阅读说明：本技术 具有局部清洗功能的运送装置 (Conveyor with local cleaning function ) 是由 坂田胜则 佐藤恭久 奥津英和 广田健二 于 2018-08-29 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明的目的在于低价格地提供一种运送装置(2),该运送装置不使半导体圆晶(W)的被处理面曝露于氧化性气氛中,可在FOUP(19)和处理装置(3)之间运送半导体圆晶(W)。本发明的运送装置(2)包括：带有气氛置换功能的装载端口(20)；带有气氛置换功能的运送机器人(30)；带有气氛置换功能的对准器(40)；带有气氛置换功能的装载锁定腔(12),即使在于半导体圆晶移动期间,以及进行定位等的处理期间,仍局部地对半导体圆晶的被处理面进行气氛置换。(The purpose of the present invention is to provide a low-cost transport device (2) which can transport a semiconductor wafer (W) between a FOUP (19) and a processing device (3) without exposing the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer (W) to an oxidizing atmosphere. The transport device (2) of the present invention comprises: a load port (20) with an atmosphere replacement function; a transfer robot (30) having an atmosphere replacement function; an aligner (40) with an atmosphere replacement function; the load lock chamber (12) with an atmosphere replacement function partially performs atmosphere replacement on the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer even during the movement of the semiconductor wafer and during the processing such as positioning.)

1. A conveyor apparatus, comprising: a load port with an atmosphere replacement function for loading a hermetically sealable container for receiving a semiconductor wafer and replacing the inside of the container with an inert gas atmosphere; a transfer robot having an atmosphere replacement function for replacing an atmosphere of a surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer while holding the semiconductor wafer; and an aligner with atmosphere replacement function for holding the semiconductor wafer, replacing an atmosphere of a surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer, and transporting the semiconductor wafer while replacing the atmosphere of the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer with a clean inert gas atmosphere.

2. The conveyor of claim 1 wherein said aligner with atmosphere replacement is received in a replacement container comprising: a nozzle that ejects the inert gas; an opening for transporting the semiconductor wafer; a lid capable of closing the opening.

3. The conveyance apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a filter is provided in the nozzle, the filter removing dust contained in the inert gas.

4. The conveyance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the aligner with atmosphere replacement function includes an aligner controller that increases a flow rate of the inert gas ejected from the nozzle during opening of the opening.

5. The transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the aligner with atmosphere replacement function includes a shower plate that sprays the inert gas toward the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer held on the spindle.

6. The conveyance apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the aligner with atmosphere replacement function further comprises a shower plate elevating mechanism for moving the shower plate in the up-down direction.

7. The transport apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the transport apparatus further comprises a buffer device with atmosphere replacement function, the buffer device with atmosphere replacement function comprises a replacement container, and the replacement container comprises: a nozzle that ejects the inert gas; an opening provided at a position corresponding to a shelf plate on which the semiconductor wafer is mounted; a lid capable of closing the opening.

8. The transfer apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the buffer device with the atmosphere replacement function includes a buffer control unit that increases a flow rate of the inert gas ejected from the nozzle while the opening is opened.

9. The carrying device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the buffer device with atmosphere replacement function comprises a case formed with the shelf board; a cassette lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the cassette; and a cover covering the cartridge and the cartridge lifting mechanism.

10. The carrier device according to claim 7, wherein a shower plate is provided above the shelf plate in the buffer device with the atmosphere replacement function, and the shower plate injects an inert gas toward the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer mounted on the shelf plate.

11. The transport apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the transport apparatus further comprises a load lock chamber with atmosphere replacement function, the load lock chamber with atmosphere replacement function comprising: a shelf plate on which the semiconductor wafer is loaded; a 1 st opening for communicating an internal space of the load lock chamber with an atmosphere replacement function with a micro-environment space; a 2 nd opening for communicating the internal space of the load lock chamber with the atmosphere replacement function and the internal space of the transport chamber; a 1 st lid member capable of closing the 1 st opening; a 2 nd lid member capable of closing the 2 nd opening; and a shower plate for spraying the inert gas.

12. The transfer apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the shower plate sprays the inert gas to the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer mounted on the rack plate.

13. The carrying device according to any one of claims 11 and 12, wherein the load lock with an atmosphere replacement function includes the shelf plate which is in a shelf layer shape and on which the semiconductor wafers are loaded, and the shower plate is provided above the corresponding wafer of the semiconductor wafers loaded in the shelf layer shape.

14. A conveyor apparatus, comprising: an FFU that supplies clean air to the micro-environment space; an aligner with atmosphere replacement; a load port with atmosphere replacement functionality; a cache device with an atmosphere replacement function; 2a transfer robot with an atmosphere replacement function, the 2 transfer robots with an atmosphere replacement function being provided at positions facing the buffer devices with an atmosphere replacement function, the buffer devices with an atmosphere replacement function including: an opening to which the 2 transfer robots having the atmosphere replacement function can access; a lid capable of closing the opening.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a transport apparatus for transporting a thin plate-like substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, and transporting the semiconductor wafer between the transport apparatus and a processing apparatus inside the transport apparatus, the semiconductor wafer being accommodated inside a sealable container called a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP).

Background

In the past, semiconductors have been manufactured within an environment maintained at a relatively clean atmosphere called a clean room. In recent years, semiconductor wafers have been miniaturized, and a more clean atmosphere is required for processing semiconductor wafers. Then, inside the clean room, the semiconductor wafers are sequentially transported to the respective processing apparatuses in a state of being received in the FOUP whose inside is maintained in a highly clean atmosphere. In an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) which is connected to a processing apparatus for performing various processes such as forming a film on a surface of a thin plate-shaped substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and etching the thin plate-shaped substrate to transfer the thin plate-shaped substrate, a space called a microenvironment space for maintaining an atmosphere inside the apparatus to which the thin plate-shaped substrate is exposed at a high degree of cleanliness is formed in order to prevent dust floating in the air from adhering to the thin plate-shaped substrate. This microenvironment space is the space that is surrounded through the wall that sets up FFU13 (Fan Filter Unit) and side on EFEM's the roof and the bottom plate that can the circulation of air, through being full of the inside in microenvironment space with the air that purifies through FFU13, purifies the atmosphere of space inside. Further, since the clean air filled with the air is discharged to the outside of the micro-environment space through the bottom plate through which the air can circulate, the dust generated inside the space is also discharged to the outside of the space together with the airflow of the clean air. By this method, only the space where the semiconductor wafer or the like moves has high cleanliness, and thus the yield of semiconductor products can be improved at a lower cost as compared with the case where the entire cleaning chamber is highly cleaned and purified.

However, the circuit line width has been rapidly miniaturized, and there has been a problem that high-definition cleaning by only the conventional microenvironment system cannot be applied. In particular, there is a problem that a surface of a thin plate-like substrate which is transferred to a closed container is subjected to a surface treatment by a treatment apparatus and reacts with oxygen and moisture contained in air in a micro-environment space to form a natural oxide film. Since the natural oxide film is formed, a circuit to be formed on the surface of the thin plate-like substrate is not sufficiently formed, and as a result, a failure that a desired operation characteristic cannot be secured occurs. In addition, chemical substances included in the reaction gas used in the processing apparatus are carried into the sealed container in a state of adhering to the thin plate-shaped substrate, and contaminate the untreated thin plate-shaped substrate in the sealed container, which adversely affects the next processing step and deteriorates the yield.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a technique is considered in which the concentration of oxygen and moisture in the micro-environment space is made as zero as possible by using the micro-environment space as a transfer space of the semiconductor wafer as a closed space and filling the inside of the space with an inert gas such as nitrogen.

Patent document 1 discloses an EFEM 1 in which an inert gas is supplied from a gas supply mechanism 16 into air sucked by an FFU13, and a clean gas having a low oxygen concentration is supplied as a down flow from the FFU13 into a wafer transport chamber 9. The low oxygen concentration clean gas supplied to the wafer conveying chamber 9 is removed of impurities by the chemical filter 14, and then moved to the upper space through the gas return passage 10 by the fan 15, and supplied to the wafer conveying chamber 9 again through the FFU 13. Refer to fig. 1. Thus, the semiconductor wafer can be moved between the FOUP and the processing apparatus without contacting the atmosphere containing oxygen and moisture, and the properties of the surface of the semiconductor wafer can be appropriately controlled.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: JP 2015-146349 publication

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, as described above, the clean gas is circulated, which causes a new problem. In order to prevent oxidation of the surface of the semiconductor wafer W, it is necessary to maintain the interior of the wafer transport chamber 9 at an oxygen concentration of 1% or less, and the supply amount of the inert gas is large, which results in an increase in the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor chip. The wafer transfer chamber 9 is provided with a transfer robot that transfers semiconductor wafers between the FOUP and the processing apparatus, an automation device, a so-called aligner that positions the semiconductor wafers, and a control unit that controls the automation device. The low-oxygen inert gas circulating in the wafer transport chamber 9 is heated by the heat of operation of the automation device and the control unit and the heat of operation of the FFU13, and the temperature rises. As a result, the motor as a driving source of the automation device, the computer inside the control unit, and the like are not cooled, and causes malfunction and failure. In addition, when a cooling mechanism for cooling the circulated low-oxygen inert gas is provided, the manufacturing cost of the EFEM 1 increases.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a low-cost transport apparatus capable of transporting a semiconductor wafer between a FOUP and a processing apparatus without exposing a surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer to an oxidizing atmosphere.

Means for solving the problems

In order to achieve the above object, a transport device according to the present invention includes: a load port having an atmosphere replacement function for loading a hermetically sealable container for receiving a semiconductor wafer and replacing the inside of the container with an inert gas atmosphere; a transfer robot having an atmosphere replacement function for replacing an atmosphere of a surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer while holding the semiconductor wafer; and an aligner with atmosphere replacement function for holding the semiconductor wafer, replacing an atmosphere of a surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer, and transporting the semiconductor wafer while replacing the atmosphere of the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer with a clean inert gas atmosphere. With the above arrangement, since the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer can be partially replaced with the inert gas atmosphere on the movement path of the semiconductor wafer, a large-sized apparatus in which the internal atmosphere of the transport apparatus is replaced with the inert gas is not required.

