Load port and conveying system

Abstract

The load port will be made smaller. [Solution] A load port comprising: a mounting section on which a container is placed; a storage section disposed below the mounting section; a port door capable of holding the door portion of the container; a bolt plate having an opening through which the substrate can be inserted and removed; and a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the port door relative to the opening, wherein the lifting mechanism comprises: a lifting section stored in the storage section; a connecting member that passes through a slit formed in the bolt plate and connects the lifting section and the port door; and a drive source stored in the storage section, which raises and lowers the lifting section between a first position and a second position, wherein the lifting section has a space into which the drive source can enter at the second position, and the second position is a position in which the lifting section overlaps with the drive source in a side view, and the space overlaps with the drive source in a plan view.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a load port and a transport system.

Background Art

[0002] Containers such as FOUPs for accommodating substrates such as semiconductor wafers are known. Such containers are opened and closed at a load port provided in a substrate transfer device, and the substrates inside the containers are taken in and out. Patent Document 1 discloses a load port that has a port door for holding a lid portion of a container and opens and closes the container by raising and lowering the port door.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The size of the container is standardized. For example, in the case of a FOUP, the size is defined by the SEMI standard. When the container is opened, it is necessary to completely open the opening of the container, and the lifting distance of the lid portion of the container is affected by the standard size. The lifting mechanism of the lid portion is configured to lift and lower the lid portion at this lifting distance, and when attempting to miniaturize the load port, the lifting distance cannot be shortened, and there are design constraints in this regard.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to miniaturize the load port.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to the present invention, a placement portion on which a container in which a substrate is accommodated is placed, a storage portion disposed below the placement portion, a port door capable of holding a door portion of the container, A bolt plate is positioned between the mounting section and the storage section and the port door, and is openable and closable by the port door, having an opening through which the substrate can be inserted and removed, A lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the port door relative to the opening, A load port equipped with, The aforementioned lifting mechanism is The lifting unit stored in the aforementioned storage unit, A connecting member that passes through a slit formed in the bolt plate and connects the lifting section and the port door, The drive mechanism comprises a drive source stored in the storage section, and the lifting section moves up and down between a first position and a second position, The lifting section has a space into which the drive source can enter at the second position. The second position is a position where the lifting portion overlaps with the drive source in a side view, and the space overlaps with the drive source in a plan view. A load port characterized by the above is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the load port can be made smaller. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] External view of a transport system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows the internal mechanism of the load port and substrate transport device of the transport system. [Figure 3] Plan view of the configuration around the lifting / lowering section. [Figure 4] A perspective view of the configuration around the lifting mechanism. [Figure 5] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the load port. [Figure 6] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the load port. [Figure 7] Figure 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the area around part P1, seen from the side. [Figure 8] Partial cross-sectional view of the periphery of part P2 in FIG. 5, viewed from the side. [Figure 9] Diagram showing another arrangement example of the motor.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of the features described in the embodiments are essential for the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. Also, the same or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

[0010] <First Embodiment> <Overview of the Device> FIG. 1 is an external view of a transport system A according to an embodiment of the present invention. The transport system A includes a load port 1 and a substrate transport device 100. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal mechanism of the load port 1 and the substrate transport device 100, and is a schematic cross-sectional view when a container 200 is placed on the load port The arrows X and Y in each figure indicate horizontal directions perpendicular to each other, and the arrow Z indicates the vertical direction.

[0011] The load port 1 is a device for opening and closing a container 200 such as a FOUP. The container 200 has a box-shaped container body 201 having an opening 201a on the side for taking in and out a substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer, and a door portion 202 that is detachably attached to the opening 201a and closes the opening 201a, and houses the substrate W. Note that FIG. 2 shows a state in which the door portion 202 is removed from the container body 201 by the load port 1 and is in the middle of descending.

