Device and method for transporting wafer cassette

Abstract

The present invention provides a device and method for transporting a wafer cassette. The device for transporting the wafer cassette includes a platform and a load port. The platform has a first track. The load port is close to the platform and has an opening. The opening accepts the wafer cassette moved by the first track and enters the load port. The load port further includes a plurality of receiving seats and a positioning structures. When the wafer cassette is placed on the platform, the wafer cassette is moved to the receiving seat by the first track, and then the second track of the load port is used to perform a first displacement movement to move the receiving seat, by the positioning structure makes the other receiving base correspond to the opening position. Through the above, a plurality of wafer cassettes are in a stacked state and are inside the load port, so environmental dust pollution can be avoided, and the production capacity can also be increased due to continuous loading and unloading of the wafer cassettes.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a device and method for handling, and more particularly to a device and method for handling a wafer carrier for opening and handling a wafer carrier. [Previous Technology]

[0002] In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, the transport of semiconductor wafers is particularly important due to the fragile nature of integrated circuit chips. In addition, multiple manufacturing steps are often required to complete the process, which means that semiconductor wafers must be stored or transported between various workstations to perform various processes.

[0003] A typical semiconductor manufacturing facility has multiple processing areas, including semiconductor processing stations and wafer assembly equipment. Each processing area may have a storage container that can temporarily hold multiple wafer carriers or prepare them for transport to the loading port of the semiconductor processing station. Multiple semiconductor wafers are typically stored in the wafer carriers for moving the semiconductor wafers to different semiconductor processing stations throughout the manufacturing facility.

[0004] In addition, Automated Material Handling Systems (AMHS) are widely used in semiconductor manufacturing facilities to automatically handle and transport multiple sets or batches of wafers between various processing machines. During semiconductor manufacturing processes, multiple wafers are usually stored together in wafer carriers. In addition to considering the fragility of the wafers, it is also necessary to consider the contamination of the wafers by environmental dust. Therefore, Overhead Lift Transport (OHT) vehicles are commonly used to transport wafer carriers from the loading port of one tool to the loading port of the next tool in the processing sequence. Wafer carriers transported by OHT transfer systems usually have gates for production quality control during the transfer process.

[0005] The conventional method requires manually opening the wafer carrier door and placing the wafer carrier into the loading port, which creates a bottleneck in efficiency in FABs. Current manufacturing facilities limit the presence of operators in the processing area and necessitate improved semiconductor manufacturing efficiency. Therefore, there is a need for manufacturing facilities that not only automatically load and unload wafer cassettes from the loading port with minimal manpower requirements while maximizing manufacturing efficiency, but also consider environmental dust contamination of wafers, protect against external pollutants, and reduce contamination of wafers within the wafer carrier—all of which are industry-desired features. [Summary of the Invention]

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems, one object of the present invention is to allow more wafer carriers to be input so that the waiting wafer carriers are in a stacked state, thereby improving the continuity of loading and unloading, thereby increasing production capacity.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to input a large number of wafer carriers and then open the wafer carriers one by one, thereby reducing the contact between the wafers in the wafer carriers and the external environment and thus preventing them from being contaminated by external dust.

[0008] The present invention provides an apparatus for handling a wafer carrier, comprising a platform and a ladder. The platform has a plurality of first positioning structures and a first track. The plurality of positioning structures are disposed on a receiving platform of the platform. A wafer carrier is placed on the platform and moves along the first track. The ladder rests against the platform. One side of the ladder has an opening for receiving the wafer carrier moved by the first track into the ladder. The ladder further includes a plurality of opening mechanisms, a support frame, and a plurality of receiving seats.

[0009] A plurality of opening mechanisms are arranged on an inner surface of the ladder base. The support frame is disposed within the ladder base, and each of the four sides of the support frame is interconnected with the ladder base by a second track. The support frame has a plurality of storage surfaces for supporting a plurality of wafer carriers, and there is a gap between two storage surfaces. The receiving base has a plurality of second positioning structures, each receiving base is disposed on each storage surface, and each receiving base is provided with a transfer mechanism.

