Wafer transfer robot and wafer storage device

Abstract

The invention provides a wafer carrying robot and a wafer storage device, and relates to the technical field of semiconductors. According to the wafer carrying robot, the moving mechanism of the wafer and the moving mechanism of the wafer box are creatively integrated in one mechanical arm, the robot capable of carrying the wafer and the wafer box is formed, and in other words, the wafer carrying robot can complete carrying of the wafer and carrying of the wafer box. Therefore, wafer carrying equipment and wafer box carrying equipment which are independently arranged can be replaced only by arranging the wafer carrying robot provided by the invention in the wafer preparation system, so that the integration level of the equipment in the wafer preparation system is improved, and the space occupation of the wafer preparation system is reduced. Besides, the wafer moving mechanism and the wafer box moving mechanism face different directions on the robot, and the moving mechanism corresponding to the current operation task can be rotated to the operation direction through the connecting piece, so that mutual interference of different moving mechanisms during operation is avoided, and the working stability is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a wafer handling robot and a wafer storage device. Background Art

[0002] Wafers are the basic raw materials in semiconductor manufacturing. They are circular thin sheets made from extremely high-purity semiconductor materials (such as silicon or gallium arsenide) through processes such as crystal pulling and slicing. In semiconductor technology, wafers can be processed into corresponding integrated circuit devices (such as chips, drive circuits, etc.) through a series of processes.

[0003] Considering the processing requirements of wafers, the processing of wafers often needs to be completed in a highly dust-free space, and dust-free space often requires a high construction cost. Therefore, how to optimize the wafer processing process and reduce the space occupied by process equipment is a technical problem that technicians in this field need to solve urgently. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a wafer handling robot and a wafer storage device, which directly integrates the wafer moving mechanism and the wafer box moving mechanism into one device, thereby reducing the space occupied by the independently set moving mechanism and improving the equipment integration of the self-preparation process.

[0005] In the first aspect, the present application provides a wafer handling robot, including a robotic arm, a wafer box moving mechanism and a wafer sheet moving mechanism. Among them, the robotic arm includes at least one connecting arm and a connecting member arranged on at least one connecting arm, and the connecting member is connected to at least one connecting arm through a rotating shaft. The wafer box moving mechanism is arranged on the connecting member for fastening the wafer box. The wafer sheet moving mechanism is arranged on the connecting member for fastening the wafer. The wafer box moving mechanism and the wafer sheet moving mechanism have different orientations on the connecting member, and the connecting member is driven to turn one of the wafer box moving mechanism and the wafer sheet moving mechanism to the operating direction.

[0006] Optionally, the connecting member includes a first side wall and a second side wall arranged along a first direction, the wafer box moving mechanism is arranged on the first side wall along the first direction, and the wafer moving mechanism is arranged on the second side wall along the first direction.

[0007] Optionally, the wafer box moving mechanism includes a first control box, a first drive device and a wafer box clamp, the first drive device is arranged in the first control box, and the wafer box clamp is arranged on the outer wall of the first control box. The wafer moving mechanism includes a second control box, a second drive device and a wafer tray, the second drive device is arranged in the second control box, and the wafer tray is arranged on the outer wall of the second control box. The first control box and the second control box are fixedly connected along the first direction to form a connecting member.

[0008] Optionally, the first control box forms a first connection area and a second connection area on the connection member, and the first connection area is close to the wafer box clamp. The height of the first connection area in the second direction is greater than the height of the second connection area in the second direction, so that the first area and the second area form a step-like structure in the second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the plane where the first direction is located.

[0009] Optionally, the wafer box clamp is configured as a pneumatic device, and the first driving device includes a driving cylinder and a multi-vent valve, wherein the driving cylinder is arranged in a first connecting area of ​​the first control box along the second direction, and the multi-vent valve is arranged in a second connecting area of ​​the first control box along the first direction, and the driving cylinder is connected to the wafer box clamp through the multi-vent valve.

[0010] Optionally, the multi-vent valve is used to adjust the working state of the multi-vent valve based on the driving signal and adjust the working state to a holding state in response to the power-off signal, wherein the working state of the multi-vent valve includes a holding state, a clamping state, and a loosening state. When the multi-vent valve is in the clamping state, the jaws of the wafer box clamp are driven to move inward. When the multi-vent valve is in the loosening state, the jaws of the wafer box clamp are driven to move outward. When the multi-vent valve is in the holding state, the jaws of the wafer box clamp are driven to maintain the current state.

[0011] Optionally, the wafer tray is configured as a pneumatic device, and the second driving device includes an adsorption valve and a release valve of the wafer tray, and the adsorption valve and the release valve are connected to the driving cylinder.

[0012] Optionally, a height of the second control box in the second direction is smaller than a height of the second connection area in the second direction.

[0013] Optionally, the robot arm further includes a first lifting mechanism and a second lifting mechanism, wherein the first lifting mechanism is arranged at the fixed connection of at least one connecting arm, and is used to drive at least one connecting arm to move in the second direction, and at least one connecting arm is used to move within the plane where the first direction is located. The second lifting mechanism is arranged at the connection between at least one connecting arm and the connecting member, and is used to drive the connecting member to move in the second direction relative to at least one connecting arm.

[0014] In a second aspect, the present application provides a wafer storage device, comprising a vertical warehouse structure and a wafer handling robot as described in the first aspect. The vertical warehouse structure is used to form a wafer storage bin for storing wafer boxes. The wafer handling robot is arranged in the wafer storage bin and is used to handle wafer boxes or wafers stored in the wafer storage bin.

[0015] Therefore, based on the present application, the present application provides a wafer handling robot and a wafer storage device, creatively integrating the moving mechanism of the wafer and the moving mechanism of the wafer box in one mechanical arm, forming a robot that can handle both wafers and wafer boxes, that is, the wafer handling robot provided by the present application can complete the handling of wafers and the handling of wafer boxes. Therefore, in the wafer preparation system, only the wafer handling robot provided by the present application needs to be set to replace the independently set wafer handling equipment and wafer box handling equipment, thereby improving the integration of equipment in the wafer preparation system and reducing the space occupied by the wafer preparation system. In addition, the wafer moving mechanism and the wafer box moving mechanism are in different directions on the robot, and the moving mechanism corresponding to the current operation task can be rotated to the operation direction through a connecting piece to avoid mutual interference between different moving mechanisms during operation and ensure working stability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments are briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present invention and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 It is a system schematic diagram of a wafer processing system provided in some embodiments of the present application.

[0018] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer handling robot provided in some embodiments of the present application.

[0019] Figure 3A , Figure 3B 1 is a top view of a wafer handling robot in different working states provided in some embodiments of the present application.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a side sectional view of a wafer handling robot at AA provided in some embodiments of the present application.

[0021] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the wafer memory provided in some embodiments of the present application.

