Transportation band and transportation device

Abstract

To preferably avoid an excessive temperature increase of a transportation object.SOLUTION: A transportation band is constructed so as to be attached to a transportation device that transports a wafer X while being formed in a plate shape that can mount a thin plate wafer X. The transportation band comprises: a suction part 20 in which suction ports H20a, H20b, and H20b are opened to a projection end of convex-like parts 21a, 21b, and 21b to be provided to a mounting surface F on which the wafer X is mounted, and a suction path L20 communicated with each suction port H20 is formed into a thickness plate of the transportation band 10, and the wafer X is sucked and held by a suction air from each suction port H20 via the suction path L20 by the transportation device; an exhaust part in which a plurality of exhaust ports H30, H30, ... is opened to the mounting surface F, exhaust paths L30a and L30b that are communicated with each exhaust port H30 are formed in the thickness plate of the transportation band 10, and that can cool the wafer X by an exhaust from each exhaust port H30 via the exhaust paths L30 by the transportation device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a transfer hand configured to be able to place an object to be transferred such as a silicon wafer and to be attachable to a transfer device that transfers the object to be transferred, and a transfer device configured to be able to transfer the object to be transferred with such a transfer hand.

Background Art

[0002] For example, the following patent document discloses an invention of a transfer robot configured to be able to transfer a wafer as an object to be transferred to a spinner system for manufacturing semiconductor elements, and a transfer hand thereof.

[0003] In the transfer hand of this transfer robot, contact ring portions are respectively disposed at both tip ends and a base end portion in a U-shaped suction portion in a plan view for adsorbing and fixing a wafer, and vacuum holes to which a vacuum suction pressure is applied are respectively formed at the centers of the respective contact ring portions. Therefore, in this transfer hand and the transfer robot including the same, when the wafer is transferred, the wafer is adsorbed to the transfer hand such that the three contact ring portions in the transfer hand are in contact with each other. Thus, the contact area of the transfer hand with respect to the wafer is small, and it is possible to transfer the wafer in a state of being separated from the main body portion of the transfer hand (the plate-like portion on which the contact ring is disposed) by the thickness of the contact ring portion. As a result, compared with a configuration in which the transfer hand and the wafer are held in a state of being in surface contact with a large area, the amount of heat transfer from the transfer hand heated by entering and exiting a unit in a high-temperature environment in the spinner system to the wafer being transferred can be reduced.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the transfer hands and transfer robots disclosed in each of the above patent documents have the following problems to be solved. Specifically, in the transfer hand adopted in the transfer robot disclosed in the above patent document, in order to avoid excessive temperature rise of the wafer being transferred due to heat transfer from the transfer hand with increased temperature, a contact ring is disposed on the upper surface (placement surface) of the transfer hand, thereby reducing the contact area of the transfer hand with respect to the wafer and separating the wafer being transferred from the main body of the transfer hand by the thickness of the contact ring portion.

[0006] In this case, the above patent document describes that outside air flows into the gap generated between the wafer and the main body portion of the transfer hand due to the presence of the contact ring portion (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "the gap generated between the wafer and the transfer hand"), and both the transfer hand and the wafer are sufficiently cooled. However, since the gap generated between the wafer and the transfer hand is a very narrow gap corresponding to the thickness of the contact ring portion, in practice, it is difficult to smoothly allow a sufficient amount of outside air to flow into this very narrow gap. For this reason, cooling of the wafer and the transfer hand by heat exchange with the outside air is not sufficiently performed, and it is difficult to surely avoid excessive temperature rise of the wafer being transferred.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such problems to be solved, and a main object thereof is to provide a transfer hand and a transfer device capable of suitably avoiding excessive temperature rise of an object to be transferred.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the transfer hand according to claim 1 is a ceramic transfer hand formed in a plate shape on which a thin plate-shaped object to be transferred can be placed and configured to be attachable to a transfer device that transfers the object to be transferred. An air inlet is opened at the tip of a convex portion provided on the placement surface on which the object to be transferred is placed, and an air intake passage communicated with each of the air inlets is formed within the plate thickness of the transfer hand. An adsorption portion is configured to adsorb and hold the object to be transferred by intake air from each of the air inlets through the air intake passage by the transfer device. A plurality of exhaust ports are opened on the placement surface, and an exhaust passage communicated with each of the exhaust ports is formed within the plate thickness of the transfer hand. An exhaust portion is configured to cool the object to be transferred by exhaust air from each of the exhaust ports through the exhaust passage by the transfer device.

