JP2002050678A - Wafer carrier, wafer transport mechanism and method, and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer transfer mechanism, and relates to a wafer transfer mechanism that enables transfer of a wafer from a wafer carrier to a processing apparatus without using an independently provided transfer mechanism. The task is to provide. SOLUTION: A wafer carrier accommodating and carrying a wafer 4 has a plurality of wafer holders 24 each holding a wafer, and a wafer carrier 22 accommodating the wafer holders in a vertically aligned state. The wafer carrier 22 is moved vertically by the wafer carrier moving mechanism 30. Each wafer holder 24 is horizontally moved by the wafer holder moving mechanism 40 to a position pulled out of the wafer carrier 22.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and, more particularly, to a wafer carrier for accommodating and carrying a wafer for forming a semiconductor device, and a wafer carrier mechanism and method using such a wafer carrier. About. The present invention also relates to a wafer for accommodating a semiconductor manufacturing wafer.
The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus using a carrier.

[0002] In recent years, building a semiconductor manufacturing line in a semiconductor manufacturing factory requires huge capital investment. The cost required for the capital investment affects the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device to be manufactured, and contributes to an increase in the manufacturing cost. Therefore, how to reduce the capital investment amount of the manufacturing line is an important issue for reducing the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a semiconductor device is manufactured by forming a semiconductor element using a silicon wafer and packaging the obtained semiconductor element. Therefore, in the semiconductor manufacturing process, a transport process for transporting a wafer is required. Usually, wafers are housed in a storage container called a wafer carrier and transported between processing apparatuses.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a conventional wafer carrier, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the wafer carrier shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the wafer carrier 2 is configured to accommodate a plurality of wafers 4. In the wafer carrier 2, the wafers 4 are arranged at predetermined intervals so as to be vertically aligned. Normally, about 25 wafers are accommodated in one wafer carrier 2, but for simplification of the drawing, FIG. 2 shows a configuration in which 16 wafers are accommodated. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the wafer 4 is accommodated in the lower half of the wafer carrier 2.

The wafer 4 accommodated in the wafer carrier 2 is arranged as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG.
The wafer carrier 2 is provided with a groove 6 for supporting the wafer 4. In FIG. 2, the groove 6 is shown in a simplified manner, and the detailed shape is shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a groove 6 for supporting the wafer 4. Each of the wafers 4 has its peripheral portion inserted into the groove 6 and is supported by the inner wall of the groove 6. The groove 6 is formed over a part of the side surface and the rear surface of the wafer carrier 2 so that only the peripheral portion of the wafer 4 is engaged. The central portion of the wafer carrier 2 is hollow, and a robot arm can be inserted below the accommodated wafer 4 as described later.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are views showing the operation of transporting the wafer 4 stored in the wafer carrier 2 to a processing apparatus. The wafer 4 is transferred from the wafer carrier 2 to the processing apparatus 10 by the robot 8. The wafer carrier 2 can be moved in the vertical direction by a driving mechanism (not shown).

First, as shown in FIG. 4, the wafer carrier 2 is driven vertically by the driving mechanism so that the position of the wafer 4 to be transferred coincides with the position of the arm 8a of the robot 8. Then, the arm 8a of the robot 8 is inserted below the wafer 4, and the wafer 4 is placed on the arm 8a.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the wafer 4 is held by the arm 8a of the robot 8 and taken out of the wafer carrier 2. Thereafter, the robot 8 rotates and faces the processing apparatus 10 by rotating, and places the wafer 4 on the pins 12 in the processing apparatus 10 by the arm 8a. Thereby, the transfer of the wafer 4 from the wafer carrier 2 to the processing apparatus 10 is completed.

[0010]

In the conventional wafer transfer process having the above-described structure, in order to transfer the wafer 4 from the wafer carrier 2 to the processing apparatus 10, the wafer 4 is transported between the wafer carrier 2 and the processing apparatus 10. Therefore, a robot 8 (transfer mechanism) for transporting the wafer 4 was required. Therefore, a transfer mechanism for transferring a wafer must be provided in the semiconductor manufacturing facility.

Generally, the cost of such a transfer mechanism is about 10% of the cost of the entire semiconductor manufacturing facility, and the area occupied by the transfer mechanism is about 30% of the total area of the semiconductor manufacturing facility. %. Therefore, there is a problem that the cost of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment increases and the area of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment increases because the wafer transfer mechanism is provided.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and a wafer carrier capable of transferring a wafer from a wafer carrier to a processing apparatus without using an independently provided wafer transfer mechanism, and the like. An object of the present invention is to provide a transfer method using a simple wafer carrier.

