Feeding device for wafer box and feeding method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to a feeding device for a wafer box and a feeding method of the feeding device. The feeding device comprises a frame body which is provided with a conveying opening. The rotation driving assembly is connected to the position, close to the conveying opening, of the frame. The turnover structure is rotatably connected to the rotation driving assembly and located at the transportation opening, the turnover structure comprises a bearing assembly and a locking piece, the locking piece is used for locking the wafer box to the bearing assembly, and the turnover structure rotates together with the wafer box under the driving action of the rotation driving assembly; when the overturning structure is in the first state, the bearing assembly is matched with the transportation opening and forms a closed space with the frame body, one side of the bearing assembly is located outside the frame body and used for being in butt joint with a wafer box, and a mushroom head of the wafer box is located on the upper end face of the bearing assembly; and when the overturning structure is in the second state, the mushroom head of the wafer box faces the interior of the frame body and corresponds to the position of the transportation opening. According to the feeding device, the motion path of the mechanical arm can be shortened, the occupied area of equipment is reduced, and meanwhile the treatment efficiency is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of wafer box processing, in particular to a wafer box feeding device and a wafer box feeding method. BACKGROUND

[0002] FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) is used as a protective shell and a transport carrier of a silicon wafer in a super-clean environment of a semiconductor factory to ensure that the wafer is not contaminated and damaged in the manufacturing process.

[0003] However, in the field, the workshop cost is high, and the floor area of the equipment is directly related to the cost. In the prior art, a loading station and an unloading station are usually arranged at the transport port. The loading station is arranged outside the equipment, and the unloading station is arranged inside the equipment. The overhead crane places the wafer box with the mushroom head facing upward on the loading station, and then the driving structure translates the wafer box on the loading station to the unloading station inside the equipment. Then the robot grasps the mushroom head on the upper end face of the wafer box to process the wafer box. The problem of this wafer box feeding mode is that the existence of the unloading station leads to a large width of the entire equipment, that is, a large floor area. In addition, the robot needs to grasp the mushroom head on the upper end face of the wafer box when grasping the wafer box, which leads to a long movement path of the robot. The equipment needs to reserve a sufficient width for the movement path of the robot, which also leads to a large width of the entire equipment and a large floor area, and a high cost. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, the present application provides a wafer box feeding device and a wafer box feeding method to solve at least one problem in the background art.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a wafer box feeding device, which comprises: a frame body provided with a transport port; a rotating driving assembly connected to the frame body near the transport port; a turnover structure rotatably connected to the rotating driving assembly and located at the transport port, the turnover structure comprising a bearing assembly and a locking piece, the locking piece being connected to the bearing assembly and being used to lock the wafer box on the bearing assembly, the turnover structure rotating together with the wafer box under the driving action of the rotating driving assembly; When the turnover structure is in a first state, the bearing assembly is matched with the transport port and forms a closed space with the frame body, and the wafer box is fixed on the bearing assembly by the locking piece with the mushroom head facing upward; When the turnover structure is in the second state, the transport port is opened, the wafer box is fixed on the bearing assembly by the locking member with the mushroom head facing the inside of the feeding device, and the wafer box is located in the transport port; the second state is a state after the turnover structure is rotated by a preset angle from the first state.

[0006] In combination with the first aspect of the present application, in an optional embodiment, when the turnover structure is in the second state, at least part of the bearing assembly is located outside the frame.

[0007] In combination with the first aspect of the present application, in an optional embodiment, the rotating driving assembly comprises: a driving member; a sliding rail, connected to the frame and the driving member; a sliding block, slidingly connected to the sliding rail, reciprocally moving along the direction of the sliding rail under the driving action of the driving member, and rotatably connected to the bearing assembly, so that the bearing assembly is driven to rotate by the movement of the sliding block along the direction of the sliding rail; a connecting rod, one end of which is rotatably connected to the frame and the other end of which is rotatably connected to the bearing assembly.

[0008] In combination with the first aspect of the present application, in an optional embodiment, the sliding block is connected to the side edge end of the bearing assembly close to the mushroom head, so that the bearing assembly is flipped towards the inside of the frame under the driving action of the driving member.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect of the present application, in an optional embodiment, the feeding device further comprises a first lifting structure, which comprises: a first lifting driving member, connected to the frame; a lifting member, connected to the first lifting driving member and located in the transport port, and moving up and down under the action of the first lifting driving member, so as to avoid the rotating wafer box or close the transport port with the bearing assembly.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect of the present application, in an optional embodiment, the wafer box comprises a detachably connected cover and a box body, and the cover is located at the middle position of the box body; the feeding device further comprises: a shell, connected to the side of the bearing assembly away from the wafer box; an unlocking assembly, connected to the bearing assembly, for unlocking or locking the box body and the cover; a second lifting structure, connected to the shell, for driving the box body to move away from the cover when the turnover structure is in the second state; The detection assembly is configured to detect whether there is a foreign object on the cover body from a gap between the cover body and the box body.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect of the present application, in an optional embodiment, the bearing assembly comprises a movable part and a fixed part, the movable part is detachably connected with the fixed part, and the movable part is arranged in position corresponding to the box body; The second lifting structure comprises: A second lifting drive connected to the housing; A lifting bracket movably connected to the second lifting drive and connected with the movable part, the movable part and the lifting bracket move relative to the fixed part under the action of the second lifting drive to separate the box body from the cover body.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect of the present application, in an optional embodiment, the second lifting structure further comprises: A guide connected to the second lifting drive; A moving part matched with the guide and connected with the lifting bracket, the guide reciprocally moves under the action of the second lifting drive to make the moving part reciprocally move under the action of the guide.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect of the present application, in an optional embodiment, the guide moves in a first direction under the action of the second lifting drive, the lifting bracket moves in a second direction following the moving part, the second direction is the height direction of the frame body, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

[0014] In the second aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide an upper feeding method applied to the upper feeding device for the wafer box of any one of the first aspect; the upper feeding method comprises: Obtaining the current position state of the wafer box; Confirming whether the current position state of the wafer box is that the wafer box is connected to the bearing assembly, and the current position state is that the mushroom head of the wafer box is located at the upper end surface thereof; If yes, rotating the bearing assembly by a preset angle by using the rotating drive assembly to make the mushroom head of the wafer box face the inside of the frame body and be opposite to the transport port position.