[0022] Among them, 100, wafer processing system; 110, processing unit; 120, wafer handling system; 200, wafer handling robot; 210, robotic arm; 220, wafer box moving mechanism; 230, wafer moving mechanism; 211, connecting arm; 212, connecting piece; 2121, first side wall; 2122, second side wall; 221, first control box; 222, first driving device; 223, wafer box clamp; 231, second control box; 232, second driving device; 233, wafer tray; 2211, first connecting area; 2212, second connecting area; 2221, driving cylinder; 2222, multi-vent valve; 300, wafer storage device; 310, vertical warehouse structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0024] Application Overview:

[0025] With the development of wafer processing technology, the Automatic Material Handling System (AMHS) is generally used to transfer wafers in wafer processing. Based on AMHS, during the wafer processing process, the wafer processing equipment can be integrated into multiple processing units, so that the AMHS can be used to transfer wafers between different units and within the processing unit.

[0026] To further illustrate the wafer processing process based on AMHS, the present application provides a system schematic diagram of a wafer processing system ( Figure 1 ). Among them, the wafer processing system can be understood as a collection of process equipment in the wafer processing process.

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, the wafer processing system 100 may include multiple processing units 110. The processing unit 110 may refer to a cluster of related equipment for one or more processes in the wafer processing process, that is, the wafer can complete the corresponding processing process after passing through the corresponding processing unit 110.

[0028] After being formed, the wafer generally undergoes processes such as surface polishing, cleaning, oxidation, photolithography, etching, ion implantation, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, chemical mechanical polishing, interconnection, testing, cutting, packaging, and final testing to form semiconductor components.

[0029] In practical applications, the overall processing process of the wafer can be divided into multiple continuous processing links according to the actual semiconductor preparation requirements. The process equipment of each processing link can form the aforementioned processing unit 110, so that after the wafer enters the processing unit 110, it is automatically / semi-automatically processed by each process equipment to complete the corresponding processing task.

[0030] In order to realize the automatic / semi-automatic material transfer of the aforementioned processing unit 110, a wafer handling system 120 may also be integrated in the aforementioned wafer processing system 100. Among them, the wafer handling system 120 is an AMHS applied to wafer processing. In the aforementioned wafer processing system 100, it is mainly used to transfer wafers between the processing units 110 and load and unload wafers for each processing unit 110.

[0031] In actual application, one or more wafers are generally directly transferred within the processing unit 110 so as to be processed by corresponding process equipment. Between the processing units 110, the wafers can be transferred through a wafer box.

[0032] Wafer cassette is a container used to place and transport wafers in semiconductor production. Wafer cassettes are mainly used to handle and store wafers to simplify transportation and reduce the risk of contamination. There are symmetrical grooves inside the wafer cassette with strictly uniform dimensions to support both sides of the wafer. Usually one wafer cassette can hold 25 wafers.

[0033] In the wafer processing system 100, the wafer box can be configured as a front-opening unified pod (FOUP). That is, the wafer box is open at the front of the box body so that the wafer can be taken out or stored in the wafer box. In addition, in the wafer processing system 100, the wafer boxes of different processing units 110 are presented in different styles (mainly distinguished by the color of the box body) to distinguish different processing links of the wafer during the processing process.

[0034] Based on the aforementioned wafer cassette, in the wafer handling system 120, the wafer cassette can be transferred between the processing units 110 and wafers can be extracted from the wafer cassette in the processing unit 110. Therefore, the aforementioned wafer handling system 120 can include a wafer cassette carrying device and a wafer carrying device.

[0035] The wafer box carrying device may refer to a device for transporting wafer boxes between the processing units 110. The wafer box carrying device generally realizes automatic or semi-automatic wafer box transportation between the processing units 110 through a device capable of transporting wafer boxes. For example, the wafer box carrying device may be realized by a transport device such as an overhead hoist transport (OHT), an automated material robot (AMR), or a conveyor.

[0036] The wafer carrier is similar to the aforementioned wafer box carrier, and may refer to a device for transporting wafers within the processing unit 110, and may also be implemented by the aforementioned handling equipment. In addition, it should be noted that the specific presentation form of the wafer carrier may match the requirements of the corresponding processing unit 110, so that the process equipment within the processing unit 110 can process the wafers carried thereon. Generally, the wafer carrier may also be referred to as a wafer boat.

[0037] Considering the different processing rates of different processing links, a buffer structure can also be set in the wafer handling system 120 to coordinate the processing of each link. The buffer structure in the wafer handling system 120 is generally presented as a wafer box stocker.

[0038] The wafer box warehouse is a device used to store and automatically manage wafer boxes in the semiconductor manufacturing process. One or more wafer box warehouses can be set up in each processing unit 110 to cache wafer boxes to be processed / processed. Among them, a plurality of wafer box positions are generally set up in the wafer box warehouse to realize the storage and delivery of wafer boxes, so as to balance the production capacity differences between various production process equipment as material storage space.

[0039] Based on the aforementioned wafer handling system 120, the wafer boxes between the various processing units 110 can be transferred between the wafer box warehouses of the various processing units 110 through wafer box carrying equipment, and the wafer box warehouse can distribute wafer boxes as needed, so that the wafers in the wafer boxes can be transferred between the various process equipment in the processing unit 110 through the wafer carrying equipment to complete the corresponding processing of the wafers.

[0040] Therefore, based on the aforementioned wafer processing system 100, material handling and processing of wafers can be realized during the entire processing process, thereby effectively organizing related process equipment and transportation equipment of the wafers and realizing high integration and automation of the system.

[0041] In practical applications, the wafer box vertical warehouse in the aforementioned wafer processing system 100 can only complete the storage and removal of wafer boxes. That is, the wafer box vertical warehouse is generally provided with two windows. Among them, one window interacts with the wafer box carrying device to realize the interaction of wafer boxes between the processing units 110, and the other window interacts with the processing unit 110 to provide a suitable wafer box for the processing unit 110.

[0042] Taking into account that the processing unit 110 needs to process wafers, the above-mentioned wafer processing system 100 is often also provided with a wafer picking device, so as to place the wafers in the wafer box provided by the wafer box warehouse on the wafer carrying device, so as to perform corresponding processing on the wafers on the wafer carrying device through the production equipment.

[0043] The wafer box retrieval device mentioned above appears as an independent device in the actual wafer processing system, which occupies a large working space. Especially considering that each processing unit generally needs to be equipped with at least one wafer retrieval device, a large amount of space is occupied.

[0044] Considering that the wafer processing system 100 needs to be set up in a dust-free environment, the processing environment often requires a large cost to build. The aforementioned wafer box fetching equipment occupies a lot of space and brings a lot of construction costs, thereby raising the processing cost of the wafer.

