Material or article handling – Apparatus for moving material between zones having different... – For carrying standarized mechanical interface type
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-16
2004-11-30
Lillis, Eileen D. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Apparatus for moving material between zones having different...
For carrying standarized mechanical interface type
C414S416060
Reexamination Certificate
active
06824344
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a container opener for opening/closing a sealable container for containing and transferring a plurality of semiconductor wafers oriented horizontally and vertically arranged at predetermined intervals. More particularly, the invention relates to a front opening unified pod (FOUP) opener having a structure such that a drive section for a port door including a detachment/attachment mechanism for detaching/attaching a FOUP door and a holder mechanism for holding the FOUP door, and a drive section for a sensor mechanism for detecting presence/absence, storage condition, and position of wafers contained in the FOUP are arranged in an improved manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
A FOUP opener is adapted to establish communication between a space (a first control space) within a FOUP and a wafer transfer space (a second control space) and to enable transfer of wafers from the first control space to the second control space without exposure to the ambient atmosphere, by means of, for example, a robot. When the wafers are highly-precise wafers having a diameter of 300 mm or more, since such wafers are very expensive, the FOUP opener must satisfy a strict requirement for protection against wafer contamination with dust, specifically, dust particles generated by the FOUP opener itself must be reduced to one particle/b cft or less (0.1 &mgr;m particles), and the mapping report error rate must be decreased to once/0.1-1 million wafers or less. In order to detect presence/absence, storage condition, or position of wafers contained in the FOUP before transfer of the wafers, mapping means is provided on either the FOUP opener or a robot. Generally, provision of the mapping means is optional for the FOUP opener and the robot.
FIG. 5
shows a conventional FOUP opener. As shown in
FIG. 5
, operation of a FOUP opener
01
for detaching a FOUP door
013
from and attaching the FOUP door
013
to/from an opening of a FOUP
010
and for moving the FOUP door
013
vertically is performed within a second control space
200
that maintains a clean room atmosphere. Accordingly, a drive section of a horizontal-movement mechanism
040
for moving a port door
023
and a sensor
070
horizontally and a drive section of a vertical-movement mechanism
050
for moving the port door
023
and the sensor
070
vertically are disposed within the second control space
200
. The port door
023
includes a detachment/attachment mechanism for detaching/attaching the FOUP door
013
and a holder mechanism for holding the FOUP door
013
(see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 11-145244). Reference numeral
014
denotes a semiconductor wafer, reference numeral
021
denotes a port plate, and reference numeral
300
denotes the ambient atmosphere.
Thus, there has been the problem that the drives, which are dust generators, contaminate the second control space
200
, which must maintain a clean atmosphere. For example, when a movable member is actuated by a motor or cylinder of a drive section, friction causes generation of dust, which is scattered within a clean room (the second control space
200
). Also, an organic substance generated through vaporization of a lubricant applied to a movable member may be scattered within the clean room
200
. As a result, the clean room
200
fails to maintain a high level of cleanliness. Furthermore, when the drive sections are to be serviced for maintenance, inspection, or repairs, within the clean room
200
, a worker must move or remove equipment in order to establish work space within the clean room
200
, resulting in scattering of dust within the clean room
200
. Thus, restoration of cleanliness within the clean room
200
to a regular, high level consumes a considerably great amount of time and cost. In order to enable a worker to work within the clean room
200
, equipment for removing dust from the worker must be installed, thus incurring further cost.
In order to cope with the above problem, a FOUP opener as shown in
FIG. 6
has been proposed (see Japanese kohyo (PCT) Patent Published (re-published) No. W099/28965). As shown in
FIG. 6
, a port door is disposed outside a clean room (a second control space
200
) for opening/closing and vertical movement of a FOUP door outside the clean room
200
. However, since a port door
023
is located between a FOUP
010
and a port plate
021
, a gap g is formed therebetween. The gap g creates the possibility of entry of dust into the FOUP
010
(first control space
100
) and into the clean room
200
from outside the clean room
200
(from the ambient atmosphere
300
), possible adhesion of the dust to the inside surface of FOUP door
013
and to the outside surface of the port door
023
, and possible outflow of a large amount of highly clean air to the exterior of the clean room
200
.
In the case of the FOUP opener
01
of the patent publication, as the gap g between the FOUP
010
and the port plate
021
becomes larger, the positioning accuracy of the FOUP
010
is reduced due to machining errors, assembly errors, and wear of dock plate
031
for carrying and positioning the FOUP
010
and components of a dock moving mechanism
030
. Thus, the presence/absence, storage condition, and position of wafers
014
contained in the FOUP
010
cannot be detected with high accuracy, thus creating possible problems in transfer of the wafers
014
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems in the conventional FOUP openers and to provide a FOUP opener which does not cause contamination of a clean room (a second control space) by contaminants generated by drives of horizontal- and vertical-movement mechanisms for a port door and a sensor; which does not allow entry of dust into a FOUP (first control space) or into the clean room from the ambient atmosphere.
Another object is to prevent adhesion of dust to the inside surface of a FOUP door and to the outside surface of the port door.
Yet another object is to prevent outflow of a large amount of highly clean air to the exterior of the clean room.
Still another object is to reduce the gap between the FOUP and a port plate, to thereby avoid impairment of accuracy in positioning of the FOUP due to machining errors, assembly errors, and wear of a dock plate and components of a dock moving mechanism, so that a mapping sensor can maintain high detection accuracy to avoid possible problems in transfer of the wafers.
To achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a drive-section-isolated FOUP opener for opening and closing a FOUP door which closes a front opening portion of a FOUP containing a plurality of semiconductor wafers oriented horizontally and vertically arranged at predetermined intervals. The FOUP opener comprises a dock plate for carrying and positioning the FOUP; a dock moving mechanism for moving the dock plate to a position for detachment and attachment of the FOUP door; a port door including a detachment/attachment mechanism for detaching and attaching the FOUP door and a holder mechanism for holding the FOUP door; a port plate including an opening, the opening being closed by the port door; a port door horizontal-movement mechanism for horizontally moving the port door; a sensor horizontal-movement mechanism for horizontally moving a sensor bracket, the sensor bracket having a mapping sensor mounted on an upper portion thereof and adapted to detect presence/absence, storage condition, and position of wafers contained in the FOUP; and a port-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism for vertically moving the port door and the sensor bracket with the port door holding the FOUP door. A drive section of the port door horizontal-movement mechanism, a drive section of the sensor horizontal-movement mechanism, and a drive section of the port-door-and-sensor vertical-movement mechanism are disposed on the opposite side of the port plate relative to a clean room, with the clean room housing the port door an
Fox Charles A.
Hirata Corporation
Lillis Eileen D.
Lorusso, Loud & Kelly
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