transmission system

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides a transmission system, comprising: a plurality of wafer loading ports, a control device, and a first handling device; wherein the plurality of wafer loading ports are arranged in a plurality of rows and are disposed on a first supporting component, and the first supporting component is used to be disposed at the entrance end of a semiconductor machine; the first handling device is used to, after receiving a first instruction from the control device, transport a wafer transfer box loaded with wafers from a first temporary storage area to a corresponding wafer loading port, so that a grasping device of the semiconductor machine can obtain wafers from the wafer transfer box and transfer the obtained wafers to a reaction chamber of the semiconductor machine for semiconductor process processing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to a transmission system. Background Art

[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing process, semiconductor machines are used to specifically execute the process processing in the manufacturing process. In the semiconductor manufacturing process, wafers are placed in a wafer transfer box (Front Opening Unified Pod, abbreviated as FOUP), and the wafer transfer box is transported to the designated position at the entrance of the corresponding semiconductor machine through a transmission system. The transmission system includes: a handling device and a wafer loading port; wherein, the handling device (such as an overhead hoist transport (OHT)) extracts the wafer transfer box and transports the wafer transfer box to the wafer loading port (Load Port) designated for carrying the wafer transfer box at the entrance of the corresponding semiconductor machine, and then the grasping device (such as a robot) inside the semiconductor machine obtains the wafer from the wafer transfer box on the wafer loading port and transfers the obtained wafer to the reaction chamber of the semiconductor machine for semiconductor process processing.

[0003] In actual applications, the wafers to be processed must pass through the wafer loading port and enter the reaction chamber for semiconductor process processing. During the process of processing, all wafers in the wafer transfer box carried by a wafer loading port (such as a wafer box can generally load 25 wafers) need to be processed before the next wafer transfer box loaded with wafers can be processed. However, some semiconductor process processing (such as deep hole and deep groove etching process processing) takes a particularly long time. At this time, when all the wafer loading ports on the semiconductor machine are occupied, there will be a problem that the wafers that need to be processed first cannot be processed in time. The transmission system in the related art often has the problem that the wafers that need to be processed first cannot be processed in time. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to solve the related technical problems, an embodiment of the present invention proposes a transmission system, which can at least alleviate the problem that wafers that need to be processed first cannot be processed in time to a certain extent.

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention provides a transmission system, comprising: a plurality of wafer loading ports, a control device and a first transport device; wherein,

[0006] The plurality of wafer loading ports are arranged in a plurality of rows and are disposed on a first supporting member, wherein the first supporting member is configured to be disposed at an entrance end of a semiconductor machine;

[0007] The first transport device is used to transport the wafer transfer box loaded with wafers from the first temporary storage area to the corresponding wafer loading port after receiving the first instruction from the control device, so that the grasping device of the semiconductor machine can obtain the wafers from the wafer transfer box and transfer the obtained wafers to the reaction chamber of the semiconductor machine for semiconductor process processing.

[0008] In the above embodiment, the multiple rows of wafer loading ports include a first type of wafer loading port; a wafer loading port is provided above the first type of wafer loading port; a first projection and a second projection corresponding to the first type of wafer loading port at least partially overlap; the first projection is a projection of the first type of wafer loading port on a first plane; and the second projection is a projection of the wafer loading port provided above the first type of wafer loading port on the first plane.

[0009] The system further includes: a second transport device;

[0010] The first transport device is further configured to transport the wafer pod from the first temporary storage area to the second transport device after receiving a second instruction from the control device;

[0011] The second transport device is used to transport the wafer transfer box to the corresponding first type wafer loading port after receiving the third instruction from the control device.

[0012] In the above solution, the third instruction includes: a first sub-instruction and a second sub-instruction; the second transport device is movably disposed on an upper surface of the first type wafer loading port, the upper surface being a surface facing away from the first supporting member;

[0013] The second transport device is specifically configured to move from the corresponding first-type wafer loading port to a first position upon receiving the first sub-command from the control device; wherein a projection of the second transport device at the first position on the first plane does not overlap with the second projection;

[0014] The first transport device is specifically configured to transport the wafer pod from the first temporary storage area to the second transport device located at the first position after receiving the second instruction from the control device;

[0015] The second transport device is specifically configured to move from the first position to the corresponding first type wafer loading port after receiving the second sub-command from the control device.

[0016] In the above solution, the second transport device includes: a carrying plate and a driver; wherein,

[0017] The carrying plate is used to carry the wafer transfer box;

[0018] The driver is used to drive the carrier plate to move or rotate on the upper surface of the first type wafer loading port.