[0013]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is characterized by taking the following means.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wafer carrier for accommodating and carrying a wafer, wherein each of the plurality of wafer holders holds a wafer, and the wafer holder is accommodated in a vertically aligned state. A wafer carrier, wherein the wafer holder is horizontally movable to a position pulled out of the wafer carrier.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the wafer holder moves in the horizontal direction with respect to the wafer carrier,
The wafer can be transferred. Therefore, there is no need to move the wafer to a separate transfer mechanism once and then transfer the wafer to the processing apparatus. That is, the wafer holder holding the wafer can be horizontally moved and inserted into the processing apparatus as it is. Therefore, there is no need to separately provide a transfer mechanism such as a robot between the wafer transfer body and the processing apparatus, and the cost spent on the transfer mechanism and the area occupied by the transfer mechanism can be reduced.

The wafer carrier according to claim 1,
The wafer holder has an engaging piece projecting in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the wafer holder in a plane of the wafer holder, and horizontally moving the wafer holder by horizontally moving the engaging piece. You may do it. In this manner, by providing the engagement piece on the wafer holder, the wafer holder can be easily moved by moving the engagement piece.

Further, the wafer carrier may have a stopper portion which comes into contact with the engaging piece at a position where the wafer holder is pulled out from the wafer carrier at a maximum. Thereby, the wafer holder can be stopped by the stopper at the position where the wafer holder is pulled out to the maximum, and the wafer holder can be prevented from coming off the wafer carrier.

Further, the supporting surface of the wafer holder for supporting the wafer is located at a position lower than the upper surface of the wafer holder, and the supporting surface is gradually lowered toward the center of the wafer when the wafer is mounted. May be provided with an inclination. With this configuration, the wafer held by the wafer holder is placed at a predetermined position by its own weight, and when the wafer holder moves, the wafer is prevented from moving in the wafer holder.

Further, the support surface of the wafer holder may be configured to support an outer peripheral portion of the wafer, and a space may be formed in a central portion of the wafer holder. By lifting the wafer held by the wafer holder from the lower side of the wafer holder through the space of the central portion, the wafer can be removed from the wafer holder.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wafer transport mechanism for transporting a wafer to a processing apparatus, wherein the wafer transport body according to the first aspect, a vertical moving mechanism for vertically moving the wafer transport body, A horizontal moving mechanism for horizontally moving the wafer holder accommodated in the wafer carrier.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the wafer holder holding the wafer to be processed is moved to a predetermined position by vertically moving the wafer carrier, and the wafer holder is transported by the horizontal moving mechanism. It can be pulled out of the body and inserted into the processing device. Therefore, there is no need to separately provide a transfer mechanism such as a robot between the wafer transfer body and the processing apparatus, and the cost spent on the transfer mechanism and the area occupied by the transfer mechanism can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the horizontal moving mechanism has an engaging portion that engages with the engaging piece of the wafer holder, and the engaging portion is moved in a horizontal direction by a linear actuator. It may be good. With this configuration, since the engagement portion is provided on the wafer holder, the wafer holder can be easily moved using the engagement portion.

Further, the engagement portion may have an engagement groove for receiving the engagement piece of the wafer holder. Thus, the wafer holder can be easily moved only by inserting the engagement piece of the wafer holder into the engagement groove of the horizontal movement mechanism.

The vertical moving mechanism may have a table on which the wafer carrier is mounted, and the table may be moved in a vertical direction by a linear actuator. Thus, the wafer carrier can be easily vertically moved simply by mounting the wafer carrier on the table.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transfer method for transferring a wafer to a processing apparatus, wherein a wafer carrier accommodating a wafer holder holding a wafer is moved in a vertical direction so as to process a wafer to be processed. A step of aligning the held wafer holder with a predetermined vertical position, and moving the wafer holder arranged at the predetermined vertical position in the horizontal direction, withdrawing the wafer holder by a predetermined distance from the wafer carrier, and within the processing apparatus. And a step of vertically lifting the wafer held by the wafer holder pulled out by a predetermined distance and removing it from the wafer holder, and moving the wafer holder horizontally to the wafer carrier. And a returning step.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the wafer holder holding the wafer to be processed is moved to a predetermined position by vertically moving the wafer carrier, and the wafer holder is transported by the horizontal moving mechanism. It can be pulled out of the body and inserted into the processing device. Therefore, there is no need to separately provide a transfer mechanism such as a robot between the wafer transfer body and the processing apparatus, and the cost spent on the transfer mechanism and the area occupied by the transfer mechanism can be reduced.

