PCB transport module and method of operating the PCB transport module

Abstract

In a substrate transport module for transporting substrates in a transport space with a vacuum atmosphere using a transport body, the tiles used to move the transport body by magnetic levitation are to be removed and attached while maintaining the vacuum atmosphere. [Solution] The substrate transport module of the present disclosure is a substrate transport module that constitutes a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for processing substrates and transports substrates in a transport space that is a vacuum atmosphere, and comprises a chamber having a partition wall composed of a plurality of tiles, each equipped with an electromagnet that acts on a magnet provided on a transport body for transporting substrates in the transport space to form a magnetic field that moves the transport body in a levitated state, and the partition wall is configured so that the tiles can be removed / attached while using a vacuum maintenance mechanism to maintain a vacuum atmosphere inside the transport space.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate transfer module and a method for operating the substrate transfer module.

Background Art

[0002] In a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that processes a substrate for semiconductor manufacturing such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter also referred to as "wafer"), the substrate is transferred between a carrier that houses the wafer and a processing module. Regarding this semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, in order to transfer the substrate in a clean environment, it has been considered to adopt a device configuration in which a moving body that transfers the substrate floats from the floor by magnetic force and moves.

[0003] In Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, it is shown that a moving body provided with magnets can be made movable by magnetic levitation using the repulsive force against a floor provided with magnets. Further, Patent Document 1 describes a configuration example of the floor surface portion, in which tiles are provided in a section formed by reinforcing ribs, and running surface side magnets are arranged on these tiles. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes a configuration in which the floor includes a lattice-shaped frame body in which a plurality of through-holes are formed, and a case body provided with an electromagnet is fitted from below into these through-holes.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] This disclosure provides a technology for a substrate transport module for transporting substrates using a transporter in a transport space with a vacuum atmosphere, which allows tiles for moving the transporter by magnetic levitation to be removed and attached while maintaining the vacuum atmosphere. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The substrate transport module disclosed herein is A substrate transport module comprising a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for processing substrates, for transporting the substrate in a transport space that is a vacuum atmosphere, The chamber comprises a partition wall composed of multiple tiles, each of which is equipped with an electromagnet that acts on a magnet provided on a transport body for transporting the substrate within the transport space, thereby forming a magnetic field that causes the transport body to move while levitating. The partition wall is configured to allow the tiles to be removed and attached while using a vacuum maintenance mechanism to maintain a vacuum atmosphere within the transport space. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, in a substrate transport module for transporting substrates in a transport space with a vacuum atmosphere using a transport body, tiles for moving the transport body by magnetic levitation can be removed / attached while maintaining the vacuum atmosphere. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in an embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the transporter and floor in the embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal configuration of the inner tile section and the outer tile section of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the connection between the inner tile section and the outer tile section. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view showing an example of the frame structure. [Figure 6] It is a plan view showing a configuration example of the frame body part. [Figure 7] It is a plan view showing a configuration example of the frame body part. [Figure 8] It is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a part of the partition wall. [Figure 9] It is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the outer tile part is removed from the partition wall. [Figure 10] It is a schematic configuration diagram showing a configuration example of the suction mechanism. [Figure 11] It is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a part of the partition wall. [Figure 12] It is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a part of the partition wall. [Figure 13] It is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the inner tile part is removed from the partition wall. [Figure 14] It is a plan view showing the suction mechanism and the substrate transfer module. [Figure 15] It is a plan view showing the suction mechanism and the substrate transfer module. [Figure 16] It is a plan view showing the suction mechanism and the substrate transfer module. [Figure 17] It is a plan view showing the first modification example of the suction mechanism and the substrate transfer module. [Figure 18] It is a plan view showing the first modification example of the suction mechanism and the substrate transfer module. [Figure 19] It is a plan view showing the first modification example of the suction mechanism and the substrate transfer module. [Figure 20] It is a plan view showing the second modification example of the suction mechanism. [Figure 21] It is a plan view showing the second modification example of the suction mechanism. [Figure 22] It is a side view showing the second modification example of the suction mechanism. [Figure 23] It is a cross-sectional view showing the partition wall of the second embodiment. [Figure 24] It is a cross-sectional view showing the partition wall of the second embodiment. [Figure 25] It is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the tile is removed from the partition wall in the second embodiment. [Figure 26] This is a cross-sectional view showing a partition wall of a modified example of the second embodiment. [Figure 27] This is a cross-sectional view showing a partition wall of a modified example of the second embodiment. [Figure 28] This is a cross-sectional view showing a modified version of the second embodiment in which tiles are removed from the partition wall. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus equipped with the substrate transport module of this disclosure will be described with reference to the plan view in Figure 1. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 is located in a cleanroom within a semiconductor manufacturing plant and is therefore placed in an atmospheric environment. As shown in Figure 1, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 has an atmospheric transport chamber 12, a load lock module 13, and a substrate transport module 14 arranged in this order from the front to the back along the front-to-back direction. In addition, multiple processing modules 11 are provided on the left and right sides of the substrate transport module 14. In this example of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1, the processing modules 11 are configured to process wafers W in a vacuum atmosphere, and the wafer transport space S1 formed within the substrate transport module 14 is in a vacuum atmosphere.

[0010] In the following explanation of semiconductor manufacturing equipment 1, the horizontal front-to-back direction is referred to as the "X direction," the left-to-right direction intersecting the front-to-back direction horizontally is referred to as the "Y direction," and in the front-to-back direction, the side with the air transport chamber 12 is referred to as the front side and the side with the substrate transport module 14 is referred to as the back side. The vertical direction is referred to as the Z direction. A load port 121 is provided on the front side of the atmospheric transport chamber 12, on which a carrier C containing the wafers W to be processed is placed. The carrier C is, for example, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod).

[0011] The atmospheric transport chamber 12 is maintained at atmospheric pressure (normal pressure), and a transport mechanism 122 is provided inside it to transport wafers W between carrier C and load lock module 13. The load lock module 13 is configured to switch between an atmospheric atmosphere and a vacuum atmosphere, and includes a transfer stage 131 on which wafers W are placed, and a lifting pin 132. The lifting pin 132 is provided so as to be able to extend and retract relative to the stage 131.

[0012] The processing module 11 is a module for processing the wafer W, and in this example, the pressure is reduced by a vacuum evacuation mechanism (not shown) to create a vacuum atmosphere. Inside each processing module 11, there is a mounting table 111 and a lifting pin 112, and the lifting pin 112 is provided so as to be able to extend and retract relative to the mounting table 111. The wafer W is placed on the mounting table 111 and a predetermined processing is performed on it. Examples of processing performed on the wafer W include etching, film deposition, annealing, and ashing.

[0013] In Figure 1, the symbols G1, G2, and G3 are gate valves interposed between modules. These gate valves G1 to G3 are closed when necessary for transporting wafers W between the substrate transport module 14 and each module connected to the substrate transport module 14, thereby separating the atmosphere between the modules.

[0014] The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 is equipped with a control unit 100, which is a computer. The control unit 100 contains a program that includes a set of steps (instructions) for transporting and processing wafers W. This program transmits control signals from the control unit 100 to each part of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1. These control signals control the pressure of the load lock module 13, the substrate transport module 14, and the processing module 11, control the operation of each transport mechanism including the operation of the transport body 2 (described later), and control the operation of the processing module 11, thereby transporting and processing wafers W as shown in the transport example described later. The above program is stored on a storage medium such as a hard disk, compact disk, magnetic optical disk, or memory card, and installed from the storage medium to the control unit 100.

[0015] The following describes an example of wafer W transport in semiconductor manufacturing equipment 1. The wafer W in the carrier C placed on the load port 121 is transported by the transport mechanism 122 to the load lock module 13 in an atmospheric environment. After switching the atmosphere inside the load lock module 13 from atmospheric to vacuum, the wafer W is transported via the substrate transport module 14, which will be described in detail later, to the processing module 11 that performs processing on the wafer W. In the processing module 11, the wafer W placed on the mounting table 111 is heated as needed to raise the temperature to a preset temperature, and if a processing gas supply unit is provided, processing gas is supplied into the processing module 11. In this way, the desired processing of the wafer W is performed.

[0016] After processing the wafer W, the wafer W is transported in the reverse order of its transport to the processing module 11, returning it from the processing module 11 to the load lock module 13. Furthermore, after switching the atmosphere in the load lock module 13 to an atmospheric atmosphere, the transport mechanism 122 returns the wafer W to the predetermined carrier C. Note that the wafer W may be transported and processed in only one processing module 11 from the load lock module 13 to the substrate transport module 14, or it may be transported between multiple processing modules 11 and processed in each processing module 11.

