Wafer transfer robot anti-shaking buffer device

Abstract

The application discloses a wafer conveying manipulator anti-shaking buffer device and relates to the wafer conveying field. The device comprises a grabbing arm and a buffer finger. The buffer finger comprises a connecting seat fixed rigidly on the grabbing arm, and a soft finger fixed on the connecting seat. The soft finger comprises a lateral buffer area and a horizontal buffer area. The lateral buffer area is in a wavy or arc structure and is connected between the connecting seat and the horizontal buffer area. The horizontal buffer area is located at the end of the soft finger and is internally provided with a closed fluid cavity filled with inert fluid. The soft finger with the lateral buffer area and the horizontal buffer area is arranged, and the bending deformation of the high-molecular elastic material and the viscous damping of the fluid cavity are utilized to convert the impact kinetic energy generated by wafer shaking into heat energy and elastic potential energy, so that the vibration amplitude is effectively attenuated, and the problem that wafers are easily damaged due to shaking in high-speed conveying is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wafer handling, and more particularly to a shock-absorbing device for a wafer transfer robot. Background Technology

[0002] Wafer transfer is a critical step in semiconductor manufacturing, and robotic arms are typically used to pick up, place, and move wafers at high speed and with high precision. During the transfer process, when the robotic arm stops suddenly at high speed or is subjected to external disturbances, the end effector will inevitably produce shaking and residual vibration. This vibration is transmitted to the actuator holding the wafer, which will cause a hard collision between the wafer and the rigid clamping component, which can easily cause the wafer edge to chip, scratch or even break. In addition, most existing clamping devices are designed with fixed rigidity, which cannot flexibly adjust the clamping force and buffering characteristics according to the differences in wafer quality: for thin wafers, excessive clamping force may cause wafer deformation or damage; for thick wafers, insufficient clamping force is difficult to provide sufficient clamping stability. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Purpose of the invention In view of this, the purpose of this invention is to provide a jitter-resistant buffer device for a wafer transfer robot to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0004] Technical solution To achieve the above-mentioned technical objectives, the present invention provides a shake-resistant buffer device for a wafer transfer robot: It includes a gripping arm and a cushioning finger, the cushioning finger including: The connecting seat is rigidly fixed to the gripping arm; The soft finger is fixed on the connector and includes a lateral buffer and a horizontal buffer. The lateral buffer has a wavy or bow-shaped structure and is connected between the connector and the horizontal buffer. The horizontal buffer zone is located at the end of the soft finger and has a closed fluid cavity filled with inert fluid inside.

[0005] Preferably, at least three buffer fingers are provided, and each buffer finger is distributed in a triangle around the center of the wafer.

[0006] Preferably, it also includes an active buffer unit, which includes a hydraulic adjustment box and a hydraulic cylinder; The inner cavity of the hydraulic cylinder is connected to the inner cavity of the hydraulic regulating box through a main pipeline, which is used to provide an adjustable base hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic regulating box. The inner cavity of the hydraulic regulating box is connected to the fluid cavity of each soft finger through multiple branch pipes.

[0007] Preferably, the hydraulic regulating box has an arc-shaped valve plate that slides and seals inside, used to independently adjust the throttling area of ​​the branch pipes leading to each of the soft fingers.

[0008] Preferably, a motor is fixed to the bottom of the hydraulic adjustment box, and the output shaft of the motor extends into the inner cavity of the hydraulic adjustment box.

[0009] Preferably, the output shaft of the motor is rotary sealed to the hydraulic regulating box.

[0010] Preferably, a drive gear is fixed on the output shaft of the motor, and the drive gear meshes with the arc-shaped rack on the side of the arc-shaped valve plate to drive the arc-shaped valve plate to slide.

[0011] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, this application has the following beneficial effects: 1: By setting up soft fingers with lateral and horizontal buffers, and utilizing the dual effects of bending deformation of polymer elastic materials and viscous damping of fluid cavities, the impact kinetic energy generated by wafer jitter is converted into thermal energy and elastic potential energy, thereby effectively attenuating the vibration amplitude and solving the problem of wafer damage due to jitter during high-speed transmission.

