Extrusion device for wafer

Abstract

To provide an extrusion device for safely taking a wafer out of a cassette while keeping the wafer in a lateral direction.SOLUTION: An extrusion device 1 for selecting and extruding a wafer 3 at any position from a cassette 2 in which a plurality of wafers 3 can be stored while being spaced therebetween in a vertical direction comprises: a push member 10 for pressing a peripheral edge of the wafer 3; a lift mechanism 20 for manually lifting the push member 10 in the vertical direction; and a forward / backward movement mechanism 30 for manually moving the push member 10 back and forth. A height of the push member 10 is adjusted to a height level of the wafer 3 subjected to be taken out of the cassette 2 by operating the lift mechanism 20 and a front end of the push member 10 is then brought into contact with the peripheral edge of the wager 3 and pressed by operating the forward / backward movement mechanism 30, so that the wafer 3 moves forward in a pressing direction of the push member 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a push-out device for selecting and pushing out any wafer stored in a cassette in order to facilitate removal of the wafer from the cassette. [Background technology]

[0002] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, cassettes are used to store wafers for purposes such as transporting, storing, organizing, and protecting the wafers. These cassettes are standardized in size and shape, and generally have multiple levels with slots spaced at regular intervals so that wafers can be inserted one by one.

[0003] Furthermore, when inspecting wafers, for example, there is a demand for removing only one wafer stored in a cassette. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a removal device for selectively removing wafers from a cassette. Patent Document 1 discloses that a cassette is placed on the removal device so that the wafers inside are oriented vertically, and the fingers of the removal device are advanced (raised) into the cassette, thereby vertically lifting the wafers inside the cassette (Fig. 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 03-057242 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when a wafer is lifted from a cassette and removed, as in the removal device shown in FIG. 3 of Patent Document 1, the wafer must be changed from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation when the removed wafer is to be grasped with a tool such as a pick or tweezers. Therefore, a removal device that lifts a wafer vertically from a cassette has the problem that it is difficult to handle the removed wafer with one hand using a tool such as a pick. Furthermore, if a wafer is removed from a cassette in a horizontal orientation, there is a risk that the wafer will fall out of the cassette when pushed out. For this reason, wafers have generally been removed from a cassette in a vertical orientation, as in Patent Document 1.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for easily and safely removing wafers from a cassette while keeping them in a horizontal position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] After extensive research into ways to solve the problems of the conventional inventions, the inventors of the present invention discovered that by manually adjusting a pushing member for pushing wafers in a cassette to the height level of a desired wafer in the cassette and then manually contacting the peripheral edge of the desired wafer again, the desired wafer can be partially protruded from the cassette while still in a horizontal position, making it easier to grasp and remove the protruding portion with a tool such as a pick. Based on this discovery, the inventors then conceived the idea of ​​solving the problems of the conventional inventions and completed the present invention. Specifically, the present invention has the following features.

[0008] The present invention relates to an extrusion device 1. The extrusion device 1 is a device for selecting and extruding a wafer 3 at a desired position from a cassette 2 that can store multiple wafers 3 with vertical gaps. The extrusion device 1 includes a pressing member 10, an elevating mechanism 20, and an advancing / retracting mechanism 30. The pressing member 10 is a member for pressing the peripheral edge of the wafer 3. The elevating mechanism 20 manually raises and lowers the pressing member 10 vertically. The advancing / retracting mechanism 30 manually advances and retreats the pressing member 10 back and forth. In the extrusion device 1 according to the present invention, first, the height of the pressing member 10 is adjusted to the height level of the wafer 3 to be removed from the cassette 2 by operating the elevating mechanism 20. Then, the advancing / retracting mechanism 30 is operated to bring the tip of the pressing member 10 into contact with and press against the peripheral edge of the wafer 3, thereby advancing the wafer 3 in the pressing direction of the pressing member 10. In this way, by including the lifting mechanism 20 and the advancing / retracting mechanism 30, the extrusion device 1 can use the pushing member 10 to advance any wafer 3 from among the cassettes 2 within the cassette 2. As a result, any wafer 3 will remain in a horizontal position and partially protrude relative to the wafers 3 in the other cassettes 2, making it easier to grasp that protruding portion of the wafer 3 with a tool such as a pick. Note that if the wafer 3 is pushed too far, it may fall out of the cassette 2; however, because the advancing / retracting mechanism 30 allows manual operation of the pushing member 10, it is easy to adjust the distance that the wafer 3 has advanced so that it does not fall out of the cassette 2.

