Cassette stage

Abstract

To prevent an adapter placed on a cassette stage from falling off.SOLUTION: A cassette stage (13) having at least 3 kinematic pins (50) includes: an adapter (60), which has supported parts (63) supported respectively on the kinematic pins, and, a top face (61) of which is placed with a cassette (55); recessed parts (53) each formed at a tip of the kinematic pin; open holes (66) corresponding respectively to the recessed parts and penetrating the adapter; and fixing parts (70) penetrating respectively the open holes and entering the recessed parts to secure the adapter to the kinematic pins.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cassette stage provided in a processing device or a processing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a cassette stage provided in a processing device on which a cassette containing wafers is placed is equipped with kinematic pins to fix the cassette at a predetermined angle. By having multiple kinematic pins support the supported portions of the cassette, the cassette is placed at a predetermined position on the cassette stage in a predetermined orientation.

[0003] Furthermore, as disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, when placing a cassette that does not correspond to the arrangement of the kinematic pins in a processing device on a cassette stage, an adapter is placed on the kinematic pins of the cassette stage, and the cassette is then placed on the adapter. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-040612 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-002272 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-297902 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When a cassette is placed on an adapter, the cassette adapter may fall off the kinematic pins when the cassette is attached to or detached from the adapter, and a solution to this problem has been sought.

[0006] Therefore, in processing devices and processing devices that perform various processes other than processing, there is a problem to be solved: how to prevent the adapter placed on the cassette stage from falling off. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a cassette stage that supports a cassette with at least three kinematic pins, and includes an adapter having a supported portion supported by the kinematic pins and on whose upper surface the cassette is placed, a recess formed at the tip of the kinematic pin, a through hole that corresponds to the recess and passes through the adapter, and a fixing portion that passes through the through hole, enters the recess, and fixes the adapter to the kinematic pins. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the cassette stage of the above aspect, with the supported portion of the adapter supported by the kinematic pin, the fixing portion passes through the through hole of the adapter and enters the recess at the tip of the kinematic pin to fix the adapter, thereby preventing the adapter placed on the cassette stage from falling off. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of a cassette stage provided in the processing device and an adapter detachably attached to the cassette stage; [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the underside of the adapter. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which an adapter is fixed to a kinematic pin by a fixing portion. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are perspective views showing fixed portions and kinematic pins of different forms. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The processing apparatus 10 shown in Figure 1 is a grinding apparatus that performs grinding on a workpiece, a wafer W. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions of the processing apparatus 10 are perpendicular to one another. The X-axis and Y-axis directions are horizontal. The Z-axis direction is the up-down direction, with the +Z direction side being the top and the -Z direction side being the bottom.

[0011] The processing apparatus 10 is controlled by a control unit 11 and automatically performs a series of operations, such as transport processing, grinding processing, and cleaning processing, on the wafer W. The control unit 11 includes a processor and a memory unit, and the processor performs processing according to a program stored in the memory unit to control each unit of the processing apparatus 10. The operations of the processing apparatus 10 described below are performed under the control of the control unit 11.

[0012] The processing apparatus 10 is equipped with two cassette stages 13 at the end of the base 12 on the -Y direction side. The two cassette stages 13 are arranged side by side in the X axis direction, with a cassette 14 containing wafers W before grinding being placed on one cassette stage 13, and a cassette 14 containing wafers W after grinding being placed on the other cassette stage 13. The detailed configuration of the cassette stages 13 will be described later.

[0013] The number of cassette stages 13 is not limited to two, and may be one, or three or more. Furthermore, when multiple cassette stages 13 are provided, the fixing structure of the adapter 60 described below may be applied to all of the cassette stages 13, or the fixing structure of the adapter 60 may be applied to only some of the cassette stages 13.