[0017] <Overview of the PCB transport module> An example configuration of the substrate transport module 14 is outlined below. The substrate transport module 14 is equipped with a chamber 15, which is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view with an elongated length in the front-to-back direction (X direction). The length of the chamber 15 in the short-side direction (Y direction) is such that the transport bodies 2, described later, can pass each other when side by side. The bottom of the chamber 15 is configured as a floor 17, and a wafer transport space S1 for wafers W is formed above the floor 17 inside the chamber 15.

[0018] A vacuum evacuation mechanism 16 is connected to the chamber 15 via a vacuum evacuation passage 161. The upstream end of the vacuum evacuation passage 161 opens as an exhaust port 162 within the chamber 15, and the transport space S1 is depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere. An opening 152 for transporting wafers W is formed in the side wall 151 of the chamber 15 and is opened and closed by the gate valves G2 and G3 described above. A transport body 2 equipped with a magnet is placed on the floor 17 of the chamber 15.

[0019] The floor 17 is equipped with multiple tiles 3, each having an electromagnet, as will be described later. In this way, the transporter 2 moves while floating above the floor 17 by utilizing the repulsive force between the electromagnets of the tiles 3 and the magnets of the transporter 2, and transports wafers W between the load lock module 13 and the processing module 11, and between the processing modules 11. In addition to movement in the XY plane, the transporter 2 can also be controlled to move in the Z direction and change its orientation by rotating around the Z axis (vertical axis).

[0020] <Conveyor> The transporter 2 will be described with reference to the perspective view in Figure 2. The transporter 2 comprises a main body 21 and a substrate holding portion 22 that protrudes laterally from the main body 21. The main body 21 is configured, for example, in a square shape in plan view, and the bottom surface of the main body 21 is opposite and parallel to the floor 17. The tip end of the substrate holding portion 22 is configured as a fork 221 that can be positioned to sandwich on both sides an area provided with three lifting pins 112 and 132.

[0021] The main body 21 comprises four magnet units 24, each consisting of nine magnets 23. The magnet units 24 are formed by arranging permanent magnets 23 to create a flat rectangular parallelepiped. In Figure 2, for illustrative purposes, the boundaries between the magnets 23 are shown by dashed lines only for one of the four magnet units 24, but each magnet unit 24 is constructed similarly. The four magnet units 24 are arranged along the sides of a square in a plan view, and both ends are connected to other magnet units 24, forming a rectangular ring-shaped body 25. The ring-shaped body 25 is rotationally symmetrical about the vertical axis when in a horizontal position.

[0022] Referring to Figure 3, we will continue the explanation of the magnet unit 24. We will assume that the arrangement direction of the magnets 23 of one of the four magnet units 24 coincides with the X direction as shown in Figure 3, and will explain this magnet unit 24 as a representative example. In Figure 3, the direction of the north poles of the nine magnets 23 that make up this magnet unit 24 is indicated by arrows. These magnets 23 are arranged in a Halbach arrangement, where the direction of the north poles of adjacent magnets differs by 90° from each other, so that a relatively strong magnetic field is formed below the magnet unit 24. Specifically, the magnets 23 are arranged so that the direction of the north poles changes periodically when viewed in the direction of the arrangement of the magnets 23.

[0023] <Floor> Chamber 15 is equipped with a partition wall 30 made up of multiple tiles 3, each equipped with an electromagnet. In this example, the partition wall 30 constitutes the floor 17, which is the bottom of Chamber 15. As described above, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 is installed in a cleanroom, so the outside of Chamber 15 is an atmospheric environment. This atmospheric space outside Chamber 15 will be referred to as the external space S2. The atmosphere of the transport space S1 and the atmosphere of the external space S2 are separated by the floor 17, which includes the partition wall 30, and the transport space S1 is configured to have high airtightness. In the transport space S1, for example, the wafer W described above is transported in a vacuum atmosphere of 300 Pa or less.

[0024] The partition wall 30 is constructed by attaching multiple tiles 3 to a frame portion 4, which has multiple through-holes 41 formed therein, so as to close each of the through-holes 41. The partition wall 30 is provided on the floor 17 of the chamber 15, covering the entire movement area of ​​the transporter 2, that is, an area that generally covers the entire floor 17. On the floor 17, for example, the rear end that is outside the movement area of ​​the transporter 2 does not have a partition wall 30, and instead, an exhaust port 162 opens in that area (see Figure 1).

[0025] The tile 3 is configured, for example, as a square in plan view, and is divisible into an inner tile portion 31 that is exposed toward the transport space S1 and an outer tile portion 32 that is exposed toward the external space S2 on the opposite side of the transport space S1. In this example, since tile 3 is installed on the floor 17, the inner tile section 31 and the outer tile section 32 are divided vertically. These inner tile section 31 and outer tile section 32 are each configured in a square shape when viewed from above, and their planar outlines are almost identical to each other.

[0026] As previously described, the partition wall 30 is constructed by attaching tiles 3 so as to close the through-holes 41 of the frame section 4. In this example, the inner tile section 31 closes the through-holes 41 of the frame section 4 from above, and the outer tile section 32 closes the through-holes 41 from below, respectively, and is connected to the frame section 41. One tile 3 (one pair of inner tile section 31 and outer tile section 32) is placed for each through-hole 41 of the frame section 4, separating the transport space S1, which is a vacuum atmosphere, from the external space S2, which is an atmospheric atmosphere.

[0027] Thus, the upper surface of the inner tile section 31 is exposed to the substrate transport module 14 and constitutes the floor surface (upper surface of the floor 17) of the substrate transport module 14, while the lower surface of the outer tile section 32 is exposed to the external space S2. In this way, the partition wall 30 composed of tiles in this disclosure is such that the tiles 3 are fitted into the frame section 4, and the tiles 3 themselves constitute the partition wall 30. Furthermore, this configuration means that if the tiles 3 are removed, the transport space S1 and the external space S2 will be connected.

[0028] Figure 1 shows a configuration in which multiple tiles 3 are arranged in a matrix to cover the floor 17 of the substrate transport module 14, and the upper surface (floor surface) of the floor 17 is divided by the tiles 3. However, Figure 1 is just one example of the division of the floor surface by the tiles 3, and this division can be set as appropriate. In subsequent figures as well, depending on the explanation of the components, the components being explained may be depicted in an exaggerated manner or their dimensions may be changed as appropriate.

[0029] The partition wall 30 of this disclosure is configured to allow the tile 3 to be removed and attached using a vacuum maintenance mechanism to maintain a vacuum atmosphere in the transport space S1. Before describing the connection configuration of the tile 3 that enables the removal and attachment of the tile 3, the internal configuration of the tile 3 will first be described with reference to Figure 3.

[0030] <Internal structure of the inner tile section> As shown in Figure 3, the inner tile section 31 is constructed by attaching an electromagnet unit 5 to a support member 33. Both the electromagnet unit 5 and the support member 33 are rectangular plate-like bodies in plan view. The support member 33 supports and reinforces the electromagnet unit 5, and for example, the lower surface of the electromagnet unit 5 is bonded to the upper surface of the support member 33. The upper and side surfaces of the electromagnet unit 5 are made of, for example, a woven material with a dustproof coating, and its upper surface (the surface exposed towards the transport space S1) is configured as a flat surface. The support member 33 also has a first connecting portion 35, for example, which is square in plan view, that protrudes downward from the center of its lower surface. The area of ​​the lower surface of the support member 33 other than the first connecting portion 35 and the lower surface of the first connecting portion 35 are both configured as flat surfaces. In this way, the inner tile section 31 is constructed by integrating the electromagnet unit 5 and the support member 33.

[0031] The electromagnet unit 5 in Figure 2 comprises a linear first coil 51 shown by a dashed line and a linear second coil 52 shown by a solid line. The first coil 51 is arranged at intervals from each other in the Y direction and extends along the X direction, with a large number of them provided. Similarly, the second coil 52 is arranged at intervals from each other in the X direction and extends along the Y direction, with a large number of them provided. Each of the first coil 51 and the second coil 52 constitutes an electromagnet, and their power supply is controlled individually. Each of the first coil 51 and the second coil 52 is composed of coil wires a and b, as shown in Figure 3. These coil wires a and b are, for example, stacked alternately on top of each other, and these stacked coil wires a and b are insulated from each other by an insulating layer (not shown). Note that the number of stacks of coil wires a and b shown in Figure 3 is illustrative and can be changed as needed.

