Front-opening interface mechanical standard system

Abstract

A front-opening interface mechanical standard system including a main body, a transfer module, a driving assembly, a door opening and closing module, and a control module electrically connected to the transfer module, the driving assembly, and the door opening and closing module is provided. The main body has a front side, a rear side, and an opening connected between the front side and the rear side. The transfer module movably is disposed on the main body, located at the rear side, and supporting a substrate receiving box. The substrate receiving box is moved to or away from the opening by the transfer module. The door opening and closing module located at the front side, connected to the driving assembly, and moves to or away from the opening by the driving assembly. The door opening and closing module and the substrate receiving box moved to the opening respectively face to each other via the opening and an airtight space is formed with the opening.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a front-opening interface mechanical standard system. [Previous Technology]

[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing or panel manufacturing, the substrate needs to be processed by several workstations. While waiting between workstations, the substrate is usually placed in a container to keep it in a dust-free environment and avoid external contamination. The lid of the container can be opened and closed by a loading and unloading device, and the container can be kept in a dust-free state during the opening and closing process by gas supply.

[0003] However, for opening and closing devices, they usually use slide rails, pneumatic cylinders and connecting components to move and open and close the container (and its cover). These structures or components are mostly exposed to the environment, and it is impossible to avoid the volatile gases and dust that may be generated during their operation, which may lead to the risk of contamination of the substrate. [Summary of the Invention]

[0004] The present invention provides a front-opening interface mechanical standard system, which provides a structure with associated drive components that are sufficiently isolated from the environment to avoid contamination of the housing and its inner substrate.

[0005] The front-opening interface mechanical standard system of the present invention includes a body, a transfer module, a drive assembly, a door / cover opening / closing module, and a control module. The body has a front side, a rear side, and an opening, the opening connecting the front side and the rear side. The transfer module is movably disposed on the body and located on the rear side. A substrate receiving box is adapted to be carried on the transfer module and is driven by the transfer module to move to or away from the opening. The drive assembly is disposed on the front side of the body. The door / cover opening / closing module is located on the front side and connected to the drive assembly. The door / cover opening / closing module is driven by the drive assembly to move to or away from the opening. The control module is electrically connected to the transfer module, the door / cover opening / closing module, and the drive assembly. The substrate receiving box and the door / cover opening / closing module, respectively moved to the opening, are opposite each other across the opening and form an airtight space with the opening.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned front opening interface mechanical standard system is used to connect the substrate housing storage system and the loading area, with the front side located in the loading area and the rear side located in the substrate housing storage system.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned body is provided with an airtight member surrounding the opening on the rear side.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, a fixing module is further included, which is disposed on the rear side of the body, electrically connected to the control module, and located above the opening.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the drive assembly includes a base, a rotating shaft, a pneumatic cylinder, and a crank. One end of the rotating shaft is pivotally mounted on the base, and the other end of the rotating shaft is fixedly connected to the side plate of the door opening / closing module. The pneumatic cylinder is electrically connected to the control module. One end of the crank is sleeved on the rotating shaft, and the other end of the crank is pivotally connected to the push rod of the pneumatic cylinder. The control module drives the crank through the push rod of the pneumatic cylinder, so that the crank rotates the rotating shaft and drives the door opening / closing module to rotate relative to the body to move to or away from the opening.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned driving component further includes a linear slide rail, and the base is disposed on the linear slide rail so that the base and the rotating shaft are driven by the linear slide rail to move along an axial direction, the axial direction being parallel to or consistent with the rotating shaft.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the drive assembly further includes a flexible airtight element located between the side plate and the crank. When the shaft moves axially to move the door opening / closing module away from the opening, the flexible airtight element unfolds and the shaft is housed within the flexible airtight element. When the shaft moves axially to move the door opening / closing module toward the opening, the flexible airtight element folds and a portion of the shaft moves away, exposing the flexible airtight element.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the drive assembly further includes a housing that houses the base, the pneumatic cylinder, the crank and the linear slide rail. The linear slide rail and the pneumatic cylinder are assembled on the inner wall of the housing. A flexible airtight component is connected between the housing and the side plate so that when the door opening and closing module moves away from the opening, the portion of the rotating shaft that moves out of the housing is contained within the flexible airtight component.

