Lifting device and ejector pin mechanism

Abstract

The embodiment of the utility model provides a lifting device and an ejector pin mechanism. The lifting device comprises a sleeve; the lifting needle is arranged on the axis in the sleeve; the electrostatic chuck is arranged in the sleeve and is perpendicular to the lifting needle, and the electrostatic chuck can move in the sleeve in the direction of the central axis; the at least three air pipes are arranged on the side wall of the sleeve and are sequentially arranged along the axis of the sleeve; and the at least one position sensor is arranged on the side wall of the sleeve. A plurality of air pipes are arranged in the needle lifting device, so that the lifting device can improve the capacity of the electrostatic chuck in a grading manner, and the electrostatic chuck is prevented from being directly lifted to the top end of the lifting device under the condition that the performance of the electrostatic chuck is unknown; therefore, wafer breakage caused by dislocation of the wafer on the electrostatic chuck due to incomplete static electricity removal of the electrostatic chuck is avoided, and the probability that the wafer deviates from the circle center and is broken is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and specifically to a lifting device and an ejector mechanism. Background Art

[0002] The electrostatic chuck is used to lift the wafer. The adsorption performance of the electrostatic chuck on the wafer will decrease with the increase of usage time. When the existing equipment lifts the wafer with the electrostatic chuck, the wafer is easy to deviate from the center and break. Therefore, how to avoid the wafer from breaking when the electrostatic chuck lifts the wafer has become a problem that needs to be solved urgently by technicians in this field. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a lifting device and a pin mechanism to prevent the wafer from breaking when the electrostatic chuck lifts the wafer.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present application provides the following technical solutions:

[0005] The present application provides a lifting device, comprising:

[0006] Sleeve;

[0007] A lifting needle, arranged on the axis in the sleeve;

[0008] An electrostatic chuck is disposed in the sleeve and is perpendicular to the lifting needle, and the electrostatic chuck can move along the central axis direction in the sleeve;

[0009] At least three air pipes are arranged on the inner wall of the sleeve and arranged in sequence along the axis of the sleeve;

[0010] At least one position sensor is disposed on the inner wall of the sleeve.

[0011] Optionally, the at least three tracheas include:

[0012] A first air pipe, arranged at the bottom of the inner wall of the sleeve;

[0013] A second air pipe is arranged on the top of the inner wall of the sleeve;

[0014] The third air pipe is arranged between the first air pipe and the second air pipe.

[0015] Optionally, the at least one position sensor and the third air pipe are arranged on the inner wall of the sleeve on the same horizontal plane parallel to the bottom surface of the sleeve.

[0016] Optionally, the distance between the third air pipe and the first air pipe is greater than the thickness of the wafer.

[0017] Optionally, the position sensor is provided on the inner side wall of the sleeve on a horizontal plane parallel to the bottom surface of the sleeve where all the air pipes are located.

[0018] The embodiment of the present application further provides a needle lifting mechanism, comprising the lifting device as described above, including:

[0019] A fixed frame, wherein the lifting device is arranged on the fixed frame;

[0020] At least one air cylinder, disposed on the fixing frame, connected to at least three of the air pipes, and connected to the interior of the lifting device;

[0021] A pressure monitor is connected to the cylinder to control the air pressure output by the cylinder.

[0022] Optionally, it also includes: a position controller, connected to the position sensor and the pressure monitor, and controlling the pressure monitor according to the position information of the position sensor.

[0023] By arranging a plurality of air pipes in the needle lifting device, the lifting device can improve the capacity of the electrostatic chuck in stages, and then the electrostatic chuck can be lifted to a certain height first, and the performance of the electrostatic chuck can be detected, so as to avoid directly lifting the electrostatic chuck to the top of the lifting device when the performance of the electrostatic chuck is unknown, thereby avoiding the wafer on the electrostatic chuck from being misaligned and causing the wafer to break due to incomplete destaticization of the electrostatic chuck, thereby reducing the probability of the wafer deviating from the center of the circle and breaking. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying any creative work.

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the lifting device provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the needle lifting mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] 1- sleeve; 2- lifting needle; 3- electrostatic suction cup; 4- air pipe; 41- first air pipe; 42- second air pipe; 43- third air pipe; 5- position sensor; 51- first position sensor; 52- second position sensor; 10- lifting needle device; 20- lifting needle; 30- fixing frame; 31- first fixing frame; 32- second fixing frame; 40- cylinder; 50- pressure sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] 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.

[0029] As an expensive component in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, the electrostatic chuck will degrade in performance as the usage time increases if its use is not strictly managed according to time. This is most obvious in the reduction of the anti-static effect. When the anti-static chuck is not completely anti-static, if the ejector pin of the electrostatic chuck is forcibly lifted, the wafer carried by the electrostatic chuck is easily broken. A needle lifting device for an electrostatic chuck can directly lift the wafer to a specific height when lifting the electrostatic chuck and the wafer. However, in the case where the performance degradation of the electrostatic chuck is unknown, if the electrostatic chuck area is not completely static, the position of the wafer on the electrostatic chuck will deviate from the center of the electrostatic chuck, thereby increasing the probability that the wafer may break after being lifted to a specific height.

