Manipulator homing method and semiconductor heat treatment equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for returning a manipulator in a semiconductor heat treatment device and a semiconductor heat treatment device. The method comprises the following steps: S1, judging whether the manipulator is located in a dangerous area of ​​any workstation according to the current position information of the manipulator and the predefined dangerous areas of each workstation; if so, proceeding to step S2; if not, proceeding to step S3; S2, detecting the current load-bearing state of the manipulator, and according to the current load-bearing state, controlling the manipulator to return to the initial position by adopting a preset safe return method corresponding to the current load-bearing state; S3, controlling the manipulator to return to the initial position by adopting a preset normal return method. The application of the present invention can enable the manipulator to safely return to the initial position, thereby improving the maintenance efficiency of the machine while ensuring safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to a method for homing a manipulator in semiconductor heat treatment equipment and semiconductor heat treatment equipment. Background Art

[0002] The robot is a relatively important component in semiconductor heat treatment equipment. It is used to carry and transfer wafers (i.e., wafers) or wafer boxes (i.e., boxes for loading wafers, a wafer box for 12-inch wafers is called a Foup, and a wafer box for 8-inch wafers is called a Casstter) inside the machine.

[0003] For the robot, the operations it frequently performs include GET action (getting the target workpiece), PUT action (placing the target workpiece), MAP action (scanning the target station) and HOME action (the robot returns to the initial position). Among them, the target workpiece refers to the object of each robot action (i.e., wafer or wafer box). The HOME action is usually performed during the initialization stage of the machine moving parts or when the robot action fails and the robot needs to be maintained.

[0004] However, when the existing robot performs the HOME action, the wafer box may interfere with the fasteners or fixed parts on the workstation, thereby straining the robot arm and affecting the robot's transfer accuracy, or directly causing the wafer box to fall from the robot or the workstation, resulting in the loss of the entire box of wafers. Alternatively, the robot's fingers (i.e., Fork) may rub against the wafer, causing the wafer to be scratched, or even pulling the wafer out of the wafer carrying slot (i.e., Slot) of the wafer box, causing it to fall and cause a fragmentation accident. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and proposes a method for returning a manipulator in a semiconductor heat treatment device and semiconductor heat treatment equipment, so that the manipulator can safely return to the initial position, thereby improving the maintenance efficiency of the machine while ensuring safety.

[0006] To achieve the purpose of the present invention, a first aspect provides a method for homing a robot in a semiconductor heat treatment device, comprising the following steps:

[0007] S1, judging whether the manipulator is located in the dangerous area of ​​any workstation according to the current position information of the manipulator and the predefined dangerous areas of each workstation; if so, proceeding to step S2; if not, proceeding to step S3;

[0008] S2, detecting the current load-bearing state of the manipulator, and according to the current load-bearing state, controlling the manipulator to return to the initial position by adopting a preset safe homing method corresponding to the current load-bearing state;

[0009] S3, controlling the manipulator to return to the initial position using a preset normal homing method.

[0010] Optionally, the determining whether the robot is located in the dangerous area of ​​any workstation includes:

[0011] Determine whether the manipulator meets the following conditions:

[0012] R≥R N -r;

[0013] θ N -θ Δ <θ<θ N +θ Δ ;

[0014] Z N -Z btm <Z<Z N +Z top ;

[0015] Wherein, R is the coordinate of the center point of the current carrying surface of the manipulator in the direction of the manipulator extension; R N is the reference coordinate of the reference point of the workstation in the extension direction of the robot; r is the distance between the projection edge of the workpiece on the robot and the reference point of the workstation along the extension direction of the robot; θ is the coordinate of the center point of the current bearing surface of the robot in the rotation direction of the robot; θ N is the reference coordinate of the reference point of the workstation in the direction of rotation of the robot; Δ is relative to the θ N , the maximum angle of interference between the manipulator and the workstation in the direction of rotation of the manipulator; Z is the coordinate of the center point of the current carrying surface of the manipulator in the lifting direction; Z N is the reference coordinate of the reference point of the workstation in the lifting direction; btm is the downward offset in the lifting direction relative to the reference point of the workpiece when the manipulator performs the picking and placing action; top It is the rising offset in the lifting direction relative to the reference point of the workpiece when the manipulator performs the picking and placing action;

[0016] If the manipulator meets the condition, determining that the manipulator is located in the dangerous area of ​​one of the workstations;

[0017] If the robot does not meet the condition, it is determined that the robot is not located in the dangerous area of ​​any of the workstations.

