Wafer carrier loading device and loading method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a loading device and method for a wafer carrier. The carrier, a main correction mechanism, a wafer correction mechanism and a feeding mechanism are respectively built within the activity range of the first and second mechanical arms. The first mechanical arm is provided with an image capture component and a wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism. The second mechanical arm is provided with a wafer pick-up and placement mechanism. The first mechanical arm drives the image capture component and the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism to move to the main correction mechanism, and respectively corrects their imaging ranges and operating positions. The image capture component is matched to one of the wafer discs on the carrier. The wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism removes the wafer positioning component on the wafer disc. The second mechanical arm drives the wafer pick-up and placement mechanism to the main correction mechanism, and corrects its operating position. The feeding mechanism takes out the wafer and places it on the wafer correction mechanism. The notch of the wafer is adjusted to the correct angle. The wafer is then moved to the wafer disc. The image capture component is used to confirm whether the wafer is complete. The wafer positioning component is then combined with the wafer disc and pressed on the periphery of the wafer to form a positioning.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wafer carrier loading device and a loading method thereof, and in particular to a loading device and a method which can reduce labor costs and ensure the direction and accuracy of wafers placed on the wafer carrier. Background Art

[0002] The manufacturing process of general integrated circuits (ICs) can be mainly divided into three parts: silicon wafer manufacturing, integrated circuit production and integrated circuit packaging. After the silicon crystal rod is cut into wafers, it needs to go through a number of complicated processes such as yellow light, crystal growth, etching, mechanical grinding, etc. before the integrated circuit can be made. In the above manufacturing process, when the wafer is undergoing processes such as testing, cleaning, evaporation, drying or soaking in organic solvents, in order to effectively fix the wafer for processing, each wafer needs to be fixed on a wafer tray first, and each wafer tray carries each wafer to carry out the processing operations of the above processes.

[0003] The basic structure of the wafer disk in the prior art is a disk body with an area slightly larger than the outer diameter of the wafer. A detachable annular frame is provided on the top of the disk body to define a position for accommodating the wafer, and at least two snap-fitting mechanisms are provided on the periphery of the disk body. The snap-fitting mechanisms can be used to clamp the annular frame to press on the periphery of the wafer to form a positioning.

[0004] In actual applications, in order to process a large number of wafers at the same time, at least two wafer trays are usually placed on a large-area carrier. The carrier can accommodate multiple wafer trays and move them to different processing procedures at the same time, thereby effectively increasing the efficiency of wafer processing.

[0005] With the gradual popularization of automated processing, the use of robotic arms to place and fix each wafer on each wafer tray in the carrier can not only save a lot of manpower, but also reduce production costs and improve processing efficiency. This has become an inevitable trend. Since general wafer processing has extremely high precision requirements, a flat notch is set on the edge of the wafer to ensure its placement accuracy. This also forms a restriction on the placement direction of the wafer. Therefore, how to overcome the requirements and restrictions of wafer placement direction and accuracy under the operation requirements of using robotic arms to place each wafer is a topic that all related industries urgently need to work hard on.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings of the processing device and method of placing the wafer on the wafer carrier in the prior art, the inventor has studied ways to improve these shortcomings, and finally the present invention is produced. Summary of the invention

[0007] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a wafer carrier loading device and a loading method thereof, mainly comprising a first robot arm provided with an image capturing component and a wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism, a second robot arm provided with a wafer placing and taking mechanism, and a carrier, a main correction mechanism, a wafer correction mechanism and a feeding mechanism respectively built within the activity range of the first and second robots, firstly the image capturing component is driven to the main correction mechanism by the first robot arm to correct the accuracy of its imaging range, then the first robot arm drives the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism to the main correction mechanism to correct its operating position, and memorizes the relative position coordinates between the imaging range of the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism and the image capturing component, then the image capturing component is moved above the carrier to obtain the image of one of the wafers on the carrier and correctly correspond, and then the first robot arm refers to the relative position coordinates to obtain the image of one of the wafers on the carrier. The wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism is driven to align with the wafer disk, and the wafer positioning component pre-fixed on the periphery of the wafer disk is taken out. The second robot arm drives the wafer pick-up and placement mechanism to the main correction mechanism to correct the operating position of the wafer pick-up and placement mechanism. The wafer pick-up and placement mechanism then takes out the wafer to be processed from the feeding mechanism and places it on the wafer correction mechanism to obtain the code of the wafer and adjust the notch of the wafer to the correct angle. The wafer is then moved to the wafer disk by the wafer pick-up and placement mechanism. Finally, the first robot arm drives the image capture component to the carrier to confirm whether the wafer on the wafer disk is complete, and then drives the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism to combine the wafer positioning component with the wafer disk. The wafer positioning component can be pressed on the periphery of the wafer to form a positioning, so as to complete an automated processing operation of correctly and quickly moving each wafer to the wafer carrier.

