KR100298031B1 - Mechanical interface device - Google Patents

Abstract

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical interface device capable of easily replacing gas in a port, and capable of replacing gas by only adding a simple member.

The configuration of the present invention is an airtightly loaded and disposed on the pot plate 3 forming the pot 4 for carrying in and taking out the object to be processed and installed in the main body case 1, and covering the pot 4 with an opening. Port 10 with a flange, port port 21 for hermetically closing the opening 11 of the port, supported to be liftable in the main body case 1, and engaged with the pot plate 3 at the highest level And a port door 31 for closing the port 4, and the port door 31 conveys the port door 21 to the body case 1 in the port and vice versa. In the mechanical interface device, the port door 31 partitions a normal space capable of elevating and driving a predetermined height therein, and a lower junction peripheral portion 33A and the port plate that can be hermetically engaged to the bottom surface of the form door. Has an upper junction periphery 33B which can be hermetically engaged on the underside of the A biasing device (37) disposed on the movable port port (33), the port port (31), or a member that moves up and down together with the port port door (3) for biasing the port port (33) by the port plate (3). And the pot plate 3 has an exhaust port 3B which opens on the inner circumferential surface, and an air supply port 3A which opens to the inner circumferential surface and is connected to the N ₂ gas source.

Mechanical interface device, characterized in that for driving the N ₂ gas into the port (10) is lowered until the port door (31) is hermetically engaged to the lower junction portion (33A).

Description

Mechanical interface

1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state at the time of N ₂ gas injection in the embodiment.

3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state during an object load / unload process in the embodiment;

4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a third embodiment 7 of the present invention;

6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a schematic diagram of a conventional mechanical interface device.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

1: main body case 3: port plate

3A: intake port 3B: exhaust port

3C: solenoid valve 4: port

10: Pot 11: Port opening

12 Port Flange 13-15 Seal Material

20: wafer cassette

21: Port Moon 31: Port Moon

32: lifting shaft 33: pot scotch

33A: Lower joint area of lower port (bottom flange)

33B: Upper junction of the potscat (weepange)

33b, 34: sealing material 35: between guides

36: guide roller

37: hanging mechanism as a taxing device ( )

37A: Coil Spring 40: Lock Mechanism

50, 51: bellows

70: coil spring 71: large

71A: Aeration hole 72: Breathing pipe

A: Sealed space

The present invention relates to a mechanical interface device used in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor.

Conventionally, semiconductor processing has been carried out in a clean room specially designed to prevent the partial contamination of semiconductors. However, there is a problem that it is too expensive to protect the semiconductors. There is a limitation, and for example, a standardized mechanical interface device such as that disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-143623 has been developed.

This mechanical interface device, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, accommodates a wafer processing device (not shown), and is equipped with a main body case 1 of a device filled with clean air and a portable type. A box type (hereinafter referred to as a "port") 10 and a lifting device 30 are included.

A port (carrying-in / out port of the wafer cassette 20) 4 is formed on the ceiling plate 2 of the main body case 1 of the apparatus main body by the port plate 3, and the holding part 10A is provided. A port 10 having is placed on the pot plate 3.

The port 10 has a shape having an annular flange 12 around the opening 11.

The lifting device 30 lifts and lifts the wafer cassette 20 on the lifting table 31 supported by the lifting shaft 32. However, the lifting device 31 is a port door, and at the maximum lift, the port plate ( 3) The port 21 of the wafer cassette 20 on the port door 31 is sealed in the port (4) and the main body case 1 from the outside by contacting or fitting from below. The opening 11 is sealed by contacting the peripheral portion of the opening 11 of 10).

This stand 21 is called port door hereafter.

Sealing between the opening of the port 10 and the port door 20 with a sealing material 13 and sealing between the flange 12 of the port 10 and the pot plate 3 with a sealing material 14, The sealing material 15 is sealed between the potting plate 3 and the potting door 31.

