Wafer warping detection device

Abstract

The utility model provides a wafer warpage detection device which comprises a mechanical arm and a detection sensing module, and through the detection sensing module arranged on the mechanical arm, before the mechanical arm loads a wafer, laser reflected by the wafer can be emitted to and received by the mechanical arm, so that warpage of the wafer can be detected before the wafer is loaded. Therefore, the working state of the semiconductor equipment is prevented from being influenced, the production efficiency is improved, the wafer is prevented from being damaged by warping detection, and the warping condition of the wafer can be timely, effectively and accurately judged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the field of semiconductors and relates to a wafer warpage detection device. Background Art

[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing process, wafers are the basic materials for manufacturing various semiconductor devices. As semiconductor devices develop towards miniaturization, the thickness of wafers is becoming thinner and thinner, and wafers may warp during the manufacturing process due to process problems and other reasons.

[0003] When the wafer is severely warped, the robotic arm (Arm) cannot smoothly absorb the wafer or cannot complete the alignment of the wafer on the chuck. Therefore, the existing detection of wafer warpage is mostly checked through the wafer absorption of the Arm or the alignment alarm of the chuck. However, this detection method has a lag. When the wafer warpage problem is found, manual wafer removal is required. Because the warped wafer has started the loading mode, it takes time to unload the problem wafer, so the warped wafer will increase the operation time, seriously affecting the working state and production efficiency of the semiconductor equipment. In addition, this detection has the risk of wafer breakage and it is difficult to accurately determine the warpage of the wafer.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a wafer warpage detection device. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a wafer warpage detection device to solve the problem in the prior art that wafer warpage cannot be accurately detected in a timely, effective and efficient manner.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose and other related purposes, the utility model provides a wafer warpage detection device, the wafer warpage detection device comprising:

[0007] A robotic arm, the robotic arm comprising an intermediate arm and a carrying arm connected to the intermediate arm, and the wafer is carried by the carrying arm;

[0008] A detection sensor module, wherein the detection sensor module includes N detection sensors, 2≤N and is an integer, the N detection sensors are spaced apart from one end of the middle arm to the other end of the middle arm, each of the detection sensors emits a laser to the wafer to be carried and respectively receives the laser reflected by the wafer to determine the warping condition of the wafer.

[0009] Optionally, the detection sensor includes a reflective optical fiber sensor.

[0010] Optionally, the detection sensor is arranged on the center line of the robotic arm.

[0011] Optionally, the N detection sensors are symmetrically distributed with the center line of the robotic arm as the axis of symmetry.

[0012] Optionally, the lasers emitted by the N detection sensors are located in the same plane.

[0013] Optionally, the N detection sensors are distributed on the same straight line, and the straight line is perpendicular to the center line of the robotic arm.

[0014] Optionally, the N detection sensors are distributed on different straight lines, and the angle between each straight line and the center line of the robotic arm is an acute angle.

[0015] Optionally, the carrying arm includes an adsorption type carrying arm or a slot type carrying arm.

[0016] Optionally, the detection sensor module is arranged on a fixed bracket, and the fixed bracket is fixed on the intermediate arm.

[0017] Optionally, the detection sensing module includes a photoelectric processing unit, the photoelectric processing unit communicates with the detection sensor, and the photoelectric processing unit communicates with the robotic arm.

[0018] As described above, the wafer warpage detection device of the utility model includes a robotic arm and a detection sensor module. Through the detection sensor module arranged on the robotic arm, before the robotic arm loads the wafer, it can emit and receive laser reflected by the wafer to detect the warpage of the wafer before the wafer is loaded, so as to avoid affecting the working state of the semiconductor equipment, improve production efficiency, avoid damage to the wafer caused by warpage detection, and realize timely, effective and accurate judgment of the wafer warpage condition. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 Shown is a schematic structural diagram of a wafer warpage detection device in the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 Shown is a schematic structural diagram of the wafer warpage detection device in the present invention when performing wafer warpage detection.

[0021] Figure 3 Shown is a schematic structural diagram of the wafer warpage detection device in the present invention after carrying a wafer.

[0022] Figure 4 Shown is a schematic structural diagram of another wafer warpage detection device in the present invention after carrying a wafer.

[0023] Figure 5Shown is a schematic diagram of the wafer warpage detection device in the present invention when performing wafer warpage detection.