Further, the transfer device according to claim 2 of the present invention is characterized in that the aligner having an atmosphere replacement function is received in a replacement container, the replacement container comprising: a nozzle that ejects the inert gas; an opening for transporting the semiconductor wafer; and a cover for closing the opening. By the scheme, the semiconductor wafer can be aligned in the process of maintaining in the inert gas atmosphere. Further, the nozzle is provided with a filter for removing dust contained in the inert gas, so that impurities and dust contained in the inert gas can be prevented from contaminating the surface of the semiconductor wafer.

Further, the aligner with atmosphere replacement function provided in the transfer device according to claim 4 of the present invention includes an aligner controller that increases a flow rate of the inert gas ejected from the nozzle while the opening is opened. With the above arrangement, even when the cover is opened for transporting the semiconductor wafer by the transport robot having the atmosphere replacement function, the internal atmosphere of the aligner having the atmosphere replacement function can be maintained at the predetermined inert gas concentration.

Further, the aligner with atmosphere replacement function provided in the transfer apparatus according to claim 5 of the present invention includes a shower plate for spraying the inert gas toward the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer held on the spindle, instead of the replacement container. By employing the above-described configuration, the atmosphere of the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer can be replaced with an inert gas atmosphere without providing a replacement container. Further, by providing a shower plate elevating mechanism for moving the shower plate in the vertical direction, the inert gas can be sprayed to the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer at the closest distance by the shower plate. The transfer robot can transfer the semiconductor wafer to the spindle without interfering with the shower plate.

Further, according to the present invention, claim 7 is directed to the conveyor apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a buffer device with an atmosphere replacement function, the buffer device with the atmosphere replacement function including a replacement container having: a nozzle that ejects the inert gas; an opening provided at a position corresponding to a shelf plate on which the semiconductor wafer is mounted; and a cover for closing the opening. By providing the above-described buffer device with an atmosphere replacement function, even when a waiting time for the semiconductor wafer occurs due to a processing apparatus or the like, the semiconductor wafer can be stored in an inert gas atmosphere.

Further, the buffer device with atmosphere replacement function provided in the transport device according to claim 8 of the present invention includes a buffer control unit that increases a flow rate of the inert gas injected from the nozzle while the opening is opened. With the above arrangement, even when the transfer robot with the atmosphere replacement function opens the lid to transfer the semiconductor wafer, the internal atmosphere of the buffer device with the atmosphere replacement function can be maintained at the predetermined inert gas concentration.

Further, according to claim 9 of the present invention, the buffer device with atmosphere replacement function includes a case in which the shelf plate is formed; a cassette lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the cassette; and a cover covering the cartridge and the cartridge lifting mechanism. By forming the above-described arrangement, even in a case where the buffer device with the atmosphere replacement function receives a plurality of semiconductor wafers, the transfer robot with the atmosphere replacement function can access the corresponding semiconductor wafers.

Further, in the buffer device with atmosphere replacement function according to claim 10 of the present invention, a shower plate is provided above the rack plate, and the shower plate injects an inert gas to the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer mounted on the rack plate. With the above arrangement, since the inert gas can be injected over the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer mounted on the rack plate, the atmosphere of the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer can be replaced quickly.

The invention according to claim 11 of the present invention relates to the conveyance device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a load lock chamber with an atmosphere replacement function, the load lock chamber with an atmosphere replacement function including: a shelf plate on which the semiconductor wafer is loaded; a 1 st opening for communicating an internal space of the load lock chamber with an atmosphere replacement function with a micro-environment space; a 2 nd opening for communicating the internal space of the load lock chamber with the atmosphere replacement function and the internal space of the transport chamber; a 1 st cover member that closes the 1 st opening; a 2 nd cover member which can close the 2 nd opening; and a shower plate for spraying the inert gas. The load lock chamber with the atmosphere replacement function is used for exchanging the semiconductor wafer between the micro-environment space and the internal space of the transfer chamber, and by forming the above-described configuration, even in the case where the semiconductor wafer is exchanged via the load lock chamber with the atmosphere replacement function, the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer can be maintained in the inert gas atmosphere.

The invention according to claim 12 is characterized in that the shower plate sprays the inert gas to the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer mounted on the rack plate, and the invention according to claim 13 relates to the carrying device according to any one of claims 11 and 12, wherein the load lock with the atmosphere replacement function includes the rack plate on which the semiconductor wafer is mounted in a rack layer shape, and the shower plate is provided above the wafer corresponding to the semiconductor wafer mounted in the rack layer shape. By adopting the scheme, the processed surface of the corresponding semiconductor wafer loaded on the goods shelf board can be maintained in the inert gas atmosphere.

Further, the transport apparatus of claim 14 of the present invention is characterized by comprising an FFU which supplies clean air to the micro-environment space; an aligner with atmosphere replacement; a load port with atmosphere replacement functionality; a cache device with an atmosphere replacement function; 2a transfer robot with an atmosphere replacement function, the 2 transfer robots with an atmosphere replacement function being provided at positions facing each other with respect to the buffer devices with an atmosphere replacement function, the buffer devices with an atmosphere replacement function comprising: an opening accessible to the 2 transfer robots having an atmosphere replacement function; and a cover for closing the opening. With the above arrangement, 2 transfer robots with the atmosphere replacement function can transfer semiconductor wafers through the buffer device with the atmosphere replacement function.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

As described above, according to the present invention, since the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer can be partially replaced with the inert gas atmosphere on the movement path of the semiconductor wafer, it is not necessary to require a large-sized apparatus in which the entire internal atmosphere of the transport apparatus is replaced with the inert gas, and it is possible to contribute to cost reduction in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a treatment system A as an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a processing system a as an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the general structure of a load port 20 with an atmosphere replacement function according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the general structure of a load port 20-1 with an atmosphere replacement function according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a diagram showing an outline configuration of the transfer robot 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a sectional view showing the finger 18 of the transfer robot 30 according to the present embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an outline of the transfer robots 30-1 and 30-2 according to the embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a diagram showing an outline structure of an aligner 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a sectional view showing the general structure of an aligner 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the general structure of an aligner 40-1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the general structure of aligners 40-1, 40-2 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 13 is a diagram showing an outline configuration of a cache device 60 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 14 is a sectional view showing an outline configuration of a cache apparatus 60 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an outline configuration of a cache device 60-1 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 16 is a sectional view showing an outline of a configuration of a cache device 60-2 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 17 is a diagram showing an outline configuration of a cache device 60-3 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a sectional view showing the outline of a load lock chamber 12-1 with atmosphere replacement function according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing a treatment system A-1 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 20 is a sectional view showing a carrying device 2' according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing a treatment system A-2 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 22 is a diagram showing a control system of the transport devices 2 and 2' according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The processing system a according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a treatment system a as one embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 3 is a perspective view thereof. The processing system a is installed in a factory or the like called a clean room, which is managed in a relatively clean atmosphere of 0.5 μm dust and class (クラス) 100. The handling system a is generally constituted by a carrier device 2 and a handling device 3, the carrier device 2 comprising a frame 4a and a housing 4b, the frame 4a and the housing 4b forming a mini-environment space 4; an FFU 13; a load port 20 with atmosphere replacement function; a transfer robot 30 with an atmosphere replacement function; an aligner 40 with atmosphere replacement functionality. Further, a buffer device 60 with an atmosphere replacement function is provided as necessary. The processing apparatus 3 includes a transfer chamber 8, a processing chamber 11, a load lock chamber 12, and a vacuum transfer robot 17. The micro-environment space 4 is formed by a bracket 4a, a cover 4b, and an FFU13, the cover 4b is fixed to the bracket 4a and is separated from the external atmosphere, and the FFU13 is a high clean air introducing mechanism provided on a top plate, and introduces the air from the outside into the micro-environment space 4 as a downward laminar flow after cleaning the air into high clean air. The FFU13 includes a fan that supplies air downward toward the inside of the micro-environment space 4, and a high-performance filter that removes contaminants such as fine dust and organic matter in the air that has been sent. A member capable of circulating air having a predetermined opening efficiency, which is called a perforated plate, is attached to the bottom surface of the micro-environment space 4.

With the above-described structure, the clean air supplied from the FFU13 to the inside of the micro-environment space 4 flows downward in the micro-environment space 4, and is discharged from the bottom surface to the outside of the apparatus. Further, since dust generated by the operation of the transfer robot 30 and the like is also carried by the downward airflow and discharged to the outside of the apparatus, the micro-environment space 4 is maintained in a highly clean atmosphere. The transfer robot 30 with the atmosphere replacement function holds the wafer W as a thin plate-like substrate by the fingers 18, supplies an inert gas to the surface to be processed of the wafer W, and transfers the wafer W between the FOUP19 and the processing chamber 11, and since the arm moving portion of the transfer robot 30 with the atmosphere replacement function has a dust prevention structure, it is contrived to suppress the adverse effect of the generated dust on the wafer W to the utmost. Further, the air pressure inside the micro-environment space 4 is maintained at a positive pressure of 1.5Pa with respect to the outside atmosphere, and intrusion of contaminants and dust from the outside is prevented, whereby the inside of the micro-environment space 4 is maintained at 0.5 μm dust and a high degree of cleanliness of class 1 or more.

