JPH11268830A - Air flow conveying cell - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce manufacturing cost by forming an inclined nozzle on an upper cell block body to be stacked and mounted on a lower cell block body, by a combination of a nozzle plate and an air flow deflection plate. SOLUTION: An inclined nozzle 5 is formed on an upper cell block body to be stacked and mounted on a lower cell block body in which a gas supply passage is formed, and the inclined nozzle 5 is formed by mounting an air flow deflection plate 4 on a nozzle plate 3 having a nozzle forming recessed part to which spot facing can be performed and a connecting passage 8. That is, any inclined hole is not formed. Therefore, manufacturing cost can be further reduced. Moreover, gas to be supplied form the connecting passage 8 communicated with the gas supply passage is injected from an inclined injection port 7 through a horizontal passage 9. Accordingly, a plate-shaped article can be floated and conveyed in the specified direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air flow transfer cell for floating a plate-like object such as a wafer by jetting a gas and transferring it in a predetermined direction while maintaining a non-contact state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an air flow transfer cell that lifts a plate-like object such as a wafer by jetting gas and transfers it in a predetermined direction while maintaining a non-contact state is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-228.
No. 342, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-181182, etc., a device provided with a nozzle (hereinafter referred to as a vertical nozzle) for ejecting gas in a direction orthogonal to the upper surface of the cell, Known are those provided with nozzles (hereinafter referred to as inclined nozzles) for ejecting in a direction not orthogonal to the upper surface, and those provided with both nozzles.

[0003] Each nozzle is bored in an upper cell block body which is stacked and mounted on the lower cell block body.
Then, in a state where the airflow transfer cell is configured by combining the two block bodies, each nozzle is communicated with the gas supply passage provided in the lower cell block body.

[0004]

However, since such a nozzle is generally drilled by machining, the drilling operation is troublesome, and this is particularly remarkable when an inclined nozzle is drilled. When trying to drill an inclined nozzle with a diameter of about 1 mm, the wear of the drill increases,
In addition, it is difficult to drill a large number of inclined nozzles at the same time, so that there is a disadvantage that the processing cost is significantly increased.

The present invention has been made in view of the above drawbacks, and as a result of intensive studies to solve it, as a result, the upper cell block stacked and mounted on the lower cell block is combined with a nozzle plate and an airflow deflector. The present invention has been found that the manufacturing cost can be reduced by providing the inclined nozzle so as to form the inclined nozzle.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an airflow transfer cell according to the present invention, wherein a lower cell block body having a gas supply passage is provided with an inclined communication with the gas supply passage. In an air flow transfer cell in which upper cell block bodies formed with nozzles are stacked and mounted, and a plate-like object is floated by gas ejected from the inclined nozzle and transported in a predetermined direction while being kept in a non-contact state, an inclined jet outlet is provided. The formed nozzle forming recess is formed on the upper end surface, and a connection passage communicating with the gas supply passage is opened in the passage forming bottom surface of the nozzle forming recess, and mounted on the lower cell block body. The nozzle plate is mounted in the nozzle forming recess so as to form a horizontal passage communicating with the connection passage and the inclined jet port on the passage forming bottom surface. Is characterized in that the formation of the inclined nozzle by configuring the upper cell block body and the flow deflector.

It is preferable that a plurality of inclined nozzles are provided so as to be individually communicated with each of the plurality of gas supply passages. In this case, the inclined nozzles are mutually connected in each of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. It is preferable to dispose them so as to face each other.

[0008]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an airflow transfer cell according to one embodiment of the present invention. The airflow transfer cell is mounted on a lower cell block body 1 (see FIGS. 9 to 12) which will be described later. The cell block body 2 is configured by mounting four airflow deflector plates 4 on a square nozzle plate 3, and as shown in FIG.
The number of inclined nozzles 5 is formed.

The structure of each part of the upper cell block body 2 is shown in FIG. 1 as an AA longitudinal sectional view, FIG. 2 as a BB longitudinal sectional view, and FIG. 4 as a CC longitudinal sectional view. 5 which is a vertical sectional view taken along line DD. Also, the inclined nozzle 5
6 is enlarged in FIG. 6, the inclined nozzle 5 is disposed such that a pair thereof is opposed to each other in each of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction as shown in FIG. Have been.