[0045] In view of the above situation, the present application provides a wafer handling robot and a wafer storage device. The present application creatively integrates the moving mechanism of the wafer and the moving mechanism of the wafer box into a robotic arm, forming a robot that can carry both wafers and wafer boxes, that is, the wafer handling robot provided by the present application can complete the handling of wafers and the handling of wafer boxes. Therefore, in the wafer preparation system, only the wafer handling robot provided by the present application needs to be set to replace the independently set wafer handling equipment and wafer box handling equipment, thereby improving the integration of equipment in the wafer preparation system and reducing the space occupied by the wafer preparation system. In addition, the wafer moving mechanism and the wafer box moving mechanism are in different directions on the robot, and the moving mechanism corresponding to the current operation task can be rotated to the operation direction through a connecting piece to avoid mutual interference between different moving mechanisms during operation and ensure working stability.

[0046] It should be noted that the wafer storage provided in this application can be understood as a wafer box vertical warehouse, but there are certain differences in actual function from the wafer box vertical warehouse. Specifically, the wafer storage provided in this application directly integrates the wafer box fetching device inside, so that wafers can be directly provided to the wafer carrying device for processing by the corresponding processing unit.

[0047] Various non-limiting embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] Exemplary wafer handling robots:

[0049] As mentioned above, the present application provides a wafer handling robot. Among them, the wafer handling robot can be a mechatronic device applied to the wafer processing process, so as to realize the handling of wafer boxes and wafers under signal drive. The wafer handling robot can also be understood as an industrial robot applied to the wafer processing process for realizing the handling of wafer boxes and wafers.

[0050] In practical applications, the transport robot may include an actuator and a driving mechanism, wherein the actuator may be used to carry the object to be transported, and the driving mechanism is used to drive the position of the actuator, thereby realizing the movement of the object to be transported when the actuator carries the object to be transported.

[0051] In the aforementioned wafer handling robot, its actual actuator may include a moving mechanism for the wafer box and a moving mechanism for the wafers, so that the wafer handling robot can realize both the handling of the wafer box and the handling of the wafers.

[0052] It should be noted that the robot referred to in this application is only a synonym for a mechatronic device, and does not require its morphology (such as the aforementioned wafer handling robot does not need to have a manipulator), and the specific implementation can be adjusted according to actual conditions.

[0053] In the aforementioned wafer processing system, the wafer handling robot provided in the present application can be applied to a traditional wafer box vertical warehouse, thereby giving it a wafer fetching function. When interacting with a wafer carrier, it no longer needs to fetch wafers through a wafer fetching device, and can directly place wafers on the wafer carrier. For more descriptions of a wafer box vertical warehouse (referred to as a wafer storage) integrated with a wafer handling robot, see Figure 5 and its related contents.

[0054] In some embodiments, in a wafer processing system, the wafer handling robot may not be limited to a traditional wafer box vertical warehouse, and it is only necessary to ensure that the equipment integrated with the wafer handling robot can realize the caching and retrieval of wafer boxes and wafers. For example, a shelf for storing wafer boxes can be directly set up in the wafer processing system, and the wafer handling robot provided in the present application can also cooperate with the shelf, and through its wafer box handling capability, realize the arrangement of wafer boxes on the shelf, and through its wafer handling capability, realize the exchange of wafers between wafer boxes on the shelf and wafer carrying equipment.

[0055] To further illustrate the specific structure of the aforementioned wafer handling robot, the present application also provides a structural schematic diagram of a wafer handling robot ( Figure 2 ).

[0056] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer handling robot provided in some embodiments of the present application. Figure 2 The structure of the wafer handling robot in XYZ space can be displayed.

[0057] exist Figure 2 It may include three reference directions: X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, wherein XOY forms a horizontal plane, the Z-axis is the vertical direction of the horizontal plane, and the X-axis and the Y-axis are two directions perpendicular to each other in the horizontal plane.

[0058] The wafer handling robot is generally arranged based on the aforementioned horizontal plane and vertical direction. Among them, the vertical direction is generally the extension direction of the wafer box warehouse, and the wafer handling robot can move along this direction to realize the deployment of the wafer box.

[0059] It should be noted that the present application does not limit the setting of the wafer handling robot. The above-mentioned reference directions are only selected for the convenience of describing the wafer handling robot and can be adjusted according to actual needs during design and assembly.

[0060] Combine the following Figure 2 The wafer handling robot provided in this application is described in detail.

[0061] like Figure 2 As shown, the wafer handling robot 200 may include a robot arm 210, a wafer box moving mechanism 220, and a wafer sheet moving mechanism 230. The robot arm 210 may further include at least one connecting arm 211 and a connecting member 212. The connecting member 212 is disposed at the end of at least one connecting arm 211. The wafer box moving mechanism 220 and the wafer sheet moving mechanism 230 are disposed on the connecting member 212, and the wafer box moving mechanism 220 and the wafer sheet moving mechanism 230 are oriented in different directions on the connecting member 212.

[0062] The robot arm 210 may refer to the driving mechanism of the wafer handling robot 200, that is, the robot arm 210 may drive the structure connected to the robot arm 210 (such as the aforementioned wafer box moving mechanism 220, the wafer moving mechanism 230, and the wafer box or wafer carried by the moving mechanism) to move in space.

[0063] The structure of the robot arm 210 used to connect with the actuator of the wafer handling robot 200 can be recorded as a connecting arm 211. That is, the connecting arm 211 can be used to connect with the actuator, thereby driving the actuator to move. In addition, considering that there are multiple actuators in this application, it is difficult to directly connect with the connecting arm 211. Then, each actuator in the wafer handling robot 200 can be first connected to the connecting member 212 and then connected to the connecting arm 211. That is, the connecting member 212 can be an intermediate piece connecting the robot arm 210 and the actuator.

[0064] In actual operation, in the equipment (such as wafer box warehouse, shelf, etc.) cooperating with the wafer handling robot 200, the wafer boxes are often stacked in arrays in two reference directions (generally one direction in the vertical direction and the horizontal plane). Correspondingly, in order to achieve the operation requirements in the processing process, the robot arm 210 provided in the present application generally needs to have the ability to move in the corresponding reference direction.

[0065] like Figure 2 As shown, the aforementioned robot arm 210 is composed of a plurality of connecting arms 211 (specifically 2), wherein each connecting arm 211 can be connected by a planar rotating shaft. Thus, the combination of the aforementioned connecting arms 211 can form a planar robot arm, thereby moving in a specific plane (such as a horizontal plane XOY at a specific height, i.e., the plane described in the subsequent first direction).

[0066] To meet the aforementioned operation requirements, the aforementioned mechanical arm 210 may also have a certain longitudinal movement capability. Among them, the mechanical arm 210 or its fixed position may also be integrated with a lifting mechanism to drive the aforementioned connecting arm 211 to move in the vertical direction (hereinafter referred to as the second direction).

[0067] Considering that the operating mechanism of the wafer handling robot 200 can also be used to move wafers, and the wafers are distributed longitudinally in the wafer box, in order to accurately align the wafers. The aforementioned robot arm 210 may include a first lifting mechanism and a second lifting mechanism. Among them, the first lifting mechanism is arranged at the fixed connection of at least one connecting arm 211, and is used to drive at least one connecting arm 211 to move in the second direction, and the second lifting mechanism is arranged at the connection between at least one connecting arm 211 and the connecting member 212, and is used to drive the connecting member 212 to move in the second direction relative to at least one connecting arm 211.