[0009] The transfer hand according to claim 2 is the transfer hand according to claim 1, wherein each of the exhaust ports of the exhaust portion is opened so as to be able to exhaust toward an inner portion of the object to be transferred held by the adsorption portion rather than a portion in contact with the tip of the convex portion.

[0010] The transfer device according to claim 3 is configured to be attachable with the transfer hand according to claim 1 or 2, and includes an intake mechanism connected to the intake passage and an exhaust mechanism connected to the exhaust passage.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] In the transfer hand according to claim 1, an air inlet is opened at the tip of a convex portion provided on the placement surface on which the object to be transferred is placed, and an air intake passage communicated with each air inlet is formed within the plate thickness of the transfer hand. An adsorption portion is configured to adsorb and hold the object to be transferred by intake air from each air inlet through the air intake passage by a transfer device. A plurality of exhaust ports are opened on the placement surface, and an exhaust passage communicated with each exhaust port is formed within the plate thickness of the transfer hand. An exhaust portion is configured to cool the object to be transferred by exhaust from each exhaust port through the exhaust passage by a transfer device, and is formed in a plate shape by ceramics. Further, in the transfer device according to claim 3, the above transfer hand is configured to be attachable, and includes an air intake mechanism connected to the air intake passage and an exhaust portion connected to the exhaust passage.

[0012] Therefore, according to the transfer hand according to claim 1 and the transfer device according to claim 3, the object to be transferred can be sufficiently cooled by heat exchange with the air exhausted from the exhaust portion, and a situation where the temperature of the transfer hand rises excessively due to radiant heat from the object to be transferred or heat transfer from the contact portion with the object to be transferred can be preferably avoided. Further, the transfer hand itself can be directly cooled by heat exchange with the air passing through the exhaust passage. Thereby, when transferring the object to be transferred next, a situation where the temperature of the object to be transferred rises excessively due to radiant heat from the transfer hand or heat transfer from the contact portion with the transfer hand can be surely avoided.

[0013] In the transfer hand according to claim 2, each exhaust port is opened so as to be exhaustable toward an inner portion of the object to be transferred held by the adsorption portion rather than a portion in contact with the tip of the convex portion, and the exhaust portion is configured. Therefore, according to the transfer hand according to claim 2 and the transfer device including such a transfer hand, in addition to the adsorption by the adsorption portion, the object to be transferred can be attracted and held to the transfer hand by the Bernoulli effect generated by the exhaust from the exhaust port in the exhaust portion. Therefore, a situation where the object to be transferred detaches from the transfer hand during transfer can be surely avoided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the "transfer hand" and the "transfer device" will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] The transfer device 1 shown in Fig. 1 is an example of a "transfer device", and is configured to be able to transfer a silicon wafer X (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "wafer X"), which is an example of a "thin plate-shaped object to be transferred", to a spin coater, a drying device, etc. installed at a semiconductor manufacturing site. Specifically, this transfer device 1 includes a transfer mechanism 2, an intake mechanism 3, an exhaust mechanism 4, a control unit 5, and a transfer hand 10.

[0017] In this case, the transfer hand 10 is an example of a "transfer hand". As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, it has an attachment portion 10a for attachment to the transfer mechanism 2 in the transfer device 1, and a placement portion 10b on which the wafer X to be transferred can be placed, which are integrally formed of ceramics and formed in a thin plate shape (flat plate shape). Further, in this transfer hand 10, insertion holes 11, 11... through which bolts for attachment to the transfer mechanism 2 can be inserted are provided in the attachment portion 10a. Furthermore, in this transfer hand 10, as an example, the placement portion 10b is formed in a U shape in plan view, and on this placement portion 10b, a suction portion 20 for sucking and holding the wafer X, and an exhaust portion 30 for cooling the wafer X held by the suction portion 20 as described later are provided.