[0018] Optionally, step S2 includes:

[0019] S21, determining whether there is a workpiece on the robot arm, if yes, proceeding to step S22; if not, proceeding to step S23;

[0020] S22, judging whether the position of the workpiece on the robot is correct, if it is correct, proceeding to step S24; if it is not correct, issuing a message indicating homing failure;

[0021] S23, controlling the manipulator to return to the initial position using a preset first safe homing method;

[0022] S24, controlling the manipulator to return to the initial position using a preset second safe homing method;

[0023] Among them, the first safe homing method is to first control the manipulator to descend by a first preset offset so that it moves out of the dangerous area, and then use the normal homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position; the second safe homing method is to first control the manipulator to rise by a second preset offset so that it moves out of the dangerous area, and then use the normal homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position.

[0024] Optionally, the adopting a preset normal homing mode to control the manipulator to return to an initial position includes:

[0025] The manipulator is controlled to move in a direction close to an initial position in sequence along a manipulator extension direction, a manipulator rotation direction, and a lifting direction until the manipulator returns to the initial position.

[0026] Optionally, the step S21 includes:

[0027] It is determined whether the workpiece is detected by the on-site sensor among the multiple on-site sensors on the robot. If yes, it is determined that the workpiece is present on the robot; if no, it is determined that the workpiece is not present on the robot.

[0028] Optionally, the step S22 includes:

[0029] It is determined whether the multiple in-position sensors on the manipulator all detect the workpiece. If so, it is determined that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is correct; if not, it is determined that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is incorrect.

[0030] Optionally, the step S1 includes:

[0031] S11, setting the workstation number N of the workstation to 1;

[0032] S12, judging whether the manipulator is located in the dangerous area of ​​the Nth workstation according to the current position information of the manipulator and the predefined dangerous areas of each workstation; if so, proceeding to step S2; if not, adding 1 to N and proceeding to step S13;

[0033] S13, determine whether N is greater than the total number of the workstations, if so, proceed to step S3; if not, return to step S12.

[0034] To achieve the purpose of the present invention, on the other hand, a semiconductor heat treatment device is provided, comprising a workpiece bearing structure, a manipulator, and a controller, wherein the workpiece bearing structure is provided with a plurality of stations for bearing workpieces, wherein:

[0035] The controller is configured to determine whether the manipulator is located in the dangerous area of ​​any workstation based on the current position information of the manipulator and the pre-defined dangerous areas of each workstation; when it is determined that the manipulator is located in the dangerous area of ​​one of the workstations, detect the current load-bearing state of the manipulator, and based on the current load-bearing state, control the manipulator to return to the initial position using a preset safe homing method corresponding to the current load-bearing state; when it is determined that the manipulator is not located in the dangerous area of ​​any of the workstations, control the manipulator to return to the initial position using a preset normal homing method.

[0036] Optionally, the controller is further configured to determine whether the manipulator has the workpiece; when it is determined that the manipulator has the workpiece, determine whether the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is correct; when it is determined that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is correct, use a preset second safe homing method to control the manipulator to return to an initial position; when it is determined that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is incorrect, send a message indicating homing failure; when it is determined that the manipulator does not have the workpiece, use a preset first safe homing method to control the manipulator to return to an initial position;

[0037] Among them, the first safe homing method is to first control the manipulator to descend by a first preset offset so that it moves out of the dangerous area, and then use the normal homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position; the second safe homing method is to first control the manipulator to rise by a second preset offset so that it moves out of the dangerous area, and then use the normal homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position.

[0038] Optionally, the manipulator is provided with a plurality of in-position sensors;

[0039] The control is also configured to determine whether any of the multiple in-place sensors on the manipulator has detected the workpiece, and when the in-place sensor detects the workpiece, determine that the workpiece is present on the manipulator; when no in-place sensor detects the workpiece, determine that the workpiece is not present on the manipulator; and / or determine whether all of the multiple in-place sensors on the manipulator have detected the workpiece, and when all of the multiple in-place sensors have detected the workpiece, determine that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is correct; when not all of the multiple in-place sensors have detected the workpiece, determine that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is incorrect.