[0032] Coil wire a constitutes the first coil 51 by being electrically connected to coil wire a positioned on its upper or lower side so as to form a spiral shape when viewed in the XZ longitudinal section. Similarly, coil wire b constitutes the second coil 52 by being electrically connected to coil wire b positioned on its upper or lower side so as to form a spiral shape when viewed in the YZ longitudinal section. In Figure 2, the uppermost coil wires a and b are shown for the first coil 51 and the second coil 52. In addition, a Hall sensor layer (not shown) may be provided below the electromagnet unit 5 in the inner tile section 31, with a number of Hall sensors (Hall elements) arranged in a grid pattern with spacing between them to determine the position of the transporter 2. Power is supplied to the electromagnet unit 5 and the Hall sensor layer from the outer tile section 32 side via the first connection section 35, as will be described later.

[0033] As described above, the support member 33 of the inner tile section 31 is strongly magnetized by an electromagnet installed inside it, and is made of a paramagnetic or diamagnetic material, such as aluminum (Al), to prevent interference with the operation control of the transporter 2. Similarly, for the same reason, the housing 34 and frame section 4 of the outer tile section 32, which will be described later, are also made of a paramagnetic or diamagnetic material, such as aluminum, just like the inner tile section 31.

[0034] <Internal structure of the exterior tile section> Next, the internal structure of the outer tile section 32 will be described. As shown in Figure 3, the outer tile section 32 has a flat, rectangular internal space 341 provided inside the housing 34, and this internal space 341 is at atmospheric pressure and is configured as a sealed space. In addition, a second connecting section 36, for example, which is square in plan view, is provided in the center of the lower surface of the housing 34 so as to protrude upward. The area of ​​the upper surface of the housing 34 other than the second connecting section 36 and the upper surface of the second connecting section 36 are each configured as flat surfaces.

[0035] The internal space 341 of the outer tile section 32 houses a control board 53 and the like. The control board 53 is equipped with a processor, memory, program, input / output interface, and various electronic circuits, and the processor is composed of a CPU, ASIC, FPGA, etc. The control board 53 is connected to the control unit 100 and is configured to receive control signals from the control unit 100, execute the program stored in memory, and perform the operations described later.

[0036] The control board 53 is electrically connected to the electromagnet unit 5 and Hall sensor layer of the inner tile section 31 via a cable 54, and connector sections 55 for making such electrical connections are provided at the first connection section 35 and the second connection section 36. The connector section 55 includes, for example, a pin 551 provided on the second connection section 36 side and a receptacle 552 provided on the first connection section 35 side. The control board 53 is also connected via a cable to a power supply provided outside the housing 34. The external power supply and cables are not shown in the illustration.

[0037] DC power is supplied to the electromagnet unit 5 from an external power source via the control board 53 and connector section 55. The control board 53 receives a control signal from the control unit 100 and supplies power to the first coil 51 and / or second coil 52 selected according to this control signal. A magnetic field is formed on the upper surface of the area where the first coil 51 and second coil 52 are located, providing buoyancy and movement to the carrier 2 as described above. For illustrative purposes, four cables 54 are shown in the figure; however, in reality, the necessary number of cables 54 are provided to allow individual power supply to each coil.

[0038] Incidentally, the upper surface of the inner tile section 31 is exposed to the transport space S1, which is a vacuum atmosphere, and the lower surface of the outer tile section 32 is exposed to the external space S2, which is an atmospheric atmosphere. Therefore, as will be described later, when the inner tile section 31 is removed from the partition wall 30, the upper surface of the outer tile section 32 is exposed to the vacuum atmosphere. On the other hand, when the outer tile section 32 is removed from the partition wall 30, the lower surface of the inner tile section 31 is exposed to the atmospheric atmosphere. In this way, a pressure difference is formed between the top and bottom of the support member 33 and between the inside and outside of the housing 34. Therefore, the support member 33 and the housing 34 are configured to have sufficient strength to prevent deformation or damage due to the pressure difference.

[0039] <Frame part> Next, the frame portion 4 to which the inner tile portion 31 and the outer tile portion 32 are attached will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. The frame portion 4 is composed of a rectangular plate-like body in plan view and has multiple, for example, six, through-holes 41. The upper and lower surfaces of the frame portion 4 are both flat surfaces in areas other than the through-holes 41. Each through-hole 41 is square in plan view, corresponding, for example, to the planar shape of the second connection portion 36 of the outer tile portion 32. The short side 42 and long side 43 of the frame portion 4 are arranged such that one is along the X direction and the other is along the Y direction, and the four sides of the through-holes 41 are also formed to be along the X direction and the Y direction, respectively. In this way, the through-holes 41 are arranged at equal intervals in the X direction and the Y direction, respectively. Furthermore, the spacing between adjacent through-holes 41 in the X direction and the spacing between adjacent through-holes 41 in the Y direction are aligned. Regarding the shape of the through-hole 41, it is sufficient if it is possible to insert the outer shell components when the first connecting portion 35 and the second connecting portion 36 described above are connected to each other. Therefore, the planar shape of the through-hole 41 is not limited to a square, but may be, for example, circular in plan view.

[0040] Figure 6 shows the boundaries of the tiles 3 (inner tile section 31, outer tile section 32) arranged in the frame section 4 with dashed lines. In this way, the square-shaped tiles 3 (31, 32) and the through-hole 41 are arranged so that their respective centers (intersections of diagonals) coincide when viewed in plan. Similarly, the first connection section 35 of the inner tile section 31 and the second connection section 36 of the outer tile section 32 are configured so that their respective centers (intersections of diagonals) coincide with the center of the through-hole 41 when viewed in plan. The mechanisms and other features provided in the frame section 4 will be described later.

[0041] <Mounting configuration for the exterior tile section> Regarding the mounting configuration of the tiles 3 to the frame 4, first, the outer tile section 32 will be explained with reference to Figure 4. Note that Figure 4 exaggerates the components related to the mounting configuration, and the internal structure of the housing 34 of the outer tile section 32 is omitted from the illustration. Here, we will provide a detailed explanation of the configuration example of the housing 34 of the outer tile section 32. The second connecting section 36, which is provided on the center of the upper surface of the housing 34 so as to protrude upward, is configured as a square in plan view, slightly smaller than the through-hole 41, so that it can be inserted into the through-hole 41 of the frame section 4. In addition, the height dimensions of the second connecting section 36 and the through-hole 41 in the vertical direction (Z direction) are the same. In this way, when the second connecting section 36 is inserted into the through-hole 41, the height positions of the upper surface of the second connecting section 36 and the upper surface of the frame section 4 are aligned, and the upper surface of the housing 34 is configured to contact the lower surface of the frame section 4.

[0042] Furthermore, the second connecting portion 36 is formed to be slightly larger than the first connecting portion 35, and a recess 37 into which the first connecting portion 35 is inserted is provided on its upper surface. The area of ​​the upper surface of the second connecting portion 36 other than the recess 37 is configured as a flat surface. In this way, when the first connecting portion 35 is inserted into the recess 37 of the second connecting portion 36, and the bottom surface of the recess 37 and the lower surface of the first connecting portion 35 come into contact, the upper surfaces of the second connecting portion 36 and the frame portion 4 come into contact with the lower surface of the support member 33 of the inner tile portion 31.

[0043] Furthermore, the housing 34 of the outer tile section 32 has side walls 344 that are thicker (horizontally) than, for example, the upper wall 342 and the lower wall 343. Screw holes 340 that penetrate vertically are formed in these side walls 344. Also, on the lower surface of the frame section 4, screw holes 40 are formed at positions corresponding to the screw holes 340 on the outer tile section 32 side. The inner surfaces of these screw holes 340 and 40 are threaded so that they can be screwed into the threads formed on the mounting screws 46. Thus, when attaching the outer tile section 32 to the frame section 4, it is fastened from the lower surface of the outer tile section 32 with screws 46.

[0044] On the lower surface of the frame portion 4, an annular arrangement groove 441 is formed outside each through-hole 41. This arrangement groove 441 is provided concentrically around the through-hole 41, and an annular member 44 is arranged inside the arrangement groove 441. The annular member 44 is, for example, an O-ring made of an elastic material, provided along the circumference of the through-hole 41, and is a sealing member for sealing the through-hole 41. When the outer tile portion 32 is attached to the frame portion 4 in this manner, the annular member 44 is compressed, and due to its restoring force, it comes into close contact with the placement groove 441 of the frame portion 4 and the upper surface of the outer tile portion 32. In this way, the through-hole 41 is sealed on the lower side of the frame portion 4, and the atmosphere is separated between the transport space S1 and the external space S2.