[0014] The wafers W stored in the cassette 14 before grinding are transported to a positioning unit 17 by a robot 15. The robot 15 has a robot hand 16 that holds the wafer W by suction, and moves the robot hand 16 by operating a movable arm connected to the robot hand 16. The positioning unit 17 temporarily places the wafer W on a positioning table 18 and positions the wafer W so that the wafer W is transported to a predetermined position on a chuck table 20 by a transport mechanism 19.

[0015] The upper surface of the wafer W on the positioning table 18 is held by suction with a transport pad of a first transport unit 21 provided in the transport mechanism 19, and the transport pad is moved to transport the wafer W to the chuck table 20. The wafer W is transferred from the first transport unit 21 to the chuck table 20, and the lower surface of the wafer W is held by suction on the holding surface of the chuck table 20.

[0016] The chuck table 20 holding the wafer W is moved in the +Y direction by a Y-axis movement mechanism 22, which is a ball screw mechanism, and the wafer W is positioned below the processing unit 23. The processing unit 23 has a grinding wheel 25 attached to the lower end of a spindle 24 extending in the Z-axis direction, and a plurality of grinding stones 26 are arranged in an annular shape on the underside of the grinding wheel 25. The spindle 24 is rotated, the chuck table 20 is rotated by a rotation mechanism 27, and the processing unit 23 is lowered by a processing feed mechanism 28. With these operations, the grinding stone 26 and the wafer W rotate relatively, and the grinding stone 26 comes into contact with the upper surface of the wafer W to grind the wafer W.

[0017] Once the wafer W has been ground to the desired thickness, the processing unit 23 is raised by the processing feed mechanism 28 to move the grinding wheel 26 away from the wafer W. Next, the chuck table 20 is moved in the -Y direction by the Y-axis movement mechanism 22. The upper surface of the wafer W on the chuck table 20 is suction-held by the transfer pad of the second transfer unit 29 provided in the transfer mechanism 19, and the transfer pad is moved to transfer the wafer W to the cleaning unit 30. The wafer W is transferred from the second transfer unit 29 to the cleaning table 31 of the cleaning unit 30, and the lower surface of the wafer W is suction-held on the holding surface of the cleaning table 31.

[0018] In the cleaning unit 30, cleaning water is sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 32 while the cleaning table 31 is rotated to clean the wafer W. After cleaning with the cleaning water, air is sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 32 to dry the wafer W.

[0019] The ground wafer W that has been cleaned in the cleaning unit 30 is held by suction by the robot hand 16. The robot 15 operates to transport the wafer W to the cassette 14 on the cassette stage 13 and store it in the cassette 14.

[0020] In this manner, a series of processes are performed on wafers W in the processing apparatus 10. In summary, before being ground, wafers W are removed one by one from the cassettes 14 on the cassette stage 13, transported to the positioning unit 17 and positioned, the positioned wafers W are transported from the positioning unit 17 to the chuck table 20, the wafers W on the chuck table 20 are ground by the processing unit 23, the ground wafers W are cleaned in the cleaning unit 30, and then stored in the cassettes 14 on the cassette stage 13. When the robot 15 takes the wafers W into and out of the cassette 14, the cassette 14 needs to be fixed at a predetermined angle with respect to the cassette stage 13.

[0021] Note that application to a grinding machine as shown in Figure 1 is one example, and the application of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to processing machines that perform processes other than grinding on wafers W, such as polishing machines, cutting machines, and laser processing machines. It can also be applied to processing devices that perform processes other than processing on wafers W, such as inspection and measurement. In other words, the present invention can be applied to all machines that have a cassette stage for supporting a cassette.

[0022] Next, a detailed description will be given of the cassette stage 13 provided in the processing apparatus 10. The two cassette stages 13 in the processing apparatus 10 have a common configuration.