[0015] The feeding device for the wafer box provided by the embodiment of the present application can realize direction adjustment of the wafer box under the action of the rotating driving assembly through the setting of the turnover structure, so that the wafer box is turned over from the mushroom head upward to the mushroom head inward, and then is grabbed by the mechanical hand, thereby, the unloading station does not need to be separately set, the width of the unloading station on the equipment is reduced, that is, the floor area of the equipment is reduced; and since the mechanical hand directly grabs the inwardly arranged mushroom head, the movement path of the mechanical hand is short, so that the equipment does not need to reserve the width required for the mechanical hand to grab the wafer box, the floor area of the whole equipment is further reduced, and the cost is reduced.

[0016] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be made apparent from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the present application and together with the description serve to explain the present application. In the drawings: Figure 1 A perspective view of the processing equipment for the wafer box provided by the embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 A top view of the processing equipment for the wafer box provided by the embodiment of the present application; Figure 3 A perspective view of the processing equipment for the wafer box provided by the embodiment of the present application; Figure 1 An enlarged view of A in FIG. 6; Figure 4 A structure schematic view of the turnover structure in the feeding device for the wafer box provided by the embodiment of the present application when the turnover structure is in the first state; Figure 5 A structure schematic view of the turnover structure in the feeding device for the wafer box provided by the embodiment of the present application when the turnover structure is in the second state; Figure 6 A structure exploded view of the turnover structure in the feeding device for the wafer box provided by the embodiment of the present application when the turnover structure is in the first state and the wafer box; Figure 7 A structure schematic view of the turnover structure in the feeding device for the wafer box provided by the embodiment of the present application when the turnover structure is in the second state from another angle; Figure 8 A structure schematic view of the turnover structure in the feeding device for the wafer box provided by the embodiment of the present application when the turnover structure is in the first state from another angle; Figure 9 A sectional view of the turnover structure in the feeding device for the wafer box provided by the embodiment of the present application when the turnover structure is in the second state; Figure 10Another angle view of the cross section of the turnover structure in the wafer box feeding device provided by the embodiment of the present application when the turnover structure is in the second state; Figure 11 Another angle view of the cross section of the turnover structure in the wafer box feeding device provided by the embodiment of the present application when the turnover structure is in the second state; Figure 12 Flowchart of the wafer box feeding method of the wafer box feeding device provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0018] Reference signs: 100, processing device; a, wafer box; a1, mushroom head; a2, cover body; a3, box body; 10, frame body; 11, transportation port; 20, rotating driving assembly; 21, driving piece; 22, sliding rail; 23, sliding block; 24, connecting rod piece; 30, turnover structure; 31, bearing assembly; 311, movable piece; 312, fixed piece; 32, locking piece; 40, transfer structure; 51, lifting piece; 60, shell; 70, unlocking assembly; 71, unlocking driving piece; 80, second lifting structure; 81, second lifting driving; 82, lifting support; 821, connecting rod; 822, frame; 83, guide piece; 831, guide groove; 84, moving piece; 841, guide column; 90, mechanical hand. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] In order to make the technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the following will be described in detail by listing specific embodiments. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and local features can be enlarged or reduced to more clearly show the details of local features; unless otherwise defined, the technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as the technical and scientific terms in the technical field to which the present application belongs.

[0020] In the description of the present application, the orientations or positional relationships indicated by the terms “center”, “longitudinal”, “transverse”, “length”, “width”, “thickness”, “height”, “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer”, “clockwise”, “counterclockwise” and the like are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of the simplified description of the present application, and do not indicate that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, that is, cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0021] In the present application, the terms "first", "second" are used only for the purpose of clear description, and cannot be understood as relative importance of the indicated features or the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is at least two, such as two, three, etc.; the meaning of "several" is at least one, such as one, two, three, etc.; unless otherwise explicitly limited.

[0022] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly limited, the terms "mount", "connect", "connect", "fix", "set" and the like should be broadly understood. For example, "connect" can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integral; can be mechanical connection, or electrical connection; can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through intermediate media, or the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0023] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly limited, the first feature "on", "over", "above" and "on", "below", "under", "below" or "below" the second feature can be the direct contact of the first feature and the second feature, or the indirect contact of the first feature and the second feature through intermediate media. Moreover, the first feature "over", "above" and "above" the second feature can be the first feature directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or only indicate that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than the horizontal height of the second feature. The first feature "under", "below" and "below" the second feature can be the first feature directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or only indicate that the horizontal height of the first feature is less than the horizontal height of the second feature.

[0024] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the present application provides a kind of for wafer box processing equipment 100, the processing equipment 100 includes frame 10 with enclosed space, cleaning device, drying device, manipulator 90 and feeding device.

[0025] Wherein, frame 10 has transport port 11, transport port 11 includes feeding port and discharging port, feeding port is used for wafer box to enter processing equipment, and discharging port is used to output wafer box after processing.In the present application, the specific number, position of feeding port and discharging port, and the conveying cleaning sequence of wafer box are not specifically limited.