[0027] The wafer transfer method according to claim 10 may further include a step of vertically moving the wafer removed from the wafer in the processing apparatus and disposing the wafer at a predetermined processing position. Thus, the wafer can be easily transported to the processing position only by moving the wafer in the processing apparatus in the vertical direction.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for processing a wafer to form a semiconductor device,
A processing apparatus that performs processing on a wafer, a wafer carrier having a wafer carrier movably housing a wafer holder that holds the wafer, a vertical movement mechanism that vertically moves the wafer carrier, and horizontally moving the wafer holder. A horizontal movement mechanism that moves in a direction, and a control unit that controls operations of the vertical movement mechanism and the horizontal movement mechanism.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the wafer holder holding the wafer to be processed is moved to a predetermined position by vertically moving the wafer carrier, and the wafer holder is transported by the horizontal moving mechanism. It can be pulled out of the body and inserted into the processing device. The vertical movement mechanism and the horizontal movement mechanism are controlled by the control unit so as to interlock with each other, and can easily transfer the wafer from the wafer transfer body to the processing apparatus. Therefore, there is no need to separately provide a transfer mechanism such as a robot between the wafer transfer body and the processing apparatus, and the cost spent on the transfer mechanism and the area occupied by the transfer mechanism can be reduced.

[0030]

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

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the entire wafer transfer mechanism 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the wafer transfer mechanism 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention,
The wafer 4 can be transferred between the wafer carrier 22 and the processing apparatus 10 with a simple configuration without using a robot as in the related art. The processing apparatus 10 is an apparatus that performs a predetermined process for forming a semiconductor circuit on a wafer. The processing apparatus 10 and the wafer moving mechanism 20 constitute a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

The wafer transport mechanism 20 includes a wafer carrier 22, a wafer carrier moving mechanism 30 (vertical moving mechanism), and a wafer holder moving mechanism 40 (horizontal moving mechanism).
And

The wafer carrier 22 holds a plurality of wafers 4
Are containers to be stored in multiple stages. As will be described later, each wafer 4 is accommodated in a wafer carrier 22 together with the wafer holder 24 while being held by the wafer holder 24.
The wafer carrier 22 and the wafer holder 24 constitute a wafer carrier. The wafer carrier 22 shown in FIG. 6 has been omitted for the sake of overview, and the detailed shape is shown in FIGS.

The wafer carrier moving mechanism 30 has a table 34 which is vertically moved by a linear actuator 32. The wafer carrier 22 is mounted on a table 34, and the wafer insertion port 12 of the processing apparatus 10 is
It is moved in the vertical direction with its front facing a. The operation of the linear actuator 32 is controlled by the control unit 50. That is, the vertical position of the wafer carrier table 34 is controlled by the control unit 50. As the linear actuator 32, a conventional linear actuator such as a reciprocating cylinder or a slide motor can be used, and the description is omitted.

The wafer holder moving mechanism 40 has a linear actuator 42 and an engaging portion 44 that is moved by the linear actuator 42 in the horizontal direction. Engaging part 4
Reference numeral 4 is provided for moving a wafer holder 24 housed in the wafer carrier 22 as described later. The operation of the linear actuator 42 is controlled by the control unit 50. That is, the horizontal position of the engagement portion 44 is controlled by the control unit 50. As the linear actuator 42, a conventional linear actuator such as a rodless cylinder or a slide motor can be used, and the description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, an engagement groove 44a is formed at the tip of the engagement portion 44. The engagement groove 44a is shaped to engage with an engagement piece 24a provided on the wafer holder 24. 6, the wafer holder moving mechanism 40 is shown at a position distant from the wafer carrier 22, but actually, the engagement piece 24a of the wafer holder 24 is engaged when the wafer carrier 22 is mounted on the wafer table 34. Engagement groove 44a of joint 44
Is inserted with some play. Further, the vertical position of the engaging portion substantially coincides with the position of the wafer insertion port 10a of the processing apparatus 10.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the wafer carrier 22, and FIG. 9 is a front view of the wafer carrier 22. The wafer carrier 22 is formed in a box shape with an open front side. One corner on the rear surface side of the wafer carrier 22 is shaped like a cut-off, whereby an opening 22 b is formed.
The four engaging pieces 24a extend from the opening 22b to the outside of the wafer carrier 22. In addition, wafer carrier 2
Of the two side surfaces, the side surface on which the engaging piece 24a of the wafer holder 24 extends also forms an opening 22c, and the engaging piece 24a can be moved in the horizontal direction as described later.