[0010] Wherein, the receiving platform positions the bottom of the wafer carrier by the first positioning structure, so that the wafer carrier is placed on the receiving platform. The platform moves the wafer carrier toward the opening by the first track, while the carrier performs a first displacement movement by the second track, so that one of the plurality of receiving seats moves to a predetermined position near the opening. Wherein, the platform moves the wafer carrier into the opening by the first track, and the receiving seat positions the wafer carrier by the second positioning structure, so that the wafer carrier is placed on the receiving seat. Wherein, the wafer carrier on the receiving seat performs a first displacement movement by the second track and a second displacement movement by the transfer mechanism, so that one side of the wafer carrier abuts against one of the plurality of opening mechanisms, opening a door cover of the wafer carrier.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the platform is located in a first environment, the ladder seat is a second environment, and the amount of environmental dust in the first environment and the second environment are different.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the direction of movement of the first track is perpendicular to the direction of movement of the first displacement motion, and the direction of movement of the first displacement motion is perpendicular to the direction of movement of the second displacement motion.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the device for handling the wafer carrier further includes a transport vehicle by which the wafer carrier is positioned on the platform.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the ladder seat further includes a pickup cover door located on the other side adjacent to the side, and the ladder seat moves the wafer carrier with the door open to the pickup cover door.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the device for handling the wafer carrier further includes a robotic arm for extracting a plurality of wafers from the wafer carrier through the loading door.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the top of the receiving seat located at the predetermined position is lower than the bottom of the wafer carrier that has moved into the ladder seat.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the ladder seat further includes a wafer detector disposed adjacent to the loading cover for detecting the arrangement of a plurality of the wafers in the wafer carrier.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the transfer mechanism includes a propulsion cylinder and two buffers. The propulsion cylinder and the two buffers are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the receiving seat. The bottom of the receiving seat is connected to a propulsion part of the propulsion cylinder. The propulsion cylinder pushes the receiving seat to perform the second displacement movement. When the bottom of the receiving seat abuts against the two buffers, the second displacement movement is gradually slowed down until it stops.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the receiving seat further includes a carrier fastener, which is connected to the propulsion cylinder. The propulsion cylinder pushes the receiving seat to perform the second displacement movement. At the same time, the carrier fastener fastens the bottom of the wafer carrier, and the wafer carrier stably performs the second displacement movement and opens the door cover.

[0020] In addition, the present invention also provides a method for transporting a wafer carrier, which includes the following steps:

[0021] a. Provides a platform, a transport vehicle, and a ladder seat, the platform having a first track, the ladder seat abutting the platform, the ladder seat having an opening on one side, the ladder seat further comprising: a plurality of opening mechanisms, a support frame, a plurality of receiving seats, and a retrieval cover door, the plurality of opening mechanisms being arranged on an inner surface of the ladder seat, the support frame being disposed within the ladder seat, and its four sides being interconnected with the ladder seat by a second track, the support frame having a plurality of storage surfaces, each receiving seat being disposed on each storage surface, and each receiving seat having a transfer mechanism, the retrieval cover door being located on the other side adjacent to the opening.

[0022] b. Place a wafer carrier on the platform.

[0023] c. Move the wafer carrier through the opening onto the receiving seat.

[0024] d. The support frame makes a displacement movement along the second track.

[0025] e. Whether the other receiving seat moves to a predetermined position; if yes, then the wafer carrier is carried by the other receiving seat; if no, repeat step d.

[0026] f. Whether multiple of the receiving seats carry the wafer carrier; if so, open the loading cover door with a robotic arm; if not, repeat step b.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment, in step f, before the robotic arm opens the picking cover, the wafer carrier is placed against the opening mechanism.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, step c is followed by the following steps:

[0029] c2. Move the platform back to its original position along the first track.

[0030] It should be further noted that, in a preferred embodiment, step b further includes the following steps:

[0031] b1. The transport vehicle transports a wafer carrier from the air to directly above the platform.

[0032] b2. The transport vehicle moves the wafer carrier to a position directly above the platform.

[0033] b3. A receiving platform of the platform moves to be adjacent to the wafer carrier, positions the wafer carrier by means of a plurality of first positioning structures disposed on the receiving platform, and places the wafer carrier on the receiving platform.

