the shutter opening and closing unit according to claim 8 or claim 9, a wafer transfer unit for transferring the wafer between the FOUP and the container, further comprising a stocker controller Wafer stocker.
11. The wafer stocker according to claim 10 , wherein the stocker control unit has a function of adjusting a flow rate of a gas supplied into the storage container in accordance with an operation of opening and closing the shutter unit of the shutter opening / closing unit. .
A storage shelf configured by stacking the storage containers in the vertical direction, a storage unit in which a plurality of the storage shelves are arranged at equal intervals, a rotation drive unit that rotates the storage unit, and a position adjacent to the storage unit and the shutter opening and closing units arranged, the wafer stocker according to claim 10 or claim 11, characterized in that it comprises a said wafer transport section for transporting the wafer between the FOUP and the receiving container.
13. The wafer stocker according to claim 12 , wherein the storage unit includes a circular mounting table for mounting a plurality of the storage shelves at equal intervals.
JP2014511183A 2012-04-16 2013-04-10 Storage container, shutter opening / closing unit of storage container, and wafer stocker using them Active JP5913572B2 (en)
JP2012093247 2012-04-16
PCT/JP2013/060838 WO2013157462A1 (en) 2012-04-16 2013-04-10 Accommodating container, shutter opening and closing unit for accommodating container, and wafer stocker using same
JPWO2013157462A1 JPWO2013157462A1 (en) 2015-12-21
JP5913572B2 true JP5913572B2 (en) 2016-04-27
ID=49383421
JP2014511183A Active JP5913572B2 (en) 2012-04-16 2013-04-10 Storage container, shutter opening / closing unit of storage container, and wafer stocker using them
US (1) US9437466B2 (en)
EP (1) EP2840599A4 (en)
JP (1) JP5913572B2 (en)
KR (1) KR102091892B1 (en)
CN (1) CN104221136B (en)
TW (1) TWI582023B (en)
WO (1) WO2013157462A1 (en)
CN103975416B (en) * 2011-12-06 2016-05-18 独立行政法人产业技术综合研究所 Gold-tinted chamber system
CN103217187B (en) * 2013-03-01 2015-07-15 合肥京东方光电科技有限公司 Equipment for identifying layer numbers of real objects in container and system for automatically taking out real objects
JP6351317B2 (en) * 2014-03-14 2018-07-04 ミライアル株式会社 Substrate storage container
US9881826B2 (en) 2014-10-24 2018-01-30 Lam Research Corporation Buffer station with single exit-flow direction
KR101637498B1 (en) * 2015-03-24 2016-07-07 피코앤테라(주) Front Opening Unified Pod
KR101688621B1 (en) * 2015-06-09 2016-12-21 피코앤테라(주) Apparatus for removing fume
CN204937899U (en) * 2015-09-10 2016-01-06 合肥京东方光电科技有限公司 A kind of substrate cartridge
DE102015014903A1 (en) * 2015-11-18 2017-05-18 Centrotherm Photovoltaics Ag Wafer boat and plasma treatment device for wafers
TWI602131B (en) * 2016-05-26 2017-10-11 台灣積體電路製造股份有限公司 Storage system and method for controlling the storage system
KR20190001605A (en) * 2016-05-26 2019-01-04 엔테그리스, 아이엔씨. Latching mechanism for substrate container
US10573545B2 (en) * 2016-06-28 2020-02-25 Murata Machinery, Ltd. Substrate carrier and substrate carrier stack
KR20180001999A (en) * 2016-06-28 2018-01-05 테크-샘 아게 Improved substrate storage and processing
DE202019101793U1 (en) * 2018-06-27 2019-10-09 Murata Machinery, Ltd. Devices for at least one of substrate handling, substrate storage, substrate treatment, and substrate processing
US10643876B2 (en) * 2016-06-28 2020-05-05 Murata Machinery, Ltd. Substrate carrier and substrate carrier stack
DE102016113925A1 (en) 2016-07-28 2018-02-01 Infineon Technologies Ag Wafer box, wafer stacking aid, wafer carrier, wafer transport system, wafer wafer loading method and wafer wafer removal method
US10566216B2 (en) 2017-06-09 2020-02-18 Lam Research Corporation Equipment front end module gas recirculation
WO2019203270A1 (en) * 2018-04-19 2019-10-24 信越ポリマー株式会社 Substrate-accommodating container
CN109720719A (en) * 2019-01-29 2019-05-07 江阴佳泰电子科技有限公司 A kind of storage device of middle scaffold tower