[0018] The suction portion 20 is an example of a "suction portion". At the tips of convex portions 21a, 21b, 21b (an example of a "convex portion": hereinafter referred to as "convex portion 21" when not distinguished) provided on the placement surface F on which the wafer X is placed, air intake ports H20a, H20b, H20b (hereinafter referred to as "air intake port H20" when not distinguished) are respectively opened, and an intake passage L20 (an example of an "intake passage") communicated with each air intake port H20 is formed within the thickness of the transfer hand 10. Also, the end portion of the intake passage L20 on the side opposite to the air intake port H20 is communicated with an exhaust port Ho provided in the attachment portion 10a. Therefore, in this transfer hand 10, when it is attached to the transfer device 1 and the exhaust port Ho is connected to the intake mechanism 3, the wafer X can be sucked and held on the placement portion 10b (the tips of the respective convex portions 21) by intake from each air intake port H20 through the intake passage L20 by the transfer device 1 (intake mechanism 3).

[0019] Further, the exhaust section 30 is an example of an "exhaust section". A plurality of exhaust ports H30 are opened on the placement surface F, and exhaust passages L30a, L30b (an example of an "exhaust passage": hereinafter also referred to as "exhaust passage L30" when not distinguished) communicated with each exhaust port H30 are formed within the thickness of the transfer hand 10. Further, the end portion of the exhaust passage L30 on the side opposite to the exhaust port H30 is communicated with an inlet Hi provided in the attachment portion 10a. Therefore, in this transfer hand 10, by being attached to the transfer device 1 and connecting the inlet Hi to the exhaust mechanism 4 of the transfer device 1, it becomes possible to cool the wafer X by intake air from each exhaust port H30 through the exhaust passage L30 by the transfer device 1 (exhaust mechanism 4).

[0020] In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, in the transfer hand 10 of this example, as an example, the intake passage L20 of the suction section 20 and the exhaust passages L30a, L30b of the exhaust section 30 are respectively formed at the central portion in the thickness direction of the transfer hand 10. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2, in the transfer hand 10 of this example, as an example, by disposing a pair of exhaust passages L30a, L30b with one intake passage L20 interposed therebetween, an "intake passage (in this example, intake passage L20)" for intake air from each intake port H20 and an "exhaust passage (in this example, exhaust passages L30a, L30b)" for exhausting air from each exhaust section 30 are not communicated with each other (the air in the intake passage L20 and the air in the exhaust passage L30 are not merged), and a plurality of intake ports H20 and a plurality of exhaust ports H30 can be scattered over a wide range on the placement surface F. As a result, while enabling suitable adsorption of the wafer X by the adsorption section 20 and suitable cooling of the wafer X by the exhaust section 30, it is possible to make the thickness of the transfer hand 10 sufficiently thin.

[0021] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, in the suction portion 20 of the transfer device 1 in this example, a convex portion 21a is provided at the base end portion (the left end portion in the placement portion 10b shown in the figure) of the U-shaped placement portion 10b in plan view, and an air intake port H20a is opened at the tip thereof. Further, convex portions 21b and 21b are respectively provided at a pair of tip end portions (the right end portions in the placement portion 10b shown in the figure) of the U-shaped placement portion 10b in plan view, and air intake ports H20b are respectively opened at the tips of the convex portions 21b and 21b. In addition, the air intake ports H20a, H20b, and H20b are communicated with an air intake passage L20 having a Y shape in plan view. Thus, in the transfer device 1 of this example, the wafer X is adsorbed and held in contact with the transfer hand 10 (suction portion 20) at three points such that the edge portions of the air intake ports H20a, H20b, and H20b, that is, the tips of the convex portions 21a, 21b, and 21, contact the outer edge portion of the wafer X.

