KR100859199B1 - Cylinder, load port using it and production system - Google Patents

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a load port and a cylinder which can reliably insert a latch key without damaging the latch key receiving, even for a FOUP in which the latch key receiving is not in a vertical position, and also to provide a semiconductor production method.

A four-position cylinder, the spring bearing member disposed at one end of the piston chamber and coaxial with the piston rod, and the first spring member disposed between the spring bearing member and the piston; A stopper provided on the piston rod to restrict the movement of the spring bearing member to the piston rod against the piston rod in a reverse direction; a recess formed in the piston rod at a position away from the piston from the stopper; It has a stop pin biased in the recessed direction by the spring member, and the length of the piston rod limited by the stop pin fitted to the recess at the movement distance between the piston and the spring receiving member is increased. It features.

Cylinder, Rod Port, Piston Rod, Latch Key Receptacle, Stopper, Semiconductor Production Method

Description

CYLINDER, LOAD PORT USING IT AND PRODUCTION SYSTEM}             

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a cylinder of the present invention.

2A to 2E are schematic cross-sectional views showing the operating principle of the cylinder of the present invention.

3A to 3E are cross-sectional views showing another configuration example of the cylinder of the present invention.

Figure 4a and 4b is a block diagram of a port door incorporating a cylinder of the present invention.

5A to 5E are schematic cross-sectional views showing the operation principle of the cylinder of the load port of the present invention.

6A to 6E are schematic diagrams showing (A) latch key operation and (B) solenoid valve circuit of the load port of the present invention.

7A to 7C are plan views illustrating swings of the cylinder according to the linear movement of the piston rod.

8A to 8C are schematic diagrams showing a relationship between a latch key and a latch key receiver.

9A to 9D are schematic diagrams showing a state in which a latch key is inserted into a latch key receiving.

10A to 10E show an embodiment in which the latch key at the time of locking the latch is not 90 degrees.                 

11 is a conceptual diagram showing a semiconductor production method of the present invention.

12 is a schematic perspective view showing the structure of a load port;

13 is a schematic perspective view showing a FOUP.

Fig. 14 is a graph showing latch key receiving angles of various types of load ports.

(Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawing)

1 cylinder 2 cylinder tube

3: piston rod 4: piston

5, 6: Fluid port 7, 19: Cylinder cover

8, 17: stopper 9: groove (main part)

10: taper 11: stop pin

12: spring (second spring member) 13: cover

14: spring receiving member 15: spring (first spring member)

16: spring guide member 18: piston fixing

21: knuckle 30: load port

31: frame 32: stage

33: port door 34: kinematic pin

35: Latch Key 36: Registration Pin

37: adsorption pad 50: FOUP

51: FOUP Box 52: FOUP Door                 

54: registration hole 55: latch hole

56: latch 57: latch key receiving

58: handle 60: OHT part

61 processing device 62 hoist mechanism

θ: clearance angle between latch key and latch key receiving

α: angle when the latch key receiving is not set to 90 °

β: rotation angle of the latch key corresponding to the movement of the third position and the fourth position of the cylinder

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cylinder, a load port using the same, and a production method thereof. In particular, the present invention relates to a load port capable of supporting a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) corresponding to SEMI standards and having various latch-key receiving shapes. It is about.

 In recent years, an open cassette has been widely used as a container for storing a plurality of semiconductor wafers, but as a means for reducing the cost required for clean rooms and making high-performance semiconductor devices at low cost, a mini-environment method has been advocated for 200 mm. SMIF (Standard Mechanical Inter Face) is widely used on wafers, and FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) is used on 300mm wafers.                         

FOUP is a mini-environment method standardized by SEMI (Semi conductor Equipment and Materials International) organized by semiconductor manufacturing equipment and material makers from all over the world, and semiconductor device makers also build mass production lines in this way. Going on.

 The FOUP method is standardized after technical review by the Standard Committee of SEMI. However, the load port's mechanical interface method for opening and closing the FOUP and FOUP doors is strictly defined, while the FOUP is strictly free. By providing this, the originality of the FOUP maker is made (SEMI Standard E57-0299).

Although such a FOUP method is described in detail in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8 (1996) -279546, for example, its structure and opening / closing mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

12 is a load port for opening and closing the FOUP. The load port 30 has a frame 31 having an opening, three kinematic pins 34, a stage 32 capable of advancing backward in the frame direction, and a port inserted into and retracted from the opening in the opposite direction to the stage. It consists of a door 33.

The port door 33 is provided with two registration pins 36 disposed on a diagonal line, and two latch keys 35 which can be rotated in an upright state (90 °) and in a horizontal state (0 °).

In addition, a suction pad 37 for sucking and fixing the FOUP door 52 so as to surround the registration pin 36 is attached.                         

As shown in FIG. 13, the FOUP 50 includes a FOUP box 51 and a FOUP door 52. The FOUP box 51 includes a handle 58 for mounting a wafer 53 and an operator to hold the wafer 53. ) Is mounted.

In the FOUP door 52, a latch hole 55 and a registration hole 54 are formed at positions corresponding to the latch key 35 and the registration pin 36 of the port door 33.

A latch key receiver engaged with the latch key 35 is provided inside the latch hole 55, and the latch 56 is locked and released by rotating the latch key receiver with the latch key.

Although the SEMI standard stipulates that the latch key receiver is positioned at 90 ° and 0 ° to fix and release the FOUP box 51 and the FOUP door 52, but the specific fixing method is left to the FOUP maker.

A specific example showing the opening and closing structure of the FOUP door is disclosed, for example, in US Pat. No. 5915562.

