Sinfonia Technology Co., Ltd.

Toshihiro Kawai

Yasushi Taniyama

Gengoro Ogura

Takashi Shigeta

Munekazu Komiya

Hiroaki Nakamura

Kosuke Sugiura

Atsushi Suzuki

Shigenori Ozaki

Mitsuo Natsume

Haruki Takeuchi

Hisashi Gomi

Yoshimasa Suda

Mikio Segawa

Kunihiko Sato

Masahiro Osawa

Particles in an accommodation chamber are also easily discharged while facilitating replacement of an atmosphere in the accommodation chamber with an inert gas. An EFEM includes a load port, a housing configured to define, in the housing, a transfer chamber closed by connecting the load portto an opening provided in a partition wall, a supply pipe for supplying nitrogen to a transfer chamber, and a discharge pipefor discharging a gas in the transfer chamber. The load portincludes an opening/closing mechanismcapable of opening and closing a lidof a mounted FOUP, and an accommodation chamberkept in communication with the transfer chamber via a slitand configured to accommodate a part of the opening/closing mechanism. The discharge pipeis connected to the accommodation chamberto discharge the gas in the transfer chamber via the accommodation chamber

EFEM

An EFEM includes a circulation path including a transfer chamber configured to form a transfer space where a substrate is transferred and a return path configured to return a gas flowing from one side to the other side of the transfer chamber, the EFEM including: a capture part provided in the return path and configured to electrically capture particles contained in the gas flowing through the return path, wherein the return path and the transfer chamber are provided such that a partition wall is interposed therebetween, and a differential pressure is generated on both sides of the partition wall such that a pressure on the side of the return path becomes higher than a pressure on the side of the transfer chamber in a state in which the gas circulates through the circulation path.

Equipment front end module

An EFEM includes a housing having a substantially closed substrate transfer space in the housing and a control part configured to perform a control of supplying an inert gas into at least the housing. The control part includes an inert gas total supply amount setting part configured to set a total supply amount of the inert gas to be supplied into the housing; a door open/purge determination part configured to determine whether a container door of a substrate storage container is in an open state and whether a purge device is performing a purge process; and an in-housing inert gas supply amount calculation part configured to calculate a supply amount of the inert gas to be supplied into the housing. The supply amount of the inert gas to be supplied into the housing is determined according to an inert gas supply amount command value determined based on a calculation result.

EFEM and method of controlling supply amount of inert gas

A housing is made sealable even when the rigidity of a frame member and a cover member is not high. In an EFEM, a pressure difference having a predetermined value or less exists between an internal space of a housing and an external space of the housing. The housing includes a frame member assembled so as to form an opening, a cover member attached to the frame member so as to cover the opening, and a seal member sandwiched between the frame member and the cover member and configured to extend so as to surround the opening. The frame member and the cover member are formed of a sheet metal. The seal member is an elastic member having a hollow cross section orthogonal to an extension direction of the seal member.

Sealing equipment

In the present disclosure, when a supply flow rate of an inert gas is changed, a pressure fluctuation in a circulation path is suppressed. An EFEM includes a supply valve configured to be capable of changing a supply flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the circulation path, a discharge valve configured to be capable of changing a discharge flow rate of a gas discharged from the circulation path, a concentration detection part configured to detect a change in an atmosphere inside the circulation path, a pressure detection part configured to detect a pressure in the circulation path, and a control part configured to control the supply valve and the discharge valve. The control part is configured to determine an opening degree of the discharge valve to a predetermined value based on a detection result obtained by the concentration detection part.

A conveyance system discriminates the front and back of a frame wafer without human intervention. A frame is partially formed asymmetrically with respect to a predetermined center line when viewed in a direction orthogonal to a surface of a wafer. The conveyance system includes a hand configured to hold the frame so that the frame extends in a predetermined virtual plane, a first sensor configured to detect a portion of the frame held on the hand and located in a predetermined first region in the virtual plane, a second sensor configured to detect a portion of the frame held on the hand and located in a second region opposite to the first region across the center line, and a controller configured to determine the front and back of the frame wafer based on a detection result obtained by the first sensor and a detection result obtained by the second sensor.

