Object handling devices
AssigneeTokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd.
InventorsAkira Uehara, Isamu Hijikata, Mitsuaki Minato
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An object handling device successively transfers objects such as semiconductor wafers. The object handling device includes first and second collapsible arm units having hands for holding objects, a first drive shaft for selectively extending and contracting the first arm unit, a second drive shaft for selectively extending and contracting the second arm unit, a third drive shaft for turning the first and second arm units while keeping the first and second arm units in a relative positional relationship, the first, second, and third drive shafts being disposed coaxially with each other, and an actuator mechanism for angularly moving the first, second, and third drive shafts about their own axes independently of each other.
Claims4
A system for transferring semiconductor wafers to and from a plasma processor comprising:
- (a) a first cassette for storing unprocessed semiconductor wafers;
- (b) a second cassette, spaced apart from said first cassette, for storing processed semiconductor wafers;
- (c) a transfer table disposed between said first and second cassettes and capable of temporarily receiving any one of said unprocessed semiconductor wafers to be transferred thereon from said first cassette and said processed semiconductor wafers to be transferred therefrom to said second cassette;
- and
- (d) a rotatable semiconductor wafer handling device disposed between said transfer table and plasma processor and rotatable between first and second positions, said wafer handling device including first and second arm means and first drive shaft means, each of said first and second arm means comprising a first arm member having a proximal end fixed to said drive shaft means for rotational movement with said drive shaft means, a second arm member having a proximal end pivotally coupled to a distal end of said first arm member, a hand for holding an object and having a proximal end pivotally coupled to a distal end of said second arm member, and drive link means for rotating said second arm member and hand to selectively extending and contracting the respective arm means, whereby in the first position said arm means picks a first semiconductor wafer from said plasma processor while said second arm means concurrently picks a second semiconductor wafer from said transfer table, and in the second position said first arm means places said first semiconductor wafer on said transfer table while said second arm means concurrently places said second semiconductor wafer in said plasma processor.
In a semiconductor wafer processing environment, a method for exchanging a processed wafer with an unprocessed wafer, said wafers residing coplanar at a first and a second station respectively, said stations being disposed 180.degree. apart, and wherein an apparatus having at least one drive shaft means and at least two extendable arm means is disposed between said stations, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) simultaneously extending said arm means in opposite directions along substantially linear paths;
- (b) simultaneously grasping said processed wafer from said first station and said unprocessed wafer from said second station with said arm means wherein each said arm means include a first arm member having a proximal end fixed to said drive shaft means for rotational movement with said drive shaft means, a second arm member having a proximal end pivotally coupled to a distal end of said first arm member, a hand having wafer grasping means at its distal end and having a proximal end pivotally coupled to a distal end of said second arm member, and drive link means for rotating said second arm member and hand for selectively extending and contracting the respective arm means;
- (c) independently and simultaneously contracting said arm means in opposite directions along substantially linear paths;
- (d) simultaneously rotating said arm means through 180.degree.;
- (e) simultaneously extending said arm means in opposite directions along substantially linear paths;
- and
- (f) simultaneously releasing said wafers from said grasping means while placing said processed wafer on said second station, and said unprocessed wafer on said first station.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.