[0019] In the above solution, the control device is specifically used to:

[0020] Acquire first position information, second position information, and third position information; the first position information represents the position of the wafer transfer box when it is located in the first temporary storage area; the second position information represents the position of the corresponding first-type wafer loading port; and the third position information represents the position of the corresponding second handling device when it is located in the first position;

[0021] generating the second instruction based on the first location information and the third location information;

[0022] The first sub-command and the second sub-command are generated based on the second position information and the third position information.

[0023] In the above solution, the first transport device includes a track and a transport component; wherein,

[0024] The track is arranged on a fixing device above the first supporting member;

[0025] The transport component is suspended on the track and is used to transport the wafer transport box from the first temporary storage area to the corresponding wafer loading port by at least moving along the track after receiving the first instruction from the control device.

[0026] In the above solution, the first instruction includes: a third sub-instruction and a fourth sub-instruction; the transport component includes: a moving unit and a telescopic unit; wherein,

[0027] The moving unit is configured to move to the second position along the track after receiving a third sub-command from the control device;

[0028] The telescopic unit is used to extend toward the corresponding wafer loading port at the second position after receiving the fourth sub-instruction from the control device, so as to transport the wafer transfer box to the corresponding wafer loading port.

[0029] In the above solution, the control device is specifically used to:

[0030] Acquire first position information, fourth position information, and fifth position information; the first position information represents the position of the wafer transfer box when it is located in the first temporary storage area; the fourth position information represents the position of the mobile unit of the first handling device when it is located in the second position; and the fifth position information represents the position of the corresponding wafer loading port;

[0031] generating the third sub-instruction based on the first position information and the fourth position information;

[0032] The fourth sub-instruction is generated based on the fourth position information and the fifth position information.

[0033] In the above solution, the control device is further used to control the first transport device to transport the wafer transfer box from the corresponding wafer loading port to the second temporary storage area.

[0034] In the above solution, the plurality of wafer loading ports are arranged in two rows on the first supporting component; wherein the wafer loading ports in the first row of wafer loading ports and the corresponding wafer loading ports in the second row of wafer loading ports are aligned on the first supporting component.

[0035] A transfer system provided by an embodiment of the present invention includes: a plurality of wafer load ports, a control device, and a first handling device; wherein the plurality of wafer load ports are arranged in multiple rows and disposed on a first support member, the first support member being configured to be disposed at the entrance of a semiconductor tool; and the first handling device is configured to, upon receiving a first instruction from the control device, transfer a wafer pod loaded with wafers from a first temporary storage area to a corresponding wafer load port, so that a gripper of the semiconductor tool can retrieve the wafers from the pod and transfer the retrieved wafers to a reaction chamber of the semiconductor tool for semiconductor processing. In an embodiment of the present invention, the wafer load ports in the transfer system are arranged in multiple rows at the entrance of the semiconductor tool, thereby increasing the number of wafer load ports without increasing the existing space of the semiconductor tool. As the number of wafer load ports increases, the probability of all wafer load ports being fully occupied, given a constant total manufacturing workload, decreases, thereby increasing the probability that wafers requiring priority processing can be processed through unused wafer load ports. This can at least partially alleviate the problem of prioritized wafers being delayed, thereby reducing the impact on R&D progress. Furthermore, as the number of wafer loading ports increases, the mapping between wafer loading ports and reaction chambers can be adjusted so that one reaction chamber can correspond to one or more wafer loading ports. This further improves reaction chamber utilization and maximizes machine throughput. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Figure 1 It is a front schematic diagram of a specific transmission system in the related art;

[0037] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the transmission system according to the embodiment of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0038] Figure 3A front view of a specific transmission system in an embodiment of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0039] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the transmission system according to the embodiment of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0040] Figure 5a-5b A front view of a specific transmission system in an embodiment of the present invention Figure 2 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] In order to make the technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more clear, the specific technical solutions of the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0042] In the related technology, the transmission system can transfer the wafer transfer box loaded with wafers to be processed to the wafer loading port, so that the wafers enter the reaction chamber through the wafer loading port for process processing; at the same time, the transmission system can also transfer the wafers from the wafer loading port to the wafer transfer box temporary storage area after the wafer transfer box loaded with wafers that have undergone process processing returns to the wafer loading port, so as to wait for the next process processing.

[0043] The implementation principle of the transmission system for transferring the wafers to be processed to the wafer loading port is as follows: the transmission system includes a transport device and a wafer loading port; wherein, the transport device includes a track and a transport component; the track is fixed directly above the wafer loading port of each semiconductor machine; the transport component is suspended on the track, and after the transport component extracts the wafer transfer box to be transported from the wafer transfer box temporary storage area, it first moves a distance along the track to move the wafer transfer box to be transported from the temporary storage area to the corresponding track above the wafer loading port to be moved in, and the transport component then extends toward the wafer loading port to be moved in the corresponding track to place the wafer transfer box to be transported into the wafer loading port to be moved in.

