JP2016213459A - Wafer transfer apparatus and wafer transfer method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently transfer wafers between carriers having different accommodation groove pitch intervals.SOLUTION: In the base 1, a pushing means 5, a first carrier 6 and a second carrier 7 are arranged along a transfer direction X such that accommodating grooves of the first carrier 6 aligns with accommodating grooves of the second carrier along a transfer direction X. In the case where the first carrier 6 has receiving grooves of half the number of receiving grooves of the second carrier 7, each of the receiving grooves of the first carrier 6 is aligned with each even-numbered receiving groove of the second carrier 7 In correspondence with this, the first carrier 6 is mounted on the height adjusting means 4. The transfer unit 3 is mounted between the first carrier 6 and the second carrier 7.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a wafer transfer apparatus and a wafer transfer method used to transfer, for example, a plurality of semiconductor wafers placed and stored in one carrier to another carrier.

  In a semiconductor manufacturing process for manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device or the like, a semiconductor element is formed by repeatedly performing a series of operations such as oxidation, sintering and film formation on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer). At this time, when the wafer is processed on the semiconductor manufacturing process line, the wafers are collectively placed and stored on the wafer carrier so that the above-described processing is performed simultaneously, and the wafer is transported on the line.

  Thus, the wafer carrier is also affected by the processing that the wafer undergoes. Therefore, in order to prevent the wafer carrier from being damaged and deformed when it is subjected to the above-described processing, it is not possible to hold the wafer. A wafer carrier must be constructed. In addition, the wafer must be transferred to a wafer carrier applied according to the process environment and process equipment. Conventionally, when a wafer placed and stored on a first carrier is transferred to a second carrier made of a material different from that of the first carrier, a wafer transfer device is used, for example, by manual operation or automatic operation. First, the first carrier and the second carrier are respectively set at predetermined positions of the wafer transfer device. After confirming that the positions of the first carrier and the second carrier installed in the wafer transfer device are accurate, the push means provided in the wafer transfer device causes the first carrier to be transferred to the first carrier. The stored and placed wafer is pushed toward the second carrier and is placed and placed at a predetermined position in the second carrier.

Taiwan Patent No. I474427

  In a semiconductor manufacturing process, in order to perform processing operations continuously and smoothly, the first carrier and the second carrier on which a wafer is placed are often formed at the same pitch interval. For work requiring a long processing time such as film formation, the throughput may be increased by narrowing the wafer pitch interval and increasing the number of processed sheets per batch. At this time, since a plurality of wafers cannot be transferred as they are on a carrier with a narrow wafer pitch interval, it is necessary to transfer one wafer at a time. There is a problem that efficiency becomes worse.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a wafer transfer apparatus and a wafer transfer method that can efficiently transfer wafers between carriers having different pitch intervals. To do.

According to one aspect, the present invention provides a method for transferring a wafer between a first carrier and a second carrier that are made of different materials and have different numbers of receiving grooves for storing the wafer. A wafer transfer apparatus to be used, comprising a base, a height adjusting means, and a push means,
One of the first carrier and the second carrier has more accommodating grooves than the other of the first carrier and the second carrier,
In the base, along the transfer direction, which is a direction along the transfer direction of the wafer between the carriers, a part of the receiving groove of the one carrier is all the receiving groove of the other carrier. And the one carrier and the other carrier are arranged side by side in the transfer direction so as to correspond to each other in the transfer direction,
The height adjusting means is configured so that the other part excluding the part of the receiving groove of the one carrier corresponds to all the receiving grooves of the other carrier, and the vertical direction perpendicular to the transfer direction is the vertical direction. Arranged on the base to mount the first carrier in an adjustable manner, the position of the first carrier;
The push means is provided on the base so as to reciprocate along the transfer direction so as to transfer the wafer by pushing the wafer.

According to another aspect, the present invention provides a wafer transfer method for transferring a wafer between a first carrier and a second carrier using the wafer transfer apparatus according to the present invention, the wafer transfer method described above. A wafer transfer method for transferring a wafer between a first carrier and a second carrier using a change device,
The push means and the height adjusting means are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other, and are provided on the base along the transfer direction so that the height adjusting means and the second carrier are connected to each other. The first carrier corresponds to the height adjusting means in advance so that a part of the receiving groove of the one carrier is aligned with all the receiving grooves of the other carrier along the transfer direction. An attachment step in which the first carrier is disposed on the height adjustment means to be adjusted to a first height position;
A contact position that is moved toward the first carrier in a push direction for driving the push means to push the wafer from a standby position away from the height adjusting means, and contacts the wafer while passing through the first carrier. In contact with the wafer placed and accommodated in the first carrier, and then the push means advances toward the second carrier while pushing the wafer, thereby moving the wafer to the first carrier in the first carrier. The push means is pushed after the wafer is accommodated in the accommodating groove of the corresponding second carrier after being moved in the accommodating groove of the corresponding second carrier while being moved in the accommodating groove. A first pressing step for pulling back to the standby position side in a return direction opposite to the direction and the transfer direction;
Removing the other carrier from the height adjusting means and attaching another carrier to the base,
The second height position corresponding to the other part of the receiving groove of the one carrier so as to be aligned with all of the receiving grooves of the other carrier along the transfer direction by the height adjusting means. A height adjusting step in which the first carrier is height adjusted by the height adjusting means to be adjusted to
The push means is driven again and moved from the standby position toward the first carrier in the push direction, and is placed on the first carrier at the contact position while passing through the first carrier. In contact with the formed wafer, and then the push means advances toward the second carrier while pushing the wafer, and the second second corresponding to the second carrier while moving in the receiving groove of the first carrier. When the wafer is accommodated in the accommodating groove of the second carrier, the second pressing is performed to pull the push means back to the standby position in the return direction when the wafer is accommodated in the accommodating groove of the corresponding second carrier. And a wafer transfer method characterized by comprising the steps of:

  As described above, by a simple height adjustment operation, a plurality of wafers can be stably and collectively transferred between wafer carriers having different groove pitches.

