KR200315711Y1 - SMIF Loader for Automatic Opening and Closing, and/or Transfer of Material Storage Box at Semiconductor Manufacturing - Google Patents

Abstract

The disclosed contents automatically open or close a storage container (box, pod or cassette) storing a material such as a semiconductor wafer, a reticle or a glass substrate, or a material including conveying a cassette therein while the storage container is opened. A storage container automatic opening device.

The loader device is composed of a port plate and a stage of a shelf structure on which a material storage container is placed, and a base including a main plate and a controller in the form of a frame structure for fixing or transporting them. The port plate or the stage receives the power generated from the electric motor fixed to the main plate from the transfer unit consisting of a belt and pulley to move in the vertical direction. In addition, a specially designed exhaust system is attached to the base to remove particles that are air pollutants generated by the power transmission device.

Description

SMIF Loader for Automatic Opening and Closing, and / or Transfer of Material Storage Box at Semiconductor Manufacturing}

The loader device of the present invention is an automated equipment technology related to equipment that automatically conveys materials such as wafers or reticles in the semiconductor manufacturing process, and SMIF (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International) Standard Mechanical Interface) is included in the equipment that makes up the system.

SMIF in the SEMI standard is about local cleanness, pod, which is an airtight wafer storage container to block particles, which are airborne contaminants that can occur during wafer manufacturing process, and ME (mini-environment) which keeps only local space clean. It proposes a minimum common standard for devices for interfacing between pods and ME or process equipment. The present invention is directed to a new and improved wafer, reticle or cassette loader device that accommodates these standards.

Among the components constituting the SMIF system, the pad, which is a sealed wafer storage container, which is the object of the loader device of the present invention, includes a cassette, a cover, and a bottom door. In general, 200mm wafers or reticles use pods in which the cassette is separated and the bottom is open.In the case of 300mm wafers, FOUP (Front Opening Unified POD) is used, which is integrated with the cassette. .

The present invention is based on the 200mm wafer or the pod for the reticle, but can be applied to the FOUP for 300mm wafer or the cassette for the glass substrate, and other sealed and open material storage containers.

The technical problem to be achieved through the sump loader device of the present invention is to automatically open and close the material storage container. Detailed tasks involved in carrying out such technical tasks include (1) all electrical and mechanical devices for searching and correcting the position, orientation, seating state, etc. when the pod is loaded on the port plate by an automatic conveying device or operator; Function, (2) all pod detection devices and functions that can automatically determine the type of material storage container, (3) all pod holding devices and functions that can suppress external influences in unlocking pods, ( 4) All openings and functions for locking and releasing the latch keys used for the operation of the locking device for binding the pod door and the pod cover, and (5) all the pod doors and cassettes separated from the pod cover. Vertical feeder and function, (6) All retrieval devices and functions to search the material status inside the pod during vertical feed, (7) Material handling with small Z-axis feed distance Indexed vertical feeder and function for bots and end-effectors, (8) Material handling robots and end-effectors with small X-axis feed after vertical and vertical feed of pod doors and cassettes For all stage feeders and functions, (9) for all cassette transfer devices and functions for loading cassettes on the machine side, and (10) for one or more all protrusion detection to protect equipment and materials from material handling robots and obstacles. Devices and functions, (11) all seating devices and functions for realigning the material detected by the protrusion detection device, and (12) control of these functions and devices in the proper order and the results transmitted to other adjacent equipment. And (13) flow of airflow to keep the interior of the loader device clean while the functions are being performed or in process standby. And the like are designed to Doha fixed appearance ME (Mini-environment) cover.

1 is a front perspective view of a steady state of the present invention the sump loader device,

Figure 2 is a front perspective view of the pod open state by the stage descending of the present invention the sump loader device,

3 is a perspective view of the pod open state of the present invention the sump loader device,

4 is a main plate and stage coupling of the present invention the sump loader device,

5 is a detailed view of the vertical conveying body of the present invention the loader loader,

6 is a main plate and base coupling diagram of the present invention the sump loader device,

7 is an exploded view of the stage of the present invention the sump loader device,

8 is a side perspective view of the pod fixing device of the present invention the sump loader device,

9 is a perspective view of the cassette feeder and the port plate of the present invention the loader loader,

10 is a rear view of the cassette feeder of the present invention the loader loader,

11 is a rear perspective view of the cassette feeder of the present invention the sump loader device,

An embodiment of an automatic opening and closing of the material storage container of the present invention and the sump loader device for conveyance is shown in Figs. 1 to 9 as a whole or for each part. This embodiment is configured using a 200 mm smif pod (SMIF POD), but as described above, the loader device includes an FPD (150 mm wafer and a 200 mm wafer pod, an open cassette, a pod for a reticle, and an LCD). It is well known that it can also be used in glass substrate cassettes for manufacturing and other sealed or open material storage containers.