[0026] In the embodiment, the feeding device is arranged at the conveying port 11, and is used to move the wafer box a from outside the frame 10 to the conveying port 11, so as to be picked up by the mechanical arm 90 arranged inside the frame 10 and moved to the cleaning device and the drying device for cleaning and drying treatment, and then unloaded from the unloading port.

[0027] Specifically, referring to Figures 1 to 7 The feeding device comprises a rotating driving assembly 20 and a turnover structure 30. The rotating driving assembly 20 is connected to the frame 10 at a position close to the conveying port 11. The turnover structure 30 is rotatably connected to the rotating driving assembly 20 and located at the conveying port 11. The turnover structure 30 comprises a bearing assembly 31 and a locking piece 32. The locking piece 32 is connected to the bearing assembly 31 and used to lock the wafer box a to the bearing assembly 31. The turnover structure 30 rotates together with the wafer box a under the driving action of the rotating driving assembly 20. When the turnover structure 30 is in a first state, the bearing assembly 31 is matched with the conveying port 11 and forms a closed space with the frame 10. One side of the bearing assembly 31 is located outside the frame 10 and used to abut against the wafer box a. The mushroom head a1 of the wafer box a is located at the upper end face thereof. The first state is the state of the turnover structure 30 before rotation. When the turnover structure 30 is in a second state, the mushroom head a1 of the wafer box a faces the inside of the frame 10 and corresponds to the position of the conveying port 11. The second state is the state of the turnover structure 30 after rotating a preset angle from the first state.

[0028] Figure 1 The wafer box a located at the left side of the conveying port 11 in the frame 10 in the first state is shown in Figure 4 The wafer box a in the first state is also shown in the schematic view, that is, the mushroom head a1 of the wafer box a is located at the upper end face thereof. Figure 1 The wafer box a located at the unloading port in the frame 10 in the second state is shown in Figure 7 The wafer box a in the second state is also shown in the schematic view, that is, the mushroom head a1 of the wafer box a faces the inside of the frame 10.

[0029] The conveying port 11 in the embodiment can be arranged in the form of a rectangular opening, a circular opening or an opening with other shapes, and the size thereof should meet the access requirements of the wafer box a. The rotating driving assembly 20 can adopt a motor driving, hydraulic driving or pneumatic driving mode to realize power output. The bearing assembly 31 in the turnover structure 30 can be designed as a flat plate structure, a tray structure or a clamping structure.

[0030] The transport port 11 provided on the frame 10 in the embodiment of the present application provides a channel for the positioning and access of the wafer box a, and ensures the stability of the overall structure of the device and forms a closed environment. The rotating drive assembly 20 is connected to the frame 10 near the transport port 11, and serves as a power source for driving the turnover structure 30 to perform a rotating action. The turnover structure 30 is rotatably connected to the rotating drive assembly 20 and is located at the transport port 11, and includes a bearing assembly 31 and a locking piece 32. The bearing assembly 31 is used to support the wafer box a, and the locking piece 32 fixes the wafer box a on the bearing assembly 31 to prevent displacement during rotation. The turnover structure 30 drives the wafer box a to rotate as a whole under the action of the rotating drive assembly 20, thereby realizing the adjustment of the direction of the wafer box a.

[0031] When the turnover structure 30 is in the first state, the bearing assembly 31 is adapted to the transport port 11 and forms a closed space together with the frame 10, and one side of the bearing assembly 31 is located outside the frame 10, facilitating the docking with the wafer box a. At this time, the mushroom head a1 of the wafer box a is located at the upper end face thereof, meeting the initial placement requirement. Further, when the turnover structure 30 is rotated by a preset angle and enters the second state from the first state, the mushroom head a1 of the wafer box a faces the inside of the frame 10 and corresponds to the position of the transport port 11. Therefore, the mushroom head a1 of the wafer box a can be directly grabbed by the mechanical hand 90 without long-distance movement of the mechanical hand 90, significantly shortening the movement path of the mechanical hand 90.

[0032] The embodiment of the present application enables the wafer box a to realize direction adjustment under the action of the rotating drive assembly 20 through the provision of the turnover structure 30, thereby directly turning the mushroom head a1 of the wafer box a to the inside of the frame 10, avoiding the problem of long-distance movement of the mechanical hand 90 for grabbing. Therefore, the movement path of the mechanical hand 90 is shortened, the floor area of the equipment is reduced, and the processing efficiency is improved. The embodiment of the present application can realize the direction conversion of the wafer box a through a simple rotating action, solving the problems of increased equipment cost and reduced efficiency caused by the long detour path of the mechanical hand 90 in the prior art.

[0033] In an optional embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 5 When the turnover structure 30 is in the second state, at least part of the structure of the bearing assembly 31 is located outside the frame 10. In actual application, most of the structure of the bearing assembly 31 is located outside the frame 10, and of course, most of the structure of the wafer box a is also located outside the frame 10. Figure 5 Most of the structure of the wafer box a is located outside the frame 10, as shown in

[0034] It can be understood that when most of the structure of the bearing assembly 31 is located outside the frame body 10, a small part of the structure of the bearing assembly 31 is located inside the frame body 10, so as to increase the utilization rate of the internal space of the frame body 10 and further improve the space utilization rate of the whole device.

[0035] In an optional embodiment, referring to Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the rotating driving assembly 20 comprises a driving member 21, a sliding rail 22 and a sliding block 23. The sliding rail 22 and the driving member 21 are connected to the frame body 10, and the sliding block 23 is slidingly connected with the sliding rail 22 and reciprocally moves along the sliding rail 22 under the driving action of the driving member 21. The sliding block 23 is rotatably connected with the bearing assembly 31, and the sliding block 23 moves along the sliding rail 22 to drive the bearing assembly 31 to rotate.