[0008] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose and effect, the technical means implemented by the present invention include: a wafer carrier loading device, at least including: a first robot arm, connected to and driven by a control module, at least one image capture component is provided on the movable end of the first robot arm; a second robot arm, connected to and driven by the control module, at least one wafer pick-up and placement mechanism is provided on the movable end of the second robot arm; a carrier, arranged within the movable range of the first and second robots, and connected to and driven by the control module, at least one wafer plate for holding wafers is provided on the carrier; a main correction mechanism, arranged within the movable range of the first and second robots, and connected to and driven by the control module, for respectively correcting the positions of the image capture component and the wafer pick-up and placement mechanism; a wafer correction mechanism, arranged within the movable range of the second robot arm, and connected to and driven by the control module, for reading the code of the placed wafer and adjusting the notch of the wafer; a feeding mechanism, arranged within the movable range of the second robot arm, for accommodating at least two wafers to be processed.

[0009] According to the above structure, each wafer is fixed on the wafer plate through a lockable wafer positioning member, and a wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism for loading and unloading the wafer positioning member is further provided on the movable end of the first robot arm.

[0010] According to the above structure, the image capture component has an upper imaging component that can generate illumination light, the main correction mechanism has a lower imaging component, a transparent sheet is provided above the lower imaging component, and a standard scale is provided on the transparent sheet as a positioning reference; the wafer positioning part loading and unloading mechanism has a positioning surface, and a positioning scale is provided on the positioning surface; the wafer placement mechanism has a wafer suction cup that can absorb the wafer, and an indicator scale is provided on the wafer suction cup.

[0011] According to the above structure, the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism is provided with at least three laser light sources outside the positioning surface.

[0012] According to the above structure, the main correction mechanism is provided with a distance measuring laser light source beside the lower imaging component.

[0013] According to the above structure, the feeding mechanism is a material magazine with a receiving space inside. The material magazine is arranged on a lifting mechanism. The lifting mechanism is connected to and driven by the control module to adjust the height of the material magazine.

[0014] According to the above structure, the carrier is arranged on a sliding mechanism, and the sliding mechanism has a sliding seat. The sliding seat can move along at least two sliding guide rails extending in parallel, and a pivot seat for supporting the carrier is arranged on the sliding seat.

[0015] According to the above structure, an outer cover is arranged above the carrier, and a concave notch is arranged on the outer cover, so that a part of the wafer on the carrier can be exposed to the outside.

[0016] According to the above structure, the wafer correction mechanism has a supporting seat for placing the wafer, the center of the supporting seat is through, an imaging unit is provided above the supporting seat, and a suction head with a vacuum suction hole is provided below the through part of the supporting seat. The suction head can be driven by a transfer mechanism to rise, fall and pivot.

[0017] The technical means implemented by the present invention also include: a loading method of the loading device using the aforementioned wafer carrier, which at least includes: an "image capture component correction imaging range" step, in which the first robot drives the image capture component to move to the main correction mechanism to correct the imaging range of the image capture component to the correct position; a "wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism correction operating position" step, in which the first robot drives the positioning surface of the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism to move to the main correction mechanism to adjust and correct the operating position of the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism, and the control module can compare and memorize the relative position coordinates between the operating position of the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism and the image acquisition range of the image capture component; an "image capture component a step of "correctly corresponding to the wafer disk", in which the first robot arm drives the image capture component to move above the carrier and corrects the position to accurately correspond to one of the wafer disks on the carrier; a step of "the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism removes the wafer positioning component from the wafer disk", in which the control module refers to the relative position coordinates, drives the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism through the first robot arm to align the positioning surface with the wafer disk, and removes the wafer positioning component pre-set on the periphery of the wafer disk; a step of "correcting the operating position of the wafer picking and placing mechanism", in which the second robot arm drives the wafer picking and placing mechanism to move to the main correction mechanism to correct the operating position of the wafer picking and placing mechanism; a step of "the wafer picking and placing mechanism places the wafer on the wafer correction mechanism" The wafer correction mechanism comprises a support seat, an imaging unit is arranged above the support seat, a suction head is arranged below the support seat, and the suction head can be driven by a transfer mechanism to rise and fall and pivot, and the second robot arm drives the wafer pick-up and place mechanism to move to the feeding mechanism to take out the wafer to be processed, and places the wafer on the support seat of the wafer correction mechanism; the wafer correction mechanism reads the wafer code and rotates the notch of the wafer to the correct angle, and the imaging unit of the wafer correction mechanism obtains the wafer code and notch position, and then the transfer mechanism drives the suction head to absorb the wafer and rotate the wafer to adjust the notch of the wafer to the correct angle; then the transfer mechanism drives the suction head to absorb the wafer The first robot arm drives the wafer pick-up and placement mechanism to take the wafer from the support seat and place it on the wafer disc of the carrier; the second robot arm drives the wafer pick-up and placement mechanism to take the wafer from the support seat and place it on the wafer disc of the carrier; the first robot arm drives the image capture component to move to the carrier and obtain the image of the previously placed wafer to confirm whether the wafer is complete; the first robot arm drives the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism to install the wafer positioning component on the wafer disc to fix the wafer, and the first robot arm drives the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism to combine the wafer positioning component with the wafer disc, and the wafer positioning component is pressed onto the periphery of the wafer to form a positioning.