[0023] 2, the cassette stage 13 includes a casing 40 that protrudes from the base 12 in the -Y direction, and supports a pedestal 42 via a support mechanism 41 disposed inside the casing 40. The support mechanism 41 supports the pedestal 42 movably in the Y-axis direction by a pair of guide rails 43 extending in the Y-axis direction, and a ball screw 44 extending in the Y-axis direction is threadedly engaged with a nut portion (not shown) of the pedestal 42. When the ball screw 44 is driven to rotate by the motor 45, the force of rotation of the ball screw 44 is transmitted to the pedestal 42, causing the pedestal 42 to move in the Y-axis direction.

[0024] 2, the cassette stage 13 may be configured such that the pedestal 42 does not move in the Y-axis direction but is fixedly supported at a constant position relative to the casing 40. Alternatively, the cassette stage 13 may be provided with an elevation mechanism that changes the position of the pedestal 42 in the Z-axis direction relative to the casing 40.

[0025] The base 42 is exposed on the upper surface side of the casing 40 and has a flat upper surface 46 extending in the horizontal direction. The base 42 is provided with three kinematic pins 50 protruding upward from the upper surface 46. Two kinematic pins 50 provided on the +Y direction side of the base 42 are spaced apart in the X axis direction. One kinematic pin 50 provided on the -Y direction side of the base 42 is located between the two kinematic pins 50 on the +Y direction side in the X axis direction. At least three kinematic pins 50 are provided to stably support the cassette 14 and an adapter 60 (described later). Unlike this embodiment, four or more kinematic pins 50 may be provided on the base 42.

[0026] Each kinematic pin 50 has a cylindrical pillar portion 51 connected to the upper surface 46 of the base 42, and a truncated cone-shaped support portion 52 located at the top of the pillar portion 51 and having a diameter that decreases as it extends upward.

[0027] 1 has a configuration that allows it to be directly supported by three kinematic pins 50. Although not shown, three supported portions that are supported by the support portions 52 of the three kinematic pins 50 are formed on the underside of the cassette 14, and the support portions 52 of the respective kinematic pins 50 support the supported portions of the cassette 14, thereby fixing the cassette 14 at a predetermined angle with respect to the base 42.

[0028] When a cassette 55 (see FIG. 5) of a type that differs from the cassette 14 in that it does not accommodate the arrangement of three kinematic pins 50 and cannot be directly supported by the kinematic pins 50 is placed on the cassette stage 13, an adapter 60 is interposed between the cassette stage 13 and the cassette 55 to support it. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, the adapter 60 is plate-shaped and has an upper surface 61 and a lower surface 62, each of which is a flat surface.

[0029] 3 and 4, supported portions 63 that are supported by the kinematic pins 50 are formed on the lower surface 62 side of the adapter 60. Three supported portions 63 are provided on the adapter 60 corresponding to the three kinematic pins 50. Each supported portion 63 is shaped like a long groove, and has a pair of tapered surfaces 64 that are arranged symmetrically with respect to an imaginary center line Pa (FIG. 4) that passes through the center of the long groove in the width direction and extends in the Z-axis direction. The pair of tapered surfaces 64 are inclined so that the distance between them narrows as they proceed from the lower surface 62 side to the upper surface 61 side of the adapter 60, and the inclination angle is equal to the inclination angle of the outer surfaces of the support portions 52 of the kinematic pins 50.

[0030] 6, when the supporting portion 52 of the kinematic pin 50 is inserted into the supported portion 63 of the adapter 60, the outer surface of the supporting portion 52, which is frusto-conical, comes into contact with the pair of tapered surfaces 64 in a linear region. The longitudinal directions of the three supported portions 63 extend in different directions, and by inserting the supporting portion 52 of the kinematic pin 50 into each of the supported portions 63, the three supported portions 63 are supported by the three kinematic pins 50, and the adapter 60 is held at a predetermined angle with respect to the base 42.

[0031] 2, a cassette holding portion 65 that determines the position of the cassette 55 in the horizontal direction is provided on the upper surface 61 of the adapter 60. In the configuration example of FIG. 2, four L-shaped cassette holding portions 65 that hold the four corners of the cassette 55 are provided.