[0022] Further, in the transfer hand 10 of this example, a plurality of exhaust ports H30, H30... are respectively opened in a pair of arm portions of the U-shaped placement portion 10b in plan view. A part of each of the exhaust ports H30, H30... is communicated with an exhaust passage L30a, and another part of each of the exhaust ports H30, H30... is communicated with an exhaust passage L30b. Specifically, in the transfer device 1 of this example, as an example, six exhaust ports H30 are respectively communicated with three locations in the placement portion 10b in the exhaust passage L30a, and six exhaust ports H30 are respectively communicated with three locations in the placement portion 10b in the exhaust passage L30b. In addition, each of the exhaust ports H30, H30... is opened so as to be able to exhaust toward an inner side portion with respect to a portion in contact with the tip of each convex portion 21 in the wafer X held by the suction portion 20. Thus, in the exhaust portion 30 of the transfer hand 10 of this example, not only is the wafer X cooled by the exhaust from each exhaust port H30, but also the exhaust flows from a portion closer to the center of the wafer X toward the outer edge portion side, so that the portion closer to the center of the wafer X is attracted toward the placement portion 10b (placement surface F) side by the Bernoulli effect. As a result, in addition to the adsorption force by the suction portion 20, the exhaust by the exhaust portion 30 enables the large-diameter wafer X to be held more suitably.

[0023] On the one hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the transfer mechanism 2 includes an attachment portion 2a to which the transfer hand 10 can be attached, and an arm portion (not shown) capable of moving the attachment portion 2a to an arbitrary position. By moving the attachment portion 2a by the arm portion, the wafer X held by the transfer hand 10 attached to the attachment portion 2a can be transferred to an arbitrary position. The intake mechanism 3 is an example of an "intake mechanism", includes an intake pump (not shown), and when the transfer hand 10 is attached to the attachment portion 2a of the transfer mechanism 2, the discharge port Ho of the transfer hand 10 is connected to the suction pump, whereby it is configured to be able to intake air from each intake port H20 through the intake passage L20. The exhaust mechanism 4 is an example of an "exhaust mechanism", includes an exhaust pump (not shown), and when the transfer hand 10 is attached to the attachment portion 2a, the inlets Hi, Hi are respectively connected to the exhaust pump, whereby it is configured to be able to exhaust air from each exhaust port H30 through the exhaust passages L30a, L30b.

[0024] The control unit 5 comprehensively controls the transfer device 1. Specifically, the control unit 5 controls the intake mechanism 3 to adsorb and hold the wafer X on the transfer hand 10 attached to the attachment portion 2a, and controls the exhaust mechanism 4 to exhaust air toward the wafer X adsorbed on the transfer hand 10 to attract the wafer X to the transfer hand 10 while cooling it. Further, the control unit 5 controls the transfer mechanism 2 to move the transfer hand 10, thereby transferring the wafer X adsorbed and held on the transfer hand 10 to an arbitrary transfer position. Note that the control of each part by this control unit 5 will be described in detail later.

[0025] Next, the transfer of the wafer X by the transfer device 1 will be described. It is assumed that the attachment of the transfer hand 10 to the attachment portion 2a (the screwing of the bolts inserted through the respective insertion holes 11 into the attachment portion 2a) has already been completed, and the description of this attachment work will be omitted.

[0026] In this transfer device 1, for example, when performing one of various processing steps on the wafer X, the wafer X is transferred from the position where the wafer X before processing is stacked (hereinafter also referred to as the "pre-processing position") to the processing position by the processing device, or the wafer X after being processed by the processing device is transferred from the processing position to the position where the wafer X after processing is stacked, or to another processing device that performs the next processing step (hereinafter also referred to as the "post-processing position" without distinguishing between them).

[0027] Specifically, when transferring the wafer X from the pre-processing position to the processing position, the control unit 5 controls the transfer mechanism 2 to move the transfer hand 10 to the pre-processing position. At this time, the transfer mechanism 2 moves the transfer hand 10 so as to insert it below the wafer X to be transferred. At the point when the transfer of the wafer X starts, the control unit 5 controls to stop the intake by the intake mechanism 3 and the exhaust by the exhaust mechanism 4. Next, the control unit 5 controls the intake mechanism 3 to start intake. At this time, air between the transfer hand 10 and the wafer X is sucked from each intake port H20 through the intake path L20, so that three points of the portion near the outer edge of the wafer X come into contact with the tip ends (the edge portions of the intake ports H20) of the respective convex portions 21 of the transfer hand 10 and are adsorbed by the transfer hand 10. As a result, the wafer X is held by the transfer hand 10. Next, the control unit 5 controls the exhaust mechanism 4 to start exhaust and controls the transfer mechanism 2 to transfer the wafer X held by the transfer hand 10 from the pre-processing position to the processing position.