It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the 1st Example of the wafer transfer apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a partial section front view when the 1st career is in the 1st height position. It is a fragmentary sectional front view when a 1st carrier exists in a 2nd height position. It is a top view which shows the state before the several wafer mounted and accommodated in the 1st carrier is transferred to the 2nd carrier. It is a top view which shows the state by which the several wafer mounted and accommodated in the 1st carrier is transferred by the 2nd carrier. It is a flowchart which shows the wafer transfer method of the wafer transfer apparatus which concerns on a 1st Example. It is a figure which expands and shows a part of FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a plurality of wafers placed and stored in the first carrier in FIG. 7 are transferred to the second carrier. It is a figure which expands and shows a part of FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a plurality of wafers placed and stored on the first carrier in FIG. 9 are transferred to the second carrier. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the 2nd Example of the wafer transfer apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is another perspective view which shows the structure of the 2nd Example of the wafer transfer apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows a partial structure of the wafer transfer apparatus which concerns on a 2nd Example. FIG. 14 is another exploded perspective view of FIG. 13. It is a cross-sectional side view which shows a partial structure of the wafer transfer apparatus which concerns on a 2nd Example. It is a perspective view which shows a part of wafer transfer apparatus concerning a 2nd Example. FIG. 17 is a side view of FIG. 16. It is a partial cross section front view when the 1st career exists in the 1st height position. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional side view of a partial configuration of a wafer transfer apparatus according to a second embodiment when in a first height position horizontal in the axial direction. It is a partial cross section front view when a 1st carrier exists in a 2nd height position. It is a cross-sectional side view of a partial configuration of the wafer transfer apparatus according to the second embodiment when it is at the second height position that is horizontal in the axial direction. It is a flowchart which shows the wafer transfer method of the wafer transfer apparatus which concerns on a 2nd Example. It is a partial cross section side view which shows the state in which the several wafer mounted and accommodated in the 1st carrier in the 1st height position is transferred to the 2nd carrier. It is a partial cross section side view which shows the state in which the several wafer mounted and accommodated in the 1st carrier in the 2nd height position is transferred to the 2nd carrier.

  Hereinafter, one or more preferred embodiments of a wafer transfer apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, about the component which has the same structure and function, the same number is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted. In the wafer transfer apparatus according to the present invention, a carrier made of a predetermined material, for example, a wafer placed and stored in the first carrier 6, is another carrier made of a material different from that of the first carrier 6. For example, it is used to move to the second carrier 7 for storage.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a first embodiment of a wafer transfer apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the wafer transfer apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment includes a base 1, a height adjusting unit 4, and a push unit 5.
The base 1 has a substantially flat mounting surface 10, and the first carrier 6 and the second carrier 7 are mounted in a predetermined position on the same plane, for example. The second carrier 7 is arranged on the mounting surface 10 so as to be aligned in a straight line along the transfer direction X which is the direction along the transfer direction of the wafer from the first carrier 6 to the second carrier 7. Has been. The base 1 is provided with a first localization part 12 that positions and arranges the first carrier 6 on the mounting surface 10 and a second localization part 13 that positions and arranges the second carrier 7. .

  In this example, the first carrier 6 has a first frame body in which a first storage space 60 for holding and storing a plurality of wafers is formed so that the wafers are stacked and stored with the surface of the wafer level. . The inner surface of the first frame opposite to both sides in the transfer direction X on the first storage space 60 side is arranged in parallel with the transfer direction X at the same first groove pitch interval. A plurality of first receiving grooves 61 each extending in the transfer direction X are provided. The first carrier 6 has a first inlet 62 for taking the wafer 8 into the first storage space 60 on one end side (left side in FIG. 1) in the transfer direction X, and the transfer direction of the first carrier 6. A first outlet 63 for taking out the wafer 8 from the first storage space 60 is provided on the other end side of X (the right side in FIG. 1).

  The second carrier 7 has a second frame body in which a second storage space 70 (see FIG. 2) for holding and storing a plurality of wafers is formed so that the wafers are stacked and stored in a state where the surface of the wafer is horizontal. The inner surface of the second frame opposite to both sides in the transfer direction X on the second storage space 70 side is perpendicular to the transfer direction X with the same second groove pitch interval. A plurality of second receiving grooves 71 are provided which are parallel to each other and are each extended in the transfer direction X. A second inlet 72 for taking the wafer 8 taken out from the first storage space 60 corresponding to the first outlet 63 into the second storage space 70 side at one end side in the transfer direction X of the second carrier 7. Is forming.

  The number of the second accommodation grooves 71 may be the same as the number of the first accommodation grooves 61, but preferably more than the number of the first accommodation grooves 61. As an example, the second groove pitch interval may be half of the first groove pitch interval, and there may be 25 first receiving grooves 61 and 50 second receiving grooves 71. Not limited.

Here, the first carrier 6 is a storage cassette made of, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene (registered trademark name: Teflon). The second carrier 7 is, for example, a quartz wafer boat.
Further, each of the first carrier 6 and the second carrier 7 is configured to place and receive a plurality of wafers at a predetermined pitch interval in a state where the surface of the wafer is horizontal.

  In this example, the first localization portion 12 of the base 1 is attached to the mounting surface 10 of the base 1, and the first carrier 6 is positioned by the cradle 121 on which the first carrier 6 is mounted and the cradle 121. In order to define the stereotaxic grooves 123 to be accommodated, they are formed parallel to each other in the transfer direction X, and risen perpendicularly to the transfer direction X from the cradle 121 and extended along the transfer direction X. Two support plates 122 and 122 are provided. The cradle 121 has a front end 12 a on one end side in the transfer direction X and a rear end 12 b on the other end side in the transfer direction X.

  The second localization unit 13 positions and places the second carrier 7 and is disposed on the other end side in the transfer direction X of the base 1. In this example, the second localization unit 13 supports the second carrier 7. A stand 131 is provided. The support 131 moves the mounting portion 1311 mounted on the upper surface on the mounting surface 10 side so as to place the second carrier 7 and the mounting portion 1311 so that the position of the second carrier 7 does not shift. It is a plate body that is connected to the rear end of the direction X and includes a fastening portion 1312 that protrudes vertically from the rear end of the mounting portion 1311 and has a substantially L shape. The mounting portion 1311 is formed with a receiving port 1313 that is recessed from the upper surface of the mounting portion 1311 so as to receive and position the second carrier 7.

The wafer transfer apparatus 100 according to the present invention is further used to transfer the wafer 8 from the first carrier 6 to the second carrier 7 between the first localization unit 12 and the second localization unit 13. A transfer unit 3 is provided.
In this example, the transfer unit 3 is provided in the accommodation port 1313 so as to connect the first carrier 6 and the second carrier 7, and from the first carrier 6 side toward the second carrier 7 side. It has a housing that defines a hole 30 through which the wafer passes along the transfer direction X. The housing is provided with two side walls 31, 31 that stand up on both sides in the accommodation port 1313, an upper wall 32 that is provided so as to cover the two side walls 31, 31, and the upper wall 32. And a bottom wall 33 (see FIG. 2) provided in the accommodation port 1313 and connected to the two side walls 31. The two side walls 31, 31 are extended in the transfer direction X corresponding to the plurality of second receiving grooves 71 on the inner surfaces facing the transfer direction X on the side of the respective holes 30. A plurality of guide grooves 310 arranged in the vertical direction Y at the same second groove pitch interval as the two receiving grooves 71 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer unit 3 includes a front third inlet 301 and a rear third outlet 302 in the hole 30. The first carrier 6 is disposed adjacent to the third inlet 301 and in front of the transfer unit 3 in the transfer direction X, and the second carrier 7 is fixed so that a part of the second carrier 7 is sandwiched between the side walls 31 and 31. And the other part is disposed in the third outlet 302 so as to be exposed from the third outlet 302. Note that the number of the guide grooves 310 may be the same as the number of the second accommodation grooves 71, for example, 50.