[0013] Based on the above, the front opening interface mechanical standard system, through the corresponding design of the transfer module and the drive component relative to the main body, allows the control module to move the substrate housing box to the rear side of the main body through the transfer module, and to move the door opening and closing module to the front side of the main body through the drive component, so that the substrate housing box and the door opening and closing module face each other across the opening, and thus form an airtight space with the opening, so that the control module can drive the door opening and closing module to disassemble and assemble the door of the substrate housing box without contaminating the substrate inside.

Implementation Method

[0014] Figure 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of a storage system and a front-opening interface mechanical standard system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, in this embodiment, the front-opening interface mechanical standard system (FIMS) 100 is used between the substrate cassette storage system 10 and the loading area 20 for the transfer of the substrate cassette 40. As shown in Figure 1, the substrate cassette 40 contains substrates 50, which are first transported to the transfer port 11 of the substrate cassette storage system 10 by a suspended transport module 30, and then the substrate cassette 40 is transported into the storage space 13 by the handling robot 12 of the substrate cassette storage system 10. When the substrate housing 40 needs to be removed from the substrate housing storage system 10, the first step is to use the handling robot 12 to send the substrate housing 40 into the front opening interface mechanical standard system 100 and remove the door cover 41 of the substrate housing 40. Then, the handling robot 12A takes the substrate 50 out of the substrate housing 40 and places it into the storage compartment 21 of the loading area 20 to prepare it for use by the workstation in the next process.

[0015] Figure 2A is a partial structural schematic diagram of the front opening interface mechanical standard system and the receiving box. Figure 2B is an electrical relationship diagram of some components of the front opening interface mechanical standard system. Please refer to Figures 1, 2A and 2B simultaneously. In this embodiment, the front opening interface mechanical standard system 100 includes a body 110, a transfer module 120, a drive assembly 150, a door cover opening and closing module 140 and a control module CM. The body 110 has a front side 111, a rear side 112 and an opening 113, the opening 113 connecting the front side 111 and the rear side 112. The transfer module 120 is movably disposed on the body 110 and located on the rear side 112. The substrate receiving box 40 is adapted to be carried on the transfer module 120 and is driven by the transfer module 120 to move to or away from the opening 113. The drive assembly 150 is disposed on the front side 111 of the body 110. The door opening / closing module 140 is located on the front side 111 and connected to the drive assembly 150. The door opening / closing module 140 is moved to or away from the opening 113 by the drive assembly 150. The control module CM is electrically connected to the transfer module 120, the door opening / closing module 140, and the drive assembly 150. Here, the substrate receiving box 40 is an example of a front-opening unified pod (FOUP), but it is not limited thereto.

[0016] As shown in Figure 1, a front-opening interface mechanical standard system 100, serving as a transfer medium, is connected between the substrate cassette storage system 10 and the loading area 20, wherein the front side 111 is located in the loading area 20, and the rear side 112 is located in the substrate cassette storage system 10. The main body 110 also includes a lifting platform 114, electrically connected to a control module CM, to facilitate receiving the substrate cassette 40 transferred by the handling robot 12 and delivering it to the opening 113 to facilitate subsequent opening of the door cover 41 and related operations before transfer.

[0017] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram of the front-opening interface mechanical standard system in one state. Figure 3B shows the front-opening interface mechanical standard system of Figure 3A from another perspective. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the front-opening interface mechanical standard system in another state. Referring simultaneously to Figures 3A, 3B, and 4, in this embodiment, the drive assembly 150 includes a housing 158 and a linear slide rail 151, a base 152, a pneumatic cylinder 153, a rotating shaft 154, a flexible airtight component 155, a crank 156, and a bearing 157 housed therein. The track of the linear slide rail 151 is assembled to the inner wall of the housing 158, and the slider of the linear slide rail 151 is movably disposed on the track. Similarly, the pneumatic cylinder 153 and the bearing 157 are also assembled to the inner wall of the housing 158 to achieve a fixed position. The control module CM is electrically connected to the linear slide rail 151 and the pneumatic cylinder 153.