[0018] According to the above method, if a position deviation occurs between the standard scale position in the imaging range of the upper imaging component and the standard scale position in the imaging range of the lower imaging component, the control module drives the image capture component to adjust its position through the first robotic arm so that the standard scale positions in the imaging ranges of the upper and lower imaging components overlap, so that the imaging range of the image capture component can be corrected to the correct position.

[0019] According to the above method, if there is a position deviation between the standard scale position in the imaging range of the lower imaging component and the indicating scale on the wafer pick-up and placement mechanism, the control module drives the wafer pick-up and placement mechanism to adjust its position through the second robotic arm so that the indicating scale overlaps with the standard scale, thereby correcting the operating position of the wafer pick-up and placement mechanism to the correct position.

[0020] According to the above method, if a position deviation occurs between the standard scale position in the imaging range of the lower imaging component and the positioning scale on the positioning surface, the control module drives the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism to adjust the position through the first robotic arm so that the positioning scale overlaps with the standard scale, thereby correcting the operating position of the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism to the correct position.

[0021] According to the above method, a ranging laser light source is built in the main correction mechanism, and the ranging laser light source can generate a laser beam to measure the distance between the image capture component, the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism, the wafer placement mechanism and the lower imaging component respectively, so as to adjust the lens focal length of the lower imaging component through the control module.

[0022] According to the above method, at least three laser light sources are built around the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism. In the step of "the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism removes the wafer positioning member from the wafer disk", the control module is used to drive the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism to adjust the position through the first robot arm, so that the laser beams of the same length generated by each laser light source can be projected onto the wafer disk together, so as to make the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism correctly correspond to the wafer disk.

[0023] According to the above method, the support seat is used to support the wafer, the imaging unit obtains the code and the notch position of the wafer, and the transfer mechanism can drive the wafer to rotate to adjust the notch of the wafer to the correct angle.

[0024] In order to provide a more detailed understanding of the above-mentioned objectives, effects and features of the present invention, the following description is made with reference to the following drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] FIG. 1 is a complete three-dimensional structural diagram of the carrier plate of the present invention with part of the carrier plate exploded.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged schematic diagram of the main correction mechanism of the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the loading method of the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the image capture assembly of the present invention in the correction position above the main correction mechanism.

[0029] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism of the present invention in the state of being corrected above the main correction mechanism.

[0030] FIG6 is a schematic diagram showing the image capture assembly of the present invention correctly corresponding to the wafer disk above the carrier.

[0031] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism of the present invention moves onto the wafer disk to grab the wafer positioning member.

[0032] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism of the present invention when the wafer positioning member is removed.

[0033] Figure 9 is a partial enlarged schematic diagram of area A in Figure 8.

[0034] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the wafer placement mechanism of the present invention in the state of calibrating the position above the main calibration mechanism.

[0035] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the wafer taking and placing mechanism of the present invention taking out the wafer from the feeding mechanism.

[0036] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the action of the wafer placement mechanism of the present invention placing the wafer on the wafer correction mechanism.

[0037] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the wafer correction mechanism of the present invention correcting the wafer.

[0038] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the wafer placement mechanism of the present invention moves the wafer onto the wafer disk.

[0039] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the image capture component of the present invention confirming the position of the wafer on the carrier.

[0040] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism of the present invention is moved to the wafer disk to install the wafer positioning member.

[0041] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism of the present invention is moved back to the initial position and the wafer positioning member is fixed on the wafer disk.

[0042] Description of Figure Numbers.

