Inspection device and inspection method using the inspection device

Abstract

An inspection device for inspecting the condition of a transport case used in a semiconductor manufacturing line, and the inspection device. [Solution] An inspection device is provided which comprises: a holding means 1 configured to be able to hold a carrying case 9; a structured irradiation means 2 having a laser light source 22 that emits a laser toward the carrying case 9, a support frame 21 to which the laser light source 22 is attached, and an image capture 23 that is positioned away from the laser light source 22 and captures the light pattern formed on the carrying case 9 by the structured irradiation laser emitted by the laser light source 22 to generate an image for analysis; and a processing means 3 having a judgment module 31 that is signal-connected to the image capture 23 and judges the state of the carrying case 9 based on the image for analysis received from the image capture 23 and generates a corresponding detection signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus for a carrier case used in a semiconductor manufacturing line and an inspection method using the inspection apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] A carrier case (magazine) used in a semiconductor manufacturing line accommodates and transports semiconductor workpieces on which processing such as packaging and plating is performed. If the dimensions and specifications of the semiconductor workpieces on which processing is performed are different, the dimensions and specifications of the carrier case that accommodates them are also different. Furthermore, since the dimensions and specifications of accessories such as stoppers and caps attached to the openings of the carrier case also correspond to the carrier case, the semiconductor manufacturing line cannot operate smoothly unless it is inspected and confirmed whether accessories such as stoppers and caps are correctly attached.

[0003] Also, Patent Document 1 describes a technique for removing a substrate from a carrier case.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an inspection apparatus for inspecting the situation of a carrier case specifically used in a semiconductor manufacturing line and an inspection method using the inspection apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention is an inspection apparatus applied to a carrier case used in a semiconductor manufacturing line, A holding means configured to hold the transport case, A structured irradiation means comprising a laser light source positioned at a distance from the holding means and emitting a laser toward the transport case, a support frame to which the laser light source is attached, and an image capture device positioned away from the laser light source and capturing the pattern of light formed on the transport case by the structured irradiation laser emitted by the laser light source to generate an image for analysis, The present invention provides an inspection apparatus comprising a processing means having a determination module that, by signal-connecting with the image capture of the structured irradiation means, determines the state of the transport case based on the analysis image received from the image capture and generates a corresponding detection signal.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention is an inspection method for inspecting transport cases used in semiconductor manufacturing lines using the above-mentioned inspection apparatus, A holding step of holding the transport case in the holding means, The irradiation step involves the laser light source of the structured irradiation means emitting the structured irradiation laser toward the transport case so that a pattern of light extending along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis is formed on the transport case, and the image capture device photographs the pattern of light and outputs it to the processing means as an analysis image. The processing means's determination module determines a detection range for the received analysis image and sets a first reference line and a second reference line within the detection range, spaced apart from each other in the direction of the first axis and indicating an upper limit and a lower limit, respectively, based on the specifications of the transport case, thereby defining the space between the first reference line and the second reference line as an acceptable range. Analysis step of the processing means: The judgment module recognizes a portion of the light pattern within the detection range as a detection logic portion, and generates a detection signal as a signal that includes information indicating whether the detection logic portion exceeds the first reference line or the second reference line from the tolerance range along the first axis; The present invention also provides an inspection method that includes a determination step in which the determination module determines whether or not to interrupt the operation of the semiconductor manufacturing line based on the generated detection signal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The inspection apparatus of the present invention can form a pattern of light at a specific location on a transport case used in a semiconductor manufacturing line by irradiating the transport case with a structured irradiation laser emitted from a laser light source of a structured irradiation means. By identifying this pattern of light from an analysis image, specialized detections such as whether or not a cap is attached to the transport case, or whether or not the stopper is in the correct position, can be performed, thereby ensuring the smooth operation of the semiconductor manufacturing line. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a partial front view of one embodiment of the inspection apparatus of the present invention when used in a semiconductor manufacturing line. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing an example configuration of a transport case to be inspected by the inspection device of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the laser light source 22 and the image capture device 23 of the structured irradiation means in the inspection apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the inspection method of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the defining steps of the inspection method of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the results obtained by the analysis step of the inspection method of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a perspective view showing another configuration example of a transport case to be inspected by the inspection device of the present invention. [Figure 8] Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the results of an analysis process performed on the transport case shown. [Figure 9]Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the results of an analysis process performed on the transport case shown. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Before explaining the present invention in detail, please note that in the following description, elements with similar roles are given the same numbering even if their configurations are not exactly identical.

