JP-7856915-B2 - Load port and method for driving load port

JP7856915B2JP 7856915 B2JP7856915 B2JP 7856915B2JP-7856915-B2

Inventors

落合光敏
中野高彰

Assignees

シンフォニアテクノロジー株式会社

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240925

Claims (5)

An opening and closing mechanism for a load port configured to interface with a wafer storage container, A first groove along the outer portion of the door of the opening and closing mechanism, and a first O-ring inserted into the groove, A first O-ring configured to engage with the panel when the door is closed relative to the panel of the load port, The panel comprises a second groove formed at a position not facing the first groove, and a second O-ring inserted into the groove, configured to engage with the wafer storage container when the wafer storage container moves toward the panel. The door portion is configured to hold the lid portion of the wafer storage container positioned in the load port and to pull the lid portion away from the wafer storage container , and is an opening and closing mechanism.
An opening and closing mechanism for a load port configured to interface with a wafer storage container, The opening and closing mechanism comprises a groove along the outer portion of the door, and an O-ring inserted in the groove, configured to engage in the region where the panel and the door overlap in the front-rear direction of the load port when the door is closed against the panel of the load port, and the groove of the door has a trapezoidal cross-section. The door portion is configured to hold the lid portion of the wafer storage container positioned in the load port and to pull the lid portion away from the wafer storage container , and is an opening and closing mechanism.
An opening and closing mechanism for a load port configured to interface with a wafer storage container, The opening and closing mechanism includes a groove along the outer portion of the door and an O-ring inserted into the groove, The O-ring is configured to contact and seal the rear surface of the panel in a region where the panel and the door overlap in the front-rear direction of the load port, around the panel opening formed by the panel when the door is closed against the panel of the load port . The door portion is configured to hold the lid portion of the wafer storage container positioned in the load port and to separate the lid portion from the wafer storage container. An opening and closing mechanism in which an elastic material extending around the outer portion of the rear surface of the panel seals the load port from the EFEM.
The door portion has a thin-walled portion provided on its outer circumference and a thick-walled portion formed inside the thin-walled portion. The opening and closing mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the groove is formed in the thin-walled portion.
EFEM, It is equipped with a load port configured to serve as an interface with a wafer storage container, and the load port is An EFEM comprising a panel having an opening, and an opening/closing mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

Description

This invention relates to a load port and an EFEM equipped therewith, which can reduce gas consumption even when the wafer transport chamber is subjected to a special gas atmosphere. Traditionally, semiconductors have been manufactured by applying various processing steps to wafers. In recent years, with the increasing integration of elements and miniaturization of circuits, it has become necessary to maintain a high level of cleanliness around the wafer to prevent the adhesion of particles and moisture to the wafer surface. Furthermore, to prevent changes in surface properties such as oxidation of the wafer surface, the area around the wafer is sometimes kept in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen or under vacuum. To properly maintain the atmosphere surrounding the wafers, the wafers are managed inside a sealed storage pod called a Front-Opening Unified Pod (FOUP), which is filled with nitrogen. Furthermore, an Equipment Front End Module (EFEM), as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, is used to transfer wafers between the processing unit that processes the wafers and the FOUP. The EFEM comprises a nearly closed wafer transfer chamber within its enclosure, equipped with a load port on one of its opposing walls that functions as an interface with the FOUP, and a load lock chamber, part of the processing unit, connected to the other wall. A wafer transfer device is provided within the wafer transfer chamber, and this device is used to move wafers between the FOUP connected to the load port and the load lock chamber. In other words, the wafer is removed from one transfer point, the FOUP (Load Port), using a wafer transfer device, and transported to the other transfer point, the load lock chamber. Then, in the processing unit, the wafer, transported through the load lock chamber, is processed within a processing unit called a process chamber. After processing is complete, the wafer is removed again through the load lock chamber and returned to the FOUP. The processing unit maintains a special atmosphere, such as a vacuum, depending on the processing, to enable rapid wafer processing. Furthermore, the wafer transport chamber in the EFEM (Electron-Feeded Emission Machine) uses purified air, filtered through chemical filters, to create a highly clean air atmosphere, preventing contamination of the wafer surface by particles during transport. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-49382 A perspective view of an EFEM equipped with a load port according to the first embodiment of the present invention.Side view of the EFEM.A perspective view showing the EFEM with some load ports separated.A perspective view of the same load port.Front view of the load port.Rear view of the load port.Side cross-sectional view of the load port.This is a side cross-sectional view showing the state after moving FOUP towards the plate-like portion from the state in Figure 7.This is a side cross-sectional view showing the state in which the lid and door portion of the FOUP are separated from the plate-like portion, as in the state shown in Figure 8.This is a side cross-sectional view showing the state in which the door portion of the FOUP has been moved downward along with the lid portion from the state in Figure 9.This is an enlarged perspective view of the main components, showing the window unit and door section that make up the loadport device.An enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part, showing an enlarged view of the A-A section in Figure 11.An enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part, showing an enlarged view of the B-B section in Figure 11.An enlarged front view of the main part showing the clamp unit installed in the window unit.An enlarged perspective view of the main parts, showing enlarged views of the window unit and door portion constituting the load port according to the second embodiment of the present invention.An enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part, showing an enlarged view of the C-C section in Figure 15.An enlarged perspective view of the main parts, showing enlarged views of the window unit and door portion constituting the load port according to the third embodiment of the present invention.An explanatory diagram showing a sealing member to be installed near the opening of the window unit.An enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part, showing an enlarged view of the section D-D in Figure 17.An enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part corresponding to Figure 12, showing an example of a modified load port according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. <First Embodiment> Figure 1 shows the load port 3 of the first embodiment and the EFEM1 equipped therewith. The EFEM1 has three load ports 3 connected in a row to the front surface 21 which forms part of the wall surface of the wafer transport chamber 2 that forms a box-shaped housing. In this application, the orientation of th