[0044] A semiconductor machine may include multiple wafer loading ports and multiple reaction chambers for the same process. Figure 1 As shown, there are four wafer loading ports on the baffle at the entrance of the semiconductor machine. In order to facilitate the handling of the wafer transfer box to the corresponding wafer loading port, the four wafer loading ports are arranged in a row on the baffle. When the four wafer loading ports are arranged in a row, the horizontal position of the baffle is basically occupied. Without expanding the existing space of the semiconductor machine, it is difficult to increase the number of wafer loading ports. Figure 1(Not shown) The configuration is generally four to six, and this number is expected to increase in the future. In related art, due to the limited number of wafer loading ports, the correspondence between wafer loading ports and reaction chambers is: one wafer loading port corresponds to one reaction chamber or multiple reaction chambers.

[0045] It should be noted that Figure 1 This is a front view of a specific transmission system in the related art. The front view here can be understood as a schematic diagram when a semiconductor machine is placed on the factory floor and looking towards the transmission system in a direction parallel to the factory floor.

[0046] However, in semiconductor manufacturing, such as 3D memory, some processes have exceptionally long processing times, such as deep hole etching or deep trench etching, which can take up to an hour to process a single product. Furthermore, as the number of layers in 3D memory increases, processing time increases further. During this process, the following issues are often encountered:

[0047] During the R&D process, a small batch of wafers needs to undergo urgent new process debugging. However, all wafer loading ports in the semiconductor tool are occupied, leaving a shortage of available ports. Waiting for all wafers in a single loading port on the semiconductor tool to be fully processed can take a long time, hindering the timely processing of priority wafers and severely impacting R&D progress.

[0048] On the other hand, when the number of reaction chambers is greater than the number of wafer loading ports, each reaction chamber can only run one process, which will cause the reaction chamber to be idle and waste production capacity.

[0049] In actual applications, when a semiconductor machine is placed in a factory, the area of ​​the semiconductor machine parallel to the factory floor determines the footprint of the semiconductor machine, while the height perpendicular to the factory floor does not affect the footprint of the semiconductor machine.

[0050] Based on this, in various embodiments of the present invention, the wafer loading ports in the transmission system are arranged in multiple rows at the entrance of the semiconductor machine. Because the wafer loading ports are stacked vertically, the number of wafer loading ports can be increased without increasing the existing space of the semiconductor machine. As the number of wafer loading ports increases, the probability of all wafer loading ports being fully occupied, given a certain total manufacturing workload, decreases. At this point, the probability of wafers requiring priority being processed through unused wafer loading ports increases. This can at least alleviate the problem of wafers requiring priority being delayed, thereby reducing the impact on R&D progress. Furthermore, as the number of wafer loading ports increases, the corresponding relationship between wafer loading ports and reaction chambers can be: one reaction chamber corresponds to one or more wafer loading ports. This can further improve the utilization rate of the reaction chambers, thereby maximizing machine production capacity.

[0051] Figure 2 FIG2 shows a structural diagram of a transfer system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The transfer system 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes: a plurality of wafer loading ports 201, a control device 202, and a first handling device 203. The plurality of wafer loading ports 201 are arranged in multiple rows and disposed on a first support member, which is configured to be disposed at the entrance of a semiconductor machine.

[0052] The first transport device 203 is used to transport the wafer transfer box loaded with wafers from the first temporary storage area to the corresponding wafer loading port 201 after receiving the first instruction from the control device 202, so that the grasping device of the semiconductor machine can obtain the wafers from the wafer transfer box and transfer the obtained wafers to the reaction chamber of the semiconductor machine for semiconductor process processing.

[0053] Here, the first instruction is used to control the first transport device 203 to transport the wafer pod loaded with wafers from the first temporary storage area to the corresponding wafer loading port 201 .

[0054] In actual application, the wafers to be processed are placed in a wafer transfer box, which is placed in a wafer transfer box temporary storage area, namely the first temporary storage area. In the transmission system 200, multiple wafer loading ports 201 are arranged in multiple rows on the first supporting component so that the semiconductor machine is equipped with as many wafer loading ports as possible. Here, the first supporting component can be a baffle for being set at the entrance end of the semiconductor machine. The control device 202 in the transmission system 200 is used to control the first conveying device 203 or control the first conveying device 203 and the second conveying device to transport the wafer transfer box loaded with wafers from the first area to the corresponding wafer loading port 201. Thereafter, a grasping device (such as a robot) inside the semiconductor machine retrieves the wafer from the wafer transfer box on the corresponding wafer loading port and transfers the retrieved wafer to the reaction chamber of the semiconductor machine for semiconductor process processing. Here, the wafer FOUP being moved in may be located at a designated position on an upper surface of a corresponding wafer loading port (when viewed toward the transmission system in a direction parallel to the factory floor).