[0009] In the extrusion device 1 according to the present invention, the advancing / retracting mechanism 30 is preferably configured to stop the pushing member 10 at a position where the wafers 3 will not fall out of the cassette 2. By providing a structural limit to the distance the pushing member 10 is advanced by the advancing / retracting mechanism 30, it is possible to prevent accidents such as the wafers 3 falling out of the cassette 2 when the pushing member 10 is operated incorrectly.

[0010] In the extrusion device 1 according to the present invention, the advancing / retracting mechanism 30 advances / retracts the pressing member 10 back and forth from a start point that is the farthest away from the wafer 3 to an end point where the wafer 3 has advanced to the maximum extent. In this case, the advancing / retracting mechanism 30 preferably includes a biasing means 34 that biases the pressing member 10 to retract toward the start point. This allows the pressing member 10 to be automatically returned to the start point by the biasing means 34 when the advancing / retracting mechanism 30 is not being operated. Furthermore, by biasing the pressing member 10 toward the start point, a larger load is applied when advancing the pressing member 10 toward the end point compared to when retracting the pressing member 10 toward the start point. This allows the pressing member 10 to push the wafer 3 more carefully.

[0011] In the extrusion device 1 according to the present invention, the advancing / retreating mechanism 30 preferably has a front-rear slide rail 32 and a front-rear lever 31. The front-rear slide rail 32 is a rail for sliding the pushing member 10 back and forth. The front-rear lever 31 is a lever for operating to slide the pushing member 10 along the front-rear slide rail 32. In this case, the advancing / retreating mechanism 30 is preferably configured so that pulling the front-rear lever 31 moves the pushing member 10 forward toward the wafer 3. This allows the user to pull the front-rear lever 31 toward themselves, thereby realizing an operation in which the wafer 3 is pushed out toward the user's hand. This makes the extrusion device 1 easier for the user to use.

[0012] In the extrusion device 1 according to the present invention, the lifting mechanism 20 preferably includes a weight support means 26. The weight support means 26 provides a reaction force that balances the weight of the pusher member 10 and other components connected thereto to maintain the height of the pusher member 10 when the lifting mechanism 20 is not being operated. This allows the pusher member 10 and other components to remain at that height, even if the lifting mechanism 20 is operated to raise the pusher member 10 to a certain height and the operation of the lifting mechanism 20 is stopped (the user releases the lifting mechanism 20) at that height. This prevents accidents such as the pusher member 10 free-falling when the operation of the lifting mechanism 20 is stopped, damaging the wafers 3, the cassette 2, and the like. Furthermore, because the weight support means 26 offsets the weight of the vertical slider 24 and other components, the vertical slider 24 can be smoothly moved up and down by operating the vertical lever 21.

[0013] In the extrusion device 1 according to the present invention, the lifting mechanism 20 preferably has a vertical slide rail 23 and a vertical lever 21. The vertical slide rail 23 is a rail for sliding the front-rear slide rail 32 up and down. The vertical lever 21 is a lever for operating the front-rear slide rail 32 to slide along the vertical slide rail 23. In this way, by sliding the front-rear slide rail 32 up and down using the vertical slide rail 23, the lifting mechanism 20 and the advancing / retreating mechanism 30 can be interlocked.

[0014] In the push-out device 1 according to the present invention, the lifting mechanism 20 preferably further includes a locking member 22 and a rotating member 25. The locking member 22 has a plurality of grooves 22a formed therein, each corresponding to a height level of the wafers 3 in the cassette 2. The rotating member 25 is a member for rotating the up / down lever 21 so that a portion of the up / down lever 21 is inserted into the groove 22b of the locking member 22. The groove 22b of the locking member 22 corresponds to the height level of the wafers 3 in the cassette 2. When the up / down lever 21 is inserted into the groove 22b corresponding to the wafer 3 to be pushed out, the height level of the push member 10 coincides with the height level of the target wafer 3. This makes it easier to adjust the height level of the push member 10 to the height level of any wafer 3.