[0036] The driving member 21 in the embodiment of the present application refers to the core component for providing driving force, which can be realized by common driving devices such as motors, hydraulic cylinders or air cylinders, and can provide a stable and controllable power source for the reciprocating movement of the sliding block 23. The sliding rail 22 is a guide component fixed on the frame body 10, which is essentially a linear guide rail structure and can be realized in the form of a ball guide rail or a sliding guide rail, and can provide an accurate linear guide reference for the movement of the sliding block 23. The sliding block 23 is a moving component cooperating with the sliding rail 22, which realizes reciprocating movement on the sliding rail 22 through sliding connection, and forms a rotatable connection with the bearing assembly 31, which can smoothly convert the linear displacement of the sliding block 23 into the rotary motion of the bearing assembly 31, thereby avoiding the impact and energy loss that may be caused by direct driving.

[0037] The embodiment of the present application provides stable driving force through the driving member 21, so that the sliding block 23 reciprocally moves along the sliding rail 22. The sliding connection between the sliding block 23 and the sliding rail 22 ensures the accuracy of the movement track, and the rotatable connection between the sliding block 23 and the bearing assembly 31 realizes efficient conversion from linear motion to rotary motion. The embodiment of the present application replaces the complex rotating mechanism with simple mechanical principles, which not only simplifies the overall structure, but also significantly improves the stability and positioning accuracy of the movement. In addition, the movement of the sliding block 23 along the sliding rail 22 directly drives the bearing assembly 31 to rotate, ensuring that the rotation angle can accurately match the preset requirements, such as 90 degrees, so that the wafer box a can be reliably switched from the first state in which the mushroom head a1 is located on the upper end surface to the second state in which the mushroom head a1 faces the inside, which can effectively shorten the grabbing path of the mechanical hand 90, reduce the equipment floor area, and improve the overall processing efficiency.

[0038] In an optional embodiment, the rotating driving assembly 20 further comprises a connecting rod 24, one end of which is rotatably connected to the frame body 10, and the other end is rotatably connected to the bearing assembly 31.

[0039] The connecting rod 24 in the embodiments of the present application refers to a rigid or semi-rigid connecting component, which can be implemented by a metal rod, a composite material rod or a mechanical connecting structure with similar functions. In actual application, one end of the connecting rod 24 is connected with the frame body 10 through a hinged connection, a bearing connection or other rotatable connection modes, so as to ensure that it can rotate flexibly within a certain range. The other end of the connecting rod 24 is also connected with the bearing assembly 31 through a similar rotatable connection mode, thereby providing an additional support and force transmission path when the slider 23 drives the bearing assembly 31 to rotate. The force transmission process can be optimized, the vibration and stress concentration problems caused by single slider 23 connection can be reduced, and the stability of the rotation of the bearing assembly 31 can be improved.

[0040] The embodiments of the present application optimize the rotation process of the bearing assembly 31 by introducing the connecting rod. One end of the connecting rod 24 is connected to the frame body 10, which provides an additional fixed fulcrum for the entire rotating mechanism, thereby effectively limiting the possible lateral displacement of the bearing assembly 31 during rotation. When the slider 23 moves along the slide rail 22, the connecting rod 24 converts the linear motion of the slider 23 into smooth rotation of the bearing assembly 31 through the lever principle, which can significantly reduce the impact and stress concentration that may occur during direct driving. In addition, the arrangement of the connecting rod 24 also optimizes the force transmission path according to the relative position relationship between the frame body 10 and the bearing assembly 31, so that the wafer box a can maintain higher stability during rotation to a preset angle, thereby ensuring that the mushroom head a1 can accurately align with the transport port 11 position, which not only improves the reliability of the feeding operation, but also lays a solid foundation for subsequent processing steps.

[0041] In an optional embodiment, please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 The slider 23 is connected to the side edge end of the bearing assembly 31 close to the mushroom head a1, so that the bearing assembly 31 can be flipped towards the inside of the frame body 10 under the driving action of the driving member 21.

[0042] Figure 4 The first state diagram of the bearing assembly 31 is shown in Figure 4 The slider 23 is connected to the side edge end of the bearing assembly 31 close to the mushroom head a1, so that the bearing assembly 31 can be flipped towards the inside of the frame body 10 under the driving action of the driving member 21, that is, counterclockwise, which can avoid the bearing assembly 31 from being flipped clockwise. In addition, the connection of the slider 23 at this position can also make most of the structure of the bearing assembly 31 located outside the frame body 10 when it is in the second state, so that more use space can be obtained inside the frame body 10, thereby improving the utilization rate of the internal space of the frame body 10.

[0043] In an optional embodiment, please refer toFigure 1 and Figure 3 The loading device further comprises a transfer structure 40 connected to the outside of the frame 10 and corresponding to the transport port 11. The transfer structure 40 is used to transplant the wafer box a to be adapted to the carrier assembly 31, so that the locking member 32 locks the wafer box a on the carrier assembly 31.

[0044] The transfer structure 40 in the embodiment of the present application refers to an automatic device capable of realizing the accurate docking between the wafer box a outside the frame 10 and the carrier assembly 31, which can be realized by a mechanical arm, a conveyor belt or a slide rail 22 type push-pull mechanism. Among them, the mechanical arm can realize the transplanting operation of complex path through multi-degree-of-freedom motion; the conveyor belt is suitable for linear type transplanting path and has high transmission efficiency; the slide rail 22 type push-pull mechanism realizes accurate positioning through linear driving and is suitable for scenes with high position accuracy requirement. These implementation manners can ensure that the wafer box a can be accurately transplanted onto the carrier assembly 31, thereby providing a reliable basis for subsequent locking operation. The specific structure and implementation process of the transfer structure 40 can refer to the related patent documents disclosed by the applicant, which will not be repeated here.