[0030] Based on the above description, it can be found that the existing needle lifting equipment directly lifts the electrostatic chuck and the wafer to a specific height, and directly lifting the electrostatic chuck and the wafer is likely to cause the wafer to break.

[0031] In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides a lifting device to prevent the wafer from breaking when the electrostatic chuck is lifted. Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 The internal structure diagram of the lifting device is shown, including:

[0032] A sleeve 1; a lifting needle 2, arranged along the axis inside the sleeve 1; an electrostatic suction cup 3, arranged inside the sleeve 1, perpendicular to the lifting needle 2, and the electrostatic suction cup 3 can move along the central axis direction inside the sleeve 1; at least three air pipes 4, arranged on the inner wall of the sleeve 1, and arranged in sequence along the axis of the sleeve 1; at least one position sensor 5, arranged on the inner wall of the sleeve, away from the bottom surface of the sleeve.

[0033] It should be noted that the lifting needle 2 passes through the center of the electrostatic chuck 3, so that the lifting needle 2 acts as a guide rail during the lifting process of the electrostatic chuck 3, so as to ensure the stability of the lifting process of the electrostatic chuck 3 and avoid the wafer on the electrostatic chuck 3 from being broken.

[0034] It should be noted that during the operation of the needle lifting device, first, among the at least three air pipes 4, different air pressures are introduced into the air pipes 4 at the top and the bottom, so that an air pressure difference is formed on both sides of the electrostatic suction cup 3, thereby lifting the electrostatic suction cup 3 by a first distance. At this time, the position sensor 5 checks whether the wafer on the electrostatic suction cup 3 is sensed. If the wafer on the electrostatic suction cup 3 is sensed, it indicates that the electrostatic suction cup 3 is completely de-staticized and the wafer position is correct. At this time, air pressure continues to be introduced through the third air pipe 4 to lift the electrostatic suction cup 3 to the top of the sleeve. If the wafer is not sensed, it proves that the electrostatic suction cup 3 is not completely de-staticized and the wafer position is wrong. If it continues to be lifted, there is a risk of the wafer breaking. At this time, the operation of the needle lifting device is stopped to check the electrostatic suction cup 3 or continue to de-staticize the electrostatic suction cup 3.

[0035] In this way, by arranging multiple air pipes in the needle lifting device, the lifting device can improve the capacity of the electrostatic suction cup in stages, and then the electrostatic suction cup can be lifted to a certain height first, and the performance of the electrostatic suction cup can be detected, so as to avoid directly lifting the electrostatic suction cup to the top of the lifting device when the performance of the electrostatic suction cup is unknown, thereby avoiding the wafer on the electrostatic suction cup from being misaligned and causing the wafer to break due to incomplete destaticization of the electrostatic suction cup, thereby reducing the probability of the wafer deviating from the center of the circle and breaking.

[0036] Further, such as Figure 1 As shown, the at least three air pipes include: a first air pipe 41, which is arranged at the bottom of the inner wall of the sleeve 1; a second air pipe 42, which is arranged at the top of the inner wall of the sleeve 1; and a third air pipe 43, which is arranged on the inner wall of the sleeve between the first air pipe 41 and the second air pipe 42.

[0037] In this way, by arranging air pipes at the bottom, top and middle position of the sleeve 1, the needle lifting device can have the ability to lift the electrostatic suction cup 3 in multiple stages, thereby reducing the risk of wafer breakage.

[0038] Furthermore, in an optional implementation, if Figure 1 As shown, the at least one position sensor 5 and the third air pipe 43 are arranged on the inner wall of the sleeve which is on the same horizontal plane parallel to the bottom surface of the sleeve.

[0039] It should be noted that the position sensor 5 can be located above the third air pipe 43, so that after the electrostatic chuck reaches the position of the position sensor 5, the third air pipe can pass the air pressure to the bottom of the electrostatic chuck, thereby ensuring that the electrostatic chuck is lifted up.

[0040] Furthermore, in an optional implementation, the distance between the third air pipe 43 and the second air pipe 42 is greater than the thickness of the wafer. It is easy to understand that the position of the third air pipe 43 needs to satisfy that when the electrostatic chuck 3 is lifted up, the wafer on the electrostatic chuck 3 will not touch the top surface of the lifting device. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that after the electrostatic chuck 3 is lifted from the first air pipe 41 to the position of the third air pipe 43, the distance between the third air pipe 43 and the second air pipe 42 is greater than the thickness of the wafer to avoid wafer breakage due to unstable adsorption of the electrostatic chuck. Specifically, in an optional implementation, the distance between the third air pipe 43 and the first air pipe 41 is 2 mm.

[0041] Furthermore, in an optional implementation, as shown in FIG. 1 , the position sensors are disposed on the horizontal planes parallel to the bottom surface of the sleeve where all the air pipes 4 are located.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 1 , in addition to the position sensor 5 corresponding to the third air pipe 43, the lifting device is also provided with a first position sensor 51 corresponding to the first air pipe 41 and a position sensor 52 corresponding to the second air pipe 42. It should be noted that, in addition to the position sensor that must be provided at the first position, a corresponding position sensor can also be provided at the position where each of the air pipes is located, so as to monitor the position of the wafer when the electrostatic chuck lifts the wafer and ensure the safety of the wafer in the needle lifting device.