[0055] The wafer loading ports 201 may be arranged in multiple rows on the first support member in various specific distribution forms. The distribution of the multiple rows of wafer loading ports determines the specific method of transporting the wafer transfer box from the first area to the corresponding wafer loading port 201.

[0056] In some embodiments, the plurality of rows of wafer loading ports are arranged in a staggered manner on the first support member. Here, staggering can be understood as meaning that projections of the plurality of rows of wafer loading ports on a plane containing the track and perpendicular to the plane of the first support member do not overlap.

[0057] The following is a front view of a specific transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention ( Figure 3 ) to explain in detail.

[0058] It should be noted that Figure 3 This is a front view of a specific transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The front view here can be understood as a view of the transmission system when a semiconductor machine is placed on the factory floor and viewed from a direction parallel to the factory floor.

[0059] It should be noted that Figure 3 Only one case where multiple wafer loading ports 201 are distributed in a staggered manner on the first supporting component is shown. The example here is only an example of staggered distribution and is not used to limit the actual number of rows, actual quantity and specific distribution method of multiple rows of wafer loading ports.

[0060] When multiple rows of wafer loading ports are distributed in a staggered manner on the first support member, the control device 202 can transfer the wafer transfer box loaded with wafers from the first area to the corresponding wafer loading port 201 by simply controlling the movement of the first transfer device 203. Figure 3 Each of the two rows of wafer loading ports can be used to transport a wafer cassette by the first transport device 203. The following will specifically describe how the first transport device 203 transports a wafer cassette under the control of the control device 202.

[0061] In some embodiments, the first transport device 203 includes a track and a transport component; wherein,

[0062] The track is arranged on a fixing device above the first supporting member;

[0063] The transport component is suspended on the track, and is used to transport the wafer transport box from the first temporary storage area to the corresponding wafer loading port by at least moving along the track after receiving the first instruction from the control device 202.

[0064] In actual use, the track is positioned above the first support member and corresponds to the location of the wafer loading port in the semiconductor machine. The plane on which the track lies can be parallel to the factory floor, and the plane on which the wafer loading port is located on the first support member can be perpendicular to the factory floor. The track can be mounted on a fixture and secured to the ceiling or wall of the factory via the fixture.

[0065] The transport component is suspended on the track and can move along the track. When the wafer transport box is set at the same height in the first area as that in the wafer loading port, the wafer transport box can be transported from the first area to the wafer transport box to be moved in, that is, the corresponding wafer loading port, only by moving along the track; and when the wafer transport box placed in the first area is at a different height from that placed in the wafer loading port, it is necessary to first move along the track and then extend toward the direction of the wafer loading port to be moved in to achieve the transport of the wafer transport box from the first area to the corresponding wafer loading port.

[0066] In some embodiments, the first instruction includes: a third sub-instruction and a fourth sub-instruction; the transport component includes: a moving unit and a telescopic unit; wherein,

[0067] The moving unit is configured to move to the second position along the track after receiving a third sub-command from the control device;

[0068] The telescopic unit is used to extend toward the corresponding wafer loading port at the second position after receiving the fourth sub-command from the control device, so as to transport the wafer transfer box to the corresponding wafer loading port.

[0069] Here, the third sub-instruction is used to control the moving unit to move to the second position along the track; the fourth sub-instruction is used to control the telescopic unit to extend in the direction of the corresponding wafer loading port at the second position, thereby transporting the wafer transport box to the corresponding wafer loading port.

[0070] Here, the second position is the position of the wafer loading port to be loaded projected on the plane where the track is located. Figure 3 As shown, the transport component may further include a gripping unit, which is arranged at one end of the telescopic unit and is used to start clamping the wafer transfer box to be transported in the first temporary storage area; continue to clamp the wafer transfer box to be transported during the transport process, and release the clamping of the wafer transfer box to be transported when the telescopic unit stops extending, so as to cooperate with the moving unit and the telescopic unit to transport the wafer transfer box to be transported from the first temporary storage area to the corresponding wafer loading port.

[0071] In actual application, the control device 202 can generate control instructions for the mobile unit based on the position information of the wafer conveying box to be transported in the first area and the position information of the corresponding telescopic unit when it is in the second position; the control device 202 can generate control instructions for the telescopic unit based on the position information of the corresponding telescopic unit when it is in the second position and the position information of the corresponding wafer loading port to be moved in.