[0045] The embodiment of the present application connects the transfer structure 40 to the outside of the frame 10 and corresponds to the position of the transport port 11, thereby fully utilizing the advantage of the transport port 11 as a positioning reference, thereby simplifying the transplanting path and improving the transplanting efficiency. This design not only avoids the interference with the super-clean environment inside the frame 10, but also significantly reduces the exposure time of the wafer box a in the transplanting process. In the process of transplanting the wafer box a to be adapted to the carrier assembly 31 by the transfer structure 40, the accurate matching of the geometry and size of the carrier assembly 31 ensures that the wafer box a can be seamlessly docked onto the carrier assembly 31. This process provides an accurate locking position for the locking member 32, effectively avoiding the locking failure problem caused by position deviation. In addition, the locking member 32 locks the wafer box a immediately after the transplanting is completed, preventing it from being displaced during the subsequent rotation, thereby ensuring the safety and continuity of the entire loading process.

[0046] In an optional embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3 The loading device further comprises a first lifting structure, which comprises a first lifting drive (not shown in the figure) and a lifting member 51. The first lifting drive is connected to the frame 10; the lifting member 51 is connected to the first lifting drive and located at the transport port 11. The lifting member 51 moves up and down under the action of the first lifting drive to avoid the rotating wafer box a or to close the transport port 11 with the carrier assembly 31.

[0047] The first lifting drive in the embodiment of the present application refers to a device capable of providing stable driving force, which can be realized by an electric push rod, a hydraulic cylinder or a pneumatic actuator, and can provide precise power support for the movement of the lifting piece 51. The lifting piece 51 can be understood as a movable mechanical component, which can be in the form of a flat plate, a baffle or a sliding block 23, etc., which can dynamically adjust the position according to the rotation state of the wafer box a, so as to avoid mechanical interference and ensure environmental sealing.

[0048] The embodiment of the present application realizes intelligent management of the transportation port 11 state through the linkage design of the first lifting drive and the lifting piece 51. The first lifting drive is fixedly installed on the frame 10, which ensures the stability of the entire lifting system; the lifting piece 51 is accurately arranged in the transportation port 11 area, and completes the lifting action by receiving the control signal of the first lifting drive. When the wafer box a needs to be rotated, the lifting piece 51 is lowered according to the instruction of the first lifting drive, and actively gives enough space to prevent the wafer box a from colliding with the frame 10; and after the wafer box a is rotated, the lifting piece 51 is raised and cooperates with the bearing assembly 31 to form a sealed barrier, effectively blocking the external pollutants from entering the transportation port 11. This design based on real-time response not only solves the space conflict problem that may be caused during the rotation of the wafer box a, but also significantly improves the continuous stability of the super-clean environment. In addition, the overall cooperation of the first lifting structure, the frame 10, the bearing assembly 31 and the wafer box a further optimizes the smoothness and reliability of the equipment operation, thereby ensuring the operation efficiency while strengthening the environmental control capability.

[0049] In an optional embodiment, please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the wafer box a includes a detachably connected cover a2 and a box body a3, the cover a2 is located at the middle position of the box body a3; the feeding device further includes a shell 60 connected to the side of the bearing assembly 31 away from the wafer box a; an unlocking assembly 70 connected to the bearing assembly 31 for unlocking or locking the box body a3 and the cover a2; a second lifting structure 80 connected to the shell 60 and used to drive the box body a3 to move so as to separate the box body a3 from the cover a2; and a detection assembly (not shown in the figure) for detecting whether there is foreign matter on the cover a2 from the gap between the box body a3 and the cover a2.

[0050] The shell 60 in the embodiment of the present application refers to a rigid support structure, which can be realized by a metal frame, a composite material plate or other structures with high strength and stability, and can provide a stable installation reference for the unlocking assembly 70 and the second lifting structure 80.

[0051] The unlocking assembly 70 can be understood as a mechanical actuator, which can be a pneumatic lock, an electromagnetic lock or a motor-driven rotating buckle, and can realize automatic unlocking or locking of the box body a3 and the cover body a2. Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1, the unlocking driving part 71 of the unlocking assembly 70 is a pneumatic cylinder.

[0052] The second lifting structure 80 is a driving mechanism capable of generating linear motion, which can be realized by an electric push rod, a hydraulic cylinder or a screw transmission mechanism, and can accurately control the lifting action of the box body a3 to complete the separation operation.

[0053] In addition, the detection assembly can be an infrared reflection sensor, which is used to confirm whether there is foreign matter in the wafer box a before cleaning and drying. The foreign matter is a wafer or wafer fragments. After the wafer box a rotates, the cover body a2 is located below the box body a3, and the wafer or wafer fragments remaining in the wafer box a are located on the cover body a2 under the action of their own gravity. Therefore, the detection assembly detects whether there is foreign matter on the cover body a2 from the gap between the cover body a2 and the box body a3, that is, whether there is foreign matter in the wafer box a.