[0043] 1. First Robotic Arm

[0044] 11 Image Capture Component

[0045] 111 Upper imaging component

[0046] 12 Wafer positioning parts loading and unloading mechanism

[0047] 121 Positioning surface

[0048] 122 Positioning scale

[0049] 123 Clamping parts

[0050] 124 Laser Light Source

[0051] 2 Second Robotic Arm

[0052] 21 Wafer pick and place mechanism

[0053] 211 Indicator scale

[0054] 3 Loading tray

[0055] 31 Wafer Disk

[0056] 311 Wafer Positioning Parts

[0057] 32 Cover

[0058] 321 Notch

[0059] 33 Sliding mechanism

[0060] 331 Sliding seat

[0061] 332 Sliding guide rail

[0062] 333 Pivot seat

[0063] 4 Main calibration mechanism

[0064] 41 Distance measuring laser source

[0065] 411 Laser Beam

[0066] 42 Lower imaging component

[0067] 43 Transparent film

[0068] 431 Standard scale

[0069] 5 Wafer correction mechanism

[0070] 51 Seat

[0071] 52 Image acquisition unit

[0072] 53 Tips

[0073] 54 Transposition mechanism

[0074] 6 Feeding mechanism

[0075] 60 Wafer

[0076] 61 Lifting mechanism

[0077] S11 Image capture unit calibrates the image capture range

[0078] S12 Wafer positioning parts loading and unloading mechanism calibration operation position

[0079] S13 Image capture components correctly correspond to wafer discs

[0080] S14 Wafer positioning piece loading and unloading mechanism removes the wafer positioning piece from the wafer tray

[0081] S15 Wafer pick-and-place mechanism calibration operation position

[0082] S16 Wafer placement mechanism places the wafer on the wafer correction mechanism

[0083] S17 Wafer correction mechanism reads the wafer code and turns the wafer notch to the correct angle

[0084] S18 Wafer pick-and-place mechanism transfers the wafer to the wafer tray

[0085] S19 Image capture module obtains images of wafers

[0086] S20 The wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism installs the wafer positioning member on the wafer plate to fix the wafer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0087] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2, it can be seen that the main structure of the present invention includes: a first robot arm 1, a second robot arm 2, a carrier 3, a main correction mechanism 4, a wafer correction mechanism 5 and a feeding mechanism 6; wherein the first robot arm 1 is connected to and driven by a control module (which can be a computer with computing functions, not shown), and an image capture component 11 and a wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism 12 are provided on the movable end of the first robot arm 1.

[0088] In a feasible embodiment, the image capture component 11 has an upper imaging component 111 (which can be a CCD camera) that can generate illumination light; the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism 12 is provided with a positioning surface 121, and the positioning surface 121 (center) is provided with a positioning scale 122 (which can be a hole), and at least two opposite clamping members 123 are provided on the outer peripheral side of the positioning surface 121, and at least three evenly distributed laser light sources 124 are provided on the peripheral side of the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism 12, and the at least three laser light sources 124 are respectively arranged at at least three points on the outer side of the positioning surface 121.

[0089] The second robot arm 2 is connected to and driven by the control module. A wafer placement mechanism 21 (which may be a wafer suction cup) capable of sucking the wafer 60 is provided on the movable end of the second robot arm 2. In a feasible embodiment, an indicator scale 211 is provided on the wafer placement mechanism 21 (wafer suction cup).

[0090] The carrier 3 is arranged within the movable range of the first and second robotic arms 1 and 2, and is connected to and driven by the control module. At least two wafer trays 31 are arranged at different positions on the carrier 3, and a lockable wafer positioning member 311 (which can be a pressure ring) is respectively arranged on each wafer tray 31.

[0091] In a feasible embodiment, the carrier 3 is arranged on a sliding mechanism 33, and the sliding mechanism 33 has a sliding seat 331. The sliding seat 331 is arranged on at least two parallel extending sliding guide rails 332, and a pivot seat 333 for supporting the carrier 3 is provided on the sliding seat 331; and an outer cover 32 is fixedly provided above the carrier 3, and a concave notch 321 is provided on the outer cover 32, so that a part of the wafer disk 31 on the carrier 3 can be exposed to the outside. By operating the sliding mechanism 33 using the control module, the sliding seat 331 can drive the pivot seat 333 to slide between the two ends of the sliding guide rail 332, and the carrier 3 can be driven to pivot through the pivot seat 333.

[0092] The main calibration mechanism 4 is disposed within the range of movement of the first and second robotic arms 1 and 2 and is connected to and driven by the control module to calibrate the image capturing assembly 11, the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism 12 and the wafer placing and retrieving mechanism 21 respectively so as to keep them in the correct positions respectively.

[0093] In a feasible embodiment, the main correction mechanism 4 has a lower imaging component 42 that can generate illumination light and at least one ranging laser light source 41 with a ranging function; the lower imaging component 42 can be a CCD camera, and a transparent sheet 43 is provided above the lower imaging component 42, and a standard scale 431 is provided in the center of the transparent sheet 43.

