Method and device for changing a semiconductor wafer position
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
B25J-015/00
B25J-015/10
B65B-035/00
출원번호
US-0693296
(2003-10-24)
우선권정보
FR-98 05660(1998-05-05)
발명자
/ 주소
Astegno,Pierre
Esteve,Ekaterina
Gaudon,Alain
출원인 / 주소
Recif Technologies SAS
대리인 / 주소
Townsend and Townsend and Crew LLP
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
1인용 특허 :
53
초록▼
A mechanical apparatus and method are disclosed for orienting and positioning semiconductor wafers while avoiding contamination of elements on the faces thereof, by only contacting the peripheries thereof. The apparatus may include a frame for wafer supports and a semiconductor wafer gripping arm. T
A mechanical apparatus and method are disclosed for orienting and positioning semiconductor wafers while avoiding contamination of elements on the faces thereof, by only contacting the peripheries thereof. The apparatus may include a frame for wafer supports and a semiconductor wafer gripping arm. The gripping arm is mounted on a translator for movement in X, Y, and Z directions to engage and move wafers in, from, and between supports. The gripping arm comprises a rigid structure with a plurality of semiconductor support wheels mounted thereon to support a wafer only around its periphery. A drive wheel is provided to orient a supported wafer rotationally while it is being supported around its periphery. A detector is provided to detect orientation of the wafer relative to a notch or other position mark on its periphery.
대표청구항▼
What is claimed is: 1. An apparatus for accessing and gripping disc-shaped wafers supported in a housing and having peripheral position indicators, comprising: a rigid support structure, said rigid support structure being dimensioned to enable movement into and out of said housing between adjacent
What is claimed is: 1. An apparatus for accessing and gripping disc-shaped wafers supported in a housing and having peripheral position indicators, comprising: a rigid support structure, said rigid support structure being dimensioned to enable movement into and out of said housing between adjacent wafers without physically engaging said wafers; a plurality of rotatable wafer supports mounted on said rigid support structure at locations selected so as to support a said wafer on said rigid support structure only around its periphery; a rotatable driver mounted on said rigid structure at a position to engage said periphery of said wafer when supported by said rotatable wafer supports, and selectively operable to rotate said wafer while supported by said rotatable wafer supports to a selected radial position; and a first optical detector mounted on said rigid support structure, said first optical detector being operable to detect when said wafer is in said selected radial position and to generate a signal indicating the same. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first optical detector comprises: a first optical emitter mounted on said rigid support structure at a first selected location relative to said periphery of said wafer, said first optical emitter being operable to emit a first light beam at said first selected location; and the first optical receiver mounted on said rigid support in proximity to said first selected location relative to said periphery of said wafer, said first optical receiver being operable to detect the presence and absence of said first light beam depending on the position of said peripheral position indicator relative to said first optical detector. 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein further comprising: a central unit adapted to cause the rotatable driver to stop when the first optical detector detects the selected radial position. 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said peripheral position indicator includes a notch and wherein the optical detector is adapted to detect the presence of the notch when the wafer rotates. 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the plurality of rotatable wafer supports includes rollers with frustoconical surfaces, and wherein the wafer supports in the plurality of wafer supports are arranged such that upward movement of the rigid support structure will cause the wafer to rest on the frustoconical surfaces of the plurality of wafer supports. 6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein each of said wafer supports comprises an adjacent pair of rotatable rollers distributed around the periphery of said wafer, each having a shape adapted to engage only said periphery of said wafer when in contact with said wafer, said adjacent pair of rollers being spaced by a distance greater than the dimension of a said peripheral position indicator on a said wafer, and wherein the contact surfaces of the pair of rollers form a tangent to an edge of the wafer when the wafer is disposed on the contact surfaces of the pair of rollers. 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said rotatable driver is responsive to said signal indicating said wafer is in said selected radial position to stop rotating said wafer. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a wafer guide mounted on said rigid support structure, said wafer guide being operable to detect a position of said wafer relative to said rigid support structure and to generate at least one signal indicating the same. 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said wafer guide is operable to detect the position of said wafer relative to said rigid support structure as said rigid structure and said wafer approach in substantially parallel planes. 10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said wafer guide is operable to detect the position of said wafer relative to said rigid support structure in X and Y directions in a substantially horizontal plane. 11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said wafer guide comprises: a second optical detector mounted on said rigid structure at a selected location a predetermined distance from said first optical detector, said second optical detector being operable independently of said first optical detector to detect the presence and absence of said periphery of said wafer, and to generate at least one signal indicating the same. 12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said second optical detector comprises: a second optical emitter mounted on said rigid support structure at a second selected position a predetermined distance from said first optical emitter, and being selectively operable independent of said first optical emitter to emit a second light beam at said second selected position; and a second optical receiver mounted on said rigid support structure in proximity to said second selected position, said second optical receiver being selectively operable independently of said first optical receiver to detect the presence and absence of said second light beam, and to generate at least one signal indicating the same, said signal indicating the presence and absence of said periphery of said wafer relative to said second selected position on said rigid structure. 