[0012] The load port 1 is attached to a substrate transfer device 100 that has a substrate transfer robot 110 inside for transferring the substrate W. The substrate transfer device 100 has a housing 102 that houses the substrate transfer robot 110. The load port 1 is attached to the front wall portion 102a of the housing 102. In the example of FIG. 1, two load ports 1 are attached to the front wall portion 102a. The substrate transfer robot 110 performs the unloading and loading of the substrate W with respect to the container 200 placed on the load port 1.

[0013] The substrate transfer robot 110 includes an end effector 111 that holds the substrate W, an articulated arm 112 that holds the end effector 111 at least movably back and forth, and a drive unit 113 that turns and moves up and down the articulated arm 112. The substrate transfer robot 110 further includes a traveling unit 114 that reciprocates the substrate transfer robot 110 in the Y direction. As shown by the dashed line in FIG. 2, by entering the end effector 111 of the substrate transfer robot 110 into the inside of the container body 201 having an opening 201a opened on the substrate transfer device 100 side, the unloading and loading of the substrate W are performed.

[0014] The load port 1 includes a mounting portion 2 on which the container 200 is placed, a bolt plate 3, a port door 4, and a storage portion 5 disposed below the mounting portion 2. The bolt plate 3 is a plate-shaped wall body extending in the Z direction, and includes a front surface 3a on the side of the mounting portion 2 and a rear surface 3b on the side of the substrate transfer device 100. The bolt plate 3 closes an opening formed in the front wall portion 102a and, together with the front wall portion 102a, partitions the external space on the side of the mounting portion 2 and the transfer space 101 of the substrate W inside the substrate transfer device 100. In terms of the partition wall, it can be said that the bolt plate 3 is a member that constitutes a part of the front wall portion 102a. The bolt plate 3 includes an opening 30 through which the removed door portion 202 and the end effector 111 can pass in the X direction. Further, the bolt plate 3 includes a mounting portion 3c for attaching a drive mechanism 9 described later at a predetermined position on the front surface 3a.

[0015] The port door 4 includes a holding part 40 that holds the door section 202 and a support part 41 that supports the holding part 40. The holding part 40 is equipped with, for example, a suction mechanism, which allows it to hold the door section 202 by suction. The holding part 40 is also provided with an operating mechanism (latch key) that operates the opening and closing of the locking mechanism of the door section 202, which allows the container body 201 and the door section 202 to be detached and attached.

[0016] The mounting section 2 comprises a dock plate 20 on which the container 200 is placed, and a housing 23 that houses the operating mechanism. The operating mechanism includes a displacement mechanism 21 that displaces the dock plate 20 in the X direction, a presence sensor for detecting the presence of the container 200, and a locking mechanism that locks the container 200 placed on the dock plate 20 to the dock plate 20. The dock plate 20 is provided with a plurality of positioning pins (kinematic pins) that position and support the container 200. The housing 23 is a hollow body in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped.

[0017] Refer to Figure 7 in addition to Figure 1. Figure 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the area around part P2 in Figure 5, which will be described later. The housing 23 is equipped with a bottom plate 23a. The displacement mechanism 21 is provided on the bottom plate 23a.

[0018] The storage section 5 is a hollow body in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. The storage section 5 is provided with a lifting mechanism 6 for raising and lowering the port door 4 relative to the opening 30. The lifting mechanism 6 comprises a lifting section 7 stored in the storage section 5, a pair of connecting members 60 that connect the lifting section 7 and the port door 4, and a drive mechanism 9. Refer to Figure 3 in addition to Figure 2. Figure 3 is a plan view of the configuration around the lifting section 7.