Next, an embodiment of the load port 20 with an atmosphere replacement function provided in the transfer device 2 according to the present invention will be described. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the load port 20 with the atmosphere replacement function according to the present embodiment, as viewed from the side. The load port 20 with the atmosphere replacement function (hereinafter referred to as "load port 20") is fixed at a predetermined position of the front side bracket 4a forming the micro-environment space 4. The load port 20 includes at least: a stage 21 for loading a FOUP19, which is a closed container for receiving the wafer W, at a predetermined position on the stage 21; a port opening 22, the port opening 22 having an area through which the wafer W can pass; a FIMS door 23, which is integrated with the cover 19-1 of the FOUP19 and opens and closes the cover 19-1; a stage driving unit 24 for supporting the stage 21 and moving the stage 21 forward and backward with respect to the FIMS door 23 by the stage driving unit 24; and a FIMS door lifting/lowering unit 25 for lifting/lowering the FIMS door 23 by the FIMS door lifting/lowering unit 25. The stage 21 includes a positioning member, not shown, for loading the FOUP19 at a predetermined position, and a fixing mechanism, not shown, for fixing the loaded FOUP 19.

The stage driving section 24 includes: a guide member that guides the table 21 in the horizontal direction; a ball screw mechanism 24b for moving the table in the horizontal direction by the ball screw mechanism 24 b; a motor 24a, the motor 24a constituting a driving source for driving the ball screw mechanism 24b, and the stage driving unit 24 having a structure capable of moving the stage 21 to an arbitrary position by transmitting a rotational force of the motor 24a to the ball screw mechanism 24 b. The table driving unit 24 may include a cylinder using air pressure or hydraulic fluid pressure instead of the motor 24a and the ball screw mechanism 24 b. The load port 20 of the present embodiment has not only the structure of the known load port 4 described above, but also includes a holder body 26, and the holder body 26 is provided behind the FIMS door 23 as viewed from the table 21, that is, on the side where the processing device 3 is provided; and a shielding plate 27, wherein the shielding plate 27 is overlapped in a lockable manner to form an opening part formed on the bracket body 26. The load port 20 of the present embodiment is provided with a shield plate elevating unit 28, and the shield plate elevating unit 28 elevates and moves the shield plate 27 in the vertical direction.

Further, a cleaning nozzle 21a is provided on a surface of the stage 21 facing the bottom surface of the FOUP 19. The purge nozzle 21a is arranged at a position corresponding to the purge port 19-2 for supplying an inert gas into the internal space of the FOUP19 through the purge port 19-2 provided at the bottom of the FOUP 19. By supplying the inert gas into the internal space of the FOUP19 through the purge nozzle 21a, the atmosphere inside the FOUP19 is replaced with the inert gas. In addition, in the loading port 20 of the present embodiment, a joint 37 and a pipe member not shown in the drawing are provided, the joint 37 connects a pipe laid from an inert gas supply source not shown in the drawing, and the pipe member supplies an inert gas from the joint 37 to the purge nozzle 21 a. A filter for removing dust and impurities contained in the inert gas and an electromagnetic valve are provided in the middle of the pipe member. The solenoid valve is electrically connected to the load port controller 5, and the load port controller 5 switches the supply and stop of the inert gas to the interior of the FOUP19 by opening and closing the solenoid valve. The inactive gas is controlled in accordance with a control program and various control data stored in advance in the load port control unit 5. The control data includes data of the supply timing of the inert gas and the supply time of the inert gas. Further, a sensor for measuring the oxygen concentration or the concentration of the inert gas may be provided in the load port 20, and the supply timing of the inert gas may be adjusted based on the detection value of the sensor. The inert gas used in the present invention is a gas for replacing the atmosphere inside the FOUP19, and includes not only nitrogen, argon, neon, krypton, but also dry air.

The door opening operation of the FIMS door 23 with respect to the FOUP19 is performed in the following manner: the FIMS door 23 integrated with the lid 19-1 of the FOUP19 is operated to a position separated from the FOUP19, or the stage 21 loading the FOUP19 is moved by the stage driving part 24 to a position separated from the FIMS door 23 integrated with the lid 19-1.

The plurality of shielding plates 27 provided near the opening of the FOUP19 prevent the inert gas supplied to the internal space of the FOUP19 from flowing out to the outside. When the transfer robot 30 accesses the wafers W received in the FOUP19 or when the wafer W held by the transfer robot 30 is transferred to the FOUP19, the access is performed through an opening that is created by a predetermined shielding plate 27 among the plurality of shielding plates 27 stacked by being lifted by the shielding plate lifting and lowering section 28 and all the shielding plates 27 provided on the shielding plates 27. The opening may have a wafer W and a minimum height through which the fingers 18 holding the wafer W may pass. By thus conveying the wafers W through the opening of the shield plate 27 that moves upward, it is possible to minimize the outflow of the inert gas supplied to the interior of the FOUP19 to the outside. Thus, since the interior of the FOUP19 is maintained in a predetermined inert gas atmosphere, a natural oxide film is not formed on the surface of the wafer W waiting to be accommodated in the FOUP 19. The control of the drive mechanisms included in the load port 20 is performed by the load port control unit 5.

As described above, the load port 20 according to embodiment 1 has a form having the shielding plate 27 for preventing the outflow of the inert gas, but the present invention can be sufficiently applied to other embodiments. Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing a load port 20-1 with an atmosphere replacement function according to another embodiment of the present invention. The load port 20-1 of the present embodiment is a configuration in which a plate-shaped nozzle 29 for supplying an inert gas is provided near the opening of the FOUP19, and the inert gas is supplied from the nozzle 29 to the internal space of the FOUP19 through the opening of the FOUP19, thereby replacing the atmosphere inside the FOUP19 with the inert gas. By providing a sheet-like filter on the inert gas blowing surface of the nozzle 29, dust adhering to the pipe or joint of the inert gas supply line and impurities mixed in the inert gas are prevented from contaminating the wafer W. The nozzle 29 is configured to be movable up and down by a nozzle lifting mechanism, and is configured to be positioned below the stage 21 when the atmosphere replacement is not performed. Further, a mode may be adopted in which a space for replacing the atmosphere is provided around the opening of the FOUP19, and the atmosphere is replaced in the entire space and the internal space of the FOUP 19.

Next, an embodiment of the transfer robot 30 with an atmosphere replacement function provided in the transfer device 2 according to the present invention will be described. The transfer robot 30 with the atmosphere replacement function (hereinafter referred to as "transfer robot 30") of the present embodiment is disposed inside the micro-environment space 4, between the FOUP19 and the processing apparatus 3, and transfers the wafer W while injecting an inert gas onto the surface to be processed of the wafer W. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an outline configuration of the transfer robot 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The transfer robot 30 of the present embodiment is a horizontal articulated robot, and is a cleaning robot capable of preventing scattering of dust. The transport robot 30 of the present embodiment includes a base 31 and a cylindrical portion 32, the base 31 is fixed to a bracket 4a provided on the bottom surface of the transport device 2, and the cylindrical portion 32 is movable up and down and rotatable with respect to the base 31. The base 31 is provided with an elevating mechanism 33 for elevating and lowering the barrel 32. The cylindrical body 32 is supported by the lifting mechanism 33 via a bracket. The elevating mechanism 33 is constituted by a guide member that guides the cylindrical body portion 32 in the vertical direction, a ball screw mechanism 33a that elevates the cylindrical body portion 32, and a motor 33b that drives the ball screw mechanism 33 a.

The cylinder portion 32 is composed of a cylinder holder 32a and a cylinder cover 32b, the cylinder holder 32a is integrally formed on the base end portion of the 1 st arm 34, and the cylinder cover 32b is fixed to the cylinder holder 32 a. A 2 nd arm 35 is connected to a tip end portion of the 1 st arm 34 so as to be rotatable in a horizontal plane, and the 1 st arm 34 and the 2 nd arm 35 constitute an arm body. The cylinder holder 32a is rotatably attached to a bracket 33c fixed to a moving member of the ball screw mechanism 33a via a bearing, and is rotated in a horizontal plane by a motor 36 fixed to the bracket 33 c. Thereby, the 1 st arm 34 integrated with the cylinder holder 32a also rotates in the horizontal plane together with the cylinder holder 32 a. The base end of the 2 nd arm 35 is rotatably supported by the tip end of the 1 st arm (cylinder holder) 34, and the finger 18 is rotatably supported by the tip end of the 2 nd arm 35. The 1 st arm (cylinder holder) 34 is a hollow box-shaped frame, and a transmission mechanism including a motor for driving the 2 nd arm 35, a pulley for transmitting a driving force from the motor, and a belt is provided. The 2 nd arm 35 has the same configuration, and a transmission mechanism including a motor for driving the holding fingers 18, a pulley for transmitting a driving force from the motor, and a belt is provided in the arm. The motor and the transmission mechanism for driving the 1 st arm 34 and the 2 nd arm 35 are referred to as an arm driving mechanism.

With the above configuration, the 1 st arm 34 and the 2 nd arm 35 are interlocked with each other and rotated in opposite directions to each other, whereby the arm body is subjected to an extending/retracting operation, and the finger 18 provided at the tip end of the arm body is moved forward and backward. Further, the finger 18 is rotated in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the 2 nd arm 35 in conjunction with the rotation of the 2 nd arm 35 by the operation of the motor, thereby maintaining the posture facing the predetermined direction. The openings of the 1 st arm 34 and the 2 nd arm 35 are sealed by covers, and dust generated from pulleys, belts, and the like is not scattered to the outside.

The base cover 31a is attached to the inside of the cylinder cover 32b with a predetermined gap so as not to contact the cylinder cover 32 b. The cylinder cover 32b is formed in the following manner: even when the cylinder 32 is lifted to the highest position, the bottom end of the cylinder cover 32b is positioned below the top end of the base cover 31a, and dust generated from a transmission mechanism of a motor, a belt, and a pulley provided in the cylinder 32 and the base 31 is prevented from being scattered to the outside. In the transfer robot 30 of the present embodiment, a joint 37 and a pipe member 38 are provided, the joint 37 connects a pipe laid from an inert gas supply source not shown in the drawing, and the pipe member 38 supplies an inert gas from the joint 37 to the cleaning portion 18 b. A filter 83 for removing dust and impurities contained in the inert gas is provided near the tip of the pipe member 38. The filter 83 removes dust and impurities mixed in the inert gas and supplies the inert gas to the cleaning unit 18b, thereby preventing the wafer W from being contaminated with the dust and impurities.