[0045] <Installation configuration for the inner tile section> Next, the mounting configuration of the inner tile section 31 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 6. The inner tile section 31 is configured to be removable and attachable to the frame section 4 using a known pin-clamp mechanism 6. In this example, the pin-clamp mechanism 6 comprises a pin 61 provided on the support member 33 of the inner tile section 31 and a clamp 62 provided on the frame section 4. The pin 61 is provided in the area outside the first connection section 35 so as to extend downward from the lower surface of the housing 32 of the inner tile section 31.

[0046] The pin 61 is, for example, circular in plan view, and as shown in Figure 4, is formed such that the lower side has a larger diameter than the upper side. As a result, when viewed from the side, the side surface 611 of the pin 61 is formed as an inclined surface that gradually slopes outward toward the downward side. On the other hand, in the frame portion 4, clamps 62 are provided in the area outside the through-hole 41 at positions corresponding to the pins 61 of the inner tile portion 31. In this example, the clamps 62 are formed in a circular shape in plan view, as shown in Figure 6, for example, and are arranged one at each of the four corners of the through-hole 41, with a total of four clamps provided for one through-hole 41.

[0047] The pin-clamp mechanism 6 is configured to switch between a locked state, in which the pin 61 provided on the inner tile portion 31 is gripped by the frame portion 4, and a released state, in which the grip of the pin 61 is released, by pressurizing, for example, using a working fluid. For example, the clamp 62, as schematically shown in Figure 4, comprises a piston 64 configured to move vertically within a cylindrical housing 63, a spring 641 biased to push the piston 64 upward from below, an opening 642 provided at the tip of the piston 64, and a plurality of balls 65 arranged between the opening and the inner wall surface of the housing 63. The inner wall surface 631 of the housing 63 has an inclined surface that guides the balls 65. The inclined surface and the side surface 611 of the pin 61 are formed so that the balls 65 can move vertically between them.

[0048] Furthermore, the housing 63 is connected to a fluid supply channel (gripping channel) 66 for gripping operation, which supplies working fluid, such as air, to the lower side of the piston 64. The air for gripping operation is supplied when the inner tile section 31 is attached to the frame section 4. In addition, the housing 63 is connected to a fluid supply channel (release channel) 67 for release operation, which supplies air, also working fluid, to the upper side of the piston 64. The air for release operation is supplied when the inner tile section 31 is removed from the frame section 4. These gripping channel 66 and release channel 67 are formed, for example, in two stages, upper and lower, inside the frame section 4.

[0049] When attaching the inner tile section 31 to the frame section 4, the pin 61 provided on the inner tile section 32 is inserted into the clamp 62, and air is supplied into the housing 63 from the gripping channel 66. This pressurizes the piston 64 from below, causing it to rise, and it is also pushed up by the spring 641. This action causes the ball 65 at the tip of the piston 64 to move upward and is guided by the side surface 611 of the pin 61 and the inner wall surface 631 of the housing to move towards the center. As a result, the clamp 62 grips the pin 61, and the inner tile section 31 is locked to the frame section 4. Even if the supply of air from the gripping channel 66 is stopped due to the upward force of the spring 641, the clamp state is not released, and the inner tile section 32 remains connected to the frame section 4.

[0050] On the other hand, when removing the inner tile section 31 from the frame section 4, air is supplied into the housing 63 from the release channel 67. This pressurizes the piston 64 from above, causing it to descend. Consequently, the ball 65 at the tip of the piston 64 also moves outward along the side wall 611 of the pin 61, releasing the grip on the pin 61. At this time, by continuing to pressurize the piston 64 from above with air, the piston 64 can be kept in a waiting position in the lower part of the mechanism, resisting the force of the spring 641. In this way, the pin-clamp mechanism 6 is configured so that by switching the supply destination of the working fluid, air, the inner tile section 31 is locked to the frame section 4 and released.

[0051] The frame portion 4 has a clamp 62 positioned within it, and a recess 47 formed therein for inserting a pin 61 into the clamp 62. In Figure 4, the recess 47 is shaped to match the width (horizontal dimension) of the clamp 62, but as shown in Figure 13 and other figures described later, the recess for positioning the clamp 62 and the recess for inserting the pin 61 may be formed with different widths.

[0052] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, annular arrangement grooves 451 are formed on the upper surface of the frame portion 4, outside each through-hole 41. These arrangement grooves 451 are provided concentrically around the through-holes 41, and an annular member 45 is placed inside the arrangement grooves 451. The annular member 45 is, for example, an elastic O-ring provided along the circumference of the through-hole 41, and is a sealing member for sealing the through-hole 41. When the inner tile portion 31 is attached to the frame portion 4, this annular member 45 is compressed, and due to its restoring force, it is in close contact with the arrangement grooves 451 of the frame portion 4 and the lower surface of the inner tile portion 31. In this way, the through-holes 41 are sealed, and the atmosphere is separated between the transport space S1 and the external space S2.

[0053] Next, an example of the configuration of the fluid supply channels (gripping channel 66, release channel 67) formed in the frame section 4 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 6. Multiple fluid supply channels are formed inside the frame section 4 to supply working fluid to a selected target from among the multiple pin-clamp mechanisms 6 provided on the multiple tiles 3. In Figure 6, the release channel 67 and the gripping channel 66 are shown overlapping in a plan view, and only the upper release channel 67 is depicted.

[0054] Therefore, the frame section 4 has a dedicated gripping channel 66 and release channel 67 for supplying air to the clamp 62 of the pin-clamp mechanism 6 of one inner tile section 31. In Figure 6, the four pin-clamp mechanisms 6 arranged to surround one through-hole 41 are called a "clamp unit". The first clamp unit 6A is located on the far side in the X direction and the left side in the Y direction, the second clamp unit 6B is located on the central side in the X direction and the left side in the Y direction, and the third clamp unit 6C is located on the near side in the X direction and the left side in the Y direction. The fourth clamp unit 6D is located on the far side in the X direction and the right side in the Y direction, the fifth clamp unit 6E is located on the central side in the X direction and the right side in the Y direction, and the sixth clamp unit 6F is located on the near side in the X direction and the right side in the Y direction.

[0055] The release channel 67A for the first clamp unit 6A is shown with a solid line, the release channel 67B for the second clamp unit 6B is shown with a dashed line, and the release channel 67C for the third clamp unit 6C is shown with a solid line. Furthermore, the release channel 67D for the fourth clamp unit 6D is shown with a solid line, the release channel 67E for the fifth clamp unit 6E is shown with a dashed line, and the release channel 67F for the sixth clamp unit 6F is shown with a solid line. Here, the release channels 67 are shown as representative examples, but similarly, dedicated channels are formed for each clamp unit 6A to 6F for the gripping channels 66.

[0056] In this example, the release channel 67 (gripping channel 66) forms a channel extending in the X direction from the rear end 421 and the front end 422 in the X direction of the frame 4, and also forms a channel extending in the Y direction from the left end 431 and the right end 432 in the Y direction of the frame 4. In this way, the release channel 67 (gripping channel 66) is formed around each of the through-holes 41. As shown in Figure 6, among the fluid supply channels that open at the ends 421, 422, 431, and 432 of the frame 4, the openings that are not used are sealed by a sealing member 48.

[0057] As shown in Figure 4, the first clamp unit 6A has gripping passages 66A and release passages 67A connected to a common working fluid supply source 68 via supply passages 68A equipped with valves VA1 and VA2, respectively. The supply passage 68A branches upstream of valves VA1 and VA2, with the downstream ends of each branch connected to the gripping passage 66A and the release passage 67A. Similarly, in the second clamp units 6B to the sixth clamp units 6F, as shown in Figure 6 with release passages 67B to 67F as an example, they are connected to a common working fluid supply source 68 via supply passages 68B to 68F equipped with valves VB2 to VF2, respectively.

[0058] Then, using the first clamp unit 6A as an example in Figures 4 and 6, when setting the first clamp unit 6A to the locked state, valve VA1 of the gripping passage 66A is opened to supply air to the passage 66A. On the other hand, when setting the first clamp unit 6A to the released state, valve VA2 of the release passage 67A is opened to supply air to the passage 67A. In this way, by selecting the clamp unit 6A to be operated and opening and closing valves VA1 and VA2 corresponding to that clamp unit 6A, air can be supplied only to that clamp unit 6A, and the inner tile section 31 can be locked and unlocked to the frame section 4.

[0059] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, a pressure regulating channel 49 is formed in the frame 4 for each through-hole 41, supplying air, which is a pressure regulating fluid, toward the through-hole 41. The upstream side of this pressure regulating channel 49 is connected to a working fluid supply source 492 via a supply passage 491 equipped with a valve V. For convenience, in this figure, the supply passage 491 and supply source 492 are only shown for the pressure regulating channel 49 that opens to the through-hole 41 corresponding to the first clamp unit 6A. However, each pressure regulating channel 49 is connected to a common supply source 492 via a supply passage 491 equipped with a valve V, and the system is configured so that the working fluid for pressure regulating can be supplied to the selected pressure regulating channel 49 by switching the valve V.

