WAFER TRANSFER BLADE

• US 20090250955A1
• Filed: 04/07/2008
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Aoki, Yuji
• Application Number:
  US12/099,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20090250955A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 294/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68707 the wafers being placed on a robot blade, or gripped by a gripper for conveyance

Abstract

Projections 22 of the blade 16 provided on a blade surface in a wafer-loading region 18b of a body 18 support a wafer W loaded on the blade surface 18a. Since the projections 22 have microgrooves formed by surface roughening the wafer W is retained on the projections 22 with a suppressed displacement. The blade 16 has a simple structure that retains the wafer W without vacuum suction and has no receiving hole to retain the wafer W in the body 18 of the blade 16. This can effectively prevent formation of defects on the wafer W.

Claims

1. A wafer transfer blade for transferring a wafer, comprising:

a blade surface of a body of the blade wherein the blade surface in a wafer-loading region of the body comprises projections having top surfaces subjected to a surface roughening treatment.

2. The wafer transfer blade according to claim 1, wherein the projections and the body comprise the same material.

3. The wafer transfer blade according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the projections are integrated with the body.

4. The wafer transfer blade according to claim 1, wherein each of the projections has serrated grooves formed by the surface roughening treatment and extending in one direction.

5. The wafer transfer blade according to claim 4, wherein the grooves on each projection extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the rotational direction of the wafer transfer blade.

6. The wafer transfer blade according to claim 4, wherein the grooves on each projection are formed by grinding using #30-90 abrasive powder.

7. The wafer transfer blade according to claim 1, wherein the projections are subjected to sandblasting as the surface roughening treatment.

8. A wafer transfer blade for transferring a wafer loaded on the blade surface of a body of the blade,

wherein at least a part of a wafer-loading region on the blade surface of the body is a roughened-surface region subjected to a surface roughening treatment, and the periphery of the wafer-loading region has a height not greater than that of the wafer-loading region.

9. The wafer transfer blade according to claim 8, wherein the entire wafer-loading region is the roughened-surface region.

10. The wafer transfer blade according to claim 8, wherein the roughened-surface region has serrated grooves formed by the surface roughening treatment and extending in one direction.

11. The wafer transfer blade according to claim 10, wherein the grooves formed on the roughened-surface region extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the rotational direction of the wafer transfer blade.

12. The wafer transfer blade according to claim 10, wherein the grooves formed on the roughened-surface region are processed by grinding using #30-90 abrasive powder.

13. The wafer transfer blade according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the roughened-surface region is formed by sandblasting as the surface roughening treatment.

14. A wafer transfer blade for transferring a wafer, comprising:

a blade surface of a body of the blade wherein the blade surface in a wafer-loading region of the body comprises projections integrated with the body and having top surfaces subjected to a surface roughening treatment.

15. The wafer transfer blade according to claim 14, wherein each of the projections has serrated grooves formed by the surface roughening treatment and extending in one direction.

16. The wafer transfer blade according to claim 15, wherein the grooves on each projection extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the rotational direction of the wafer transfer blade.

17. The wafer transfer blade according to claim 14, wherein the groove on each projection are formed by grinding using #30-90 abrasive powder.

18. The wafer transfer blade according to claim 17, wherein the roughened-surface region is formed by sandblasting as the surface roughening treatment.