[0094] The wafer correction mechanism 5 is arranged within the movable range of the second robot arm 2, and is connected to and driven by the control module; in the present embodiment, the wafer correction mechanism 5 has a supporting seat 51 for supporting the wafer 60, a through hole is provided in the center of the supporting seat 51, an imaging unit 52 is provided above the supporting seat 51, and a suction head 53 with a vacuum suction hole is provided below the through hole for adsorbing the wafer 60, and the suction head 53 can be driven by a transfer mechanism 54 to perform lifting and pivoting actions.

[0095] The feeding mechanism 6 (which may be a feeding box) is disposed within the movable range of the second robot arm 2 and can accommodate at least two wafers 60 to be processed.

[0096] In practical applications, a lifting mechanism 61 can be disposed under the feeding mechanism 6 as required, and the lifting mechanism 61 can drive the feeding mechanism 6 to rise or fall.

[0097] Referring to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the loading method of the present invention includes the steps of: "the image capture component calibrates the imaging range" S11, "the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism calibrates the operating position" S12, "the image capture component correctly corresponds to the wafer disk" S13, "the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism removes the wafer positioning component from the wafer disk" S14, "the wafer placement mechanism calibrates the operating position" S15, "the wafer placement mechanism places the wafer on the wafer calibration mechanism" S16, "the wafer calibration mechanism reads the wafer code and turns the notch of the wafer to the correct angle" S17, "the wafer placement mechanism transfers the wafer to the wafer disk" S18, "the image capture component obtains the image of the wafer" S19, "the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism installs the wafer positioning component on the wafer disk to fix the wafer" S20, etc.; the following refers to FIGS. 4 to 17, and the structures of FIGS. 1 and 2 are respectively explained for the above steps:

[0098] First, in the step of “calibrating the imaging range of the image capturing component” S11, the first robot arm 1 drives the image capturing component 11 to move onto the main calibration mechanism 4 (as shown in FIG. 4 ) to adjust and calibrate the imaging range of the image capturing component 11 to the correct position.

[0099] In this embodiment, when the first robot 1 drives the image capturing component 11 to approach the top of the main calibration mechanism 4, the lower imaging component 42 directly obtains the position of the standard scale 431 on the transparent sheet 43, and the main calibration mechanism 4 uses the laser beam 411 generated by the ranging laser light source 41 to project onto the image capturing component 11 to measure the distance of the image capturing component 11 so as to adjust the lens focal length of the lower imaging component 42; and the image capturing component 11 obtains the standard scale 431 on the transparent sheet 43 through the upper imaging component 111. 1, the control module compares the difference between the position of the standard scale 431 obtained by the lower imaging component 42 and the position of the standard scale 431 obtained by the image capturing component 11, and adjusts the position of the image capturing component 11 through the first robot arm 1, so that the position of the standard scale 431 obtained by the lower imaging component 42 overlaps with the image of the standard scale 431 obtained by the upper imaging component 111, and then the control module memorizes the coordinates of the correct imaging range of the image capturing component 11 to achieve the purpose of correcting the imaging range of the image capturing component 11.

[0100] In the step of "calibrating the operating position of the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism" S12, the first robot arm 1 drives the positioning surface 121 of the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism 12 to move onto the main correction mechanism 4 (as shown in Figure 5) to adjust and calibrate the operating position of the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism 12, and the control module can compare and memorize the relative position coordinates between the operating position of the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism 12 and the image range obtained by the image capture component 11.

[0101] In the present embodiment, when the first robot arm 1 drives the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism 12 to approach the top of the main correction mechanism 4, the main correction mechanism 4 uses the laser beam generated by the ranging laser light source 41 to project onto the positioning surface 121 to measure the distance of the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism 12 so as to adjust the lens focal length of the lower imaging component 42; and the lower imaging component 42 can observe the position difference between the standard scale 431 on the transparent sheet 43 and the positioning scale 122 (or hole) on the positioning surface 121, and the control module drives the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism 12 to adjust the position through the first robot arm 1, so that the positioning scale 122 (or hole) on the positioning surface 121 overlaps with the standard scale 431, so that the operating position of the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism 12 can be corrected to the correct position.

[0102] In the step of “the image capture component correctly corresponds to the wafer disk” S13, the first robot arm 1 drives the image capture component 11 to move above the carrier 3 (as shown in FIG. 6 ) to confirm the position of the wafer disk 31 and check the condition on the wafer disk 31 (whether there are any residual wafer 60 debris or broken pieces).

