JP5226443B2 - Semiconductor wafer transfer hand - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer transfer hand for transferring a semiconductor wafer.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a semiconductor wafer contained in a container (hereinafter, a “wafer” is appropriately removed from the container by hand and once placed on the aligner device. The wafer placed on the aligner device is the aligner. The notch is detected by the apparatus and aligned so as to be in a predetermined position, and the wafer aligned by the aligner apparatus is taken out of the aligner apparatus by a hand and conveyed to a wafer processing apparatus for processing the wafer.

  By the way, in the above method, even if the notch of the wafer is detected by the aligner device, the position of the wafer is shifted when the wafer is moved from the aligner device onto the hand. As a result, when the wafer is moved from the hand to the wafer processing apparatus, a position shift of the wafer with respect to the wafer processing apparatus occurs, resulting in a problem that high-precision wafer processing cannot be performed. In addition, many other problems occur, such as the time required for positioning the wafer on the aligner device and the need to secure a space for the aligner device.

On the other hand, a method is known in which a wafer is taken out of a container with a hand, aligned on the hand, and conveyed to a wafer processing apparatus (see Patent Document 1 below). In this method, the wafer is rotated with the wafer held by the wafer holding unit on the hand, the notch is detected by the notch sensor, and the wafer is aligned.
JP 2004-165280 A

  However, in the above conventional technique, the wafer can be rotated to detect the notch, but only the position of the notch is known. That is, when a wafer is mounted on the wafer processing apparatus, it is necessary to align the center position of the wafer with respect to the wafer processing apparatus in addition to the position of the notch of the wafer. In the above prior art method, when wafers of various diameters are placed on a wafer processing apparatus, the center position of the wafer is displaced with respect to the wafer processing apparatus depending on the size of the diameter, and high-precision wafer processing is performed. Will not be able to run.

  Therefore, in consideration of the above circumstances, the present invention can align the notch of the wafer and align the center position of the wafer with respect to the wafer processing apparatus even when a wafer having a different diameter is conveyed. An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor wafer transfer hand that can be used.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer transporting hand that takes out the semiconductor wafer from a container for housing a semiconductor wafer and transports the semiconductor wafer to a processing apparatus for processing the semiconductor wafer. A hand member movable with respect to the member main body, a holding member provided on the hand member main body or the hand member and movable with respect to the hand member, and rotatably provided on the hand member and in contact with the semiconductor wafer A first rotating member, a second rotating member that is rotatably provided on the holding member and contacts the semiconductor wafer to rotate the semiconductor wafer together with the first rotating member, the hand member and the holding member, The same distance along the direction in which the first rotating member and the second rotating member are spaced apart from each other or in the directions approaching each other Moving means for only moves a notch detecting means for detecting a notch in the semiconductor wafer, is formed on the first rotary member and the second rotary member, to avoid contact with the radially outer end of the semiconductor wafer possess a groove, wherein each groove, characterized in that it has a central groove formed along the circumferential direction, and a tilt groove formed radially outward from the central groove.

In this case, the semiconductor wafer conveying hand according to claim 1, wherein the first rotating member is preferably provided with a plurality along a circumferential direction of the semiconductor wafer.

According to the present invention, the semiconductor wafer on the hand is held by the first rotating member and the second rotating member. At this time, the hand member and the holding member move by the same distance along the direction in which the first rotating member and the second rotating member are separated from each other or approach each other by the action of the moving means. Thereby, when holding a semiconductor wafer having a relatively large diameter, the first rotating member and the second rotating member move by the same distance in the direction in which the first rotating member and the second rotating member are separated from each other. On the other hand, when holding a semiconductor wafer having a relatively small diameter, the first rotating member and the second rotating member move by the same distance in the direction in which the first rotating member and the second rotating member approach each other. As described above, since the first rotating member and the second rotating member move by the same distance so as to correspond to the size of the diameter of the semiconductor wafer, the semiconductor wafers held by the respective rotating members have different diameters. Even if it is a thing, the center position is always consistent and aligned.

  In addition, when a rotational driving force is applied from the driving means to the second rotating member, the semiconductor wafer rotates, and accordingly, the first rotating member also rotates in a driven manner. Then, the notch of the semiconductor wafer is detected by the notch detection means, and the alignment of the semiconductor wafer is executed so that the notch is at a predetermined position.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to align the notch of the wafer, and at the same time, it is possible to align the center position of the wafer with respect to the processing apparatus even when a wafer having a different diameter is conveyed. .