The finger 18 included in the transfer robot 30 of the present embodiment will be described below. Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing the finger 18 of the transfer robot 30 according to the present embodiment. The finger 18 of the present embodiment includes a holding portion 18a for holding the wafer W and a cleaning portion 18b for spraying an inert gas toward the surface to be processed of the wafer W held by the holding portion 18a, the cleaning portion 18b being configured to clean the wafer W held by the holding portion 18 a. The holding portion 18a is provided with a known holding mechanism for holding the wafer W. The known holding mechanism is of a type that fixes the wafer W to the holding portion 18a by vacuum suction force, and is in a form that fixes the wafer W by gripping the peripheral edge of the wafer W. The holding portion 18a is provided with a known detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the wafer W, and is configured to detect the presence or absence of the wafer W. The holding portion 18a of the present embodiment is moved up and down by a motor 84 provided in the main body portion 18c of the finger 18. The motor 84 is a stepping motor capable of controlling the rotation angle. The motor 84 is electrically connected to the control unit 39, and the shaft 85 of the motor 84 rotates forward and backward by an electric signal from the control unit 39, whereby the holding portion 18a screwed with the shaft 85 moves up and down. With the above configuration, the transfer robot 20 can lift or load the wafer W without operating the lifting mechanism 33 with respect to the FOUP19 or another wafer loading table.

The transfer robot 30 of the present embodiment may also have a configuration in which a suction mechanism for sucking dust is provided inside the main body 18 c. By providing the suction mechanism, the motor 84 provided inside the main body 18c and the drive source 86 of the holding mechanism holding the wafer W suck the dust generated from the joint portion, and the dust does not flow out of the main body 18 c. Since the inside of the main body 18c is maintained at a negative pressure with respect to the external environment, dust is not scattered to the outside. Also, the suction mechanism may be a pipe member connected to a vacuum source not shown in the drawings, and a leading end of the pipe member is disposed in the vicinity of the member having a possibility of generating dust.

The cleaning unit 18b is provided above the holding unit 18a, and injects an inert gas, which is supplied from an inert gas supply source not shown in the drawing through the pipe member 38 of the transfer robot 30, onto the surface of the wafer W to be processed. The cleaning unit 18b is a disk-shaped member having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the wafer W, and formed with a passage through which the inert gas passes and an ejection port for ejecting the inert gas passing through the passage.

The robot control unit 39 of the transfer robot 30 controls the supply and stop of the inert gas so that the inert gas is injected when the holding unit 18a holds the wafer W, and the injection of the inert gas is stopped when the holding unit 18a does not hold the wafer W. The robot control unit 39 also controls the operation of each motor included in the transfer robot 30. The inert gas is controlled in accordance with a control program and various control data stored in advance in the robot control unit 39. The control data includes data such as the supply timing and supply duration of the inert gas. The fingers 18 are provided with a detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the wafer W, and the timing of supplying the inert gas is adjusted based on the detection value of the sensor. Further, when the wafer W is taken out by operating the arms 34 and 35, the control may be performed as follows: before the wafer W is taken out from the arms 34 and 35, an inert gas is injected. With the above configuration, the transfer robot 30 can continuously inject the inert gas to the surface to be processed of the wafer W while holding the wafer W, and can prevent an unnecessary natural oxide film from being formed on the surface to be processed of the wafer W. In particular, when the wafers W are transported to the load lock chamber 12 opened to the atmosphere, the wafers W are loaded into the load lock chamber 12 having a high oxygen concentration and a high residual gas concentration, and the inert gas can be injected into the wafers W before the fingers 18 are retracted, so that the formation of a natural oxide film can be suppressed as compared with the conventional technique.

The transfer robot 30 of the present embodiment is a horizontal articulated robot that drives the 1 st arm 34, the 2 nd arm 35, and the finger 18 by motors, respectively, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the finger 18 having the atmosphere replacement function can be accurately moved to a predetermined position. For example, a 1 st arm 34 'may be rotatably attached to the cylindrical body 32', the cylindrical body 32 'may be configured to be movable up and down and rotatable with respect to the base 31, a 2 nd arm 35' may be rotatably attached to a tip end portion of the 1 st arm 34 ', and the finger 18 may be rotatably attached to a tip end portion of the 2 nd arm 35'. Refer to the transfer robot 30-1 in fig. 8 (a). By configuring the 1 st arm 34 ', the 2 nd arm 35 ', and the finger 18 to be connected to each other at a predetermined rotation ratio by a pulley and a belt, the arm body constituted by the 1 st arm 34 and the 2 nd arm 35 is subjected to an extending/retracting operation by the driving force of the 1 motor, and the finger 18 attached to the tip end portion of the 2 nd arm 35 ' is advanced/retreated on a linear track. Further, a linear movement arm 75 formed of a ball screw mechanism may be provided in the barrel portion 32' capable of performing the lifting operation and the rotating operation, and the finger 18 may be fixed to a moving member of the linear movement arm 75. Refer to the transfer robot 30-2 in fig. 8 (b).

An embodiment of the aligner 40 with atmosphere replacement function provided in the transfer device 2 of the present invention will be described below. Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing an aligner 40 (hereinafter referred to as "aligner 40") according to the present embodiment, and fig. 10 is a sectional view thereof. The aligner 40 of the present embodiment detects: the offset amount of the position of the center point of the wafer W in the inert gas atmosphere; and a notch portion called a groove or an orientation flat plate mechanism formed on the outer periphery of the wafer, are accurately positioned at a predetermined position. The aligner 40 of the present embodiment includes: the top plate 42, the X-axis moving mechanism 43 and the Y-axis moving mechanism 44 are vertically provided with the wafer temporary mounting table 41 on the top of the top plate 42, the X-axis moving mechanism 43 and the Y-axis moving mechanism 44 are provided on the lower part of the top plate 42 and are provided at positions orthogonal to each other, and the elevating mechanism 45 provided below the top plate 42 can be moved in the XY plane by the X-axis moving mechanism 43 and the Y-axis moving mechanism 44. A spindle drive motor 48 is provided on the lift table of the lift mechanism 45, the spindle drive motor 48 rotating the spindle 46 and the round wafer W provided on the spindle 46 in the horizontal plane, and an output shaft of the motor 48 extending in the vertical direction is connected to a rotating shaft provided at a lower portion of the spindle 46.

The spindle 46 is a wafer loading table for horizontally loading wafers W, and forms a suction hole 46a for suction-holding a wafer W horizontally placed on the spindle 46, and the suction hole 46a is connected to a vacuum source not shown in the drawings via a pipe member. A wafer holding solenoid valve, not shown in the figure, is provided in the middle of a pipe member that connects the vacuum source and the suction port 46a, and the operation of the wafer holding solenoid valve is controlled by the aligner control unit 6. The fingers 18 of the present embodiment are held in the form of the wafer W by the suction force of the vacuum, and in addition, the holding by a known holding mechanism of the chuck is also possible sufficiently. The aligner control section 6 controls the inert gas in accordance with a control program and various control data stored in advance. The control data includes data such as the supply timing and supply time of the inert gas. The aligner 40 is further provided with a sensor for measuring the oxygen concentration and the concentration of the inert gas, and the supply timing of the inert gas is adjusted by the detection value of the sensor. Further, a plurality of inert gas supply lines may be provided so as to form a large flow supply line and a small flow supply line, and the supply flow rate may be switched by a detection value of a sensor.

The X-axis moving mechanism 43 is composed of a slide guide 43a, a ball screw mechanism 43b, and a motor 43c, the slide guide 43a is fixed to the bottom plate 47 and guides a moving element on which the Y-axis moving mechanism 44 is mounted in the X-axis direction, the ball screw mechanism 43b is provided in parallel with the slide guide 43a and is screwed to the moving element, and the motor 43c drives the ball screw mechanism 43 b. The Y-axis moving mechanism 44 includes a slide guide 44a that guides a moving element on which the elevating mechanism 45 is mounted in the Y-axis direction, a ball nut 44b that is provided in parallel with the slide guide 44a and is screwed to the moving element, and a motor 44c that rotates the ball nut around a rotation axis extending in the Y-axis direction as a rotation center. The lifting mechanism 45 is constituted by a slide guide that guides a moving element to which a spindle drive motor 48 is fixed in the vertical direction, that is, in the Z-axis direction, a ball nut that is provided in parallel with the slide guide and is screwed with the moving element, and a motor that rotates the ball nut about a rotation axis extending in the Z-axis direction as a rotation center. The X-axis moving mechanism 43, the Y-axis moving mechanism 44, the elevating mechanism 45, and the spindle drive motor 48 constitute a spindle drive mechanism. The motors constituting the spindle drive mechanism are stepping motors capable of controlling the angles of all the rotation axes, and the operation of each motor is controlled by the aligner control unit 6.

A line sensor 49 is provided in the notch portion of the top plate 42 so as to sandwich the peripheral edge portion of the wafer W on the spindle 46 from above and below. The line sensor 49 is arranged in the following manner: the projector 49a having a plurality of light emitting sections provided linearly and the photoreceptor 49b having a plurality of light receiving sections provided linearly face each other below and above the wafer W, and the optical axis of the detection light irradiated from the light emitting sections is perpendicular to the moving direction of the wafer W provided on the spindle 46. The line sensor 49 measures a detection value detected by the photoreceptor 49b, the photoreceptor 49b measures an eccentricity amount and an eccentricity direction of the center of the wafer W with respect to the rotation axis of the spindle 46 with respect to a detection value detected by blocking the detection light irradiated from the projector 49a with respect to the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W, the measurement value of the photoreceptor 49b is transmitted as an electric signal to the aligner control unit 6, and the measurement value is subjected to an arithmetic processing by the aligner control unit 6. In general, in many cases, the wafer W is generally carried by the carrier robot 30 from a state of being accommodated in the FOUP19 to a state of being carried by the carrier robot 30 and shifted from a predetermined position in design, and the wafer W carried on the spindle 46 by the carrier robot 30 is carried eccentrically with respect to the rotation axis of the spindle 46, whereby the aligner 40 rotates the wafer W on the spindle 46 to detect the eccentric amount, and the aligner control unit 6 moves the wafer W in the horizontal direction so that the actual center point position of the wafer W is located at the center position of a predetermined suitable wafer W, and rotates the wafer W so that the actual notch position is located at the predetermined suitable notch position.