[0060] Thus, the plate-shaped frame 4 has a through-hole 41, a recess 47 for arranging, for example, a clamp mechanism 6, arrangement grooves 44 and 45, a gripping channel 66 and a release channel 67, and a pressure regulating channel 49. However, these shapes are not limited to those shown in Figures 4 to 6; for example, the gripping channel 66 and the release channel 67 can be configured to simultaneously supply working fluid to four pin-clamp mechanisms 6 that constitute a single clamp unit 6A to 6F.

[0061] As described above, the frame section 4 is configured to be connectable to each other at its end positions, as shown in Figure 7. By connecting multiple frame sections 4, the size of the partition wall 30 can be adjusted. This configuration makes it easy to manufacture partition walls 30 of a desired size. The end positions are the sides of the frame section 4, which is made up of plate-like bodies. These sides include the side on the short side 42 and the side on the long side 43 of the frame section 4. For convenience, Figure 7 shows two frame sections 4 as the first frame section 4A and the second frame section 4B, and illustrates an example of connecting their opposing end positions on the long side 43.

[0062] In this way, the first frame section 4A and the second frame section 4B are connected at their opposing sides. Here, multiple gripping channels 46 and multiple release channels 47 are exposed on these sides (end positions), but the openings of the gripping channels 66 and release channels 67 exposed on these sides are sealed with a sealing member 48 (not shown). Therefore, even when the first frame section 4A and the second frame section 4B are connected, it remains possible to supply air individually to the selected gripping channels 66 and release channels 67. For this reason, air can be supplied to the pin-clamp mechanism 6 of the selected inner tile section 31 to set the locked state and the unlocked state.

[0063] Furthermore, a flow path for a cooling fluid such as water can be provided inside the housing 34 of the frame 4 and the outer tile section 32, and the fluid, whose temperature is controlled by a chiller located outside the frame 4 and housing 34, can be supplied. In such a configuration, even if the electromagnet unit 5 generates heat, the electromagnet unit 5 is adjusted to a preset temperature range, and temperature-dependent changes in electrical characteristics such as resistance are suppressed. Therefore, displacement of the magnetic field formed on the floor 17 due to the heat generated by the electromagnet unit 5 is suppressed, and the position of the transporter 2 can be controlled with high precision.

[0064] <Examples of removing / installing exterior tiles> Next, an example of removing a tile 3 from the partition wall 30 while maintaining the vacuum atmosphere of the transport space S1 will be explained with reference to Figures 8 and 9. Among the multiple tiles 3 provided on the partition wall 30, the tile 3 from which the component is to be removed will hereinafter also be referred to as the "object tile". In Figures 8 and 9, the case in which the outer tile portion 32 of the components constituting the tile 3 is removed will be explained. In this case, the inner tile portion 31 remaining on the partition wall 30 corresponds to the vacuum maintenance mechanism for maintaining the vacuum atmosphere of the transport space S1. Note that in Figures 8 and later, the annular members 44 and 45 and the pin-clamp mechanism 6 are depicted in a simplified manner.

[0065] The removal of tile 3 from the partition wall 30 occurs when a malfunction occurs in the electromagnet unit 5 or the control board 53, requiring removal for repair or inspection. Depending on the location of the object tile to be removed, the removal of tile 3 is carried out by stopping the transport of wafer W within the substrate transport module 14, for example. Alternatively, tile 3 may be removed while wafer W is being processed in the processing module 11.

[0066] With the inner tile section 31 and the outer tile section 32 attached to the frame section 30, the inner tile section 31 faces the vacuum atmosphere transport space S1, and the area where the through-hole 41 surrounded by the annular members 44 and 45 is provided is also under reduced pressure. For this reason, first, air, which is the working fluid for pressure regulation, is supplied from the pressure regulating channel 49 towards the through-hole 41 to set the atmosphere to atmospheric pressure. This supply of pressure regulating air also releases the tight seal between the inner tile section 31 and the outer tile section 32. In addition, the power supply from an external power source to the control board 53 of the outer tile section 32 is stopped.

[0067] Next, as shown in Figure 8, the worker loosens and removes the screw 46 in the external space S2, and as shown in Figure 9, removes the outer tile portion 32 from the frame portion 4 (partition wall 30). In this way, the inner tile portion 31 remains in the partition wall 30 so as to block the through-hole 41 of the frame portion 4, and the outer tile portion 32 can be removed from the partition wall 30 while maintaining the vacuum atmosphere of the transport space S1.

[0068] Furthermore, when installing the outer tile section 32, the inner tile section 31 acts as a vacuum maintenance mechanism, maintaining the vacuum atmosphere in the transport space S1, while the worker installs the new outer tile section 32 in the external space S2. Specifically, the second connection part 36 of the outer tile section 32 is inserted into the through-hole 41, and a pin 551 is connected to the receptacle 552 of the first connection part 35 of the inner tile section 31. Next, the outer tile section 32 is attached to the frame section 4 using a screw 46. By installing the outer tile section 42 in this way, a partition wall 30 is formed, and since the upper surface of the inner tile section 31 is exposed to the vacuum atmosphere (transport space S1), the area where the through-hole 41 is provided is depressurized via the inner tile section 31.

[0069] <Example of removing / installing interior tiles> Next, an example of removing the inner tile section 31 will be explained with reference to Figures 10 to 13. In this case, the outer tile section 32 remaining on the partition wall 30 corresponds to a vacuum maintenance mechanism for maintaining the vacuum atmosphere in the transport space S1. The removal of the inner tile section 31 is carried out within the transport space S1 using the suction mechanism 7. An example of the adsorption mechanism 7 will be described with reference to Figure 10. The adsorption mechanism 7 comprises a mobile body 71, an adsorption part 72, and an arm part 73. The mobile body 71 is configured similarly to, for example, the transporter 2, and is equipped with magnets for moving while floating above the partition wall 30 by interacting with the magnetic field of the tiles 3 other than the object tile.

[0070] The suction mechanism 7 shown in Figure 10 comprises two movable bodies 71 and one suction part 72. The suction part 72 is configured, for example, as a rectangular parallelepiped in plan view, and is configured to adhere to the object tile from above. In addition, for example, a plate-shaped support member 721 is provided on the upper surface of the suction part 72, and this support member 721 is configured to be larger than the suction part 72 when viewed in plan. The lower surface of the support member 721 and the upper surface of the movable body 71 are connected by an arm part 73 via a link mechanism 74 (741, 742). When viewed in plan view, the suction mechanism 7 has the suction part 72 positioned between the two movable bodies 71, and the arm part 73 extending from the suction part 72 toward the two movable bodies 71 is configured to be connected in an almost straight line.

[0071] As shown in Figure 10(a), in this suction mechanism 7, the suction part 72 rises when the two moving bodies 71 are in an approaching position, and as shown in Figure 10(b), the suction part 72 descends when the two moving bodies 71 are in a separation position. In this way, the height position of the suction part 72 is configured to change depending on the position of the moving bodies 71. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 11, when the suction part 7 is positioned above the inner tile section 31A, which is an object tile, the moving bodies 71 in the approaching position are positioned, for example, above the tile 3 adjacent to the inner tile section 31A.

[0072] In this example, the adsorption unit 72 is equipped with a magnet 722, as shown in Figure 11, for example, while a battery 723 is provided in the inner tile section 31, for example, in the support member 33. Power is supplied from the battery 723 in the inner tile section 31A to the electromagnet unit 5 (first coil 51, second coil 52) in the inner tile section 31A, thereby forming a magnetic field that attracts the magnet 722 of the adsorption unit 72. This battery 723 is provided in all the inner tile sections 31 provided in the partition wall 30.

[0073] Then, as shown in Figure 12, the movable body 71 is moved to a detached position, the suction part 72 is lowered, and the battery 723 of the inner tile part 31A is turned ON, causing the inner tile part 31A to be attracted to the suction part 72 by magnetic force. At the same time, air is supplied to the pin-clamp mechanism 6 of the inner tile part 31A from the release channel 67, releasing it and opening the pin 61.

[0074] Next, as shown in Figure 13, the movable body 71 is moved to a closer position and the suction part 72 is raised, thereby removing the inner tile section 31A from the partition wall 30 (frame section 4). Even with the inner tile section 31A removed, the through-hole 41 is sealed by the outer tile section 32 and isolated from the external space S2. In this way, the outer tile section 32 functions as a vacuum maintenance member, and the inner tile section 31A can be removed while maintaining a vacuum atmosphere in the transport space S1.