Next, an example of the opening and closing operation method of the FOUP will be described.

The FOUP is positioned by placing it on three kinematic pins 34 arranged on the stage.

By advancing the stage 32 in this state, the registration hole 55 of the FOUP 50 is fitted into the registration pin 36 of the port door, and the position of the FOUP door is corrected.

Further, by advancing the stage, the latch key 35 of the port door is fitted to the latch key receiving through the latch hole 55 of the FOUP, and finally the FOUP door and the port door are in close contact with each other.

In this state, the suction pad 37 disposed under the registration pin 36 is set to negative pressure, whereby the FOUP door can be fixed to the port door.

Next, the latch key is rotated 90 degrees to the 0 degree position, thereby releasing the fixing of the FOUP box and the FOUP door. The port door is moved backward while supporting the FOUP door, and is lowered again so that the wafer can be taken out through the opening.

In this state, the wafer accommodated in the FOUP box can be transferred to the substrate processing apparatus by a scalar robot for transporting the substrate described in Japanese Patent No. 2749314.

When closing the FOUP door, the above operation is reversed.

This FOUP method was established in 1996 as a tentative specification of SEMI, and each company developed and manufactured FOUP and load port based on this standard, but actually verified the operation in FOUP method. As a result, several problems became apparent.

As mentioned above, the SEMI standard strictly defines the precision regarding the load port, but gives freedom to the FOUP.

For example, although a rigid specification is set in the shape and size of a latch key including a tolerance, there is no provision in the shape and size of a latch key receiving body. Therefore, the following problem occurs.                         

That is, the rotation angle of the latch key has a tolerance of ± 1 ° in each of the 0 ° position and the 90 ° position by SEMI standard E62-0999. However, since there is no regulation on the size of the latch key receiving body, when the width W1 of the latch key receiving 57 shown in Fig. 8A becomes larger than the width W2 of the latch key 35, the latch key is set to 90 degrees. Even if it rotates, the latch key receiving does not rotate to 90 ° and may be in a 90 ° position. Therefore, the latch may not be locked depending on the width difference W1-W2.

Also, even if the latch lock is not in the 90 ° position even when the latch is locked, the latch key is conveyed to the load port of the next substrate processing step. When the stage moves forward to open the FOUP, the latch key is smoothly applied to the latch lock. There is a problem that it is impossible to insert it properly, and the latch key receiving body is damaged or oscillation causes contamination of the wafer transfer space.

If this is repeated, the latch back is cut and deformed, and in severe cases, the cover of the FOUP may be broken. Also, if the latch key receiver is deformed, for example, even if the latch key is rotated to 0 °, the latch key receiver cannot be rotated to the 0 ° position, that is, stopped at a position of 1 ° or more (for example, 5 °). .

FOUP box and FOUP door have a latch key receiver of 0 ° ± 1 °, so that the fixing is released. The latch key receiver cannot be released due to the deformation of the latch key receiver, which is a big problem in the manufacturing process of semiconductors. Becomes

In order to solve the above problems, various companies of FOUP makers have examined various problems, but appropriate solutions have not been obtained at present for problems such as cost and reliability.                         

Therefore, the present inventors have developed a load port capable of rotating the latch key at 90 ° or more when the latch is locked to position the latch key receiving at a 90 ° position (Special Application 2000-59654), whereby a stable latch opening and closing operation is achieved. Made it possible.

However, in the case of a production system in which a conventional load port is mixed, depending on the type of FOUP, the latch key receiving angle is greatly shifted at 90 °, and the latch key receiving is damaged due to the contact between the latch key and the latch key receiving. okay.

This will be described with reference to FIG. 14. 14 shows two types of production systems having conventional load ports (C) and (G) and new load ports (A), (B), (D), (E), (F) and (H). The graph shows the latch key receiving angle after the latch is locked when the FOUP flows.

When using the new load ports (A), (B), (D), (E), (F), and (H), it is possible to set the latch key receiving to approximately 90 ° for any FOUP. In the conventional load ports (C) and (G), the latch key receiving may be about 86 degrees, and if they are conveyed to the next load ports (D) and (H), even the new load port may be latched and latched. When the catches contacted, the latch catches were damaged.

In this situation, the present invention provides a secure insertion without damaging the latch back when the stage is advanced to open the FOUP and when the latch is inserted into the latch back, for example, even when the latch back is not in the 90 ° position. The goal is to provide a loadport that can be done.

Moreover, an object of this invention is to provide the small cylinder used suitably for such a load port. In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a production method capable of continuously producing a semi-assembly integrated circuit with high reliability.

(Means to solve the task)

MEANS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM In order to solve the said problem, when the cylinder was used for the drive mechanism of a latch key, it examined in detail the method of inserting the latch key into a latch key receiving, the mechanism of a latch, etc., and latched the latch key receiving of a FOUP. When the key is inserted, the latch key can be rotated freely. As shown in Fig. 8C, the latch key rotates in accordance with the angle (90 ° -α) of the latch key receiver so that the latch key is inserted into the latch key receiver. It was found that it can be inserted smoothly and damage or oscillation of the latch key receiving can be avoided.

Here, the state in which the latch key rotates while contacting the latch key receiver and is inserted into the latch key receiver is shown in the plan views and sectional views of FIGS. 9B to 9D. 9A is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the latch key and the latch key receiving.

In addition, as shown in Fig. 8B, when the FOUP door is closed to lock the latch, the latch key is rotated to an angle greater than 90 ° (90 ° + θ) so that the latch key receiving body is at a 90 ° position. By the configuration of returning to the 90 ° position, the latch can be reliably locked to any FOUP, and the latch key receiving can be returned to the 90 ° position. I found it possible to release.