[0018] Furthermore, one end of the rotating shaft 154 is pivotally mounted on the base 152, and the other end of the rotating shaft 154 is fixedly connected to the side plate 143a of the door cover opening and closing module 140. The base 152 is assembled on the slider of the aforementioned linear slide rail 151. Therefore, by the operation of the linear slide rail 151, the base 152 and the rotating shaft 154 assembled thereon can be driven to move relative to the housing 158. The rotating shaft 154 passes through the bearing 157 and is movable through and out of the housing 158, thereby moving the door cover opening and closing module 140 away from or closer to the opening 113. In addition, FIG5 shows a partial schematic diagram of the front opening interface mechanical standard system of FIG4 from another perspective. Please refer to Figures 4 and 5 simultaneously. In this embodiment, one end of the crank 156 is sleeved on the rotating shaft 154, and the other end of the crank 156 is pivotally connected to the push rod 153a of the pneumatic cylinder 153 along the shaft C2. The control module CM drives the crank 156 through the push rod 153a of the pneumatic cylinder 153, so that the crank 156 rotates the rotating shaft 154, and drives the door cover opening and closing module 140 to rotate relative to the body 110 about the shaft C1 to move to or away from the opening 113.

[0019] Simply put, by comparing Figures 3A and 4, it is clear that the base 152 and the rotating shaft 154 of the drive assembly 150 can reciprocate along the axis C1 due to the linear slide rail 151, which can horizontally move the door opening and closing module 140 away from or to the opening 113. Furthermore, the pneumatic cylinder 153, through the crank 156, allows the rotating shaft 154 to rotate along the axis C1, so that the door opening and closing module 140 rotates relative to the body 110 and moves to or away from the opening 113. Accordingly, the drive assembly 150 generates relative movement of the door opening and closing module 140 relative to the body 110 (the opening 113) through two different driving methods.

[0020] It is worth noting that since the flexible airtight component 155 of the drive assembly 150 is located between the side plate 143a and the crank 156, and more specifically, the flexible airtight component 155 is connected between the housing 158 and the side plate 143a, when the rotating shaft 154 moves along the shaft C1 and causes the door cover opening and closing module 140 to move away from the opening 113, the flexible airtight component 155 is in an unfolded state and the rotating shaft 154 is housed within the flexible airtight component 155. That is, at this time, a portion of the rotating shaft 154 will protrude through the housing 158, but the portion of the rotating shaft 154 that moves out of the housing 158 is contained within the flexible airtight component 155. Conversely, when the pivot 154 moves along axis C1, causing the door opening / closing module 140 to move toward the opening 113, the flexible airtight component 155 will be converted to a folded state, and part of the pivot 154 will move away, exposing the flexible airtight component 155. However, the part of the flexible airtight component 155 that is not exposed is housed within the housing 158. Accordingly, due to the presence of the flexible airtight component 155, the drive assembly 150 can provide an airtight environment to protect the related components, that is, prevent these drive-related components from being exposed to the environment in which the drive assembly 150 is located, thereby avoiding the pollution of the environment by volatile gases and dust that may be generated during the operation of the components.

[0021] Figures 6 to 10 illustrate the opening process of the front opening interface mechanical standard system. Figure 11 shows a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the front opening interface mechanical standard system of Figure 10. Please refer to Figures 6 and 7 and compare with Figure 1. When the substrate receiving box 40 is moved from the substrate receiving box storage system 10 to the front opening interface mechanical standard system 100 by the handling robot 12, it is placed on the transfer module 120 of the lifting platform 114. The positioning recess 43 at the bottom of the substrate receiving box 40 is correspondingly engaged with the positioning protrusion 121 of the transfer module 120 to stabilize the substrate receiving box 40. After being moved to the corresponding height of the opening 113 by the lifting platform 114, the substrate receiving box 40 can be moved to the opening 113 by the transfer module 120. Here, as shown in Figure 2A, the main body 110 is also provided with an airtight component 115 surrounding the opening 113 on the rear side 112, thus ensuring the airtightness between the substrate receiving box 40 in Figure 7 and the opening 113 of the main body 110. Simultaneously, the control module CM drives the door opening / closing module 140 so that the sealing cover 143 covers the opening 113 of the main body 110, opposite the door cover 41 of the substrate receiving box 40. Similarly, the sealing cover 143 can also maintain the required airtightness through the airtight component (not shown).