[0054] In the embodiment of the present application, the shell 60 is fixed to the side of the bearing assembly 31 away from the wafer box a, which provides a stable mounting platform for the unlocking assembly 70 and the second lifting structure 80, and ensures that the position of the wafer box a remains unchanged during operation. The unlocking assembly 70 directly acts on the connecting part of the box body a3 and the cover body a2, and can be operated in situ in the state that the bearing assembly 31 has locked the wafer box a. The second lifting structure 80 drives the box body a3 to move stably relying on the fixed position of the shell 60, so that the box body a3 can accurately separate from the cover body a2, so that the detection assembly can detect from the gap between the cover body a2 and the box body a3. The detection assembly uses the natural gap formed when the box body a3 and the cover body a2 are separated to perform non-contact detection, which can monitor the surface state of the cover body a2 in real time without additional space or physical contact. This not only simplifies the equipment structure, but also significantly improves the operation efficiency.

[0055] In an optional embodiment, please refer to Figures 8 to 11 The bearing assembly 31 includes a movable part 311 and a fixed part 312, and the movable part 311 is separably connected to the fixed part 312, for example, the movable part 311 is overlapped on the fixed part 312, and the movable part 311 is arranged in position corresponding to the box body a3. The second lifting structure 80 includes a second lifting driving part 81 and a lifting bracket 82, the second lifting driving part 81 is connected to the shell 60, the lifting bracket 82 is movably connected to the second lifting driving part 81, and is connected to the movable part 311. The movable part 311 and the lifting bracket 82 move relative to the fixed part 312 under the action of the second lifting driving part 81, so as to separate the box body a3 and the cover body a2.

[0056] In the embodiment of the present application, the movable part 311 can adopt a ring-shaped tray, which can provide independent support for the box body a3 when the box body a3 is separated from the cover body a2. The fixed part 312 can be a support plate, which is used to mount the unlocking assembly 70 and the locking part 32, and also used to provide support for the cover body a2. The second lifting drive 81 refers to a component that provides power for the separation of the box body a3 and the cover body a2, which can be realized by a cylinder, a screw transmission mechanism or a linear motor, and can complete the jacking action of the box body a3 through stable driving force. The lifting bracket 82 refers to an intermediate component connecting the second lifting drive 81 and the movable part 311, which can be realized by a rigid connecting rod or a frame structure, and can directly transmit the power of the second lifting drive 81 to the movable part 311, thereby ensuring the stability of the jacking process.

[0057] In the embodiment of the present application, the movable part 311 and the fixed part 312 are arranged according to the structure of the box body a3 and the cover body a2. The cover body a2 is connected to the middle position of the box body a3, and the movable part 311 for carrying the box body a3 is also located at the edge of the fixed part 312. For example, the movable part 311 is lapped on the peripheral edge of the fixed part 312. When the movable part 311 is lifted by the lifting bracket 82, the movable part 311 lifts the box body a3 so as to separate the box body a3 from the cover body a2.

[0058] In an optional embodiment, the lifting bracket 82 includes a frame 822 and a plurality of connecting rods 821. One end of the connecting rod 821 is connected to the frame 822, and the other end is connected to the movable part 311. The plurality of connecting rods 821 are connected to different positions of the frame 822, so as to realize stable support for the movable part 311 and smooth lifting in the lifting process.

[0059] Further, the connecting rod 821 passes through the fixed part 312 and is connected to the movable part 311, so as to improve the compactness of the second lifting structure 80. The movable part 311 is lifted together with the connecting rod 821 and the frame 822 under the driving action of the second lifting drive 81. The plurality of connecting rods 821 are respectively connected to different positions of the movable part 311, which can improve the stability of the movable part 311 in the lifting process, ensure the fixity of the relative position between the movable part 311 and the box body a3, and provide guarantee for the smooth locking of the box body a3 and the cover body a2.

[0060] In an alternative embodiment, the locking member 32 is a suction cup connected to the fixing member 312, the suction cup protruding from the surface of the fixing member 312, and the suction cup is used to achieve the fixed connection between the wafer box a and the bearing assembly 31. In addition, the unlocking assembly 70 is also connected to the fixing member 312 and protrudes from the surface of the fixing member 312 to enable the unlocking or locking of the box body a3 and the cover body a2. The movable member 311 is lapped on the fixing member 312 and forms a protruding structure on the surface thereof. It can be understood that the movable member 311 is lapped on the surface of the fixing member 312 and makes the fixing member 312 form a recessed structure in the corresponding position area of the cover body a2, and the locking member 32 and the unlocking assembly 70 are both located in the recessed structure to ensure the fixed connection effect between the wafer box a and the bearing assembly 31, and at the same time, the box body a3 is lapped on the surface of the movable member 311. The height of the movable member 311 protruding from the surface of the fixing member 312 can be set according to the height of the locking member 32 and the unlocking assembly 70 protruding from the surface of the fixing member 312, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited in particular.

[0061] In an alternative embodiment, the second lifting structure 80 further comprises a guide member 83 and a moving member 84, the guide member 83 is connected to the second lifting drive 81, the moving member 84 is adapted to the guide member 83 and connected to the lifting bracket 82, and the guide member 83 reciprocally moves under the action of the second lifting drive 81 to make the moving member 84 reciprocally move under the action of the guide member 83.

[0062] The moving member 84 in the embodiments of the present application achieves the lifting movement under the action of the movement of the guide member 83. The moving speed and the lifting height of the moving member 84 can be achieved by setting the guide member 83, and can be set according to actual needs, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited in particular.

[0063] Specifically, the guide member 83 is a guide groove 831, and the moving member 84 is a guide column 841 inserted into the guide groove 831, and when the guide member 83 moves, the guide column 841 lifts in the guide groove 831. The guide column 841 and the guide groove 831 adopt a simple sliding contact mode in the insertion and cooperation, and low friction movement can be achieved without additional lubrication. When the guide groove 831 moves in the first direction, the guide column 841 performs lifting movement in the guide groove 831. This direct transmission conversion mode not only simplifies the overall structure, but also improves the reliability and maintenance convenience of the system.