In order to realize this method, a cylinder capable of accurately feeding the piston rod at four positions corresponding to the four angles of the latch key is indispensable.                         

Although the cylinder which stops a piston rod in such a multistage is disclosed by Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 8 (1996) -82305, for example, four actuators which drive the stopper for stopping a piston rod are needed, and a cylinder The overall size became so large that it was practically impossible to install in SEMI port doors.

It is also possible to realize a four-position cylinder by connecting conventional cylinders, but there is a problem in that the size of the entire cylinder is too large.

Thus, the present inventors have further studied based on the above findings and studied a cylinder structure that can be miniaturized. As a result, the inventors have completed the cylinder and the load port of the present invention.

That is, the cylinder of the present invention has two fluid ports, and in a cylinder in which a linear motion of the piston rod is caused by the pressure applied to the piston by the fluid supplied to the port, by one stop pin, In a second position between a first position where one end is one end of the maximum operating range, a second position that is the other end of the maximum operating range, and a first position and a second position. It is set as the structure which stops at the 4th position which is close to a 3rd position between a 3rd position near a 1st position, and a 3rd position.

Moreover, the end part of the said rod was made to move freely between a 3rd position and a 4th position. It is characterized by the above-mentioned. The stop pin may be driven by a fluid pressure, a spring force, an electromagnetic force, or the like, for example.

Specifically, in a cylinder having two fluid ports, in which the fluid supplied to the port makes linear movement of the piston rod by the pressure applied to the piston, one end surface of the piston chamber is located in the piston chamber of the cylinder tube. A spring bearing member disposed coaxially with the piston rod, the first spring member disposed to separate the spring bearing member from the piston, and the piston rod mounted on the piston rod to the piston rod of the spring bearing member. A stopper for restricting movement in a direction opposite to the piston, a recess formed in the piston rod at a position farther from the piston than the stopper, and arranged to engage with the recess in the cylinder tube, thereby providing a second spring member. And a stop pin biased in the recessed direction by means of a gap between the piston and the spring receiving member. Characterized in that the more the distance, the larger the movement of the piston rod being limited by a stop pin tailored to hang the main body portion as possible length, and a cylinder for the piston rod to the implementation of the four positions.

Here, the first to fourth positions are, for example, positions where the first end face on the side of the piston chamber away from the stop pin and the piston contact each other, and the spring receiving member is the second of the piston chamber. A position in contact with the end face of the piston chamber and the distance between the piston and the spring receiving member to be the minimum, or a position in which the end face of the recessed portion of the piston side and the stop pin contact each other; It can be defined by the end face of the and the position of contact with the stopper, and the other end surface of the recess portion and the position of the stop pin contact.

With such a configuration, it is possible to make the transition to the four positions with one piston rod with high accuracy and to stabilize the transition between the states of the four positions.

In addition, the number of parts can be greatly reduced as compared to the structure in which two cylinders are connected or to JP-A-8 (1996) -82305, which is very advantageous in terms of cost.

As a result, it is possible to realize a compact, low-cost and highly reliable four-position cylinder.

The load port of the present invention comprises a frame having an opening, a stage for mounting a substrate storage container for fixing the front door by a latch to maintain the sealed state therein, and a port door having a latch key. And a load port configured to lock and release the latch by rotating the latch key by a cylinder in a state in which the latch key receiving part of the front door and the latch key are coupled to each other. When in close contact with the port door, the latch key is configured to be coupled according to the angle of the latch key receiving.

Here, as the cylinder, the cylinder of the present invention which can be shifted to four positions is suitably used.

By using the load port of such a structure, the problem of latch failure, damage at the time of latch insertion, and oscillation which occurred in the conventional load port can be eliminated.

That is, even if there is a FOUP whose latch key receiving is not set to 90 °, the latch key is fitted correctly accordingly so that the front door of the FOUP can be opened without any problems, and after closing the front door, the latch key receiving is set to 90 °. Since it is possible to return, even in a production system in which a conventional load port is mixed, it is possible to avoid a collision between the latch key and the latch key receiving, so that problems such as damage or oscillation can be avoided.

Here, as shown in Fig. 14, in general, the range of the angle (90 ° -α) of the latch key receiving in the locked state of various FOUPs is 86 to 92 °.

(90 ° + θ) = 90 to 94 °

(90 ° -β) = 85 to 90 °

By doing so, even in a production system including a conventional load port, a stable latch operation can be performed.

In addition, what is necessary is just to determine the 1st-4th position of a cylinder according to these angles. That is, the first to fourth positions correspond to four angles of the horizontal position of the latch key, the angle larger than the vertical position (90 ° + θ), the vertical position and the angle smaller than the vertical position (90 ° -β), respectively. This makes it possible to perform a highly reliable latch operation.

In addition, since the small cylinder of the present invention is used, the port door can be mounted with a margin and can sufficiently meet the SEMI standard.

In the present invention, it is preferable that two latch keys are connected and two latch keys are simultaneously rotated by one cylinder. As a result, the cylinder and the valve are completed in half, so that the cost of the load port can be further reduced.

The production method of the present invention is characterized in that the load port of the present invention is used.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Next, embodiment of this invention is described using drawing.

(cylinder)

First, the cylinder of this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 2A-2E.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a four-point positioning cylinder of the present invention.

2 is a cylinder tube, 3 is a piston rod, 4 is a piston, and 5 and 6 are fluid ports. In the cylinder tube 2, a piston chamber I-II having an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the piston 4 is formed between the cylinder covers 7 and 19.