[0075] In this example, the adsorption unit 72 is configured to include an electrostatic chuck, and the inner tile portion 31A may be adsorbed using electrostatic adsorption force. In this case, the surface of the inner tile portion 31A that is exposed toward the transport space S1 is formed as an adsorption surface that can be adsorbed by the electrostatic chuck through electrostatic adsorption. As previously described, the surface of the electromagnet unit 5 of the inner tile portion 31 is coated, and the surface (upper surface) that is exposed toward the transport space S1 is configured as a flat surface. Therefore, the upper surface of the inner tile portion 31A functions as an adsorption surface and is adsorbed and held by the electrostatic chuck of the adsorption unit 72.

[0076] Next, an example of removing the inner tile section 31A, which is an object tile, and then installing a new inner tile section 31B will be described with reference to Figures 14 to 16. In this example, a first suction mechanism 7A for removing the inner tile section 31A and a second suction mechanism 7B for installing the inner tile section 31B are used. These first suction mechanisms 7A and 7B are configured similarly to the suction mechanism 7 shown in Figure 10. The first suction mechanism 7A comprises a movable body 71A, a suction section 72A, and an arm section 73A, while the second suction mechanism 7B comprises a movable body 71B, a suction section 72B, and an arm section 73B.

[0077] For example, a module (not shown) containing the suction mechanisms 7A and 7B and a replaceable inner tile section 31 is connected to the side wall portion 152 of the substrate transport module 15, for example, the side wall portion 152 at the rear end. This module is configured so that the internal pressure can be switched between, for example, an atmospheric atmosphere and a vacuum atmosphere, and the first and second suction mechanisms 7A and 7B are configured to enter the substrate transport module 14 from this module through an inlet (not shown).

[0078] Figure 14 schematically shows how the floor 17 of the substrate transport module 14 is divided by tiles 3. In this figure, the inner tile section 31A, which is an object tile, is marked with a diagonal line sloping downwards to the left, and the inner tile section 31 other than the object tile is marked with a diagonal line sloping downwards to the right. The first suction mechanism 7A is positioned such that the suction section 72A is located above the inner tile section 31A. In addition, the suction section 72B of the second suction mechanism 7B is positioned near the first suction mechanism 7A, holding a replacement inner tile 31B. The second suction mechanism 7B is in a state where the moving body 71B is in an approaching position and the suction section 72B is positioned above it.

[0079] Next, as shown in Figure 15, the first suction mechanism 7A removes the inner tile section 31A from the partition wall 30, and the first suction mechanism 7A, while holding the inner tile section 31A by suction, moves out of the substrate transport module 14 to a module not shown. Note that Figure 15 shows the state after the inner tile section 31A has been removed. Then, the second suction mechanism 7B, which is holding the inner tile section 31B by suction, is moved to the position where the inner tile section 31B will be attached. Note that even in this movement, the moving parts 71B are in close proximity to each other, and the suction part 72B is positioned above.

[0080] Next, as shown in Figure 16, the second suction mechanism 7B, located at the position where the inner tile section 31B is attached, moves the movable body 71B to a position separated from each other. In this way, the suction section 72B that holds the inner tile section 31B is lowered, and the first connecting section 35 of the inner tile section 31B is inserted into the through-hole 41. Then, the first connecting section 35 is connected to the second connecting section 36 of the outer tile section 32, and the pin 61 is inserted into the clamp 62. Subsequently, air is supplied into the clamp 62 from the gripping channel 66, and the pin 61 is gripped and set to the locked state as described above.

[0081] As explained in Figures 14 to 16, the reason for placing the suction mechanism 7B for attaching the inner tile section 31B near the suction mechanism 7A for removing the inner tile section 31A is to allow for immediate attachment of the inner tile section 31B after removing the inner tile section 31A from the partition wall 30. As previously mentioned, the vacuum atmosphere in the transport space S1 is maintained even after the inner tile section 31A is removed, but there is a concern that particles may be generated from the lower side of the inner tile section 31A. In this case, it is preferable that the time during which the upper surface of the inner tile section 31A is exposed to the transport space S1 after removal is short. Therefore, the suction mechanism 7B is placed near the suction mechanism 7A so that the inner tile section 31B can be attached immediately after the inner tile section 31A is removed.

[0082] According to the above embodiment, in the substrate transport module 14, the transport space S1 can be maintained in a vacuum state while removing / installing tiles 3 from the partition wall 30. Therefore, compared to the case where the transport space S1 is set to an atmospheric environment before removing / installing tiles 3, the amount of work required is reduced, the time the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 1 needs to be stopped can be significantly reduced, and the decrease in throughput can be suppressed. In addition, since the transport space S1 is maintained in a vacuum state, there are fewer environmental changes such as particles, and the impact on processing can be suppressed.

[0083] If, for example, it is necessary to release the transport space S1 into the atmosphere when removing / installing tile 3, then the process and time required would be necessary to return the chamber 15 of the substrate transport module 14 to an atmospheric environment. Furthermore, in order to perform transport in a vacuum atmosphere again after releasing the substrate transport module 14 into the atmosphere, in addition to evacuating the chamber 15, recovery operations such as cycle purging to remove particles would also be necessary. As a result, the amount of work and time required to release the transport space S1 into the atmosphere would be considerable, significantly increasing the downtime of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 1 and drastically reducing throughput.

[0084] Furthermore, depending on the installation location of the tile 3 to be removed / installed, the removal / installation of the tile 3 can be performed while the wafer W is being transported within the substrate transport module 14 or while the wafer W is being processed in the processing module 11. In this case, there is no need to stop the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 1, so it is possible to remove / install the tile 3 while suppressing a decrease in throughput.

[0085] In the example described above, tile 3 is divided into an inner tile section 31 and an outer tile section 32. When one tile section is removed or installed, the other tile section, which remains on the partition wall 30, acts as a vacuum maintenance mechanism. Therefore, there is no need to install a separate structure from tile 3 as a vacuum maintenance mechanism, and the vacuum atmosphere of the transport space S1 can be maintained with a simple structure.

[0086] Furthermore, since tile 3 is divided into an inner tile section 31 and an outer tile section 32, only the inner tile section 31 or only the outer tile section 32 can be removed / installed. Therefore, depending on the faulty part, only one of the inner tile section 31 or the outer tile section 32 needs to be replaced, which reduces costs compared to replacing the entire tile 3.

[0087] Furthermore, the removal and installation of the outer tile section 32 is performed in the external space S2. Therefore, when only removing or installing the outer tile section 32, the removal and installation of the tile section 32 can be performed without interfering with the transport of the wafer W in the transport space S1 of the substrate transport module 14. In other words, by setting a course that avoids the transport body 2 moving above the object tile, the removal and installation of the outer tile section 32 can be performed without stopping the processing of the wafer W in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1.

[0088] <First modified example of the adsorption mechanism> Next, a modified version of the suction mechanism will be described with reference to Figures 17 to 19. As shown in these figures, the suction mechanism 75 (75A, 75B) may be configured to include three movable bodies 76 (76A, 76B) equipped with magnets. In this example, the suction mechanism 75 has one suction part 77 (77A, 77B) and three movable bodies 76 arranged in a rectangular shape in plan view, with the suction part 77 and the movable bodies 76 each connected by arm parts 78 (78A, 78B). A link mechanism (not shown) is provided at the connection between the arm parts 78 and the movable bodies 76 and the suction part 77, and is configured such that the suction part 77 descends when the movable bodies 76 move apart from each other, and rises when the movable bodies 76 move closer to each other. The configuration of the suction part 77 and movable bodies 76 is the same as that of the suction mechanism 7 shown in Figure 10.

[0089] This type of suction mechanism 75 is used when the inner tile portion 31A forming the object tile is, for example, a tile 3 located at the corner of the substrate transport module 14. In Figure 17, the inner tile portion 31A is marked with a diagonal line sloping downwards to the left, and the inner tile portions 31 other than the object tile are marked with a diagonal line sloping downwards to the right. Above the inner tile portion 31A, the suction portion 77A of the first suction mechanism 75A for removing the inner tile portion 31A is positioned, and the second suction mechanism 75B is positioned near the first suction mechanism 75A, with the suction portion 77B holding the replacement inner tile 31B.