[0040] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0041] The manipulator homing method provided by the present invention first determines whether the manipulator is located in a dangerous area of ​​any workstation before controlling the manipulator to return to the initial position. When the manipulator is located in the dangerous area, the manipulator is controlled to return to the initial position by a preset safe homing method corresponding to the current carrying state according to the current carrying state of the manipulator, thereby repairing the security loophole existing in the HOME action of the existing manipulator, avoiding the loss of broken pieces caused by the HOME action of the manipulator, effectively ensuring the safety of the manipulator when returning to the HOME position, improving the reliability of the machine, and effectively improving the maintainability of the manipulator, especially when the position of the wafer box relative to the STM manipulator or the position of the wafer relative to the WTM manipulator is not easy to observe, the manipulator can be conveniently restored to the initial position and ensure safety. Moreover, the manipulator homing method can be implemented under existing hardware conditions without increasing hardware costs and modification costs. . BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] Figure 1 A flowchart of a manipulator homing method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a workpiece picking / placing path provided by a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 3a Schematic diagram of the robot's arm's range of motion when it takes and places a wafer box at a certain station;

[0045] Figure 3b Schematic diagram of the range of motion of the robot's fingers when it takes and places a wafer at a certain station;

[0046] Figure 4 A logic flow chart of a manipulator homing method provided in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The present application is described in detail below, and examples of embodiments of the present application are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar components or components with the same or similar functions. In addition, if the detailed description of the known technology is unnecessary for the features of the present application shown, it will be omitted. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present application, and cannot be interpreted as limiting the present application.

[0048] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in general dictionaries should be understood to have meanings consistent with those in the context of the prior art, and will not be interpreted with idealized or overly formal meanings unless specifically defined as here.

[0049] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise stated, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" used herein may also include plural forms. It should be understood that when we refer to an element as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it may be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or there may be intermediate elements. In addition, "connected" or "coupled" as used herein may include wireless connections or wireless couplings. The term "and / or" as used herein includes all or any unit and all combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0050] The technical solution of the present application and how the technical solution of the present application solves the above-mentioned technical problems are described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0051] Please refer to Figure 1 , a method for returning a manipulator in a semiconductor heat treatment device provided in this embodiment can be applied to a control system of the manipulator to safely return the manipulator to its initial position and avoid the loss of broken pieces caused by the manipulator in the process of returning to its initial position. Figure 1 As shown, the method may include the following steps:

[0052] Step S1, judging whether the manipulator is located in the dangerous area of ​​any workstation according to the current position information of the manipulator and the predefined dangerous areas of each workstation; if so, proceeding to step S2; if not, proceeding to step S3.

[0053] Among them, the current position information of the manipulator can be understood as the relative position of the manipulator and its current (or closest) workstation. The dangerous area of ​​the workstation can be understood as when the manipulator returns to the initial position from this area, it may interfere with the parts (such as positioning pins or fixed brackets, etc.) at the workstation, causing the transmission accuracy of the manipulator to decrease, or causing the transmitted workpiece (such as a wafer box or wafer, etc.) to be scratched or dropped, causing fragmentation accidents, etc. For example, if the manipulator (STM, mainly used for the transmission of wafer boxes between the wafer box loading area and the temporary storage area) for transporting wafer boxes (FOUP / Casstter) directly performs the HOME (return to the initial position) action in the dangerous area, it may cause the wafer box to interfere with the positioning pins or brackets on the workstation, thereby straining the arm (ARM) of the manipulator and affecting the transmission or wafer retrieval accuracy, or directly causing the wafer box to fall from the manipulator or the workstation, resulting in the loss of the entire box of wafers (Wafer) in fragments. For example, if a wafer handling robot (WTM, mainly used for transferring wafers in the wafer loading area) directly performs a HOME (return to the initial position) action in a hazardous area, it may cause the robot's fingers (Fork) to scrape against the wafer, or even pull the wafer out of the wafer carrying slot (i.e., Slot) and drop it, resulting in a fragmentation accident.

[0054] In the actual control process of the robot, the control system determines the coordinates of the reference point of each workstation and the current position coordinates of the robot according to the pre-established three-axis (Z, θ, R) coordinate system, where the Z-axis direction represents the lifting direction of the robot, the θ-axis direction represents the rotation direction of the robot (arm / finger), and the R-axis direction represents the extension direction of the robot (arm / finger). The coordinates of the reference point of the workstation can be recorded as (Z N ,θ N , R N ), where Z N Indicates the coordinate of the center of the bearing surface of the robot in the Z-axis direction when the robot just touches the target workpiece, θ N It represents the coordinate of the center of the bearing surface in the θ-axis direction when the telescopic end of the manipulator faces the target workpiece. N It indicates the coordinate of the center of the bearing surface in the R-axis direction when the robot extends toward the target workpiece it is facing until the center of its bearing surface coincides with the center of the target workpiece.