A stopper 8 is fixed to one end of the piston rod 3, a groove (recessed portion) 9 is formed on the circumferential surface thereof, and a taper 10 is formed on the tip end thereof.

Between the piston 4 and the stopper 8, a spring receiving member 14 made of a cylindrical member with a flange attached to one end thereof is axially moved coaxially with the piston rod 3 independently of the piston rod 3. This is arrange | positioned possibly.

A spring (first spring member) 15 is disposed between the spring bearing member 14 and the piston 4 to bias the spring bearing member 14 to the right.

The spring receiving member 14 is inhibited from moving in the right direction by each of the cylinder cover 19 and the stopper 8.

In FIG. 1, a spring guide member 16 for smoothing the action of the spring 15 is fixed to the piston rod 3 and the piston 4.

The cylinder tube 2 is also provided with a stop pin 11 that can be engaged with the recess 9 formed in the stopper 8.

The stop pin 11 is biased in the direction of the central axis of the piston rod 3 by the spring 12 (second spring member) and the cover 13. By engaging the stop pin 11 and the recessed part 9, the axial movement of the piston rod 3 is limited. The stop pin 11 is pushed back by the pressurized fluid introduced into the fluid port 6 to release the engagement with the recess 9.

Next, a method of shifting the piston rod to the other four positions along with the operation of the cylinder will be described using Figs. 2A to 2E.

2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D show different states, and the amount transferred in the order of FIGS. 2A, 2D, 2C, and 2B increases (that is, cylinder length: L ₁ > L ₄ > L ₃ >). L ₂ ).

First, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the fluid port 5 is set to the high pressure H and the fluid port 6 is set to the low pressure L, the piston rod 3 is pushed in the right direction of the drawing, and the cylinder length is the minimum value. (L ₂ ).

This position is determined by the spring receiving member 14 and the spring guide member 16 contacting each other so that the gap L ₀ is zero, and the right end of the spring receiving member 14 contacts the cylinder cover 19. Position (second position). That is, the minimum cylinder length is determined by the position where the spring receiving member 14 and the spring guide member 16 contact.

The minimum cylinder length L ₂ may be determined at a position where the gap L ₀ is zero, and may be determined at a position where the left end of the recess 9 contacts the stop pin 11.

Next, when the fluid port 5 is made low in the state of FIG. 2B, the piston 4 is pushed in the left direction by the force of the first spring 15, and the piston rod 3 moves in the left direction, The right end of the spring receiving member stops at the position where it simultaneously contacts the cylinder cover 19 and the stopper 8 (FIG. 2C). This position is the third position.

The stop pin 11 at this time is engaged with the recessed portion 9, but the position is in the middle of the recessed portion 9. Here, the first spring 15 is sufficient to move the piston rod 3 until the spring receiving member 14 contacts the stopper 8 by separating the spring guide member 16 from the spring receiving member 14. It goes without saying that a spring having a spring constant and a length is used.

Next, when an external force acts on the piston rod 3 in a state where the fluid port 5 and the fluid port 6 are at a low pressure, the stop pin 11 contacts the right end surface of the recess 9 of FIG. 2D. Transition to state

Here, the spring receiving member 14 is in contact with the left end of the stopper 8, but is spaced apart from the cylinder cover 19. This position is a fourth position, and the cylinder length at this time is L ₄ .

Since no restraining force acts between the states of Figs. 2C and 2D, the piston rod 3 can move freely between the third position and the fourth position.

This movable part becomes a free rotation part of the latch key via the crank mechanism, so that the latch key can be easily inserted along the inclination (90 ° -α) of the latch key receiver.

Finally, in FIG. 2A where the cylinder length is maximum, the piston rod 3 is shifted by applying a leftward pressure to the piston 4 by making the fluid port 5 low pressure and the fluid port 6 high pressure.

2B, 2C, or 2D, when the fluid port 6 is set to a high pressure while the stop pin 11 is engaged with the recess, a force in the left direction is applied to the piston rod 3 to stop the pin. Since the engagement between the stop pin 11 and the recesses 9 may not be released due to the friction between the cross section of the recesses 11 and the recesses 9, for example, via the state shown in FIG. It is preferable to transfer to the state of 2a.

That is, when the fluid port 5 is made high pressure and the fluid port 6 is also made high pressure, the stop pin 11 is removed in the state in which no force is applied between the right end of the recess 9 and the stop pin 11. Pressure to return can be applied, and the engagement of the stop pin 11 and the recessed part 9 can be released stably.

Subsequently, by bringing the fluid port 5 into a low pressure state, the piston rod 3 moves to the left and stops at the position where the piston 4 contacts the cylinder cover 7 (first position). This state corresponds to the maximum cylinder length L ₁ .

In the case of shifting from the state of FIG. 2A to the state of FIGS. 2B, 2C, and 2D, the fluid port 5 is made high pressure and the fluid port 6 is made low pressure.

Since the fluid port 6 is at a low pressure, the stop pin 11 is protruded by the force of the spring 12, but since the taper portion 10 is formed at the end surface of the stopper 8, the piston rod 3 When the) moves in the right direction, the tapered portion 10 moves while returning the stop pin 11, thereby ensuring a reliable operation.

As described above, by using the cylinder of FIG. 1, the position and length of formation of the recess 9, the distance L ₀ between the spring receiving member 14 and the spring guide member 16, and the cylinder cover 7 are appropriately adjusted. By selecting, the shift amount of the piston rod 3 can be changed in four steps, and each position can be precisely defined.