[0022] Next, as shown in FIG8, the front opening interface mechanical standard system 100 further includes a fixing module 130, which is disposed on the rear side 112 of the main body 110, electrically connected to the control module CM (as shown in FIG2B), and located above the opening 113. When the substrate receiving box 40 is docked with the opening 113, the control module CM can drive the fixing module 130 to fix to the fixing part 42 of the substrate receiving box 40.

[0023] Next, as shown in FIG9, the control module CM drives the door cover opening and closing module 140 so that the opening and closing mechanism 144 in the sealing cover 143 enters the opening 113 and moves toward the door cover 41. At this time, please refer to FIG2A. In this embodiment, the door cover opening and closing module 140 is provided with a suction sealing member 141 and a latch key 142 on its opening and closing mechanism 144. The door cover 41 of the substrate receiving box 40 has a suction hole 41a and a latch key groove 41b. Therefore, as shown in FIG9, the suction sealing member 141 and the latch key 142 of the opening and closing mechanism 144 are correspondingly placed into the suction hole 41a and the latch key groove 41b to prepare for the subsequent opening and closing of the door cover 41.

[0024] As shown in FIG2A, the front opening interface mechanical standard system 100 of this embodiment further includes a pneumatic unit 160, and the body 110 also has a plurality of air holes 113a located on the side wall of the opening 113, and these air holes 113a are connected to the pneumatic unit 160. As mentioned above, when the substrate receiving box 40 moves to the opening 113 (located on the rear side 112) and the sealing cover 143 of the door opening and closing module 140 moves to the opening 113 (located on the front side 111), it is essentially to allow the substrate receiving box 40 and the door opening and closing module 140 to face each other across the opening 113 and form an airtight space with the opening 113.

[0025] Next, once the airtight space is completed, the control module CM can drive the pneumatic unit 160 to perform gas replacement on the airtight space through the air vent 113a, for example, by discharging the original gas and injecting the same gas as the loading area 20. After the gas replacement is completed, the control module CM can drive the door cover opening and closing module 140, causing the latch key 142 to release the latched state of the door cover 41, and using the suction sealing member 141 (for example, by vacuum adsorption) to adsorb the door cover 41 onto the opening and closing mechanism 144.

[0026] Next, as shown in FIG10, the control module CM rotates the shaft 154 (shown in the previous figures) via the drive assembly 150, particularly via the pneumatic cylinder 153 and the crank 156, thereby causing the sealing cover 143 to move away from the opening 113. FIG10 is shown in FIG11, so by referring to FIG11 and FIG3A, it can be seen that the control module CM can then use the drive assembly 150 to move the door cover opening and closing module 140, which holds the door cover 41, away from the opening 113 and away from the body 110. Subsequently, the substrate receiving box 40, which has completed the opening and removal of the door cover 41, is moved to the loading area 20 and stored in the storage compartment 21 by the transport robot 12A, as shown in FIG1.