[0015] In the extrusion device 1 according to the present invention, it is preferable that one locking member 22 be replaceable with another locking member 22 having grooves 22b with different spacing. The vertical spacing and height level of the wafers 3 in the cassette 2 differ depending on the type of cassette 2. For example, the vertical spacing and height level of the wafers 3 differ between a cassette 2 for storing 6-inch wafers 3 and a cassette 2 for storing 8-inch wafers 3. Therefore, by making the locking member 22 replaceable depending on the type of cassette 2, it is possible to replace only the locking member 22 for each type of cassette 2, without having to replace the entire extrusion device 1, which is economical. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a push-out device that makes it easy to safely remove a wafer from a cassette while keeping it in a horizontal position. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of an extrusion device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the appearance of an extrusion device according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a right side view showing the appearance of the extrusion device according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 mainly shows an example of how to operate the lifting mechanism. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 mainly shows an example of how to operate the advance / retract mechanism. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a front view showing the internal structure of an extrusion device according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the internal structure of an extrusion device according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a left side view showing the internal structure of the extrusion device according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and includes appropriate modifications of the embodiments described below within the scope obvious to those skilled in the art. The drawings are indicated by orthogonal three-dimensional coordinate axes, XYZ. The X axis indicates the left-right direction of the extrusion device 1, the Y axis indicates the front-rear direction of the extrusion device 1, and the Z axis indicates the up-down direction of the extrusion device 1.

[0019] 1 to 3 show the appearance of an extrusion device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The extrusion device 1 is used to extrude any one selected from wafers 3 stored in a cassette 2 to a degree that prevents the wafer from falling out of the cassette 2, making it easy to grasp with a tool such as a pick. In addition to the extrusion device 1, FIGS. 1 to 3 also show the cassette 2 storing one wafer 3. First, with reference to these figures, the configuration of the extrusion device 1 that can be seen from the exterior and the method of operating it will be described.

[0020] A commonly available, well-known cassette 2 can be used. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the cassette 2 is primarily composed of four parts: a top panel, a bottom panel, a left side panel, and a right side panel. Pairs of left and right slots are formed in multiple stages at equal intervals in the vertical direction on the inside of the left and right side panels. The front and back sides of the cassette 2 each have an opening. Wafers 3 can be inserted into each slot through the front opening. In the example shown in Figure 1, the cassette 2 has a total of 25 slots, with one wafer 3 inserted in the 15th slot from the bottom. The cassette 2's size, slot spacing, and slot height vary depending on the size of the wafers 3 to be stored. Similarly, a well-known wafer 3 can be used. A wafer 3 is a thin, disc-shaped substrate used in the semiconductor device manufacturing process. By forming fine circuit patterns on the surface of the wafer 3 using a technique called photolithography, various semiconductor devices (transistors, IC chips, etc.) can be manufactured from it. In the final stage of semiconductor device manufacturing, the wafer 3 is diced (cut) into individual chips.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the extrusion device 1 mainly includes a pusher 10, an elevator mechanism 20, a forward / backward mechanism 30, a stage 40, and a housing 50. In the extrusion device 1, the pusher 10, the elevator mechanism 20, the forward / backward mechanism 30, and the housing 50 are all mounted on the stage 40, and the cassette 2 containing the wafers 3 is also placed on this stage 40. The cassette 2 can be placed on the stage 40 with the wafers 3 in a horizontal orientation. The "horizontal orientation" of the wafers 3 refers to the orientation in which the wafers 3 appear circular in a plan view, as shown in FIG. 2 . In other words, when the cassette 2 is placed on the stage 40 with the wafers 3 in a horizontal orientation, the wafers 3 and the stage 40 are approximately parallel. The orientation in which the wafers 3 appear circular in a front view ( FIG. 1 ) or a side view ( FIG. 3 ) is referred to as a "vertical orientation." In this way, the extrusion device 1 of the present invention is used to remove the wafers 3 in a horizontal orientation from the cassette 2 containing the wafers 3 in a horizontal orientation.