[0068] The lifting mechanism of the robot arm 210 can be a lifting structure based on an axis. For example, it can be implemented using common structures such as a truss type and a sleeve type. For example, the first lifting mechanism of the robot arm 210 can be implemented using a truss type, and then the first lifting mechanism can also be regarded as a lifting platform, and the robot arm 210 can be set at the lifting platform. For another example, the second lifting mechanism of the robot arm 210 can be implemented using a sleeve type, and then the second lifting mechanism can be directly constructed based on the rotating shaft between the connecting arm 211 and the connecting member 212 as the reference axis for longitudinal movement, so as to achieve relative displacement between the connecting arm 211 and the connecting member 212.

[0069] Based on the aforementioned first lifting mechanism and the second lifting mechanism, precise positioning of the actuator and the wafer can be achieved. Specifically, considering that the stacking range of the wafer box is relatively wide, a large range of second direction positions can be achieved through the first lifting mechanism. However, when aligning wafers, the ratio of the distribution range of wafers in the wafer box to the range of the first lifting mechanism is small, and it is difficult to achieve high-precision control. When the alignment process is implemented by the aforementioned second lifting mechanism, the first lifting mechanism can be fixed at a reference position, so that the alignment of the actuator (i.e., the wafer moving mechanism 230) and the wafer can be directly adjusted by the displacement of the second lifting mechanism in the second direction. Based on the reference position, the alignment process can be pre-expressed, thereby improving accuracy. In addition, the moving range of the second lifting mechanism itself is also relatively small, and the alignment relationship can be adjusted more accurately.

[0070] It should be noted that the aforementioned robot arm 210 based on the lifting mechanism and the planar robot arm is only one implementation of the robot arm 210. In the present application, it is only necessary to ensure that the robot arm 210 can move within the aforementioned operating range (i.e., the range of the wafer box in the stacking direction). In addition to the aforementioned structure, the robot arm 210 can also be implemented by mechanical structures such as a rectangular coordinate robot, a mobile base, a truss, and a track and roller mechanism. The specific implementation can be adjusted according to the actual situation, which will not be described in detail here.

[0071] The wafer box moving mechanism 220 and the wafer sheet moving mechanism 230 are two actuators of the wafer handling robot 200. Among them, the wafer box moving mechanism 220 can be used to fasten the wafer box, and the wafer sheet moving mechanism 230 can be used to fasten the wafer. Therefore, when the corresponding moving mechanism fastens the corresponding object, the aforementioned mechanical arm 210 can drive the moving mechanism to move with its fastened object, thereby realizing the movement of the wafer and the wafer box.

[0072] Tightening can refer to the assembly state of two mechanisms tightly fixed to ensure that they maintain the correct position and relative motion relationship during operation, so that the fastened object can move with the moving mechanism. The fastening method of different actuators is related to the object they are fastened.

[0073] like Figure 2 As shown, the aforementioned wafer box moving mechanism 220 can be implemented by a clamp. That is, the wafer box moving mechanism 220 can clamp the wafer box from both sides of the wafer box by the clamp to ensure the "tightened" assembly state. The aforementioned wafer sheet moving mechanism 230 can be implemented by a tray. That is, the wafer sheet moving mechanism 230 can be in contact with the wafer and then vacuum adsorbed to ensure the "tightened" assembly state.

[0074] It should be noted that the present application does not limit the specific implementation of the aforementioned moving mechanism, and it is sufficient to ensure that it can achieve the aforementioned fastening cooperation with the corresponding object. For example, the wafer box moving mechanism 220 can also be implemented by vacuum adsorption technology, locking structure, etc. The wafer moving mechanism 230 can also be implemented by electrostatic adsorption technology, clamping device, etc.

[0075] Considering that two actuators need to be arranged on the driving mechanism in the wafer handling robot 200 provided in the present application, a connecting piece 212 is formed at the connection between the actuator and the driving mechanism, so that the actuator is arranged on the connecting piece 212 so that the driving mechanism can drive the actuator to move.

[0076] In order to facilitate the control of the actuator corresponding to the operation task and the corresponding object, the aforementioned connecting member 212 can be connected to the connecting arm 211 through a rotating shaft, and the orientations of the aforementioned wafer box moving mechanism 220 and wafer sheet moving mechanism 230 on the connecting member 212 are different. Therefore, the orientations of the wafer box moving mechanism 220 and wafer sheet moving mechanism 230 can be controlled by the relative rotation of the connecting member 212 and the connecting arm 211, so as to turn the actuator that needs to operate to the operating direction.

[0077] The aforementioned shaft connection can be realized by a horizontal plane shaft, so that the connecting member 212 and the aforementioned connecting arm 211 can rotate relative to each other in a horizontal plane. The operation direction can refer to the direction of the wafer box to be moved relative to the wafer handling robot 200. Among them, the wafer box to be moved can refer to a wafer box that needs to be moved itself, or a wafer box containing wafers to be moved, which can be determined according to the actual operation task.

[0078] The orientation of the aforementioned actuator may refer to the spatial direction and position of the actuator relative to the operating object. The orientation of the actuator on the connecting member 212 is different, and the vector along the setting direction of the actuator may be different from that of another actuator based on the position of the actuator on the connecting member 212. For example, the aforementioned wafer box moving mechanism 220 may be set on the connecting member 212 along one direction of the horizontal plane, and the wafer moving mechanism 230 may be set on the connecting member 212 in the vertical direction of the horizontal plane along the direction.

[0079] To further describe the aforementioned orientation adjustment process, the present application provides two top views of wafer handling robots to reflect the orientation adjustment of the actuators under different operation tasks ( Figure 3A , Figure 3B ).in, Figure 3A and Figure 3B Can be Figure 2 Top view along the Z axis when performing different tasks. Figure 3A A wafer handling robot that can react to the wafer box moving mechanism 220 in the working direction, Figure 3B The wafer transport robot can react to the wafer moving mechanism 230 facing the working direction.

[0080] like Figure 3A As shown, in this state, the wafer handling robot 200 can rotate the driving connection 212 to make the orientation of the wafer box moving mechanism 220 coincide with the direction of the corresponding wafer box to be moved (i.e., the aforementioned working direction), so that the connecting arm 211 can be extended to make the wafer box moving mechanism 220 move along this direction, so as to be tightly matched with the wafer box to be moved. Figure 3A In the state shown, the wafer box to be moved is fastened by the wafer box moving mechanism 220 , and is thus driven by the robot arm 210 to move.