[0019] In this embodiment, the drive mechanism 9 is a ball screw mechanism. However, other drive mechanisms may be used. The drive mechanism 9 includes a ball screw shaft 90, a slider 92, a guide member 93, a motor 94 which is a drive source, and a belt transmission mechanism 95. The guide member 93 is a rail member that guides the vertical movement of the slider 92 and is fixed to the front surface 3a of the bolt plate 3. The guide member 93 extends in the Z direction and is attached to a mounting portion 3c provided on the bolt plate 3 such that its lower end is located below the storage portion 5 and its upper end is located below the mounting portion 2. The slider 92 has an engaging portion that engages with the guide member 93 and is reciprocable in the Z direction guided by the guide member 93. The slider 92 is provided with a ball nut 91 that engages with the ball screw shaft 90 via a ball. The slide 92 moves along the ball screw shaft 90 and the guide portion 93.

[0020] The ball screw shaft 90 extends in the Z direction, and its lower end is rotatably supported by a support member 90a located at the bottom of the storage section 5, and its upper end is rotatably supported by a support member 90b located below the mounting section 2. The support member 90b is attached to a mounting section 3c provided on the bolt plate 3. The mounting member 90c is also attached to the support member 90a. The support member 90a and the mounting member 90c are attached to the mounting section 3c provided on the bolt plate 3. The support member 90a and the mounting member 90c are located at the lower ends of the ball screw shaft 90 and the guide member 93. The ball screw shaft 90 is connected to the belt transmission mechanism 95 at its lower end. The mounting member 90c is a plate-shaped member fixed to the support member 90a and extending in the X direction, with a motor 94 attached to its upper surface and the belt transmission mechanism 95 supported on its lower surface.

[0021] The belt drive mechanism 95 includes a driven pulley 951 connected to the ball screw shaft 90, a drive pulley 952 connected to the output shaft of the motor 94, and an endless belt 953 wound around them. The motor 94 includes an output shaft 941 and a drive unit 942 that rotationally drives the output shaft 941. The motor 94 is positioned in the storage unit 3 at the height of the lower end of the guide member 93, with the output shaft 941 facing downwards. The rotational force of the motor 94 is transmitted to the ball screw shaft 90 via the belt drive mechanism 95, causing the ball screw shaft 90 to rotate. The rotation of the ball screw shaft 90 causes the slider 92, which is equipped with a ball nut 91, to move up and down.

[0022] The pair of connecting members 60 are plate-shaped members that extend in the X direction through a pair of slits 31 formed in the bolt plate 3. One end of each connecting member 60 is located in the storage section 5, and the other end is located in the transport space 101. Each slit 31 extends in the Z direction and is an opening that penetrates the bolt plate 3, and the pair of slits 31 are spaced apart in the Y direction. Supports 41 of the port door 4 are fixed to the X-direction ends of the pair of connecting members 60.

[0023] The lifting section 7 comprises a support member 70 and a reciprocating mechanism 8. The support member 70 is a frame member including a pair of side plates 71 spaced apart in the Y direction, an end plate 72 on the bolt plate 3 side connecting the pair of side plates 71, a bottom plate 73 connecting the pair of side plates 71, and an end plate 74 on the opposite side of the bolt plate 3 connecting the pair of side plates 71. The end plate 72 is fixed to a slider 92, and the lifting section 7 moves up and down as the slider 92 moves up and down. The support member 70 forms a space 76, which will be described later. The space 76 is a space enclosed by the plates that make up the support member 70.

[0024] The lifting section 7 has an internal space enclosed by a pair of side plates 71, an end plate 72, and an end plate 74. The internal space includes a mechanism arrangement section 78 where the reciprocating mechanism 8 is located, and an empty space section 76. The empty space section 76 is located on the side of the bolt plate 3 than the mechanism arrangement section 78.

[0025] An opening 77 is formed between the end 73a of the bottom plate 73 and the end plate 72, with a gap between them. The space above this opening 77 is formed as a space 76 enclosed by a pair of side plates 71 and the end plate 72. The space 76 is located in a position that overlaps with the motor 94 in the Z direction, that is, in a position that overlaps in a plan view, and is a space into which at least a part of the motor 94 can enter when the lifting unit 7 is lowered, as will be described later. In this embodiment, a part of the motor 94 opposite to the output shaft is configured to enter the space 76.