Conveyance system for transferring frame wafer

To provide a transfer chamber capable of replacing a chemical filter without affecting an internal atmosphere, and shortening or eliminating stop time of a transfer process of a wafer (W) associated with replacement of the chemical filter. The transfer chamber transfers the wafer (W) to or from a processing device () by using a transfer robot () provided thereinside, and includes a circulation path (CL) formed inside of a transfer chamber () to circulate gas, a chemical filter unit () provided in the midstream of the circulation path (CL), and a connecting and disconnecting means () which switches connection and disconnection of the chemical filter unit () to and from the circulation path (CL).

Transfer chamber

A wafer stocker capable of further improving an environment around wafers is provided. The wafer stocker includes a housing, a loading device provided on a front surface of the housing, a wafer cassette shelf arranged in the housing, a wafer transfer robot configured to move the wafers from a transfer container mounted on the loading device to a wafer cassette in the wafer cassette shelf, a wafer cassette delivery device configured to move the wafer cassette in the wafer cassette shelf to a stage having a different height, and a fan filter unit configured to generate a laminar flow in a wafer transfer space and in a wafer cassette transfer space.

Wafer stocker

A transport system for transporting a plurality of objects between a storage container configured to store the plurality of objects and a processing apparatus configured to collectively process the plurality of objects held on a tray, including a mounting part on which the storage container is mounted, a stage on which the plurality of objects are mounted, a tray support part configured to support the tray, a first transport device configured to transport the plurality of objects between the storage container mounted on the mounting part and the stage, and a second transport device configured to transport the plurality of objects between the stage and the tray supported by the tray support part.

Transport system

A wafer stocker is capable of further improving an environment around wafers. The wafer stocker includes a housing, a loading device provided on a front surface of the housing, a wafer cassette shelf arranged in the housing, a wafer transfer robot configured to move the wafers from a transfer container mounted on the loading device to a wafer cassette in the wafer cassette shelf, a wafer cassette delivery device configured to move the wafer cassette in the wafer cassette shelf to a stage having a different height, and a fan filter unit configured to generate a laminar flow in a wafer transfer space and in a wafer cassette transfer space.

There is provided an EFEM, including: at least one load port; a housing closed by connecting the at least one load port to an opening provided on a side wall of the housing and configured to define, in the housing, a transfer chamber for transferring a substrate; a substrate transfer device disposed in the transfer chamber and configured to transfer the substrate; an inert gas supply unit configured to supply an inert gas to the transfer chamber; and a gas discharge unit configured to discharge a gas in the transfer chamber, wherein the at least one load port includes: an opening/closing mechanism capable of opening and closing a lid of a mounted FOUP; and an accommodation chamber kept in communication with the transfer chamber and configured to accommodate a part of the opening/closing mechanism.

In an inert-gas circulating type EFEM, generation of any constraints on installation of incidental equipment, a maintenance door, or the like is inhibited, and the need for changing the placement position, etc. of a feedback path according to the specifications, etc. of a substrate processing device connected thereto is eliminated. An EFEMis provided with: a transfer chamberin which a wafer W is conveyed; a unit installation chamberin which a FFUfor feeding nitrogen to the transfer chamberis installed; and a return pathfor feeding the nitrogen having flown through the transfer chamber, back to the unit installation chamber. A substrate processing apparatusis connected to the rear-side end of the transfer chamber. The return pathis disposed at the front-side end of the transfer chamber

Provided are a door opening/closing system which prevents the entry of atmospheric air into a front-opening unified pod (FOUP) and an equipment front end module (EFEM) when the FOUP and the EFEM are placed in communication with each other, and a load port equipped with the door opening/closing system. The door opening/closing system is provided with: a base which constitutes a part of a wall isolating a conveyance space from an external space, an opening portion provided in the base; a door which is capable of opening and closing the opening portion; a first seal member which seals a gap between the base and a container; a second seal member which seals a gap between the base and the door, a sealed space which is constituted by the base, the first seal member, the second seal member, a lid member, and the door when the container is in a state of contact with the opening portion with the first seal member therebetween, a first gas injection unit which injects gas into the sealed space; and a second gas discharge unitwhich evacuates the sealed space.

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Tokyo, Japan

Toshihiro Kawai