[0055] Based on the above definition of the coordinates of the coordinate system and the reference points of the workstation, Figure 3a and Figure 3b As shown, for any workstation, it is determined whether the robot is located in the dangerous area of ​​any workstation ( Figure 3a and Figure 3b The shaded part in the figure includes: judging whether the robot meets the following conditions:

[0056] R≥RN -r;

[0057] θ N -θ Δ <θ<θ N +θ Δ ;

[0058] Z N -Z btm <Z<Z N +Z top ;

[0059] Where R is the coordinate of the center point of the current manipulator's carrying surface in the R-axis direction; R N is the reference coordinate of the workstation's reference point in the R-axis direction; Figure 3a and Figure 3b As shown, r is the distance between the projected edge of the workpiece on the robot (arm / finger) and the reference point of the workstation along the R-axis direction, which is usually half of the size of the workpiece in the R-axis direction.

[0060] The above θ is the coordinate of the center point of the current manipulator's carrying surface in the manipulator's rotation direction; θ N is the reference coordinate of the workstation's reference point in the direction of robot rotation; Figure 3a and Figure 3b As shown, θ Δ is relative to θ N , the maximum angle at which the robot and the workstation interfere with each other in the direction of rotation of the robot.

[0061] The above Z is the coordinate of the center point of the manipulator's carrying surface in the lifting direction at the current moment; Z N Z is the reference coordinate of the reference point of a workstation in the lifting direction; btm Z is the downward offset in the lifting direction relative to the reference point of the workpiece when the robot is picking up and placing parts; top It is the rising offset in the lifting direction relative to the reference point of the workpiece when the robot is picking up and placing parts.

[0062] When the robot is actually performing the pick-and-place action, whether it is the above-mentioned STM or WTM, it executes the GET action by entering from a reference point lower than the target station and then exiting from a reference point higher than the target station. The absolute difference (absolute value of the difference) between the Z-axis coordinate of the center of the bearing surface when the robot enters from the lowest point and the Z-axis coordinate of the reference point of the target station is the above-mentioned Z btm The absolute difference between the Z-axis coordinate of the center of the bearing surface and the Z-axis coordinate of the reference point of the target station when the robot withdraws from the highest point is the above Z topWhen the robot performs the PUT action, it enters from a reference point higher than the target station and then exits from a reference point lower than the target station. The absolute difference between the Z-axis coordinate of the center of the load-bearing surface when the robot enters from the highest point and the Z-axis coordinate of the reference point of the target station is the above Z top The absolute difference between the Z-axis coordinate of the center of the bearing surface and the Z-axis coordinate of the reference point of the target station when the robot withdraws from the lowest point is the above Z btm .

[0063] like Figure 2 As shown in the figure, taking the GET action as an example, Point3 is the reference point of the robot for the GET / PUT action station. After the robot moves to the pre-take position Point1, the arm begins to extend to Point2 (action trajectory 1), and then rises along the Z axis to Point3 (action trajectory 2). The robot contacts the target workpiece (referring to the object of the robot action, such as a wafer box, wafer, etc.), and then continues to rise with the workpiece to Point4, lifts the target workpiece (action trajectory 3), and finally retracts the arm to Point5 (action trajectory 3). Among them, the robot usually does not interfere with the parts on the station when it returns to the initial position from a position lower than or equal to Point2 (Point1) or higher than or equal to Point4 (Point5), which can be regarded as normal return; while the robot may be in the above-mentioned dangerous area when it is located between Point2 and Point3 or between Point 3 and Point4. The robot returns to the initial position from a position between Point2 and Point3 or between Point 3 and Point4, which can be regarded as abnormal return.

[0064] In practical applications, if the robot meets the above conditions, it is determined that the robot is located in a dangerous area of ​​a workstation; if the robot does not meet the above conditions, it is determined that the robot is not located in a dangerous area of ​​any workstation.

[0065] In a specific implementation manner of this embodiment, there are usually multiple workstations, and each workstation can be traversed by assigning values ​​to detect whether the robot is located in the dangerous area of ​​any workstation. Accordingly, step S1 may specifically include the following processing: S11, setting the workstation number N of the workstation to 1; S12, judging whether the robot is located in the dangerous area of ​​the Nth workstation based on the current position information of the robot and the pre-defined dangerous areas of each workstation; if so, proceed to step S2; if not, add 1 to N and proceed to step S13; S13, judging whether N is greater than the total number of workstations, if so, proceed to step S3; if not, return to step S12, thereby realizing accurate detection of whether the robot is located in the dangerous area of ​​any workstation.