[0024] Component number description

[0025] 100 Robotic Arm

[0026] 101 Intermediate arm

[0027] 102 Loading arm

[0028] 103 Bracket

[0029] 104 Vacuum suction cup

[0030] 200 Detection sensor module

[0031] 2021 First Detection Sensor

[0032] 2022 Second detection sensor

[0033] 201 Fixed bracket

[0034] 202 Detection Sensor

[0035] 300 Wafer

[0036] 400 Wafer Box DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The following is an explanation of the implementation of the present invention through specific examples, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific implementations, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed in various ways based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0038] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in this embodiment are only used to schematically illustrate the basic concept of the present invention. Therefore, the drawings only show components related to the present invention rather than being drawn according to the number, shape and size of components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the type, quantity and proportion of each component may be changed arbitrarily, and the component layout may also be more complicated.

[0039] 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 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.

[0040] like Figure 1 to Figure 4The present embodiment provides a wafer warpage detection device, which includes a robot arm 100 and a detection sensor module 200, wherein the robot arm 100 includes an intermediate arm 101 and a carrying arm 102 connected to the intermediate arm 101, and the wafer 300 is carried by the carrying arm 102; the detection sensor module 200 includes N detection sensors 202, 2≤N and is an integer, and the N detection sensors 202 are arranged at intervals from one end of the intermediate arm 101 to the other end of the intermediate arm 101, and each of the detection sensors 202 emits a laser to the wafer 300 to be carried and respectively receives the laser reflected by the wafer 300 to determine the warpage condition of the wafer 300.

[0041] Specifically, the robot arm 100 includes an intermediate arm 101, the carrying arm 102 connected to one end of the intermediate arm 101, and a bracket 103 connected to the other end of the intermediate arm 101, wherein the carrying arm 102 may be provided with a vacuum suction cup 104 for adsorbing the wafer 300, that is, the carrying arm 102 is an adsorption-type carrying arm, but it is not limited thereto. As required, the carrying arm 102 may also be provided with a clamping slot (not shown) and the like, so as to limit the wafer 300 located on the carrying arm 102 through the clamping slot, realize the carrying of the wafer 300, and provide a slot-type carrying arm, that is, the carrying arm 102 is a slot-type carrying arm. The specific type of the robot arm 100 and the specific method of carrying the wafer 300 are not excessively limited here.

[0042] Among them, the bracket 103 is connected to a driving member (not shown), and the driving member can drive the bracket 103 to operate, such as lifting and rotating, thereby driving the intermediate arm 101 to operate, so as to realize the transfer of the wafer 300 and the detection of the warping condition of the wafer 300 through the operation of the robot arm 100.

[0043] like Figure 1 In this embodiment, the carrying arm 102 and the middle arm 101 form a closed-loop structure, but it is not limited to this. In another embodiment, the carrying arm 102 may also be an open-loop forked arm, which is not excessively limited here.

[0044] like Figure 2 In the semiconductor process, the wafer 300 in the wafer box 400 may be warped due to the process, that is, the surface of the wafer 300 in the slot of the wafer box 400 has a height difference.

[0045] The wafer warpage detection device of this embodiment is provided with the detection sensor module 200 on the intermediate arm 101. Through the detection sensor 202 in the detection sensor module 200, before the robotic arm 100 loads the wafer 300, the detection sensor 202 can emit laser to the wafer 300 in the wafer box 400. When the emitted laser irradiates the wafer 300, the laser will be reflected by the wafer 300, so that the laser reflected by the wafer 300 can be received again by the detection sensor 202, and the detection sensor 202 detects the wafer 300. If the emitted laser does not encounter the wafer 300, the laser will not be reflected, and the detection sensor 202 will not receive the laser signal. Based on this, through the up and down movement of the robotic arm 100, the vertical displacement difference when each detection sensor 202 detects the wafer 300 can be obtained, so that the warpage of the wafer 300 can be detected. The specific calculation of the warpage of the wafer 300 is not introduced here.

[0046] When N detection sensors 202 are arranged at intervals from one end of the middle arm 101 to the other end of the middle arm 101, 3≤N and is an integer, and the detection sensors 202 are arranged on both sides of the center line C-C' of the robot arm 100, the detection sensors 202 can be used to detect at least 3 points of the wafer 300, wherein at least 2 points correspond to the two sides of the center O of the wafer 300 in the wafer box 400, so that the laser emitted by the detection sensor 202 covers the effective area of ​​the wafer 300 as much as possible, so as to realize accurate detection of the warping of the wafer 300.

[0047] Wherein, the value of N can be an even number or an odd number as required, such as 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc. The specific value can be selected as required, and no excessive restriction is made here. Figure 4 The case where N is 3 is shown.

[0048] As an example, the detection sensor 202 may include a reflective optical fiber sensor. The specific type of the reflective optical fiber sensor is not overly limited and can be selected as needed.

[0049] As an example, when 2<N, the N detection sensors 202 can be distributed at equal intervals as needed, but it is not limited to this. According to detection needs, the detection sensors 202 can also be arranged at non-equal intervals, and no excessive limitation is made here.