[0064] In an alternative embodiment, the guide member 83 moves in the first direction (i.e., the X-axis direction in the coordinate system shown in the figure) under the action of the second lifting drive 81, and the lifting bracket 82 moves in the second direction (i.e., the Z-axis direction in the coordinate system shown in the figure) along with the moving member 84, and the second direction is the height direction of the frame body 10, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction. Figure 11 Figure 11

[0065] ​​The embodiment of the present application drives the guide 83 to move along the first direction through the second lifting drive 81, which can optimize the space layout and greatly reduce the precious space in the height direction (i.e., the second direction) of the frame 10. Through the transmission cooperation between the moving piece 84 and the guide 83, the movement precision of the guide 83 is transmitted to the lifting bracket 82 and the movable piece 311, which can ensure the lifting of the movable piece 311 while avoiding the second lifting structure 80 occupying more space in the second direction, and can solve the problem of limited space in the height direction of the frame 10.

[0066] In an optional embodiment, the turnover structure 30 becomes the second state after rotating 90 degrees from the first state.

[0067] The embodiment of the present application sets the preset angle to 90°, so that the turnover structure 30 can accurately rotate the wafer box a from the initial horizontal position to the vertical position. In this process, the carrying assembly 31 drives the wafer box a to rotate from the first state to the second state, in which the mushroom head a1 smoothly transitions from the horizontal orientation to the vertical orientation inside the frame 10. Since the rotation angle of 90° matches the geometric layout of the wafer box a and the space constraints of the equipment, the mushroom head a1 can be directly aligned with the transport port 11 after rotation. This angle selection not only simplifies the rotation control logic, but also optimizes the internal space utilization of the equipment, providing a foundation for the robot 90 to grasp the mushroom head a1 in the shortest straight line path. At the same time, this angle setting forms an adaptive relationship with components such as the rotation drive assembly 20 and the turnover structure 30, which together ensure the stability and positioning accuracy of the wafer box a during rotation, thereby effectively shortening the feeding cycle and improving the operation efficiency.

[0068] The embodiment of the present application also provides a feeding method for a wafer box feeding device, please refer to Figure 12 , comprising the following steps: S1, obtaining the current position state of the wafer box.

[0069] S2, confirming whether the current position state of the wafer box is that the wafer box is connected to the carrying assembly, and the current position state is that the mushroom head of the wafer box is located at the upper end face thereof.

[0070] S3, if yes, driving the carrying piece to rotate a preset angle by using the rotation drive assembly, so that the mushroom head of the wafer box faces the inside of the frame and is opposite to the position of the transport port.

[0071] The embodiment of the present application combines the rotation drive assembly and the turnover structure in a specific way, thereby optimizing the direction adjustment process of the wafer box, enabling the mushroom head of the wafer box to directly face the inside of the frame and be opposite to the position of the transport port, and significantly shortening the movement path of the robot when grasping the mushroom head of the wafer box. This design not only reduces the floor area of the equipment, but also effectively reduces the cost of the equipment and improves the processing efficiency.

[0072] In an optional embodiment, after step S3, the following step is further included: Unlocking the box body and the cover of the wafer box by using the unlocking assembly.

[0073] Lifting the box body by using the second lifting structure to separate the box body and the cover.

[0074] Detecting from the gap between the box body and the cover by using the detection assembly to confirm whether there is foreign matter on the cover.

[0075] The embodiments of the present application realize the complete functional flow through the orderly cooperation of multiple key steps. First, the unlocking assembly performs the unlocking operation on the box body and the cover of the wafer box, and this process needs to ensure that the unlocking action is smooth and accurate to avoid damage to the structure of the wafer box. Subsequently, the second lifting structure starts to work, and by accurately controlling the lifting stroke, a moderate gap is formed between the box body and the cover, which not only meets the detection requirement but also prevents excessive separation from affecting the integrity of the wafer box. Finally, the detection assembly performs non-contact scanning detection on the surface of the cover through the formed gap to determine whether there is a wafer or wafer fragments in the wafer box.

[0076] Through the close connection of the three steps of unlocking, lifting and detection, the embodiments of the present application can confirm whether there is foreign matter in the wafer box to provide safety guarantee for the subsequent cleaning and drying of the wafer box. At the same time, these steps are organically combined with the aforementioned bearing rotation scheme to optimize the overall process flow while ensuring the detection effect, thereby significantly improving the work efficiency and reliability of the wafer box processing equipment.

[0077] In an optional embodiment, after detecting from the gap between the box body and the cover by using the detection assembly, the following steps are further included: Locking the box body and the cover by using the unlocking assembly.

[0078] When it is confirmed that there is foreign matter, the wafer box is discharged.

[0079] When it is confirmed that there is no foreign matter, the mushroom head on the wafer box is grabbed by the mechanical hand and moved to the inside of the frame body.

[0080] In actual application, the unlocking assembly completes the locking action by receiving the instruction signal issued by the control system to ensure that the box body and the cover are tightly connected. Discharging refers to the operation process of removing the wafer box with defects from the processing flow, which can be realized by setting a special discharging channel or using the original feeding channel for reverse conveying. The mechanical hand refers to an automated operation device with multiple degrees of freedom of movement, which can adopt a joint type mechanical arm or a multi-axis linkage mechanical hand and the like in structure.