[0090] Next, as shown in Figure 18, the inner tile section 31A is removed from the partition wall 30 by the first suction mechanism 75A, and the first suction mechanism 75A is removed from the substrate transport module 14 while still holding the inner tile section 31A in suction. Figure 18 shows the state after the inner tile section 31A has been removed. Then, the second suction mechanism 75B, which is holding the inner tile section 31B in suction, is moved to the position where the inner tile section 31B will be installed. After this, as shown in Figure 19, the replacement inner tile section 31B is installed on the partition wall 30 (frame section 4). The removal of the inner tile section 31A from the frame section 4 and the installation of the inner tile section 31B are performed using the same method as the suction mechanism 7.

[0091] <Second modified example of the adsorption mechanism> Next, a second modified example of the suction mechanism 8 will be described with reference to Figures 20 to 22. Figure 22 is a side view showing the suction mechanism 8 in the state shown in Figure 21. The suction mechanism 8 in this example comprises two movable bodies 81, a suction part 82, and an arm part 83 connecting the movable bodies 81 and the suction part 82. The movable body 81 is configured similarly to the movable body 71 of the suction mechanism 7 shown in Figure 10. The arm part 83 in this example comprises links 831 and 832 and a support part 833. The base end of link 831 is connected to the center of the movable body 81 in a plan view so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis, and the tip end is connected to the base end of the support part 833 so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis. Similarly, the base end of link 832 is connected to the center of the movable body 82 in a plan view so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis, and the tip end is connected to the base end of the support part 833 so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis.

[0092] A suction part 82 is provided on the lower surface of the tip end of the support part 833. The suction part 82 is configured similarly to the suction mechanism 7 shown in Figure 10, and as shown in Figure 22, for example, the lower surface of the suction part 82 and the lower surface of the movable body 81 are at the same height. Thus, links 831 and 832 are connected side by side to the base end of the support portion 833. As shown in Figure 20, when the movable bodies 81 are separated, links 831 and 832 are aligned so that their lengths are almost in a straight line, and the support portion 833 is positioned between the two movable bodies 81. Also, as shown in Figure 21, when the movable bodies 81 are close together, the tips of links 831 and 832 are positioned in front of the movable bodies 81, and as a result, the support portion 833 is positioned in front of the movable bodies 81.

[0093] Then, when adsorbing the inner tile portion 31, which is an object tile, the mobile body 81 is lowered to the floor surface of the substrate transport module 14, the adsorption portion 82 adsorbs the inner tile portion 31, and the removal / installation of the tile is performed. If the lower surface of the adsorption portion 82 is set to a height lower than the lower surface of the mobile body 81, the height position of the mobile body 81 is adjusted to a height position where the lower surface of the adsorption portion 82 adsorbs the inner tile portion 31, and the inner tile portion 31 is adsorbed as described above.

[0094] <Third modified example of the adsorption mechanism> In the above, the adsorption mechanism is composed of a first movable body with an annular shape and a second movable body with a cylindrical shape arranged coaxially with the first movable body inside the first movable body, and the adsorption part may be provided on this second movable body via an arm portion, for example, made of a multi-joint arm (Figures 4 to 6 of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-133867). The first movable body is equipped with a magnet, similar to the movable body, and moves while floating above the partition wall by interacting with the magnetic field of tiles other than object tiles. The second movable body is equipped with a plurality of permanent magnets and is configured to be rotatable relative to the first movable body. In such an adsorption mechanism, since the arm portion is made of a multi-joint arm and is configured to be rotatable relative to the first movable body, it is possible to adsorb and hold object tiles at a distance from the first movable body.

[0095] <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the substrate transport module of this disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 23 and 24. In this example, the tile 9 is an integrated type that is not divided into an inner tile portion and an outer tile portion, and a lid 92 is used as a vacuum maintenance mechanism to remove / attach the tile 9. In this example, the partition wall 30A is configured to block the through-hole 41 formed in the frame portion 4 with a tile 9 from above the through-hole 41. Figure 23 shows that the tile 9 is attached to the upper side of the frame portion 4 by a pin-clamp mechanism 6, with the upper surface of the tile 9 exposed to the vacuum atmosphere transport space S1 and the lower surface of the tile 9 exposed to the atmospheric external space S2 through the through-hole 41 of the frame portion 4.

[0096] The tile 9 comprises a main body portion 91 that is rectangular in plan view. The main body portion 91 includes the electromagnet unit 5 of the inner tile portion 31 and the structure provided inside the outer tile portion 32 as described in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the pin-clamp mechanism 6 is configured in the same way as in the first embodiment, and the pin 61 of the pin-clamp mechanism 6 is provided on the lower surface of the main body portion 91. In addition, the frame portion 4 has screw holes 931 for the lid 92 instead of screw holes for the outer tile portion 32. In this embodiment, components the same as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted.

[0097] Then, when removing the tile 9, as shown in Figure 24, the worker attaches the cover 92 from the lower side of the frame 4 in the external space S2 using screws 93 to close the through-hole 41. When attaching the cover 92, an annular member 94 that forms a sealing member is provided inside the attachment position of the screws 93 so as to surround the through-hole 41, thereby sealing the through-hole 41.

[0098] Next, as shown in Figure 25, air is supplied to the pin-clamp mechanism 6 from a release channel 67 (not shown) to release it. Then, in the transport space S1, the tile 9 is picked up by the suction part 72 using a suction mechanism 7 (not shown), and the tile 9 is removed from the partition wall 30A. On the other hand, when attaching a new tile 9 to the bulkhead 30A, the lid 92 is attached to close the through-hole 41 of the frame 4, and the suction mechanism 7 is used to hold the new tile 9 in the suction part 72, moving it to the attachment position. Then, the pins 61 of the tile 9 are inserted into the clamp 62, and air is supplied from the gripping channel 66 to grip the pins 61 of the tile 9 into the clamp 62 of the frame 4, locking it in place.

[0099] In this embodiment as well, since a lid 92, which is a vacuum maintenance mechanism, is used, the tiles 9 can be removed from and attached to the partition wall 30A while maintaining a vacuum atmosphere in the transport space S1.

[0100] <Modified form of the second embodiment> Furthermore, a modified example of the second embodiment of the substrate transport module of this disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 26 to 28. In this example, the tile 95 is an integrated type that is not divided into an inner tile portion and an outer tile portion, and a lid 921 is used as a vacuum maintenance mechanism when removing / installing the tile 95. As shown in Figure 26, the tile 95 is attached to the through-hole 41 of the frame 4 from below by a pin-clamp mechanism 6, with the upper surface of the tile 95 exposed to the vacuum atmosphere transport space S1 and the lower surface of the tile 95 exposed to the atmospheric outside space S2.

[0101] The tile 95 comprises a rectangular main body 950 in plan view, which in this example comprises an upper part 951 and a lower part 952 that is larger than the upper part 951 in plan view. The upper part 951 is formed so that its planar shape aligns with the through-hole 41 and is inserted into the through-hole 41. When the tile 95 is attached to the through-hole 41 of the frame part 4 to form the partition wall 30B, the upper surface of the upper part 951 aligns with the upper surface of the frame part 4, and the upper surface of the lower part 952 aligns with the lower surface of the frame part 4. In this example, a pin 61 is provided so as to protrude upward from the lower part 952, and the pin 61 is configured to be inserted from below into a clamp 62 provided on the frame part 4.

[0102] Furthermore, the frame portion 4 is also provided with a pin-clamp mechanism 96 for attaching the lid 921. The internal structure of the main body portion 950 of the tile 95 is configured in the same way as the main body portion 91. In addition, it is equipped with a pin-clamp mechanism 6 configured in the same way as in the first embodiment, and the pin 961 of the pin-clamp mechanism 96 for the lid is provided on the lower surface of the lid 921. The frame portion 4 has a gripping channel and a release channel (not shown) formed therein to supply working fluid to the pin-clamp mechanism 6 and the pin-clamp mechanism 96 for the lid, respectively.

[0103] In this example, when removing the object tile 95A from the partition wall 30B, as shown in Figure 27, the lid 921 is held by adsorption to, for example, the adsorption part 72 of an adsorption mechanism 7 (not shown), and the lid 921 is attached to the frame part 4 from above the tile 95A. This attachment is performed by inserting a pin 961 provided on the lower surface of the lid 921 into the clamp 962 of the pin-clamp mechanism 96 for the lid, and supplying air, which is the working fluid, to the gripping channel. As a result, the pin 961 of the lid 921 is gripped by the clamp 962, and the lid 921 is attached to the frame part 4. When attaching the lid 921 in this way, an annular member 971 that forms a sealing member is provided inside the attachment position of the pin 961 so as to surround the through-hole 41, thereby sealing the through-hole 41. An annular member 972 that forms a sealing member is also provided between the frame part 4 and the lower part 952 of the tile 95 so as to surround the through-hole 41.