[0027] Figures 12A and 12B are schematic diagrams of the operation of a front-opening interface mechanical standard system according to another embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to Figures 12A and 12B simultaneously, which is equivalent to performing the door opening and closing action as in the previous embodiment by another means. Therefore, this embodiment only illustrates the relevant components, and those not shown will not be described again as in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0028] Similar to the processes described in Figures 3A, 3B to 4, and 6 to 10, this embodiment requires a drive assembly 250 to move the door opening / closing module 240 toward the opening 113. Similar to the aforementioned embodiments, the door opening / closing module 240 in this embodiment also includes a sealing cover 243 and an opening / closing mechanism 244 within it. The drive assembly 250 in this embodiment also includes a housing 258 and a linear slide rail 251, a base 252, a pneumatic cylinder 253, a rotating shaft 254, a flexible airtight component 255, a crank 256, and a bearing 257 housed therein. The track of the linear slide rail 251 is assembled to the inner wall of the housing 258, and the slider of the linear slide rail 251 is movably disposed on the track. Similarly, the pneumatic cylinder 253 and bearing 257 are also assembled on the inner wall of the housing 258 to achieve a fixed position. The other end of the rotating shaft 254 is fixed to the side plate 243a of the door opening and closing module 240, and is also electrically connected to the linear slide rail 251 and the pneumatic cylinder 253 via the control module CM. Unlike the previous embodiment, the drive assembly 250 in this embodiment is located below the door opening and closing module 240, thus generating a driving mode for the door opening and closing module 240 to rise or fall. This reduces the footprint of the front opening interface mechanical standard system, which is beneficial for production line configuration.

[0029] The process shown in Figures 12A to 12B is the process by which the drive assembly 250 moves the door opening / closing module 240 toward the opening 113. This is similar to the process in Figure 3A (or Figure 3B) transitioning to Figure 4. The base 252 and the rotating shaft 254 of the drive assembly 250 can reciprocate along the axis C3 due to the linear slide rail 251, which can vertically move the door opening / closing module 240 away from or to the opening 113. Furthermore, the pneumatic cylinder 253, through the crank 256, allows the rotating shaft 254 to rotate along the axis C3, so that the door opening / closing module 240 rotates relative to the body 110 and moves to or away from the opening 113. The rotation process is illustrated in Figure 12B, where the arrow next to the pneumatic cylinder 253 indicates its actuation direction from Figure 12A to Figure 12B, which in turn causes the rotating shaft 254 to rotate (the arrow next to the rotating shaft 254 represents its rotation direction from Figure 12A to Figure 12B). Accordingly, the tilted door cover opening and closing module 240 shown in Figure 12A is straightened and correspondingly covers the opening 113.

[0030] However, contrary to the above, when the pivot 254 moves along the axis C3 and causes the door opening / closing module 240 to move away from the opening 113 (the process of switching from Figure 12B to Figure 12A), the flexible airtight component 255 will be converted to a folded state and part of the pivot 254 will move away and expose the flexible airtight component 255, but the part of the flexible airtight component 255 that is not exposed is contained within the housing 258. Conversely, when the pivot 254 moves along the axis C3 and causes the door opening / closing module 140 to move toward the opening 113, the flexible airtight component 255 is in an unfolded state and the pivot 254 is contained within the flexible airtight component 255. That is, at this time, part of the pivot 254 will protrude through the housing 258, but the part of the pivot 254 that moves out of the housing 258 is contained within the flexible airtight component 255. Accordingly, the drive assembly 250 provides an airtight environment to protect the related components due to the presence of the flexible airtight component 255, that is, it prevents these drive-related components from being exposed to the environment in which the drive assembly 250 is located, so as to avoid the pollution of the environment by volatile gases and dust that may be generated during the operation of the components.

[0031] In summary, in the above embodiments of the present invention, the front opening interface mechanical standard system, through the corresponding design of the transfer module and the drive component relative to the main body, allows the control module to move the substrate housing to the rear side of the main body via the transfer module, and to move the door opening and closing module to the front side of the main body via the drive component. This allows the substrate housing and the door opening and closing module to face each other across the opening, forming an airtight space. This enables the control module to drive the door opening and closing module to install and remove the door of the substrate housing without contaminating the substrate inside. Simultaneously, once the airtight space is formed, the front opening interface mechanical standard system can replace the gas within the airtight space, that is, to expel the original gas and inject the gas from the environment of subsequent processes, thereby facilitating the replacement of the substrate's environment.