In the aligner 40 of the present embodiment, the cover 50 is attached so as to cover the respective mechanisms provided inside the aligner 40 provided with the spindle drive mechanism. The dust generated from the driving part of the spindle driving mechanism is prevented from flowing out of the aligner 40 by the cover 50. In the aligner 40 of the present embodiment, an opening, not shown, is formed in the bottom plate 47, and an inert gas or normal air, which will be described later, flows out of the replacement container 51 through the opening, so that the interior of the replacement container 51 can be replaced with the inert gas in a short time. In the aligner 40 of the present embodiment, an exhaust fan that exhausts air accumulated in the internal space of the aligner 40 may be provided on the bottom plate 47. The exhaust fan exhausts the air trapped in the inner space of the aligner 40 to the outside from the aligner via an opening formed in the aligner 40. With the above configuration, the wafers W loaded on the spindle 46 are not contaminated by dust generated from the spindle drive mechanism.

The aligner 40 of the present embodiment is provided in the internal space of the replacement container 51, and the replacement container 51 can replace the internal space with an inert gas atmosphere. Refer to fig. 10. The replacement container 51 of the present embodiment includes a nozzle 52 for injecting an inert gas toward the ceiling portion, an opening 53 for the transfer robot 30 to transfer the wafer W between the opening 53 and the aligner 40, and a lid 54 for closing the opening 53. A filter is provided at the nozzle opening of the nozzle 52, and this filter removes impurities and dust adhering to the pipe member and the inside of the nozzle 52, thereby preventing such dust from contaminating the wafer W. The lid 54 is not in contact with the wall surface of the periphery of the opening 53 of the replacement container 51, and a slight gap 54a is provided. This prevents the cover 54 from coming into contact with the wall surface of the peripheral edge of the opening 53 to generate dust. Further, the atmosphere remaining inside the replacement container 51 is pushed out of the replacement container 51 through the gap 54a by the inert gas supplied from the nozzle 52, so that the inside of the replacement container 51 can be replaced with the inert gas atmosphere in a short time. Even after the replacement is completed, the inert gas is supplied into the interior of the replacement container 51, whereby the inert gas flows out of the container through the gap 54a, and the inert gas flowing out of the container functions as a seal member to prevent dust and the like from entering the interior of the replacement container 51.

The cover 54 is driven by a known drive mechanism such as a motor or an air cylinder. The opening and closing of the cover 54 is controlled by the aligner control unit 6. The lid 54 is opened when the transfer robot 30 loads the wafer W on the spindle 46 for alignment or when the transfer robot 30 transfers the aligned wafer W to the next step. With the above arrangement, the aligner 40 can align the wafer W in the replacement container 51 maintained in the inert gas atmosphere, and thus can prevent an unnecessary natural oxide film from being formed on the surface to be processed of the wafer W during alignment. When the lid 54 is opened, the inert gas in the interior of the replacement container 51 flows out, and the inert gas concentration in the interior of the replacement container 51 decreases. Then, the aligner control section 6 operates the solenoid valve included in the aligner control section 6 in parallel with the operation of opening the lid 54, and supplies an amount of inert gas larger than that in the normal case while the lid 54 is opened, thereby preventing the concentration of the inert gas in the replacement container 51 from decreasing. The timing at which the aligner control unit 6 switches the flow rate of the inert gas may be the timing at which the cover 54 is opened or closed, but a sensor for detecting the oxygen concentration may be provided inside the replacement container 51, and if the detection value of the sensor exceeds a predetermined value, the inert gas may be automatically supplied at a large flow rate, and if the detection value of the sensor is less than the predetermined value, the flow rate may be automatically switched to a small flow rate. Although the aligner 40 of the present embodiment is provided with the cover 54, and the cover 54 can swing about the hinge 54b, for example, a cover that is slidable in the vertical direction at a distance 54a from the replacement container 51 may be provided.

An embodiment independent of the aligner 40 is described below. Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the aligner 40-1 with atmosphere replacement function according to the present embodiment. Fig. 12 (a) is a side view thereof. In the aligner 40-1 with atmosphere replacement function (hereinafter referred to as "aligner 40-1") according to the present embodiment, the replacement vessel 51 covering the aligner 40 is not provided, and the atmosphere of the surface to be processed of the round wafer W is replaced by blowing an inert gas onto the surface to be processed of the round wafer W subjected to the alignment process on the spindle 46. The aligner 40-1 of the present embodiment includes a shower plate 55, and the shower plate 55 prevents a natural oxide film from being formed on the surface to be processed of the wafer W by blowing an inert gas toward the surface to be processed of the wafer W while holding the wafer W on the main shaft 46.

The inert gas injected from the shower plate 55 fills the space 56 formed by the shower plate 55 and the wafer W, and flows out to the outside together with the atmosphere remaining in the space 56. By continuously supplying the inert gas, the air and dust remaining in the space 56 sequentially flow out of the space, and the inside of the space 56 is replaced with the inert gas. Further, since the inert gas injected into the space 56 flows out to the outside in sequence from the gap between the shower plate 55 and the wafer W, and the outward flow of the inert gas flowing out to the outside functions as an air seal, it is possible to prevent the surface to be processed, which is the top surface of the thin plate-like substrate W, from entering the atmosphere. This prevents the formation of a natural oxide film on the surface of the thin plate-like substrate W to be processed. A filter is provided at the injection port of the shower plate 55, and this filter removes impurities and dust adhering to the pipe members and the inside of the shower plate 55, and prevents contamination of the wafer W with such dust and the like.

The shower plate 55 of the present embodiment has a disk shape having the same diameter as that of the wafer W to be cleaned, and is supported by the support posts 57. The shower plate 55 of the present embodiment is composed of 2 members of an upper member 55a and a lower member 55b, and a passage 55d for an inert gas is formed in the upper member 55a, and a plurality of through holes (injection ports) 55c for injecting the inert gas are formed in the lower member 55 b. The position of the through hole (ejection port) 55c provided in the lower member 55b is set to a position communicating with the flow path 55d when the upper member 55a and the lower member 55b are bonded. Thereby, the inert gas supplied to the inside of the passage 55d is ejected from the through hole 55c toward the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer W. A joint 37 is attached to a position of the upper member 55a communicating with the passage 55d, and a pipe member 38 through which an inert gas flows is connected to an inert gas supply source via an electromagnetic valve not shown in the figure. Further, since the shower plate 55 has the same diameter as the diameter of the wafer W, the inert gas can be supplied to the entire surface to be processed of the wafer W while blocking the downflow of the clean air from the FFU13, and the inert gas can be sprayed to the surface to be processed of the wafer W so as to be distributed. The shower plate 55 is not limited to the above shape and size, and may be formed to have a size smaller than the diameter of the wafer W or larger than the diameter of the wafer W. It is also possible to form a polygonal shape such as a square, a rectangle, or a hexagon without being limited to a disk shape. The shower plate 55 of the present embodiment is formed of anodized aluminum, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and materials such as ceramics, carbon, engineering plastics, and the like may also be used.

Further, a notch 58 is formed in the shower plate 55 of the present embodiment, the notch 58 extends in a radial direction from a central portion, and the notch 58 is configured so that the optical axis of the line sensor 49 included in the aligner 40-1 can pass therethrough. The shower plate 55 can replace the atmosphere on the surface to be processed of the wafer W without blocking the optical axis of the line sensor 49 by the notch 58. When the transfer robot 30 accesses the aligner 40-1, the shower plate 55 is disposed at a position where the holding portion 18a and the cleaning portion 18b of the fingers 18 are not obstructed, and the transfer robot 30 can load the wafers W on the spindle 46 or take out the wafers W loaded on the spindle 46 by passing the fingers 18 through the space between the spindle 46 and the shower plate 55. With the above arrangement, the aligner 40-1 can inject the inert gas onto the surface to be processed of the wafer W while receiving the wafer W from the transfer robot 30 and aligning the wafer W, thereby preventing the formation of an unnecessary natural oxide film on the surface to be processed of the wafer W.

In embodiment 3, a lifting mechanism 59 may be provided, and the lifting mechanism 59 may lift and lower the shower plate 55. Fig. 12 (b) is a sectional view showing aligners 40-1 and 40-2 according to embodiment 3. The aligner 40-2 with atmosphere replacement function according to embodiment 3 (hereinafter referred to as "aligner 40-2") includes a lifting mechanism 59 including a linear guide 59a and a cylinder 59b, the linear guide 59a guiding the shower plate 55 in the vertical direction, and the cylinder 59b serving as a driving source for lifting and lowering the shower plate 55. The linear guide 59a is fixed to the bottom panel 47 via a bracket so that the guide rail extends in the vertical direction, and the bottom end of the pillar 57 is fixed to a moving member that moves on the rail, and the pillar 57 supports the shower plate 55. The cylinder body is fixed to the bottom plate 47 via a bracket so that the cylinder rod of the cylinder 59b moves forward and backward in the vertical direction, and the tip end of the cylinder rod is fixed to the support post 57. Also, the air cylinder 59b is connected to an air supply source, not shown in the drawings, via a pipe. Further, a regulator is connected to the solenoid valve in the middle of the pipe. The solenoid valve is electrically connected to the aligner control unit 6, and the solenoid valve opens and closes the valve in response to an operation signal from the aligner control unit 6. By opening and closing the valve, the piston rod of the air cylinder 59b advances and retreats, and thereby the shower plate 55 moves up and down in the vertical direction.