The lock mechanism 40 has a lock lever 41 driven by a geared motor (not shown), and performs the movement of pressing the flange 12 of the port 10 onto the pot plate 3.

In this example, the wafer W before processing is moved and stacked on the port door 31 from the other place not shown, and then the port 10 is loaded on the port plate 3 and the lock lever 41 is loaded. To be fixed.

After fixing with the lock lever 41, the pot door 31 is lowered to the position to move and load.

When the port door 31 is lowered to the position where the port door 31 is moved, the mobile stacker (not shown) conveys the wafer cassette 20 on the port door 31 to the processing machine.

By the way, in the past, material contamination of the wafer W has been a problem, but as the density of semiconductor integrated circuits is advanced, the influence of the natural oxide film on the wafer surface caused by oxygen in the air starts to become a problem. In order to prevent the growth of the wafer W, it is necessary to perform the transfer, conveyance, and processing of the wafer W in an inert gas (N ₂ gas) atmosphere, and at present, the N ₂ gas atmosphere having a concentration of 0 ₂ · H ₂ O is 10 ppm or less. It is required.

When using the above-mentioned mechanical interface devices, the main body case (1) and by replacing the air with N ₂ gas and a N ₂ gas atmosphere, the port 10 interior is maintained in N ₂ gas atmosphere in, but the art port ( 10) the main body case (1) in the top plate (2) on a set (set) which is momentary, by replacing the material therein as a N ₂ gas is not more than the high-purity N ₂ gas atmosphere.

Injection of the N ₂ gas into the port 10 of the portable type needs to be performed from the N ₂ gas cylinder provided on the main body case 1 side, but the main body case (with the port 10 being sealed by the port door 21) Injecting N ₂ gas from the side 1) is not simple and structurally complicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve this problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical interface device capable of easily replacing a gas in a port and enabling this gas replacement by simply adding a simple member.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, in claim 1 wherein the port door is divided into a cylindrical space capable of ascending operation to a predetermined height therein and airtight on the underside of the port door. Iii) a movable port scout having an underjoined periphery that can be engaged, a perforated periphery that can be hermetically engaged on the underside of the port plate, and an ascend with the port door or the port door disposed on the member directing the fabric Haute's card to Po Haute plate with a biasing (付勢) an exhaust port and one wanted to the inner peripheral surface of installing a biasing apparatus, and that the inner peripheral surface of the opening in the capsule Haute plate N ₂ An inlet connected to a gas source, and at the time of injection of N ₂ gas into the port, the port door is hermetically engaged with the lower junction peripheral part and It was set as the structure which drives down until it partitions the sealing space which communicates with the said port between.

In claim 2, the biasing device is a suspending device protected by a port door, the one end of which is a coil spring. The hanging spring has an engagement roller in which the non-coil spring portion of the hanging line engages, and the end of the coil spring side of this hanging line is held by a retaining pin installed in the port door, and the non-spring portion of the hanging spring coil The coil spring was loaded in the vertical direction at the lower joint portion of the port scatter and vertically connected to the lower joint portion.

In claim 3, the biasing device is constituted of a plurality of preloaded coil springs provided between a stand fixed to a support shaft of a port door and a lower junction of a port card.

In claim 4, each of the preloaded coil springs is covered with bellows, and a respiratory hole is formed in the table, and the respiratory hole is connected to a pipe extending out of the device. It was made.

In Claim 5, the lower opening of the potting scaffold which the lower junction part of a potting scart partitions is made into the structure which is airtightly sealed by bellows.

In claim 6, after the port is fixed on the port plate, the port door descends by a predetermined height, and after the formation of the sealing space, the exhaust port is sealed to perform N ₂ gas injection from the intake port for a predetermined time. After the passage, the port door descends to the workpiece loading position.

In the present invention, at the time of gas injection into the port, the outer peripheral portion of the bottom surface of the port door is lowered to the position where the seal member is compressed between the bottom joint of the port scard.