[0034] b4. The receiving platform is moved to its original position, so that the wafer carrier is placed on the platform by means of the receiving platform.

[0035] In addition, step c also includes the following steps:

[0036] c11. The platform moves the wafer to the opening via the first track.

[0037] c12. The support frame performs a first displacement movement along the second track, causing one of the plurality of the receiving seats to move to a predetermined position adjacent to the opening.

[0038] c13. The platform moves the wafer carrier through the opening into the ladder via the first track.

[0039] c14. The support frame performs the first displacement movement on the second track, so that the receiving seat positions the bottom of the wafer carrier by the second positioning structure, so that the wafer carrier is placed on the receiving seat.

Implementation Method

[0040] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be practiced in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0041] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intermediate element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intermediate element present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this specification are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible embodiments.

[0042] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" or "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0043] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature and the second feature are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. "Above," "over," and "on top" the second feature can also mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower level than the second feature.

[0044] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly known to one of ordinary knowledge in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0045] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4. The present invention provides a device 1 for transporting wafer carriers, which includes: a platform 2 and a ladder base 3.

[0046] The platform 2 has a plurality of first positioning structures 5 and a first track 21. The plurality of first positioning structures 5 are disposed on a receiving platform 22 of the platform 2. The platform 2 holds a wafer carrier 4 and moves the wafer carrier 4 via the first track 21. In one embodiment of the present invention, the first positioning structure 5 may be a protruding anchor point, a textured bonding point, or a stabilizing device that can stop the wafer carrier 4 from shaking, but is not limited thereto.

[0047] The ladder base 3 is attached to the platform 2. One side of the ladder base 3 has an opening 31 for receiving the wafer carrier 4 moving from the first track 21 into the ladder base 3. The ladder base 3 further includes: a plurality of opening mechanisms 32, a support frame 7 and a plurality of receiving seats 33.

[0048] A plurality of opening mechanisms 32 are arranged on an inner surface of the ladder base 3. In this preferred embodiment, four opening mechanisms 32 are used as an example, which are arranged in pairs and located at the top and bottom of the inner surface (not shown in the figure), but are not limited thereto.

[0049] The support frame 7 is disposed within the ladder base 3. Each of the four sides of the support frame 7 is connected to the ladder base 3 by a second track 331. The support frame 7 has multiple storage surfaces 71 for supporting multiple wafer carriers 4. A distance R exists between two storage surfaces 71. In this preferred embodiment, the support frame 7 is exemplified by having four storage surfaces 71, but is not limited thereto. The second tracks 331 are respectively disposed at the four corners of the interior space of the ladder base 3 (the two second tracks 331 are not shown in the figure), such that the four second tracks 331 connect the support frame 7 to each other, and the support frame 7 forms a multiple-layer arrangement.

[0050] The receiving seat 33 has a plurality of second positioning structures 6, each receiving seat 33 being disposed on each storage surface 71, and each receiving seat 33 having a transfer mechanism 35. In this preferred embodiment, four receiving seats 33 are used as an example, with the four receiving seats 33 respectively located on four storage surfaces 71 and forming a four-layer arrangement, but this is not a limitation. That is, through the above-described arrangement structure, the ladder seat 3, reinforced by the four second tracks 331, enables the wafer carrier handling device 1 of the present invention to continuously and stably carry and transport the wafer carrier 4 when performing its work, which is more stable in protecting the wafer carrier 4 and the wafers carried therein compared to the conventional method of performing work with a crane. In one embodiment of the present invention, the second positioning structure 6 may be a protruding anchor point, a textured joint point, or a stabilizing device that can stop the wafer carrier 4 from shaking, but this is not a limitation.

