JPH04300168A - Vacuum suck-up device having automatically closing and opening function - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an improved vacuum suck-up device having an automatically opening and closing function, for sucking up a thin sheet such as a glass mask, a reticle or the like, which may automatically prevent leakage of vacuum even without closing a manual valve for shutting off a vacuum source upon no use. CONSTITUTION:A vacuum suck-up device for sucking up a thin sheet with the use of an attraction force given by vacuum, includes 7 a valve element 2 adapted to make close contact with a valve seat 1 disposed between a suck-up surface 4 onto which the thin sheet is sucked up, and a vacuum source, for cutting off the flow of air, a port 5 through which air leaks when the valve element 2 makes close contact with the valve seat 1 so that the flow of air is cut off, and a spring 3 for lifting the valve element 2 from the valve seat 1.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in a vacuum suction device for suctioning thin plate objects such as semiconductor substrates, glass masks, and reticles.

In the manufacturing process of recent semiconductor devices,
In order to avoid damaging semiconductor substrates, instead of the conventional handling using metal tweezers such as stainless steel, a resin vacuum suction device that suctions semiconductor substrates using a vacuum is now used, and a single vacuum source is now used. When multiple vacuum suction devices are connected to the machine, the manual valve of each vacuum suction device must be closed to prevent vacuum leakage of unused vacuum suction devices.

Under the above circumstances, there is a need for a vacuum suction device that can prevent vacuum leakage without having to close the manual valve of the vacuum suction device that is not in use.

0004

[Prior art] Figures 3 and 6 regarding conventional vacuum suction equipment
This will be explained in more detail below. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a vacuum suction device, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing details of section B of a conventional vacuum suction device.

As shown in the figure, the hose joint 6a of the main body 6 of the vacuum suction device is connected to a vacuum source, and the thin plate 15 is suctioned onto the suction surface 14a of the suction section 14 by this vacuum source. To remove the thin plate body 15 from the suction surface 14a, push the leak button 7 in the direction of the downward arrow in FIG. Air flows in from the leak groove 7a, and the inside of the suction part 14 becomes atmospheric pressure, making it possible to separate the thin plate body 15 from the suction surface 14a.

When the thin plate body 15 is to be attracted to the attraction surface 14a again, the leak button 7 is moved by the spring 9 as shown in FIG.
When the guide hole 7b of the leak button 7 is moved along the guide pin 8 in the direction of the upward arrow, the air inside the suction part 14 is discharged through the hose joint 6a, and the thin plate body 15 is moved to the suction surface 14a. It becomes possible to adsorb.

As shown in FIG. 6, which shows the details of section B of the vacuum suction device, a cap nut 13 is screwed into the holding section 12 and fixed, and the dimension D of the ventilation hole connected to the vacuum source is always constant.

[0008]

Since the conventional vacuum suction devices described above need to be installed at various locations in a factory, a plurality of vacuum suction devices must be used with one vacuum source. For this reason, each vacuum suction device is equipped with a manual valve at the connection to its vacuum source, and this manual valve is closed when not in use. There has been a problem in that vacuum leakage in the suction device weakens the vacuum suction force of the vacuum suction device to be used, making it impossible to suction the thin plate object, resulting in an accident in which the thin plate object to be suctioned falls.

In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention provides a vacuum having a self-opening/closing function that makes it possible to automatically prevent vacuum leakage without having to close a manual valve to shut off the vacuum source when not in use. The purpose is to provide an adsorption device.

0010

[Means for Solving the Problems] A vacuum suction device having a self-opening/closing function according to the present invention is a vacuum suction device that suctions a thin plate body using the suction force of vacuum, and includes a suction surface for suctioning the thin plate body and a vacuum source. and a port that leaks air when the valve body is in close contact with the valve seat and the air flow is blocked. , and a spring separating the valve body from the valve seat.

[0011]

[Operation] That is, in the present invention, as shown in FIG.
In the natural state, the valve body 2 is held against the valve seat 1 by the spring 3.
The valve seat 1 and the valve body 2 are separated from each other, and air can freely flow between the valve seat 1 and the valve body 2.However, at the moment when the valve is connected to the vacuum circuit as shown in Fig. 1(b), the air can flow freely between the valve body 2 and the valve body 2. Air passes between the valve seats 1 and is discharged at once in the direction of the arrow.

In the case where there is no thin plate member 15 on the suction surface 4
As shown in (c), there is a vacuum below the valve seat 1, and there is atmospheric pressure above the valve seat 1, so the valve body 1 resists the force of the spring 3 and comes into close contact with the valve seat 1. Only a small amount of air flows through port 5.