As the spring of the potting device contracts with the lowering of the potting door, the spring is preliminarily stretched so that sufficient force is applied to the potting scotch, so that the potting stool contacts the potting plate at a predetermined pressure. It becomes the state that became.

The port opening also opens because the port door also descends with the port door by the lowering of the port door, but the bottom of the port scout is sealed by the port door, and the port port scaffold is hermetically sealed from the outside. Since the pot opening 11 is opened, the gas supply port and the gas exhaust port communicate with the inside of the port.

EXAMPLE

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, the potting skat 33 of the single-cylinder body partitions the inner space A so that the potting door 31 can raise and lower the inside, and the lower part joins inward toward the inside. A peripheral portion (lower flange) 33A is formed, and a plurality of guide holes 33a are formed in the lower flange 33A, and the seal member 34 is surrounded by a plurality of guide holes 33a in the upper peripheral portion thereof. Is provided, and the seal member (for example, 0-ring) 34 is opposed to the outer peripheral portion of the bottom door 31.

In addition, an upper junction peripheral portion (upper flange) 33B outward is formed at the upper end portion of the port scout 33, and a seal member (for example, a 0-ring) 33b is provided on the surface thereof.

The guide section 35 extends vertically downward from the lower surface of the port door 31, has a separation prevention 35a at its lower end, and is loosely fitted in the corresponding guide hole 33a, respectively.

The guide roll 36 is installed in the interior space 31A of the port door 31, and the hanging mechanism 37, which is a biasing device, is a hanging rope having a coil spring 37A preloaded in part. The spring A side end is engaged by the locking pin 38 disposed in the internal space 31A, and the other part is engaged with the guide rope 36, and is formed directly below the guide roll 36 of the port door 31. It is drawn out and hangs out from the hole 39 which is made, and it is locked by the inner periphery edge of the flange 33A below the potting scar 33.

The pot scout 33 is suspended by the plurality of hanging mechanisms 37 and pressed against the bottom surface of the pot plate 3 via the seal member 33b.

The inlet port 3A is a gas inlet port that radially passes through the lower side of the port plate 3 and is connected to an N ₂ gas cylinder (not shown) via a pipe 3a.

The exhaust port 3B is a gas exhaust port penetrating the lower side of the pot plate 3 in the radial direction, and the solenoid valve 3C is provided in the pipe 3c.

Further, in the box-shaped main body case (1) and the N ₂ gas atmosphere, there is always a preload to the N ₂ gas inlet of 20ℓ / min.

Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG.

Now, it is assumed that the port 10 is moved onto the pot plate 3 of the main body case 1 from the outside of the apparatus and is fixed to the pot plate 3 with the lock lever 41 although not shown.

In this state, the opening 11 of the port 10 and the port door 21 are sealed with a seal material 13, and the flange between the port 10 and the port plate 3 is a low-rise material 14. It is sealed and between the pot plate 3 and the port door 21 is sealed by the sealing material.

Moreover, the sealing material 33b is also sealed between the upper end part of the pot scotch 33 and the pot plate 3.

Next, N ₂ gas is injected into the port 10 to replace the interior with N ₂ gas, but before the gas injection, the port door 31 is only a predetermined short distance, as shown in FIG. The lower periphery of (31) is lowered to the position where the seal member 34 is compressed between the lower flange 33A.

As the distance between the potscat 33 and the guide 36 is reduced with the descending of the pott door 31, one end of the hanging mechanism 37 is locked to the potscat 33 so that the coil spring 37A ) Is contracted by its own elastic force, but the coil spring 37A is elastically supported in advance so that the tension force is applied to other parts even in the illustrated state, and a sufficient lifting force is applied to the pot scotch 33. The scart 33 is in compression contact with the potting plate 3.