[0051] In this embodiment, the receiving platform positions the bottom of the wafer carrier 4 via the first positioning structure 5, so that the wafer carrier 4 is placed on the receiving platform 22. The platform 2 moves the wafer carrier 4 toward the opening 31 via the first track 21, while the support frame 7 performs a first displacement movement 81 via the second track 331, moving one of the plurality of receiving seats 33 to a predetermined position adjacent to the opening 31. That is, the platform 2 moves the wafer carrier 4 to the opening 31 via the first track 21 from a first direction D1, while the support frame 7 performs the first displacement movement 81 via the second track 331 from a second direction D2, moving one of the plurality of receiving seats 33 located on the storage surface 71 to the predetermined position. In this preferred embodiment, the first displacement movement 81 allows the receiving seat 33 to rise and fall vertically, but is not limited thereto. It should be noted that the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 are perpendicular to each other.

[0052] Furthermore, the platform 2 moves the wafer carrier 4 into the opening 31 and into the ladder 3 via the first track 21. The receiving seat 33 positions the bottom of the wafer carrier 4 via the second positioning structure 6, so that the wafer carrier 4 is placed on the receiving seat 33. That is, in this embodiment, the top of the receiving seat 33 located at the predetermined position is lower than the bottom of the wafer carrier 4 that has moved into the ladder 3. After the first displacement movement 81 is performed by the support frame 7, the receiving seat 33 positions the wafer carrier 4 with the second positioning structure 6 and places it on the receiving seat 33. In addition, the wafer carrier 4 located on the receiving seat 33 performs a first displacement movement 81 from the second direction D2 via the second track 331 and a second displacement movement 82 from a third direction D3 via the transfer mechanism 35, so that one side of the wafer carrier 4 is close to one of the plurality of opening mechanisms 32, and a door cover 41 of the wafer carrier 4 can be opened. In this preferred embodiment, the third direction D3 and the second direction D2 are perpendicular to each other.

[0053] Please refer to Figures 4 to 7. Additionally, in this preferred embodiment, the transfer mechanism 35 includes a propulsion cylinder 351 and two buffers 352. In this preferred embodiment, the propulsion cylinder 351 is a push-pull cylinder of the type of integrated double cylinder, which can be a single-rod or multi-rod push-pull cylinder, but is not limited thereto. The propulsion cylinder 351 and the two buffers 352 are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the receiving seat 33. The bottom of the receiving seat 33 is connected to a propulsion part 3511 of the propulsion cylinder 351. The propulsion cylinder 351 pushes the receiving seat 33 to perform the second displacement movement 82. When the bottom of the receiving seat 33 abuts against the two buffers 352, the second displacement movement 82 is gradually slowed down until it stops.

[0054] Further explanation is provided: the propulsion cylinder 351 is located in the central area adjacent to the receiving seat 33, and the buffer 352 is located in the two end areas adjacent to the other side of the receiving seat 33. The propulsion cylinder 351 and the buffer 352 are in opposite directions. When the propulsion cylinder 351 pushes the receiving seat 33, the receiving seat 33 performs the second displacement movement 82. When the bottom of the receiving seat 33 abuts against the buffer 352, the buffer 352 gradually slows down the second displacement movement 82 until it stops, so as to prevent the wafer carrier 4 from shaking or vibrating when it stops momentarily during displacement. When the receiving seat 33 gradually slows down to stop the second displacement movement 82, one side of the wafer carrier 4 abuts against the opening mechanism 32 and the door cover 41 can be opened.

[0055] Additionally, in order to make the wafer carrier 4 more stable in performing the second displacement movement 82 and opening the door cover 41, the receiving seat 33 also includes a carrier fastener 42. The carrier fastener 42 is connected to the propulsion cylinder 351. When the propulsion cylinder 351 starts to push the receiving seat 33 to perform the second displacement movement 82, the carrier fastener 42 is activated to securely fasten the bottom of the wafer carrier 4, so that the wafer carrier 4 can stably perform the second displacement movement 82 and open the door cover 41.

[0056] In another preferred embodiment, the wafer carrier handling device 1 further includes a transport vehicle (not shown) and a robotic arm (not shown), and the ladder 3 further includes a pickup door 36. The transport vehicle transports the wafer carrier 4 on the platform 2. The pickup door 36 is located on the other side adjacent to the side having the opening 31. The ladder 3 moves the wafer carrier 4 with the door 41 open to the pickup door 36, and the robotic arm retrieves a plurality of wafers from the wafer carrier 4 at the pickup door 36.