[0028] At this time, before the start of processing by the processing device, the temperature of the wafer X stacked at the pre-processing position and the temperature of the transfer hand 10 attached to the transfer mechanism 2 (attached part 2a) are about the same as the ambient air. However, as will be described later, when the wafer X is overheated in the processing step by the processing device, the transfer hand 10 is heated up when adsorbing the wafer X with increased temperature at the processing position, and the transfer hand 10 is further heated up by the radiant heat from the wafer X when transferring the wafer X from the processing position to the post-processing position. Therefore, in the transfer robot disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document, when transferring the second and subsequent wafers X, the wafer X may be heated up by the radiant heat from the heated transfer hand, resulting in a deterioration in the yield of the product manufactured from the wafer X.

[0029] On the other hand, in the transfer device 1 and the transfer hand 10 of this example, when the air pressure-fed from the exhaust mechanism 4 passes through both exhaust passages L30, the transfer hand 10 is cooled by heat exchange with this air, and the wafer X is sufficiently cooled by heat exchange with the air exhausted from the exhaust port H30 toward the wafer X. As a result, an increase in the temperature of the wafer X due to the radiant heat from the transfer hand 10 is avoided, and by sufficiently reducing the temperature of the wafer X, it is possible to preferably avoid a deterioration in the yield of the product manufactured from the wafer X. In addition, since an increase in the temperature of the transfer hand 10 due to the radiant heat from the wafer X is also avoided, an increase in the temperature of the wafer X when transferring the next wafer X is preferably avoided.

[0030] Furthermore, the air exhausted from each exhaust port H30 flows between the placement surface F of the transfer hand 10 and the back surface of the wafer X toward the outer edge portion of the wafer X, passes between the convex portions 21 of the transfer hand 10, and is discharged to the surroundings. At this time, as described above, due to the Bernoulli effect, the portion closer to the center of the wafer X is attracted toward the placement surface F of the transfer hand 10, resulting in a state where three points at the outer edge portion of the wafer X are pressed against the tip ends of the respective convex portions 21, and the wafer X is reliably held in addition to the adsorption force by the adsorption portion 20.

[0031] Further, when the wafer X is conveyed to the processing position by the conveyance mechanism 2, the control unit 5 controls the exhaust mechanism 4 to stop the exhaust. Thereby, when the adsorption by the adsorption unit 20 is released, the situation where the wafer X is blown off by the exhaust from each exhaust port H30 in the exhaust unit 30 is avoided. Next, the control unit 5 controls the intake mechanism 3 to stop the intake, and controls the conveyance mechanism 2 to move the conveyance hand 10 below the wafer X and then retract it from the processing position. At this time, the wafer X with the adsorption by the adsorption unit 20 released is in a state of being set at the processing position. Thereby, the conveyance of the wafer X from the pre-processing position to the processing position by the conveyance device 1 is completed.

[0032] On the other hand, when the processing step at the processing position by the processing device is completed, the processed wafer X is conveyed from the processing position to the post-processing position. At this time, the control unit 5 controls the conveyance mechanism 2 to move the conveyance hand 10 so as to be inserted below the wafer X set at the processing position. Next, the control unit 5 starts the intake by the intake mechanism 3 (adsorption of the wafer X by the adsorption unit 20) in the same manner as when conveying from the pre-processing position to the processing position. Thereby, the wafer X is held by the conveyance hand 10. Subsequently, the control unit 5 controls the exhaust mechanism 4 to start the exhaust, and controls the conveyance mechanism 2 to convey the wafer X held by the conveyance hand 10 from the processing position to the post-processing position.

[0033] At this time, the conveyance hand 10 whose temperature has been raised by being moved to the processing position and the wafer X whose temperature has been raised in the processing step in the processing device are each cooled by heat exchange with the air pumped from the exhaust mechanism 4. Thereby, an increase in the temperature of the conveyance hand 10 due to radiant heat from the wafer X is avoided, and the temperature of the conveyance hand 10 is sufficiently lowered, and an increase in the temperature of the wafer X when the wafer X is conveyed next is also preferably avoided. Further, due to the Bernoulli effect caused by the exhaust from the exhaust port H30, the wafer X is attracted to the conveyance hand 10 (mounting surface F), and thereby, the wafer X is surely held.