[0103] In the step S14 of "the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism removes the wafer positioning member from the wafer disk", the control module refers to the relative position coordinates and drives the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism 12 to approach the wafer disk 31 through the first robot 1. The control module drives the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism 12 to adjust the position through the first robot 1 so that the laser beams of the same length generated by the at least three laser light sources 124 can be projected onto the wafer disk 31 together to align the positioning surface 121 with (be parallel to) the wafer disk 31 (as shown in FIG. 7). After the wafer positioning member 311 pre-set on the periphery of the wafer disk 31 is unlocked, the wafer positioning member 311 is taken out by the clamping member 123 and the clamping state is maintained (as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9).

[0104] In the step of “calibrating the wafer pick-up and placement mechanism operating position” S15, the second robot arm 2 drives the wafer pick-up and placement mechanism 21 to move to the main calibration mechanism 4 (as shown in FIG. 10 , the wafer calibration mechanism 5 is not drawn for the convenience of viewing the main calibration mechanism 4) to calibrate the position of the wafer pick-up and placement mechanism 21.

[0105] In the present embodiment, when the second robot 2 drives the wafer pick-and-place mechanism 21 to approach the top of the main correction mechanism 4, the main correction mechanism 4 uses the laser beam generated by the ranging laser light source 41 to project onto the wafer pick-and-place mechanism 21 to measure the distance of the wafer pick-and-place mechanism 21 so as to adjust the lens focal length of the lower imaging component 42; and the lower imaging component 42 can observe the position difference between the standard scale 431 on the transparent sheet 43 and the indicating scale 211 on the wafer pick-and-place mechanism 21, and the control module drives the wafer pick-and-place mechanism 21 to adjust the position through the second robot 2, so that the indicating scale 211 on the wafer pick-and-place mechanism 21 overlaps with the standard scale 431, so that the operating position of the wafer pick-and-place mechanism 21 can be corrected to the correct position.

[0106] In the step S16 of "the wafer picking and placing mechanism places the wafer on the wafer correction mechanism", the second robot arm 2 drives the wafer picking and placing mechanism 21 to move to the feeding mechanism 6 to take out the wafer 60 to be processed (as shown in Figure 11), and places the wafer 60 on the supporting seat 51 of the wafer correction mechanism 5 (as shown in Figure 12).

[0107] In the step S17 of "the wafer correction mechanism reads the wafer code and rotates the notch of the wafer to the correct angle", the imaging unit 52 of the wafer correction mechanism 5 first obtains the code and notch position of the wafer 60 (as shown in FIG. 13 ), and then the control module calculates the angle that the wafer 60 needs to be adjusted according to the notch position of the wafer disk 31 to be placed therein, and the transfer mechanism 54 drives the suction head 53 to absorb the wafer 60 and lift it up (to detach it from the support seat 51 ), and rotates the wafer 60 to adjust the notch of the wafer 60 to the correct angle; then the transfer mechanism 54 drives the suction head 53 to absorb the wafer 60 and lower it, so as to place the wafer 60 back on the support seat 51 .

[0108] In the step S18 of "the wafer picking and placing mechanism transfers the wafer to the wafer disk", the second robot arm 2 drives the wafer picking and placing mechanism 21 to take out the wafer 60 with the correct notch angle from the receiving seat 51 of the wafer correction mechanism 5, and places it on the wafer disk 31 of the carrier 3 (as shown in Figure 14).

[0109] The “image capture component obtains the image of the wafer” S19, the first robot arm 1 drives the image capture component 11 to move to the carrier 3 (as shown in Figure 15), and obtains the image of the wafer 60 placed in the previous step to confirm whether the wafer 60 is complete and whether it is placed in the correct position.

[0110] In the step S20 of "the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism installs the wafer positioning member on the wafer disk to fix the wafer", the first robot arm 1 drives the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism 12 to combine the wafer positioning member 311 clamped by the clamping member 123 onto the wafer disk 31 (as shown in FIG. 16 ), and the wafer positioning member 311 is pressed onto the periphery of the wafer 60 to form a positioning (as shown in FIG. 17 ).

[0111] Then, the pivot seat 333 drives the carrier 3 to rotate, so that the wafer plate 31 carrying the wafer 60 is rotated to the bottom of the outer cover 32, and the other wafer plate 31 without the wafer 60 is moved to the bottom of the recess 321 of the outer cover 32 to be exposed, so as to repeat the above steps S13, S14, S16, S17, S18, S19, S20 in sequence to fix different wafers 60 on each wafer plate 31; finally, when each wafer plate 31 of the carrier 3 has carried the wafer 60, the sliding seat 331 of the sliding mechanism 33 slides outward along the sliding guide rail 332 to move the carrier 3 to the next process.