  The height adjusting means 4 adjusts the first carrier 6 so that the height position of the first carrier 6 with respect to the mounting surface 10 is shifted to the first height position and the second height position. 6 is mounted so as to be localized at a first height position (for example, see FIG. 2) close to the placement surface 10 and a second height position (for example, see FIG. 3) higher than the first height position. In addition, the first carrier 6 is provided in the first localization unit 12 so as to be vertically movable perpendicular to the transfer direction X. The height adjusting means 4 includes a first spacer 401 and a first spacer 401 that are detachably disposed in the localization groove 123 of the first localization unit 12 so as to adjust the height in the vertical direction Y perpendicular to the transfer direction X. 2 spacers 402. The first spacer 401 or the second spacer 402 is disposed in the localization groove 123 so as to mount the first carrier 6. In this example, the first spacer 401 or the second spacer 402 is interposed between the first spacer 401 or the second spacer 402 and the first carrier 6 disposed in the stereotaxic groove 123. For example, a long support member 124 that holds the first carrier 6 stably and holds the first carrier 6 is provided on both sides of the first carrier 6 in the localization groove 123.

  The first spacer 401 and the second spacer 402 are flat members each having a substantially uniform thickness. In this example, the thickness H1 (FIG. 2) of the first spacer 401 is the second thickness. The spacer 402 is thinner than the thickness H2 (FIG. 3), that is, H1 <H2. By selecting one of the first spacer 401 and the second spacer 402 and attaching it to the localization groove 123 of the first localization section 12, the first carrier 6 is moved to the first height position. Or it can adjust so that it may be located in the 2nd height position. In other words, by using the first spacer 401, the first carrier 6 can be adjusted to be positioned at a lower first height position, while the first spacer 401 is thicker than the first spacer 401. By using the second spacer 402, the first carrier 6 can be adjusted to be placed at a higher second height position. The first spacer 401 or the second spacer 402 is not limited in the order in which the first spacer 401 or the second spacer 402 is arranged in the stereotaxic groove 123, and either the first spacer 401 or the second spacer 402 depends on the height of the wafer stored in the first carrier 6 or second carrier 7. A spacer may be attached to the stereotaxic groove 123.

  When the first carrier 6 is placed at the first height position, the plurality of first accommodation grooves 61 of the first carrier 6 are formed in the plurality of second accommodation grooves 71 via the guide grooves 310. It corresponds so that it may become a straight line along the transfer direction X together with a part. In addition, when the first carrier 6 is placed at the second height position, the plurality of first accommodation grooves 61 of the first carrier 6 are provided with the plurality of second accommodation grooves via the guide grooves 310. It corresponds so that it may become a straight line along the transfer direction X together with the other part of 71. Specifically, when the first carrier 6 is placed at the first height position, as shown in FIG. 2, all of the plurality of first receiving grooves 61 of the first carrier 6 are Corresponding to a part of the second receiving groove 71, for example, the second receiving groove 71 of each even number from the top. On the other hand, when the first carrier 6 is placed at the second height position, as shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of first receiving grooves 61 of the first carrier 6 are all in the second height. It corresponds to the other part of the accommodation groove 71, for example, the second accommodation groove 71 of each odd number counted from above. In this example, the number of guide grooves 310 is the same as the number of second accommodation grooves 71.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the push means 5 is a first localization portion in the base 1 so as to move the wafer from the first accommodation groove 61 to the corresponding second accommodation groove 71. 12 in a transfer direction X so that the wafer can be moved from a standby position away from 12 (that is, the height adjusting means 4) to a transfer position where the wafer is stored in the second storage groove 71 via a contact position in contact with the wafer. Parallel to the base 1 in the push direction P (see FIG. 5) that is parallel and proceeds from one end (front end 12a) side to the other end (rear end 12b) side in the transfer direction X of the base 1. It is provided in front of the front end 12a of the first localization part 12 so as to be slidable along the transfer direction X. In this example, the push means 5 is transferred to the mounting surface 10 of the base 1 and moved in the longitudinal direction along the transfer direction X. The push means 5 is moved back and forth in the transfer direction X to the guide groove 501. A pair of sliders 502 that can be provided, a pair of holding members 51, 51 provided on the mounting surface 10 so as to hold the sliders 502 therebetween, and a pair of sliders 502 on one end side in the transfer direction X on the upper side of the sliders 502. An operation member 53 provided so as to be sandwiched between the holding members 51, 51, and the other end side in the transfer direction X are connected to the operation member 53 on the upper side of the slider 502 to connect the pair of holding members 51, 51. And a pressing member 52 provided so as to be sandwiched therebetween.

Each of the pair of holding members 51 and 51 is a plate body that rises at right angles to the mounting surface 10 of the base 1 and extends in the longitudinal direction at intervals corresponding to the slider 502 on both sides of the guide groove 501.
The operation member 53 is sandwiched between a pair of holding members 51, 51, a part of which is operably operated from the outside and protrudes to the front side in the transfer direction X, and the other part is a pair of holding members as partitions. It is an L-shaped plate provided so as to be held between 51 and 51.
The pressing member 52 is sandwiched between the pair of holding members 51, 51, a part of which is sandwiched between the pair of holding members 51, 51, and the other part is the first localization portion in the transfer direction X. 12 is a plate that is projected toward 12 and stretched so as to spread in one plane.

  In the push means 5, the guide groove 501 and the slider 502 are configured as a sliding guide portion of the push member 52, and the pair of holding members 51 and 51 and the operation member 53 are configured as a link drive portion of the push member 52. Since the pressing member 52 is configured as a wafer pressing portion, when the pressing member 52 is driven in conjunction with the link driving portion and is moved while being guided through the sliding guide portion, the first receiving groove 61 is provided. Can be pushed toward the second receiving groove 71 via the guide groove 310. Therefore, the wafer 8 accommodated in the first carrier 6 can be transferred to the second carrier 7.

  The operation and action of the wafer transfer apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described. First, the first spacer 401 is attached in the localization groove 123 of the first localization unit 12. The first carrier 6 is mounted at the first height position. While the wafer 8 is pushed out from the first receiving groove 61 of the first carrier 6 mounted at the first height position by the movement of the push means 5 in the push direction P, the corresponding part of the second carrier 7 is pushed out. Move to the receiving groove 71. At this time, since the transfer unit 3 is provided between the first carrier 6 and the second carrier 7, the wafer 8 is received in the guide groove 310 of the transfer unit 3 while being pushed out of the first carrier 6. As a result, there is no fear that the moving wafer 8 falls between the first carrier 6 and the second carrier 7, and the wafer is stabilized via the guide groove 310 and the corresponding receiving groove of the second carrier 7. 71. Then, after the wafers 8 are collectively transferred to the second carrier 7, the push means 5 is operated so as to return to the standby position in the return direction D opposite to the push direction P.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the second spacer 402 is replaced with the first spacer 401 and attached in the localization groove 123 of the first localization unit 12. The second carrier 6 is adjusted to be positioned higher by the second spacer 402. While the wafer 8 is pushed out from the first receiving groove 61 of the first carrier 6 mounted at the second height position by the movement of the push means 5 in the push direction P, the second carrier 7 is passed through the guide groove 310. It moves to the receiving groove 71 of the other corresponding part. After the wafers 8 are collectively transferred to the second carrier 7, the push means 5 is operated to return to the standby position in the return direction D again.