Fig. 1 shows a front perspective view of the loader device, and Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the stage 300 of the loader device transferred in the vertical direction. In the present exemplary embodiment, the cassette 491 is described with reference to a loader device having a device for transmitting the equipment side. However, in another embodiment, the fixed stage 300 and the port plate 400 capable of vertical transfer are configured. Sometimes. In addition, the stage 300 which is vertically conveyed for the wafer transfer robot or end effector having a short Z-axis movement may be configured to be able to stop the movement step by step or sequentially in each slot of the cassette 491.

Regardless of the form of the loader device, the basic configuration modules are almost the same and through this, the recycling of materials of the same design and the compatibility of materials can be maximized, thereby greatly reducing not only the cost of the equipment but also the maintenance and repair costs.

As in the representative embodiment of the loader device shown in FIG. 1, the loader device includes a shelf 300 having a shelf plate port plate 400 on which a material storage container including the 200 mm sump pad and a pod door are mounted. ), And the main plate 101 in the form of a frame structure for fixing or transporting them, and four parts of the base 600 including the controller 610.

The main plate 101 having the opening 109 for conveying the cassette 491 or for conveying the material by the material conveying robot has a port plate 400 and a base ( 600 and the vertical conveying member 200 are fixedly connected, and as shown in FIG. 3, the permeable protrusion detection sensors 114 and 115 and the reflection mirror 112 for detecting obstacles are provided on the inner surface of the opening 109. Is attached to. This structure is shown in detail throughout FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5.

Figure 3 shows a rear perspective view of the loader device, the lower rear portion of the main plate 101 is a small opening 116 for the air flow inlet and the power supply terminal of the loader device of the present invention and the connection terminal 117 for communication with the process equipment ) Is attached.

4 and 5 show the detailed structure including the vertical vertical transfer assembly and the support structure attached to the main plate 101. Basically, the assembly has a pair of linear guide rails 207 and a block 205 attached to the main plate 101 on both left and right sides to ensure the load and precise movement of the object to be transferred. Vertical carrier fixing brackets 213 are assembled to the linear guide block 205 in a pair of left and right, respectively, and they are connected and fixed to each other by the vertical carrier support shaft 204. In addition, a belt 214 for power transmission is connected to the block 205 on the left side, and the belt 214 circumscribes a pair of pulleys 210 at the top and the bottom, and the left linear guide block again in a long oval shape. 205. The pulley 210 is fixed to the main plate 101 by a pair of pulley fixing brackets 211, and a tension adjusting bracket 212 for adjusting the tension of the belt 214 on the top of the fixing bracket 211. ) Is connected. The inner side of the lower pulley 210 is connected to the electric motor 201 to receive power, and the pulley 210 pulls the belt 214 by the rotation of the electric motor 201 and is connected to the belt 214. Through the linear guide block 205, the vertical carrier fixing bracket 213, and the support shaft 204, the port plate 400 or the stage 300 integrally assembled may be vertically vertically transported.

In addition, the upper and lower ends of the linear guide rail 207 fixed to the right side of the main plate 101 for the accurate movement and safety of the vertical conveying member 200, the forward limit sensor 209, the reverse limit sensor 202 and A collision buffer guide 208 is attached and the forward and reverse sensor plates 203 and 206 for detecting the position sensors are fixed to the right vertical carrier fixing bracket 213.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the main plate 101 and the vertical transport assembly module have a rear pulley module cover 118 to prevent passage of particles, which are fine pollutants in the air, and to secure a passage for maintaining a flow of airflow. ), A front pulley module cover 122, a rear linear guide module cover 113, and a pair of linear guide module covers 110 are attached. The covers are connected to the pair of exhaust fans 121 mounted on the base 600 while being kept in a closed state and configured to continuously maintain the flow of airflow.

The base 600 shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 is connected to the main plate 101 described above to support the loader device. In the case where the stage 300 moves downward as in this embodiment, the port plate support 509 is connected to the base plate 400 and the port plate 400 to structurally stabilize the port plate 400 without vibration. As shown in FIG. 1, a controller fixing plate 611 and a power supply 612 including an controller board 613 for controlling various devices in a proper order and transmitting the related contents to the process equipment, and an external communication connection terminal. And a front panel 620 to which various switches are attached, a central exhaust fan 120 for maintaining a clean state in a mini-environment space formed by an exterior cover, and a base 600 and a main plate 101. A base connection reinforcement bracket 119 is attached to connect and reinforce the structural support base. In addition, the bottom surface of the base 600 is attached with a screw groove and a horizontal adjustment function for the connection and fixing with the process equipment.

The pod 490 is mounted on the port plate 400 of the loader apparatus by an operator or an operator including an automated guided vehicle (AGV). As shown in Figures 1 and 7, there are eight pod guiding pins 402 on the port plate cover 401 to provide the correct position and orientation when loading the pod 490, as shown in the SEMI standard. Three registration pins 301 which can identify the direction are attached to the top of the 300.