Further, these inclined nozzles 5 are all provided in the same structure. Therefore, as for one of them, the inclined nozzle 5 is shown in FIG.
The air flow deflector 4 is mounted in the nozzle forming recess 6 formed with the inclined jet port 7 provided on the upper end surface 3a of the nozzle, that is, the connection passage 8 and the horizontal passage 9 which are communicated with each other are inclined. The ejection port 7 is formed.

Although the connection passage 8 is formed in the nozzle plate 3, when the nozzle plate 3 is mounted on the lower cell block 1, the gas supply passage 10a of the lower cell block 1 (FIGS. 9 and 11). , 12). Further, the inclined jet port 7 is provided in a predetermined size, and the airflow deflector 4 shown in a plan view in FIG. 8 is made of a thin plate having a thickness of about 1 mm.

Further, the air flow deflector 4 is mounted on the passage forming bottom surface 6a of the nozzle forming recess 6 so as to form a horizontal passage 9 communicating with the connection passage 8 and the inclined jet port 7, that is, the air flow deflector 4 is mounted. A plate supporting bottom surface 6b which is fitted into the nozzle forming concave portion 6 so as to prevent gas from being ejected from a portion other than the inclined outlet 7 (see FIG. 7), and is formed above the passage forming bottom surface 6a. And is fixed by an adhesive filling a V groove 11 formed in the plate supporting bottom surface 6b. The upper end surface 4a of the air flow deflector 4 is arranged at substantially the same level as the upper end surface 3a of the nozzle plate 3.

Accordingly, by supplying gas (generally, compressed air) to the connection passage 8 through the gas supply passage 10a of the lower cell block 1, gas is ejected in a predetermined direction from the inclined outlet 7 through the horizontal passage 9. Therefore, the plate-like object on the cell upper surface 12 (see FIG. 1) can be floated and transported in a predetermined direction.

Incidentally, the inclination angle θ of the inclined ejection port 7 is set to a predetermined value in consideration of various conditions such as a conveyance condition. As described above, the inclined nozzle 5 is formed by forming the so-called counterbored nozzle forming recesses 6 without drilling the inclined holes, so that the manufacturing cost can be further reduced. .

Next, another nozzle formed in the upper cell block 2 will be described.
Is also referred to as a directing gas injection nozzle in terms of its function. In addition, a stationary gas suction nozzle 15 and a floating gas injection nozzle 16 which are vertical nozzles are further provided.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of stationary gas suction nozzles 15 and a part of the plurality of floating gas injection nozzles 16 are surrounded by a group of inclined nozzles 5 to form a cell upper surface. 12 and the remaining portion of the floating gas injection nozzle 16 is disposed in a region outside the central region (the corner of the cell upper surface 12). The group of floating gas injection nozzles 16 arranged in the central region includes the stationary gas suction nozzle 1.
It is arranged so as to surround the five groups.

The stationary gas suction nozzles 15 are composed of a large-diameter vertical nozzle 15a drilled at the center of the upper cell block 2 and a small-diameter vertical nozzle 15b drilled around the nozzle. (See FIG. 2). In addition, the floating gas injection nozzles 16 are all composed of vertical nozzles having the same diameter. Therefore, by sucking air from the gas suction passage 17 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) formed in the lower cell block body 1, the plate-like object on the cell upper surface 12 can be adsorbed and placed stationary. .

By supplying gas from a gas supply passage 10b (see FIGS. 9 and 11) formed in the lower cell block 1, a central portion of the cell upper surface 12 surrounded by the group of inclined nozzles 5 is provided. Gas can be ejected from a group of levitation gas ejection nozzles 16 arranged in the region, and gas can be ejected from a gas supply passage 10c (see FIGS. 9 and 12) formed in the lower cell block body 1. By supplying, the area outside the central area (the corner on the upper surface of the cell)
The gas can also be ejected from the group of levitation gas ejection nozzles 16 arranged in the nozzle.

The lower cell block body 1 is provided in the same shape and the same size as the upper cell block body 2, and the structure of each part is shown in FIG. −
FIG. 11 which is an F longitudinal sectional view and FIG. 1 which is a GG longitudinal sectional view
2, the gas supply passages 10a, 10a
Each of b and 10c is provided in a form independent of each other, and is formed by a gas storage part 18 and a pipe threaded part 19 communicated therewith. On the other hand, the gas suction passage 17
Is formed by a gas storage section 18, a pipe threaded section 19, and a connection section 20.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, a sensor mounting hole 21 communicating with the gas storage section 18 is formed in the gas suction passage 17. Here, a photoelectric tube sensor (not shown) for irradiating a light beam for detecting a plate-like object on the cell upper surface 12 is attached, and the light beam is pierced in the upper cell block body 2. Irradiation is performed on the cell upper surface 12 through one of the gas suction nozzle groups 15, that is, one of the small-diameter vertical nozzles 15 b.

