KR20050105846A - Apparatus for transporting wafer - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a wafer transfer apparatus. The apparatus has at least one load lock chamber, a plurality of load ports, a wafer transfer robot and sensors for sensing the position of the wafer transfer robot. In this case, the wafer transfer robot is disposed between the load lock chamber and the load ports to perform a wafer transfer operation. An electronically connected controller is further disposed on the wafer transfer robot and the sensors to control the movement of the wafer transfer robot and the operation of the sensor.

Description

Wafer transfer device {Apparatus For Transporting Wafer}

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly, to a wafer transfer apparatus for transferring a wafer from load ports to a load lock chamber.

As semiconductor devices are highly integrated, various gases contained in air have a greater influence on the quality of semiconductor devices. For example, oxygen or water vapor in the air may form a native oxide film on the surface of the wafer used as the semiconductor substrate, thereby greatly increasing the contact resistance between the conductive patterns requiring electrical connection. In addition, some of the gases contained in the air deteriorate the characteristics of the material film formed through the deposition process, thereby causing a defect of the semiconductor product including the semiconductor device. Thus, the process of manufacturing a semiconductor device is carried out in a process chamber with a very low atmospheric pressure.

However, lowering the internal pressure of the process chamber from normal pressure to vacuum level is inefficient because it requires an excessive pressure reduction process. In order to perform this decompression process efficiently, a buffer space called a loadlock chamber is disposed between the process chamber and the atmospheric pressure. The semiconductor wafers on which the semiconductor device is formed are typically loaded into the process chamber via a load port, the load lock chamber. The load port is part of a semiconductor fabrication facility in which a vessel, called a 'cassette' or 'FOUP', containing the semiconductor wafers is seated. do.

1 is a view showing a conventional wafer transfer apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional wafer transfer apparatus 100 includes a plurality of load ports 110, two load lock chambers 130, and a wafer transfer robot 120. The load port 110 is loaded with a pop 20 containing a wafer 10. After the wafer 10 is transferred to the load lock chamber 130 by the wafer transfer robot 120, the wafer 10 is subjected to a pressure reduction process of the load lock chamber 130, and then loaded into the process chamber and processed.

The wafer transfer robot 130 moves on top of predetermined track rails 125, but when the wafers 10 are loaded or unloaded into the load port 110 or the load lock chamber 130. After stopping, the stopped position is rotated about the axis. However, when the wafer transfer robot 130 stops at an incorrect position, the wafer 10 may collide with a sidewall of a structure such as the load lock chamber 130 while the wafer transfer robot 130 is rotated, thereby causing damage. Can be. The damage caused by the position variation of the wafer transfer robot 130 may be caused by various causes, and cause serious problems such as contamination of manufacturing facilities as well as product loss.

An object of the present invention is to provide a wafer transfer apparatus capable of preventing damage to the wafer due to the variation of the position of the wafer transfer robot.

In order to achieve the above technical problem, the present invention provides a wafer transfer device having a sensor capable of monitoring the position of the wafer transfer robot. The apparatus has at least one load lock chamber, a plurality of load ports, a wafer transfer robot and sensors for sensing the position of the wafer transfer robot. In this case, the wafer transfer robot is disposed between the load lock chamber and the load ports to perform a wafer transfer operation between the load port and the load lock chamber.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an electronically connected controller is further disposed on the wafer transfer robot and the sensors. The controller controls the movement of the wafer transfer robot and the operation of the sensor. In addition, the sensors are disposed one by one corresponding to each of the load lock chamber and the load ports, and the positions of the sensors are determined based on the positions of the load lock chamber and the load ports.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments introduced herein are provided to ensure that the disclosed subject matter is thorough and complete, and that the spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art will fully convey. Accordingly, the shape of the elements in the drawings and the like are exaggerated to emphasize a clearer description.

2 is a diagram illustrating a wafer transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a wafer transfer apparatus according to the present invention.

2 and 3, the wafer transfer apparatus 200 according to the present invention includes a plurality of load ports 110, at least one load lock chamber 130, and a wafer transfer robot 120. According to an embodiment of the invention, the load port 110 is composed of first, second, third and fourth load ports 111, 112, 113, 114, the load lock chamber 130 is It consists of a first load lock chamber 131 and a second load lock chamber 132.

The load port 110 is loaded with a pop 20 containing a wafer 10, and the wafer 10 is transferred to the load lock chamber 130 by the wafer transfer robot 120. Thereafter, the load lock chamber 130 is reduced in pressure to control the process chamber level, and the wafer 10 is loaded into the process chamber. Preferably, the wafer 10 is loaded into the process chamber through the first load lock chamber 131 and unloaded from the process chamber through the second load lock chamber 132.