[0066] Step S2, detecting the current load-bearing state of the manipulator, and according to the current load-bearing state, controlling the manipulator to return to the initial position by using a preset safe homing method corresponding to the current load-bearing state.

[0067] The carrying status may include three types: there is no workpiece on the manipulator, there is a workpiece on the manipulator and the position of the workpiece is correct, and there is a workpiece on the manipulator and the position of the workpiece is incorrect.

[0068] Correspondingly, the above-mentioned step S2 may specifically include the following processing: S21, determine whether there is a workpiece on the manipulator, if yes, proceed to step S22; if not, proceed to step S23; S22, determine whether the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is correct, if correct, proceed to step S24; if incorrect, issue a message indicating homing failure; S23, use a preset first safe homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position; S24, use a preset second safe homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position.

[0069] Among them, the first safe homing method is to first control the manipulator to descend by a first preset offset to move it out of the dangerous area, and then use the normal homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position; the second safe homing method is to first control the manipulator to rise by a second preset offset to move it out of the dangerous area, and then use the normal homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position.

[0070] Specifically, the first preset offset may be greater than or equal to the Z btm , the second preset offset may be greater than or equal to the Z top , to ensure that the robot can leave the above-mentioned dangerous area after descending the first preset offset or ascending the second preset offset, thereby ensuring that the robot will not interfere with the parts on the workstation when performing the normal HOME action.

[0071] In another specific implementation of this embodiment, the current load-bearing state of the manipulator can be detected by an in-place sensor. Usually, multiple in-place sensors are set on the manipulator corresponding to various parts of the workpiece to ensure the accuracy of the detection. Accordingly, the above step S21 can specifically include the following processing: determine whether there is an in-place sensor among the multiple in-place sensors on the manipulator that detects the workpiece. If no in-place sensor detects the workpiece, it is determined that there is no workpiece on the manipulator. The manipulator can be controlled to drop by a first preset offset to move it out of the danger zone (similar to the PUT action, which can prevent the manipulator from interfering with the parts on the workstation when it moves out of the danger zone), and then the manipulator is controlled to return to the initial position in a normal homing manner. If any in-place sensor detects the workpiece, it is determined that there is a workpiece on the manipulator; further detection is required to determine whether the position of the workpiece is correct to prevent damage to the workpiece during the manipulator's return to the initial position.

[0072] Further, after determining that there is a workpiece on the manipulator, the position of the workpiece can be detected by the number of in-situ sensors that detect the workpiece. Accordingly, the above step S22 can specifically include the following processing: determine whether the multiple in-situ sensors on the manipulator have all detected the workpiece. If so, determine that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is correct, first control the manipulator to rise by a second preset offset so that it can move out of the dangerous area with the workpiece (similar to the GET action, which can prevent the manipulator from interfering with the parts on the workstation when moving out of the dangerous area), and then use the normal homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position. If any in-situ sensor does not detect the workpiece, it is determined that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is incorrect, and the control system can issue a message indicating homing failure, which can include one or more information in sound, light, and electricity to issue a prompt alarm to remind manual intervention to carefully observe and determine the dangerous situation, and the manipulator can be moved back to the non-dangerous area by jogging the hand operator (or the manipulator can be directly returned to the initial position by jogging the hand operator).

[0073] In another specific implementation of this embodiment, it is possible to determine how to control the manipulator to leave the danger zone based on the relative position of the manipulator and the workstation in the height direction. Specifically, if the manipulator is above the reference position of the workstation, the manipulator is moved upward until the manipulator is located in the non-dangerous area of ​​the workstation (the area of ​​a certain workstation other than the dangerous area); if the manipulator is below the reference position of the workstation, the manipulator is moved downward until the manipulator is located in the non-dangerous area of ​​the workstation. In this way, the manipulator can be moved to the non-dangerous area more accurately and safely to avoid scratches or scrapes on the workpiece or even falling off during the process of moving the manipulator to the non-dangerous area in the event of an in-place sensor detection error. For example, if it is detected that there is no film on the manipulator, but there is actually a film, lowering the manipulator may cause the workpiece on the manipulator to interfere with the parts on the workstation, causing the workpiece to be scratched or falling off.

[0074] Step S3, using a preset normal homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position.