[0026] A connecting member 60 is supported on each side plate 71 so as to be slidable in the X direction. A rail member 61 is fixed to the connecting member 60, and a plurality of sliders 75 are fixed to the side plate 71. The plurality of sliders 75 engage with the rail member 61 which extends in the X direction, and these constitute a linear guide. The rail member 61 is able to reciprocate in the X direction guided by the sliders 75. The connecting member 60 is positioned on the side of the side plate 71 so as to overlap with the side plate 71 when viewed from the side in the Y direction.

[0027] The reciprocating mechanism 8 is a mechanism that moves the port door 4 in the reciprocating direction (X direction in this embodiment) relative to the opening 30, and is supported by a support member 70. The reciprocating mechanism 8 in this embodiment is provided on the bottom plate 73 and is a cam mechanism that moves a pair of connecting members 60 in the X direction. The reciprocating mechanism 8 and the space 76 are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction (X direction), and the space 76 is located between the reciprocating mechanism 8 and the end plate 72 and slider 92. A compact layout is possible while preventing interference between the motor 94, which is housed in the space 76 when the lifting unit 70 is lowered, and the reciprocating mechanism 8.

[0028] The reciprocating mechanism 8 includes a transmission unit 81, a cam member 82, a motor 84 which is a drive source, a rotating shaft 85, an arm member 86, and a roller 87. The rotating shaft 85 is a shaft member that extends in the Z direction, and the driving force is transmitted from the output shaft of the motor 84 via the transmission unit 81, causing it to rotate around the Z axis. The transmission unit 81 is, for example, a unit equipped with a belt drive mechanism inside. The arm member 86 is fixed to the rotating shaft 85 at one end and rotates around the rotating shaft 85 as the rotation of the rotating shaft 85. A roller 87 that is rotatable around the Z axis is supported at the other end of the arm member 86. In this embodiment, the rotation range of the arm member 86 in a view along the Z axis is within the range of the base plate 73.

[0029] The cam member 82 is an L-shaped member, with one end fixed to one of the pair of connecting members 60, and a cam hole 89 formed at the other end. The cam hole 89 is an oval-shaped opening. A roller 87 is inserted into the cam hole 89, and the circumferential surface of the roller 87 contacts the inner surface of the cam hole 89. When the motor 84 rotates the arm member 86, the roller 87 performs circular motion around the rotation axis 85. As the roller 87 contacts the inner surface of the cam hole 89, the relative position of the roller 87 and the cam hole 89 in the Y direction changes, causing the connecting member 60 to move in the X direction. As a result, the port door 4 moves forward and backward in the X direction.

[0030] Referring to Figure 2, the load port 1 is provided with a control unit 10. The control unit 10 is an electronic circuit that controls the load port 1. The control unit 10 includes, for example, a processing unit represented by a CPU, a storage unit such as RAM and ROM, an input / output interface between the processing unit and an external device, and a communication interface that communicates with a computer such as a host computer and peripheral devices (such as a board transport robot 110) via a communication line. The control unit 10, for example, acquires detection results from various sensors and controls various drive sources. Various sensors include, for example, an occupancy sensor on the dock plate 20, a sensor provided on the drive mechanism 9, and a sensor provided on the forward / backward mechanism 8. Various drive sources include the motor 94, the motor 84, the drive source for the drive mechanism 21, and the drive source for the holding unit 40.

[0031] <Control Example> An example of control of the load port 1 by the control unit 10 will be described. Figures 5 and 6 show an example of the operation of the load port 1 under the control of the control unit 10, and in particular the opening operation of the container 200.

[0032] Refer to Figure 5. State ST1 shows the stage before the container 200 is placed on the mounting section 2. The dock plate 20 is located away from the bolt plate 3. The port door 4 is in the forward position Pf at the detachment position Pu. The detachment position Pu corresponds to the upper limit of the lifting range of the lifting section 7. The opening 30 is closed by the holding section 40.