[0032] The configuration of the cassette holding portion in the adapter 60 is not limited to the shape shown in Fig. 2. For example, four linear cassette holding portions for holding the four sides of the cassette 55 may be provided. Also, the L-shaped cassette holding portion 65 shown in Fig. 2 may be used in combination with linear cassette holding portions. Furthermore, the cassette holding portions may be formed by providing a plurality of cylindrical or prismatic protrusions on the upper surface 61 of the adapter 60, and these protrusions may abut against the side surfaces of the cassette 55 to determine the position of the cassette 55.

[0033] 5, the adapter 60 is attached to the pedestal 42 with the supported portions 63 supported by the supporting portions 52 of each kinematic pin 50, and the cassette 55 is placed on the upper surface 61 of the adapter 60, whereby the cassette 55 is supported on the cassette stage 13. The horizontal position of the cassette 55 is determined by the cassette holding portion 65 provided on the adapter 60. In this way, even a cassette 55 that does not have supported portions that engage with the kinematic pins 50 can be placed on the cassette stage 13 by using the adapter 60 therebetween.

[0034] However, simply placing the supported portions 63 of the adapter 60 on the supporting portions 52 of the kinematic pins 50 may cause the adapter 60 to fall off the kinematic pins 50 due to the force applied to the adapter 60 when, for example, a cassette 55 is attached or detached. The cassette stage 13 of this embodiment has a structure that prevents the adapter 60 placed on the cassette stage 13 from falling off, and this structure will be described in detail below.

[0035] 2, 5, and 6, a recess 53 is formed at the tip (upper end) of the kinematic pin 50. The recess 53 is a screw hole with a female screw 54 formed therein, which opens at the tip of the support part 52 of the kinematic pin 50 and extends from the opening in the Z-axis direction toward the inside of the kinematic pin 50 (the -Z direction side).

[0036] 2 to 5, the adapter 60 is provided with through holes 66 that penetrate in the Z-axis direction. More specifically, it is provided with three through holes 66 that communicate with the three supported portions 63. Each through hole 66 is formed as an elongated hole that extends parallel to the elongated groove-shaped supported portions 63 that communicate with it, and has a pair of parallel opposing surfaces 67 that are arranged symmetrically with respect to an imaginary center line Pa that passes through the center of the elongated hole in the width direction, as shown in FIG.

[0037] An upper end (end on the +Z direction side) of the through hole 66 opens to an upper surface 61 of the adapter 60. A lower end (end on the -Z direction side) of the through hole 66 communicates with the supported portion 63. More specifically, lower ends of a pair of opposing surfaces 67 of the through hole 66 are connected to upper ends of a pair of tapered surfaces 64 that constitute the supported portion 63. Therefore, in a state in which the supported portion 63 is supported by the support portion 52 of the kinematic pin 50, the through hole 66 is positioned corresponding to the recessed portion 53 of the kinematic pin 50, and the end of the through hole 66 on the -Z direction side communicates with the recessed portion 53 (see FIG. 6 ).

[0038] The adapter 60 is fixed to the kinematic pins 50 using three fixing portions 70 corresponding to the three kinematic pins 50. As shown in Figures 2 and 6, each fixing portion 70 is a bolt having a cylindrical shank 71 that passes through the through-hole 66 of the adapter 60 and enters the recess 53 of the kinematic pin 50, and a head portion 72 provided at the upper end of the shank 71. The diameter of the head portion 72 is larger than the diameter of the shank 71.

[0039] A male thread 73 is formed on the outer surface of the shaft portion 71 of the fixing part 70 in the region on the tip side that enters the recessed portion 53 of the kinematic pin 50. The male thread 73 can be threadably engaged with the female thread 54 in the recessed portion 53. The male thread 73 is not formed on the portion of the shaft portion 71 that is located inside the through hole 66. The diameter of the shaft portion 71 is set to be approximately the same as the distance between the pair of opposing surfaces 67 in the through hole 66.