[0081] like Figure 3B As shown, in this state, the wafer handling robot 200 can rotate the driving connection 212 to make the direction of the wafer moving mechanism 230 coincide with the direction of the corresponding wafer box to be moved (i.e., the aforementioned working direction), so that the connecting arm 211 can be extended to make the wafer moving mechanism 230 move along this direction, so as to be tightly matched with the wafer in the wafer box to be moved. Figure 3B In the state shown, the wafers in the wafer box to be moved are fastened by the wafer moving mechanism 230 and are thus driven to move by the robot arm 210 .

[0082] It should be noted that, considering the diversity of implementation methods of the robot arm 210 itself, the alignment process between the actuator and the wafer box to be moved does not necessarily present Figure 3A or Figure 3B However, during the cooperation between the actuator and the wafer box to be moved, the actuator must be aligned with the wafer box to be moved. That is, the direction of the actuator will coincide with the working direction during the cooperation process.

[0083] In some embodiments, considering that the aforementioned cooperation process between the actuator and the work object requires moving the actuator until the actuator cooperates with the work object (wafer box or wafer), another actuator should not hinder the process during this process.

[0084] Therefore, in order to reduce the mutual interference between the two operating mechanisms, the two actuators can be set in opposite directions to form a 180° angle. At this time, the setting direction of the actuator can be recorded as the first direction. The first direction can be a direction in the horizontal plane, and one of the two actuators is set on the connecting member 212 along the positive direction of the first direction, and the other is set on the connecting member 212 along the negative direction of the first direction.

[0085] Considering the arrangement of the two operating mechanisms in the first direction, in order to further increase the distance in the first direction for further obstacle avoidance, the two operating mechanisms can be respectively arranged on the two side walls of the connecting member 212 along the first direction. That is, the connecting member 212 includes a first side wall 2121 and a second side wall 2122 arranged along the first direction, the wafer box moving mechanism 220 is arranged on the first side wall 2121 along the first direction, and the wafer moving mechanism 230 is arranged on the second side wall 2122 along the first direction.

[0086] Based on the arrangement of the aforementioned actuators, the two actuators may be arranged along the first direction so that the two actuators are as far away from each other as possible, thereby reducing mutual interference between the two actuators and improving the stability of the wafer box and wafer movement process.

[0087] It should be noted that the aforementioned arrangement of the actuator in one direction is only a preferred embodiment. When the actuator is arranged on the connecting member 212, it is only necessary to ensure that it can be fastened to the corresponding working object. Generally, it is only necessary to ensure that the working ranges of the two actuators do not overlap. For example, the wafer box moving mechanism 220 is arranged on the connecting member 212 along the first direction, and the wafer moving mechanism 230 can be arranged on the connecting member 212 in the vertical direction in the horizontal plane along the first direction. In addition, other mechanical mechanisms can be arranged on the aforementioned connecting member 212 to further avoid obstacles. For example, the execution device (such as the aforementioned wafer moving mechanism 230) can be arranged on the connecting member 212 through a telescopic structure, so that the execution device is extended through the telescopic structure when it is called, and retracted through the telescopic structure when another actuator is called, so as to avoid it affecting the operation of another actuator.

[0088] It should be noted that the aforementioned connecting member 212 can be understood as a functional structure, that is, the connecting member 212 can be used as an intermediate member to realize the connection between the two actuators and the robot arm 210 (i.e., the driving mechanism). In some embodiments, the connecting member 212 can be an independent structure attached to the connecting arm 211, so as to realize the connection between the connecting arm 211 and the two actuators. For example, the aforementioned connecting member 212 can be a turntable arranged at the end of the connecting arm 211, and the aforementioned actuator can be directly arranged on the turntable to realize the rotation connection with the connecting arm 211.

[0089] In some embodiments, the aforementioned connecting member 212 may also reuse an existing structure to construct the connecting member 212. For example, the connecting member 212 may be constructed based on the aforementioned second lifting mechanism.

[0090] In some embodiments, considering that the wafer box moving mechanism 220 and the wafer sheet moving mechanism 230 are actually electric control mechanisms, a corresponding driving device should be provided in the actuator to control the working state of the corresponding actuator in response to an electrical signal. Then, the connecting member 212 can be constructed based on the driving devices of the two actuators. For the specific structure of the connecting member 212, please refer to FIG. 3 and its related description, which will not be repeated here.

[0091] Therefore, based on the above Figure 2-3B The wafer handling robot 200 shown in the present application creatively integrates the moving mechanism of the wafer and the moving mechanism of the wafer box into one mechanical arm, forming a robot that can carry both wafers and wafer boxes, that is, the wafer handling robot provided by the present application can complete the handling of wafers and the handling of wafer boxes. Therefore, in the wafer preparation system, only the wafer handling robot provided by the present application needs to be set to replace the independently set wafer handling equipment and wafer box handling equipment, thereby improving the integration of equipment in the wafer preparation system and reducing the space occupied by the wafer preparation system. In addition, the wafer moving mechanism and the wafer box moving mechanism are in different directions on the robot, and the moving mechanism corresponding to the current operation task can be rotated to the operation direction through a connecting piece to avoid mutual interference between different moving mechanisms during operation and ensure working stability.

[0092] Exemplary internal structure of a wafer handling robot:

[0093] To further describe the internal structure of the wafer handling robot 200, the present application also provides a side sectional view of the wafer handling robot ( Figure 4 ).in, Figure 4 Can be Figure 3A The top view shown along Figure 3A The sectional view of the AA line shown in FIG. Figure 3A can extend along the first direction, whereby, Figure 4 The cross-sectional view shown may reflect the internal structure of the wafer transport robot when observing the AA cross-section along the first direction in the vertical direction of the horizontal plane.

[0094] like Figure 4 As shown, the wafer box moving mechanism 220 may include a first control box 221, a first driving device 222, and a wafer box clamp 223. The wafer moving mechanism 230 includes a second control box 231, a second driving device 232, and a wafer tray 233. The first driving device 222 is disposed in the first control box 221, and the wafer box clamp 223 is disposed on the outer wall of the first control box 221. The second driving device 232 is disposed in the second control box 231, and the wafer tray 233 is disposed on the outer wall of the second control box 231.

[0095] Based on the above discussion on the functionality of the connector 212 and in combination with FIG. 3 , it can be seen that the connector 212 in FIG. 3 can be composed of a first control box 221 and a second control box 231, that is, the first control box 221 and the second control box 231 can be fixedly connected along a first direction at an end away from the actuator, thereby forming a connector 212 connected to the connecting arm 211. That is, the first control box 221 and the second control box 231 can be directly used to form the connector 212, without separately providing the connector 212, so as to improve the integration of the wafer handling robot 200.

[0096] The wafer box clamping jaw 223 can be used as a specific actuator of the wafer box moving mechanism 220, that is, the wafer box clamping jaw 223 can achieve a tight fit with the wafer box. When the wafer box clamping jaw 223 is matched with the wafer box, the two clamping structures constituting the wafer box clamping jaw 223 can clamp the side wall of the wafer box from both sides, thereby achieving a tight fit with the wafer box.