[0034] Also, when the wafer X is transported to the post - processing position by the transport mechanism 2, the control unit 5 controls the exhaust mechanism 4 to stop the exhaust. Then, the control unit 5 controls the intake mechanism 3 to stop the intake, and controls the transport mechanism 2 to move the transport hand 10 below the wafer X and retract it from the post - processing position. As a result, the wafer X whose adsorption by the adsorption part 20 has been released is stacked at the post - processing position, and the transport of the wafer X from the processing position to the post - processing position by the transport device 1 is completed.

[0035] As described above, in this transport hand 10, intake ports H20a, H20b, H20b are respectively opened at the tips of convex portions 21a, 21b, 21b provided on the placement surface F on which the wafer X is placed, and an intake passage L20 communicated with each intake port H20a, H20b, H20b is formed within the plate thickness of the transport hand 10. Further, an adsorption part 20 is configured to adsorb and hold the wafer X by intake from each intake port H20a, H20b, H20b through the intake passage L20 by the transport device 1. A plurality of exhaust ports H30 are opened on the placement surface F, and exhaust passages L30a, L30b communicated with each exhaust port H30 are formed within the plate thickness of the transport hand 10. Also, an exhaust part 30 is configured to cool the wafer X by exhaust from each exhaust port H30 through the exhaust passages L30a, L30b by the transport device 1. The transport hand 10 is formed in a plate shape by ceramics and includes the above - described adsorption part 20 and exhaust part 30. Further, in this transport device 1, the above - described transport hand 10 is configured to be attachable, and includes an intake mechanism 3 connected to the intake passage L20 and an exhaust mechanism 4 connected to the exhaust passages L30a, L30b.

[0036] Therefore, according to this transfer hand 10 and the transfer device 1, the wafer X can be sufficiently cooled by heat exchange with the air exhausted from the exhaust part 30, and a situation where the transfer hand 10 excessively increases in temperature due to radiant heat from the wafer X or heat transfer from the contact part (the tip of each convex part 21) with the wafer X can be preferably avoided. Also, the transfer hand 10 itself can be directly cooled by heat exchange with the air passing through the exhaust paths L30a and L30b. Thereby, when the wafer X is transferred next, a situation where the wafer X excessively increases in temperature due to radiant heat from the transfer hand 10 or heat transfer from the contact part with the transfer hand 10 can be surely avoided.

[0037] Also, in this transfer hand 10, each exhaust port H30 is opened so as to be exhaustable toward the inner side part rather than the part in contact with the tips of the convex parts 21a, 21b, and 21b in the wafer X held by the suction part 20, and the exhaust part 30 is configured. Therefore, according to this transfer hand 10 and the transfer device 1, in addition to the suction by the suction part 20, the wafer X can be attracted and held by the Bernoulli effect generated by the exhaust from the exhaust port H30 in the exhaust part 30, so that a situation where the wafer X detaches from the transfer hand 10 during transfer can be surely avoided.

[0038] Next, another embodiment of the "transfer hand" will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] The transfer hand 50 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is another example of a "transfer hand". It includes a mounting portion 50a for attachment to the transfer mechanism 2 in the transfer device 1, a placement portion 50b on which the wafer X to be transferred can be placed, and a connecting portion 50c that connects the mounting portion 50a and the placement portion 50b. These are integrally formed of ceramics and are formed in a thin plate shape (flat plate shape: long plate shape). Further, in this transfer hand 50, insertion holes 51, 51... through which bolts for attachment to the transfer mechanism 2 can be inserted are provided in the mounting portion 50a. Furthermore, in this transfer hand 50, as an example, the placement portion 50b is formed in a substantially circular shape in plan view, and an adsorption portion 60 for adsorbing and holding the wafer X and an exhaust portion 70 for cooling the wafer X held by the adsorption portion 60 as described later are provided on the placement portion 50b.

