Material or article handling – Load carried along a horizontal linear path – Having gripper means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-09
2002-09-24
Underwood, Donald W. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Load carried along a horizontal linear path
Having gripper means
C294S068300, C294S119100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06454515
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer accommodating jig, a handling method and a production system.
One of the serious issues in the processes for advanced semiconductor devices is that an adhesion of fine dusts on the semiconductor device might provide a fatal damage to the product, resulting in a drop of the yield, for which reason automation of the production line is made by taking into account of separation of the line from dusts or any for generating dusts. Actually, however, it is difficult to realize automatic maintenance and automatic trouble shooting systems, even human is the source for generating dusts.
To settle the above problems, it is effective to isolate the semiconductor device from atmosphere. In view of this, it was proposed to accommodate a carrier for the semiconductor device into a tightly shield box for realizing the automation. This is disclosed in Japanese laid-open utility model publication No. 59-83038. This method, however, provides a problem with complicated operations of the box so that the yield is dropped. Further, a long time accommodation of the carrier for the semiconductor wafer into the box causes another problem with generation of gas from the semiconductor wafer so that the box is filled with the gas, whereby the characteristics of the semiconductor wafer might be changed.
In the above circumstances, it has been required to improve the productivity of the semiconductor devices and to develop a high performance dust removing apparatus for removal of dusts as many as possible to reduce the probability of the adhesion of the dust on the semiconductor wafer. Except when the maintenance and the trouble shooting are carried out by person along with exposure of the semiconductor wafer to atmosphere including dusts, the semiconductor wafer is accommodated in a tightly shielding box for certain isolation of the semiconductor wafer from the atmosphere.
The descriptions will focus on a conventional method of transferring the carrier for semiconductor wafer to another transfer table with reference to
FIGS. 1A and 1B
.
FIG. 1A
is a view illustrative of a conventional carrier transfer system before transferring the carrier for semiconductor wafers from a first transfer table to a second transfer table involved in a conventional transfer method.
FIG. 1B
is a view illustrative of a conventional carrier transfer system after having transferred the carrier for semiconductor wafers from the first transfer table to the second transfer table involved in the conventional transfer method. A conventional carrier transfer system is to transfer a carrier
40
for semiconductor wafers
60
from a first transfer table
61
to a second transfer table
62
. A box transfer device
63
is provided over the first transfer table
61
. An opening and closing transfer system
64
is provided over the second transfer table
62
. The opening and closing transfer system
64
has a carrier transfer device
66
positioned over the second transfer table
62
and an adsorber
65
positioned over the second transfer table
62
. A box
50
is placed on the first transfer table
61
. A carrier
40
for mounting a plurality of semiconductor wafers
60
is accommodated in the box
50
. The carrier
40
has a carrier flange
41
for allowing the carrier transfer device
66
to catch the carrier flange
41
. The box
50
comprises a box body
51
and a box cap
52
for sealing the carrier
40
in the box from atmosphere. The box
50
also has a box flange
53
for allowing the box transfer device
63
to catch the box flange
53
. The box cap
52
is removed from or capped onto the box body
51
by the adsorber
65
.
For carrier unloading operation, the box transfer device
63
is operated to move down to a lower level than the box flange
53
of the box
50
so that the box transfer device
63
is closed to catch the box flange
53
for rifting the box
50
up from the first transfer table
61
. The box transfer device
63
is then moved toward the second transfer table
62
, before the box transfer device
63
is fallen so that the box
50
is placed onto the second transfer table
62
. The box transfer device
63
is opened to release the box
50
. The box transfer device
63
is moved back to the original position over the first transfer table
61
. In place, the opening and closing transfer system
64
is operated to move to a position over the box
50
placed on the second transfer table
62
. The adsorber
65
is made into adsorption with the box cap
52
before the adsorber
65
is moved upwardly so as to rift the box cap
52
up from the box body
51
, whereby the box cap
52
is opened. The carrier transfer device
66
is operated to move down to a lower level than the carrier flange
41
of the carrier
40
so that the carrier transfer device
66
is closed to catch the carrier flange
41
for rifting the carrier
40
up from the box
50
. The carrier transfer device
66
is then moved toward other position than the box
50
but over the second transfer table
62
, before the carrier transfer device
66
is fallen so that the carrier
40
is placed onto the other position than the box
50
but on the second transfer table
62
. The box transfer device
63
over the original position over the first transfer table
61
is moved to a position over the second transfer table
62
. The carrier transfer device
66
is opened to release the carrier
40
. The box transfer device
63
is operated to move down to a lower level than the box flange
53
of the box
50
on the second transfer table
62
and concurrently the adsorber
65
with the box cap
52
is moved down onto the box
50
so that the box cap
52
is placed on the box body
51
of the box
50
before the adsorber
65
comes free of adsorption with the box cap
52
to release the box cap
52
from the adsorber
65
, whereby the box cap
52
is capped on the box body
51
of the box
50
. The adsorber
65
is moved upwardly to back to the original position over the second transfer table
62
. Also the carrier transfer device
66
is moved upwardly to back to the original position over the second transfer table
62
. Further, the box transfer device
63
is closed to catch the box flange
53
for rifting the box
50
up from the second transfer table
62
. The box transfer device
63
is then moved from the second transfer table
62
toward the first transfer table
61
, before the box transfer device
63
is fallen so that the box
50
is transferred back onto the first transfer table
61
. The box transfer device
63
is opened to release the box
50
on the first transfer table
61
. The box transfer device
63
is moved back to the original position over the first transfer table
61
.
For carrier loading operation, the box transfer device
63
is operated to move down to a lower level than the box flange
53
of the box
50
so that the box transfer device
63
is closed to catch the box flange
53
for rifting the box
50
up from the first transfer table
61
. The box transfer device
63
is then moved toward the second transfer table
62
, before the box transfer device
63
is fallen so that the box
50
is placed onto other position than the carrier
40
on the second transfer table
62
. The box transfer device
63
is opened to release the box
50
. The box transfer device
63
is moved back to the original position over the first transfer table
61
. In place, the opening and closing transfer system
64
is operated to move to a position over the box
50
placed on the second transfer table
62
. The adsorber
65
is made into adsorption with the box cap
52
before the adsorber
65
is moved upwardly so as to rift the box cap
52
up from the box body
51
, whereby the box cap
52
is opened. The carrier transfer device
66
is operated to move down to a lower level than the carrier flange
41
of the carrier
40
so that the carrier transfer device
66
is closed to catch the carrier flange
41
for rifting the carrier
40
up from the second transfer table
62
NEC Corporation
Young & Thompson
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