[0057] In other words, the wafer carrier transport device 1 of the present invention can also be transported by means of transport, such as overhead crane transport (OHT) or automated material handling system (AMHS), but is not limited thereto, to transport the wafer carrier 4 on the platform 2, and transport the wafer carrier 4 to the receiving seat 33 by the first track 21, and transport the wafer carrier 4 to the opening mechanism 32 to open the door cover 41 by the second track 331, and then transport it to the picking door 36, where the robotic arm takes out a wafer from the wafer carrier 4 for processing. Additionally, in one embodiment, the ladder 3 further includes a wafer detector 34, which is located adjacent to the loading door 36. Before the robotic arm reaches the loading door 36 to extract a plurality of wafers from the wafer carrier 4, the wafer detector 34 is used to detect the arrangement of the plurality of wafers in the wafer carrier 4. When a problem is detected in the arrangement, the situation can be quickly resolved to prevent further damage to the wafers and thus avoid affecting the entire operation process.

[0058] Through the above, after the wafer carrier 4 enters the ladder 3, the door cover 41 can be opened. This ensures that the wafer carrier 4 with the door cover 41 closed is not contaminated by external dust, and reduces the contact between the wafers stored in the wafer carrier 4 with the door cover 41 open and the external environment, thereby reducing the contamination of external dust.

[0059] It should be noted that PM5 particles have a diameter of 5,000 nanometers, which is 1,000 times the size of a 5-nanometer linewidth. These tiny particles, invisible to the naked eye, falling onto a wafer are equivalent to a huge meteorite falling on a city street, causing considerable damage. Therefore, reducing environmental dust and minimizing the placement of wafers in environmental dust are very important directions.

[0060] The wafer carrier handling device 1 of the present invention places the platform 2 in a first environment 91 and the ladder 3 in a second environment 92. The first environment 91 is the processing area of ​​a general semiconductor manufacturing facility, and the second environment 92 is a special environment with a shield. Therefore, the amount of environmental dust in the second environment 92 will always be less than that in the first environment 91. In addition, the present invention places the wafer carrier as a whole, rather than directly placing the wafer in the wafer carrier into the ladder. Therefore, the present invention also reduces the time that the wafer stored in the wafer carrier 4 is exposed to the external environment, thereby reducing the chance of external dust contamination.

[0061] Please refer to Figures 8 to 10. In addition, the present invention also provides a method for transporting a wafer carrier, which includes the following steps:

[0062] a. Provides a platform, a transport vehicle, and a ladder seat, the platform having a first track, the ladder seat abutting the platform, the ladder seat having an opening on one side, the ladder seat further including: a plurality of opening mechanisms, a support frame, a plurality of receiving seats, and a retrieval cover door, the plurality of opening mechanisms being arranged on an inner surface of the ladder seat, the support frame being disposed within the ladder seat, and its four sides being interconnected with the ladder seat by a second track, the support frame having a plurality of storage surfaces, each receiving seat being disposed on each storage surface, and each receiving seat having a transfer mechanism, the retrieval cover door being located on the other side adjacent to the opening.

[0063] b. Place a wafer carrier on the platform.

[0064] c. Move the wafer carrier through the opening onto the receiving seat.

[0065] d. The support frame makes a displacement movement along the second track.

[0066] e. Whether the other receiving seat moves to a predetermined position; if yes, then the wafer carrier is carried by the other receiving seat; if no, repeat step d.

[0067] f. Whether multiple of the receiving seats carry the wafer carrier; if yes, then use a robotic arm to open the loading cover; if no, repeat step b.

[0068] It should be further noted that in step f, before the robotic arm opens the picking cover door, the wafer carrier is placed against the opening mechanism. That is, in this step, the wafer carrier 4 needs to be placed against the opening mechanism 32 to open the door cover 41 first, and then the wafer carrier 4 moves to the picking cover door 36, the robotic arm opens the picking cover door 36, and a wafer is taken out from the wafer carrier 4.

[0069] In addition, it should be noted that the following steps are included after step c:

[0070] c1. Move the platform back to its original position along the first track. By doing so, another wafer carrier 4 can be transported from the platform 2 to another receiving pedestal 33.