[0040] The head 72 is formed with an operating portion 74 for fitting a tool thereto. By applying a rotational force to a tool fitted into the operating portion 74, the fixed portion 70 can be rotated around the shaft 71. The operating portion 74 shown in FIG. 2 is a hexagonal recess into which a hexagonal wrench can be fitted, but the operating portion may also be a groove into which a screwdriver can be fitted. Furthermore, the outer surface of the head 72 may be shaped like a hexagon, and the operating portion may be configured in a form in which a tool such as a box wrench can be fitted onto the outer surface of the head 72. In other words, the fixed portion 70 may be configured to be capable of being rotated by some means.

[0041] When attaching the adapter 60 to the cassette stage 13, the supporting portions 52 of each kinematic pin 50 are inserted into the supported portions 63 and brought into contact with the tapered surfaces 64, thereby supporting the adapter 60 via the three kinematic pins 50. In this state, the through-holes 66 formed in the adapter 60 are positioned above the recesses 53 provided at the tip of each kinematic pin 50, and the recesses 53 and the through-holes 66 are in communication with each other.

[0042] Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the shaft 71 of each fixing part 70 is inserted from above (from the upper surface 61 side) into each through-hole 66 of the adapter 60. The shaft 71 of each fixing part 70 passes through the through-hole 66 and enters the recess 53 below the through-hole 66. When a tool is fitted into the operating part 74 and the fixing part 70 is rotated in the tightening direction (for example, clockwise when the fixing part 70 is viewed from above from the head 72 side), the male thread 73 formed on the outer surface of the tip side of the shaft 71 screws into the female thread 54 formed on the inner surface of the recess 53. When the fixing part 70 is rotated a predetermined amount in the tightening direction, the lower surface of the head 72 abuts against the upper surface 61 of the adapter 60, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. When a force is applied from this state to rotate the fixed portion 70 further in the tightening direction, the lower surface of the head 72 of the fixed portion 70 is pressed against the upper surface 61 of the adapter 60, and the tapered surface 64 of the supported portion 63 of the adapter 60 is pressed against the supporting portion 52 of the kinematic pin 50. As a result, the adapter 60 (more specifically, the upper surface 61 and the supported portion 63) is sandwiched between the supporting portion 52 of the kinematic pin 50 and the head 72 of the fixed portion 70 in the Z-axis direction. Then, by tightening each of the three fixed portions 70 with a predetermined tightening torque, the fixing of the adapters 60 to each kinematic pin 50 is completed.

[0043] 5 and 6, in a state in which the adapter 60 is fixed by the fixing parts 70, the lower surfaces of the heads 72 of the fixing parts 70 abut against the upper surface 61 of the adapter 60, thereby restricting upward movement of the adapter 60 relative to the kinematic pins 50. Furthermore, horizontal movement of the adapter 60 relative to the kinematic pins 50 is restricted by the shaft parts 71 of the fixing parts 70 abutting against the opposing surfaces 67 of the through holes 66.

[0044] In this way, by fixing the adapter 60 to the kinematic pin 50 via the fixing portion 70, even if an external force is applied to the adapter 60, for example, by an operator coming into contact with the adapter 60 when attaching or detaching the cassette 55 to or from the adapter 60, the adapter 60 can be prevented from falling off the cassette stage 13.