The wafer transfer robot 120 is disposed between the load ports 110 and the load lock chamber 130. For translational movement of the wafer transfer robot 120, predetermined track rails 125 are parallel to an entrance of the load port 110 or the load lock chamber 130 below the wafer transfer robot 120. Installed in one direction. Accordingly, the translational movement of the wafer transfer robot 120 is also made in a direction parallel to the entrances and exits.

In order for the wafers 10 to be loaded or unloaded into the load port 110 or the load lock chamber 130, the translational movement of the wafer transfer robot 120 is preferably stopped. That is, in the loading or unloading step, the wafer transfer robot 120 needs to stop at a predetermined stop position and then rotate the stopped position toward a predetermined direction about an axis. Subsequently, by changing the joint angle of the robot arm 121 constituting the wafer transfer robot 120, the load lock chamber 130 or the pop 20 of the wafer 10 loaded on the robot arm 121 is changed. ) In this case, as described in the related art, when the wafer transfer robot 120 stops outside the correct stop position, serious problems such as wafer breakage may occur.

According to the present invention, position sensors 140 for checking the correct stop position of the wafer transfer robot 120 are disposed between the load ports 110 and the load lock chamber 130. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, one position sensor 140 is disposed for each of the load ports 110 and the load lock chambers 130. That is, the position sensors 140 may include first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth sensors 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, and 146, and the first The fourth to fourth sensors 141, 142, 143, and 144 are arranged based on the positions of the first to fourth load ports 111, 112, 113, and 114, respectively, and the fifth and sixth sensors 145 and 146 are disposed based on the positions of the first and second load lock chambers 131 and 132.

Typically, the state of the load ports 110 and the load lock chamber 130 is controlled by a predetermined controller (99). The controller 99 is composed of a computing device, a memory device, a communication device, a display device, and the like, and is electrically connected to the load lock chamber 130 and the load port 110. In addition, the controller 99 monitors whether the load port 110 is loaded with the pop 20, the state of the load lock chamber 130, and the like, and then the load port 110 and the load lock. A function of opening and closing the entrance and exit of the chamber 130 may be performed.

In addition, according to the present invention, the controller 99 is also electronically connected to the position sensors 140 and the wafer transfer robot 120. To this end, the position sensors 140 measure the position of the wafer transfer robot 120 using an optical principle, and the measured result is preferably an optical sensor that can be electrically processed. In addition, the wafer transfer robot 120 is preferably a mechanical device that can be controlled by an electronic signal, for this purpose, the wafer transfer robot 120 is capable of translational movement, rotational movement and vertical movement by electrical signals It is preferred to include mechanical parts (e.g. motors) to make them work. In addition, the wafer transfer robot 120 may include a predetermined fixing device (for example, a pressure reducing device) so as to hold the wafer 10.

Looking at how the position sensor 140 and the controller 99 operates in more detail, the controller 99 controls the translational movement of the wafer transfer robot 120, to the predetermined stop position described above. The wafer transfer robot 120 is positioned. Thereafter, the position sensor 140 disposed corresponding to the stop position is operated to determine whether the wafer transfer robot 120 is positioned at the correct stop position. The measured result is transmitted to the controller 99 through the above-described electronic method, and the controller 99 analyzes the transmitted measurement result to determine whether the wafer transfer robot 120 is located at the correct stop position. . If the position of the wafer transfer robot 120 is not correct, the additional operation of the wafer transfer robot 120 is stopped, and the operator is alerted through the display device that an error has occurred.

According to the present invention, position sensors are arranged for monitoring the position of the wafer transfer robot. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the wafer breakage due to the deviation of the wafer transfer robot in the correct position, thereby enabling the efficient operation of the equipment. As a result, it is possible to produce semiconductor products with more productivity and price competitiveness.

1 is a view showing a conventional wafer transfer apparatus.

2 is a diagram illustrating a wafer transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a wafer transfer apparatus according to the present invention.

* Description of symbols on the main parts of the drawings *

99 controller 110 load port

120: wafer transfer robot 130: load lock chamber

140: position sensor

Claims (6)

At least one load lock chamber; A plurality of load ports; A wafer transfer robot disposed between the load lock chamber and the load ports to perform a wafer transfer operation between the load port and the load lock chamber; And And a sensor for detecting a position of the wafer transfer robot. The method of claim 1, And a controller electrically connected to the wafer transfer robot and the sensors to control movement of the wafer transfer robot and operation of the sensor. The method of claim 1, And the sensors are disposed one by one in correspondence with each of the load lock chamber and the load ports. The method of claim 1, And said sensors are optical sensors. The method of claim 1, The wafer transfer robot is provided with a predetermined track rail on the wafer transfer apparatus, characterized in that the translational motion along the direction of the track rail. The method of claim 1, The sensors are arranged on one side of the track rail, the wafer transport apparatus, characterized in that for measuring the position of the translational movement of the wafer transfer robot.