  In this way, the wafer 8 is collectively transferred to the second carrier 7 by the push operation by the push means 5. When the wafer 8 is stored in all the second storage grooves 71, the second carrier 7 full of the wafer 8 is replaced with an empty second carrier 7. In this way, the wafer 8 can be successfully transferred between wafer carriers made of different materials in order to perform different semiconductor processing processes. Therefore, the manufacturing time of the semiconductor manufacturing process can be greatly shortened, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In addition, since a plurality of wafers can be stably and collectively transferred between wafer carriers having different groove pitches by a simple height adjustment operation, the manufacturing time of the semiconductor manufacturing process can be shortened. Further, when the wafer is moved from the first carrier 6 to the second carrier 7, the wafer is stably held by the transfer unit 3 provided between the first carrier 6 and the second carrier 7. In this way, it is guided and moved from the first carrier 6 to the second carrier 7. As a result, there is no fear that the wafer is damaged during the wafer transfer movement due to the wafer being distorted or unexpectedly dropped.

(Wafer Transfer Method Using Wafer Transfer Apparatus of First Embodiment)
A method for transferring a wafer using the wafer transfer apparatus 100 of the first embodiment will be described. The wafer transfer method according to this example is used to transfer the wafer 8 placed and accommodated in the first carrier 6 to the second carrier 7, and as shown in FIG. The first pressing step S12, the carrier replacing step S13, the height adjusting step S14, and the second pressing step S15 are included. Further, in the wafer transfer apparatus 100, the push means 5, the receiving table 121 and the support table 131 are arranged in advance on the mounting surface 10 of the base 1 from one end side (front side) to the other end side (rear side) in the transfer direction X. Are arranged in a straight line, the first carrier 6 is disposed on the cradle 121, and the second carrier 7 is disposed on the support base 131. The first carrier 6 and the second carrier 7 are arranged at a predetermined interval, and the push means 5 and the cradle 121 are provided so as to have a predetermined interval along the transfer direction X. The stand 121 and the support stand 131 are connected.

  In the mounting step S11, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, the first carrier 6 is adjusted in advance by the height adjusting means 4 so as to be moved to the first height position. The first spacer 401 of the height adjusting means 4 is arranged in the localization groove 123. The empty second carrier 7 is connected to the rear side in the hole 30 of the transfer unit 3 at the support base 131, and the first carrier 6 on which the plurality of wafers 8 are placed and accommodated is the height adjusting means 4. The transfer unit 3 is mounted on the first spacer 401 and attached to the accommodation port 1313 of the support base 131 between the first carrier 6 and the second carrier 7. At this time, since the first carrier 6 is mounted at the first height position by the first spacer 401, all of the plurality of first accommodation grooves 61 are part of the plurality of second accommodation grooves 71. The height of the first carrier 6 is adjusted so as to correspond to a straight line along the transfer direction X. When the first carrier 6 is placed at the first height position, all of the plurality of first accommodation grooves 61 of the first carrier 6 are even numbers counted from above the second accommodation groove 71. This corresponds to the second receiving groove 71 of the book.

  In the first pressing step S12, for example, as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 8, for example, when the operating member 53 is manually pressed, the pressing member 52 is interlocked and moved in the push direction P from the standby position. It is slid toward the carrier 6. The pressing member 52 contacts the wafer 8 placed and accommodated on the first carrier 6 at the contact position while passing through the first inlet 62 of the first carrier 6. Then, the pushing member 52 that has been moved in the push direction P continues to push toward the second carrier 7 while pushing the wafer 8, so that the corresponding guide groove 310 is moved while the wafer 8 is moved in the first receiving groove 61. And is moved and accommodated in a part of the corresponding second accommodation groove 71. When the wafer 8 is accommodated in the corresponding second accommodating groove 71, the operation member 53 is manually pulled, for example, to move the push means 5 to the push direction P and wait in the return direction D opposite to the direction X. Pull back to the position (Fig. 4) side.

  In the carrier replacement step S <b> 13, the first carrier 6 that is already empty is removed from the first spacer 401. Then, another first carrier 6 on which the wafer 8 is mounted and stored is prepared.

  In the height adjustment step S <b> 14, the first spacer 401 is removed, and instead the second spacer 402 is disposed in the localization groove 123. Further, another first carrier 6 on which the wafer 8 is placed and accommodated is placed on the second spacer 402. At this time, the height of the other first carrier 6 is adjusted by the second spacer 402 so as to be positioned at the second height position. This corresponds to a straight line along the transfer direction X with the other part of the second receiving groove 71. When another first carrier 6 is placed at the second height position, all of the plurality of first accommodation grooves 61 of the other first carrier 6 are above the second accommodation groove 71. Are aligned corresponding to the second receiving grooves 71 of the odd-numbered ones.

  In the second pressing step S15, for example, as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 10, when the operating member 53 is pressed again, the pressing member 52 is interlocked to move from the standby position along the push direction P. It is slid toward one carrier 6. The pressing member 52 presses the wafer 8 placed and accommodated in the other first carrier 6 while passing through the first inlet 62 of the other first carrier 6 positioned at the second height position. The wafer 8 is moved and accommodated in the other part of the corresponding second accommodating groove 71 through the corresponding guide groove 310 while being moved in the first accommodating groove 61 by the pressing of the pressing member 52.

  By the wafer transfer method described above, for example, the wafer 8 placed and accommodated in two first carriers 6 which are Teflon cassettes each containing 25 sheets is converted into a second carrier which is one quartz board containing 50 sheets. 7 can be transferred.

(Second embodiment)
Next, FIGS. 11 and 12 show the configuration of a second embodiment of the wafer transfer apparatus according to the present invention. In the second embodiment, components having substantially the same configuration and function as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
The wafer transfer apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the height adjusting means 4A and the push means 5A. In the first embodiment, the height adjusting means 4, the transfer unit 3, the push means 5, the first carrier 6, the second carrier 7, etc. are directly arranged on the mounting surface 10 with respect to the base 1. However, in the second embodiment, the height adjusting means 4A, the transfer unit 3A, the push means 5A, the first carrier 6A, the second carrier 7A, etc. are predetermined from the mounting surface 10 of the base 1. They are arranged at a height interval.