When the transfer robot 30 accesses the aligner 40-2, the aligner controller 6 operates the solenoid valve provided in the aligner 40-2 to supply air to the air cylinder 59b and raise the shower plate 55 to a position away from the main shaft 46. At the time when the transfer robot 30 finishes sending the wafer W to the aligner 40-2, the aligner control unit 6 operates the solenoid valve of the aligner 40-2, stops the supply of air to the air cylinder 59b, and moves the shower plate 55 down to a position close to the wafer W. When it is detected that the wafer W is mounted on the spindle 46, the aligner control unit 6 operates the solenoid valve to inject an inert gas from the shower plate 55 toward the surface to be processed of the wafer W. Immediately before the transfer robot 30 accesses the wafer W on the spindle 46 after the alignment operation of the aligner 40-2 is completed, the aligner control section 6 continues to supply the inert gas from the shower plate 55, and stops the supply of the inert gas when the fingers 18 of the transfer robot 30 enter and exit the aligner 40-2. By providing the aligners 40, 40-1, and 40-2 with the atmosphere replacement function in the transport device 2 as described above, alignment can be performed without generating a natural oxide film on the surface to be processed of the round wafer W transported by the transport robot 30 with the atmosphere replacement function while maintaining the surface to be processed in an inert gas atmosphere. Further, since the aligned round wafer W is transferred to the processing apparatus 3 by the transfer robot 30 with the atmosphere replacement function while maintaining the surface to be processed in the inert gas atmosphere, the round wafer W can be transferred to the processing apparatus without maintaining the inside of the micro-environment space 4 in the inert gas atmosphere and without forming a natural oxide film.

The buffer device 60 with an atmosphere replacement function provided in the transport device 2 of the present invention will be described below. The buffer device 60 with an atmosphere replacement function (hereinafter referred to as "buffer device 60") according to the present embodiment is provided inside the micro-environment space 4, and constitutes a device for temporarily storing the wafers W in order to alleviate the waiting time for transporting the wafers W due to the difference in time required for processing the wafers W. In the type in which the processing time of the processing device 3 is short and the waiting time for transporting the wafer does not occur, it is basically not necessary to provide the buffer device 60. When the processing time of the processing apparatus 3 is long, a long waiting time is generated, and the wafer W is brought into contact with the normal atmosphere, thereby forming a natural oxide film on the surface to be processed. Then, the space for receiving the wafer W in the buffer device 60 is maintained in an inert gas atmosphere, thereby suppressing the formation of a natural oxide film on the surface of the wafer W.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a buffer device 60 according to the present embodiment, and fig. 14 is a sectional view thereof. The buffer device 60 of the present embodiment includes a box-shaped container 61, and the container 61 forms a space for receiving the wafer W; a plurality of shelf plates 62, on which the wafers W are loaded at intervals in the vertical direction on the shelf plates 62; an opening 63, the opening 63 is opened in the container, in order to send in and out the round crystal W relative to the corresponding shelf board 62; a plurality of shutters 64, the shutters 64 for locking the respective openings 63; and a nozzle 65, wherein the nozzle 65 supplies an inert gas into the container 61.

The box-shaped container 61 forming the buffer device 60 of the present embodiment is made of stainless steel and is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. An opening 63 is formed in a surface of the buffer device 60 facing the transfer robot 30, and the transfer robot 30 transfers the held wafers W into the container 61 through the opening 63 or sends out the wafers W stored in the buffer device 60. Further, buffer device 60 has shutter 64 for closing opening 63, and prevents inert gas filled in container 61 from flowing out of container 61. Each shutter 64 has a hinge at an upper portion thereof, and is configured to rotate about a rotation axis extending in a horizontal direction of the hinge. The front end of a piston rod of a cylinder 67 is connected to each shutter 64, the cylinder 67 is a drive source for opening and closing the corresponding shutter 64, and a cylinder body of each cylinder 67 is rotatably attached to the container 61. The air cylinder 67 is connected to an air supply source, not shown, via a pipe 66, and a regulator and an electromagnetic valve are provided in the middle of the pipe. The solenoid valve is electrically connected to the buffer control unit 7, and the solenoid valve opens and closes the valve in response to an operation signal from the buffer control unit 7. By opening and closing the valve, the piston rod of the cylinder 67 moves forward and backward, and the shutter 64 rotates relative to the wall surface of the container 61 to open and close the opening 63.

Inside the box-shaped container 61, a plurality of shelf boards 62 for loading wafers W are provided in a vertical direction at predetermined intervals in a shelf-like manner. The shelf plates 62 are provided at facing positions inside the container 61, and the round crystal W is supported in a horizontal posture by the facing pair of shelf plates 62. The shutters 64 are arranged so as to be positioned at positions where the fingers 18 of the transfer robot 30 accessing the shelves can pass, and when accessing the wafers W stored on the shelf board 62, only the corresponding shutter 64 can be opened. By employing the above configuration, the area of the opening 63 for accessing the wafer W can be minimized, and therefore the outflow of the inert gas filled in the container 61 to the outside can be minimized.

A nozzle 65 for supplying inert gas into the container 61 of the buffer device 60 is provided behind the container 61 on the opposite side of the opening 63. The nozzle 65 of the present embodiment is a cylindrical member having a plurality of injection ports formed therein, and has a joint 37 attached to an upper portion thereof, and a pipe member for allowing an inert gas to flow therethrough is connected to an inert gas supply source via an electromagnetic valve not shown in the drawing. The solenoid valve is electrically connected to the buffer control unit 7, and the solenoid valve opens and closes a valve to switch between supply and stop of the inert gas in response to an operation signal from the buffer control unit 7. A filter is provided inside the nozzle 65 to remove impurities and dust adhering to the pipe member, the joint 37, and the like, and prevent the wafer W from being contaminated with such dust and the like. The buffer control unit 7 controls the inert gas in accordance with a control program and various control data stored in advance. The control data includes data such as the supply timing and supply time of the inert gas. Further, a sensor for measuring the oxygen concentration and the concentration of the inert gas may be provided inside the container 61 of the buffer device 60, and the supply timing of the inert gas may be adjusted based on the detection value of the sensor. Further, a plurality of inert gas supply lines may be provided so as to form a large flow supply line and a small flow supply line, and the supply flow rate may be switched by detecting a value of the passage sensor.

Further, by opening the exhaust port in the bottom surface of the container 61, the normal atmosphere remaining inside the container 61 flows out to the outside of the buffer device 60 through the exhaust port, and replacement of the atmosphere inside the container 61 is performed with good efficiency. The nozzle 65 for supplying the inert gas is not limited to the case of being provided at the rear of the container 61 on the opposite side of the opening 63, and the nozzle 65 may be provided on a side surface provided with the shelf plate 62 for supporting the wafer W. As another embodiment of the nozzles 65 provided in the buffer device 60, the nozzles 65 are provided on both side surfaces of the shelf boards 62 provided at facing positions, respectively. By forming the above configuration, the inert gas can be supplied to the surface to be processed of each wafer W over the entire area, as compared with embodiment 1 having only one nozzle 65.

Next, embodiment 2 of the buffer device 60 will be described. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a buffer device 60-1 with an atmosphere replacement function according to the present embodiment. The buffer device 60-1 with atmosphere replacement function according to the present embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "buffer device 60-1") is also configured such that an opening 63 'is opened on the opposite surface of the opening 63 for accessing the wafer W, a plurality of shutters 64' for closing the opening 63 'are provided, similarly to the opening 63, hinges are provided on the upper portions of the shutters 64', and the shutters rotate around the rotation axis extending in the horizontal direction of the hinges. The shutters 64 'are configured to open and close by cylinders 67'. With the above arrangement, the transfer robot 30 can access the wafers W loaded on the shelf plates 62 in the container 61 'from any of the openings 63 and 63' provided facing each other.

Further, a plate-like shower plate 87 as provided in the transfer robot 30 and the aligner 40-1 may be provided inside the aligner 60-2 of the present embodiment. Fig. 16 is a sectional view showing a buffer device 60-2 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The buffer device 60-2 of the present embodiment is provided with the shower plate 87, and the shower plate 87 is positioned above each of the shelf boards 62 supporting the wafers W. The shower plate 87 sprays inert gas toward the surface to be processed of the wafer W mounted on each of the rack plates 62, thereby preventing a natural oxide film from being generated on the surface to be processed of the wafer W. The inert gas injected from the shower plate 87 fills the space 88 formed by the shower plate 87 and the wafer W, and then flows out of the buffer device 60-2 together with the atmosphere remaining in the space 88. Further, a filter may be provided at the injection port of the shower plate 87 to remove dust and impurities attached to the inside of the pipe member shower plate 87, thereby preventing the wafer W from being contaminated by dust and the like.

The shower plate 87 of the present embodiment has a disk shape having substantially the same diameter as the diameter of the wafer W to be cleaned, and is supported by the wall surface of the container 61. The shower plate 87 is composed of 2 members of an upper member in which a passage for the inert gas is formed and a lower member in which a plurality of through holes (injection ports) for injecting the inert gas are formed. The position of a through hole (injection port) provided in the lower member is set at a position communicating with a flow path formed in the upper member, and the inert gas supplied to the inside of the flow path is injected from the through hole toward the surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer W. Further, a joint 89 communicating with each flow path is attached to the corresponding shower plate 87, and the pipe 66 through which the inert gas flows is connected to an inert gas supply source via an electromagnetic valve not shown in the figure. The shape of the shower plate 87 is not limited to a disk shape, and it is also possible to form a polygonal shape such as a square, a rectangle, or a hexagon. The shower plate 87 of the present embodiment is made of anodized aluminum, ceramic, carbon, engineering plastic, or the like.