[0045] It should be noted that each fixing portion 70 is only required to prevent at least the head portion 72 from causing the adapter 60 to fall off when fixed to the kinematic pin 50. Since horizontal movement of the adapter 60 relative to the kinematic pin 50 is restricted by the engagement between each supporting portion 52 and each supported portion 63, it is not essential to restrict horizontal movement of the adapter 60 using the shaft portion 71 of each fixing portion 70. In other words, the diameter of the shaft portion 71 of each fixing portion 70 may be set smaller than the distance between the pair of opposing surfaces 67 of each through-hole 66, so that the shaft portion 71 does not come into contact with the pair of opposing surfaces 67 of the through-hole 66.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 5, when the adapter 60 is fixed by each fixing portion 70, a head portion 72 of each fixing portion 70 protrudes from the upper surface 61 of the adapter 60. As shown in Fig. 2, the position at which each fixing portion 70 is fixed to each kinematic pin 50 is arranged outside the area where the cassette 55 is placed on the upper surface 61 of the adapter 60 (the installation range of the cassette 55 determined by the cassette holding portion 65). Therefore, the head portion 72 of each fixing portion 70 does not interfere with the placement of the cassette 55 on the upper surface 61 of the adapter 60, and the cassette 55 can be stably supported on the upper surface 61 of the adapter 60 while the adapter 60 is fixed to the kinematic pin 50 by each fixing portion 70.

[0047] In a different embodiment, a bottomed recessed portion capable of accommodating the head 82 of each fixing portion 70 may be provided on the upper surface 61 of the adapter 60, and when each fixing portion 70 is fixed to each kinematic pin 50, the head 82 may be accommodated in the recessed portion and not protrude from the upper surface 61.

[0048] When removing the adapter 60 from the kinematic pin 50, each fixing portion 70 is rotated in the removal direction (for example, counterclockwise when the fixing portion 70 is viewed from above from the head 72 side). This causes the male thread 73 formed on the shaft portion 71 to disengage from the female thread 54 formed on the inner surface of the recess 53, and the shaft portion 71 can be pulled upward from the recess 53 and the through-hole 66 to remove the fixing portion 70. By removing each fixing portion 70, the removal of the adapter 60 from the kinematic pin 50 is no longer restricted, and the adapter 60 can be removed from the cassette stage 13.

[0049] The fixing portion 70 in the above embodiment is configured to fix the adapter 60 to the kinematic pin 50 by screwing, but the fixing portion may be fixed to the kinematic pin by a structure other than screwing. Figure 7 shows a fixing portion 80 and a kinematic pin 90 having a fixing structure different from those in the above embodiment.

[0050] The fixed part 80 includes a cylindrical shaft part 81 and a head part 82 having a larger diameter than the shaft part 81. A protrusion 83 that protrudes in the radial direction of the shaft part 81 is provided near the tip (lower end) of the shaft part 81. An operating part 84 provided on the upper surface of the head part 82 is a knob that extends in the radial direction of the head part 82, and an operator can grip the operating part 84 to rotate the fixed part 80 around the shaft part 81.

[0051] The columnar portion 91 and the support portion 92 of the kinematic pin 90 correspond to the columnar portion 51 and the support portion 52 of the kinematic pin 50 of the above embodiment. A recessed portion 93 is formed at the tip (upper end) of the kinematic pin 90. The recessed portion 93 has a central hole 94 extending in the Z-axis direction, and the central hole 94 has a cylindrical inner surface shape that allows the shaft portion 81 of the fixed portion 80 to enter. The central hole 94 opens at the tip of the support portion 92 of the kinematic pin 90, and extends from the opening toward the inside of the kinematic pin 90 (the -Z direction side) in the Z-axis direction.

[0052] The recess 93 of the kinematic pin 90 further has a vertical groove 95 and a fitting groove 96. The vertical groove 95 communicates with a central hole 94 inside the kinematic pin 90, and the vertical groove 95, which extends from the central hole 94 in the radial direction of the kinematic pin 90, opens to the side surfaces of the support portion 92 and the columnar portion 91. The range in which the vertical groove 95 is formed in the Z-axis direction is from the tip of the kinematic pin 90, past the support portion 92, to midway along the columnar portion 91. One end of a fitting groove 96, which extends in the circumferential direction of the columnar portion 91, is connected to the lower end of the vertical groove 95, which is located midway along the columnar portion 91. The fitting groove 96 opens to the side surface of the columnar portion 91 and, like the vertical groove 95, communicates with the central hole 94 inside the kinematic pin 90. That is, when the kinematic pin 90 is viewed from the side, an L-shaped groove is provided, which is made up of a vertical groove 95 extending in the Z-axis direction and a fitting groove 96 extending in the circumferential direction. This L-shaped groove communicates with a central hole 94 inside the kinematic pin 90.