[0011] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the inspection apparatus of the present invention is applied to a transport case 9 used in a semiconductor manufacturing line, and comprises: a holding means 1 configured to hold the transport case 9; a structured irradiation means 2 having a laser light source 22 positioned at a distance from the holding means 1 and emitting a laser toward the transport case 9, a support frame 21 to which the laser light source 22 is attached, and an image capture 23 positioned away from the laser light source 22, which captures the pattern of light formed on the transport case 9 by the structured irradiation laser emitted by the laser light source 22 and generates an analysis image; and a processing means 3 having a determination module 31 that is signal-connected to the image capture 23 of the structured irradiation means 2, determines the state of the transport case 9 based on the analysis image received from the image capture 23, and generates a corresponding detection signal.

[0012] In this embodiment, the transport case 9 has a configuration comprising a case body 91 that extends along a first axis L1 and has openings 910 at both ends, and two caps 92 that are attached to cover the two openings 910 of the case body 91, respectively. In the figure, only one opening 910 and one cap 92 are shown for angle purposes. In addition, to accommodate various cap specifications, two identification slits 911 are formed on one side of the case body 91, extending from each opening 910 parallel to the first axis L1 towards the other opening 910.

[0013] The holding means 1 is a pedestal on which the transport case 9 is held, and thereby the transport case 9 can be placed at an appropriate position according to processing equipment and transport equipment (not shown) in a semiconductor manufacturing line.

[0014] In this embodiment, the structured irradiation means 2 has two laser light sources 22 arranged on a support frame 21 such that they are spaced apart from each other along a third axis L3 in the vertical direction and are movable along the third axis L3.

[0015] Here, the position of the laser light source 22 that irradiates the structured irradiation laser can be adjusted by the above-described movement, and the structured irradiation laser is irradiated onto any one of the identification slits 911 in a direction oblique to the third axis L3. Therefore, the present invention can accurately irradiate a desired target position on the transport case 9 by changing the irradiation direction and angle of the structured irradiation laser emitted by the laser light source 22.

[0016] In this embodiment, a light pattern extending along a second axis L2 that is orthogonal to both the first axis L1 and the third axis L3 is formed on the transport case 9 by the structured irradiation laser emitted by the laser light source 22 of the structured irradiation means 2 toward the location where the identification slit 911 of the transport case 9 is formed, and the image capture 23 captures the light pattern and outputs it to the processing means 3 as an analysis image. As the image capture 23, a CCD camera can be used, but it is possible to use imaging means other than the CCD camera as long as it has the performance of being able to capture an analysis image that allows the determination module 31 to surely perform analysis and determination in the irradiation environment required for the operation of the semiconductor manufacturing line. The image capture 23 captures the transport case 9 in a direction parallel to the third axis L3 in the vertical direction, thereby avoiding shielding by the laser light source 22, and the laser light source 22 that irradiates the transport case 9 obliquely with the structured irradiation laser is arranged at a distance from the image capture 23 on the first axis L1 as shown in FIG. 3.

[0017] Processing means 3 is signal-connected to image capture 23 and includes a judgment module 31 that analyzes the analysis image output from image capture 23 and outputs a detection signal indicating the situation of case 9. The judgment module 31 can be implemented, for example, as a program executed by a computer that controls the operation of each part in a production line to which the present invention is applied, or as an assembly of hardware necessary for image recognition to analyze the analysis image.

[0018] Figure 4 shows an embodiment of the inspection method for transport cases used in semiconductor manufacturing lines according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, this inspection method utilizes the inspection apparatus of the present invention and will be explained using the specifications of a transport case 9 equipped with the cap 92 shown in Figure 2. This embodiment of the method includes a holding step 61, an irradiation step 62, a defining step 63, an analysis step 64, and a determination step 65.

[0019] As shown in Figures 4, 1, and 2, the holding step 61 involves placing the transport case 9 on the holding means 1, which allows the transport case 9 to be held stably in the correct position, thus facilitating smoother subsequent detection and processing steps.

[0020] In the irradiation step 62, after appropriately adjusting each laser light source 22 of the structured irradiation means 2, the structured irradiation lasers irradiated by each laser light source 22 are irradiated diagonally onto the top of the transport case 9 to form a light pattern, and the transport case 9 is photographed with the image capture 23 to acquire an image for analysis. Here, each structured irradiation laser is positioned to cross each identification slit 911 along the second axis L2, as shown in Figure 2, to clearly express the difference in the light pattern that occurs depending on whether or not the cap 92 is attached.