Also, on the upper end surface of the lower cell block body 1,
Grooves 22a, 22b, 22c for packing are provided, and the packing mounted on the lower cell block body 1 causes the upper cell block body 2 to be stacked on the lower cell block body 1 and tightened by bolts. The joint is sealed. Bolts between the lower cell block body 1 and the upper cell block body 2 are tightened by bolt mounting holes 23 (see FIG. 5) drilled in the upper cell block body 2 and screw holes provided in the lower cell block body 1. 24.

The embodiment according to the present invention has been described above. However, in the present invention, a predetermined number of inclined nozzles can be provided as necessary, and either a single or a plurality of inclined nozzles may be provided. In addition, the installation position and the installation direction can be set to a predetermined value as necessary. Further, the nozzle is installed in a form combined with another nozzle, that is, a stationary gas suction nozzle or a floating gas injection nozzle which is a vertical nozzle. Alternatively, only the inclined nozzle may be installed without such installation.

In general, a plate-like object can be lifted, moved (transported), stopped, etc. by installing a combination of an inclined nozzle (directing gas injection nozzle), a stationary gas suction nozzle, and a floating gas injection nozzle. Since multiple functions can be achieved such as being able to rotate, it is preferable to install them in combination.

Also, the plate-like object is very thin or minute,
In addition, objects that need to be transported so as not to cause contamination or damage, for example, silicon wafers, glass substrates, biological specimens, and the like can be mentioned.

It should be noted that the air flow transfer cell according to the present invention is not limited to being installed alone, but may be connected to form a non-contact transfer line such as an L-shaped or cross-shaped line in addition to a straight line. In such a case, since a large number of airflow transfer cells are required, the effects of the present invention, such as reduction in manufacturing cost, become more remarkable.

[0026]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of an airflow transfer cell provided with an inclined nozzle. According to the invention described in claims 2 and 3 in which a plurality of inclined nozzles are provided,
In addition to being able to reduce manufacturing costs,
By selectively supplying gas to the inclined jet,
The plate-like object can be freely conveyed in the X-axis direction (both left and right directions in FIG. 1) and the Y-axis direction (both front and rear directions in FIG. 1), and the gas can be selectively ejected from the inclined ejection port, whereby Rotational movement about the center of the cell block body can also be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an airflow transfer cell.

FIG. 2 is an AA longitudinal sectional view of an upper cell block body.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the upper cell block taken along line BB.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the upper cell block taken along the line CC.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the upper cell block taken along line DD.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the inclined nozzle portion of FIG.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the airflow deflector support portion of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of an airflow deflector.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a lower cell block body.

FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view taken along line FF of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line GG of FIG. 9;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lower cell block body 2 Upper cell block body 3 Nozzle plate 4 Air flow deflector plate 5 Inclined nozzle 6 Nozzle forming recess 6a Passage forming bottom surface 7 Inclined jet port 8 Connection passage 9 Horizontal passage 10a, 10b, 10c Gas supply passage

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Ryoaki Hamanaka 1-1-45 Oe, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture Toray Engineering Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An upper cell block having an inclined nozzle connected to the gas supply passage is mounted on a lower cell block having a gas supply passage, and a plate is formed by gas ejected from the inclined nozzle. In a pneumatic transport cell for floating a substance in a predetermined direction while maintaining it in a non-contact state, a nozzle forming recess formed with an inclined jet port is formed on an upper end face, and a passage forming bottom of the nozzle forming recess is formed. A connection plate communicating with the gas supply passage is opened, and a nozzle plate mounted on the lower cell block body is communicated with the connection passage and the inclined jet outlet on the passage forming bottom surface. The inclined nozzle was formed by configuring the upper cell block body with an airflow deflector mounted in the nozzle forming recess so as to form a horizontal passage that was formed. An airflow transfer cell, characterized in that: 2. The airflow transfer cell according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of inclined nozzles are provided so as to be individually communicated with each of the plurality of gas supply passages. 3. The airflow transfer cell according to claim 2, wherein the inclined nozzles are disposed so as to face each other in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.