[0022] The pushing member 10 is a member for pushing out the wafer 3 in the cassette 2. In this embodiment, the pushing member 10 has a contact 11 that contacts the periphery of the wafer 3 and an arm 12 for connecting the contact 11 to the advancing / retracting mechanism 30. The pushing member 10 is disposed on the rear side of the cassette 2 in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction). When pushing the wafer 3 in the cassette 2, the pushing member 10 pushes the wafer 3 from the rear side to the front side in the front-rear direction. The contact 11 is disposed to extend parallel to the front-rear direction, as shown in FIG. 2, for example. On the other hand, one end of the arm 12 is fixed to the rear end of the contact 11, and the other end is fixed to the advancing / retracting mechanism 30 (specifically, the front-rear slider 33). The arm 12 is disposed to extend parallel to the left-right direction (X-axis direction), as shown in FIG. 2, for example.

[0023] 3, the contactor 11 of the pushing member 10 is a plate-shaped member that is designed to be slightly thicker than the wafer 3 to be pushed out. Therefore, when the contactor 11 is brought into contact with the peripheral edge of the wafer 3 in the cassette 2, the contactor 11 can push out one wafer 3, but the contactor 11 does not come into contact with the other wafers 3 positioned above and below that wafer 3. Although not shown in the figure, by adjusting the thickness of the contactor 11, it is also possible to push out multiple wafers 3 toward each other.

[0024] The lifting mechanism 20 is a mechanism for manually raising and lowering the pressing member 10. By manually operating the lifting mechanism 20, the height of the pressing member 10 can be adjusted to the height level of the wafer 3 to be removed from the cassette 2. The lifting mechanism 20 includes an up / down lever 21, as shown in FIG. 1, for example. The pressing member 10 is raised and lowered by manually grasping the up / down lever 21 and moving it in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). In this embodiment, when the up / down lever 21 of the lifting mechanism 20 is moved in the vertical direction, the advancing and retreating mechanism 30, which will be described later, is also raised and lowered together with the pressing member 10.

[0025] The lifting mechanism 20 also includes a locking member 22. This locking member 22 is a member for maintaining the height level of the up / down lever 21 after the up / down operation. As shown in FIG. 1, the locking member 22 is a vertically elongated plate-like member extending vertically. The locking member 22 has a linear center hole 22a extending vertically at its center, and multiple grooves 22b connected to the center hole 22a are formed on both left and right sides of the center hole 22a. The up / down lever 21 is inserted into the center hole 22a, and the up / down lever 21 can be moved vertically along the center hole 22a. The multiple grooves 22b are all formed at different heights, and the height of each groove 22b corresponds to the height of the slots in the cassette 2, i.e., the height of the wafers 3 stored in the cassette 2. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the cassette 2 has a total of 25 slots, and therefore the locking member 22 also has 25 grooves 22b formed in the locking member 22. In the illustrated example, grooves 22b corresponding to odd-numbered stages of cassette 2 are formed on the left side of center hole 22a of locking member 22, and grooves 22b corresponding to even-numbered stages of cassette 2 are formed on the right side of center hole 22a. Up / down lever 21 can be inserted into these grooves 22b by rotating up / down lever 21 left and right as shown in Fig. 2, for example. The height of up / down lever 21 inserted into groove 22b is maintained at the height of groove 22b.

[0026] Furthermore, the locking member 22 can be appropriately replaced depending on the type of cassette 2. In the example shown in FIG. 1 etc., a cassette 2 used to store 6-inch wafers 3 is placed on the stage 40, and therefore a locking member 22 for 6 inches is also attached to the extrusion device 1. For example, if a cassette 2 used to store 8-inch wafers 3 is placed on the stage 40, the locking member 22 for 6 inches can be replaced with one for 8 inches.

[0027] The advancing / retracting mechanism 30 is a mechanism for manually moving the pressing member 10 back and forth. By manually operating the advancing / retracting mechanism 30, the tip of the pressing member 10 can be brought into contact with the periphery of the wafer 3 to press it. As a result, the wafer 3 advances in the pressing direction of the pressing member 10 within the cassette 2. The advancing / retracting mechanism 30 includes a forward / backward lever 31, as shown in FIG. 2, for example. The pressing member 10 advances back and forth by manually gripping the forward / backward lever 31 and moving it forward / backward. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, pulling the forward / backward lever 31 forward moves the pressing member 10 forward toward the wafer 3 in the cassette 2, thereby pushing the wafer 3 forward.