[0032] In addition, the drive assembly is equipped with a housing and a flexible airtight component, so that most of the components of the drive assembly are housed in the housing and not exposed to the environment to maintain airtightness. At the same time, a flexible airtight component is provided between the door opening and closing module and the housing for the pivot that will move out of the housing. With its ability to be opened and closed, the pivot that will move out of the housing can still be housed in the flexible airtight component, so that the volatile gases or dust that may be generated by the drive-related components of the drive assembly during operation will not pollute the environment. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0033] Figure 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of the storage system and the front opening interface mechanical standard system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2A is a partial structural schematic diagram of the front opening interface mechanical standard system and the housing. Figure 2B is an electrical relationship diagram of some components of the front opening interface mechanical standard system. Figure 3A is a schematic diagram of the front opening interface mechanical standard system in one state. Figure 3B shows the front opening interface mechanical standard system of Figure 3A from another perspective. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the front opening interface mechanical standard system in another state. Figure 5 shows a partial schematic diagram of the front opening interface mechanical standard system of Figure 4 from another perspective. Figures 6 to 10 illustrate the opening process of the front opening interface mechanical standard system. Figure 11 shows a perspective schematic diagram of the front opening interface mechanical standard system of Figure 10. Figures 12A and 12B are schematic diagrams of the operation of the front opening interface mechanical standard system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A front-opening interface mechanical standard system, comprising: The body has a front side, a rear side, and an opening that connects the front side and the rear side; A transfer module is movably disposed on the body and located on the rear side, a substrate receiving box is adapted to be carried on the transfer module and is driven by the transfer module to move to or away from the opening; a drive assembly is disposed on the front side of the body; a door opening and closing module is located on the front side and connected to the drive assembly, the door opening and closing module is driven by the drive assembly to move to or away from the opening; and a control module is electrically connected to the transfer module, the door opening and closing module and the drive assembly, wherein the substrate receiving box and the door opening and closing module, which are respectively moved to the opening, are opposite each other through the opening and form an airtight space with the opening, wherein the drive assembly includes: a base; A rotating shaft, one end of which is pivotally mounted on the base, and the other end of which is fixedly connected to the side plate of the door opening and closing module; a pneumatic cylinder electrically connected to the control module; and a crank, one end of which is sleeved on the rotating shaft, and the other end of which is pivotally connected to the push rod of the pneumatic cylinder. The control module drives the crank through the push rod of the pneumatic cylinder to rotate the rotating shaft and drive the door opening and closing module to rotate relative to the body to move to or away from the opening.

2. The front-opening interface mechanical standard system as described in claim 1, for connecting a substrate housing storage system and a loading area, the front side being located in the loading area and the rear side being located in the substrate housing storage system.

3. The front-opening interface mechanical standard system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body is provided with an airtight element surrounding the opening on the rear side.

4. The front opening interface mechanical standard system as described in claim 1 further includes a fixing module disposed on the rear side of the body, electrically connected to the control module, and located above the opening.

5. The front-opening interface mechanical standard system as described in claim 1, wherein the drive assembly further includes: A linear slide rail, wherein the base is disposed on the linear slide rail so that the base and the rotating shaft are driven by the linear slide rail to move along an axial direction, the axial direction being parallel to or consistent with the rotating shaft.

6. The front-opening interface mechanical standard system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the drive assembly further includes a flexible airtight element located between the side plate and the crank, wherein when the shaft moves axially to move the door opening / closing module away from the opening, the flexible airtight element unfolds and the shaft is housed within the flexible airtight element; and when the shaft moves axially to move the door opening / closing module toward the opening, the flexible airtight element folds and a portion of the shaft moves away and exposes the flexible airtight element.

7. The front-opening interface mechanical standard system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the drive assembly further includes a housing housing the base, the pneumatic cylinder, the crank, and the linear guide rail, wherein the linear guide rail and the pneumatic cylinder are assembled to the inner wall of the housing, and the flexible airtight element is connected between the housing and the side plate such that when the door opening / closing module moves away from the opening, the portion of the pivot that moves out of the housing is contained within the flexible airtight element.

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