[0033] Figure 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the area around part P1 in Figure 5. A slider 92 that moves along the ball screw shaft 90 and guide member 93 is located near the bottom of the bottom plate 23a of the housing 23 that constitutes the mounting part 2.

[0034] Returning to Figure 5, state ST2 shows the stage where the container 200 is placed on the dock plate 20 of the mounting section 2. The position of the port door 4 is the same as in state ST1. State ST3 shows the stage where the dock plate 20 moves forward relative to the bolt plate 3 and the door portion 202 of the container 200 is connected to the holding portion 40 of the port door 4. The position of the port door 4 is the same as in state ST1. The holding portion 40 holds the door portion 202 from the side of the transport space 101, and the lock of the door portion 202 on the container 200 is released.

[0035] Refer to Figure 6. State ST4 indicates the stage in which the door portion 202 is separated from the container body 201 of the container 200 and the container 200 is opened. The port door 4 is moved back from the forward position Pf to the reversed position Pb by the advance / reverse mechanism 8.

[0036] State ST5 indicates the stage in which the port door 4 has been lowered to the standby position Pd by the drive mechanism 9. The standby position Pd is the lower limit position of the port door 4 during the opening operation. The standby position Pd corresponds to the lower limit position of the lifting range of the lifting unit 7. When the port door 4 is in the standby position Pd, the entire opening 30 is exposed to the transport space 101.

[0037] Refer to Figure 8. In the standby position Pd, the lifting section 7 overlaps with the motor 94 in a side view. In this embodiment, the lifting section 7 overlaps with the motor 94 in both the X and Y directions. Also in this embodiment, in the standby position Pd, the drive unit 942 of the motor 94 enters the space 76 of the lifting section 7. In this embodiment, the lifting section 7 can be lowered to a position where it overlaps with the motor 94 in a side view, while avoiding interference between the lifting section 7 and the motor 94. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the size of the load port 1 in the Z direction while securing the required lifting distance for the port door 4. In particular, it is possible to shorten the overall length of the storage section 5 in the Z direction, enabling the miniaturization of the load port 1 in the Z direction.

[0038] Figure 8 also shows a circuit board 97 associated with the motor 94. The circuit board 97 is supported by a holder 96. The holder 96 is supported on the upper surface of the mounting member 90c. The circuit board 97 includes, for example, the drive circuit for the motor 94 and the sensor circuit for the position sensor. In the example in Figure 8, not only the motor 94 but also the holder 96 and part of the circuit board 97 are housed in the space 76. This improves the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the holder 96 and the circuit board 97.

[0039] This completes the opening of the container 200. After this, the substrate W is removed by the substrate transport robot 110, processed by a processing device (not shown), and the processed substrate W is placed back into the container body 201. Then, the container 200 is closed. The closing operation is performed in the reverse order of the procedure shown in Figures 5 and 6, and the door section 202 is attached to the container body 201.

[0040] <Second Embodiment> In the first embodiment, the motor 94 is located at the bottom of the storage section 5, but it may also be located at the top. Figure 9 shows an example of this configuration. In the illustrated example, the ball screw shaft 90 and the guide member 93 extend from the upper end to the lower end of the storage section 5. The motor 94 and the belt drive mechanism 95 are located at the top of the storage section 5. The motor 94 is located in the storage section 3 at the height of the upper end of the guide member 93, with its output shaft facing upward. In the second embodiment, the motor 94 and the belt drive mechanism 95 are arranged upside down compared to the arrangement in the first embodiment.

[0041] In this embodiment, at the attachment / detachment position Pu, the lifting section 7 overlaps with the motor 94, and a portion of the motor 94 is housed in the space 76 of the lifting section 7. Even with this configuration, it is possible to reduce the size of the load port 1 in the Z direction while securing the required lifting distance for the port door 4.