  The first carrier 6A is a quartz wafer boat, for example, and the second carrier 7A is a storage cassette made of, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene (registered trademark name: Teflon), both of which horizontally level the wafer surface. In this state, a plurality of wafers are placed and accommodated at a predetermined pitch interval. In this example, the number of the first accommodation grooves 61 of the first carrier 6A is an even number, which is twice that of the second accommodation grooves 71 of the second carrier 7A. As an example, the first groove pitch 61 of the first housing groove 61 is narrowed by twice the second groove pitch space of the second housing groove 71, and there are 50 first housing grooves 61, However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  The base 1 has a standing wall 11 formed so as to rise with respect to the placement surface 10 and to extend along the transfer direction X. The standing wall 11 is disposed so as to be inclined upward from the front side to the back side where the first carrier 6A, the second carrier 7A, the push unit 5A, the height adjusting means 4A, and the like are mounted and disposed with respect to the mounting surface 10. (See FIGS. 19 and 21), and has a front surface portion 111 and a back surface portion 112 opposite to the surface portion 111.

  The push means 5A is arranged on one end side in the transfer direction X of the standing wall 11, and the second positioning part 13 is positioned on the other end side in the transfer direction X of the standing wall 11 so as to position and arrange the second carrier 7A. The first localization part 12 is arranged between the push means 5A and the second carrier 7A so as to position and arrange the first carrier 6A. Specifically, the first localization part 12 has a front end 12a on one end side in the transfer direction X and a rear end 12b on the other end side in the transfer direction X, which are opposite to each other. On the one end side in the transfer direction X on the front end 12a side of the first localization part 12, the second carrier 7A is arranged on the second localization part 13 on the rear end 12b side of the first localization part 12, respectively. Yes.

The first localization portion 12 has a receiving base 121 that protrudes perpendicularly to the surface portion 111 of the standing wall 11, and in a vertical direction Y perpendicular to the transfer direction X with respect to the surface portion 111 of the standing wall 11. Two rail members 124 and 125 extending vertically in the vertical direction are provided so as to be parallel to each other with an interval in the transfer direction X. A fixing plate 126 for positioning the two rail members 124 and 125 on the standing wall 11 and fastening them with screws, for example, is provided in the vicinity of the mounting surface 10. In addition, the first carrier 6 </ b> A and the lifting / lowering unit 41 are mounted on the cradle 121.
The second localization unit 13 includes a support base 131 that protrudes perpendicularly to the surface portion 111 of the standing wall 11 so as to mount the second carrier 7A.

The height adjusting means 4A adjusts the first carrier 6A so that the first carrier 6A is shifted to the first height position and the second height position with respect to the placement surface 10. It is mounted on the surface portion 111 of the standing wall 11 so that it can be moved up and down. The second height position is higher than the first height position with respect to the placement surface 10. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the height adjusting means 4 </ b> A includes an elevating part 41 provided on the surface part 111 of the standing wall 11 so as to be vertically movable with respect to the mounting surface 10, and an elevating part 41. A driving unit 42 is provided on the front side of the elevating unit 41 so as to be driven and connected to the elevating unit 41 via a fixed plate 126. In this example, the first carrier 6A of the first carrier 6A can be accommodated to the second housing groove 71 of the second carrier 7A so that the first carrier 6A can be moved up and down in conjunction with the elevating part 41. Is done.
The fixing plate 126 is formed with a mounting hole 1260 at the substantially central portion thereof for connecting the driving unit 42 to the elevating unit 41.

  The elevating part 41 has, for example, a plate-like sliding member 44 that is connected and arranged between the two rail members 124 and 125 so as to be slidable up and down along the two rail members 124 and 125. As shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the sliding member 44 corresponds to the drive unit 42, and is moved by the concave surface 442 formed to be recessed from the plate surface of the sliding member 44. A mounting hole 441 defined to surround the first axis along the first axial direction L1 perpendicular to Y is provided. The concave surface 442 has an inner upper end surface 442a and an inner lower end surface 442b which are vertically opposed to each other. A bearing member 49 having a central shaft hole is mounted in the mounting hole 441 so as to be in contact with the inner upper end surface 442a and the inner lower end surface 442b.

  The drive unit 42 raises and lowers the elevating unit 41 so that the first carrier 6A is adjusted to the first height position and the second height position along the vertical direction Y in conjunction with the movement of the elevating unit 41. It connects with the raising / lowering part 41 so that a drive is possible. As shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the drive unit 42 protrudes from the front side, which is the side away from the base 1 of the sliding member 44, in this embodiment from the fixed plate 126, and to the front side. The rotating member 47 formed in a circle around the second axis along the second axial direction L2 parallel to the direction L1 and shifted up and down, and the rotating member 47 extended so as to extend along the second axial direction L2 A first rotating rod 46 provided so as to be inserted coaxially and a second rotating rod 46 provided so as to be connected in parallel with the first rotating rod 46 so as to extend along the first axial direction L1. A rotating rod 48, and are arranged on the back side of the fixed plate 126 and the fixed plate 126 via the bearing members 431, 432, 49, and through the holding plate 43 on which the bearing members 431, 432 are installed, to the sliding member 44. It is connected.

  The rotating member 47 is provided with a mounting hole 470 defined around the second axis for mounting the first rotating rod 46, and the height of the first carrier 6A is adjusted to the front side thereof. A display scale 471 is provided as an indicating member indicating that the above is true. The display scale 471 may be provided so as to indicate the height position of the first carrier 6 </ b> A. For example, the display scale 471 is formed in a groove shape so as to be recessed from the surface of the rotating member 47. It may be formed in a rib shape protruding from the surface, and is not limited to the display format. For example, as shown in FIG. 20, when the rotation member 47 is rotated so that the display scale 471 points to one end side of the transfer direction X, that is, the front end 12a side, the first carrier 6A is adjusted to a lower first height position. On the other hand, for example, as shown in FIG. 18, the rotating member is arranged so that the display scale 471 points to the other end side of the transfer direction X, that is, the rear end 12b side (FIG. 18, right side). When 47 is turned, the first carrier 6A is adjusted to a higher second height position.

  The first rotating rod 46 has one end 461 connected to the rotating member 47, the other end 462 connected to the second rotating rod 48 so as to be rotatably connected to the fixed plate 126, and one end. Between the part 461 and the other end part 462, a contact part 463 formed with a larger diameter than the one end part 461 and the other end part 462 is provided. The one end portion 461 is provided with locking recesses 464 and 464 that are opposed to the second axial direction L2 in the outer peripheral surface of the one end portion 461, and is rotatable so as to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating member 47. 47. Further, the first end 461 is provided with a first shaft hole 4610 extending along the second axial direction L2, and the other end 462 is spatially communicated with the first shaft hole 4610. A second axial hole 4620 extending along the axial direction L1 is formed.

  The second rotating rod 48 includes a first end 481 inserted and connected to the other end 462 of the first rotating rod 46, and a second end rotatably connected to the sliding member 44. And a protrusion 483 formed between the first end 481 and the second end 482 and having a larger diameter than the first end 481 and the second end 482. A connecting pin 484 that penetrates the protrusion 483 in parallel with the first axial direction L1 (second axial direction L2) is provided so that the first rotating rod 46 and the second rotating rod 48 are connected. It has been.