The cylinder shown in Fig. 1 has a configuration in which a stop pin, recess, spring receiving member, etc. are disposed on the side opposite to the piston rod extension direction of the piston, but a stop pin or the like is disposed on the side in which the piston rod extends. . The cylinder of such a structure is shown to FIGS. 3A-3E.

In the example of FIGS. 3A to 3E, a portion 17 of the piston rod is moved to the left of the spring receiving member 14 without providing the stopper 8 having the tapered portion 10 as shown in FIG. 1. It acts as a stopper for restricting the pressure, and a groove (concave) 9 is formed in the outer circumference of the piston rod 3.

As the spring guide member 16, one having the same shape as the spring receiving member 14 is used. Here, neither of the members 14 and 16 in FIGS. 3A to 3E is fixed to the piston rod 3, and can move independently in the axial direction.

In the cylinders of FIGS. 3A to 3E, the states shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D correspond to four positions of the piston rod 3 (L ₂ > L ₃ > L ₄ > L ₁ ).

3A to 3E, the piston chamber is a seal having the piston fixing 18 and the cylinder cover 19 as a cross section.

The minimum cylinder length L ₁ is achieved by making the fluid port 5 high pressure and the fluid port 6 low pressure, as shown in FIG. 3A.

The piston rod 3 moves in the right direction and stops at the position where the piston 4 contacts the cylinder cover 19. That is, the cylinder length L ₁ is determined by the position of the cylinder cover 19 (first position). In this state, the stop pin 11 is in a state returned by the high pressure fluid.

Next, when the fluid port 5 is at a low pressure and the fluid port 6 is at a high pressure in the state shown in FIG. 3A, the piston rod 3 remains until the stop pin 11 contacts the right end surface of the recess 9. To perform (FIG. 3B).

That is, the maximum cylinder length L ₂ is determined by the position where the stop pin 11 and the right end of the recess 9 contact each other (second position).

1, the position where the spring receiving member 14 and the spring guide member 16 contact each other (that is, L ₀ = 0) may be the maximum cylinder length.

The cylinder length L ₃ at the third position is obtained by lowering the fluid ports 5 and 6 at the position shown in FIG. 3B as shown in FIG. 3C.

That is, the first spring 15 is stretched to move the piston rod 3 to the right through the spring guide 16, and the spring receiving member 14 is connected to the stopper 17 and the piston fixing 18. It is the position to contact. Here, the stop pin 11 is located in the middle of both end surfaces of the recessed part 9.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3D, when the external force acts with both the fluid ports 5 and 6 at low pressure, the piston rod 3 moves in the right direction so that the stop pin 11 is recessed ( Stop at the position in contact with the left end of 9). This state corresponds to the fourth position.

3B, 3C, and 3D move from the state of FIG. 3A to the state of FIG. 3A, as shown in FIG. 2E. After the fluid port 6 is set to high pressure, the fluid port 5 is pressurized. What is necessary is just to make the fluid port 6 low pressure after that. By doing in this way, the stop pin 11 is easily pushed back, and transition to the state of FIG. 3A is performed smoothly.

As mentioned above, although the structural example of the cylinder of this invention was shown to FIGS. 3A-3E in FIG. 1, this invention is not limited to these, You may make various design changes based on these.

For example, the recessed part 9 formed on the stopper 8 or the piston rod 3 does not necessarily need to be formed over the entire outer circumferential surface, and may be formed only at the portion engaged with the stop pin 11. .

The spring guide member 16 is not limited to the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 3A to 3E, and may be of any structure as long as it can secure the expansion and contraction of the spring 15 and is fixed to a piston or the like. You do or do not have to. It is also possible to omit the spring guide member 16. If omitted, the interval L ₀ is the interval between the piston 4 and the spring receiving member 14.

The spring receiving member 14 may be of any structure as long as the spring receiving member 14 is locked by the cylinder cover 19 (or the piston fixing 18), the stoppers 8 and 17, and FIGS. 1 to 3A to 3E. It is not limited to that shown in.

In addition, the spring member of the present invention may be of any structure and material as long as the spring receiving member 14 or the stop pin 11 is compressed. For example, the spring member may include a coil spring, a plate spring, a sponge, rubber, or the like. It means.

(Load port)

Next, a load port using the cylinder of the present invention will be described.

12 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration example of a load port. As shown in the figure, the load port 30 mounts the FOUP 50 shown in FIG. 13, and has a frame 31 having an opening for conveying the substrate, and a FOUP mounting stage which is movable in the frame 31 direction. And a port door 33 which can be inserted into the opening of the frame and retracts downward after retreating when transferring the substrate in the FOUP.

The FOUP mounting stage 32 is provided with three kinematic pins for positioning the FOUP, while the port door is provided with two sets of latch keys 35 and a cylinder 1 for driving them as described later. Then, the FOUP door (front door) 52 is locked and released.

The port door 33 releases the lock of the FOUP door 52 and then moves back together with the FOUP door to the bottom to retreat to a position which does not prevent the substrate transfer by the robot.

4A is a schematic view of the stage 32 with the front cover removed. Two latch keys 35 and two registration pins 36 are attached to positions corresponding to the latch hole 55 and the registration hole 54 of the FOUP door 51.

The latch key 35 is connected to the connecting member 38, which is rotatably connected to the knuckle 21 at the tip of the piston rod of the air cylinder.

As a result, the latch key can rotate in accordance with the linear movement of the piston rod 3 of the air cylinder. The other end of the air cylinder 1 has a crevis-type support structure 20 and is rotatably fixed to the support member 42 attached to the rear cover 41 of the port door.