[0075] Among them, the normal homing method can be understood as the robot arm from Figure 2 The position of Point4 in the figure directly performs the HOME action and returns to the initial position Point1. Accordingly, the preset normal homing method is used to control the manipulator to return to the initial position, which may include the following processing: controlling the manipulator to move in the direction close to the initial position along the R-axis direction, the manipulator rotation direction and the lifting direction in sequence until the manipulator returns to the initial position.

[0076] In a specific implementation of this embodiment, if Figure 4 As shown, the specific operation process of the homing method of the manipulator in the semiconductor heat treatment equipment is as follows:

[0077] 1) When controlling the robot to perform the HOME action, first select the target station closest to the robot according to the current position coordinates of the robot. The target station can also be a preset station, such as the lowest or highest station. The station number of the target station is assigned N=1, and it is judged whether the robot is located in the dangerous area of ​​the target station (the current position coordinates of the robot can be compared with the dangerous area range of the target station); if not, select the target stations in a specified order (for example, along the direction away from the target station assigned N=1, from low to high, or from high to low), and assign the station number of the target station N=N+1, and judge whether the robot is located in the dangerous area of ​​the target station in turn. In this way, the current position coordinates of the robot are compared with the dangerous area range from station 1 to station N in turn. When the station number N is greater than the total number of stations of the machine, it can be determined that the robot is not in the dangerous area of ​​any station from station 1 to station N, and the robot can be directly controlled to return to the initial position in a normal homing manner. That is, first execute the arm return action of the manipulator so that its R-axis coordinate is the coordinate of the HOME position, then rotate the arm so that its θ-axis coordinate is the coordinate of the HOME position, and then raise or lower the manipulator so that its Z-axis coordinate is the coordinate of the HOME position;

[0078] 2) When the robot is detected in the dangerous area of ​​one of the stations 1 to N:

[0079] ① When the in-position sensor on the robot arm shows Placement (i.e. the workpiece is placed normally: the in-position sensors on the arm / finger detect the workpiece), first raise the robot arm so that its Z-axis coordinate reaches (Z0+Z top ), and then control the robot to return to the initial position according to the above normal homing method, and feedback the HOME action completion information.

[0080] ② When the in-position sensor on the robot is detected as Absent (i.e. no workpiece: the in-position sensors on the arm / finger detect that there is no workpiece), first lower the robot so that its Z-axis coordinate reaches (Z0-Z btm ), and then control the robot to return to the initial position according to the above normal homing method, and feedback the HOME action completion information.

[0081] ③ When it is detected that the in-place sensor on the manipulator shows Present (i.e. the workpiece is placed abnormally: the in-place sensors on the arm / finger have and only some of the sensors detect the presence of the workpiece), the manipulator can stop at the current position, feedback the information of homing failure, and issue a prompt alarm (such as ErrorCode information). At this time, manual intervention can be carried out to carefully observe and determine the dangerous situation, and the manipulator can be returned to the non-dangerous area by jogging the hand operator (or the manipulator can be directly returned to the initial position by jogging the hand operator).

[0082] In summary, the manipulator homing method provided in this embodiment, before controlling the manipulator to return to the initial position, first determines whether the manipulator is located in the dangerous area of ​​any workstation, and when the manipulator is located in the dangerous area, according to the current load state of the manipulator, a preset safe homing method corresponding to the current load state is used to control the manipulator to return to the initial position, thereby repairing the security loopholes existing in the existing manipulator HOME action, avoiding the loss of fragments caused by the manipulator HOME action, effectively ensuring the safety of the manipulator when returning to the HOME, and improving the reliability of the machine. The maintainability of the manipulator is effectively improved, especially when the position of the chip box relative to the STM manipulator or the chip relative to the WTM manipulator is not easy to observe, the manipulator can be easily restored to the initial position and ensure safety. Moreover, this manipulator homing method can be implemented under existing hardware conditions, without increasing hardware costs and modification costs.

[0083] Based on the same concept as the above-mentioned manipulator homing method, this embodiment also provides a semiconductor heat treatment device, including a workpiece carrying structure, a manipulator, and a controller. The workpiece carrying structure is provided with a plurality of stations for carrying workpieces, wherein:

[0084] The controller is configured to determine whether the manipulator is located in a dangerous area of ​​any workstation based on the manipulator's current position information and pre-defined dangerous areas of each workstation; when it is determined that the manipulator is located in a dangerous area of ​​a workstation, detect the manipulator's current load-bearing state, and based on the current load-bearing state, use a preset safe homing method corresponding to the current load-bearing state to control the manipulator to return to an initial position; when it is determined that the manipulator is not located in a dangerous area of ​​any workstation, use a preset normal homing method to control the manipulator to return to an initial position.