[0072] Based on this, in some embodiments, the control device 202 is specifically configured to:

[0073] Acquire first position information, fourth position information, and fifth position information; the first position information represents the position of the wafer transfer box when it is located in the first temporary storage area; the fourth position information represents the position of the mobile unit of the first handling device when it is located in the second position; and the fifth position information represents the position of the corresponding wafer loading port;

[0074] generating the third sub-instruction based on the first position information and the fourth position information;

[0075] The fourth sub-instruction is generated based on the fourth position information and the fifth position information.

[0076] In actual application, when the process treatment process is determined, the wafer transfer box to be transported and the corresponding wafer loading port to be moved in have been determined. At this time, the position of the wafer transfer box to be transported, the position of the corresponding wafer loading port to be moved in, and the position of the mobile unit of the first transport device 203 when it is in the second position have all been determined. The control device 202 can obtain these position information from previously stored data or sensors that measure the position.

[0077] In practical applications, the first position information, the fourth position information, and the fifth position information can all be represented by coordinates. Specifically, the position information can be represented by coordinates in at least two dimensions, such as a plane containing the track and parallel to the ground as one dimension, and a plane on the first support component where the wafer loading port is located as another dimension. The control device 202 can specifically generate instructions for controlling the moving unit based on the coordinates of the plane containing the track and parallel to the ground in the first position information and the fourth position information; the control device 202 can specifically generate instructions for controlling the telescopic unit based on the coordinates of the plane containing the track and parallel to the ground in the fourth position information and the fifth position information where the wafer loading port is located on the first support component.

[0078] In actual application, when the wafers in the wafer pod in the wafer loading port have completed semiconductor processing, the transfer system 200 of the embodiment of the present invention can be used to move the wafer pod to the second temporary storage area to wait for the next process.

[0079] Based on this, in one embodiment, the control device 202 is also used to: control the first transport device 203 to transport the wafer transfer box from the corresponding wafer loading port to the second temporary storage area; the wafers that have completed semiconductor process processing and are loaded in the wafer transfer box are stored in the second area.

[0080] In actual application, the first temporary storage area, i.e., the area for storing wafer transfer boxes loaded with wafers to be processed, and the second temporary storage area, i.e., the area for storing wafer transfer boxes loaded with wafers that have been processed, can be the same or different.

[0081] A transfer system provided in an embodiment of the present invention includes: a plurality of wafer load ports, a control device, and a first handling device; wherein the plurality of wafer load ports are arranged in multiple rows and disposed on a first support member, the first support member being configured to be disposed at the entrance of a semiconductor tool; and the first handling device is configured to, upon receiving a first instruction from the control device, transfer a wafer pod loaded with wafers from a first temporary storage area to a corresponding wafer load port, so that a gripper of the semiconductor tool can retrieve the wafers from the pod and transfer the retrieved wafers to a reaction chamber of the semiconductor tool for semiconductor processing. In an embodiment of the present invention, the wafer load ports in the transfer system are arranged in multiple rows at the entrance of the semiconductor tool, thereby increasing the number of wafer load ports without increasing the existing space of the semiconductor tool. As the number of wafer load ports increases, the probability of all wafer load ports being fully occupied, given a certain manufacturing workload, decreases, thereby increasing the probability that wafers requiring priority processing can be processed through unused wafer load ports. In this way, the problem of wafers that need to be processed first not being processed in time can be alleviated to a certain extent at least.

[0082] In actual application, when multiple rows of wafer loading ports are distributed in a partially overlapping manner on the first support component, that is, the multiple rows of wafer loading ports include first-type wafer loading ports, it is no longer possible to transport the wafer transfer box loaded with wafers from the first area to the corresponding first-type wafer loading port using only the first handling device. In this case, it is necessary to use the first handling device and the second handling device together to transport the wafer transfer box from the first area to the corresponding first-type wafer loading port. Here, the first-type wafer device refers to a device with a wafer loading port arranged above it, and the projections of the wafer loading port and the wafer loading port arranged above it on a plane containing a track and perpendicular to the plane where the first support component is located are at least partially overlapped. In other words, the first-type wafer loading port is a wafer loading port that will be blocked by the wafer loading port above the first-type wafer loading port when the telescopic unit in the first handling device is extended toward the corresponding wafer loading port.

