Wafer conveying apparatus and wafer conveying method
AssigneeToshiba Memory Corporation
InventorsFumiki Aiso, Ryota Fujitsuka, Kensei Takahashi, Takayuki Matsui, Tomohisa Iino
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Abstract
A wafer conveying apparatus conveying a wafer onto a supporting table in manufacturing a semiconductor. A first arm retains the wafer to move to an upper region of the supporting table, and is retracted from the upper region of the supporting table after the wafer is elevated. A second arm contacts the wafer by an opening provided in the supporting table to elevate the wafer, and lowers the wafer to place the wafer on the supporting table.
Claims8
A wafer conveying apparatus of conveying a first wafer onto a first supporting table in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, comprising:
- a first arm configured to move while retaining the first wafer in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus;
- a second arm configured to elevate or lower the first wafer in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus;
- and
- a controller configured to control the first and second arms,
- wherein the controller controls the first and second arms such that:
- the second arm moves to a lower region of the first supporting table,
- the first arm retains the first wafer to move to an upper region of the first supporting table,
- the second arm comes into contact with the first wafer via an opening provided in the first supporting table to elevate the first wafer,
- the first arm is retracted from the upper region of the first supporting table after the first wafer is elevated, and
- the second arm lowers the first wafer to place the first wafer on the first supporting table wherein the second arm includes a first plate and a second plate configured to slide along a groove provided in the first plate, and elevates or lowers the first wafer through the slide of the second plate,
- wherein the second arm elevates the first wafer by deforming a portion of the second plate through the slide of the second plate, or elevates the first wafer by deforming a member positioned between the first plate and the second plate through the slide of the second plate.
A wafer conveying method of conveying a first wafer onto a first supporting table in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus by using:
- a first arm configured to move while retaining the first wafer in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus;
- and
- a second arm configured to elevate or lower the first wafer in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus,
- the wafer conveying method comprising:
- moving the second arm to a lower region of the first supporting table;
- moving the first arm retaining the first wafer to an upper region of the first supporting table;
- contacting the second arm with the first wafer via an opening provided in the first supporting table to elevate the first wafer;
- retracting the first arm from the upper region of the first supporting table after the first wafer is elevated;
- and
- lowering the first wafer by the second arm to place the first wafer on the first supporting table wherein the second arm includes a first plate and a second plate configured to slide along a groove provided in the first plate, and elevates or lowers the first wafer through the slide of the second plate,
- wherein the second arm elevates the first wafer by deforming a portion of the second plate through the slide of the second plate, or elevates the first wafer by deforming a member positioned between the first plate and the second plate through the slide of the second plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.