In particular , since the groove portion is formed in the first rotating member and the second rotating member, when the semiconductor wafer is held by each rotating member or rotated, the radially outer end portion of the semiconductor wafer becomes each rotating member. There is no contact. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the semiconductor wafer from being damaged or cracked due to an external force acting on the radially outer end portion of the semiconductor wafer.

  Next, a semiconductor wafer transfer hand according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the semiconductor wafer transport hand 10 includes a hand member main body 12 that can be connected to the link mechanism 3 of the robot 1. A hand member 14 is provided on the upper surface of the hand member main body 12 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. That is, a protrusion (not shown) extending in the moving direction is formed on the lower surface of the hand member 14, and a recess (not shown) into which the protrusion is inserted is formed on the hand member main body 12. By moving along the concave portion, proper movement of the hand member 14 relative to the hand member main body 12 is realized.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a first pneumatic cylinder 16 that allows the hand member 14 to move relative to the hand member main body 12 is provided between the hand member main body 12 and the hand member 14. The first pneumatic cylinder 16 includes a cylinder member and a rod member that is housed inside the cylinder member or pulled out from the cylinder member by air pressure. As shown in FIG. 9, an air supply source 18 and a controller 20 are connected to the first pneumatic cylinder 16, and the air pressure is controlled by the controller 20 to adjust the moving distance of the rod member relative to the cylinder member. .

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the hand member 14 is formed in a flat plate shape as a whole, and two projecting portions 22 are formed at the tip thereof. A rotating roller 24 is attached to each protrusion 22. The rotating roller 24 includes a rotating shaft 26 that is rotatably supported by each protruding portion 22, and a roller portion 28 that is attached to the rotating shaft 26.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 7, a groove portion 30 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the roller portion 28. The groove portion 30 includes a center groove 32 formed along the circumferential direction and an inclined groove 34 formed radially outward from the center groove 32. The outer peripheral surface of the semiconductor wafer W is tapered from the radially inner side to the radially outer side in a cross-sectional (side view) view, and a pointed portion r1 is formed at the radially outer end portion. Yes. For this reason, an inclined portion t1 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the semiconductor wafer W.

  In a state where the semiconductor wafer W is held by the rotating roller 24, the inclined groove 34 on the lower side of the roller portion 28 and the inclined portion t <b> 1 of the semiconductor wafer W come into contact with each other due to the weight of the semiconductor wafer W. At this time, since the pointed end r1 of the semiconductor wafer W is located in the vicinity of the central groove 32 of the roller part 28, the pointed end r1 does not contact the roller part 28. As a result, no external force is applied to the tip end r1 of the semiconductor wafer W from the roller portion 28, the tip end r1 is not damaged, and the tip end r1 is not cracked. Therefore, the semiconductor wafer W is deteriorated. Can be prevented.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a holding member 36 is provided on the upper surface of the hand member body 12 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. That is, the holding member 36 and the hand member 14 are configured to be movable in the same direction, and the holding member 36 and the hand member 14 are moved in directions away from each other or in directions approaching each other. It becomes possible to move to.

  The holding member 36 includes a substantially U-shaped base member 38 in plan view. A pair of support pieces (not shown) extending in the moving direction are formed on the lower surface of the base member 38. Further, a guide portion (not shown) to be inserted between the support pieces is formed on the upper surface of the hand member main body 12, and the holding member 36 becomes the guide portion with the guide portions inserted between the support pieces. By moving along, the proper movement of the holding member 36 relative to the hand member 14 is realized.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a drive unit 44 is provided on the upper surface of the base member 38. The drive unit 44 includes a drive motor 46, a plurality of drive force transmission rollers 48, a pulley attached to a rotation shaft of the drive motor 46, and a belt 50 spanned between the plurality of drive force transmission rollers 48, and these And a casing 52 that covers the constituent members. Thus, when the drive motor 46 is driven, the driving force is transmitted to the belt 50 via the pulley. The driving force is transmitted to the plurality of driving force transmission rollers 48 via the belt 50. In this way, the plurality of driving force transmission rollers 48 rotate together with the belt 50.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a notch detection sensor 54 is attached to the front side surface of the drive unit 44. This notch detection sensor 54 detects the notch of the semiconductor wafer W, and is constituted by an optical sensor or the like provided with a light emitting part and a light receiving part. The notch detection sensor 54 may be provided in the hand member 14 or the hand member main body 12. Since the notch detection sensor 54 is conventionally known, a detailed description of its configuration is omitted.