[0112] In summary, the wafer carrier loading device and loading method of the present invention can indeed reduce labor costs and ensure the directionality and accuracy of wafers placed on the wafer tray. It is indeed a novel and progressive invention, and therefore an invention patent application is filed in accordance with the law; however, the above description is only an explanation of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and all changes, modifications, alterations or equivalent substitutions extended from the technical means and scope of the present invention should also fall within the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer carrier loading device, characterized in that: At least: A first mechanical arm connected to and driven by a control module, wherein at least one image capturing component is disposed on a movable end of the first mechanical arm; a second mechanical arm connected to and driven by the control module, a wafer picking and placing mechanism being provided on the movable end of the second mechanical arm; A carrier, which is disposed within the range of movement of the first and second mechanical arms and is connected to and driven by the control module, and the carrier is provided with at least one wafer tray for holding wafers; A main calibration mechanism is disposed within the range of movement of the first and second mechanical arms and is connected to and driven by the control module to calibrate the positions of the image capture component and the wafer placement mechanism respectively; A wafer correction mechanism is disposed within the range of motion of the second robot arm and is connected to and driven by the control module to read the code of the inserted wafer and adjust the notch of the wafer; A feeding mechanism is arranged within the moving range of the second robot arm to accommodate at least two wafers to be processed.

2. The wafer carrier loading device according to claim 1, wherein: Each wafer is fixed on the wafer plate through a lockable wafer positioning piece, and a wafer positioning piece loading and unloading mechanism for loading and unloading the wafer positioning piece is further arranged on the movable end of the first mechanical arm.

3. The wafer carrier loading device according to claim 2, wherein: The image capture component has an upper imaging component that can generate illumination light, the main correction mechanism has a lower imaging component, a transparent sheet is provided above the lower imaging component, and a standard scale is provided on the transparent sheet as a positioning reference; the wafer positioning part loading and unloading mechanism has a positioning surface, and a positioning scale is provided on the positioning surface; the wafer placement mechanism has a wafer suction cup that can absorb the wafer, and an indicating scale is provided on the wafer suction cup.

4. The wafer carrier loading device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The wafer positioning piece loading and unloading mechanism is provided with at least three laser light sources outside the positioning surface.

5. The wafer carrier loading device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The main correction mechanism is provided with a distance measuring laser light source beside the lower imaging component.

6. The wafer carrier loading device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that: The feeding mechanism is a material placing box with a receiving space inside. The material placing box is arranged on a lifting mechanism. The lifting mechanism is connected to and driven by the control module to adjust the height of the material placing box.

7. The wafer carrier loading device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that: The carrier is arranged on a sliding mechanism. The sliding mechanism has a sliding seat. The sliding seat can move along at least two sliding guide rails extending in parallel. A pivot seat for supporting the carrier is arranged on the sliding seat.

8. The wafer carrier loading device according to claim 6, wherein: The carrier is arranged on a sliding mechanism. The sliding mechanism has a sliding seat. The sliding seat can move along at least two sliding guide rails extending in parallel. A pivot seat for supporting the carrier is arranged on the sliding seat.

9. The wafer carrier loading device according to claim 7, wherein: An outer cover is arranged above the carrier, and a concave notch is arranged on the outer cover so that a part of the wafer disc on the carrier can be exposed to the outside.

10. The wafer carrier loading device as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that: An outer cover is arranged above the carrier, and a concave notch is arranged on the outer cover so that a part of the wafer disc on the carrier can be exposed to the outside.

11. The wafer carrier loading device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that: The wafer correction mechanism has a support seat for placing wafers. The center of the support seat is through-hole. An imaging unit is arranged above the support seat. A suction head with a vacuum suction hole is arranged below the through-hole part of the support seat. The suction head can be driven by a transfer mechanism to rise and fall and pivot.

12. The wafer carrier loading device according to claim 6, wherein: The wafer correction mechanism has a support seat for placing wafers. The center of the support seat is through-hole. An imaging unit is arranged above the support seat. A suction head with a vacuum suction hole is arranged below the through-hole portion of the support seat. The suction head can be driven by a transfer mechanism to rise and fall and pivot.

13. The wafer carrier loading device according to claim 7, wherein: The wafer correction mechanism has a support seat for placing wafers. The center of the support seat is through-hole. An imaging unit is arranged above the support seat. A suction head with a vacuum suction hole is arranged below the through-hole part of the support seat. The suction head can be driven by a transfer mechanism to rise and fall and pivot.

14. The wafer carrier loading device according to claim 8, wherein: The wafer correction mechanism has a support seat for placing wafers. The center of the support seat is through-hole. An imaging unit is arranged above the support seat. A suction head with a vacuum suction hole is arranged below the through-hole part of the support seat. The suction head can be driven by a transfer mechanism to rise and fall and pivot.