In this state, when the thin plate body 15 is brought into contact with the suction surface 4, the valve body 2 and the thin plate body 1 are brought into contact with each other as shown in FIG. 2(a).
Since the air pressure P1 between the valve body 5 and the valve body 5 is larger than the air pressure P2 below the valve body 2, the valve body 2 overcomes the spring 3 and is in close contact with the valve seat 1. The air flows downward, and as shown in Figure 2(b), the above P
1 and P2 become equal, the valve body 2 is separated from the valve seat 1 by the spring 3, and the thin plate body 15 can be held on the suction surface 4 by the suction force of the vacuum.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vacuum suction device having a self-opening/closing function according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. ．． FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a vacuum suction device, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing part A of a vacuum suction device having a self-opening/closing function according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the structure of a reed valve. .

FIG. 3 shows one embodiment of the present invention, in which the present invention is applied to a conventional vacuum suction device. In the present invention, a reed valve 10 as shown in FIG. 5 is used as the valve having the self-opening/closing function described in FIG. 1.

To attach the reed valve to the vacuum suction device, as shown in FIG. It is fixed by screwing it into place.

As shown in FIG. 5, the reed valve 10 of this embodiment is made of a phosphor bronze plate for a spring with a thickness of 0.05 mm, and the surrounding annular fixing part 10a is fixed to a vacuum suction device. Since the notch portion 10b is provided, the valve body 10d inside the valve body 10d is movable by the elasticity of the spring portion 10c connecting the fixed portion 10a and the valve body 10d. It has a certain angle with the fixed part 10a as shown in FIG.

Corresponding to the valve body 2, spring 3, and port 5 in FIG. 1, the reed valve 10 includes a valve body 10d, a spring portion 10c, and a port 10e.
It is possible to significantly reduce the number of parts.

In its natural state, this reed valve 10 is separated from the valve seat 12a as shown in FIG.
When the thin plate body 15 is attracted to the suction surface 14a of the reed valve 10, even if the valve body 10d contacts the valve seat 12a as shown by the dotted line in FIG. Since the suction surface 14 also becomes a vacuum, it becomes possible to suction the thin plate body 15 to the suction surface 14a.

In the unlikely event that the thin plate body 15 is not on the suction surface 14a, the left side of the valve body 10d in FIG.
Only a small amount of air flows through the port 10e.

In this embodiment, since the diameter of the port 10e of the reed valve 10 is 0.3 mm, the area of this port is SP=0.07 mm2, and the valve body 10d of the reed valve 10 is separated from the valve seat 12a. When the flow path diameter D is 3 mm, its cross-sectional area is SO=7.0
0 mm2, and SO/SP=100. Therefore, the leakage of one conventional vacuum suction device without the thin plate body 15 corresponds to the leakage of 100 vacuum suction devices when the present invention is adopted.

According to the present invention, since the vacuum leakage of the vacuum suction device can be significantly reduced, when a plurality of vacuum suction devices are connected to one vacuum device,
Even if the manual valve between the vacuum source and the vacuum source is left open without adsorbing a thin plate object to a large number of vacuum suction devices, other vacuum suction devices cannot adsorb the thin sheet object due to vacuum leakage. It is possible to prevent this from occurring.

[0023]

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, by extremely simple structural changes, there is no need to close the manual valve of each vacuum suction device when not in use, thereby preventing wasteful air leakage. It is possible to provide a vacuum suction device having a self-opening/closing function, which has the advantage of being able to prevent such problems, and which can be expected to significantly improve reliability.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

[Fig. 1] Diagram (1) explaining the action of the present invention,

[Fig. 2] Diagram (2) explaining the action of the present invention,

[Figure 3]
A diagram showing the schematic structure of a vacuum suction device,

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing details of part A of a vacuum adsorption device having a self-opening/closing function according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a reed valve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[Fig. 6] A diagram showing details of part B of a conventional vacuum suction device,

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is the valve seat, 2 is the valve body, 3 is a spring, 4 is the suction surface, 5 is the port, 6 is the main body, 6a is a hose joint, 7 is the leak button, 7a is a leak groove; 7b guide hole, 8 is a guide pin, 9 is a spring, 10 is a reed valve, 10a is a fixed part; 10b notch, 10c is a spring part, 10d is a valve body, 10e is a port, 11 is a fixed ring; 12 is a holding part; 12a valve seat, 13 is a cap nut, 14 is a suction part; 14a is an adsorption surface; 15 is a thin plate body;

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a vacuum suction device that suctions a thin plate body using vacuum suction force, a valve seat (1) is provided between a suction surface (4) that suctions the thin plate body (15) and a vacuum source.
) and a valve body (2) that tightly contacts the valve body (2) to shut off the air flow.
When the valve body (2) is in close contact with the valve seat (1) and the air flow is blocked, there is a port (5) that leaks air.
) and a spring (3) that isolates the valve body (2) from the valve seat (1).