A stopper 22d is formed on the front side of the opening 22c. The stopper portion 22d is provided so as to come into contact with the engaging piece 24a of the wafer holder 24 when the wafer holder 24 is pulled out from the wafer carrier 22. Therefore, the wafer holder 2
When the engagement piece 24a of No. 4 comes into contact with the stopper portion 22d, the wafer holder 24 and beyond are not pulled out.

As shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of grooves 22e are provided in the wafer carrier 22, and a wafer holder 24 is slidably accommodated in each of the grooves 22e. Note that FIG.
Here, the groove 22e is shown in a simplified manner. FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of the groove 22e formed in the wafer carrier 22. A wafer holder 24 that accommodates the wafer 4 is slidably disposed in the groove 22e. The groove 22e extends in the horizontal direction, so that the wafer holder 22e can move in the horizontal direction guided by the groove 22e. Since the wafer holder 24 is arranged for each of the plurality of grooves 22e, the wafer holder 24 can independently and horizontally move.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the wafer holder 24 housed in the wafer carrier 22. When the wafer holder 24 is accommodated in the wafer carrier 22, the engagement piece 24 a of the wafer holder 24 is located on the rear side of the wafer carrier 22. Therefore,
By holding and moving the engagement piece 24a, the wafer holder 24 can move horizontally by the stroke strike S toward the front side of the wafer carrier 22.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a state in which the wafer holder 24 has moved in the horizontal direction and has been pulled out from the wafer carrier 22 to the maximum. When the wafer holder 24 moves in the horizontal direction and the engaging piece 24a contacts the stopper, the wafer holder 24 cannot move any more. This position is the position that is pulled out to the maximum. As will be described later, the wafer 4 held by the wafer holder 24 is arranged at a predetermined position in the processing apparatus 10 at the position where the wafer 4 is maximally pulled out.

Next, the wafer transfer operation by the above-described wafer transfer mechanism 20 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, an operation of transporting the wafer 4 from the wafer carrier 22 to a predetermined position of the processing apparatus 10 will be described.

First, the wafer carrier 22 accommodating the wafer holder 24 holding the wafer 4 is mounted on the table 34 of the wafer carrier moving mechanism 30. At this time, the engaging pieces 24a of the wafer holder 24 are vertically aligned on the rear surface side (the position shown in FIG. 11) of the wafer carrier 22. The engagement groove 44a provided in the engagement portion 44 of the wafer holder moving mechanism 40 coincides with the aligned position of the engagement piece 24a.

Next, the table 34 is moved in the vertical direction, and the vertical position of the engagement piece 24a of the wafer holder 24 holding the wafer 4 to be processed is determined by the engagement groove 44a.
Wafer carrier 2 so as to match the vertical position of
Move 2 vertically. The movement of the wafer carrier 22 is achieved by the operation of the linear actuator 32 controlled by the control unit 50. In this state, the engaging piece 24a of the wafer holder 24 holding the wafer 4 to be processed is inserted into the engaging groove 44a of the engaging portion 44.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13 (a), the wafer holder moving mechanism 40 is operated, and the wafer holder 24 is moved.
From the wafer carrier 22. That is, the linear actuator 42 is driven to move the engaging portion 44 in the horizontal direction, and the wafer holder 24 is horizontally moved toward the processing apparatus 10 via the engaging piece 24a. Wafer holder 2
4 slides along the inner surface of the groove 22e of the wafer carrier 22.

The position where the wafer holder 24 is moved is
The position matches the position of the wafer insertion port 10a of the processing apparatus 10. The wafer holder 24 pulled out from the wafer carrier 22 is inserted into the processing apparatus 10 together with the wafer 4 through the wafer insertion opening 10a, and is horizontally moved to a position where the engagement piece 24a contacts the stopper 22d.