[0071] In addition, step b above also includes the following steps:

[0072] b1. The transport vehicle transports a wafer carrier from the air to directly above the platform.

[0073] b2. The transport vehicle moves the wafer carrier to a position directly above the platform.

[0074] b3. A receiving platform of the platform moves to be adjacent to the wafer carrier, and positions the bottom of the wafer carrier by a plurality of first positioning structures disposed on the receiving platform, and places the wafer carrier on the receiving platform.

[0075] b4. The receiving platform is moved to its original position, so that the wafer carrier is placed on the platform by means of the receiving platform.

[0076] and step c also include the following steps:

[0077] c11. The platform moves the wafer carrier to the opening via the first track.

[0078] c12. The support frame performs a first displacement movement along the second track, causing one of the plurality of the receiving seats to move to a predetermined position adjacent to the opening.

[0079] c13. The platform moves the wafer carrier through the opening into the ladder via the first track.

[0080] c14. The support frame performs the first displacement movement on the second track, so that the receiving seat positions the bottom of the wafer carrier by a plurality of second positioning structures, so that the wafer carrier is placed on the receiving seat.

[0081] In summary, the advantages of the device and method for handling wafer carriers of the present invention are as follows:

[0082] 1. The support frame is interconnected with the ladder base by a plurality of the second tracks, forming a plurality of stacked layers with each stack spaced apart from each other, and performs the first displacement movement, which can be vertically raised and lowered. Therefore, it allows more wafer carriers to be input, so that all the wafer carriers are in a stacked state and stored inside the ladder base. Therefore, environmental dust pollution can be avoided, and continuous loading and unloading can be achieved, thereby increasing production capacity.

[0083] 2. A plurality of opening mechanisms capable of opening the wafer carrier are installed inside the elevator base. Since the opening mechanism is located inside the elevator base, the door cover of the wafer carrier to be opened can be selected after the wafer carrier enters the elevator. This ensures that the wafer carrier with the door cover closed is not contaminated by external dust, and reduces the contact between the wafers stored in the wafer carrier with the door cover open and the external environment, thereby reducing external dust contamination.

[0084] The above detailed description is a specific description of feasible embodiments of the present invention. However, the foregoing embodiments are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent implementations or modifications that do not depart from the spirit of the present invention should be included in the patent scope of this case. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0085] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention. Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention from another perspective. Figure 3 is a partial structural schematic diagram of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a partial structural schematic diagram of Figure 3. Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of the transfer mechanism and wafer carrier of the present invention. Figure 6 is a structural schematic diagram of the transfer mechanism and wafer carrier of the present invention from another perspective. Figure 7 is an exploded view of the transfer mechanism and wafer carrier of the present invention. Figure 8 is a step diagram of the method for transporting the wafer carrier of the present invention. Figure 9 is a detailed step diagram of step b in Figure 8. Figure 10 is a detailed step diagram of step c in Figure 8.

Claims

1. An apparatus for handling wafer carriers, comprising: a platform having a plurality of first positioning structures and a first track, the plurality of first positioning structures being disposed on a receiving platform of the platform, the platform holding a wafer carrier and moving the wafer carrier via the first track; a ladder seat abutting the platform, the ladder seat having an opening on one side for receiving the wafer carrier moved by the first track into the ladder seat, the ladder seat further comprising: a plurality of opening mechanisms arranged on an inner surface of the ladder seat; a support frame disposed within the ladder seat, the four sides of the support frame being interconnected with the ladder seat via a second track, the support frame having a plurality of storage surfaces for supporting the plurality of wafer carriers, a gap between two of the storage surfaces; a plurality of receiving seats, each receiving seat having a plurality of second positioning structures, each receiving seat being disposed on each of the storage surfaces, and each receiving seat having a transfer mechanism; wherein... The receiving platform positions the bottom of the wafer carrier using the first positioning structure, allowing the wafer carrier to be placed on the receiving platform. The platform moves the wafer carrier toward the opening using the first track, while the carrier performs a first displacement movement using the second track, causing one of the plurality of receiving seats to move to a predetermined position near the opening. Specifically, the platform moves the wafer carrier into the opening using the first track, and the receiving seat positions the wafer carrier using the second positioning structure, placing the wafer carrier onto the receiving seat. The wafer carrier on the receiving seat, through the first displacement movement using the second track and the second displacement movement using the transfer mechanism, causes one side of the wafer carrier to abut against one of the plurality of opening mechanisms, opening a door of the wafer carrier.