  A positioning roller 56 that holds and rotates the semiconductor wafer W is provided at the lower end of the two driving force transmission rollers 48A on the front side among the plurality of driving force transmission rollers 48. That is, the positioning roller 56 is attached to the rotating shaft of the driving force transmission roller 48A and is configured to rotate together with the driving force transmission roller 48A.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 8, the positioning roller 56 includes a roller portion 58 attached to the rotation shaft, and a groove portion 60 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the roller portion 58 as in the case of the rotation roller 24. ing. The groove portion 60 includes a center groove 62 formed along the circumferential direction and an inclined groove 64 formed radially outward from the center groove 62.

  As a result, in the state where the semiconductor wafer W is held by the positioning roller 56, the inclined groove below the roller portion 58 is caused by the weight of the semiconductor wafer W in the same manner as when the semiconductor wafer W is held by the rotating roller 24. 64 and the inclined portion t1 of the semiconductor wafer W come into contact with each other. At this time, since the pointed end r1 of the semiconductor wafer W is located in the vicinity of the central groove 62 of the roller portion 58, the pointed end r1 does not contact the roller portion 58. As a result, no external force is applied to the tip end r1 of the semiconductor wafer W from the roller portion 58, the tip end r1 is not damaged, and the tip end r1 is not cracked, so that the semiconductor wafer W is defective. Can be prevented.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a second pneumatic cylinder 66 that allows the holding member 36 to move relative to the hand member main body 12 is provided between the hand member main body 12 and the holding member 36. The second pneumatic cylinder 66 includes a cylinder member and a rod member that is housed inside the cylinder member or pulled out from the cylinder member by air pressure. As shown in FIG. 9, the air supply source 18 and the controller 20 are connected to the second pneumatic cylinder 66, and the air pressure is controlled by the controller 20 to adjust the moving distance of the rod member relative to the cylinder member. .

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 9, the controller 20 controls the expansion / contraction operation of the rod member of the first pneumatic cylinder 16 and the expansion / contraction operation of the rod member of the second pneumatic cylinder 66 to have a certain relationship. . That is, the controller 20 moves the same distance in the direction in which the rotating roller 24 and the positioning roller 56 are separated from each other (in the direction of arrow M in FIG. 6) or in the direction in which they are close to each other (in the direction of arrow N in FIG. 6) Thus, the movement of the hand member 14 and the holding member 36 is controlled. Thus, after the semiconductor wafer W having a small diameter is held by the rotating roller 24 of the hand member 14 and the positioning roller 56 of the holding member 36, the semiconductor wafer W having a large diameter is held between the rotating roller 24 of the hand member 14 and the holding member 36. When held by the positioning roller 56, the hand member 14 (the rotating roller 24) and the holding member 36 (the positioning roller 56) move by the same distance in a direction away from each other. On the other hand, after the semiconductor wafer W having a large diameter is held by the rotating roller 24 of the hand member 14 and the positioning roller 56 of the holding member 36, the semiconductor wafer W having a small diameter is positioned by the rotating roller 24 and the holding member 36 of the hand member 14. When held by the roller 56, the hand member 14 (the rotating roller 24) and the holding member 36 (the positioning roller 56) move by the same distance in a direction approaching each other. As a result, the position of the center O of the semiconductor wafer W held by the rotating roller 24 of the hand member 14 and the positioning roller 56 of the holding member 36 can always be determined at a fixed position regardless of the size of the semiconductor. It becomes possible to align the center O of the wafer W.