[0040] The adsorption portion 60 is another example of an "adsorption portion". An air intake port H60 is opened at the tip of a convex portion 61 that is annular in plan view and provided on the placement surface F on which the wafer X is placed (another example of a "convex portion": hereinafter also referred to as "convex portion 61" when not distinguished). An intake passage L60 (another example of an "intake passage") communicated with the air intake port H60 is formed within the thickness of the transfer hand 50. A groove portion 62 communicated with the air intake port H60 is provided over approximately 3 / 4 of the circumferential direction at the tip of the convex portion 61. Also, the end of the intake passage L60 on the side opposite to the air intake port H60 is communicated with an exhaust port Ho provided in the mounting portion 50a. Therefore, in this transfer hand 50, when it is attached to the transfer device 1 and the exhaust port Ho is connected to the intake mechanism 3, the wafer X can be adsorbed and held on the placement portion 50b (the tip of the convex portion 61) by intake from each air intake port H60 through the intake passage L60 by the transfer device 1 (intake mechanism 3). As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, in the transfer hand 50 of this example, a notch 61a in which a part of the convex portion 61 that is annular in plan view is formed with a low back is provided. At the portion of this notch 61a, the wafer X is configured to be non-contact with the convex portion 61 and a gap is formed between the transfer hand 50 and the wafer X.

[0041] Further, the exhaust portion 70 is another example of the "exhaust portion". A plurality of exhaust ports H70 are opened in the mounting surface F, and an exhaust passage L70 (another example of the "exhaust passage") communicated with each exhaust port H70 is formed within the thickness of the transfer hand 50. Further, the end portion of the exhaust passage L70 on the side opposite to the exhaust port H70 is communicated with an inlet Hi provided in the attachment portion 50a. In this case, in the transfer hand 50 of this example, each exhaust port H70 is arranged in an annular shape in a plan view on the inner peripheral side of the convex portion 61 in the suction portion 60. Therefore, when this transfer hand 50 is attached to the transfer device 1 and the inlet Hi is connected to the exhaust mechanism 4 of the transfer device 1, it becomes possible to cool the wafer X by intake air during exhaust from each exhaust port H70 through the exhaust passage L70 by the transfer device 1 (exhaust mechanism 4).

[0042] In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, in the transfer hand 50 of this example, as an example, the intake passage L60 of the suction portion 60 and the exhaust passage L70 of the exhaust portion 70 are separately and independently formed at the central portion in the thickness direction of the transfer hand 50. As a result, it is possible to sufficiently reduce the thickness of the transfer hand 50.

[0043] Further, in the transfer device 1 of this example, each exhaust port H70, H70... is opened so as to be able to exhaust toward the inner side portion from the portion in contact with the tip of the convex portion 61 in the wafer X held by the suction portion 60, and a notch 61a having a low profile is provided in a part of the convex portion 61. Thereby, in the exhaust portion 70 of the transfer hand 50 of this example, not only the wafer X is cooled by the exhaust from each exhaust port H70, but also the exhaust flows from the portion near the center of the wafer X toward the outer edge portion side and is discharged from the notch 61a, so that the portion near the center of the wafer X is attracted toward the mounting portion 50b (mounting surface F) side by the Bernoulli effect. Thus, in addition to the adsorption force by the suction portion 60, it is possible to suitably hold the large-diameter wafer X.

[0044] Regarding the conveyance of the wafer X in the state where the transfer hand 50 is attached to the transfer device 1 (the attachment portion 2a of the transfer mechanism 2), since it is the same as the conveyance of the wafer X in the state where the aforementioned transfer hand 10 is attached to the transfer device 1, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0045] As described above, in this transfer hand 50, an air inlet H60 is opened at the tip of a convex portion 61 provided on the placement surface F on which the wafer X is placed, and an intake passage L60 communicated with each air inlet H60 is formed within the plate thickness of the transfer hand 50. Further, an adsorption portion 60 is configured to adsorb and hold the wafer X by intake air from each air inlet H60 through the intake passage L60 by the transfer device 1. A plurality of exhaust ports H70 are opened on the placement surface F, and an exhaust passage L70 communicated with each exhaust port H70 is formed within the plate thickness of the transfer hand 50. Also, an exhaust portion 70 is configured to cool the wafer X by exhaust air from each exhaust port H70 through the exhaust passage L70 by the transfer device 1. The transfer hand 50 is formed in a plate shape by ceramics and includes the adsorption portion 60 and the exhaust portion 70. In addition, in this transfer device 1, the above-described transfer hand 50 is configured to be attachable, and includes an intake mechanism 3 connected to the intake passage L60 and an exhaust mechanism 4 connected to the exhaust passage L70.