2. The apparatus for transporting a wafer carrier as described in claim 1, wherein, The ladder also includes a pickup cover door located on the other side adjacent to the side, and the ladder moves the wafer carrier with the door open to the pickup cover door.

3. The apparatus for transporting a wafer carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The top of the receiving seat, located at the predetermined position, is lower than the bottom of the wafer carrier that has moved into the ladder seat.

4. The apparatus for transporting a wafer carrier as described in claim 2, wherein, The ladder also includes a wafer detector located adjacent to the loading cover to detect the arrangement of multiple wafers within the wafer carrier.

5. The apparatus for transporting a wafer carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The transfer mechanism includes a propulsion cylinder and two buffers. The propulsion cylinder and the two buffers are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the receiving seat. The bottom of the receiving seat is connected to a propulsion part of the propulsion cylinder. The propulsion cylinder pushes the receiving seat to perform the second displacement movement. When the bottom of the receiving seat abuts against the two buffers, the second displacement movement is gradually slowed down until it stops.

6. The apparatus for transporting a wafer carrier as described in claim 5, wherein, The receiving seat also includes a carrier fastener, which is connected to the propulsion cylinder. The propulsion cylinder pushes the receiving seat to perform the second displacement movement. At the same time, the carrier fastener engages the bottom of the wafer carrier, and the wafer carrier stably performs the second displacement movement and opens the door cover.

7. A method for handling a wafer carrier, comprising the following steps: a. providing a platform, a transport vehicle, and a ladder, the platform having a first track, the ladder abutting the platform, the ladder having an opening on one side, the ladder further comprising: a plurality of opening mechanisms, a support frame, a plurality of receiving seats, and a pickup door, the plurality of opening mechanisms being arranged on an inner surface of the ladder, the support frame being disposed within the ladder and interconnected to the ladder by a second track on all four sides, the support frame having a plurality of storage surfaces, each receiving seat being disposed on each storage surface, and each receiving seat having a transfer mechanism, the pickup door being located on the other side adjacent to the opening; b. placing a wafer carrier on the platform; c. moving the wafer carrier through the opening onto the receiving seat; d. the support frame performing a displacement movement along the second track; e. f. Does another receiving unit move to a predetermined position? If yes, then another receiving unit carries another wafer carrier. If no, repeat step d. f. Does a plurality of receiving units carry the wafer carrier? If yes, then a robotic arm opens the loading cover. If no, repeat step b.

8. The method for handling a wafer carrier as described in claim 7, wherein step c further comprises the following step: c2. moving the platform back to its original position along the first track.

9. The method for transporting a wafer carrier as described in claim 7, step b further includes the following steps: b1. Transporting a wafer carrier from the air to directly above the platform using the transport vehicle; b2. The transport vehicle moves the wafer carrier to a position directly above and adjacent to the platform; b3. A receiving platform of the platform moves to a position adjacent to the wafer carrier, and positions the bottom of the wafer carrier by means of a plurality of first positioning structures disposed on the receiving platform, and places the wafer carrier on the receiving platform; b4. The receiving platform moves to its original position, so that the wafer carrier is placed on the platform by means of the receiving platform.

10. The method for handling a wafer carrier as described in claim 7, step c further comprising the following steps: c11. The platform moves the wafer carrier to the opening via the first track; c12. The carrier performs a first displacement movement via the second track, causing one of the plurality of receiving seats to move to a predetermined position adjacent to the opening; c13. The platform moves the wafer carrier through the opening into the ladder via the first track; c14. The carrier performs the first displacement movement via the second track, causing the receiving seat to position the bottom of the wafer carrier by a plurality of second positioning structures, and the wafer carrier is placed on the receiving seat.

Images