[0028] The stage 40 is a base for mounting the main components of the extrusion device 1 and the cassette 2 containing the wafers 3. The stage 40 has adjusters 41 at each of the four corners on its underside. For example, by adjusting the height of each adjuster 41, the mounting surface of the stage 40 can be made more horizontal. The stage 40 also has multiple stoppers 42 at the cassette mounting positions on its upper surface. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, each stopper 42 has a shape that extends in the left-right direction and is fixed to the stage 40 with a gap in the front-to-back direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a convex portion protruding downward from the bottom plate of the cassette 2 can be inserted into the gap between the stoppers 42. In this way, the cassette 2 can be positioned on the stage 40 using the stoppers 42.

[0029] The housing 50 houses the drive system of the extrusion device 1, in particular the drive elements of the lifting mechanism 20 and the advancing / retreating mechanism 30. The internal structure of this housing 50 is shown in Figures 6 to 8, and the details of this internal structure will be described later.

[0030] Next, a method of operating the extrusion device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. First, FIG. 4 shows an operation of operating the up / down lever 21 of the lifting mechanism 20 to raise the push member 10 upward. As shown in FIG. 4(a), the up / down lever 21 is inserted into the central hole 22a of the locking member 22. Then, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the up / down lever 21 is manually moved upward along the central hole 22a of the locking member 22. At this time, the front / rear lever 31 of the advancing / retracting mechanism 30 also moves upward together with the up / down lever 21. By moving the up / down lever 21 in this manner, the height level of the up / down lever 21 is aligned with the groove 22b corresponding to the desired slot in the cassette 2. In the example of FIG. 4(b), in order to remove a wafer 3 inserted in the 15th slot of the cassette 2, the height level of the up / down lever 21 is aligned with the 15th groove 22b of the locking member 22. Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 4(c), the vertical lever 21 is rotated left and right and inserted into the groove 22b of the locking member 22. In the example of Fig. 4(c), the vertical lever 21 is rotated left and inserted into the 15th groove 22b of the locking member 22. By inserting the vertical lever 21 into the groove 22b in this way, the vertical lever 21 does not move up and down naturally, and therefore the height level of the vertical lever 21 and the pushing member 10 is maintained constant.

[0031] Next, FIG. 5 shows an operation of operating the forward / backward lever 31 of the advancing / retracting mechanism 30 to advance the pushing member 10 forward in the forward / backward direction. As shown in FIG. 5( a), when the operation of the up / down lever 21 is completed, the up / down lever 21 rotates left or right and is inserted into the groove 22b of the locking member 22. The pushing member 10 is disposed at the rear side of the cassette 2 in the forward / backward direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 5( b), when the forward / backward lever 31 is pulled forward, the pushing member 10 advances toward the wafer 3 in the cassette 2, enters the cassette 2 through the opening on the rear side of the cassette 2, contacts the wafer 3, pushes it out, and ultimately protrudes the wafer 3 from the cassette 2 by a predetermined distance. In this way, using the push-out device 1, a desired wafer 3 can be selected from the cassette 2 and protruded from the cassette 2.

[0032] 5(b), the protrusion distance of the wafer 3 is indicated by the symbol P. The protrusion distance P is the maximum distance that the wafer 3 in the cassette 2 can be protruded by placing the cassette 2 in the push-out device 1 with the wafer 3 stored at the innermost position in the cassette 2 and using the push-out device 1. The push-out device 1 is structurally limited so that the wafer 3 cannot be protruded beyond this protrusion distance P. Note that there is no particular limitation on the method for introducing such a structural limitation into the push-out device 1. For example, it is conceivable to adjust the length of the front-rear slide rail 32 or the front-rear slider 33, which will be described later, or to provide a stopper (not shown) on the front-rear lever 31 so that the front-rear lever 31 cannot be pulled beyond this stopper.

[0033] The protrusion distance P of the wafer 3 may be adjusted to a degree that prevents the wafer 3 from falling off the cassette 2. For example, assuming that the diameter D of the wafer 3 is 100%, setting the protrusion distance P of the wafer 3 to 50% or more increases the risk of the wafer 3 falling off the cassette 2, so the protrusion distance P should be less than 50%. On the other hand, if the protrusion distance P is less than 5% of the diameter D of the wafer 3, it becomes difficult to grip the wafer 3 with a tool such as a pick, so the protrusion distance P is preferably 5% or more. Therefore, the protrusion distance P of the wafer 3 is preferably, for example, 5 to 40% of the diameter D of the wafer 3, and particularly preferably 10 to 30%. Specifically, the protrusion distance P of the wafer 3 is preferably 5 to 50 mm, and particularly preferably 10 to 30 mm.