15. A method for loading a wafer carrier using the loading device of claim 3, characterized in that: At least: a "calibrating the imaging range of the image capturing component" step, wherein the first mechanical arm drives the image capturing component to move onto the main calibration mechanism to calibrate the imaging range of the image capturing component to a correct position; a step of "calibrating the operating position of the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism", wherein the first robot arm drives the positioning surface of the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism to move to the main calibration mechanism to adjust and calibrate the operating position of the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism, and the control module can compare and memorize the relative position coordinates between the operating position of the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism and the image acquisition range of the image capture component; a "correctly corresponding image capture component to the wafer disk" step, wherein the first robot arm drives the image capture component to move above the carrier and corrects the position to accurately correspond to one of the wafer disks on the carrier; a "wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism removes the wafer positioning member from the wafer disk" step, wherein the control module refers to the relative position coordinates, drives the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism through the first mechanical arm to align the positioning surface with the wafer disk, and removes the wafer positioning member pre-set on the periphery of the wafer disk; a "wafer pick-and-place mechanism calibration operation position" step, wherein the second robot arm drives the wafer pick-and-place mechanism to move to the main calibration mechanism to calibrate the wafer pick-and-place mechanism's operation position; a "wafer pick-and-place mechanism places the wafer on the wafer correction mechanism" step, wherein a receiving seat is built in the wafer correction mechanism, an imaging unit is provided above the receiving seat, a suction head is provided below the receiving seat, and the suction head can be driven by a transfer mechanism to rise and fall and pivot, the second robot arm drives the wafer pick-and-place mechanism to move to the feeding mechanism to take out the wafer to be processed, and places the wafer on the receiving seat of the wafer correction mechanism; a step of "the wafer correction mechanism reads the wafer code and rotates the wafer notch to the correct angle", wherein the imaging unit of the wafer correction mechanism obtains the wafer code and notch position, and then the transfer mechanism drives the suction head to absorb the wafer and raise it, and rotates the wafer to adjust the notch of the wafer to the correct angle; then the transfer mechanism drives the suction head to absorb the wafer and lower it, so as to place the wafer on the support seat; a "wafer pick-and-place mechanism transfers the wafer to the wafer tray" step, wherein the second robot arm drives the wafer pick-and-place mechanism to take the wafer out of the support seat and place it on the wafer tray of the carrier; a "image capturing component capturing the image of the wafer" step, wherein the first robot arm drives the image capturing component to move onto the carrier and captures the image of the previously placed wafer to confirm whether the wafer is intact; In a step of "a wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism installs a wafer positioning member on a wafer disk to fix the wafer", the first robot arm drives the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism to combine the wafer positioning member on the wafer disk, and the wafer positioning member is pressed against the periphery of the wafer to form a positioning.

16. The loading method according to claim 15, characterized in that: If there is a position deviation between the standard scale position in the imaging range of the upper imaging component and the standard scale position in the imaging range of the lower imaging component, the control module drives the image capture component to adjust its position through the first robotic arm so that the standard scale positions in the imaging ranges of the upper and lower imaging components overlap, so that the imaging range of the image capture component can be corrected to the correct position.

17. The loading method according to claim 15, characterized in that: If there is a position deviation between the standard scale position in the imaging range of the lower imaging component and the indicating scale on the wafer pick-up and placement mechanism, the control module drives the wafer pick-up and placement mechanism to adjust its position through the second robot arm so that the indicating scale overlaps with the standard scale, thereby correcting the operating position of the wafer pick-up and placement mechanism to the correct position.

18. The loading method according to claim 15, characterized in that: If there is a position deviation between the standard scale position in the imaging range of the lower imaging component and the positioning scale on the positioning surface, the control module drives the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism to adjust the position through the first robotic arm so that the positioning scale overlaps with the standard scale, thereby correcting the operating position of the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism to the correct position.

19. The loading method according to claim 15, characterized in that: A distance measuring laser light source is built in the main correction mechanism, and the distance measuring laser light source can generate a laser beam to measure the distance between the image capture component, the wafer positioning component loading and unloading mechanism, the wafer placement mechanism and the lower imaging component respectively, so as to adjust the lens focal length of the lower imaging component through the control module.

20. The loading method according to claim 15, characterized in that: At least three laser light sources are set up around the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism. In the step of "the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism removes the wafer positioning member from the wafer disk", the control module is used to drive the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism to adjust the position through the first robot arm, so that the laser beams of the same length generated by each laser light source can be projected onto the wafer disk together, so as to make the wafer positioning member loading and unloading mechanism correctly correspond to the wafer disk.

21. The loading method according to claim 15, characterized in that: The supporting seat is used to support the wafer, the imaging unit obtains the code and the notch position of the wafer, and the transfer mechanism can drive the wafer to rotate to adjust the notch of the wafer to a correct angle.

Images