Further, instead of the rack plate 62, a rack member 72 having a flow path 69 formed therein may be provided in the internal space of the buffer device 60, and an inert gas may be injected from an injection port 73 formed in the rack member 72 toward the surface to be processed of the wafer W. Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a shelf member 72 in which an inert gas flow path 69 is formed, and a buffer device 60-3 having the shelf member 72. The shelf member 72 of the present embodiment is composed of a pillar portion 72a and a shelf portion 72b, the pillar portion 72a extending in the vertical direction, and the shelf portion 72b protruding in the horizontal direction from the pillar portion 72 a. The wafers W conveyed to the inside of the buffer device 60-3 are placed on the top surface of the shelf portion 72 b. A joint 37 is attached to one end of a flow path 69 formed in the shelf member 72, and a pipe member through which an inert gas flows is connected to an inert gas supply source via an electromagnetic valve not shown in the drawing. A plate-like filter 74 is fixed to the injection port 73 at the front end of the flow path 69, and the inert gas supplied to the flow path 69 is supplied into the container 61 through a minute gap of glass fibers forming the filter 74. By supplying the inert gas through the filter 74, a relatively large amount of gas can be supplied to the inside of the container 61 without winding up dust accumulated in the corner of the container 61. Further, the wafers W are prevented from being contaminated by dust and impurities adhering to the pipe member and the inside of the shelf member 72. By configuring such that the inert gas is injected from the shelf member 72 as described above, it is not necessary to provide the filter 65 inside the container 61, and therefore the container 61 can be formed compactly. The buffer devices 60-1 and 60-3 having the openings 63 and 63 ' on both sides are particularly suitable for the transport device 2 ' in which 2 transport robots 30-1 a and 30-1 b are disposed at positions facing each other in the transport device 2 '.

In the buffer device 60-1, a shower plate 87 is provided in such a manner that the shower plate 87 sprays an inert gas toward the surface to be processed of the wafer W mounted on the rack plate 62. However, this configuration is applicable to the load lock chamber 12 and other wafer transfer devices in addition to the buffer device 60-1. Fig. 18 is a sectional view showing a load lock chamber 12-1 with an atmosphere replacement function as an embodiment of the present invention. The load lock chamber with atmosphere replacement function 12-1 (hereinafter referred to as "load lock chamber 12-1") includes a vacuum vessel 90; a shelf board 62-1 for loading the round crystal W; a shower plate 87-1 for spraying an inert gas toward the surface to be processed of the wafer W loaded on the shelf plate 62-1 by the shower plate 87-1; a support member 91, the support member 91 supporting the deck board 62-1 and the shower board 87-1 in the vertical direction; and an elevating mechanism 102 for vertically elevating and lowering the support member 91 by the elevating mechanism 102. The load lock chamber 12-1 of the present embodiment is a device for relaying the wafer W between the transport device 2 and the transport chamber 8, and has an opening 92 through which the wafer W can pass, which is configured to be airtightly closable by a gate valve 93, opened on a surface of the vacuum chamber 90 facing the transport device 2. An opening 94 through which the wafer W can pass is formed in a surface of the vacuum chamber 90 facing the transfer chamber 8, and the opening is configured to be hermetically closed by a gate valve 95. The gate valves 93, 95 are cover members that can close the respective openings 92, 94 in an airtight manner, and the opening 92 provided between the load lock chamber 12-1 and the micro-environment space 4 can be closed and opened by the gate valve 93. Also, the opening 92 provided between the load lock chamber 12-1 and the transport chamber 8 and the load lock chamber 12-1 can be closed and opened by the gate valve 95.

The internal space of the vacuum chamber 90 is connected to a vacuum pump, not shown, via an exhaust pipe 96. Further, a valve 97 is provided in the middle of the exhaust pipe 96, and the opening degree can be adjusted by the degree of vacuum in the vacuum container 90. The shower plate 87-1 is connected to an inert gas supply source, not shown, via a pipe 98. A valve 99 is provided in the middle of the pipe 98. The valves 97 and 99 are electrically connected to the load lock control unit 100, and the valves 97 and 99 perform valve opening and closing operations in response to a signal transmitted from the load lock control unit 100.

When the wafer W is transferred from the transfer device 2 by the transfer robot 30, the load lock controller 100 operates the valve 99 to maintain the inside of the vacuum chamber 90 in an inert gas atmosphere. Even when the wafers W are loaded on the rack board 62-1 by the transfer robot 30, the inert gas is sprayed from the shower plate 87-1 in advance, thereby preventing the formation of an oxide film on the surface to be processed of the wafers W. In order to transport the round wafer W to the load lock chamber 12-1, the transport robot 30 with the atmosphere replacement function according to one embodiment of the present invention is used, thereby preventing the occurrence of an oxide film on the round wafer W during transport. However, when the wafer W is loaded, the inside of the vacuum chamber 90 is maintained in the inert gas atmosphere, but the gate valve 93 is opened, and the air in the transport apparatus 2 flows into the internal space of the vacuum chamber 90, so that the oxygen concentration in the internal space slightly increases. Then, the unnecessary formation of the oxide film can be prevented by injecting the inert gas from the shower plate 87-1 to the surface to be processed of the loaded round wafer W. When the transfer of the wafer W is completed, the gate valve 93 is closed to evacuate the internal space of the vacuum chamber 90, but obviously, the supply of the inert gas is stopped during the evacuation.

The load lock chamber 12-1 of the present embodiment effectively operates even when the internal space of the vacuum chamber 90 is raised from a vacuum state to atmospheric pressure and the wafer W is sent out to the transport device 2 side. When the wafer W is fed from the transfer chamber 8, the internal space of the vacuum chamber 90 is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere. When the feeding of the wafer W is completed, the gate valve 95 is closed, and the pressure is raised to the same degree as the atmospheric pressure by the inert gas supplied from the shower plate 87-1 into the internal space of the vacuum chamber 90. At this time, since the shower plate 87-1 sprays the inert gas from the nearest distance to the wafer W loaded on the rack plate 62-1, the reaction gas remaining on the surface to be processed of the wafer W is removed. Further, since the surface to be processed is subjected to the substitution treatment by the inert gas, the natural oxide film is not formed. The wafers W remaining after the heat treatment are cooled more quickly by the inert gas injected from the closest distance.

In addition, it is important: the shower plate 87-1 sprays an inert gas onto a surface to be processed of the wafer W disposed in the vicinity of the wafer W, and has no relation to various shapes such as a disk shape, a rectangular shape, and an elliptical shape. In addition to the plate-like shape, the shape may be cylindrical or semicircular. The present invention may be configured in such a manner that: the pressure inside the load lock chamber 12-1 is rapidly increased by providing the spray nozzles 101 for supplying an inert gas inside the load lock chamber 12-1 in addition to the shower plate 87-1.

Fig. 19 is a sectional view of a processing system a-1 including a conveyance device 2 'having 2 conveyance robots 30-1 a, 30-1 b as viewed from the top, and fig. 20 is a sectional view of the conveyance device 2' as viewed from the front. In the transport apparatus 2 'of the present embodiment, the load ports 20a and 20b having the atmosphere replacement function are mounted 2 on the front surface, and 2 processing apparatuses 3a and 3b are provided at positions facing the load ports 20a and 20b as the rear surface of the transport apparatus 2'. Further, a load lock chamber 12-1 a with an atmosphere replacement function is provided between the transport device 2 'and the processing device 3a, and a load lock chamber 12-1 b with an atmosphere replacement function is provided between the transport device 2' and the processing device 3 b. The FFU13 is provided on the ceiling of the transport device 2 ', and the microenvironment 4' is always maintained in a clean atmosphere by clean air supplied from the FFU 13. Further, 2 transfer robots 30-1 a and 30-1 b having an atmosphere replacement function are provided in the micro-environment space 4'. Each of the transfer robots 30-1 a, 30-1 b is disposed at a corresponding intermediate position of the load port 20a and the handling device 3a disposed in a facing manner and the load port 20b and the handling device 3b inside the micro-environment space 4, and the load port 20a and the handling device 3a and the transfer robot 30-1 a, the load port 20b and the handling device 3b and the transfer robot 30-1 b are disposed on a straight line parallel to the Y axis, respectively.

The 2 transfer robots 30-1 a and 30-1 b are provided at predetermined intervals, and the stage 70 is provided between the 2 transfer robots 30-1 a and 30-1 b. Further, 2 aligners 40-1 a and 40-1 b having an atmosphere replacement function are fixed to the stage 70. Further, the buffer device with atmosphere replacement function 60-1 according to the present embodiment is provided above the aligners 40-1 a and 40-1 b, and the buffer device with atmosphere replacement function 60-1 is held from above by a support 71 fixed to the ceiling support 4a of the conveyor 2'. The aligners 40a and 40b with the atmosphere replacement function provided in the transport device 2' of the present embodiment have a shower plate 55 above the spindle 46 holding the wafer W, and the transport robots 30-1 a and 30-1 b with the atmosphere replacement function provided on the left and right are provided at accessible positions.

With the transport apparatus 2' configured as described above, after the one transport robot 30-1 a takes out the wafer W from the FOUP19 a loaded on the one load port 20a and transports the wafer W to the aligner 40a, the aligner 40a performs the correct positioning of the wafer W to transport the wafer W to the processing apparatus 3 a. When the processing by the processing device 3a is completed, the transfer robot 30-1 a takes out the wafer W from the processing device 3a and transfers it to the buffer device 60-1. The wafer W transferred to the buffer device 60-1 is taken out of the buffer device 60-1 by another transfer robot 30-1 b, and transferred to the processing device 3b after being correctly positioned by the aligner 40 b. When the process of the processing apparatus 3b is completed, the wafer W is transferred to the FOUP19 b loaded on the load port 20b by the transfer robot 3 b.

In the case of the buffer device 60-1, the buffer device is provided in the micro-environment space 4' so as to be suspended, but other embodiments are also possible. FIG. 21 is a sectional view of a processing system A-2 incorporating another embodiment of a caching device 60-3; the cache device 60-3 of the present embodiment includes: a cassette 77 in which a plurality of wafers W are loaded in the vertical direction at predetermined intervals on the cassette 77; a cassette lifting mechanism 78, wherein the cassette lifting mechanism 78 lifts and lowers the cassette 77; and a cover 79, the cover 79 covering the cartridge 77 and the cartridge lifting mechanism 78. Openings 80a, 80b through which the fingers 18 can pass are formed in the respective surfaces of the cover 79 facing the transfer robots 30-1 a, 30-1 b, and the openings 80a, 80b are configured to be respectively closable by an opening/closing mechanism 81.