JP2539447B2 (en) * 1987-08-12 1996-10-02 株式会社日立製作所 Production method by single-wafer carrier
JPH0634253U (en) * 1992-09-29 1994-05-06 東京応化工業株式会社 Plasma processing system
FR2747112B1 (en) * 1996-04-03 1998-05-07 Commissariat Energie Atomique Device for transporting flat objects and method for transferring these objects between said device and a processing machine
JP3916380B2 (en) * 1999-07-06 2007-05-16 株式会社荏原製作所 Substrate transfer container standby station
US6540467B1 (en) * 2001-06-18 2003-04-01 Lsi Logic Corporation Apparatus and method of semiconductor wafer protection
JP2003068841A (en) * 2001-08-27 2003-03-07 Shin Etsu Handotai Co Ltd Wafer cassette
JP2005259858A (en) * 2004-03-10 2005-09-22 Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc Substrate processing apparatus
TWI399823B (en) 2005-07-09 2013-06-21 Tec Sem Ag Vorrichtung zur lagerung von substraten
JP4789566B2 (en) * 2005-09-30 2011-10-12 ミライアル株式会社 Thin plate holding container and processing device for thin plate holding container
EP2050132A2 (en) * 2006-07-26 2009-04-22 Tec-Sem AG Apparatus for storage of objects from the field of manufacture of electronic components
JP4953010B2 (en) * 2006-09-13 2012-06-13 株式会社ダイフク Storage container for substrate storage
CN100539062C (en) * 2006-10-31 2009-09-09 台湾积体电路制造股份有限公司 Chip storage box and chip fixing baffle
JP5183097B2 (en) * 2007-05-28 2013-04-17 Ｔｃｍ株式会社 Ventilator for automated guided vehicles
JP4264115B2 (en) * 2007-07-31 2009-05-13 Ｔｄｋ株式会社 Containment processing method and lid opening / closing system used in the method
TWI330707B (en) * 2008-08-27 2010-09-21 Gudeng Prec Industral Co Ltd A system for measuring the vertical distance between the thin substrates
JP2010058802A (en) * 2008-09-02 2010-03-18 Sharp Corp Substrate storing case
CN102186748A (en) * 2008-09-30 2011-09-14 夏普株式会社 Substrate storing tray
WO2010137556A1 (en) * 2009-05-27 2010-12-02 ローツェ株式会社 Atmosphere replacement device
TWI515159B (en) * 2009-12-10 2016-01-01 安堤格里斯公司 Porous barrier for evenly distributed purge gas in a microenvironment
2013-04-10 EP EP13778995.4A patent/EP2840599A4/en active Pending
2013-04-10 CN CN201380019946.6A patent/CN104221136B/en active IP Right Grant
2013-04-10 KR KR1020147031706A patent/KR102091892B1/en active IP Right Grant
2013-04-10 JP JP2014511183A patent/JP5913572B2/en active Active
2013-04-10 WO PCT/JP2013/060838 patent/WO2013157462A1/en active Application Filing
2013-04-11 TW TW102112842A patent/TWI582023B/en active
2014-10-14 US US14/513,979 patent/US9437466B2/en active Active
TW201404686A (en) 2014-02-01
US9437466B2 (en) 2016-09-06
EP2840599A1 (en) 2015-02-25
EP2840599A4 (en) 2015-11-18
CN104221136A (en) 2014-12-17
CN104221136B (en) 2017-05-31
TWI582023B (en) 2017-05-11
US20150030416A1 (en) 2015-01-29
KR20150002802A (en) 2015-01-07
JPWO2013157462A1 (en) 2015-12-21
WO2013157462A1 (en) 2013-10-24
KR102091892B1 (en) 2020-03-20
JP6621868B2 (en) 2019-12-18 Storage system
JP6049971B2 (en) 2016-12-21 Robot equipped with end effector and operation method thereof
US8457788B2 (en) 2013-06-04 Method for teaching carrier means, storage medium and substrate processing apparatus
CN104221136B (en) 2017-05-31 Accommodating container, the shutter opening/closing unit of accommodating container and use their wafer accumulator
JP4542893B2 (en) 2010-09-15 Substrate loading and unloading station with buffer
JP2012169691A (en) 2012-09-06 Carrier robot
JP5506979B2 (en) 2014-05-28 Buffered loader for lot size reduction
KR100693836B1 (en) 2007-03-12 Mask Carrying Device, Mask Carrying System and Mask Carrying Method
JP5150949B2 (en) 2013-02-27 Proximity scan exposure apparatus and control method thereof
KR101291630B1 (en) 2013-08-01 Clean stocker and keeping method of article
JP4279102B2 (en) 2009-06-17 Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method
2015-11-30 A975 Report on accelerated examination
2016-03-07 A01 Written decision to grant a patent or to grant a registration (utility model)
Ref document number: 5913572