  Next, the operation of the semiconductor wafer transfer hand 10 of this embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor wafer transfer hand 10 enters the container 68 in which the semiconductor wafer W is accommodated, and the semiconductor wafer W is held by the hand member 14 and the holding member 36 of the semiconductor wafer transfer hand 10.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the semiconductor wafer W is held in a form sandwiched between the rotating roller 24 of the hand member 14 and the positioning roller 56 of the holding member 36. When the drive motor 46 is driven, the positioning roller 56 rotates, and the rotational force of the positioning roller 56 is transmitted to the semiconductor wafer W, so that the semiconductor wafer W rotates. At this time, since the rotating roller 24 functions as a driven roller, the rotating roller 24 is driven to rotate with the rotation of the semiconductor wafer W. In this manner, the semiconductor wafer W held by the rotating roller 24 and the positioning roller 56 rotates, and the notch of the semiconductor wafer W is detected by the notch detection sensor 54, and the notch alignment is completed.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, since the central grooves 32 and 62 are formed in the roller portions 28 and 58 of the rotating roller 24 and the positioning roller 56, respectively, the held semiconductor wafer W The point r1 at the radially outer end does not contact the rotating roller 24 and the positioning roller 56. For this reason, external force does not act from the rotating roller 24 and the positioning roller 56 on the tip end r1 of the radially outer end of the semiconductor wafer W held and rotated by the rotating roller 24 and the positioning roller 56. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the semiconductor wafer W from being damaged or cracked during the alignment of the semiconductor wafer W. As a result, it is possible to prevent the semiconductor wafer W from being defective in the alignment operation of the semiconductor wafer W.

  The semiconductor wafer W in which the notch is detected and the notch alignment is completed is transferred to a predetermined wafer processing apparatus 70 (see FIG. 1) by the semiconductor wafer transfer hand 10, and each process is executed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the diameter of the semiconductor wafer W on which the next notch alignment is performed is larger than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer W that has just been aligned, the hand member 14 and the holding member 36 are It moves the same distance along the direction away from each other. Here, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the hand member 14 and the holding member 36 are realized via the pneumatic cylinders 16 and 66. Air inflow from the air supply source 18 to each pneumatic cylinder 16, 66 is controlled by the controller 20, and the operation of each pneumatic cylinder 16, 66 is appropriately controlled by the controller 20, whereby the hand member 14 and the holding member are controlled. The movement of the same distance along the direction in which the 36 are separated from each other is realized.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the position of the center O of the semiconductor wafer W to be aligned is always a constant position even when the alignment of the notch is performed while holding the semiconductor wafer W having a large diameter. Even when the semiconductor wafers W having different diameters are held, the center O of the semiconductor wafer W can be aligned.

  On the other hand, when the diameter of the semiconductor wafer W on which the next notch alignment is performed is smaller than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer W that has just been aligned, the direction in which the hand member 14 and the holding member 36 approach each other. Move along the same distance. Here, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the hand member 14 and the holding member 36 are realized via the pneumatic cylinders 16 and 66. Air inflow from the air supply source 18 to each pneumatic cylinder 16, 66 is controlled by the controller 20, and the operation of each pneumatic cylinder 16, 66 is appropriately controlled by the controller 20, whereby the hand member 14 and the holding member are controlled. The movement of the same distance along the direction in which the 36 approaches each other is realized.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the position of the center O of the semiconductor wafer W to be aligned is always a constant position even when notch alignment is performed while holding the semiconductor wafer W having a small diameter. Even when the semiconductor wafers W having different diameters are held, the center O of the semiconductor wafer W can be aligned.