[0021] As shown in Figures 5 and 4, the definition step 63 determines the detection range Z in which the judgment module 31 (see Figure 1) performs image recognition by writing specific logic to the analysis image using software. At the same time, a first reference line A1 and a second reference line A2 are set within the detection range Z along the first axis L1, spaced apart from each other. The first reference line A1 indicates the upper limit position, and the second reference line A2 indicates the lower limit position. Thus, the space between the first reference line A1 indicating the upper limit position and the second reference line A2 indicating the lower limit position is defined as the tolerance range. The first reference line A1 and the second reference line A2 are set based on the specifications of the transport case 9.

[0022] In the analysis step 64, the judgment module 31 recognizes the portion of the light pattern that is within the detection range Z as the detection logic portion, and analyzes whether or not this detection logic portion exceeds the tolerance range along the first axis L1. In this embodiment, only the method for recognizing the structured irradiation laser on one side is described, but the method performed on the other side is exactly the same.

[0023] As shown in Figures 5, 6, and 1, specifically, there are two types of light patterns: one where the light pattern is a single line extending along the second axis L2, as shown in Figure 6, and another where the light pattern is a divided line extending along the second axis L2, as shown in Figure 5. For a transport case 9 with these specifications, the light pattern corresponding to the position of the identification slit 911 is set as the detection logic part. In the case of the transport case 9, the light pattern generated on the side where the cap 92 is attached to the opening 910 of the case body 91 is not exposed and therefore not divided by the identification slit 911. Furthermore, the presence of the cap 92 causes a positional shift, so the detection logic part exceeds the allowable range along the first axis L1, as shown in Figure 6. On the other hand, when the light pattern is divided as shown in Figure 5, it is recognized as the light pattern being divided by the identification slit 911, and this can be understood as the cap 92 not being attached. Furthermore, in this case, the light pattern detection logic portion does not exceed the tolerance range along the first axis L1, so the cap 92 is not attached to the case body 91 of the transport case 9. In other words, in the analysis step 64, a detection signal is output as a signal that includes information indicating whether or not the detection logic portion exceeds the tolerance range along the first axis L1.

[0024] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4 to 6 and Figure 1, in the decision step 65, the decision module 31 determines whether or not to interrupt the operation of the semiconductor manufacturing line based on this detection signal. Specifically, if the detection signal indicates that the cap 92 is not attached, that is, if the opening 910 of the case body 91 is open, the semiconductor inside the transport case 9 body This means that the component can be removed, so it is determined that the semiconductor manufacturing line can continue to operate. Conversely, if the detection signal indicates that the cap 92 is attached, that is, the opening 910 of the case body 91 is not open, then the semiconductor inside the transport case 9 is not... bodySince this means that the component cannot be removed, the system determines that continuing to operate the semiconductor manufacturing line would lead to operational errors or equipment damage, and therefore outputs an error signal or even suspends the operation of the semiconductor manufacturing line.

[0025] Figures 7 to 9 and Figure 4 show another embodiment of the inspection method of the present invention, in which, as shown in the figures, only the specifications of the transport case 9 differ. This transport case 9 is configured to include a case body 91 that extends along a first axis L1 and has openings 910 formed at both ends along the first axis L1, a stopper 93 that is pivotally supported on the case body 91 and can move between a blocking position that is located at one of the openings 910 of the case body 91 and closes the opening 910, and an open position that is away from the opening 910 and does not close the opening 910, and an interlocking module 94 that is connected to the stopper 93 and exposed to the outside of the case body 91, and drives the movement of the stopper 93 between the open position and the blocking position by switching between a first state and a second state.Therefore, in the irradiation step 62, the structured irradiation laser is irradiated onto the interlocking module 94 of the transport case 9.