[0097] The first driving device 222 may refer to a driving device of the wafer box clamp 223, that is, the first driving device 222 may adjust the working state of the wafer box clamp 223 based on the driving signal, thereby controlling the fastening and release of the wafer box clamp 223 and the wafer box. The first control box 221 may refer to a box body that accommodates the first driving device 222, that is, the first driving device 222 may be integrated in the cavity formed by the first control box 221 to protect the first driving device 222. In addition, the wafer box clamp 223 may be arranged on the side wall of the first control box 221 to facilitate connection with the first driving device 222. The aforementioned first control box 221 may be used to constitute the aforementioned connecting member 212, and the side wall of the first control box 221 provided with the wafer box clamp 223 may serve as the first side wall 2121 of the aforementioned connecting member 212.

[0098] The wafer tray 233 can be used as a specific actuator of the wafer moving mechanism 230, that is, the wafer tray 233 can be used to achieve a tight fit with the wafer. When the wafer tray 233 is in cooperation with the wafer, the surface of the wafer tray 233 can contact the surface of the wafer, and then the wafer tray 233 can be vacuum-adsorbed to adsorb the surface of the wafer, thereby achieving a tight fit with the wafer.

[0099] The second driving device 232 may refer to a driving device of the wafer tray 233, that is, the second driving device 232 may adjust the working state of the wafer tray 233 based on the driving signal, thereby controlling the adsorption relationship between the wafer tray 233 and the wafer. The second control box 231 may refer to a box body that at least accommodates part of the second driving device 232, that is, at least part of the structure of the second driving device 232 (such as a cable structure) may be integrated in the second control box 231. In addition, the wafer tray 233 may be arranged on the side wall of the second control box 231 to facilitate connection with the second driving device 232. The aforementioned second control box 231 may be used to constitute the aforementioned connecting member 212, and the side wall of the second control box 231 provided with the wafer tray 233 may serve as the second side wall 2122 of the aforementioned connecting member 212.

[0100] Considering that in the structure shown in Figure 3, the wafer box moving mechanism 220 and the wafer moving mechanism 230 are distributed along the first direction, in order to arrange the wafer box moving mechanism 220 and the wafer moving mechanism 230 on both sides of the connecting member 212, the first control box 221 and the second control box 231 can be fixedly connected along the first direction at the end away from the actuator, so that the whole after fixed connection serves as the connecting member 212.

[0101] Based on the internal structure of the aforementioned wafer handling robot 200, the connector 212 can be constructed based on the existing structure, thereby eliminating the need to additionally provide the connector 212, reusing the existing structure and improving the integration of the equipment.

[0102] In some embodiments, considering that the aforementioned connecting member 212 can be composed of the aforementioned first control box 221 and the second control box 231, the shape of the aforementioned connecting member 212 can be adjusted according to the accommodation needs between the first control box 221 and the second control box 231 to form a suitable accommodation space for placing the corresponding drive device.

[0103] In some embodiments, considering that the wafer processing system often has a high degree of integration, the integration of the structure (such as the wafer box warehouse) in which the wafer handling robot 200 is integrated is also relatively high. To ensure the normal operation of the wafer handling robot 200, the shape of the aforementioned connecting member 212 can be adjusted according to the operating environment during its operation, so as to avoid obstacles in a highly integrated environment.

[0104] Considering that in the structure shown in FIG. 3 above, the wafer box clamp 223 is relatively large, and the structure arranged at the rear side of the wafer box clamp 223 is generally smaller than the wafer box clamp 223, during the operation of the wafer box clamp 223, only the obstacle avoidance of the wafer box clamp 223 body needs to be considered, and generally there will be no restriction on the shape of the connector 212. The wafer tray 233 is relatively small in size (especially the thickness in the second direction is very small), and the wafer tray 233 often needs to be extended to the inside of the wafer box to be fixed with the wafer during operation, and its movement length is relatively large. Therefore, the shape of the connector 212 can be designed for obstacle avoidance based on the operation requirements of the wafer tray 233, so that when the wafer tray 233 is extended, the connector 212 behind it will not be blocked by obstacles to affect its travel.

[0105] Therefore, based on the aforementioned obstacle avoidance considerations for the wafer tray 233, the aforementioned first control box 221 may form a first connection area 2211 and a second connection area 2212 on the connector 212. The first connection area 2211 may refer to a portion of the first control box 221 close to the wafer box clamp 223 that does not require an obstacle avoidance design, and the second connection area 2212 may refer to a portion of the first control box 221 close to the wafer tray 233 that requires an obstacle avoidance design.

[0106] In some embodiments, considering that the thickness (which can also be understood as the height) of the wafer tray 233 itself in the second direction is relatively small, in order to avoid affecting the formation of the wafer tray 233, the obstacle avoidance design of the aforementioned second connection area 2212 can be reflected in reducing the thickness of the area in the second direction, so that the height H1 of the first connection area 2211 in the second direction is greater than the height H2 of the second connection area 2212 in the second direction, so that the first connection area 2211 and the second connection area 2212 form a step-like structure in the second direction.

[0107] The obstacle avoidance requirement of the height H2 of the second connection area 2212 in the second direction can be determined based on the obstacles in the extension direction of the wafer tray 233. Among them, the second connection area 2212 often does not need to enter the interior of the wafer box with the wafer tray 233, and considering that in actual operation, the wafer tray 233 needs to exchange wafers through the window, the obstacle avoidance requirement of the height H2 of the second connection area 2212 in the second direction can be determined based on the window for wafer exchange. Generally, the height H2 can be required to be less than the height of the bottom edge of the second connection area 2212 and the upper edge of the inner wall of the window in the second direction when the wafer tray 233 extends at the window, so as to ensure that when the wafer tray 233 needs to pass through the window, the second connection area 2212 will not be blocked by the window to affect the extension distance of the wafer tray 233.

[0108] Based on the aforementioned obstacle avoidance setting for the second connection area 2212, it can be ensured that the wafer tray 233 can avoid being blocked by the connecting part 212 and affecting the stroke during the operation in its extension direction. Therefore, the length of the wafer tray 233 can be reduced to facilitate the flexibility of the connecting part 212 in rotating within the working space, while ensuring the stability of the wafer tray 233 during the operation process (especially the extension process).

[0109] In some embodiments, based on the same obstacle avoidance logic as the second connection area 2212, the second control box 231 may also form a third connection area for obstacle avoidance. Different from the second connection area 2212, the third connection area corresponding to the second control box 231 may enter the wafer box with the wafer tray 233, and its height H3 in the second direction is less than the height H2 of the second connection area 2212 in the second direction.

[0110] In some embodiments, the specific height of the third connection area in the second direction can be determined according to whether it needs to enter the interior of the wafer box and the length of the entry. If the third connection area enters the wafer box with the wafer tray 233, the height of the part entering the wafer box in the second direction can generally be less than the spacing between the wafers in the wafer box to avoid this part affecting the movement of the wafer tray 233 in the wafer box.