[0046] Therefore, according to this transfer hand 50 and the transfer device 1, the wafer X can be sufficiently cooled by heat exchange with the air exhausted from the exhaust portion 70, and a situation where the transfer hand 50 is excessively heated due to radiant heat from the wafer X or heat transfer from the contact portion (the tip of the convex portion 61) with the wafer X can be preferably avoided. Also, the transfer hand 50 itself can be directly cooled by heat exchange with the air passing through the exhaust passage L70. Thereby, when the wafer X is transferred next, a situation where the wafer X is excessively heated due to radiant heat from the transfer hand 50 or heat transfer from the contact portion with the transfer hand 50 can be surely avoided.

[0047] Also, in this transfer hand 50, each exhaust port H70 is opened so as to be exhaustable toward an inner part of the wafer X held by the suction part 60 rather than a part in contact with the tip of the convex part 61, thereby constituting an exhaust part 70. Therefore, according to this transfer hand 50 and the transfer device 1, in addition to the suction by the suction part 60, the wafer X can be attracted to and held by the transfer hand 50 by the Bernoulli effect caused by the exhaust from the exhaust port H70 in the exhaust part 70. Thus, it is possible to surely avoid a situation where the wafer X detaches from the transfer hand 50 during transfer.

[0048] Note that the configurations of the "transfer hand" and the "transfer device" are not limited to the examples of the configurations of the transfer hands 10 and 50 and the transfer device 1 described above.

[0049] For example, the number of "air intake ports" is not limited to three like the examples of H20a, H20b, and H20b in the suction part 20 of the transfer hand 10 or one like the example of the air intake port H60 in the suction part 60 of the transfer hand 50, and can be any number. Also, the number of "exhaust ports" is not limited to the example of the exhaust port H30 in the exhaust part 30 of the transfer hand 10 or the example of the exhaust port H70 in the exhaust part 70 of the transfer hand 50, and can be any number. In addition, although the configurations of the transfer hands 10 and 50 and the transfer device 1 capable of transferring the wafer X as the "object to be transferred" have been described as examples, the "object to be transferred" is not limited thereto, and various "thin plate-like articles" such as display parts such as small liquid crystal panels and small organic EL panels can be configured to be transferable as the "object to be transferred".

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0050] 1 Transfer device 2 Transfer mechanism 2a Mounting part 3 Air intake mechanism 4 Exhaust mechanism 5 Control part 10,50 For transfer 10a,50a Mounting part 10b,50b Placement part 11,51 Insertion hole 20,60 Suction part 21a, 21b, 61 Protruding part 61a Notch 30,70 Exhaust part 50c Connecting part 62 Groove part F Placement surface H20a, H20b, H60 Intake port H30, H70 Exhaust port Hi Inlet Ho Outlet L20, L60 Intake passage L30a, L30b, L70 Exhaust passage X Wafer

Claims

Claim 1 A ceramic transfer hand formed in a plate shape on which a thin plate-shaped object to be transferred can be placed and configured to be attachable to a transfer device for transferring the object to be transferred, an intake port is opened at the tip of a convex portion provided on the placement surface on which the object to be transferred is placed, and an intake passage communicated with each intake port is formed within the plate thickness of the transfer hand. The transfer hand is configured to adsorb and hold the object to be transferred by intake from each intake port through the intake passage by the transfer device; an adsorption portion, a plurality of exhaust ports are opened on the placement surface, and an exhaust passage communicated with each exhaust port is formed within the plate thickness of the transfer hand. The transfer hand includes an exhaust portion configured to cool the object to be transferred by exhaust from each exhaust port through the exhaust passage by the transfer device. Claim 2 The transfer hand according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust ports of the exhaust portion are opened so as to be able to exhaust toward an inner portion of the object to be transferred held by the adsorption portion rather than a portion in contact with the tip of the convex portion. Claim 3 A transfer device configured to be attachable with the transfer hand according to claim 1 or 2, and including an intake mechanism connected to the intake passage and an exhaust mechanism connected to the exhaust passage.

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