[0083] Based on this, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a transmission system 400, Figure 4 FIG. 4 shows a structural diagram of a transmission system 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The transmission system 400 includes: a plurality of wafer loading ports 201, a control device 202, a first transport device 203, and a second transport device 404; wherein:

[0084] The plurality of wafer loading ports 201 are arranged in multiple rows and disposed on a first support member, the first support member being configured to be disposed at an entrance end of a semiconductor machine; the multiple rows of wafer loading ports include a first type of wafer loading port; a wafer loading port is disposed above the first type of wafer loading port; a first projection and a second projection corresponding to the first type of wafer loading port at least partially overlap; the first projection is a projection of the first type of wafer loading port on a first plane; and the second projection is a projection of the wafer loading port disposed above the first type of wafer loading port on the first plane.

[0085] The first transport device 203 is further configured to transport the wafer pod from the first temporary storage area to the second transport device 404 after receiving a second instruction from the control device;

[0086] The second transport device 404 is configured to transport the wafer FOUP to the corresponding first type wafer loading port after receiving the third instruction from the control device.

[0087] Here, the second instruction is used to control the first handling device 203 to transport the wafer transfer box from the first temporary storage area to the second handling device 404; the second instruction is used to control the second handling device 404 to transport the wafer transfer box to the corresponding first type wafer loading port.

[0088] Here, the first plane may be a plane including the track and perpendicular to the plane where the first supporting component is located.

[0089] In actual application, the control device 202 can determine whether the type of the wafer load port to be loaded is a first-type wafer load port based on the position information of each wafer load port among the multiple wafer load ports. The position information here can specifically be the coordinate values ​​of the leftmost and rightmost edges of the wafer load port (as viewed toward the conveyor system along a direction parallel to the factory floor) projected on the first plane.

[0090] The following is a front view of a specific transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention ( Figure 5a ) to explain in detail.

[0091] It should be noted that Figure 5a This is a front view of a specific transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The front view here can be understood as a view of the transmission system when a semiconductor machine is placed on the factory floor and viewed from a direction parallel to the factory floor.

[0092] It should be noted that Figure 5aOnly one case where multiple wafer loading ports are distributed in a partially overlapping manner on the first support component is shown. The example here is only an example of the partially overlapping distribution and is not used to limit the actual number of rows, actual quantity and specific distribution method of the multiple rows of wafer loading ports.

[0093] like Figure 5a As shown, when the first handling device 203 is used to directly transport the wafer pod to the corresponding first-type wafer load port, the telescopic unit of the first handling device 203 may be blocked by the wafer load port located above the first-type wafer load port. Therefore, in this embodiment of the present invention, the first handling device 203 transports the wafer pod from the first area to the second handling device 404, and then the second handling device 404 transports the wafer pod to the corresponding first-type wafer load port. Here, the wafer pod to be transported can be located at a designated position on the upper surface of the corresponding first-type wafer load port.

[0094] The following will specifically describe how the first transport device 203 and the second transport device 404 transport the wafer pod under the control of the control device.

[0095] In some embodiments, the third instruction includes: a first sub-instruction and a second sub-instruction; the second transport device 404 is movably disposed on an upper surface of the first type wafer loading port, the upper surface being a surface facing away from the first supporting member;

[0096] The second transport device 404 is specifically configured to move from the corresponding first-type wafer loading port to a first position upon receiving the first sub-command from the control device; wherein a projection of the second transport device 404 at the first position on the first plane does not overlap with the second projection;

[0097] The first transport device 203 is specifically configured to transport the wafer pod from the first temporary storage area to the second transport device 404 located at the first position after receiving the second instruction from the control device;

[0098] The second transport device 404 is specifically configured to move from the first position to the corresponding first type wafer loading port after receiving the second sub-command from the control device.

[0099] Here, the first subcommand is used to control the second transport device 404 to move from the corresponding first type wafer loading port to the first position; the second subcommand is used to control the second transport device 404 to move from the first position to the corresponding first type wafer loading port.

[0100] Here, when the second transport device 404 is not activated, it can be located in the first type wafer loading port, i.e., at a designated position on the upper surface of the first type wafer loading port. In actual application, when the second transport device 404 is located at a non-designated position on the upper surface of the first type wafer loading port, it needs to return to the designated position on the upper surface of the first type wafer loading port when the second transport device 404 is activated.

[0101] It can be understood that here, the process of the first conveying device 203 conveying the wafer transfer box from the first temporary storage area to the second conveying device 404 located at the first position is similar to the specific action performed by the first conveying device 203 to convey the wafer transfer box from the first temporary storage area to the wafer loading port. The first conveying device 203 also includes first moving along the track to the position of the second conveying device 404 located at the first position at the first plane projection, and then extending to the second conveying device 404 located at the first position.