That is, the potting stool 33, which is a short body, is held under the potting plate 3 by the action of the hanging mechanism 37, which is a biasing device, which is on the upper surface of the upper junction 33B of the potting stool 33. It adheres to the lower surface of the pot plate 3 via this seal member 33b. In this close contact state, even if the pot door 31 is lowered and the lower face of the pot door 31 is integrated with the upper surface of the bottom joint 33A of the pot scout 33, the spring mechanism of the hanging mechanism 37 Is kept pulled by.

Since the port door 21 also descends together with the port door 31 by the lowering of the port door 31, the opening 11 of the port 10 opens, but the lower end of the port cart 33 is potted. Sealed with the door 31, the pot skat 33 is in a state of being hermetically shielded with respect to the inside of the main body case 1, and there is no fear that the air in the port 10 may enter the main body case 1.

The opening 11 of the port 10 is opened by the lowering of the port door 31 and the port door 21 so that the gas intake port 3A and the gas exhaust port 3B communicate with the inside of the port 10.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the port door 31 is lowered to open the opening 11 of the port 10, the solenoid valve 3C is opened, and the N ₂ gas is discharged from the gas intake port 3A. Into (10), for example, 701 / min, approximately 5 minutes is injected, and the air in the port 10 is exhausted from the gas exhaust port 3B to replace the inside of the port 10 with N ₂ gas.

After the gas replacement is completed, the port door 31 is lowered to a predetermined position (moving loading position) as shown in FIG.

This causes the port 10 to communicate with the inside of the main body case 1, but since the inside of the port 10 is already in the N ₂ gas atmosphere, there is no fear that the N ₂ gas concentration in the main body case 1 will be lowered.

When the pot door 31 descends to the movable loading position, the wafer cassette 20 on the pot door 31 is transported to the processing machine side in the N ₂ gas atmosphere by the movable loading position (not shown).

The wafer cassette 20 processed by this processing machine is moved onto the port door 31 by a moving loading position (not shown) and transported into the port by the port door 31. 31) ascends to the highest ascending position, seals the pot 4, and is then transported out of the device.

In the present embodiment, when the port (receiving the wafer cassette loaded with the wafer before processing) is placed on the pot plate 3 and fixed on the pot door 31 closing the pot 4, the pot door 31 is a sealed space (a) formed by lowering by a predetermined short distance, then port 10 inside the inside main body case 1, the port 10 after being replaced with N ₂ gas into the N ₂ gas atmosphere. Since there is communication with the inside, there is no fear of the external air or dust in the main body case (1).

That is, as shown in FIG. 1, when the wafer cassette 20 is accommodated and the sealed port 10 is deposited on the pot door 31, the pot door 31 is shown in FIG. 2. ) Is slightly lowered. In this state, the inside of the port 10 is sealed with the main body case 1, but communicates with the intake and exhaust vents 3A and 3B, and the inlet and outlet 3A are N ₂ gas booms (not shown). N ₂ gas supplied from the N2 gas is supplied, and at this time, the solenoid valve 3C of the exhaust port 3B is opened to replace the inside of the port 10 with the N ₂ gas, and then the solenoid valve 3C is shut off. The inside is layered only with N ₂ gas, and in this state, as shown in FIG. 3, the lifting and lowering shaft 32 is reduced so that the wafer cassette 20 is stored inside the body case 1 and processed. when stretched the lifting shaft 32 wafer cassettes 20 and the processing only with the N ₂ gas atmosphere, and thus the air containing the foreign or clean. The concern is not at all.

4 shows the second embodiment of the present invention, which surrounds the bellows 50 between the lower flange 33A of the portcoat 33 and the lifting shaft 32 of the port door 31. It differs from the embodiment of FIG. 1 in that the opening under the haute ska 33 is closed.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the pot 10 is in the periphery side of the port door 21 and the pot until the pot door 31 descends onto the flange 33A of the pot scout 33. Through the gap formed between the peripheral side of the door 31 and the pot scotch 22, the lower opening of the pot scotch 33, the body communicates with the inside of the case 1, and the like. There is a risk of entering the main body case 1, but in this embodiment, since the lower opening of the pot scout 33 is closed by the bellows 50, there is an advantage that there is no such concern.