[0111] It should be noted that the aforementioned obstacle avoidance design can be carried out according to actual needs. If the wafer tray 233 itself is sufficient to complete all operation processes, the aforementioned obstacle avoidance design may not be performed, and it is only necessary to meet the aforementioned requirements for accommodating the drive device. In addition, obstacle avoidance can also be performed through other structures without performing an obstacle avoidance design on the connector 212. For example, the aforementioned wafer tray 233 can be provided with a telescopic structure (such as the aforementioned second control box 231 can be a telescopic structure). Then, when the wafer tray 233 is operating, its movement in the operating direction can be completed directly based on the telescopic structure without moving the connector 212, thereby eliminating the need for an obstacle avoidance design for the connector 212.

[0112] Considering that the wafer box clamp 223 only needs to fix the wafer box, its operation accuracy requirement is relatively low. For easy control, the wafer box clamp 223 can be configured as a pneumatic device. That is, the wafer box clamp 223 can be driven by airflow to control the inward and outward movement of the clamp. Among them, when tightening the wafer box, the two side clamps of the wafer box clamp 223 can first move outward until the two side clamps of the wafer box clamp 223 are on both sides of the wafer box. At this time, the two side clamps can be moved inward to fix the wafer box and achieve a tight fit with the wafer box.

[0113] To drive the wafer box clamping claw 223 , the first driving device 222 may include a driving cylinder 2221 and a multi-vent valve 2222 . The driving cylinder 2221 may be connected to the wafer box clamping claw 223 through the multi-vent valve 2222 .

[0114] The driving cylinder 2221 refers to a pneumatic actuator that uses compressed air as a power source, and its main function is to convert air pressure energy into mechanical energy to achieve the opening and closing movement of the wafer box clamp 223. The multi-vent valve 2222 is a valve combination with multiple inlets and / or outlets, which can achieve switching control between multiple channels in a valve body, thereby adjusting the working state of its connected object.

[0115] To adapt to the aforementioned stepped structure, the driving cylinder 2221 can be arranged in the first connection area 2211 of the first control box 221 along the second direction, and the multi-vent valve 2222 can be arranged in the second connection area 2212 of the first control box 221 along the first direction. That is, the aforementioned driving cylinder 2221 is arranged in the aforementioned first connection area 2211 along the vertical direction, and generally a cylinder that moves in the vertical direction (vertical guide rod cylinder) can be selected as the aforementioned driving cylinder 2221. The multi-vent valve 2222 is arranged in the aforementioned second connection area 2212 along the horizontal direction. In addition, the input pipeline of the driving cylinder 2221 can be arranged at the connection between the connecting arm 211 and the connecting member 212.

[0116] Therefore, when the wafer box clamp 223 is configured as a pneumatic device, its driving device can be set in the aforementioned step-shaped structure, so as to meet the aforementioned obstacle avoidance requirements while ensuring the normal driving of the wafer box clamp 223. In addition, the pneumatic device has higher environmental adaptability and safety, fewer potential failure points, higher system reliability, and can improve the stability of the system.

[0117] In order to further ensure the stability of the wafer handling robot 200, the aforementioned multi-vent valve 2222 can construct three working states, wherein the working states of the multi-vent valve 2222 include a holding state, a clamping state, and a releasing state.

[0118] When the multi-vent valve 2222 is in a clamping state, the wafer box clamp 223 can be driven to move inward. When the multi-vent valve 2222 is in a loosening state, the wafer box clamp 223 is driven to move outward. When the multi-vent valve 2222 is in a holding state, the wafer box clamp 223 is driven to maintain the current state.

[0119] In actual operation, the wafer box clamping jaws 223 and the wafer box can be fixed and released by combining the clamping state and the loosening state. The specific process can be referred to the above content. That is, the multi-vent valve 2222 is used to adjust the working state of the multi-vent valve 2222 based on the driving signal, thereby controlling the wafer box clamping jaws 223 to operate.

[0120] To avoid the wafer box clamp 223 from losing control due to an unexpected power outage, so that the wafer box connected to the wafer box clamp 223 falls off. The aforementioned multi-vent valve 2222 can also adjust the working state to the holding state in response to the power-off signal. As mentioned above, when the wafer box clamp 223 is in the holding state, its working state remains unchanged. That is, after a power outage, if the wafer box clamp 223 fixes the wafer box before the power outage, it can continue to fix the wafer box after the power outage is in the holding state, thereby avoiding the wafer box from falling off and improving the stability of the wafer handling robot 200 during operation.

[0121] In some embodiments, the aforementioned multi-vent valve 2222 can be implemented by a three-position five-vent valve, wherein the three-position five-vent valve can include three states: middle sealing, middle leakage, and middle pressure.

[0122] The middle seal can be configured as the aforementioned holding state, in which the pressure of the front and rear chambers of the cylinder of the three-position five-way valve remains unchanged after the last coil loses power. The air inlet is closed and the exhaust port is closed. In the middle seal state, the pressure of the front and rear chambers of the cylinder is closed and will not change to maintain the current operating state.

[0123] Medium pressure can be configured as the aforementioned clamping state, in which the continuous pressure supply of the three-position five-way valve makes the pressure in the front and rear chambers of the cylinder consistent with the pressure at the inlet end; the inlet port is open and the exhaust port is closed. In the medium pressure state, the front and rear chambers of the cylinder are connected to the inlet end to maintain pressure, thereby pushing the clamps on both sides to move inward.

[0124] The middle leakage can be configured as the aforementioned release state. In this state, the pressure in the front and rear chambers of the cylinder of the three-position five-way valve will be discharged through the exhaust port of the solenoid valve, so that there is no pressure in the front and rear chambers of the cylinder, thereby releasing the wafer box under the action of external mechanical force (such as reset spring force).

[0125] Similar to the wafer box clamp 223, the wafer tray 233 can also be configured as a pneumatic device, so as to perform vacuum adsorption through a driving device. Specifically, the surface of the wafer tray 233 can be provided with a plurality of small holes, and when the surface of the wafer contacts the surface of the wafer tray 233 provided with small holes, the small holes can be used to achieve adsorption and release of the wafer.

[0126] The second driving device 232 may include an adsorption valve and a release valve of the wafer tray 233. When the adsorption valve is opened, the gas around the small hole can enter the small hole due to the pressure difference, thereby generating an adsorption force on the surface of the small hole to fix the wafer and the wafer tray 233. When the release valve is opened, the pressure difference disappears, thereby releasing the fixed fit between the wafer and the wafer tray 233.

[0127] In some embodiments, the driving air circuit of the second driving device 232 can directly reuse the driving air circuit of the wafer box clamp 223, that is, the adsorption valve and the release valve can be directly connected to the driving cylinder 2221, so as to be controlled based on the airflow provided by the driving cylinder 2221.

[0128] In some embodiments, in order to further reduce the thickness of the second control box 231 in the second direction, the aforementioned adsorption valve and release valve can be integrated into the multi-vent valve 2222, so that only the air path between the multi-vent valve 2222 and the wafer tray 233 is set in the second control box 231, thereby further reducing the accommodation space requirement of the second control box 231, thereby further reducing its size in the second direction.