[0102] Here, the first position may be a position on the upper surface of the first type wafer loading port adjacent to the first wafer loading port, and the projections of the first type wafer loading port and the wafer loading port disposed above the first type wafer loading port on the first plane do not overlap. Figure 5a As shown, the first position may be to the left or right of the lower row of wafer loading ports, i.e., the first type of wafer loading ports ( Figure 5a Only the right side is shown). Figure 5b It shows the state after the second handling device 404 located at the first position drives the wafer transfer box to move to the corresponding first type wafer loading port.

[0103] It should be noted that when the distribution of multiple rows of wafer loading ports on the first supporting component is determined, whether there are first-class wafer loading ports and which ones are first-class wafer loading ports have been determined. At this time, at least one first position that meets the conditions corresponding to each first-class wafer loading port needs to be determined. In actual application, when determining the first position, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the situation of the adjacent wafer loading ports. In some embodiments, the second transport device 404 includes: a carrier plate and a driver; wherein,

[0104] The carrying plate is used to carry the wafer transfer box;

[0105] The driver is used to drive the carrier plate to move or rotate on the upper surface of the first wafer loading port.

[0106] In actual application, such as Figure 5aAs shown, the carrier plate can be a plate-shaped structure; the plane of the plate-shaped structure for carrying the wafer transfer box is parallel to the upper surface of the wafer loading port; when the driver drives the carrier plate to move on the upper surface of the first wafer loading port by rotating, the driver can be arranged below the carrier plate; when the driver drives the carrier plate to move on the upper surface of the first wafer loading port by rotating, the driver can be arranged on the side of the carrier plate.

[0107] It should be noted that when the second transport device 404 is added, the position of the wafer cassette when it is transported to the first type circular loading port may change compared to when the second transport device 404 is not added (only the first transport device 203 is used to transport the wafer cassette to the circular loading port). This change is mainly manifested in the thickness of the carrier plate. At this time, in order to compensate for this change, a compensation component with the same thickness as the carrier plate can be set on the upper surface of the non-first type circular loading port (such as Figure 5a To compensate for this change, the predetermined position at which the grabbing device in the semiconductor machine obtains the wafer from the wafer transport box can also be adjusted accordingly.

[0108] In actual application, the control device 202 can generate control instructions for the first handling device 203 based on the position information of the wafer conveying box to be transported in the first area and the position information of the second handling device 404 corresponding to the first type wafer loading port to be moved in when it is in the first position; the control device 202 can generate control instructions for the second handling device 404 based on the position information of the wafer conveying box to be transported in the first area and the position information of the corresponding wafer loading port to be moved in.

[0109] Based on this, in some embodiments, the control device 202 is specifically configured to:

[0110] Acquire first position information, second position information, and third position information; the first position information represents the position of the wafer transfer box when it is located in the first temporary storage area; the second position information represents the position of the corresponding first-type wafer loading port; and the third position information represents the position of the corresponding second handling device when it is located in the first position;

[0111] generating the first sub-instruction based on the first position information and the third position information;

[0112] A first sub-instruction and a second sub-command are generated based on the second position information and the third position information.

[0113] Here, based on the second position information and the third position information, two control instructions for opposite movements (i.e., the second transport device 404 moves from the corresponding first-type wafer loading port to the first position and the second transport device 404 moves from the first position to the corresponding first-type wafer loading port) can be generated, namely the first sub-instruction and the second sub-command.

[0114] In actual application, when the process treatment process is determined, the wafer transfer box to be transported and the corresponding first-type wafer loading port to be moved in have been determined. At this time, the position of the wafer transfer box to be transported, the position of the corresponding first-type wafer loading port to be moved in, and the position of the second transport device 404 when it is located at the first position have all been determined. The control device 202 can obtain these position information from previously stored data or sensors that measure the position.

[0115] In actual application, both the first position information and the second position information can be represented by coordinates.

[0116] It should be noted that Figure 5a In the embodiment, the non-first type wafer loading ports, that is, the upper row of wafer loading ports, can realize the transportation of wafer transfer boxes by using only the first transportation device 203.

[0117] Figure 5a The distribution of multiple rows of wafer loading ports is shown in Figure 3 The distribution of the multiple rows of wafer loading ports shown can configure a greater number of wafer loading ports, which can alleviate to a greater extent the problem in the related art that wafers that need to be processed first cannot be processed in time.

[0118] Based on this, preferably, the multiple wafer loading ports are arranged in two rows on the first supporting component; wherein the wafer loading ports in the first row of wafer loading ports and the corresponding wafer loading ports in the second row of wafer loading ports are aligned on the first supporting component.

[0119] Here, the alignment arrangement may be understood as the projection of the wafer loading port in the first row of wafer loading ports overlaps with the projection of the corresponding wafer loading port in the second row of wafer loading ports on the first plane.