[0085] The semiconductor heat treatment equipment provided in this embodiment can at least achieve the beneficial effects that can be achieved by the above-mentioned method for homing the manipulator of the semiconductor heat treatment equipment, which will not be described in detail here.

[0086] In a specific implementation manner of the present embodiment, the controller is further configured to determine whether there is a workpiece on the manipulator; when it is determined that there is a workpiece on the manipulator, determine whether the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is correct; when it is determined that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is correct, use a preset second safe homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position; when it is determined that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is incorrect, send a message indicating homing failure; when it is determined that there is no workpiece on the manipulator, use a preset first safe homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position;

[0087] Among them, the first safe homing method is to first control the manipulator to descend by a first preset offset to move it out of the dangerous area, and then use the normal homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position; the second safe homing method is to first control the manipulator to rise by a second preset offset to move it out of the dangerous area, and then use the normal homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position.

[0088] In another specific implementation of this embodiment, a plurality of in-position sensors are provided on the manipulator. The control is further configured to determine whether any of the plurality of in-position sensors on the manipulator detects the workpiece, and when an in-position sensor detects the workpiece, determine that there is a workpiece on the manipulator; when no in-position sensor detects the workpiece, determine that there is no workpiece on the manipulator; and / or, determine whether all of the plurality of in-position sensors on the manipulator detect the workpiece, and when all of the plurality of in-position sensors detect the workpiece, determine that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is correct; when all of the plurality of in-position sensors do not detect the workpiece, determine that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is incorrect.

[0089] It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0090] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0091] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0092] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0093] In the description of this specification, specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in an appropriate manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0094] The above are only some implementation methods of the present application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the present application. These improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for homing a manipulator in a semiconductor heat treatment device, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1, judging whether the manipulator is located in the dangerous area of ​​any workstation according to the current position information of the manipulator and the predefined dangerous areas of each workstation; if so, proceeding to step S2; if not, proceeding to step S3; S2, detecting the current load-bearing state of the manipulator, and according to the current load-bearing state, controlling the manipulator to return to the initial position by adopting a preset safe homing method corresponding to the current load-bearing state; S3, using a preset normal homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position; wherein, The determining whether the robot is located in the dangerous area of ​​any workstation includes: Determine whether the manipulator meets the following conditions: R≥R N -r; i N -θ Δ <θ<θ N +θ Δ ; WITH N -WITH btm <Z<Z N +Z top ; Wherein, R is the coordinate of the center point of the current carrying surface of the manipulator in the direction of the manipulator extension; R N is the reference coordinate of the reference point of the workstation in the extension direction of the robot; r is the distance between the projection edge of the workpiece on the robot and the reference point of the workstation along the extension direction of the robot; θ is the coordinate of the center point of the current bearing surface of the robot in the rotation direction of the robot; θ N is the reference coordinate of the reference point of the workstation in the direction of rotation of the robot; Δ is relative to the θ N , the maximum angle of interference between the manipulator and the workstation in the direction of rotation of the manipulator; Z is the coordinate of the center point of the current carrying surface of the manipulator in the lifting direction; Z N is the reference coordinate of the reference point of the workstation in the lifting direction; btm is the downward offset in the lifting direction relative to the reference point of the workpiece when the manipulator performs the picking and placing action; top It is the rising offset in the lifting direction relative to the reference point of the workpiece when the manipulator performs the picking and placing action; If the manipulator meets the condition, determining that the manipulator is located in the dangerous area of ​​one of the workstations; If the robot does not meet the condition, it is determined that the robot is not located in the dangerous area of ​​any of the workstations.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The step S2 comprises: S21, determining whether there is a workpiece on the robot arm, if yes, proceeding to step S22; if not, proceeding to step S23; S22, judging whether the position of the workpiece on the robot is correct, if it is correct, proceeding to step S24; if it is not correct, issuing a message indicating homing failure; S23, controlling the manipulator to return to the initial position using a preset first safe homing method; S24, controlling the manipulator to return to the initial position using a preset second safe homing method; Among them, the first safe homing method is to first control the manipulator to descend by a first preset offset so that it moves out of the dangerous area, and then use the normal homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position; the second safe homing method is to first control the manipulator to rise by a second preset offset so that it moves out of the dangerous area, and then use the normal homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The method of controlling the manipulator to return to the initial position by adopting a preset normal homing method includes: The manipulator is controlled to move in a direction close to an initial position in sequence along a manipulator extension direction, a manipulator rotation direction, and a lifting direction until the manipulator returns to the initial position.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step S21 comprises: It is determined whether the workpiece is detected by the on-site sensor among the multiple on-site sensors on the robot. If yes, it is determined that the workpiece is present on the robot; if no, it is determined that the workpiece is not present on the robot.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step S22 comprises: It is determined whether the multiple in-position sensors on the manipulator all detect the workpiece. If so, it is determined that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is correct; if not, it is determined that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is incorrect.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The step S1 comprises: S11, setting the workstation number N of the workstation to 1; S12, judging whether the manipulator is located in the dangerous area of ​​the Nth workstation according to the current position information of the manipulator and the predefined dangerous areas of each workstation; if so, proceeding to step S2; if not, adding 1 to N and proceeding to step S13; S13, determine whether N is greater than the total number of the workstations, if so, proceed to step S3; if not, return to step S12.