In addition, the ports 5 and 6 of the cylinder are connected to the selector valve or the compressed air source through the air pipe 40.

In addition, a suction pad 37 is attached to surround the registration pin 36. When the FOUP door and the port door are attached, the space between the suction pad 37 and the FOUP door 52 is evacuated. As possible, the suction pad is connected to a vacuum apparatus (not shown) through the vacuum pipe 39.

In order to prevent the latch key receiver from being in the normal position or to prevent various problems in accordance with its shape, and to lock and release the stable latch, the latch key can be smoothly applied to the latch key receiver for any latch-shaped FOUP. It is important to keep the latch back in the 90 ° position after locking the latch and locking the latch.

To this end, a cylinder of the present invention that can control the distance that the piston rod moves in four stages is suitably used. In other words, by using the cylinder of the present invention, it is possible to prevent damage or oscillation when the latch key is inserted into the latch key receiving to release the latch regardless of the shape of the latch key receiving.

The opening / closing operation of the FOUP door when the port door is configured using the error cylinder having the structure shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.

5A to 5E are schematic cross-sectional views showing the state of the cylinder corresponding to each operation, and FIGS. 6A to 6E are schematic views showing the operation (b) and latch key position (a) of the switching solenoid valve connected to the fluid port. .

5A to 5E show specific numerical values (in mm) of the piston rod position in each operation.

The FOUP 50 is also equipped with kinematic pins 34 on the stage 32 of the load port 30. Here, the FOUP box 51 and the door 52 are fixed by a latch, and the inside is completely blocked from the outside and is in a closed state.

In addition, the two latch key receivers are in a position rotated 90 degrees in the horizontal direction, while the two latch keys 35 of the port door are also in a position of 90 degrees.

When the stage 32 is moved in the direction of the port door 33 by a driving mechanism (not shown), the registration pin 36 is inserted into the registration hole 54 of the FOUP door 52, whereby positioning thereof is performed. Subsequently, the latch key 35 is inserted into the latch key receiver through the latch hole 55.

In the state where the port door 33 and the FOUP door 52 are in close contact with each other, the suction pad 37 is vacuumed by a vacuum apparatus (not shown), and the FOUP door 52 is sucked and fixed to the port door 33. do.

In this state, the latch is unlocked and the FOUP door 52 is opened. The relationship between the operation of the piston rod and the supply of air to the fluid ports 5 and 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5E and 6A to 6E. The two cylinders behave exactly the same.

The two cylinders in the state in which the latch key 35 is inserted into the latch key receiving 57 are both in the state (third position) shown in Fig. 5C and connected to the ports 5 and 6 ( A) and (B) are both switched to the low pressure L side (FIG. 6C).

The piston rod 3 is pushed leftward by the spring 15, so that the stop pin 11 stops at an intermediate position of the recessed portion 9. As shown in FIG. At this time, the latch key is in the 90 ° position. At this time, when the latch key receiving body is near 90 ° and the angle is not set to 90 °, the piston rod in the free running state through the connecting member 38 is rotated when the latch key rotates according to the angle of the latching key receiving. It is tensioned and shifted to the position (fourth position) of FIG. 5D.

In this way, the latch key is coupled to the latch key receiving body, and the front door of the FOUP and the port door are brought into close contact with the suction pad.

Next, first of all, when the valve A is subsequently switched to the compressed air H side (Fig. 6E), the piston 4 is slightly displaced in the right direction so that either side of the piston is pressurized. In this state, the stop pin 11 is pushed back against the force of the spring 12 by this pressure, and the engagement of the stop pin and the recess is released (FIG. 5E).

In this state, when the valve A is switched to the low pressure side (FIG. 6A), a force in the left direction is applied to the piston 4 so that the piston rod 3 is extruded so that the piston 4 is connected to the cylinder cover 7. It stops at the contacted position, and the latch key 35 rotates to the 0 degree position correspondingly. As the latch key 35 rotates, the latch key receiving part also rotates, and the latch of the FOUP door is released (FIG. 5A).

Here, the port door 33 is retracted and retracted from the opening portion by a drive mechanism (not shown), so that the substrate transfer operation by a robot (not shown) is possible. The substrate is transferred between the FOUP and the substrate processing apparatus, the substrate stored in the FOUP is processed, and the substrate after the end of the processing is again transferred into the FOUP.

After the processing of all the substrates is completed, an operation of fixing the FOUP door 52 to the FOUP box 51 is performed. With the port door 33 retracted, the port door is raised and advanced by a drive mechanism (not shown), inserted into the frame opening 31 of the load port, and the FOUP door 52 is brought into contact with the FOUP box 51. .

In this state, the valves A and B are switched to the compressed air H side and the low pressure L side, respectively (FIG. 6B). The piston rod 3 moves in the right direction, and the stop pin 11 is engaged with the recessed portion 9 to move forward more than the position where the stop pin and the right end of the recess contact with each other, so that the distance L ₀ becomes zero. Stop at

Correspondingly, the latch key 35 stops at the 90 ° + θ position beyond the 90 ° position (Figs. 5B and 6B), while the latch key receiving is at the 90 ° position.

Here, according to the difference between the latch key receiving width W1 and the latch key receiving width W2, the latch key receiving does not reach 90 ° even when the latch key is in the 90 ° position (for example, W1 = 6 mm, When W2 = 5 mm, the latch key receiving angle is 86 °). In this state, the latch key and the surrounding area of the latch key contact with each other when the lock is released in the next step, or the lock of the latch is insufficient, resulting in insufficient sealing and conveying the FOUP. There is a problem that the inside may be contaminated.