[0042] Although embodiments of the invention have been described above, the invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1 Load port, 2 Mounting section, 3 Bolt plate, 4 Port door, 5 Storage section, 6 Lifting mechanism, 7 Lifting section, 9 Drive mechanism, 60 Connecting member

Claims

1. A mounting section on which a container containing a circuit board is placed, A storage section located below the aforementioned mounting section, A port door capable of holding the door portion of the aforementioned container, A bolt plate is positioned between the mounting section and the storage section and the port door, and is openable and closable by the port door, having an opening through which the substrate can be inserted and removed, A lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the port door relative to the opening, A load port equipped with, The aforementioned lifting mechanism is The lifting unit stored in the aforementioned storage unit, A connecting member that passes through a slit formed in the bolt plate and connects the lifting section and the port door, The drive mechanism comprises a drive source stored in the storage section, and the lifting section moves up and down between a first position and a second position, The lifting section has a space into which the drive source can enter at the second position. The second position is a position where the lifting portion overlaps with the drive source in a side view, and the space overlaps with the drive source in a plan view. A load port characterized by the following features.

2. A load port according to claim 1, The aforementioned lifting mechanism is The connecting member is provided with a retraction mechanism that moves it back and forth between a holding position in which the port door holds the door portion and a retracted position separated from the holding position, The system includes a support member that supports the reciprocating mechanism and forms the space. A load port characterized by the following features.

3. A load port according to claim 2, The support member is a frame member including a first side plate and a second side plate, a first end plate connecting the first side plate and the second side plate, and a second end plate spaced apart from the first end plate and connecting the first side plate and the second side plate. The aforementioned space is part of the space enclosed by the frame member. A load port characterized by the following features.

4. A load port according to claim 3, The support member includes a bottom plate connecting the first side plate and the second side plate. The aforementioned reciprocating mechanism is supported by the bottom plate, A load port characterized by the following features.

5. A load port according to claim 2, The aforementioned reciprocating mechanism and the aforementioned space are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction. The aforementioned space is located on the side of the bolt plate rather than the reciprocating mechanism. A load port characterized by the following features.

6. A load port according to claim 2, The connecting member is slidably supported by the support member. A load port characterized by the following features.

7. A load port according to claim 3, The aforementioned connecting member is A first connecting member is slidably supported on the first side plate of the support member and overlaps with the first side plate in a side view, The support member comprises a second connecting member which is slidably supported on the second side plate of the support member and which overlaps with the second side plate in a side view, A load port characterized by the following features.

8. A load port according to claim 1, The drive mechanism comprises a ball screw shaft extending in the vertical direction and a ball nut that engages with the ball screw shaft. The aforementioned drive source is a motor, The ball screw shaft rotates as a result of the motor's drive. The motor is positioned within the storage compartment with its output shaft facing downwards. A load port characterized by the following features.

9. A load port according to claim 1, The lifting section includes a support member that supports the connecting member and forms the space. A load port characterized by the following features.

10. A transport system comprising a substrate transport device and a load port attached to the substrate transport device, The substrate transport device is A circuit board transport robot that transports circuit boards, The system comprises a housing for the aforementioned substrate transport robot, The aforementioned load port is A mounting section on which a container containing a circuit board is placed, A storage section located below the aforementioned mounting section, A port door capable of holding the door portion of the aforementioned container, A bolt plate is positioned between the mounting section and the storage section and the port door, and is openable and closable by the port door, having an opening through which the substrate can be inserted and removed, The port door is raised and lowered relative to the opening, The aforementioned bolt plate is attached to the housing. The aforementioned lifting mechanism is The lifting unit stored in the aforementioned storage unit, A connecting member that passes through a slit formed in the bolt plate and connects the lifting section and the port door, The drive mechanism comprises a drive source stored in the storage section, and the lifting section moves up and down between a first position and a second position, The lifting section has a space into which the drive source can enter at the second position. The second position is a position where the lifting portion overlaps with the drive source in a side view, and the space overlaps with the drive source in a plan view. A transport system characterized by the following features.

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