  The transfer unit 3 </ b> A is connected to the first carrier 6 </ b> A between the first carrier 6 </ b> A and the second carrier 7 </ b> A so as to be interlocked with the raising / lowering of the first carrier 6 </ b> A and is provided in the lifting / lowering unit 41. As in the first embodiment, the transfer unit 3A stands upright with respect to the mounting surface 10 and has a predetermined interval that defines the holes 30 through which the wafer passes on both sides of the transfer direction X. Two side walls 31 and 31 are provided so as to be arranged in parallel, and the two side walls 31 and 31 are provided on the inner side surface facing the transfer direction X on the side of the respective holes 30 on the plurality of first side walls. A plurality of guide grooves 310 extending in the transfer direction X corresponding to the receiving grooves 61 and arranged in the vertical direction Y at the same first groove pitch interval as the first receiving grooves 61 are provided. . Note that the number of the guide grooves 310 may be the same as the number of the first accommodation grooves 61, for example, 50.

  Similarly to the first embodiment, the transfer unit 3A has a front third inlet 301 and a rear third outlet 302 in the hole 30 as shown in FIG. Of the first carrier 6A so that the inlet 301 is adjacent to the first outlet 63 of the first carrier 6A and the third outlet 302 is adjacent to the second inlet 72 of the second carrier 7A. It arrange | positions so that interlocking | linkage with the raising / lowering part 41 of 4 A of adjustment means is possible.

  In the height adjusting means 4A, when the turning member 47 is rotated, the elevating part 41 moves up and down in conjunction with each other. As shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, when the turning member 47 is turned so that the display scale 471 of the turning member 47 points to the other end side (FIG. 18, right side) along the axial direction, The rotary rod 46 and the second rotary rod 48 are rotated in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating member 47, and the position of the first axis in the first axial direction L1 is the position of the second axis in the second axial direction L2. That is, the sliding member 44 is lowered, and the first carrier 6A is moved together with the transfer unit 3A so as to be adjusted to the first height position. In this way, a part of the first accommodation groove 61, for example, each odd-numbered first accommodation groove 61 counted from above, each of the odd-numbered guide grooves 310 counted from above the guide groove 310 of the transfer unit 3A, and All the second accommodation grooves 71 correspond to each other.

  20 and 21, the turning member 47 is rotated 180 degrees counterclockwise, for example, so that the display scale 471 of the turning member 47 points to one end side (left side in FIG. 20) along the axial direction. In this case, the first rotating rod 46 and the second rotating rod 48 are rotated in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating member 47, and the position of the first axis in the first axial direction L1 by the first axis is in the second axial direction L2. It becomes higher than the position by the second axis. That is, the sliding member 44 is lifted and moved so that the second carrier 6A is adjusted to the second height position together with the transfer unit 3A. In this way, other parts of the first receiving groove 61, for example, the even numbered first receiving grooves 61 counted from the top are the even numbered guide grooves 310 counted from above the guide grooves 310 of the transfer unit 3A, and All the second accommodation grooves 71 correspond to each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the push means 5A is provided in the base 1 so as to move the wafer from the first accommodation groove 61 to the corresponding second accommodation groove 71, as in the first embodiment. It is parallel to the transfer direction X so that the wafer can be moved from the standby position away from the first localization unit 12 to the transfer position where the wafer is stored in the second storage groove 71 via the contact position where the wafer contacts the wafer. The surface portion of the upright wall 11 is slidable along the transfer direction X in the push direction P, which is a direction that advances from one end (front end 12a) side to the other end (rear end 12b) side in the transfer direction X of the base 1. 111 is provided. In this example, the push means 5A is provided on the standing wall 11 so that two guide grooves 501 arranged in parallel with the transfer direction X are extended in the transfer direction X. Two rail members 504 parallel to the guide groove 501 are provided on the back surface portion 112 of the standing wall 11, and the two rail members 504 are each provided with a rail groove 505. A slider 502 is mounted in the guide groove 501 and the rail groove 505 so as to be able to reciprocate. A holding member 51 protrudes from the guide groove 501 so as to be connected between the slider 502 and the operation member 53. Further, the operation member 53 is provided with a plurality of push members 52 extended so as to protrude from the other end side in the transfer direction X at intervals corresponding to the second groove pitch. The push member 52 has an extended end 521 that extends through a localization hole 541 provided in the localization plate 54 so as to be always held by the localization plate 54 provided in the first localization unit 12. In this example, the number of the push members 52 and the number of the localization holes 541 are the same as the number of the second accommodation grooves 71 of the second carrier 7A, for example, 25.

  The extending end 521 of the push member 52 is provided with a holding recess 5210 that is cut from the end face to hold the wafer. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the holding recess 5210 has a V-shaped cross section, for example, having a diameter increasing from one end side to the other end side in the transfer direction X. Thus, the wafer can be stably transferred from the first receiving groove 61 to the second receiving groove 71 via the guide groove 310 by holding the wafer in the holding recess 5210 of the pressing member 52.

  In the wafer transfer apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment configured as described above, the push means 5A is stably supported by the stereotaxic plate 54 instead of the pressing member 52 formed of a plate-like member. Each of the wafers can be held and stably transferred from the first carrier 6A to the second carrier 7A using a plurality of pushing members 52, so that the wafer is distorted during the wafer transfer movement. There is no need to worry about falling unexpectedly. Even when the wafer is moved from the first carrier 6A to the second carrier 7A, the wafer is stably held by the transfer unit 3A provided between the first carrier 6A and the second carrier 7A. Since it can be guided and moved from the first carrier 6A to the second carrier 7A, there is no fear that the wafer is distorted or unexpectedly dropped and damaged.

(Wafer Transfer Method by Wafer Transfer Device of Second Embodiment)
A method for transferring a wafer using the wafer transfer apparatus 200 of the second embodiment will be described. This wafer transfer method is similar to the wafer transfer method in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22, the mounting step S21, the first pressing step S22, the carrier replacement step S23, the height An adjustment step S24 and a second pressing step S25 are included.

  In the mounting step S21, referring to FIG. 11, the first carrier 6A and the transfer unit 3A are received together with the elevating unit 41 so that the first outlet 63 and the third inlet 301 are adjacent to each other. Arranged on the base 121. The second carrier 7A is mounted on the support base 131 of the second localization unit 13. Here, the first carrier 6 </ b> A and the transfer unit 3 </ b> A are positioned at the first height position, and the odd-numbered first receiving grooves 61 and the odd-numbered guide grooves 310 are respectively connected to the pressing members 52. It corresponds to the second accommodation groove 72 of the second carrier 7A. At this time, as shown in FIG. 18, the display scale 471 points to the right side of the drawing.