However, with the cylinder shown in Fig. 1, since the latch key rotates to the 90 ° + θ position, the latch key receiving can always be set to the 90 ° position, thereby preventing the above problem in advance.

Here, when the valve A of the port 5 is switched to the low pressure side, the piston rod 3 is driven by the force of the first spring 15 so that the stop pin 11 is left to the intermediate position of the recess 9. And return to the position (third position) in FIG. 5C again.

Correspondingly, the latch key is also returned to the 90 ° position so that both the latch key receiving and the latch keys are in the 90 ° position.

The FOUP is then transferred to the load port of the next process, but since the latch key receiving is at a 90 ° position, even if the load port of the next process is a conventional load port, the latch key can be inserted without any problems.

In addition, since the cylinder receives a force in a direction perpendicular to the shaft by the linear movement of the piston rod, both end portions 21 and 20 of the cylinder are rotatable, respectively, the connecting member 38 and the supporting member. It is connected with (42). Therefore, in the series of operations described above, the cylinder operates as shown in Figs. 7A to 7C.

In the above load port, when the latch is locked, the latch key is rotated to (90 ° + θ) to set the latch key receiving position to 90 °, and then the latch key is returned to 90 °. By locking the latch, the latch key can be returned to (90 ° -θ) as shown in Fig. 10C.

Even in this case, the latch key can be inserted as it is with respect to the latch key receiving at the 90 ° position. Also, since the latch key rotates from (90 ° -θ) to (90 ° -θ-β) when the latch key is inserted (FIG. 10D), the latch key receiving angle is significantly smaller than 90 ° (e.g., For example, the latch key can be inserted into the latch key receiving without any problem. In other words, it is possible to cope with a FOUP in which the latch key receiving angle deviates greatly from 90.

On the other hand, when the latch is released, the latch key is rotated to the horizontal position as described above, but when the latch key receiving width W1 becomes a large FOUP, the latch key receiving angle is released even when the latch key is returned to 0 °. It may happen that the latch key cannot be released without reaching (0 ° ± 1 °). Therefore, in order to stabilize the latch release, the latch key can be rotated again beyond 0 °.

That is, the latch key may be rotated to (−θ) to increase the reliability of the latch release. This angle (-θ) can be determined by the position where the piston 4 is in contact with the cylinder cover 7.                     

In addition, although the load port using the cylinder of FIG. 1 was demonstrated above, it is the same also when the cylinder of the structure shown in FIGS. 3A-3E is used. In this case, the cylinder position shown in Fig. 3A may be rotated by 90 degrees.

In addition, although two cylinders corresponding to two latch keys are attached to the port door of Fig. 12, the same latching operation can be realized with one cylinder. An example of the port door configuration in this case is shown in Fig. 4B.

In the example of the figure, the connection member 38 of two latches and the knuckle 21 of the cylinder are connected by using the T-shaped connection member 43. By the linear movement of the cylinders, the two latch keys rotate in the same phase, so that the latch can be locked and released into one cylinder.

In addition, the above description has been given of a method of retracting the FOUP door and the FOUP main body after the release of the latch to lower the port door to the rear and to retreat downward. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, the front of the port door and the FOUP front. After the doors are in close contact, the FOUP main body is retracted slightly to open the front door, or conversely, the FOUP main body does not operate and the two lower doors are vertically lowered, or the two close doors are vertically closed. It can be applied to various methods such as the horizontal opening in the.

(Production method)

Next, the semiconductor production method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the semiconductor factory, the wafers 53 subjected to various processes move between the processing apparatuses 61 in the state accommodated in the FOUP 50.                     

Since the FOUP 50 containing the 300 mm diameter wafer 53 has a weight of 8 kg or more, it is difficult to consider conveyance by human hand for safety reasons, and use an automatic transfer device such as an OHT (0verhead hoist transfer) 60. do.

In the example of FIG. 11, the FOUP 50 containing the wafer 53 to be processed is conveyed onto the processing apparatus 61 (for example, an etching apparatus) by the OHT unit 60 in a stocker provided in the process.

Subsequently, the FOUP 50 is dropped onto the load port 30 of the processing apparatus 61 using the hoist mechanism 62 and set at a predetermined position (transfer position).

Subsequently, the V groove formed on the lower surface of the FOUP 50 is introduced onto the kinematic pin 34 on the load port 30 and fixed at a predetermined storage position.

Next, the hoist mechanism 62 is separated from the FOUP 50 and the FOUP 50 is mounted on the load port 30. Thereafter, the FOUP 50 is moved forward and fixed to the port door 33. Next, the latch key 35 is rotated to release the latch of the FOUP door 52.

The port door opening and closing mechanism is driven to separate the FOUP door 52 from the FOUP box 51 and to move the FOUP door 52 in the lower part of the processing device 61.

The wafer 53 is removed from the front surface of the FOUP 50 while the FOUP door 52 is peeled off, and the wafer 53 is transferred to a wafer transfer robot (not shown) in the processing device 61. Transfer to (not shown) and take necessary processing.

Until the semiconductor chip is made, the opening and closing operations of the FOUP door 52 are performed 500 times or more often about 1000 times.

After the end of the process, the processed wafer 53 is returned to the FOUP 50 using the wafer transfer robot. After the necessary processing is performed on each of the wafers 53 stored in the FOUP 50 in this manner, the port door opening and closing mechanism is driven to insert the FOUP door 52 into the FOUP box 51, and the cylinder of the present invention is inserted. The latch key 35 is rotated to a position of 90 ° + θ once and the latch is locked by returning the latch key to the position of 90 °, and the FOUP door 52 is fixed to the FOUP box 51.