5 shows Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

In this embodiment, it differs in that the coil spring 70 for pushing up is used instead of the said hawk 37.

A stand 71 serving as a spring seat is fixed to the lifting side 32 of the pot door 37, and a plurality of coil springs are provided between the stand 71 and the lower flange 33A of the pot seat 33. The 70 is discharged in a preloaded state.

6 shows Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

This embodiment is the same as the third embodiment in that the coil spring 70 for pushing up is used, but the dust generated from the coil spring 70 is covered by covering the coil spring 70 with the bellows 51. It did not blow into the main body case (1).

The breathing pipe 72 is inferior to the vent hole 71A formed in the base 71 at one end thereof, and the other end thereof is drawn out of the main body case 1.

The present invention lowers the port door 31 to a predetermined height through the above description, to form a sealing space in communication with the port 10 on the outer peripheral side of the port door 31 and the port door 21, It is structured to inject N ₂ gas into the port 10 from the external N ₂ gas source through the sealing space, and installs a member that partitions the sealing space in cooperation with the port door 31 and the port door 21. The gas replacement system can be constructed in the highly reliable port 10 at a low cost.

Claims (6)

A port 10 having an opening flange covering the pot 4, which is installed in the main body case 1 and is tightly stacked on the pot plate 3, which forms the pot 4 for carrying in / out of the workpiece. A port door 21 capable of closing the opening of the port 10 in an airtight manner, and being supported in the main body case 1 in such a manner as to be lifted and lowered so that the port 10 is engaged with the pot plate 3 at the time of the highest rise. And a port door 31 for closing the port door 31, wherein the port door 31 transports the port door 21 from the port 10 to the body case 1 and vice versa. In the above, the port door 31 partitions a cylindrical space capable of lifting and lowering to a predetermined height therein, and a lower junction peripheral portion 33B that can be hermetically engaged to the bottom surface of the port door 31. Umbilical recesses that can be hermetically engaged under the port plate A biasing device disposed on the potting scout 33, the potting door 31, or a member which rises together with the potting door, and biases the potting scout 33 toward the potting plate 3. And the pot plate 3 has an exhaust port 3B whose inner circumferential surface is opened, and an inlet port 3A which is connected to the N ₂ gas source while being opened to the inner circumferential surface. 10) The potting door 31 and the potting scotch 33 are driven down by a predetermined height until the potting door 31 is tightly engaged with the lower joint portion 33A when N ₂ gas is injected into the chamber. Mechanical interface device, characterized in that the sealing space in communication with the port (10) is partitioned between the port plate (3). 2. The hanging device (37) according to claim 1, wherein the biasing device is a hanging mechanism (37) which is protected and maintained in the port door (31), wherein one end thereof is reduced to a coil spring (37A), and the portion of the hanging string other than the coil spring is engaged The coil spring (37A) end of the hanging rope is engaged with the engaging pin provided in the port door 31, and the portion other than the coil spring is engaged with the engagement roller to form the pot scout (33). A mechanical interface device, characterized in that it is lowered perpendicularly to the lower junction portion (33A) of the lower junction portion and latched on the lower junction portion, and the coil spring is preloaded. 2. The mechanical interface device of claim 1 wherein the biasing device comprises a plurality of preloaded coil springs mounted between the base secured to the support shaft of the port door and the port scout and the lower joint. 4. The mechanical interface of claim 3, wherein each of the preloaded coil springs is covered with bellows, and the base is provided with a breathing hole for opening into each bellows, the breathing hole being connected to a tubing extending out of the device. Device. 4. The mechanical interface device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lower opening of the port scout, which is defined by the bottom joint of the port scout, is hermetically sealed by a bellows. The port door is lowered to a predetermined height to form a sealed space after the port is fixed on the port plate, and then the exhaust port is sealed to perform N ₂ gas injection at the inlet for a predetermined time. And the port door descends to a workpiece loading position.