[0053] A method for fixing the fixed part 80 configured as above to the kinematic pins 90 will be described. Although the adapter 60 is not shown in Fig. 7, the configuration of the adapter 60 is the same as in the above embodiment. Also, although Fig. 7 shows only one fixed part 80 and one kinematic pin 90, as in the above embodiment, the adapter 60 is supported using at least three kinematic pins 90, and at least three fixed parts 80 are provided corresponding to the adapter 60.

[0054] When fixing the fixing portion 80 to the kinematic pin 90, the position of the protrusion 83 is aligned with the position of the vertical groove 95 in the rotational direction of the fixing portion 80 (circumferential direction of the kinematic pin 90), and then the shaft portion 81 is inserted from above into the through hole 66 of the adapter 60.

[0055] The orientation of the vertical groove 95 in the kinematic pin 90 is set appropriately in advance so that the protrusion 83 can pass through the through hole 66 when the shaft portion 81 is inserted into the through hole 66. In other words, the orientations of the fixing portion 80 and the kinematic pin 90 are set so that the protrusion 83 protrudes in the longitudinal direction of the through hole 66, rather than in the width direction of the through hole 66 (the direction approaching the pair of opposing surfaces 67).

[0056] When the shaft portion 81 of the fixed part 80 passes through the through-hole 66 of the adapter 60 and enters the recess 93 of the kinematic pin 90, the shaft portion 81 enters the center hole 94 and the protrusion 83 enters the vertical groove 95. Once the fixed part 80 has been inserted downward until the protrusion 83 reaches the lower end of the vertical groove 95, the operator grasps the operating part 84 and rotates the fixed part 80 in the direction in which the protrusion 83 enters the fitting groove 96. Then, the protrusion 83 is sandwiched between the upper and lower surfaces of the fitting groove 96, and the movement of the fixed part 80 in the Z-axis direction relative to the kinematic pin 90 is restricted. Although not shown in the drawing, at this stage, the lower surface of the head portion 82 of the fixed part 80 abuts against the upper surface 61 of the adapter 60. Therefore, the fixing portion 80 is fixed to the kinematic pin 90 in the Z-axis direction by the engagement of the projection 83 with the engagement groove 96, and the head 82 of the fixing portion 80 prevents the adapter 60 from falling off the kinematic pin 90.

[0057] In order to prevent rattle of the fixed part 80 when the protrusion 83 is fitted into the fitting groove 96, the protrusion 83 may be configured to be press-fitted into the fitting groove 96. For example, the above-described press-fitted state can be obtained by configuring the fitting groove 96 so that the distance between the upper and lower surfaces thereof gradually narrows with increasing distance from the connecting position with the longitudinal groove 95.

[0058] When removing the adapter 60 from the kinematic pin 90, the operator grips the operating portion 84 and rotates the fixed portion 80 in the removal direction (the direction in which the protrusion 83 approaches the vertical groove 95). Then, after rotating the fixed portion 80 until the protrusion 83 enters the vertical groove 95, the operator moves the fixed portion 80 upward and pulls the shaft portion 81 upward out of the recess 93 and the through-hole 66. By removing the fixed portion 80, removal of the adapter 60 from the kinematic pin 90 is no longer restricted, and the adapter 60 can now be removed from the cassette stage 13.