[0104] Next, air is supplied from an unillustrated release channel of the pin-clamp mechanism 6 to release the locked state of the pin 61 provided on the tile 95. After this, as shown in Figure 28, the worker removes the tile 95 from the frame 4 in the external space S2. At this time, the through-hole 41 of the frame 4 is closed by the cover 921, so the vacuum atmosphere in the transport space S1 is maintained.

[0105] On the other hand, when attaching a new tile 95 to the bulkhead 30B, the worker places the new tile 95 in the attachment position while the cover 921 is still attached to block the through-hole 41 of the frame 4. Then, the pins 61 of the tile 95 are inserted into the clamp 62, and air is supplied from a gripping channel 66 (not shown) to grip the pins 61 of the tile 95 into the clamp 62 of the frame 4, thereby attaching the tile 95 to the bulkhead 30B.

[0106] After attaching the tile 95 to the partition wall 30B in this manner, the lid 921 is removed, exposing the upper surface of the tile 95 to the transport space S1. This removal is performed, for example, by holding the lid 921 by adsorption to the adsorption part 72 of the adsorption mechanism 7 (not shown) and supplying air to the release channel of the clamp 962 of the pin-clamp mechanism 96 for the lid. In this embodiment as well, since the lid 921, which is a vacuum maintenance mechanism, is used, the tiles 95 can be removed from and attached to the partition wall 30B while maintaining a vacuum atmosphere in the transport space S1.

[0107] <Variations> In each of the embodiments described above, the substrate transport module of the present disclosure also includes cases in which only one of the operations—removing tiles from the partition wall or attaching tiles to the partition wall—is performed by the method of the present disclosure. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the inner tile section 31 may have a housing equipped with a first connecting section 35 instead of the support member 33, and the electromagnet unit 5 may be housed inside this housing. For example, the housing is made of aluminum and is provided so that its upper surface is exposed to the transport space S1. The inner tile section 31 and the outer tile section 32 are connected by connecting the first connecting section of the housing to the second connecting section 36 of the housing 34 of the outer coil section 32.

[0108] Furthermore, the pin-clamp mechanism may be configured such that the pin is provided on the frame side and the clamp is provided on the tile side. Moreover, the pin-clamp mechanism is not limited to a configuration that switches between locked and unlocked states by pressurization using a working fluid, but may also be configured to switch between locked and unlocked states manually. For example, in the configuration shown in Figure 4, the mechanism can be configured so that, for example, an operator can manually push the piston upward from the external space S2 side to lock it, and push it downward to unlock it.

[0109] Up to this point, the substrate transport module has been described as transporting wafers W, but the substrate being transported is semiconductor manufacturing substrate. Here, semiconductor manufacturing substrates include not only wafers W but also substrates used in the semiconductor manufacturing process, and also include flat panel display manufacturing substrates. Flat panel display (FPD) manufacturing substrates include various FPDs such as liquid crystal displays, plasma displays, organic EL displays, field emission displays, or electronic paper, and substrates used in the manufacturing process of said FPDs. Substrates used in the semiconductor manufacturing process and substrates used in the FPD manufacturing process include photomasks used in the exposure process during each manufacturing process, and dummy substrates that are processed for the purpose of testing and setting processing parameters in semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

[0110] Furthermore, the substrate transport module may employ a configuration in which tiles are provided on the side walls of the chamber, and the transport body 2 moves along these side walls, making it possible to remove and replace the tiles on the side walls using the methods described above.

[0111] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The above embodiments may be omitted, replaced, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0112] 1. Semiconductor manufacturing equipment 14. PCB transport module 15 chambers 2. Carrier 23 Magnets 5 Electromagnet Unit 3 tiles 30 Bulkhead

Claims

1. A substrate transport module comprising a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for processing substrates, for transporting said substrates in a transport space that is a vacuum atmosphere, The chamber comprises a partition wall composed of multiple tiles, each of which is equipped with an electromagnet that acts on a magnet provided on a transport body for transporting the substrate within the transport space, thereby forming a magnetic field that causes the transport body to move while levitating. The partition wall is configured to allow the tiles to be removed and attached while maintaining a vacuum atmosphere within the transport space, in a substrate transport module.

2. The tile is configured to be divisible into an inner tile portion exposed toward the transport space and an outer tile portion exposed toward the external space on the opposite side of the partition wall from the transport space. The substrate transport module according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum maintenance mechanism is the other tile portion that remains in the partition wall when one of the inner tile portion and the outer tile portion is removed.

3. The substrate transport module according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum maintenance mechanism is a cover that pre-closes the area that becomes a through-hole in the partition wall when the tile portion is removed.

4. The cover is configured to be attached to the partition wall from the transport space side, or from the external space side opposite the transport space across the partition wall, thereby closing the area that will become the through-hole. The substrate transport module according to claim 3, wherein the tile portion is configured to be removable and reattachable from the space opposite to the space in which the lid is attached.

5. When the object tile is removed / attached from the transport space side using a suction mechanism comprising a movable body equipped with a magnet for moving while floating away from the partition wall by acting on the magnetic field of tiles other than the object tile which is the tile to be removed / attached, which is provided on the partition wall, an adsorption part, and an arm part connecting the movable body and the adsorption part, The substrate transport module according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of tiles is configured to be adsorbed onto the adsorption portion, and the removal / attachment is possible by raising and lowering the adsorption portion that is adsorbed onto the surface of the object tile by the moving body.

6. The substrate transport module according to claim 5, wherein, when the adsorption portion is equipped with a magnet, each of the plurality of tiles is equipped with a battery that supplies power to the electromagnet to form a magnetic field that attracts the magnet of the adsorption portion.

7. The substrate transport module according to claim 5, wherein, when the adsorption portion includes an electrostatic chuck, each surface of the plurality of tiles that is exposed toward the transport space has an adsorption surface formed thereon that can be adsorbed to the electrostatic chuck by electrostatic adsorption.

8. The substrate transport module according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall is constructed by attaching the plurality of tiles to a frame portion having a plurality of through-holes formed therein, so as to close each of the plurality of through-holes.

9. The substrate transport module according to claim 8, wherein the tile and the frame are configured to be removable and attachable via a pin-clamp mechanism consisting of a pin provided on one side of these members and a clamp provided on the other side.

10. The substrate transport module according to claim 9, wherein the pin-clamp mechanism is switched between a locked state and an unlocked state by pressurization using a working fluid, and the frame portion has a plurality of fluid supply channels formed therein for selecting the pin-clamp mechanism to be operated from among a plurality of pin-clamp mechanisms provided in correspondence with the plurality of tiles and supplying the working fluid to it.

11. The substrate transport module according to claim 8, wherein the frame portion is configured to be connectable to one another at its end, and the size of the partition wall can be adjusted by connecting a plurality of the frame portions.

12. A method for operating a substrate transport module for transporting substrates in a transport space that is a vacuum atmosphere, comprising a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for processing substrates, A method for operating a substrate transport module, comprising the step of removing / attaching tiles to a chamber having a partition wall composed of a plurality of tiles, each equipped with an electromagnet that acts on a magnet provided on a transport body for transporting the substrate in the transport space to form a magnetic field that moves the transport body in a levitated state, while using a vacuum maintenance mechanism to maintain a vacuum atmosphere inside the transport space.

13. The tile is configured to be divisible into an inner tile portion exposed toward the transport space and an outer tile portion exposed toward the external space on the opposite side of the partition wall from the transport space. In the step of removing / installing the tiles, when one of the inner tile portion and the outer tile portion is removed, the other tile portion is left in the partition wall as the vacuum maintenance mechanism, thereby maintaining a vacuum atmosphere in the transport space, as described in claim 12.

14. In the step of removing / installing the aforementioned tiles, the vacuum maintenance mechanism, which is a lid, is used to seal in advance the area that will become a through-hole in the partition wall when the tile is removed, thereby maintaining a vacuum atmosphere within the transport space, as described in claim 12.

15. When the cover is configured to be attached to the partition wall from the transport space side, or from the external space side opposite the transport space across the partition wall, thereby closing the area that will become the through-hole, The method for operating a substrate transport module according to claim 14, wherein in the step of removing / installing the tile, the removal / installation of the tile portion is performed from the space opposite to the space in which the lid is installed.

16. In the step of removing / installing the aforementioned tile, an adsorption mechanism is used which includes a moving body equipped with a magnet for moving while floating away from the partition wall by acting with the magnetic field of tiles other than the object tile that is to be removed / installed and provided on the partition wall, an adsorption part, and an arm part connecting the moving body and the adsorption part, and the object tile is removed / installed from the transport space side by increasing or decreasing the amount of levitation of the moving body while the adsorption part is adsorbed to the surface of the object tile.

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