  In the first pressing step S22, for example, as shown in FIG. 18, when the operating member 53 is pushed and slid by manual or motor driving, the pushing member 52 is interlocked to move from the standby position in the push direction P. It is slid toward the first carrier 6A. While the pressing member 52 is held by the positioning plate 54 and passes through the first inlet 62 of the first carrier 6A, it comes into contact with a part of the wafer 8 placed and accommodated on the first carrier 6A at the contact position ( FIG. 18). A part of the first accommodation groove 61, for example, each odd-numbered first accommodation groove 61 counted from above, each odd-numbered guide groove 310 and second accommodation counted from above the guide groove 310 of the transfer unit 3A. It corresponds to all the grooves 71. Then, the pressing member 52 is further moved to push the wafer 8 and advance toward the second carrier 7A, so that the wafer 8 is moved in the first receiving groove 61 and correspondingly passed through the corresponding guide groove 310. It is moved and accommodated in the second accommodation groove 71 (FIG. 23). After the wafer 8 is accommodated in the corresponding second accommodating groove 71, for example, the push means 5A is pulled back in the return direction D to the standby position (FIG. 11) side.

  In the carrier replacement step S23, the second carrier 7A full of the wafers 8 is removed from the support base 131, and another empty second carrier 7A is disposed.

  In the height adjusting step S24, when the turning member 47 is turned so that the display scale 471 points to one end side in the transfer direction X (left side in FIG. 20), the rotation of the turning member 47 causes the first rotating rod 46 to rotate. The second rotating rod 48 and the bearing member 49 move in conjunction with each other to raise the elevating part 41 so that the first carrier 6A is raised to a second height position higher than the first height position. The thickness is adjusted (FIGS. 20 and 21). In this way, other portions of the first receiving groove 61, for example, the first receiving grooves 61 of the even-numbered ones counted from above are the guide grooves 310 and the second receiving of the even-numbered first counting grooves 61 counted from the top of the guide grooves 310 of the transfer unit 3A. It corresponds to all the grooves 71.

  In the second pressing step S25, the operating member 53 is pressed again and slid, and the pressing member 52 is slid in the push direction P from the standby position toward the first carrier 6A. The pressing member 52 is in contact with the remaining wafer 8 placed and accommodated on the first carrier 6A at the contact position while passing through the first inlet 62 of the first carrier 6A while being held by the positioning plate 54 (FIG. 20). A part of the first accommodation groove 61, for example, the first accommodation groove 61 of each even-numbered one from the top, each of the even-numbered guide grooves 310 and the second accommodation counted from the top of the guide groove 310 of the transfer unit 3A. It corresponds to all the grooves 71. Then, the pressing member 52 is further moved to push the wafer 8 and advance toward the second carrier 7A, so that the wafer 8 is moved in the first receiving groove 61 and correspondingly passed through the corresponding guide groove 310. It is moved and accommodated in the second accommodation groove 71 (FIG. 24). After the wafer 8 is accommodated in the corresponding second accommodating groove 71, for example, the push means 5A is pulled back in the return direction D to the standby position (FIG. 11) side.

  By the wafer transfer method described above, for example, the wafer 8 placed and accommodated on the first carrier 6A which is one quartz board containing 50 sheets is transferred to the second carrier 7A which is two Teflon cassettes containing 25 sheets. Can be transferred to.

  In this example, the push means 5A is arranged in front of the front end 12a of the first localization part 12, that is, on one end side in the transfer direction X. However, as another example, the push means 5A is behind the second localization part 13, that is, in the transfer direction. You may arrange | position to the other end side of X. In this way, an effect similar to that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  As already described, in a series of semiconductor manufacturing processes, wafer storage members made of different materials must be used according to different process temperatures and times depending on the process. For example, when performing a sintering process in a semiconductor manufacturing process, for example, a Teflon wafer carrier containing 25 sheets is transported before the sintering process, but in order to perform the sintering process efficiently, It is necessary to transfer the wafer from the manufactured wafer carrier to a boat-shaped wafer carrier containing 50 sheets made of quartz or the like having high heat resistance. Therefore, the wafer transfer apparatus according to the present invention having the above-described configuration can smoothly transfer wafers even when used between wafer carriers having different capacities. Can be aimed at. Since the difference between the first height position and the second height position is, for example, one groove pitch value of a wafer carrier containing 50 sheets, the mechanism for vertically adjusting the height of the wafer carrier is simple. The overall configuration of the apparatus can be made compact, and the height adjustment operation can be performed quickly and without any trouble. Therefore, manufacturing efficiency is good.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. In addition, each embodiment can be implemented in any combination within a consistent range.

100, 200 Wafer transfer device, 1 base, 10 mounting surface, 11 standing wall, 111 front surface portion, 112 back surface portion, 12 first localization portion, 121 cradle, 122 support plate, 123 localization groove, 124 support member, 124, 125 Rail member, 126 Fixing plate, 1260 Mounting hole, 12a Front end, 12b Rear end, 13 Second positioning part, 131 Support base, 1311 Mounting part, 1312 Fastening part, 1313 Storage port, 3 Transfer unit, 30 holes , 301 Third inlet, 302 Third outlet, 31 Side wall, 310 Guide groove, 32 Top wall, 33 Bottom wall, 4, 4A Height adjusting means, 401 First spacer, 402 Second spacer, 41 Lifting Part, 42 drive part, 43 holding plate, 431, 432 bearing member, 44 sliding member, 4 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mounting hole, 442 Concave surface, 442a Inner upper end surface, 442b Inner lower end surface, 46 First rotary rod, 461 One end, 4610 First shaft hole, 462 Other end, 4620 Second shaft hole, 463 464 Locking recess, 47 turning member, 470 mounting hole, 471 display scale, 48 second rotary rod, 481 first end, 482 second end, 483 protrusion, 484 connecting pin, 49 bearing member 5,5A push means, 501 guide groove, 502 slider, 504 rail member, 505 rail groove, 51 holding member, 52 push member, 521 extended end, 5210 holding recess, 53 operation member, 54 positioning plate, 541 positioning hole 6, 6A 1st carrier, 60 1st storage space, 61 1st accommodation groove, 62 1st inlet, 63 1st out , 7, 7A second carrier, 70 second storage space, 71 second receiving groove, 72 second inlet, 8 wafer, X transfer direction, Y vertical direction, H1, H2 height (wall thickness) ), L1, L2 First axial direction, D return direction, P push direction.

Claims (16)