[0059] According to each of the above embodiments, the cassette stage 13 supports a cassette with at least three kinematic pins 50, 90, and is provided with an adapter 60 having supported portions 63 supported by the respective kinematic pins 50, 90 and on whose upper surface 61 the cassette is placed, recesses 53, 93 formed at the tip of each kinematic pin 50, 90, through holes 66 corresponding to the respective recesses 53, 93 and passing through the adapter 60, and fixing portions 70, 80 passing through the respective through holes 66 and entering the respective recesses 53, 93 to fix the adapter 60 to the respective kinematic pins 50, 90, thereby making it possible to prevent the adapter 60 placed on the cassette stage 13 from falling off.

[0060] As a configuration for fixing the fixed portion to the kinematic pin, various configurations can be applied, such as a configuration in which the male screw 73 and the female screw 54 are screwed together, as in the case of the fixed portion 70 and the kinematic pin 50 described above, or a configuration in which the protrusion 83 is fitted into the fitting groove 96, as in the case of the fixed portion 80 and the kinematic pin 90 described above.

[0061] The fixed part 70 and the kinematic pin 50 are configured to have a male screw 73 and a female screw 54 that are threaded together, and the height position of the head 72 relative to the kinematic pin 50 can be adjusted by changing the degree of engagement between the male screw 73 and the female screw 54. Therefore, even if the thickness of the adapter 60 attached to the cassette stage 13 varies and the height position of the upper surface 61 changes, this can be accommodated by adjusting the height position of the head 72. Furthermore, the strength of the fixing force that presses the head 72 of the fixed part 70 against the upper surface 61 of the adapter 60 can be adjusted according to the degree of engagement between the male screw 73 and the female screw 54.

[0062] The fixing part 80 and the kinematic pin 90 are configured to fit the projection 83 into the fitting groove 96, and the adapter 60 is fixed by inserting the shaft 81 of the fixing part 80 in the Z-axis direction and then slightly changing the angle of the fixing part 80 around the shaft 81. Therefore, the worker can easily perform the fixing work without using tools, etc., which is excellent in terms of workability.

[0063] As described above, each method of fixing the fixed portion to the kinematic pin has its own advantages. Therefore, any fixing structure can be selected depending on the situation. Also, fixing structures other than those in the above embodiments can be adopted.

[0064] The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and may be variously changed, substituted, or modified without departing from the spirit of the technical idea of ​​the present invention. Furthermore, if the technical idea of ​​the present invention can be realized in a different way due to technological advances or other derived technologies, it may be implemented using that method. Therefore, the claims cover all embodiments that may fall within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0065] As described above, according to the cassette stage of the present invention, the adapter placed on the cassette stage is prevented from falling off by the fixing portion, thereby improving the efficiency of processing and handling when supporting a cassette via an adapter in various processing devices and processing equipment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10: Processing equipment 13: Cassette Stage 14: Cassette 15: Robot 17: Positioning unit 19:Transport mechanism 20: Chuck table 23: Processing unit 30: Cleaning unit 40: Casing 41:Support mechanism 42: Pedestal 50: Cinema Pin 51: Columnar part 52: Support part 53: Recess 54: Female thread 55: Cassette 60: Adapter 61:Top surface 62: Bottom surface 63: Supported part 64: Tapered surface 65: Cassette holder 66: Through hole 67: Opposite surface 70:Fixed part 71: Shaft 72:Head 73: Male thread 74:Operation section 80:Fixed part 81: Shaft 82:Head 83: Protrusion 84:Operation section 90: Cinema Pin 91: Columnar part 92: Support part 93: Recess 94: Center hole 95: Vertical grooves 96: Mating groove

Claims

[Claim 1] a cassette stage supporting a cassette by at least three kinematic pins, an adapter having a supported portion supported by the kinematic pin and having a cassette placed on its upper surface; a recess formed at the tip of the kinematic pin; a through hole that corresponds to the recess and passes through the adapter; a fixing portion that passes through the through hole and enters the recess and fixes the adapter to the kinematic pin; Equipped with a cassette stage.

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