The openings 80a and 80b are set at a height at which the transfer robots 30-1 a and 30-1 b can access, and the transfer robots 30-1 a and 30-1 b can access the wafers W by moving the wafers W in a predetermined layer of the cassette 77 up and down by the operation of the cassette lifting mechanism 78 with respect to the openings 80a and 80 b. A nozzle 82 is provided in a ceiling portion of the housing 79, and the nozzle 82 supplies an inert gas into the buffer device 60-3. Further, a slit not shown in the drawing is provided at the bottom of the buffer device 60-3, and the normal atmosphere inside the buffer device 60-3 is pushed by the inert gas, whereby the atmosphere inside the buffer device 60-3 is replaced with good efficiency.

As described above, the buffer device 60-3 is fixed to the bottom surface of the transport device 2, and the cassette 77 is configured to be movable up and down, so that a large number of wafers W can be accommodated in the cassette 77 accommodating the wafers W.

Since the load port 20 with the atmosphere replacement function, the loading robot 30 with the atmosphere replacement function, the aligner 40 with the atmosphere replacement function, and the buffer device 60 with the atmosphere replacement function are provided as described above, and the atmosphere to be replaced with the inert gas is locally maintained on the line where the round wafer W is placed and moved, it is not necessary to maintain the entire microenvironment 4' in the inert gas atmosphere. In addition, it is preferable that a filter for removing impurities and dust mixed in or attached to the inert gas is provided in the inert gas supply line provided in each embodiment of the present invention. Since the inactive gas supply line is provided with a filter, the surface to be processed of the wafer W is constantly maintained in a highly clean inactive atmosphere by the respective units such as the load port 20 and the transfer robot 30, and therefore, it is not necessary to maintain the inside of the micro-environment spaces 4 and 4' in a highly clean atmosphere. That is, since it is not necessary to provide the expensive FFU13 in the transport device 2, 2', the cost can be greatly reduced.

The apparatuses with atmosphere replacement function provided in the transport apparatuses 2 and 2' of the present invention have control sections 5, 6, 7, and 39, respectively, and are configured to control the injection and stop of the inert gas and the operation of each drive mechanism. The transfer devices 2 and 2' have a main control unit 68 for controlling the entire transfer operation in order to transfer the wafers W to a desired position. Fig. 22 is a block diagram showing a control system of the transport apparatus 2, 2' of the present invention. The main control unit 68 includes at least a communication module that communicates with the upper computer 76 of the semiconductor manufacturing site and the control units 5, 6, 7, and 39 of the apparatus having the atmosphere replacement function; the device includes a central processing unit, a storage device, and a logic circuit, and the storage device stores a control program and various data formed in advance. The main control unit 68 transmits an operation command to each of the devices having the atmosphere replacement function in accordance with a control command received from the host computer 76. Each of the devices having the atmosphere replacement function operates a motor, an electromagnetic valve, and the like according to a control program stored in advance in each of the control units 5, 6, 7, and 39, and performs a predetermined operation. If the predetermined operation is finished, a feedback signal is sent to the main control unit 68. The main control unit 68, which receives the feedback signals transmitted from the respective devices having the atmosphere replacement function, transmits the operation commands described below in accordance with the control program stored in advance. Through such a series of operations, the wafer W is conveyed to a predetermined position while maintaining the surface to be processed of the wafer W in an inert atmosphere.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described specifically above with reference to the drawings, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications and the like are possible within a range not departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the buffer devices 60, 60-1, and 60-2 with the atmosphere replacement function according to the present embodiment may be provided with a detection sensor for the wafer W, and the inert gas may be supplied only during the time when the wafer W is loaded on the shelf board 62. Since the space in which the wafers W move is maintained in a clean inert gas atmosphere, the transport devices 2 and 2' may be configured without the FFU 13.

Description of reference numerals:

reference numeral 1 denotes an EFEM;

reference numerals 2, 2' denote conveying means;

reference numerals 3, 3a, 3b denote processing means;

reference numerals 4, 4' denote microenvironment spaces;

reference numeral 4-a denotes a stent;

reference numeral 4-b denotes a housing;

reference numeral 5 denotes a load port control section;

reference numerals 30, 30-1, 30-2 denote transfer robots;

reference numeral 6 denotes an aligner control section;

reference numeral 7 denotes a cache control section;

reference numeral 8 denotes a conveyance chamber;

reference numeral 9 denotes a wafer conveying device;

reference numeral 10 denotes a gas return passage;

reference numeral 11 denotes a process chamber;

reference numerals 12, 12-1 denote load lock chambers;

reference numeral 13 denotes an FFU;

numeral 14 denotes a chemical filter;

reference numeral 15 denotes a fan;

reference numeral 16 denotes a gas supply mechanism;

reference numeral 17 denotes a vacuum transfer robot;

reference numeral 18 denotes a finger;

reference numeral 18a denotes a holding portion;

reference numeral 18b denotes a washing section;

reference numeral 18c denotes a body portion

Reference numeral 19 denotes a FOUP;

reference numeral 19-1 denotes a cover;

reference numeral 19-2 denotes a purge port;

reference numerals 20, 20a, 20b, 20-1 denote load ports;

reference numeral 21 denotes a stage;

reference numeral 21a denotes a washing nozzle;

reference numeral 22 denotes a port opening portion;

reference numeral 23 denotes a FIMS door;

reference numeral 24 denotes a stage driving section;

reference numeral 24a denotes a motor;

reference numeral 24b denotes a ball screw mechanism;

reference numeral 25 denotes a FIMS door lifting/lowering section;

reference numeral 26 denotes a stent body;

reference numeral 27 denotes a shield plate;

reference numeral 28 denotes a shield plate elevating section;

reference numeral 29 denotes a nozzle;

reference numerals 30, 30-1 a, 30-1 b, 30-2 denote transfer robots;

reference numeral 31 denotes a base;

reference numeral 31a denotes a base housing;

reference numerals 32, 32' denote barrel portions;

reference numeral 32a denotes a cartridge holder;

reference numeral 32b denotes a cartridge housing;

reference numeral 32c denotes a bracket;

reference numerals 33 and 45 denote lift mechanisms;

reference numeral 33a denotes a ball screw mechanism;

reference numeral 33b denotes a motor;

reference numerals 34, 34' denote the 1 st bracket;

reference numerals 35, 35' denote the 2 nd bracket;

reference numeral 36 denotes a motor;

reference numeral 37 denotes a joint;

reference numeral 38 denotes a pipe member;

reference numeral 39 denotes a control section;

reference numerals 40, 40a, 40b, 40-1 a, 40-1 b, 40-2 denote aligners;

reference numeral 41 denotes a wafer temporary placing table;

reference numeral 42 denotes a top panel;

reference numeral 43 denotes an X-axis moving mechanism;

reference numeral 43a denotes a slide guide;

reference numeral 43b denotes a ball screw mechanism;

reference numeral 44 denotes a Y-axis moving mechanism;

reference numeral 44a denotes a slide guide;

reference numeral 44b denotes a ball nut;

reference numeral 44c denotes a motor;

reference numeral 46 denotes a main shaft;

reference numeral 46a denotes a suction hole;

reference numeral 47 denotes a bottom panel;

reference numeral 48 denotes a spindle drive motor;

reference numeral 49 denotes a line sensor;

reference numeral 49a denotes a projector;

reference numeral 49b denotes a photoreceptor;

reference numeral 50 denotes a housing;

reference numeral 51 denotes a replacement vessel;

reference numeral 52 denotes a nozzle;

reference numeral 53 denotes an opening;

reference numeral 54 denotes a cover;

reference numeral 54a denotes a gap;

reference numeral 54b denotes a hinge;

reference numeral 55 denotes a shower plate;

reference numeral 55a denotes an upper member;

reference numeral 55b denotes a lower member;

reference numeral 55c denotes a through hole (ejection port);

reference numeral 55d denotes a flow path;

reference numerals 56, 88 denote spaces;

reference numeral 57 denotes a pillar;

reference numeral 58 denotes a notch;

reference numeral 59 denotes a lifting mechanism;

reference numeral 59a denotes a linear guide;

reference numeral 59b denotes a cylinder;

reference numerals 60, 60-1, 60-2, 60-3 denote cache devices;

reference numerals 61, 61' denote containers;

reference numerals 62, 62-1, 62' denote deck boards;

reference numerals 63, 63' denote openings;

reference numerals 64, 64' denote shutters;

reference numeral 65 denotes a nozzle;

numeral 66 denotes a tube;

reference numerals 67, 67' denote cylinders;

reference numeral 68 denotes a main control unit;

reference numeral 69 denotes a flow path;

reference numeral 70 denotes a stage;

reference numeral 71 denotes a pillar;

reference numeral 72 denotes a shelf member;

reference numeral 72a denotes a pillar portion;

reference numeral 72b denotes a shelf portion;

reference numeral 73 denotes an ejection port;

reference numeral 74 denotes a filter;

reference numeral 75 denotes a linear movement arm;

reference numeral 76 denotes a computer;

reference numeral 77 denotes a cartridge;

reference numeral 78 denotes a lifting mechanism;

reference numeral 79 denotes a housing;

reference numerals 80a, 80b denote openings;

reference numeral 81 denotes an opening and closing mechanism;

reference numeral 82 denotes a nozzle;

reference numeral 83 denotes a filter;

reference numeral 84 denotes a motor;

reference numeral 85 denotes a shaft;

reference numeral 86 denotes a drive source;

reference numerals 87, 87-1 denote shower plates;

numeral 89 denotes a joint;

reference numeral 90 denotes a vacuum vessel;

reference numeral 91 denotes a support member;

reference numerals 92, 94 denote openings;

reference numerals 93, 95 denote gate valves;

reference numeral 96 denotes an exhaust pipe;

reference numerals 97, 99 denote valves;

reference numeral 98 denotes a tube;

reference numeral 100 denotes a load lock control section;

reference numeral 101 denotes a nozzle;

symbols A, A-1, A-2 represent processing systems;

symbol W represents a wafer.