7 shows an exploded view of the stage 300, the stage 300 includes a top plate 321 to which an exterior cover 320 and a registration pin 301 are attached to protect a surface, and a stage horizontally. It consists of a bottom frame to which the direction conveying body 200 is attached. In addition to the registration pins 301, the top plate 321 has three pod position detection sensors 302 which can detect that the pod 490 is not normally placed by the mechanical devices when the pod 490 is misplaced. ) And the pod presence confirmation sensor 319 is attached. In addition, the lower frame 322 has an electric motor 303 for driving the latch key 310 so that the pod cover and the pod door can be coupled or separated, and in particular, a material conveying robot having a short X-axis feeding distance and an end effector (End-). A horizontal forward and backward conveying member 326 composed of a belt 324 and a pulley 323 for an effector is incorporated.

The pod door and the cassette 491 separated from the pod cover by the latch key 310 of the stage 300 are connected to the vertical conveying body 200 which moves up and down as in the embodiment of FIG. 491) is lowered to a specific position enough to load or to every slot position for a material transport robot with a short Z-axis travel. At this time, the search apparatus 470 for searching the state of the material attached to the bottom center of the port plate 400 searches for the presence or absence of the wafer in the cassette 491 and makes an index.

Among the components of the loader device of the present invention, the port plate 400 has an open pod detection device 480 that is not expressly identified to be clearly identified on the drawing, but which can automatically determine the type of material storage container. This is illustrated in a perspective view of the inner surface of the port plate 400 for the purpose of describing the pod holding device 403 of FIG. In addition, as shown in Figs. 1 and 8, there is a pod fixing device 403 that can suppress external influences in unlocking pods. The pod fixing device 403 shown in detail in FIG. 8 is positioned symmetrically to the left and right of the port plate 400, and includes a pod fixing plate 404, an electric motor 405, and an upper fixing bracket 406 for fixing or releasing the pod. , A lower fixing bracket 407, and a buffer spring 408. The pod fixing plate 404 is directly connected to the electric motor 405 firmly fixed to the fixing brackets 406 and 407 to fix or release the pod cover according to the rotation of the electric motor 405, and the impact on the pod fixing plate 404 unreasonably. To prevent this from being applied, a buffer spring 408 is inserted between the upper bracket 406 and the lower bracket 407. The pod cover may be firmly fixed while being safely and gently handled by the buffer spring 408 when the loader is operated.

The pod cover separated from the pod door by the latch key 310 of the stage 300 is a vertical conveying member 200 in which the port plate 400 is vertically conveyed in the embodiment different from the embodiment of FIG. 2. It is connected to the ascending position to a specific position to load the cassette 491. At the same time, the search apparatus 470 for searching the state of the material attached to the bottom center of the port plate 400 searches for the presence or absence of the wafer in the cassette 491 and makes an index.

In addition, during vertical vertical transfer of the port plate 400 or the stage 300, the wafer inside the cassette 491 is not located at the center of the cassette 491 and is damaged in the direction of the opening 109 of the main plate 101. Whether or not there is a risk of check through the protrusion detection device attached to the lower portion of the port plate 400, the material detected by the protrusion detection device is crossed with the wafer detection device 470 at the bottom center of the port plate 400 It may be rearranged with the protruding wafer repositioning device 460 positioned.

9, 10 and 11 show an embodiment and detailed configuration of a cassette transfer device 410 that can be mounted on the bottom of the port plate. The cassette transfer device 410 for loading the cassette 491 to the equipment side through the opening 109 of the main plate 101 after opening the pod as necessary, is settled in the cassette 491 as shown in FIG. A gripper 420 including a sensor 421 for detecting a state is attached to the gripper horizontal transfer support 411 through a linear guide block 433 and a linear guide rail 431 for gripper transfer, and the gripper 420. It is connected to the gripper 420 through the power transmission connecting plate 432 of the cam and link structure for transmitting power to the motor 434 in the center of the horizontal transport support 411 for the operation of. When the gripper 420 contracts or expands due to the rotation of the gripping motor 434, a pair of forward and reverse sensors 435 and a sensor plate 422 are horizontal to check the correct position. It is attached to the left side of the transfer support 411.

After the gripper 420 picks up the cassette 491, the stage 300 is further lowered by a specific distance to secure a space appropriately for transporting the cassette 491 to the equipment side. The transfer assembly for transferring the cassette 491 to the process equipment side has a pair of right and left linear guides for transferring cassettes attached to the left and right pair of cassette transfer assembly fixing brackets 454 fixed to the bottom surface of the port plate 400. The gripper horizontal transfer support 411 is connected to the rail 455 and the block 451. The power for transferring the horizontal transfer support 411 in the direction of the process equipment is a motor 440 attached to the end of the right cassette transfer assembly fixing bracket 454 and a pulley fixed outside the right fixing bracket 454. It is received from the 450 and the belt 453.