[0012] 2: By setting up an active buffer section including a hydraulic cylinder and a hydraulic adjustment box, the active adjustment of the fluid pressure in each buffer finger is realized, which solves the problem that the existing clamping device cannot flexibly adapt to a variety of wafers. Attached Figure Description

[0013] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0014] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of a wafer transfer robot anti-shake buffer device provided by the present invention; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of the buffer finger and active buffer part of the anti-shake buffer device for a wafer transfer robot provided by the present invention; Figure 3 This invention provides a cross-sectional view of the active buffer section of an anti-shake buffer device for a wafer transport robot. Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the active buffer section of a wafer transfer robot anti-shake buffer device provided by the present invention.

[0015] Figure descriptions: 10. Gripping arm; 20. Buffer finger; 21. Connecting seat; 22. Soft finger; 221. Lateral buffer zone; 222. Horizontal buffer zone; 30. Active buffer unit; 31. Hydraulic adjustment box; 312. Motor; 313. Arc-shaped valve plate; 32. Hydraulic cylinder. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The following description is exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the scope, application, or use of this disclosure. It should be understood that in all these figures, the same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar parts and features. The figures are merely schematic representations of the concept and principles of embodiments of this disclosure and do not necessarily show the specific dimensions and scale of the various embodiments of this disclosure. Certain details or structures of embodiments of this disclosure may be exaggerated in particular portions of certain figures.

[0017] Reference Figure 1-4 : A wafer transfer robot anti-shake buffer device includes a gripping arm 10, buffer fingers 20 and an active buffer part 30; one end of the gripping arm 10 is fixedly connected to the end of the arm of the wafer transfer robot; at least three buffer fingers 20 are provided, and the three buffer fingers 20 are distributed in a triangle with the center of the wafer as the reference to ensure that the wafer edge is subjected to balanced force and avoid swaying.

[0018] Specifically, each buffer finger 20 includes a connecting seat 21 and a soft finger 22. The connecting seat 21 is rigidly fixed to the gripping arm 10, and the soft finger 22 is fixed to the connecting seat 21. The soft finger 22 is integrally molded from a high-polymer elastic material and includes a lateral buffer 221 and a horizontal buffer 222 with a wave-shaped or bow-shaped structure. More specifically, the lateral buffer 221 is located between the connector 21 and the horizontal buffer 222. When the wafer is laterally offset due to the shaking of the robot arm, the lateral buffer 221 can absorb the shearing impact by bending and deforming to one side, thus avoiding hard compression of the wafer edge. The horizontal buffer zone 222 is located at the end of the soft finger 22 and is used to directly contact the edge of the wafer. It has a closed fluid cavity inside, which is filled with an inert fluid. When the front of the wafer impacts the horizontal buffer zone 222, the fluid cavity is compressed and contracted, and the internal fluid is forced out or flows. The viscous resistance of the fluid is used to convert the impact kinetic energy into heat energy, thereby achieving buffering and energy absorption in the front direction.

[0019] The horizontal buffer 222 has a closed fluid cavity inside, which is connected to the active buffer 30 through a pipe. When the active buffer 30 injects fluid into the fluid cavity and pressurizes it, the horizontal buffer 222 expands and bends towards the center of the wafer, flexibly clamping the wafer from the edge. After depressurization, the horizontal buffer 222 returns to its original shape by relying on the elasticity of the material itself, releasing the wafer.

[0020] Furthermore, an active buffer unit 30 is mounted on the gripping arm 10 to actively adjust the buffer stiffness and damping characteristics of each buffer finger 20 to adapt to the transfer requirements of wafers of different qualities. The active buffer unit 30 includes a hydraulic adjustment box 31 and a hydraulic cylinder 32. The hydraulic cylinder 32 is fixed on the gripping arm 10, and its internal piston is driven by a linear actuator, such as an electric actuator. The inner cavity of the hydraulic cylinder 32 is connected to the inner cavity of the hydraulic adjustment box 31 through a main pipeline, providing an adjustable base hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic adjustment box 31. The hydraulic adjustment box 31 is fixed on the gripping arm 10, and its inner cavity is connected to the fluid cavity of each soft finger 22 through multiple branch pipes. A motor 312 is fixed at the bottom of the hydraulic adjustment box 31. The output shaft of the motor 312 extends into the inner cavity of the hydraulic adjustment box 31, and a dynamic seal is achieved between the output shaft and the box body through a rotary seal. An active gear is fixed on the output shaft, and the active gear meshes with the arc-shaped rack on the side of the arc-shaped valve plate 313.