  As described above, by using the semiconductor wafer transfer hand 10 of the present embodiment, both the notch position and the center O position of the semiconductor wafer W are simultaneously aligned (positioned) regardless of the diameter of the semiconductor wafer W. can do. In addition, since it is not necessary to prepare an aligner device and perform notch alignment with the aligner device, the space for the aligner device becomes unnecessary, the cost of the device can be reduced, and the device can be downsized. Further, since the notch and the center position can be aligned on the semiconductor wafer transfer hand 10 and can be transferred as it is to the wafer processing apparatus 70, the semiconductor wafer W is stored in a container as compared with a configuration in which an aligner is separately provided. It is possible to shorten the time taken from 68 to supply to the wafer processing apparatus 70. At the same time, it is possible to reduce the displacement of the semiconductor wafer W relative to the wafer processing apparatus 70 when the semiconductor wafer W is transferred to the wafer processing apparatus 70. As a result, the processing accuracy of the semiconductor wafer W in the wafer processing apparatus 70 can be improved.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a configuration in which a plurality of rotating rollers 24 </ b> A and 24 </ b> B are attached to each protruding portion 22 of the hand member 14 is preferable. That is, the two rotating rollers 24 </ b> A and 24 </ b> B are attached to each protrusion 22 so as to be rotatable along the circumferential direction of the semiconductor wafer W. For this reason, a total of four rotating rollers are attached to the two protrusions 22. Here, in the configuration in which only one rotating roller 24 is attached to each protrusion 22, the rotating roller 24 has a small diameter, so that the rotating roller 24 falls into the notch N of the semiconductor wafer W and the rotation position of the semiconductor wafer W is reached. The semiconductor wafer W may be damaged by the impact of the rotating roller 24 falling on the notch N of the semiconductor wafer W. However, in the configuration in which each protrusion 22 is provided with two or more rotating rollers 24A and 24B, one of the two rotating rollers 24A and 24B tends to fall into the notch N of the semiconductor wafer W. In this case, the other rotating roller 24B interferes with contact with the outer peripheral surface of the semiconductor wafer W, so that the one rotating roller 24A is prevented from dropping into the notch N of the semiconductor wafer W. As described above, one of the two rotating rollers 24A and 24B always prevents the other rotating roller 24A (24B) from dropping into the notch N of the semiconductor wafer W of the other rotating roller 24B (24A). Further, it is possible to prevent the rotational displacement and breakage of the semiconductor wafer W.

  Further, the semiconductor wafer transfer hand 10 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the hand member 14 contacts and aligns with the lower plane of the semiconductor wafer W, and the hand member 14 does not contact the lower plane of the semiconductor wafer W. The present invention can be applied to both types of configurations that align in the state (Bernoulli method).

It is a conceptual diagram of the hand for semiconductor wafer conveyance which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the hand for semiconductor wafer conveyance concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the hand for semiconductor wafer conveyance concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a reverse view of the semiconductor wafer conveyance hand which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the drive mechanism of the hand for semiconductor wafer conveyance which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which compared the time when the semiconductor wafer from which a diameter differs was hold | maintained with the semiconductor wafer conveyance hand which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the state when a semiconductor wafer is hold | maintained with the 1st rotation member of the hand for semiconductor wafer conveyance which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the state when a semiconductor wafer is hold | maintained with the 2nd rotation member of the hand for semiconductor wafer conveyance which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the control system of the semiconductor wafer conveyance hand which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the modification of the hand for semiconductor wafer conveyance concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is the elements on larger scale which show the positional relationship of the rotation roller of the modification of the semiconductor wafer conveyance hand which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and the notch of a semiconductor wafer.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Semiconductor wafer conveyance hand 12 Hand member main body 14 Hand member 16 1st pneumatic cylinder (moving means)
24 Rotating roller (first rotating member)
3 0 the groove 36 holding member 54 notch detecting sensor (notch detecting means)
56 Positioning roller (second rotating member)
60 groove 66 second pneumatic cylinder (moving means)
W Semiconductor wafer (Wafer)
68 Container 70 Wafer processing equipment (processing equipment)

Claims (2)

A semiconductor wafer transfer hand for taking out the semiconductor wafer from a container for storing a semiconductor wafer and transferring the semiconductor wafer to a processing apparatus for processing the semiconductor wafer,
A hand member main body, a hand member provided on the hand member main body and movable relative to the hand member main body,
A holding member provided on the hand member main body or the hand member and movable with respect to the hand member;
A first rotating member provided rotatably on the hand member and in contact with the semiconductor wafer;
A second rotating member that is rotatably provided on the holding member and contacts the semiconductor wafer and rotates the semiconductor wafer together with the first rotating member;
Moving means for moving the hand member and the holding member by the same distance along a direction in which the first rotating member and the second rotating member are separated from each other or in a direction approaching each other;
Notch detecting means for detecting a notch of the semiconductor wafer;
A groove formed on the first rotating member and the second rotating member to avoid contact with a radially outer end of the semiconductor wafer;
Have
Each said groove part has the center groove | channel formed along the circumferential direction, and the inclination groove | channel formed in the radial direction outer side from the said center groove | channel, The semiconductor wafer conveyance hand characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The semiconductor wafer transfer hand according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the first rotating members are provided along a circumferential direction of the semiconductor wafer.

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