When the wafer holder 24 is inserted into the processing apparatus 10, as shown in FIG.
The pins 12 in the inside rise, and the wafer 4 is placed on the pins 1. The wafer holder 24 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in the figure, a central portion is removed to form a space. The pins 12 of the processing apparatus push up the wafer 4 from below the wafer holder 24 through this space. Therefore, the wafer 4 is held by the pins 12 at a position slightly elevated from the wafer holder 4.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13C, the linear actuator 42 is driven to return the wafer holder 24 to the position accommodated in the wafer carrier 22. Since the wafer 4 is slightly floating from the wafer holder 24, the wafer 4 remains mounted on the pins 12 of the processing apparatus 10. After the wafer holder 24 returns to the wafer carrier 22, the pins 12 in the processing apparatus 10 move down to move the wafer 4 to a predetermined processing position.

In the above-described wafer transfer operation, the operation of raising and lowering the pins 12 of the processing apparatus 10 is the same as the conventional wafer transfer operation. In addition, wafer carrier 2
The raising and lowering operations of the table 2, that is, the raising and lowering operations of the table 34 are the same as the conventional wafer transfer operation.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an example of the wafer holder 24 used in the wafer transfer mechanism 20 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 15 is a view of the wafer holder 24 shown in FIG. It is.

As clearly shown in FIG. 15, the support surface 24b of the wafer holder 24 for supporting the wafer 4 is inclined at a predetermined angle α so as to become lower toward the center of the wafer 4, and is provided inside the holder. Is held at a predetermined position substantially at the center of the wafer holder 24 by its own weight. Further, when the wafer holder 24 moves, the wafer 4 is prevented from moving inside the wafer holder 24. Also, the support surface 24
b is a surface one step lower than the upper surface 24c of the wafer holder 24, and a surface 24 between the upper surface 24c and the support surface 24b.
d is also provided with an inclination of an angle β. Thus, when placing the wafer 4 on the wafer holder 24, the wafer 4 can be easily arranged on the support surface 24b.

As described above, in the present embodiment,
The wafer moving operation by the conventional robot is unnecessary. That is, in the present embodiment, the robot removes the wafer from the wafer carrier and inserts the wafer into the processing apparatus by the horizontal movement of the wafer holder 24. Therefore, there is no need to provide a robot as in the conventional wafer transfer mechanism, and the cost for installing the robot and the area occupied by the robot can be reduced.

As a result, the cost of the entire semiconductor manufacturing facility can be reduced, and therefore, the cost of the semiconductor device manufactured by the semiconductor manufacturing facility can be reduced.
Further, semiconductor devices other than the wafer transfer mechanism can be installed at a higher density in the space in the clean room where the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is installed, and the productivity of semiconductor devices can be improved.

Further, since the wafer is transferred while being held by the wafer holder 24, the wafer does not slide in the groove in the wafer carrier as in the conventional case, and the generation of dust (particles) due to the sliding is reduced. can do. In addition, because the distance over which the wafer is transported is short,
Damage to the wafer, adhesion of dust, and the like during the transfer can also be reduced.

As described above, the present invention includes the following inventions.

(Supplementary Note 1) A wafer carrier for accommodating and carrying a wafer, comprising a plurality of wafer holders each holding a wafer, and a wafer carrier accommodating the wafer holders in a vertically aligned state. Become
The wafer carrier, wherein the wafer holder is horizontally movable to a position where the wafer holder is pulled out of the wafer carrier.

(Supplementary Note 2) The wafer carrier according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the wafer holder has an engagement piece projecting in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the wafer holder in a plane of the wafer holder. And a wafer carrier that horizontally moves the wafer holder by horizontally moving the engagement piece.

(Supplementary Note 3) The wafer carrier according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the wafer carrier has a stopper portion that comes into contact with the engaging piece at a position where the wafer holder is drawn out of the wafer carrier to the maximum. A wafer carrier characterized by the above-mentioned.

(Supplementary Note 4) In the wafer carrier according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, wherein a support surface of the wafer holder for supporting a wafer is located at a position lower than an upper surface of the wafer holder. A wafer carrier, wherein the support surface is provided with an inclination so as to gradually decrease toward the center of the wafer when the wafer is mounted.

(Supplementary Note 5) The wafer carrier according to supplementary note 4, wherein the support surface of the wafer holder is configured to support an outer peripheral portion of the wafer, and a space is formed in a central portion of the wafer holder. A wafer carrier.

(Supplementary Note 6) A wafer transfer mechanism for transferring a wafer to a processing apparatus, wherein the wafer transfer body according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5, and a vertical movement that moves the wafer transfer body in a vertical direction. A wafer transfer mechanism, comprising: a mechanism; and a horizontal moving mechanism that horizontally moves the wafer holder accommodated in the wafer transfer body.