[0021] For example, when the motor 312 rotates, the arc-shaped valve plate 313 is driven to slide in the hydraulic regulating box 31 through gear transmission. The movement of the arc-shaped valve plate 313 can change the throttling area between it and the pipe opening leading to a certain branch pipe, thereby independently adjusting the flow resistance of the fluid in the soft finger 22, that is, the damping force.

[0022] Working principle: When clamping the wafer, the linear actuator in the hydraulic cylinder 32 drives the piston to advance, pressurizing the entire closed flow path. The fluid enters the fluid cavity of each soft finger 22 through the hydraulic regulating box 31 and each branch pipe. The horizontal buffer 222 expands due to the increase in internal pressure and bends towards the center of the wafer. The three buffer fingers 20 distributed in a triangle simultaneously hug the wafer from the edge, completing the clamping.

[0023] The piston position of the hydraulic cylinder 32 is controlled to set the system base pressure. For wafers with larger mass, a higher base pressure is set to make the expansion stiffness of the horizontal buffer 222 greater and the clamping more stable. For thin wafers, a lower base pressure is set to make the clamping force gentler and avoid damaging the wafer edges.

[0024] When the robotic arm stops abruptly during high-speed movement or is subjected to external vibration, the wafer vibrates due to inertia. If the impact force has a lateral component, the wave-shaped structure of the lateral buffer 221 will bend in the direction of the force, converting shear energy into elastic potential energy and releasing it slowly. If the impact force has a frontal component, the horizontal buffer 222, which is already in a clamping state, will be further squeezed by the wafer. The inert fluid in the fluid cavity flows through the throttling orifice in the hydraulic regulating box 31 under pressure, using fluid viscous friction to convert the impact kinetic energy into heat energy, rapidly attenuating the vibration amplitude.

[0025] The exemplary implementation of the solution proposed in this disclosure has been described in detail above with reference to preferred embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and alterations can be made to the above specific embodiments without departing from the spirit of this disclosure, and various combinations can be made to the various technical features and structures proposed in this disclosure without exceeding the protection scope of this disclosure, which is determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wafer transfer robot anti-shake buffer device, comprising a gripping arm (10) and a buffer finger (20), characterized in that, Buffer (20) includes: The connecting seat (21) is rigidly fixed to the gripping arm (10); The soft finger (22) is fixed on the connecting seat (21). The soft finger (22) includes a lateral buffer (221) and a horizontal buffer (222). The lateral buffer (221) has a wavy or bow-shaped structure and is connected between the connecting seat (21) and the horizontal buffer (222). The horizontal buffer (222) is located at the end of the soft finger (22) and has a closed fluid cavity filled with inert fluid inside.

2. The anti-shake buffer device for a wafer transfer robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are at least three buffer fingers (20), and each buffer finger (20) is arranged in a triangle around the center of the wafer.

3. The anti-shake buffer device for a wafer transfer robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an active buffer unit (30), which includes a hydraulic adjustment box (31) and a hydraulic cylinder (32); The inner cavity of the hydraulic cylinder (32) is connected to the inner cavity of the hydraulic regulating box (31) through the main pipeline, and is used to provide an adjustable base hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic regulating box (31); The inner cavity of the hydraulic regulating box (31) is connected to the fluid cavity of each soft finger (22) through multiple branch pipes.

4. The anti-shake buffer device for a wafer transfer robot according to claim 3, characterized in that, The hydraulic regulating box (31) has an arc-shaped valve plate (313) that slides and seals inside, which is used to independently adjust the throttling area of ​​the branch pipes leading to each of the soft fingers (22).

5. The anti-shake buffer device for a wafer transfer robot according to claim 4, characterized in that, A motor (312) is fixed to the bottom of the hydraulic adjustment box (31), and the output shaft of the motor (312) extends into the inner cavity of the hydraulic adjustment box (31).

6. The anti-shake buffer device for a wafer transfer robot according to claim 5, characterized in that, The output shaft of the motor (312) is rotatably and sealedly connected to the hydraulic regulating box (31).

7. The anti-shake buffer device for a wafer transfer robot according to claim 5, characterized in that, A drive gear is fixed on the output shaft of the motor (312). The drive gear meshes with the arc-shaped rack on the side of the arc-shaped valve plate (313) to drive the arc-shaped valve plate (313) to slide.

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