[0129] It should be noted that the aforementioned pneumatic device is only one implementation of the actuator, and it only needs to ensure that it can perform the corresponding operation under the driving signal. For example, the aforementioned actuator can also be executed based on an electric device. At this time, the aforementioned wafer box clamp 223 can be driven by a motor, and the aforementioned wafer tray 233 can fix the wafer based on the principle of electrostatic adsorption.

[0130] Example wafer memory:

[0131] The wafer storage device can be understood as a "wafer box warehouse" integrated with the aforementioned wafer handling robot. Considering the integration of the wafer handling robot provided by the present application, the operation process of the wafer storage device is different from that of the traditional wafer box warehouse. Specifically, when interacting with the wafer carrier, the wafer storage device can directly provide wafers to the wafer carrier through the wafer handling robot, thereby eliminating the need for wafer retrieval through the wafer retrieval device.

[0132] The following will be combined with this application Figure 5 The specific structure of the wafer memory shown in the figure illustrates the actual operation process of the wafer memory. Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the wafer memory provided in some embodiments of the present application.

[0133] like Figure 5 As shown, the wafer storage 300 may include a vertical library structure 310 and a wafer handling robot 200 provided in the present application. The vertical library structure 310 may refer to the main structure of the wafer storage 300, which may be used to form a wafer storage bin. A plurality of layers may be provided in the vertical library structure 310 to place wafer boxes.

[0134] The wafer handling robot 200 can be arranged in the wafer storage bin to handle the wafer boxes or wafers stored in the wafer storage bin. The wafer handling robot 200 can replace the wafer box handling robot in the traditional vertical warehouse structure, thereby realizing the handling of wafers on the basis of handling the wafer boxes.

[0135] In order to achieve interaction with external carrying equipment, the vertical warehouse structure 310 is provided with a window on the side wall of the layer plate, and another window on the other opposite side wall. Among them, the window close to the layer plate can exchange wafer boxes with the wafer box carrying equipment, and the window far away from the layer plate can exchange wafers with the wafer carrying equipment through the wafer handling robot 200.

[0136] Therefore, by integrating the wafer handling robot provided in the present application, the aforementioned wafer storage device can replace independently set wafer handling equipment (wafer picking device) and wafer box handling equipment (wafer box warehouse), thereby improving the integration of equipment in the wafer preparation system and reducing the space occupied by the wafer preparation system.

[0137] It should be noted that the various elements described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. To avoid unnecessary repetition, this application will not further describe various possible combinations.

[0138] It should be understood that multiple components and / or parts can be provided by a single integrated component or part. Alternatively, a single integrated component or part can be divided into separate multiple components and / or parts. The disclosure "one" or "an" used to describe a component or part is not intended to exclude other components or parts.

[0139] It should be understood that although the terms “first” or “second” etc. may be used in the present application to describe various elements, these elements are not defined by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish one element from another.

[0140] The basic principles of the present application are described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, strengths, effects, etc. mentioned in the present application are only examples and not limitations, and it cannot be considered that these advantages, strengths, effects, etc. are required by each embodiment of the present application. In addition, the specific details disclosed above are only for the purpose of illustration and ease of understanding, not for limitation, and the above details do not limit the present application to being implemented by adopting the above specific details.

[0141] The above are only specific implementations of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A wafer handling robot, characterized in that: include: A mechanical arm, comprising at least one connecting arm and a connecting member arranged on the at least one connecting arm, wherein the connecting member is connected to the at least one connecting arm via a rotating shaft; A wafer box moving mechanism disposed on the connecting member is used to fasten the wafer box; A wafer moving mechanism disposed on the connecting member is used to fasten the wafer; The wafer box moving mechanism and the wafer sheet moving mechanism have different directions on the connecting member, and the connecting member is driven to turn one of the wafer box moving mechanism and the wafer sheet moving mechanism to an operating direction.

2. The wafer handling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting member includes a first side wall and a second side wall arranged along a first direction, the wafer box moving mechanism is arranged on the first side wall along the first direction, and the wafer moving mechanism is arranged on the second side wall along the first direction.

3. The wafer handling robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The wafer box moving mechanism includes a first control box, a first driving device and a wafer box clamp, wherein the first driving device is arranged in the first control box, and the wafer box clamp is arranged on the outer wall of the first control box; The wafer moving mechanism comprises a second control box, a second driving device and a wafer tray, wherein the second driving device is arranged in the second control box, and the wafer tray is arranged on the outer wall of the second control box; The first control box and the second control box are fixedly connected along the first direction to form the connecting member.

4. The wafer handling robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first control box forms a first connection area and a second connection area on the connection member, and the first connection area is close to the wafer box clamping claw; A height of the first connection region in the second direction is greater than a height of the second connection region in the second direction, so that the first connection region and the second connection region form a step-like structure in the second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the plane where the first direction is located.

5. The wafer handling robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The wafer box clamp is configured as a pneumatic device, and the first driving device includes a driving cylinder and a multi-vent valve, wherein the driving cylinder is arranged in the first connecting area of ​​the first control box along the second direction, and the multi-vent valve is arranged in the second connecting area of ​​the first control box along the first direction, and the driving cylinder is connected to the wafer box clamp through the multi-vent valve.

6. The wafer handling robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The multi-vent valve is used to adjust the working state of the multi-vent valve based on the driving signal and adjust the working state to a holding state in response to a power-off signal, wherein the working state of the multi-vent valve includes a holding state, a clamping state, and a releasing state; When the multi-vent valve is in the clamping state, the jaws of the wafer box clamp are driven to move inward; when the multi-vent valve is in the loosening state, the jaws of the wafer box clamp are driven to move outward; when the multi-vent valve is in the holding state, the wafer box clamp is driven to maintain the current state.

7. The wafer handling robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The wafer tray is configured as a pneumatic device, and the second driving device includes an adsorption valve and a release valve of the wafer tray, and the adsorption valve and the release valve are connected to the driving cylinder.

8. The wafer handling robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: A height of the second control box in the second direction is smaller than a height of the second connection area in the second direction.

9. The wafer handling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mechanical arm further comprises a first lifting mechanism and a second lifting mechanism, wherein the first lifting mechanism is arranged at the fixed connection of the at least one connecting arm, and is used to drive the at least one connecting arm to move in the second direction, and the at least one connecting arm is used to move in the plane where the first direction is located; The second lifting mechanism is disposed at the connection between the at least one connecting arm and the connecting member, and is used to drive the connecting member to move in a second direction relative to the at least one connecting arm.

10. A wafer memory, characterized in that: include: A vertical warehouse structure is used to form a wafer storage bin for storing wafer boxes; The wafer handling robot according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is arranged in the wafer storage warehouse and is used to transport wafer boxes or wafers stored in the wafer storage warehouse.

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