[0043] The present application also provides a needle lifting mechanism, such as Figure 2 As shown, in addition to the lifting device 10 as described above, it also includes:

[0044] The fixing frame 30, the lifting device 10 is arranged on the fixing frame. It should be noted that a plurality of lifting devices 10 can be arranged on the fixing frame 30 at the same time. When the lifting devices 10 are arranged, it is necessary to ensure that the lifting needle 20 is perpendicular to the fixing frame 30, and the projection of the lifting needle 20 is located within the projection of the fixing frame 30, so as to ensure that the lifting needle is stably stressed when the electrostatic chuck is lifted.

[0045] At least one air cylinder 40 is disposed on the fixing frame 30, connected to the at least three air pipes (not shown) mentioned above, and connected to the inside of the lifting device through the air pipes. It should be noted that the air cylinder 40 can output a variety of different air pressures to different air pipes at the same time. In an optional implementation, at least three air cylinders 40 are included, so that each air pipe is correspondingly provided with a cylinder, and these cylinders work together.

[0046] The pressure monitor 50 is connected to the cylinder to control the air pressure output by the cylinder. It should be noted that the pressure monitor can determine the position of the wafer according to the position data of the position sensor (not shown), and control one or more cylinders to pass different air pressures into the multiple air pipes according to different lifting requirements.

[0047] In this way, the needle lifting mechanism can use the cylinder inside it to provide different air pressures for the lifting device. By setting up a lifting device with graded lifting capabilities, the electrostatic suction cup and the wafer can be lifted in stages. In the process of lifting the electrostatic suction cup, the destaticization condition of the electrostatic suction cup can be detected, thereby avoiding wafer breakage.

[0048] Further, such as Figure 2 As shown, the fixing frame 30 further includes a first fixing frame 31 and a second fixing frame 32. The lifting device 10 and the second fixing frame 32 are fixed on the first fixing frame 31. The cylinder 40 and the pressure monitor 50 are arranged on the second fixing frame 32. By dividing the fixing frame 30 into multiple parts, the needle lifting mechanism can be easily installed and disassembled, making it more convenient in actual use.

[0049] Furthermore, in an optional implementation, the needle lifting mechanism further includes: a position controller 60 , which is connected to the position sensor 5 and the pressure monitor 50 , and controls the pressure monitor 50 according to the position information of the position sensor 5 .

[0050] It should be noted that the pressure monitor 50 may not have the function of directly processing the signal of the position sensor. It is necessary to use the position controller to collect the signal of the position sensor, process the position signal to determine the position of the wafer, and transmit the information to the pressure monitor, thereby assisting the pressure monitor to determine the air pressure that the cylinder needs to output.

[0051] It should be noted that when the position controller finds that the wafer on the electrostatic chuck cannot be detected according to the signal of the position sensor, the pressure sensor stops working to check the static electricity or continue to remove static electricity to avoid wafer breakage.

[0052] Furthermore, in a specific embodiment, the needle lifting mechanism may also be provided with a destaticizing device to remove static electricity from the electrostatic chuck when the position sensor cannot detect the wafer on the electrostatic chuck.

[0053] Although the embodiments of the present application are disclosed above, the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application shall be subject to the scope defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A lifting device, characterized in that: include: Sleeve; A lifting needle is arranged along the axis in the sleeve; An electrostatic chuck is disposed in the sleeve and is perpendicular to the lifting needle, and the electrostatic chuck can move along the central axis in the sleeve; At least three air pipes are arranged on the inner wall of the sleeve and arranged in sequence along the axis of the sleeve; At least one position sensor is disposed on the inner side wall of the sleeve and away from the bottom surface of the sleeve.

2. The lifting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The at least three tracheae include: A first air pipe, arranged at the bottom of the inner wall of the sleeve; A second air pipe is arranged on the top of the inner wall of the sleeve; The third air pipe is arranged on the inner wall of the sleeve between the first air pipe and the second air pipe.

3. The lifting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The at least one position sensor and the third air pipe are arranged on the inner wall of the sleeve which is on the same horizontal plane parallel to the bottom surface of the sleeve.

4. The lifting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The distance between the third air pipe and the second air pipe is greater than the thickness of the wafer.

5. The lifting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The position sensors are arranged on the horizontal planes parallel to the bottom surface of the sleeve where all the air pipes are located.

6. A ejector mechanism, comprising the lifting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: include: A fixed frame, wherein the lifting device is arranged on the fixed frame; At least one air cylinder, disposed on the fixing frame, connected to the at least three air pipes, and connected to the interior of the lifting device; A pressure monitor is connected to the cylinder to control the air pressure output by the cylinder.

7. The ejector mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: Also includes: The position controller is connected to the position sensor and the pressure monitor, and controls the pressure monitor according to the position information of the position sensor.

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