[0120] In this embodiment of the present invention, a second transfer device is used as a relay to overcome the problem that when multiple rows of wafer loading ports are arranged in a partially overlapping manner on the first support member, the wafer loading ports located in the lower row cannot directly transfer wafer cassettes using the first transfer device due to being blocked by the wafer loading ports located in the upper row. This enhances the flexibility of wafer loading port positioning without increasing machine space, achieving the goal of increasing the number of wafer loading ports and, to a certain extent, alleviating the problem of wafers requiring priority processing being delayed in time.

[0121] It should be noted that: "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0122] In addition, the technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present invention can be arbitrarily combined without conflict.

[0123] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A transmission system, characterized in that: include: Multiple wafer loading ports, a control device and a first transport device; wherein, The plurality of wafer loading ports are arranged in a plurality of rows in a direction perpendicular to the carrying surface of the wafer loading ports and are disposed on a first supporting member, wherein the first supporting member is configured to be disposed at an entrance end of a semiconductor machine; The first transport device is used to transport the wafer transfer box loaded with wafers from the first temporary storage area to the corresponding wafer loading port after receiving the first instruction from the control device, so that the grasping device of the semiconductor machine can obtain the wafers from the wafer transfer box and transfer the obtained wafers to the reaction chamber of the semiconductor machine for semiconductor process processing.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of rows of wafer loading ports include a first type of wafer loading port; a wafer loading port is disposed above the first type of wafer loading port; a first projection and a second projection corresponding to the first type of wafer loading port at least partially overlap; the first projection is a projection of the first type of wafer loading port on the first plane; The second projection is a projection of a wafer loading port disposed above the first type of wafer loading port on the first plane; The system further includes: a second transport device; The first transport device is further configured to transport the wafer pod from the first temporary storage area to the second transport device after receiving a second instruction from the control device; The second transport device is used to transport the wafer transfer box to the corresponding first type wafer loading port after receiving the third instruction from the control device.

3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that The third instruction includes: a first sub-instruction and a second sub-instruction; the second transport device is movably disposed on an upper surface of the first type wafer loading port, the upper surface being a surface facing away from the first supporting member; The second transport device is specifically configured to move from the corresponding first-type wafer loading port to a first position upon receiving the first sub-command from the control device; wherein a projection of the second transport device at the first position on the first plane does not overlap with the second projection; The first transport device is specifically configured to transport the wafer pod from the first temporary storage area to the second transport device located at the first position after receiving the second instruction from the control device; The second transport device is specifically configured to move from the first position to the corresponding first type wafer loading port after receiving the second sub-command from the control device.

4. The system according to claim 3, characterized in that The second transport device includes: a carrying plate and a driver; wherein, The carrying plate is used to carry the wafer transfer box; The driver is used to drive the carrier plate to move or rotate on the upper surface of the first type wafer loading port.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein: The control device is specifically used for: Acquire first position information, second position information, and third position information; the first position information represents the position of the wafer transfer box when it is located in the first temporary storage area; the second position information represents the position of the corresponding first-type wafer loading port; The third position information represents the position of the corresponding second transport device when it is located at the first position; generating the second instruction based on the first location information and the third location information; The first sub-command and the second sub-command are generated based on the second position information and the third position information.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The first transport device includes a track and a transport component; wherein, The track is arranged on a fixing device above the first supporting member; The transport component is suspended on the track and is used to transport the wafer transport box from the first temporary storage area to the corresponding wafer loading port by at least moving along the track after receiving the first instruction from the control device.

7. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that The first instruction includes: a third sub-instruction and a fourth sub-instruction; the transport component includes: a moving unit and a telescopic unit; wherein, The moving unit is configured to move to the second position along the track after receiving a third sub-command from the control device; The telescopic unit is used to extend toward the corresponding wafer loading port at the second position after receiving the fourth sub-instruction from the control device, so as to transport the wafer transfer box to the corresponding wafer loading port.

8. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that The control device is specifically used for: Acquire first position information, fourth position information, and fifth position information; the first position information represents the position of the wafer transfer box when it is located in the first temporary storage area; the fourth position information represents the position of the mobile unit of the first handling device when it is located in the second position; The fifth position information represents the position of the corresponding wafer loading port; generating the third sub-instruction based on the first position information and the fourth position information; The fourth sub-instruction is generated based on the fourth position information and the fifth position information.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The control device is further configured to control the first transport device to transport the wafer transfer box from the corresponding wafer loading port to the second temporary storage area.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of wafer loading ports are arranged in two rows on the first supporting component; wherein the wafer loading ports in the first row of wafer loading ports are aligned with corresponding wafer loading ports in the second row of wafer loading ports on the first supporting component.

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