[0050] As an example, one detection sensor 202 may be disposed on the center line CC′ of the robot arm 100 .

[0051] like Figure 1In this embodiment, the value of N is 5, and preferably one of the detection sensors 202 is arranged on the center line CC' of the robot arm 100, so that the laser emitted by one of the detection sensors 202 can be emitted to the center O of the wafer 300 to obtain a more accurate wafer warping condition.

[0052] As an example, the N detection sensors 202 may be symmetrically distributed with the center line CC′ of the robot arm 100 as the axis of symmetry.

[0053] Specifically, in this embodiment, Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, preferably, the five detection sensors 202 are symmetrically distributed with the center line CC' of the robot arm 100 as the symmetry axis, so that the symmetrical points of the wafer 300 along the center O of the circle can be detected by the detection sensors 202 symmetrically distributed along the center line CC' of the robot arm 100.

[0054] As an example, the lasers emitted by the N detection sensors 202 may be located in the same plane.

[0055] Specifically, when the lasers emitted by N detection sensors 202 are set to be located in the same plane, the N detection sensors 202 can be regarded as having the same detection height reference, thereby reducing the complexity of data collection and data processing on the warpage of the wafer 300. However, the setting of the N detection sensors 202 is not limited to this, and can also be set to have a height difference, and when performing data collection and data processing on the warpage of the wafer 300, the height difference can be taken into consideration. The specific setting of the detection sensor 202 can be selected according to needs, and no excessive restrictions are made here.

[0056] As an example, N detection sensors 202 may be distributed on the same straight line, and the straight line is perpendicular to the center line CC' of the robot arm 100, or N detection sensors 202 may be distributed on different straight lines, and the angle between each straight line and the center line of the robot arm 100 is an acute angle.

[0057] Specifically, Figure 1 and Figure 3In this embodiment, the five detection sensors 202 are distributed on the same straight line, and the angle between the straight line and the center line C-C' of the robot arm 100 is 90°, that is, the straight line where the five detection sensors 202 are located is perpendicular to the center line C-C' of the robot arm 100, but it is not limited to this. If necessary, the detection sensors 202 can also be set on different straight lines to reduce the space occupied by N detection sensors 202 and improve the convenience of operation. The angle formed by the straight line where the detection sensors 202 are located and the center line C-C' of the robot arm 100 can be, for example, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, etc. Figure 4 , illustrates the detection sensor module 200 having three detection sensors 202, and the three detection sensors 202 are located on different straight lines.

[0058] As an example, the detection sensor module 200 is disposed on a fixing bracket 201 , and the fixing bracket 201 is fixed on the middle arm 101 .

[0059] Specifically, each of the detection sensor modules 200 can be arranged on the same fixed bracket 201, so that after the fixed bracket 201 is fixed to the middle arm 101, the overall convenient disassembly and assembly of the detection sensor module 200 can be achieved, but it is not limited to this. As needed, each of the detection sensor modules 200 can also be respectively arranged on different fixed brackets 201, or the middle arm 101 can be directly modified as needed to directly install the detection sensor module 200 on the middle arm 101. No excessive restrictions are made here.

[0060] As an example, the distance D between the detection sensors 202 at both ends may be in the range of 100 mm<D<300 mm.

[0061] Specifically, in the existing semiconductor process, the size of the wafer 300 is mostly 6 inches, 8 inches or 12 inches. Therefore, when the distance D between the detection sensors 202 located at both ends is set to 100mm<D<300mm, the application scope of the wafer warpage detection device can be expanded to perform an overall detection of the warpage of the wafer 300. The specific selection of D can be determined according to the size of the wafer 300.

[0062] The detection sensor module 200 includes a photoelectric processing unit (not shown), the photoelectric processing unit communicates with the detection sensor 202 , and the photoelectric processing unit communicates with the robot arm 100 .

[0063] Specifically, the communication method between the photoelectric processing unit and the detection sensor 202 may include wired communication or wireless communication. Similarly, the communication method between the photoelectric processing unit and the robotic arm 100 may include wired communication or wireless communication. The specific communication method can be flexibly selected according to application convenience and accuracy.

[0064] In the present embodiment, the wafer warpage detection device is applied to a wafer testing process, but the application scope of the wafer warpage detection device is not limited thereto.