A wafer transfer apparatus that is used to transfer the wafer between a first carrier and a second carrier that are made of different materials and have different number of receiving grooves for storing the wafer. And a height adjusting means and a push means,
One of the first carrier and the second carrier has more accommodating grooves than the other of the first carrier and the second carrier,
In the base, along the transfer direction, which is a direction along the transfer direction of the wafer between the carriers, a part of the receiving groove of the one carrier is all the receiving groove of the other carrier. And the one carrier and the other carrier are arranged side by side in the transfer direction so as to correspond to each other in the transfer direction,
The height adjusting means is configured so that the other part excluding the part of the receiving groove of the one carrier corresponds to all the receiving grooves of the other carrier, and the vertical direction perpendicular to the transfer direction is the vertical direction. Arranged on the base to mount the first carrier in an adjustable manner, the position of the first carrier;
The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the push means is provided on the base so as to reciprocate along the transfer direction so as to push the wafer and transfer the wafer. Further, a transfer unit used for guiding and transferring the wafer between the first carrier and the second carrier is sandwiched between the first carrier and the second carrier. Arranged along the transfer direction as
2. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer unit includes a plurality of guide grooves corresponding to the receiving grooves of the one carrier so as to be aligned along the transfer direction. 3. . The first carrier has a first inlet for taking the wafer into the first carrier on one end side in the transfer direction, and an opposite to the first inlet on the other end side in the transfer direction. A first outlet for removing the wafer from the first carrier on a side;
The second carrier is provided with a second inlet for taking in the wafer on one end side in the transfer direction;
The transfer unit is provided on the base so as to be connected to the second carrier, and has a third inlet for receiving the wafer taken out from the first outlet, and a third inlet connected to the second inlet. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: The first carrier has a first inlet for taking the wafer into the first carrier on one end side in the transfer direction, and an opposite to the first inlet on the other end side in the transfer direction. A first outlet for removing the wafer from the first carrier on a side;
The second carrier is provided with a second inlet for taking in the wafer on one end side in the transfer direction;
The transfer unit is provided in the height adjusting device so as to be connected to the first carrier, and is connected to the first outlet so as to receive the wafer taken out from the first outlet. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an inlet and a third outlet on the opposite side of the transfer direction of the third inlet. The height adjusting means adjusts the height so that the first carrier is positioned at a first height position in the vertical direction or a second height position higher than the first height position. As described above, the first spacer and the second spacer having different wall thicknesses, which are detachably disposed on the base,
The first carrier may be adjusted to one spacer of the first spacer and the second spacer so that the height of the first carrier is adjusted to be positioned at the first height position or the second height position. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wafer transfer apparatus is mounted. The height adjusting means includes an elevating part provided on the base so as to be movable up and down with respect to the base, and a driving part connected to the elevating part so as to be able to drive the elevating of the elevating part. And
The first carrier is mounted so as to be able to move up and down in conjunction with the lifting and lowering of the lifting unit so that the height in the vertical direction is adjusted. The wafer transfer apparatus of any one of -4. The elevating part has a sliding member connected to the base so as to be vertically slidable along the vertical direction, and the sliding member is moved by a concave surface formed to be recessed from the sliding member. A mounting hole defined by surrounding a first axis along a first axis direction perpendicular to the changing direction and the up-down direction is provided, and the concave surface has an inner upper end surface and an inner lower end surface facing each other vertically And a bearing member with a central shaft hole is sandwiched and mounted so as to abut on the inner upper end surface and the inner lower end surface, respectively, in the mounting hole,
The drive unit projects to the front side of the sliding member and is formed around a second axis along a second axis direction that is parallel to the first axis direction and deviates up and down, and the second member A first rotating rod provided coaxially with the rotating member so as to extend along the axial direction of the first rotating rod, and parallel to the first rotating rod so as to extend along the first axial direction. And a second rotating rod provided so as to be connected in a shifted manner, wherein the second rotating rod is inserted into the bearing member and connected to the sliding member. 6. The wafer transfer apparatus according to 6.   The push means includes a guide groove formed on the base so as to extend longitudinally along the transfer direction, a slider provided in the guide groove so as to be reciprocally movable in the transfer direction, A holding member connected to the slider so as to hold the slider, an operation member connected between the slider and the holding member on one end side in the transfer direction, and the transfer direction The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a pressing member connected to the operation member on the other end side of the wafer. A plurality of the pressing members are provided so as to protrude from the operation member to the other end side in the transfer direction with an interval corresponding to the number of the receiving grooves of the other carrier.
The push means is further provided with a stereotax plate for holding the plurality of push members on the base,
The stereotaxic plate is provided with a plurality of stereotaxic holes in which stretched end portions that are stretched to the other end side of the transfer member in the transfer direction are respectively held therethrough,
The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the extending end portion is provided with a holding recess that is recessed from an end surface thereof and holds the wafer in between.   The holding recess is formed in a V-shaped cross section so as to increase in diameter from one end side to the other end side in the transfer direction so as to take in and hold the wafer along the transfer direction. 10. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 9, wherein   11. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one carrier is made of a quartz material, and the other carrier is made of polytetrafluoroethylene.   12. The wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the one carrier has 50 accommodation grooves, and the other carrier has 25 accommodation grooves. A wafer transfer method for transferring a wafer between a first carrier and a second carrier using the wafer transfer apparatus according to claim 1,
The push means and the height adjusting means are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other, and are provided on the base along the transfer direction so that the height adjusting means and the second carrier are connected to each other. The first carrier corresponds to the height adjusting means in advance so that a part of the receiving groove of the one carrier is aligned with all the receiving grooves of the other carrier along the transfer direction. An attachment step in which the first carrier is disposed on the height adjustment means to be adjusted to a first height position;
A contact position that is moved toward the first carrier in a push direction for driving the push means to push the wafer from a standby position away from the height adjusting means, and contacts the wafer while passing through the first carrier. In contact with the wafer placed and accommodated in the first carrier, and then the push means advances toward the second carrier while pushing the wafer, thereby moving the wafer to the first carrier in the first carrier. The push means is pushed after the wafer is accommodated in the accommodating groove of the corresponding second carrier after being moved in the accommodating groove of the corresponding second carrier while being moved in the accommodating groove. A first pressing step for pulling back to the standby position side in a return direction opposite to the direction and the transfer direction;
Removing the other carrier from the height adjusting means and attaching another carrier to the base,
The second height position corresponding to the other part of the receiving groove of the one carrier so as to be aligned with all of the receiving grooves of the other carrier along the transfer direction by the height adjusting means. A height adjusting step in which the first carrier is height adjusted by the height adjusting means to be adjusted to
The push means is driven again and moved from the standby position toward the first carrier in the push direction, and is placed on the first carrier at the contact position while passing through the first carrier. In contact with the formed wafer, and then the push means advances toward the second carrier while pushing the wafer, and the second second corresponding to the second carrier while moving in the receiving groove of the first carrier. When the wafer is accommodated in the accommodating groove of the second carrier, the second pressing is performed to pull the push means back to the standby position in the return direction when the wafer is accommodated in the accommodating groove of the corresponding second carrier. And a wafer transfer method comprising the steps of:   In the mounting step, a transfer unit provided with a plurality of guide grooves corresponding to each of the receiving grooves of the one carrier along the transfer direction is further provided between the first carrier and the second carrier. 14. The wafer transfer method according to claim 13, further comprising a sub-step attached to the wafer. The number of the accommodation grooves of the one carrier is half of the number of the accommodation grooves of the other carrier,
The one carrier is the first carrier and the other carrier is the second carrier;
15. In the attachment step, each of the accommodation grooves of the first carrier is arranged so as to correspond to each of the even number of the accommodation grooves of the second carrier. The wafer transfer method as described. The number of the accommodation grooves of the one carrier is twice the accommodation groove of the other carrier,
The one carrier is the first carrier, the other carrier is the second carrier,
15. In the attachment step, the odd-numbered accommodation grooves of the first carrier are arranged so as to correspond to the accommodation grooves of the second carrier, respectively. The wafer transfer method as described.

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