13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein: said second optical emitter is mounted on said rigid support structure on one side of said wafer; and said second optical receiver is mounted on said rigid support structure on the opposite side of said wafer opposite said first optical emitter; whereby as said rigid structure and said wafer approach, when said periphery of said wafer has not reached said second selected position, said second light beam is not blocked by said periphery of said wafer and said second light beam is received by said second receiver, and when said periphery of said wafer reaches said second selected position, said second light beam is blocked by said periphery of said wafer and is not received by said second optical receiver, and said second optical receiver generates a signal indicating the same. 14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said wafer guide further comprises: a third optical detector mounted on said rigid structure at a selected location a predetermined distance from said first and second optical detectors, said third optical detector being operable independently of said first and second optical detectors to detect the presence and absence of said periphery of said wafer, and to generate at least one signal indicating the same. 15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said third optical detector comprises: a third optical emitter mounted on said rigid support structure at a third selected position a predetermined distance from said first and second optical emitters, and being selectively operable independent of said first and second optical emitters to emit a third light beam at said third selected position; and a third optical receiver mounted on said rigid support structure in proximity to said third selected position, said third optical receiver being selectively operable independently of said first and second optical receivers to detect the presence and absence of said third light beam, and to generate at least one signal indicating the same, said signal indicating the presence and absence of said periphery of said wafer relative to said third selected position on said rigid structure. 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein: said third optical receiver is mounted on said rigid support structure on the opposite side of said wafer opposite said third optical emitter; whereby as said rigid structure and said wafer approach, when said periphery of said wafer has not reached said third selected position, said third light beam is not blocked by said periphery of said wafer and said third light beam is received by said third receiver, and when said periphery of said wafer reaches said third selected position, said third light beam is blocked by said periphery of said wafer and is not received by said third optical receiver, and said third optical receiver generates a signal indicating the same. 17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the rigid support structure comprises: a pair of elongated arms having proximal and distal ends, a proximal support bar; and a distal support bar, wherein the arms in said pair of arms are connected at their respective proximal and distal ends by the proximal and distal support bars, respectively; and a motor on the proximal support bar, the motor being adapted to drive the rotatable driver. 18. An apparatus for accessing and gripping a plurality of adjacent disc-shaped wafers supported in a housing and having peripheral position indicators simultaneously, comprising: a plurality of adjacent rigid support structures, said rigid support structures each being dimensioned to enable movement into and out of said housing between adjacent wafers without physically engaging said wafers; a plurality of rotatable wafer supports mounted on each said rigid support structure at locations selected so as to support a said wafer on said rigid support structure only around its periphery; a rotatable driver mounted on each said rigid support structure at a position to engage a said periphery of a said wafer when supported by said rotatable wafer supports, and selectively operable to rotate said wafer while supported by said rotatable wafer supports to a selected radial position; and a first optical detector mounted on each said rigid support structure, said first optical detector being operable to detect when a said wafer is in said selected radial position and to generate a signal indicating the same. 19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising: a wafer guide mounted on each said rigid support structure, each said wafer guide being operable to detect a position of a said wafer relative to a said rigid support structure and to generate at least one signal indicating the same. 20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein each said wafer guide is operable to detect the position of a said wafer relative to a said rigid support structure as said rigid structure and said wafer approach in substantially parallel planes. 21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein each said wafer guide is operable to detect the position of a said wafer relative to a said rigid support structure in X and Y directions in a substantially horizontal plane. 22. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein each said wafer guide comprises: a second optical detector mounted on a said rigid structure at a selected location a predetermined distance from said first optical detector, said second optical detector being operable independently of said first optical detector to detect the presence and absence of said periphery of said wafer, and to generate at least one signal indicating the same. 23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein each said wafer guide further comprises: a third optical detector mounted on a said rigid structure at a selected location a predetermined distance from said first and second optical detectors, said third optical detector being operable independently of said first and second optical detectors to detect the presence and absence of said periphery of said wafer, and to generate at least one signal indicating the same. 24. An apparatus for accessing and gripping disc-shaped wafers supported in a housing and having peripheral position indicators, comprising: a rigid support structure, said rigid support structure being dimensioned to enable movement into and out of said housing between adjacent wafers without physically engaging said wafers; a plurality of rotatable wafer supports mounted on said rigid support structure at locations selected so as to support a said wafer on said rigid support structure only around its periphery; and a rotatable driver mounted on said rigid structure at a position to engage said periphery of said wafer when supported by said rotatable wafer supports, and selectively operable to rotate said wafer while supported by said rotatable wafer supports to a selected radial position, wherein each of said wafer supports comprises an adjacent pair of rotatable rollers distributed around the periphery of said wafer, each having a shape adapted to engage only said periphery of said wafer when in contact with said wafer, said adjacent pair of rollers being spaced by a distance greater than the dimension of a said peripheral position indicator on a said wafer. 25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the contact surfaces of the pair of adjacent rollers form a tangent to an edge of the wafer when the wafer is disposed on the rollers. 26. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the rigid support structure comprises: a pair of elongated arms having proximal and distal ends, a proximal support bar; and a distal support bar, wherein said pair of arms are connected at their respective proximal and distal ends by the proximal and distal support bars, respectively; and a motor on the proximal support bar, the motor being adapted to drive the rotatable driver. 27. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein further comprising: a central unit adapted to cause the rotatable driver to stop when a first optical detector detects a selected radial position of the wafer after being rotated by the rotatable driver. 28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the said wafer includes a notch and wherein the optical detector is adapted to detect the presence of the notch when the wafer rotates. 29. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the plurality of rotatable wafer supports include rollers with frustoconical surfaces, and wherein the wafer supports in the plurality of wafer supports are arranged such that upward movement of the rigid support structure will cause the wafer to rest on the frustoconical surfaces. 30. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the rotatable driver is a drive roller. 31. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the driver roller comprises an O-ring having a Shore hardness rating of 70-80.
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