[0026] In an embodiment using a transport case 9 with such a structure, as shown in Figure 8, when a short linear sector separated from a long linear sector in the light pattern aligns with another short linear sector, the interlocking module 94 is in a first state and the stopper 93 is in the open position. Then, as shown in Figure 9, when a short linear sector separated from a long linear sector in the light pattern aligns with a long linear sector, the interlocking module 94 is in a second state and the stopper 93 is in the blocking position. Therefore, in this embodiment, a short linear sector separated from a long linear sector is set as the detection logic portion, and it is determined whether this detection logic portion has exceeded the tolerance range of the first reference line A1 or the second reference line A2. Specifically, if it is determined that the detection logic portion has exceeded the tolerance range of the second reference line A2 as shown in Figure 9, it can be determined that the stopper 93 is in the blocking position. Thus, the inspection method of the present invention, by using the inspection apparatus of the present invention to perform a specialized inspection on the transport case 9 with such specifications, ensures that the transport case 9 is in the correct state at each process of the semiconductor manufacturing line, and thereby ensures the normal operation of the semiconductor manufacturing line by allowing the workpiece to be removed or stored.

[0027] In summary, the inspection apparatus and inspection method of the present invention are applicable to transport cases used in semiconductor manufacturing lines. Depending on the different specifications of the transport case 9, a structured irradiation laser irradiated by the structured irradiation means 2 forms a pattern of light at a specific position on the transport case 9. The judgment module 31 of the processing means 3 recognizes the analysis image and reads the state of the transport case 9 from the pattern of light, thus providing professional and accurate detection to the semiconductor manufacturing line. Therefore, the objective of the present invention is reliably achieved.

[0028] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications are possible without departing from its essence. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0029] 1 Holding means 2 Structured irradiation means 21 Support Slots 22 Laser light source 23 Image Capture 3 Processing means 31 Decision Module 61 Holding process 62 Irradiation process 63 Definition process 64 Analysis process 65 Judgment process 9 Transport Cases 91 Case body 910 Aperture 911 Identification Slit 92 Cap 93 Stopper 94 Interlocking Module A1 First reference line A2 Second reference line L1 First axis L2 Second axis L3 Third axis Z detection range

Claims

1. An inspection device applicable to a transport case used in a semiconductor manufacturing line, A holding means configured to hold the transport case, A structured irradiation means comprising a laser light source positioned at a distance from the holding means and emitting a laser toward the transport case, a support frame to which the laser light source is attached, and an image capture device positioned away from the laser light source and capturing the pattern of light formed on the transport case by the structured irradiation laser emitted by the laser light source to generate an image for analysis, The system comprises a processing means having a determination module that, by signal-connecting to the image capture of the structured irradiation means, determines the state of the transport case based on the analysis image received from the image capture and generates a corresponding detection signal, The transport case comprises a case body formed to extend along a first axis and have openings at both ends, and two caps attached to cover the two openings of the case body, Furthermore, two identification slits are formed on one side of the case body, extending from each of the openings parallel to the first axis toward the other opening. An inspection apparatus wherein the laser light source of the structured irradiation means emits the structured irradiation laser toward the location where the identification slit is formed in the transport case, thereby forming a pattern of light extending along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis on the transport case, and the image capture device photographs the pattern of light and outputs it to the processing means as an analysis image.

2. An inspection device applicable to a transport case used in a semiconductor manufacturing line, A holding means configured to hold the transport case, A structured irradiation means comprising a laser light source positioned at a distance from the holding means and emitting a laser toward the transport case, a support frame to which the laser light source is attached, and an image capture device positioned away from the laser light source and capturing the pattern of light formed on the transport case by the structured irradiation laser emitted by the laser light source to generate an image for analysis, The system comprises a processing means having a determination module that, by signal-connecting to the image capture of the structured irradiation means, determines the state of the transport case based on the analysis image received from the image capture and generates a corresponding detection signal, The transport case comprises a case body that extends along a first axis and is formed to have an opening at at least one end, A stopper pivotally supported on the case body and movable between a blocking position that closes the opening of the case body and an open position that is away from the opening and does not close the opening, The device is configured to include an interlocking module connected to the stopper and exposed to the outside of the case body, which drives the movement of the stopper between the blocking position and the open position. An inspection apparatus wherein the laser light source of the structured irradiation means emits the structured irradiation laser toward the location where the interlocking module of the transport case is formed, thereby forming a pattern of light extending along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis on the transport case, and the image capture device photographs the pattern of light and outputs it to the processing means as an analysis image.

3. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the laser light source of the structured irradiation means is arranged on the support frame so as to be movable along a third axis perpendicular to both the first axis and the second axis.

4. The inspection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the structured irradiation means has two laser light sources arranged in the support frame with space between them.

5. The image capture provided by the structured irradiation means is The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, which is positioned along the first axis away from the laser light source.

6. The inspection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image capture is performed toward the transport case in a direction parallel to a third axis that is perpendicular to both the first axis and the second axis.

Images