[0034] Next, the internal structure of the extrusion device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 6 to 8. In particular, the detailed structures of the lifting mechanism 20 and the advancing and retreating mechanism 30 will be described.

[0035] First, as shown in FIG. 8, the lifting mechanism 20 further includes, in addition to the above-mentioned upper and lower levers 21 and locking members 22, upper and lower slide rails 23, upper and lower sliders 24, a rotating member 25, and a spring balancer (weight support means) 26.

[0036] The vertical slide rail 23 is a member formed with a groove (rail) for sliding the vertical slider 24 in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 8 etc., the lower end of the vertical slide rail 23 is fixed to the stage 40, and the vertical slide rail 23 is erected substantially perpendicular to the stage 40. The vertical slider 24 slides linearly in the vertical direction along the groove of the vertical slide rail 23. The vertical slide rail 23 can be of a known type, such as a ball slide or a roller slide.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 7, for example, the vertical lever 21 is connected to the vertical slider 24. Therefore, by moving the vertical lever 21 up and down, the vertical slider 24 slides along the vertical slide rail 23. The vertical lever 21 is also connected to the vertical slider 24 via a rotating member 25, which allows it to rotate laterally. The rotating member 25 has a rotating shaft such as a bolt, and the end of the vertical lever 21 on the vertical slider 24 side is fixed by this rotating shaft. Therefore, the end of the vertical lever 21 that is held by hand can be rotated left and right around this rotating shaft. The method of rotating the vertical lever 21 to insert it into the groove 22b of the locking member 22 is as described above.

[0038] As shown in Figure 8 and other figures, the advancing and retreating mechanism 30 described above is attached to the vertical slider 24. Therefore, the advancing and retreating mechanism 30 moves up and down along with the vertical slider 24. The pushing member 10 described above is also attached to the advancing and retreating mechanism 30. Therefore, the weight of the vertical slider 24 is not only the weight of the vertical slider 24 itself and the vertical lever 21, but also the weight of the advancing and retreating mechanism 30 and the pushing member 10. Therefore, in order to prevent the vertical slider 24 from freely falling along the vertical slide rail 23, the lifting mechanism 20 is provided with a spring balancer 26.

[0039] The spring balancer 26 is designed to offset the load of the advancing / retreating mechanism 30 and the pushing member 10 applied to the vertical slider 24. For example, the main body of the spring balancer 26 is installed above the vertical slide rail 23. A known spring balancer 26 may be used. Specifically, a strong coil spring is disposed inside the housing of the spring balancer 26, and this spring provides tension to support the load of the vertical slider 24. The tension of this spring is adjustable according to the weight applied to the vertical slider 24. The spring is wound around a drum, which rotates as the spring expands and contracts. The drum serves to wind and release a cable extending from the spring balancer 26. This cable is directly connected to the vertical slider 24, and the tension of the spring is transmitted to the vertical slider 24 via this cable. In this way, the tension of the spring offsets the load of the vertical slider 24, preventing the vertical slider 24 from free falling. As a result, the vertical slider 24 remains at the same height level even when the vertical lever 21 is released. In addition, the weight of the vertical slider 24 is offset by the spring balancer 26, so that the vertical slider 24 can be moved up and down smoothly by operating the vertical lever 21.

[0040] Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the forward / backward mechanism 30 further includes, in addition to the forward / backward lever 31, a forward / backward slide rail 32, a forward / backward slider 33, a return spring (biasing means) , and a connector .

[0041] The front-rear slide rail 32 is a member formed with a groove (rail) for sliding the front-rear slider 33 in the front-rear direction. As shown in Fig. 8 etc., the front-rear slide rail 32 is fixed to the above-mentioned up-down slider 24, and moves up and down along with the up-down slider 24. Note that the front-rear slide rail 32 may be of a known type, such as a ball slide or a roller slide.