[0081] In the embodiments of the present application, after the detection assembly completes the gap detection, the system automatically triggers the corresponding processing flow according to the detection result: when foreign matter is detected, the unlocking assembly first completes the locking of the box body and the cover body, and then starts the unloading program to timely remove the wafer box that fails the detection out of the processing flow; when no foreign matter is detected, the unlocking assembly also completes the locking of the box body and the cover body, so that the wafer box remains in a complete and sealed state, at which time the mechanical hand can directly grab the mushroom head located inside the frame body for transfer. This processing mechanism fully utilizes the preset state of the mushroom head facing the inside of the frame body due to the turnover structure, avoids the additional rotation or long-distance movement of the mechanical hand, and significantly shortens the movement path.

[0082] It should be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and are not intended to include all possible implementations. Various modifications and changes can also be made to the above embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Similarly, any combination of the technical features of the above embodiments can also be made to form additional embodiments of the present application that can not have been explicitly described. Therefore, the above embodiments only express several implementations of the present application, and do not limit the protection scope of the patent of the present application.

Claims

1. A loading device for a wafer cassette, characterized by, The feeding device comprises: a frame (10) provided with a conveying port (11); a rotating driving assembly (20) connected to the frame (10) near the conveying port (11); a turnover structure (30) rotatably connected to the rotating driving assembly (20) and located at the conveying port (11), the turnover structure (30) comprising a bearing assembly (31) and a locking member (32) connected to the bearing assembly (31) and used to lock the wafer box (a) to the bearing assembly (31), the turnover structure (30) rotating together with the wafer box (a) under the driving action of the rotating driving assembly (20); when the turnover structure (30) is in a first state, the bearing assembly (31) is adapted to the conveying port (11) and forms a closed space with the frame (10), and the wafer box (a) is fixed on the bearing assembly (31) by the locking member (32) with the mushroom head (a1) upward; when the turnover structure (30) is in a second state, the conveying port (11) is opened, the wafer box (a) is fixed on the bearing assembly (31) by the locking member with the mushroom head (a1) toward the inside of the feeding device, and the wafer box (a) is located in the conveying port (11), and the second state is the state of the turnover structure (30) after rotating a preset angle from the first state.

2. The loading device for wafer boat according to claim 1, wherein, when the turnover structure (30) is in the second state, at least part of the bearing assembly (31) is located outside the frame (10).

3. The loading device for a wafer boat according to claim 1, wherein The rotating driving assembly (20) comprises: a driving member (21); a slide rail (22) and the driving member (21) are connected to the frame (10); a sliding block (23) slidably connected with the slide rail (22), the sliding block (23) reciprocatingly moves along the direction of the slide rail (22) under the driving action of the driving member (21), the sliding block (23) is rotatably connected with the bearing assembly (31), and the sliding block (23) moves along the direction of the slide rail (22) to drive the bearing assembly (31) to rotate; a connecting rod (24) having one end rotatably connected to the frame (10) and the other end rotatably connected to the bearing assembly (31).

4. The loading device for wafer boat according to claim 3, wherein, The sliding block (23) is connected to the side edge end of the bearing assembly (31) near the mushroom head (a1), so that the bearing assembly (31) is turned over toward the inside of the frame (10) under the driving action of the driving member (21).

5. The loading device for a wafer boat according to claim 1, wherein The feeding device further comprises a first lifting structure, and the first lifting structure comprises: a first lifting driving connected to the frame (10); a lifting member (51) connected to the first lifting driving and located at the conveying port (11), the lifting member (51) liftingly moves under the action of the first lifting driving to avoid the rotating wafer box (a) or the bearing assembly (31) to close the conveying port (11).

6. The loading device for a wafer boat according to claim 1, wherein The wafer box (a) comprises a detachably connected cover (a2) and a box body (a3); the feeding device further comprises: a housing (60) connected to a side of the bearing assembly (31) away from the wafer box (a); an unlocking assembly (70) connected to the bearing assembly (31) to unlock or lock the box body (a3) and the cover (a2); a second lifting structure (80) connected to the housing (60) to drive the box body (a3) to move away from the cover (a2) when the turnover structure is in a second state; a detection assembly to detect whether there is foreign matter on the cover (a2) from the gap between the box body (a3) and the cover (a2).

7. The loading device for a wafer boat according to claim 6, wherein The bearing assembly (31) comprises a movable part (311) and a fixed part (312), the movable part (311) is detachably connected with the fixed part (312), and the movable part (311) is arranged in position corresponding to the box body (a3); The second lifting structure (80) comprises: a second lifting drive (81) connected to the housing (60); a lifting support (82) movably connected to the second lifting drive (81) and connected with the movable part (311), the movable part (311) and the lifting support (82) move relative to the fixed part (312) under the action of the second lifting drive (81) to separate the box body (a3) and the cover (a2).

8. The loading device for wafer boat according to claim 7, wherein, The second lifting structure (80) further comprises: a guide part (83) connected to the second lifting drive (81); a moving part (84) matched with the guide part (83) and connected with the lifting support (82), the guide part (83) reciprocally moves under the action of the second lifting drive (81) to make the moving part (84) reciprocally move under the action of the guide part (83).

9. The loading device for a wafer boat according to claim 8, wherein The guide part (83) moves in a first direction under the action of the second lifting drive (81), and the lifting support (82) moves in a second direction following the moving part (84), the second direction is the height direction of the frame (10), and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

10. A loading method applied to the loading apparatus for a wafer boat according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by, The feeding method comprises: obtaining the current position state of the wafer box; confirming whether the current position state of the wafer box (a) is that the wafer box (a) is connected to the bearing assembly (31), and the current position state is that the mushroom head (a1) of the wafer box (a) is located at the upper end face thereof; if yes, driving the bearing assembly (31) to rotate a preset angle by using a rotating drive assembly (20) to make the mushroom head (a1) of the wafer box (a) face the inside of the frame (10) and be opposite to the transport port (11) in position.

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