Thereafter, the FOUP 50 is retracted and kidnapped by the transfer position. According to the transfer request, the empty OHT portion 60 is stopped on the load port 30, that is, the load port 30 on which the FOUP 50 to be transferred is placed, and the robot hand of the hoist mechanism 62 is stopped. Lift it up (not shown).

Subsequently, the FOUP 50 is returned to the stocker by the OHT unit 60 and temporarily stored, and then the FOUP 50 is returned to the next processing step (for example, an ashing step or the like). By repeating this flow (substrate storage jig transfer method), a desired circuit is formed on the wafer 53.

In the above description, the OHT unit 60 is used as an example of the automatic transport. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) or RGV (Rail Guided Vehicle) may be used, and PGV (Person Guided Vehicle) may be used. It is obvious that manual transfer using) may be used.

In the production method of the present invention, it is preferable to attach the load port 30 of the present invention to all the processing apparatuses 61, but even if the configuration replaces a part of the load port of the conventional production method with the load port of the present invention. This makes it possible to produce more stable production than the conventional production method.

For example, even when the FOUP of the latch key receiving angle (90 ° -α) has been conveyed to the load port of the present invention, the latch key rotates to (90 ° -β) in the process of bringing the port door into close contact with the FOUP door. It can be inserted according to the angle of the latch key receiver.

That is, when the latch key is inserted into the latch key receiving body, the latch key rotates smoothly, so that excessive force is not applied between the latch keys, thereby preventing damage to the latch key and the latching key receiving and the occurrence of oscillation. It is possible to prevent and to make the production more stable.

For example, in the semiconductor production process using eight of the various load ports A to H as shown in Fig. 14, when the FOUP is closed in the conventional load ports C and G, the latch key receiving of the FOUP is performed. It becomes 86-88 degrees which does not become 90 degrees.

In this case, when the FOUP is sent to the load ports D and H of the present invention, the latch keys of these load ports are smoothly coupled according to the latch key receiving angle (86 to 88 °). The latch can be opened and closed without causing any problem.

In addition, since the latch key receiving angle is set at 90 ° to the next load port, stable latch opening and closing is possible even if the next load port is conventional.

In this way, since a part of the load port of the conventional production line is replaced with the load port of the present invention, stable production is possible, and therefore, the production method can be improved with a low cost.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cylinder which can be fed to four positions and which can stabilize the transition between the four positions. In addition, since the miniaturization can be achieved with a small number of parts, a low cost cylinder can be realized.

In addition, by constructing a load port using such a cylinder, it is possible to provide a highly reliable load port which can ensure the engagement between the latch key and the latch key receiving is completed, and ensure the locking operation at the time of opening and closing the FOUP.

In addition, according to the present invention, since the latch key can be engaged according to the inclined latch key receiver, the latter can be damaged or the collision can be prevented, the oscillation can be greatly reduced, and the life of the FOUP is also extended. Cost reduction is of course related to waste reduction.

In addition, it is possible to lock and open two latches with one cylinder by connecting two latch keys, thereby making it possible to reduce the cost of the port door and the load port.

Further, according to the semiconductor production method of the present invention, the wafer can be conveyed between the processing apparatuses in a sealed and clean state reliably, and the wafer processing in each processing chamber can be stabilized. It is possible to mass-produce semiconductor integrated circuits while reducing the cost of clean rooms.

Claims (9)

In a cylinder having two fluid ports, in which the fluid supplied to the port moves the piston rod to the fourth position and is stopped by the pressure applied to the piston, A spring bearing member disposed coaxially with the piston rod so as to be locked to one end face of the piston chamber in the piston chamber of the cylinder tube, and a first spacer disposed so as to separate the spring bearing member from the piston. A spring member, a stopper provided on the piston rod to restrict movement in a direction opposite to the piston with respect to the piston rod of the spring receiving member, and a recess formed in the piston rod at a position farther from the piston than the stopper. And a stop pin disposed on the cylinder tube so as to be engaged with the recess, and having a stop pin exerted in a direction of the recess by a second spring member, wherein the recess is less than the movement distance of the spring receiving member relative to the piston. A cylinder characterized in that the length of the piston rod which is restricted by the stop pin fitted is increased. The said 4 position is a position where the said 1st end surface of the side which is separated from the said stop pin of the said piston chamber, and the said piston, the said spring receiving member contact | connects the 2nd end surface of the said piston chamber, In addition, the position where the distance between the piston and the spring receiving member is minimum, the spring receiving member is in contact with the second end surface of the piston chamber and the stopper, and the other end surface of the recess and the stop pin contact A cylinder characterized by a position. It consists of a frame having an opening, a stage for mounting a substrate storage container for fixing the front door by a latch and maintaining the sealed state therein, and a port door having a latch key. The front door and the port door are in close contact with each other. And a load port for locking and releasing the latch by rotating the latch key by a cylinder while the latch key receiving part of the front door is engaged with the latch key. Said cylinder is a cylinder of Claim 1 or 2, Comprising: The said latch key couples according to the angle of the said latch key receiving body when the said front door adheres closely to the said port door, The load port characterized by the above-mentioned. 4. The load port of claim 3, wherein the latch key is rotated again in a vertical position when the latch key is locked by rotating the latch key from a horizontal position to a vertical position. The load port according to claim 3, wherein two latch keys are connected to each other so as to rotate the two latch keys simultaneously by one cylinder. A production system using the load port according to claim 3. delete delete delete

Images