[0065] The detection sensor module 200 includes a FU optical fiber element as the detection sensor 202 and a NU communication unit as the photoelectric processing unit. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The detection process of the wafer warpage detection device described in this embodiment mainly includes:

[0066] The wafer warpage detection device carrying the FU optical fiber element first scans each wafer 300 located in the wafer box 400 and transmits the acquired optical signal to the NU communication unit;

[0067] The NU communication unit converts the optical signal into an electrical signal, including high and low levels, that can be read by the wafer test equipment (Test-Prober);

[0068] When Test-Prober receives the electrical signal from the NU communication unit, the warpage of the wafer 300 can be calculated through the built-in program of Test-Prober, and the warpage is combined with the data information of the wafer 300 previously scanned in the wafer box 400, such as position information, thickness information, etc., to determine whether the warpage of the wafer 300 exceeds the safety threshold for loading, wherein the safety threshold can be known based on actual experience;

[0069] The judgment results are displayed in different colors on the device interface of Test-Prober for easy observation. For example, green can be used to indicate that there is no risk of warpage, and yellow can be used to indicate that the warpage exceeds the threshold.

[0070] When a yellow detection result appears, the system issues an alarm and pops up a selection interface to ask the operator whether to continue loading. When a green detection result appears, the carrying arm 102 starts the carrying mode to transfer the wafer 300 in the wafer box 400. Figure 3 and Figure 4 .

[0071] Specifically, Figure 5The following Table 1 takes the first detection sensor 2021 and the second detection sensor 202 located on the same horizontal plane, the wafer 300 having a thickness of 100 μm and a convex shape of the wafer 300 as an example to illustrate the calculation of the warpage of the wafer 300:

[0072] When the robot arm 100 moves from top to bottom, the convex part of the wafer 300 is first detected by the first detection sensor 2021 set corresponding to the area, and the photoelectric processing unit in the detection sensor module 200 converts the optical signal into an electrical signal that can be read by the Test-Prober, which is represented by "1"; and the laser emitted by the second detection sensor 2022 does not irradiate the wafer 300 due to the warping of the wafer 300, so the electrical signal fed back by the second detection sensor 2022 is "0"; then, in the process of the robot arm 100 continuing to move downward, the laser emitted by the second detection sensor 2022 can be reflected by the wafer 300 after encountering the wafer 300 to receive the reflection signal, and the feedback electrical signal at this time changes from "0" to "1", and so on. In the process of the robot arm 100 moving from top to bottom, the electrical signal table 1 about the feedback of the detection sensor can be obtained. After the information is acquired by Test-Prober, the warpage of the wafer 300 can be calculated through the built-in program of Test-Prober: 180 μm-40 μm=140 μm.

[0073] Table 1:

[0074]

[0075] In summary, the wafer warpage detection device of the utility model includes a mechanical arm and a detection sensor module. Through the detection sensor module arranged on the mechanical arm, before the mechanical arm loads the wafer, the laser reflected by the wafer can be emitted to the wafer and received, so as to detect the warpage of the wafer before the wafer is loaded, avoid affecting the working state of the semiconductor equipment, improve production efficiency, avoid damage to the wafer caused by the warpage detection, and realize timely, effective and accurate judgment of the wafer warpage. Therefore, the utility model effectively overcomes various shortcomings in the prior art and has a high industrial utilization value.

[0076] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with the technology may modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in the present invention shall still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer warpage detection device, characterized in that: The wafer warpage detection device comprises: A robotic arm, the robotic arm comprising an intermediate arm and a carrying arm connected to the intermediate arm, and the wafer is carried by the carrying arm; A detection sensor module, wherein the detection sensor module includes N detection sensors, 2≤N and is an integer, the N detection sensors are spaced apart from one end of the middle arm to the other end of the middle arm, each of the detection sensors emits a laser to the wafer to be carried and respectively receives the laser reflected by the wafer to determine the warping condition of the wafer.

2. The wafer warpage detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detection sensor includes a reflective optical fiber sensor.

3. The wafer warpage detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detection sensor is arranged on the center line of the mechanical arm.

4. The wafer warpage detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The N detection sensors are symmetrically distributed with the center line of the robotic arm as the axis of symmetry.

5. The wafer warpage detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lasers emitted by the N detection sensors are located in the same plane.

6. The wafer warpage detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The N detection sensors are distributed on the same straight line, and the straight line is perpendicular to the center line of the robotic arm.

7. The wafer warpage detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The N detection sensors are distributed on different straight lines, and the angle between each straight line and the center line of the robotic arm is an acute angle.

8. The wafer warpage detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The carrying arm includes an adsorption type carrying arm or a slot type carrying arm.

9. The wafer warpage detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detection sensor module is arranged on a fixing bracket, and the fixing bracket is fixed on the intermediate arm.

10. The wafer warpage detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detection sensing module includes a photoelectric processing unit, the photoelectric processing unit communicates with the detection sensor, and the photoelectric processing unit communicates with the robotic arm.

Images