7. A semiconductor heat treatment device, characterized in that: It includes a workpiece bearing structure, a manipulator, and a controller. The workpiece bearing structure is provided with a plurality of stations for bearing workpieces, wherein: The controller is configured to determine whether the manipulator is located in the dangerous area of ​​any workstation based on the current position information of the manipulator and the predefined dangerous areas of each workstation; when it is determined that the manipulator is located in the dangerous area of ​​one of the workstations, detect the current load-bearing state of the manipulator, and according to the current load-bearing state, control the manipulator to return to the initial position by adopting a preset safe homing method corresponding to the current load-bearing state; when it is determined that the manipulator is not located in the dangerous area of ​​any of the workstations, control the manipulator to return to the initial position by adopting a preset normal homing method; The determining whether the robot is located in the dangerous area of ​​any workstation includes: Determine whether the manipulator meets the following conditions: R≥R N -r; i N -θ Δ <θ<θ N +θ Δ ; WITH N -WITH btm <Z<Z N +Z top ; Wherein, R is the coordinate of the center point of the current carrying surface of the manipulator in the direction of the manipulator extension; R N is the reference coordinate of the reference point of the workstation in the extension direction of the robot; r is the distance between the projection edge of the workpiece on the robot and the reference point of the workstation along the extension direction of the robot; θ is the coordinate of the center point of the current bearing surface of the robot in the rotation direction of the robot; θ N is the reference coordinate of the reference point of the workstation in the direction of rotation of the robot; Δ is relative to the θ N , the maximum angle of interference between the manipulator and the workstation in the direction of rotation of the manipulator; Z is the coordinate of the center point of the current carrying surface of the manipulator in the lifting direction; Z N is the reference coordinate of the reference point of the workstation in the lifting direction; btm is the downward offset in the lifting direction relative to the reference point of the workpiece when the manipulator performs the picking and placing action; top It is the rising offset in the lifting direction relative to the reference point of the workpiece when the manipulator performs the picking and placing action; If the manipulator meets the condition, determining that the manipulator is located in the dangerous area of ​​one of the workstations; If the robot does not meet the condition, it is determined that the robot is not located in the dangerous area of ​​any of the workstations.

8. The semiconductor heat treatment equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The controller is further configured to determine whether the manipulator has the workpiece; when it is determined that the manipulator has the workpiece, determine whether the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is correct; when it is determined that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is correct, use a preset second safe homing method to control the manipulator to return to an initial position; when it is determined that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is incorrect, send a message indicating homing failure; when it is determined that the manipulator does not have the workpiece, use a preset first safe homing method to control the manipulator to return to an initial position; Among them, the first safe homing method is to first control the manipulator to descend by a first preset offset so that it moves out of the dangerous area, and then use the normal homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position; the second safe homing method is to first control the manipulator to rise by a second preset offset so that it moves out of the dangerous area, and then use the normal homing method to control the manipulator to return to the initial position.

9. The semiconductor heat treatment equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that: The manipulator is provided with a plurality of in-position sensors; The control is also configured to determine whether any of the multiple in-place sensors on the manipulator detects the workpiece, and when the in-place sensor detects the workpiece, determine that the workpiece is present on the manipulator; when no in-place sensor detects the workpiece, determine that the workpiece is not present on the manipulator; and / or determine whether all of the multiple in-place sensors on the manipulator detect the workpiece, and when all of the multiple in-place sensors detect the workpiece, determine that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is correct; when not all of the multiple in-place sensors detect the workpiece, determine that the position of the workpiece on the manipulator is incorrect.

Images