[0042] The front-rear slider 33 slides linearly in the front-rear direction along the groove of the front-rear slide rail 32. The front-rear lever 31 is fixed to the front end of the front-rear slider 33, as shown in FIG. 7, for example. On the other hand, the arm 12 of the pushing member 10 described above is fixed to the rear end of the front-rear slider 33, as shown in FIG. 7, for example. Therefore, by moving the front-rear lever 31 forward or backward, the front-rear slider 33 slides along the front-rear slide rail 32, and as a result, the pushing member 10 moves forward or backward in the front-rear direction.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 8 , one end of the return spring 34 is fixed to the vertical slider 24, and the other end is fixed to the connector 35. The connector 35 is fixed to the front-rear slider 33. Therefore, when the front-rear lever 31 is pulled toward the front in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction), the return spring 34 is extended via the vertical slider 24 and the connector 35, and tension is generated inside the return spring 34. On the other hand, when the front-rear lever 31 is subsequently released, the restoring force of the return spring 34 pulls the connector 35, the front-rear slider 33, and the front-rear lever 31 toward the rear in the front-rear direction. Therefore, due to the action of the return spring 34, the front-rear lever 31, the front-rear slider 33, and the pushing member 10 are always biased toward the rear in the front-rear direction, i.e., in a direction away from the wafers 3 in the cassette 2. In other words, if the point at which the push member 10 is farthest from the wafer 3 is taken as the "starting point" and the point at which the push member 10 has advanced as far as possible toward the wafer 3 is taken as the "ending point," the return spring 34 acts to urge the push member 10 backward toward the starting point.

[0044] In the above, in order to express the contents of the present invention, the present specification has described the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and includes modifications and improvements that are obvious to those skilled in the art based on the matters described in the present specification. [Industrial Applicability]

[0045] The present invention relates to a wafer extrusion device, and is therefore suitable for use in the semiconductor device manufacturing industry. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1...Extrusion device 2...Cassette 3...wafer 10...pressing member 11...contact 12...arm 20...Lifting mechanism 21...Up / down lever 22... Locking member 22a... Center hole 22b...Groove 23...Up and down slide rail 24...upper and lower sliders 25...rotating members 26...Spring balancer 30...Advance / retraction mechanism 31...Front and rear lever 32...Front and rear slide rail 33...Front and rear slider 34...Return spring 35...Connector 40...Stage 41...Adjuster 42...Stopper 50…Case

Claims

1. 1. An extrusion device for selecting and extruding a wafer at an arbitrary position from a cassette capable of storing a plurality of wafers with gaps between the top and bottom, a pressing member for pressing the peripheral edge of the wafer; a lifting mechanism for manually lifting the pushing member up and down; a reciprocating mechanism for manually moving the pushing member back and forth, The height of the push member is adjusted by operating the lifting mechanism to the height level of the wafer to be removed from the cassette, and then the forward / backward mechanism is operated to bring the tip of the push member into contact with and press against the peripheral edge of the wafer, thereby moving the wafer in the pressing direction of the push member. Extrusion equipment.

2. The advancing / retracting mechanism is configured to stop the pushing member at a position where the wafer does not fall out of the cassette.

10. The extrusion apparatus of claim 1.

3. the advancing / retracting mechanism moves the pushing member back and forth from a start point that is the farthest away from the wafer to an end point at which the wafer has advanced to the maximum extent, The advancing / retreating mechanism has a biasing means for biasing the pushing member so as to retract toward the starting point.

3. The extrusion device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The advancing and retreating mechanism is a front-rear slide rail that slides the pushing member forward and backward; a front-rear lever for operating the pushing member to slide along the front-rear slide rail; When the front and rear lever is pulled, the pushing member moves forward toward the wafer.

3. The extrusion device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

5. The lifting mechanism has a weight support means for providing a reaction force that balances the weight of the push member and the member connected thereto in order to maintain the height of the push member in a non-operating state.

3. The extrusion device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

6. The lifting mechanism includes: an up-and-down slide rail that slides the front-and-rear slide rail up and down; An up-down lever is provided for operating the front-rear slide rail to slide along the up-down slide rail.

5. The extrusion apparatus of claim 4.

7. The lifting mechanism includes: a locking member having a plurality of grooves formed at each height level of the wafers in the cassette; The lever further includes a rotating member that rotates the lever so that a portion of the lever is inserted into the groove.

7. The extrusion apparatus of claim 6.

8. The locking member is replaceable with another locking member having a different spacing of the grooves.

8. The extrusion apparatus of claim 7.

Images