The cassette transfer device 410 should have a sufficient transfer distance to completely transfer the cassette 491 to the process equipment through the opening 109 of the main plate, and after the transfer is completed, the cassette transfer robot of the process equipment Alternatively, the wafer transfer robot transfers the cassette unit or the wafer sheet unit. At this time, the cassette conveying apparatus including the gripper 420 is in a standby state until the conveyance is completed.

While performing the above functions or in the process standby state, the interior of the loader device should be kept clean, which includes an exhaust fan 120 that can cause the flow of air in the base 600 to sufficiently flow the air flow. Achievement is achieved through an exterior cover designed to maintain and block external contaminant ingress.

As described above, the sump loader device of the present invention can automatically open or close a storage container quickly and accurately in a semiconductor manufacturing process using a sealed or open material storage container as described above, and transfer information related to the state of the material to a higher device. By transferring, the efficiency of the whole plant can be maximized and production time can be reduced to increase the yield.

In addition, the exterior cover surrounding the port plate 400 and the stage 300 induces a constant flow of air so that the exterior cover surrounding the port plate 400 and the stage 300 may form a closed space and maintain a clean state regardless of the presence or absence of a storage container. Therefore, it is expected to minimize the error caused by the particles of the wafer or the lattice by suppressing or eliminating generation of particles, which are air pollutants.

Claims (9)

In the material storage container automatic opening or closing loader device, A main plate with a vertical transfer structure including an electric motor, a belt and a pulley, A base coupled vertically to the main plate and having a specially designed fan for forming a control panel and clean airflow, and a cover designed for inflow of clean airflow; And A port plate attached to the vertical transport structure of the main plate and fixedly attached to the base; A stage fixedly attached to the base and attachable to the vertical transport structure of the main plate; And And a cassette loading device fixed to a horizontal transport structure including a motor, a belt, and a pulley attached to the bottom of the port plate to load the cassette into the connection equipment through the opening of the main plate. Automatic loading and closing of material storage container, sum loader device. The method of claim 1, A device for retrieving and correcting a position, a direction, a seating state, etc. when the material storage container including the pod is loaded on the port plate by an automatic conveying device or an operator; And A rotary latch key device which separates or couples a cover and a door of a storage container to an upper portion of the stage; And It characterized in that it comprises a horizontal forward and backward conveying device consisting of a belt and pulley for the material transport robot and end-effector having a small X-axis transport distance after the vertical vertical transport of the pod door and cassette at the bottom of the stage Automatic loading and closing of material storage container, sum loader device. The method of claim 1, wherein the port plate on the top A sensing device capable of automatically determining whether the material storage container including the pod is hermetic or open; When the cover and the door of the storage container is separated, the external influence can be suppressed, and a storage device for automatically opening and closing the material storage container, characterized in that it includes a fixing device for maintaining a closed space during the opening operation of the storage container. Preloader device. According to claim 3, wherein the port plate lower inner surface A retrieval device for mapping or retrieving the state of materials during vertical movement of the vertical conveying body; And A sensing device for inspecting whether an external obstacle or material protrudes from the storage container; And Automatic loading and closing material storage container, characterized in that it comprises a seating device for rearranging the abnormal position material detected by the sensing device. According to claim 3, Under the port plate Automatic opening and closing material storage container, characterized in that the loading device for loading the cassette into the process equipment after opening the storage container, the smipper loader for transport. According to claim 1, wherein the main plate front A vertical direction transfer device for transferring the door and the cassette separated from the storage container cover up and down through a belt and a pulley connected to an electric motor; And A double exterior cover designed to be detachable to protect the main plate and to be easily detachable when damaged; And Storage container automatic opening and closing, the load loader device, characterized in that the inner cover is attached to both sides designed to discharge the air pollutants generated during the start-up of the transfer device through the inflow of clean air. According to claim 6, Inside the main plate Fixing the motor, the belt, the pulley of the vertical transfer device, Openings were formed for withdrawing cassettes or robots for material transfer; A material storage container automatic opening and closing, transport loader sump loader device characterized in that it comprises a device for reducing obstacles such as the material transfer robot in the opening. The method of claim 1, Coupled vertically with the main plate, A calibration structure of the pot plate or / or stage is attachable; A specially designed fan for forming a control panel and clean airflow, and a base for seating a cover designed for inflow of clean airflow. The method of claim 1, Vertically coupled to the bottom of the front of the port plate, Automatic opening and closing of a material storage container characterized by a fixed exterior ME cover designed to induce a flow of air to maintain the interior of the loader device in a clean state while the process is in progress or in the process standby state, with or without the material storage container. , Smipper loader for conveying.