(Supplementary note 7) The wafer transfer mechanism according to supplementary note 6, wherein the horizontal moving mechanism has an engaging portion that engages with the engaging piece of the wafer holder, and the engaging portion is linear. A wafer transfer mechanism that is moved in a horizontal direction by an actuator.

(Supplementary Note 8) The wafer transfer mechanism according to supplementary note 7, wherein the engaging portion has an engaging groove for receiving the engaging piece of the wafer holder.

(Supplementary Note 9) The wafer transfer mechanism according to any one of Supplementary Notes 6 to 8, wherein the vertical movement mechanism has a table on which the wafer transfer body is mounted, and the table is a linear actuator. A wafer transfer mechanism characterized in that the wafer transfer mechanism is moved in a vertical direction.

(Supplementary Note 10) A transfer method for transferring a wafer to a processing apparatus, wherein a wafer carrier accommodating a wafer holder holding a wafer is moved vertically to hold a wafer to be processed. Aligning the wafer holder at a predetermined vertical position, and horizontally moving the wafer holder disposed at the predetermined vertical position, withdrawing the wafer holder a predetermined distance from the wafer carrier, and disposing the wafer holder in the processing apparatus. And a step of vertically lifting a wafer held by the wafer holder pulled out by a predetermined distance and removing the wafer from the wafer holder, and a step of moving the wafer holder horizontally and returning the wafer holder to the wafer carrier. A wafer transfer method, comprising:

(Supplementary Note 11) The wafer transfer method according to Supplementary Note 10, further comprising the step of vertically moving the wafer removed from the wafer in the processing apparatus and disposing the wafer at a predetermined processing position. A wafer transfer method characterized by the above-mentioned.

(Supplementary Note 12) A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for processing a wafer to form a semiconductor device, comprising: a processing apparatus for processing a wafer; and a wafer carrier movably housing a wafer holder for holding the wafer. A wafer transfer body, a vertical movement mechanism that moves the wafer transfer body in a vertical direction, a horizontal movement mechanism that moves the wafer holder in a horizontal direction, and a control unit that controls operations of the vertical movement mechanism and the horizontal movement mechanism And a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising:

[0068]

According to the present invention as described above, the following various effects can be realized. According to the first aspect of the present invention, the wafer holder can be moved in the horizontal direction with respect to the wafer carrier to transfer the wafer. Therefore, there is no need to move the wafer to a separate transfer mechanism once and then transfer the wafer to the processing apparatus. That is, the wafer holder holding the wafer can be horizontally moved and inserted into the processing apparatus as it is. Therefore, there is no need to separately provide a transfer mechanism such as a robot between the wafer transfer body and the processing apparatus, and the cost spent on the transfer mechanism and the area occupied by the transfer mechanism can be reduced.

In the above-mentioned invention, by providing the engagement piece on the wafer holder, the wafer holder can be easily moved by moving the engagement piece.

The movement of the wafer holder can be stopped by the stopper at the position where the wafer holder is pulled out to the maximum. This can prevent the wafer holder from coming off the wafer carrier.

Further, the wafer held by the wafer holder is arranged at a predetermined position by its own weight, and when the wafer holder moves, the wafer is prevented from moving in the wafer holder.

Further, the wafer held by the wafer holder is lifted from the lower side of the wafer holder through the space of the central portion, so that the wafer can be removed from the wafer holder.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the wafer holder holding the wafer to be processed is moved to a predetermined position by vertically moving the wafer carrier, and the wafer holder is transported by the horizontal moving mechanism. It can be pulled out of the body and inserted into the processing device. Therefore, there is no need to separately provide a transfer mechanism such as a robot between the wafer transfer body and the processing apparatus, and the cost spent on the transfer mechanism and the area occupied by the transfer mechanism can be reduced.

In the above invention, by providing the engaging portion on the wafer holder and moving the engaging portion horizontally to the linear actuator, the wafer holder can be easily moved using the engaging portion. .

Further, the wafer holder can be easily moved only by inserting the engaging piece of the wafer holder into the engaging groove of the horizontal moving mechanism.

Further, the wafer carrier can be easily vertically moved simply by mounting the wafer carrier on the table.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the wafer holder holding the wafer to be processed is moved to a predetermined position by vertically moving the wafer carrier, and the wafer holder is transported by the horizontal moving mechanism. It can be pulled out of the body and inserted into the processing device. Therefore, there is no need to separately provide a transfer mechanism such as a robot between the wafer transfer body and the processing apparatus, and the cost spent on the transfer mechanism and the area occupied by the transfer mechanism can be reduced.

Further, the wafer can be easily transported to the processing position only by moving the wafer in the processing apparatus in the vertical direction and disposing the wafer at a predetermined position.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the wafer holder holding the wafer to be processed is moved to a predetermined position by vertically moving the wafer carrier, and the wafer holder is transported by the horizontal moving mechanism. It can be pulled out of the body and inserted into the processing device. The vertical movement mechanism and the horizontal movement mechanism are controlled by the control unit so as to interlock with each other, and can easily transfer the wafer from the wafer transfer body to the processing apparatus. Therefore, there is no need to separately provide a transfer mechanism such as a robot between the wafer transfer body and the processing apparatus, and the cost spent on the transfer mechanism and the area occupied by the transfer mechanism can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a conventional wafer carrier.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a conventional wafer jalia.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a groove provided in a conventional wafer carrier.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the operation of a conventional wafer transfer mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a conventional wafer transfer mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the wafer transfer mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of an engaging portion provided in the wafer holder moving mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the wafer carrier according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the wafer carrier according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of a groove provided in a wafer carrier.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a state where the wafer holder is housed in a wafer carrier.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a state where the wafer holder is pulled out of the wafer carrier.

FIG. 13 is a view for explaining a step of transferring a wafer from a wafer carrier to a processing apparatus.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an example of a wafer holder.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the wafer holder shown in FIG. 14;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 4 wafer 10 processing device 12 pin 20 wafer transfer mechanism 22 wafer carrier 22d stopper part 24 wafer holder 24a engagement piece 30 wafer carrier movement mechanism 32 linear actuator 34 table 40 wafer holder movement mechanism 42 linear actuator, 44 engagement part 44a groove part 50 Control unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B65G 49/07 B65G 49/07 C B65D 85/38 R (72) Inventor Hitoshi Takahashi Aizuwakamatsu, Aizu, Fukushima No. 6, Tamachi Industrial Park, Fujitsu AMD Semiconductor Co., Ltd. No. 6 Kadotacho Industrial Park, Aizuwakamatsu City Fujitsu AMD Semiconductor Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3E096 AA06 BA16 BB04 CA08 CB03 DA25 DC02 FA27 GA13 3F022 CC02 EE05 FF26 KK14 MM01 MM13 5F031 CA02 DA01 DA13 EA06 FA03 FA11 FA12 GA02 GA48 GA49 GA52 HA33 LA15 MA15 PA26

Claims (4)

[Claims] Claims: 1. A wafer carrier for accommodating and transporting a wafer, comprising: a plurality of wafer holders each holding a wafer; and a wafer carrier accommodating the wafer holder in a vertically aligned state. The wafer carrier, wherein the wafer holder is horizontally movable to a position where the wafer holder is pulled out of the wafer carrier. 2. A wafer transfer mechanism for transferring a wafer to a processing apparatus, the wafer transfer body according to claim 1, a vertical movement mechanism for moving the wafer transfer body in a vertical direction, and housed in the wafer transfer body. And a horizontal moving mechanism for moving the wafer holder in a horizontal direction. 3. A transfer method for transferring a wafer to a processing apparatus, wherein a wafer carrier containing a wafer holder holding a wafer is moved in a vertical direction to hold a wafer to be processed. Aligning the holder at a predetermined vertical position, moving the wafer holder arranged at the predetermined vertical position in the horizontal direction, extracting the wafer holder a predetermined distance from the wafer carrier, and disposing the wafer holder in the processing apparatus; A step of vertically lifting a wafer held by the wafer holder pulled out by a predetermined distance and removing it from the wafer holder; anda step of horizontally moving the wafer holder and returning the wafer holder to the wafer carrier. A wafer transfer method characterized by the above-mentioned. 4. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for processing a wafer to form a semiconductor device, comprising: a processing apparatus for processing a wafer; and a wafer carrier having a wafer carrier movably housing a wafer holder for holding the wafer. A vertical movement mechanism for vertically moving the wafer carrier, a horizontal movement mechanism for horizontally moving the wafer holder, and a control unit for controlling operations of the vertical movement mechanism and the horizontal movement mechanism. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising: