Wafer edge finding device and edge finding method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a wafer edge-finding device and an edge-finding method, wherein a wafer edge-finding device comprises: a rotating driving mechanism, the rotating driving mechanism comprises an active roller and a driven roller, the active roller and the driven roller are arranged in parallel and at intervals to carry a wafer in a vertical state; a blocking rod, the blocking rod is arranged in parallel between the active roller and the driven roller, and the blocking rod can be raised and lowered to lift the wafer on the active roller and the driven roller; and a limiting mechanism 1, the limiting mechanism 1 comprises a limiting wafer comb 1. The present invention realizes edge-finding of batches of wafers in a vertical state through the cooperation of multiple mechanisms, and realizes that the wafer that has completed edge-finding is carried on the driven roller and the blocking rod through the cooperation of the driven roller and the blocking rod, so as to avoid the wafer being supported only by its groove, thereby avoiding the wafer being damaged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a wafer edge finding device and an edge finding method. Background Art

[0002] As shown in Fig. 1(a)-(c), in order to position the direction of the wafer 1, the wafer 1 is generally provided with a groove 11 (notch) or a flat groove 12 (flat) on the edge, such as the approximately V-shaped groove 11 shown in Fig. 1(a), but not limited thereto, and may also be an arc-shaped groove 11 or other shapes as shown in Fig. 1(b), and the flat groove 12 is generally as shown in Fig. 1(c). Before the processing, an edge finding device is used to find and regularize the edges of multiple wafers 1 so that the grooves 11 or flat grooves 12 are in the same direction to facilitate the subsequent process.

[0003] At present, the commonly used solution is such as CN109473388A, which uses a laser to find the edge, that is, the wafer rotates until the laser passes through its groove position and is received by the receiving end, thereby positioning the wafer to complete the edge finding, but this method can only complete the edge finding of one wafer at a time, and the efficiency is extremely low. Another solution is such as US4970772A, which drives the wafer to rotate through the alignment roller, and the rotation of the wafer stops when the groove of the wafer is aligned with the roller. Then, the wafer will "drop" onto the supporting surface of the wedge block when the alignment roller is separated from the groove to complete the edge finding alignment, but this method causes the wafer that has completed the edge finding to be supported on the wedge block for a long time by the groove part during the edge finding process of all wafers, making the edge of the groove easily damaged, thereby causing damage to the wafer.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to propose further solutions to the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a wafer edge-finding device and an edge-finding method to overcome the deficiencies in the prior art.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is:

[0007] A wafer edge finding device, comprising:

[0008] A rotation drive mechanism, the rotation drive mechanism comprising a driving roller and a driven roller, the driving roller and the driven roller are arranged in parallel and at intervals to carry a wafer in a vertical state, and the wafer can rotate around its own axis under the drive of the driving roller;

[0009] a blocking rod, the blocking rod being arranged in parallel between the active roller and the driven roller, and the blocking rod being able to be raised and lowered to lift the wafer on the active roller and the driven roller so that its center of gravity is located between the active roller and the blocking rod, and the center of gravity is located between the driven roller and the blocking rod after the wafer finds an edge; and

[0010] A limiting mechanism 1, wherein the limiting mechanism 1 comprises a limiting wafer comb 1, and the limiting wafer comb 1 is arranged in parallel between the active roller and the driven roller to clamp the edge of the wafer;

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the blocking rod lifts the wafer, the orthographic projection of the blocking rod on the plane where the circumferential cross section of the active roller is located is located within the orthographic projection of the limiting wafer comb on the plane.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it further includes at least one limiting mechanism 2, and the limiting mechanism 2 includes two limiting wafer combs 2, and the two limiting wafer combs 2 are respectively arranged in parallel on the outer sides of the active roller and the driven roller to clamp the edge of the wafer.

[0013] A preferred embodiment of the present invention further comprises a transfer mechanism, wherein the transfer mechanism comprises two transfer wafer combs for clamping the edge of the wafer and driving it to rise and fall.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the blocking rod is a round rod, and a diameter thereof is smaller than an opening size of the wafer groove.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a reinforcing block is provided on a side of the blocking rod facing away from the wafer, and the reinforcing block is raised and lowered synchronously with the blocking rod, so that the reinforcing block always supports the blocking rod.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the distance between the blocking rod and the active roller is greater than the distance between the blocking rod and the driven roller, so that after the blocking rod lifts the wafer in a stationary state, the wafer is carried on the blocking rod and the active roller.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the limiting wafer comb is provided with a plurality of limiting slots along its length direction, and the blocking rod passes through the plurality of limiting slots to contact the edge of the wafer.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the limiting wafer comb 1 is provided with a cavity for accommodating the blocking rod along its length direction, and the cavity is communicated with the limiting slot 1.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the limiting wafer comb 2 is provided with a plurality of limiting slots 2 along its length direction, and the depth of the limiting slots 2 is adapted to the size of the wafer so that there is a gap between the edge of the wafer carried by the active roller and the driven roller and the bottom of the limiting slots 2.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the outer cover of the wafer edge-finding device is provided with a cover body.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an entrance is provided on the top of the cover body to allow the wafer to enter and exit the cover body.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a shielding plate is further included, which is arranged close to the entrance and exit and can be moved horizontally to open and close the entrance and exit.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the distance between the blocking rod and the active roller and the distance between the blocking rod and the driven roller are adapted to the state of the wafer when lifted by the blocking rod, so that the wafer in a rotating state is blocked by the blocking rod and deviates in a direction close to the driven roller.

[0024] Another technical solution is:

[0025] A wafer edge finding method adopts any of the wafer edge finding devices described above and comprises the following steps:

[0026] S100 placing the wafer in a vertical state on the active roller and the driven roller;

[0027] S200: placing the blocking rod close to the driven roller, and controlling the blocking rod to rise to lift the wafer, so that the wafer is carried on the blocking rod and the driving roller;

[0028] S300 controls the active roller to rotate to drive the wafer to rotate, and after the wafer groove is embedded in the blocking rod, the wafer shifts toward the direction close to the driven roller and is carried on the blocking rod and the driven roller, or the blocking rod and the limiting wafer comb 2 close to the driven roller side, and stops rotating.

[0029] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0030] The present invention realizes edge finding for batches of wafers in a vertical state by cooperating with multiple mechanisms, and realizes that the wafers that have completed edge finding are carried on the driven roller and the blocking rod by cooperating with the driven roller and the blocking rod, thereby preventing the wafers from being supported only by their grooves, thereby preventing the wafers from being damaged. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0032] Figure 1 (a)-(c) are schematic diagrams of wafer structures in the prior art;

[0033] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the wafer edge-finding device of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 It is a partial perspective schematic diagram of the wafer edge-finding device of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 4 is a schematic top view of a wafer edge-finding device of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 5 It is a partial three-dimensional schematic diagram of the wafer edge-finding device of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 6 It is a partial three-dimensional schematic diagram of the wafer edge-finding device of the present invention;

[0038] 7(a)-(e) are partial front views of the wafer edge-finding device of the present invention in different embodiments;

[0039] Figure 8 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a position-limiting wafer comb of a wafer edge-finding device of the present invention;

[0040] Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a limiting wafer comb of the wafer edge-finding device of the present invention;

[0041] Fig.10 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the second limiting wafer comb of the wafer edge-finding device of the present invention;

[0042] Fig.11 is a perspective view of a second limiting wafer comb of the wafer edge-finding device of the present invention;

[0043] Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the shielding plate driving mechanism of the wafer edge-finding device of the present invention.

[0044] Specifically, 1. wafer; 11. groove; 12. flat groove;

[0045] 800, wafer edge-finding device; 810, cover body; 811, entrance and exit; 820, baffle plate; 821, baffle plate cylinder; 822, guide rail; 823, connecting plate; 830, transfer mechanism; 831, transfer wafer comb; 840, limiting mechanism two; 841, limiting wafer comb two; 8411, limiting slot two; 850, rotation drive mechanism; 851, active roller; 852, driven roller; 853, active roller belt; 854, motor; 855, tensioner; 860, limiting mechanism one; 861, limiting wafer comb one; 8611, cavity; 8612, limiting slot one; 862, blocking rod; 9621, contact surface; 870, reinforcement block. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0047] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined as "first", "second", etc. may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more.

[0048] In the description of the present invention, 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 mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and 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 by specific circumstances.

[0049] In this embodiment, Figures 2 to 4As shown, in this embodiment, a cover 810 is provided outside the wafer edge-finding device 800 to protect the internal mechanism. The wafer 1 completes the edge-finding operation inside the cover 810 to avoid accidental contact with external equipment or personnel, realize human body protection, and at the same time isolate it from the external space to prevent cross contamination. Preferably, an entrance 811 for the wafer 1 to enter and exit is provided on the top of the cover 810. The wafer 1 enters in a vertical state. A shielding plate 820 is provided above the entrance 811 to open and close the entrance 811. Fig.12 As shown, the shielding plate 820 can be driven by a shielding plate cylinder 821 to move along the plane where the entrance and exit 811 is located to open and close the entrance and exit 811. The shielding plate 820 can also be slidably connected to the guide rail 822 through a connecting plate 823 arranged at its rear end to enhance the stability of movement.

[0050] like Figure 5 As shown, the wafer edge-finding device 800 includes a rotation driving mechanism 850 , a blocking rod 862 and a limiting mechanism 860 , which are arranged inside the cover body 810 .

[0051] The rotating drive mechanism 850 includes an active roller 851 and a driven roller 852, which are arranged in parallel and at intervals to carry the wafer 1 in a vertical state. Since the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852 have a certain length, they can carry a batch of wafers 1. In this embodiment, the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852 are also on the same horizontal plane to more stably carry the wafer 1, and at the same time facilitate the subsequent control of the blocking rod 862 to lift the wafer 1 to deflect it. When the wafer 1 is placed on the rotating drive mechanism 850, the edge of the wafer 1 contacts the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852 at the same time, so that the wafer 1 in a vertical state is located on the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852, and will not deviate radially, that is, as shown in Figure 7, the wafer 1 is prevented from deviating left and right. At the same time, the limiting mechanism 1 860 is used to clamp the wafer 1 to prevent it from excessive axial deviation, so that the wafer 1 remains in a basically vertical state.

[0052] The wafer 1 can rotate around its axis driven by the active roller 851, and in this embodiment, the driven roller 852 can rotate, so that the wafer 1 drives the driven roller 852 to rotate during the rotation process, so as to reduce the friction between the wafer 1 and the driven roller 852. Figure 6 As shown, in this embodiment, the active roller 851 is driven by a motor 854 and an active roller belt 853. When the motor 854 is working, the active roller belt 853 is driven to rotate, and the active roller belt 853 rotates to drive the active roller 851 to rotate, and a tensioning wheel 855 is provided near the active roller belt 853 to adjust the tightness of the active roller belt 853. Of course, the driving method of the active roller 851 is not limited to this.

[0053] The blocking rod 862 is arranged parallel to the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852, and the blocking rod 862 can be raised and lowered to lift the wafer 1 on the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852 and make it deflect toward the active roller 851 for edge finding. More specifically, the blocking rod 862 lifts the wafer 1 so that its center of gravity is located between the active roller 851 and the blocking rod 862, and after the wafer 1 has found its edge, its center of gravity is located between the driven roller 852 and the blocking rod 862.

[0054] The limiting mechanism 860 includes a limiting wafer comb 861, which is arranged in parallel between the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852, that is, located at the bottom of the wafer 1 to clamp the bottom edge of the wafer 1, thereby better limiting the axial tilt angle of the entire wafer 1. Specifically, Figure 8 As shown, the limiting wafer comb 861 is provided with a plurality of limiting grooves 8612 along its length direction, and the edge of the wafer 1 is inserted into the limiting groove 8612. It can be understood that in this field, due to the need to minimize contact with the surface of the wafer 1, clamping is not limited to close fit, and generally a V-shaped groove is used for the edge of the wafer 1 to be inserted so that it is limited to a range to limit the axial tilt angle of the wafer 1. At the same time, the clamping in this application, unless otherwise specified, refers to limiting the edge of the wafer 1 within a range to limit its axial tilt angle.

[0055] In order to further limit the axial tilt of the wafer 1, the device preferably also includes a second limiting mechanism 840, which includes two second limiting wafer combs 841, which are respectively arranged in parallel on the outside of the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852, that is, the length directions of the four are consistent, thereby further improving the stability of the vertical wafer 1 and maintaining its basically vertical state. Fig.10 and Fig.11 As shown, the limiting wafer comb 841 is provided with a plurality of limiting slots 8411 along its length direction, and the two corresponding limiting slots 8411 are used for inserting the edge of the wafer 1 to limit the wafer 1 left and right, thereby preventing the wafer 1 located on the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852 from tilting along its axial direction, ensuring that the wafer 1 will not deviate during the rotation process, and further ensuring the edge-finding effect. Preferably, when the wafer 1 is located on the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852, the edge of the wafer 1 is respectively inserted into the corresponding limiting slots 8411 on both sides, and there is a gap between the edge of the wafer 1 and the bottom of the limiting slot 8411, so that the wafer 1 has a certain displacement space in the vertical direction, ensuring that the wafer 1 can deviate when in contact with the blocking rod 862, thereby breaking away from the contact with the active roller 851.

[0056] In this embodiment, the device is particularly such that when the blocking rod 862 lifts the wafer 1, the orthographic projection of the blocking rod 862 on the plane where the circumferential cross section of the active roller 851 is located is located within the orthographic projection of the limiting wafer comb 861 on the plane. Referring to FIG. 7(a), the illustrated plane is the plane where the circumferential cross section of the active roller 851 is located. As the wafer 1 rotates, its groove 11 approaches the blocking rod 862, and finally the blocking rod 862 blocks the groove 11 and prevents the wafer 1 from continuing to rotate, thereby completing the edge search. At this time, since the wafer 1 in the rotating state suddenly changes its motion state, it generates axial shaking, and the axial shaking amplitude generated near the blocking rod 862 is the largest. The limiting wafer comb 861 set adjacent to the blocking rod 862 limits the place where the wafer 1 is most likely to generate axial shaking and tilting (i.e., irregular rotation) during the edge search process within a controllable range to prevent it from colliding with the adjacent wafer 1. In one embodiment, the center line of the position-limiting wafer comb 861 coincides with the center line of the line connecting the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852. In this case, the blocking rod 862 is eccentrically arranged to be closer to the driven roller 852. In another embodiment, more preferably, the center line of the position-limiting wafer comb 861 deviates from the center line of the line connecting the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852 and is closer to the driven roller 852. In this case, the blocking rod 862 is arranged on the center line of the position-limiting wafer comb 861. That is, when the blocking rod 862 lifts the wafer 1, the orthographic projection of the blocking rod 862 on the plane where the circumferential cross section of the active roller 851 is located is located on the center line of the orthographic projection of the position-limiting wafer comb 861 on the plane. As shown in FIG. 7(a), the center line is the straight line where the dotted line between d1 and d2 is located. During the rotation of the wafer 1, the wafer 1 generates axial shaking due to contact with the blocking rod 862, and the blocking rod 862 is arranged in the middle of the limiting wafer comb 1 861, so that the shaking is uniformly limited and weakened by both sides of the limiting wafer comb 1 861 at the first time, further improving the rotation stability of the wafer 1. At the same time, the blocking rod 862 is arranged in the middle of the limiting wafer comb 1 861, which also minimizes the shaking amplitude of the restricted wafer 1, thereby preventing the wafer 1 from being out of contact with the blocking rod 862, resulting in edge finding errors.

[0057] In this embodiment, the blocking rod 862 is arranged along the length direction of the limiting wafer comb 861 and penetrates the limiting wafer comb 861, and rises and falls on the circumferential cross section of the limiting wafer comb 861. At this time, the blocking rod 862 penetrates a plurality of limiting slots 8612 to contact the edge of the wafer 1. Preferably, as Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, a cavity 8611 for accommodating the upward and downward movement of the blocking rod 862 is provided in the limiting wafer comb 861 , and the cavity 8611 is connected to the limiting slot 8612 .

[0058] The limiting mechanism 860 can also be provided with a driving mechanism for driving the limiting wafer comb 861 to rise and fall. At this time, the blocking rod 862 is fixed in the limiting wafer comb 861, and the blocking rod 862 is driven to rise and fall by the limiting wafer comb 861. Furthermore, a reinforcement block 870 is provided under the limiting wafer comb 861, and one end of the reinforcement block 870 abuts against the blocking rod 862, thereby increasing the strength of the blocking rod 862 and preventing it from being bent by the wafer 1, causing the wafers 1 of the same batch of edge finding operations to be uneven, affecting the final edge finding effect.

[0059] The size of the distance d1 between the blocking rod 862 and the active roller 851 and the distance d2 between the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852 are adapted to the state of the wafer 1 when it is lifted by the blocking rod 862, so that after the wafer 1 in the rotating state is blocked by the blocking rod 862, it is offset in the direction close to the driven roller 852, that is, after the wafer 1 in the rotating state is blocked by the blocking rod 862, the direction of the resistance it encounters is in the direction close to the driven roller 852.

[0060] Due to the difference in the distance d1 between the blocking rod 862 and the active roller 851 and the distance d2 between the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852, when the blocking rod 862 rises to a certain height, the wafer 1 located on the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852 is lifted by the blocking rod 862 and offset toward the active roller 851 or the driven roller 852, thereby sitting on the blocking rod 862 and the active roller 851, or sitting on the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852.

[0061] The device is particularly set to d1>d2, and the wafer 1 is lifted by the blocking rod 862 when it is stationary. Further, by adjusting d1 and d2, the wafer 1 after edge finding is placed on the blocking rod 862 and the second limiting wafer comb 841.

[0062] When the active roller 851 does not rotate, and the distance d1 between the blocking rod 862 and the active roller 851 is greater than the distance d2 between the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852, the wafer 1 is initially located on the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852, the blocking rod 862 rises a certain distance to contact the wafer 1 and further lifts the wafer 1, so that the center of gravity of the stationary wafer 1 shifts toward the active roller 851, and then the wafer 1 located on the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852 shifts toward the active roller 851 and is located on the blocking rod 862 and the active roller 851. Then the active roller 851 rotates to drive the wafer 1 to rotate. As the wafer 1 rotates, the edge of the wafer 1 continuously passes the blocking rod 862. When the groove 11 of the wafer 1 rotates to the top of the blocking rod 862, the groove 11 of the wafer 1 touches the blocking rod 862 and the blocking rod 862 is embedded in the groove 11. The blocking rod 862 prevents the wafer 1 from rotating. Due to its rotational inertia, the wafer 1 deviates in the direction close to the driven roller 852, thereby breaking away from the contact with the active roller 851 and sitting on the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852, completing the edge finding of the single wafer 1. The active roller 851 continues to rotate until the grooves 11 of all the wafers 1 on it touch the blocking rod 862 and are stopped by the blocking rod 862. Due to the rotational inertia, all the wafers 1 deviate in the direction of the driven roller 852, thereby breaking away from the contact with the active roller 851 and sitting on the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852, completing the edge finding of all the wafers 1.

[0063] Referring to FIG. 7( a ), in Example 1, the driven roller 852 is disposed on the left side of the active roller 851, that is, the active roller 851 is disposed on the right side of the wafer 1, and the distance d1 between the blocking rod 862 and the active roller 851 is greater than the distance d2 between the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852. The active roller 851 does not rotate, the blocking rod 862 rises and lifts the wafer 1, and the wafer 1 is seated on the blocking rod 862 and the active roller 851. The active roller 851 starts to rotate clockwise, driving the wafer 1 to rotate counterclockwise. When the groove 11 of the wafer 1 touches the blocking rod 862 and is stopped by the blocking rod 862, the wafer 1 deviates toward the driven roller 852 due to inertia, thereby breaking away from the contact with the active roller 851 and sitting on the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852, completing the single-wafer edge finding, and repeating this process until all wafers 1 complete the edge finding.

[0064] Embodiment 2 differs from Embodiment 1 in that: the active roller 851 rotates counterclockwise, driving the wafer 1 to rotate clockwise. When the groove 11 of the wafer 1 touches the blocking rod 862 and is stopped by the blocking rod 862, the wafer 1 drops relative to the blocking rod 862 due to the groove 11, causing its center of gravity to deviate toward the direction of the driven roller 852, thereby breaking away from contact with the active roller 851 and sitting on the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852, completing the single-wafer edge finding. This process is repeated until all wafers 1 have completed the edge finding.

[0065] Referring to FIG. 7( b ), in Example 3, the driven roller 852 is disposed on the right side of the active roller 851, that is, the active roller 851 is disposed on the left side of the wafer 1, and the distance d1 between the blocking rod 862 and the active roller 851 is greater than the distance d2 between the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852. The active roller 851 does not rotate, the blocking rod 862 rises and lifts the wafer 1, and the wafer 1 is seated on the blocking rod 862 and the active roller 851. The active roller 851 starts to rotate counterclockwise, driving the wafer 1 to rotate clockwise. When the groove 11 of the wafer 1 touches the blocking rod 862 and is stopped by the blocking rod 862, the wafer 1 deviates toward the driven roller 852 due to inertia, thereby breaking away from the contact with the active roller 851 and sitting on the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852, completing the single-wafer edge finding, and repeating this process until all wafers 1 complete the edge finding.

[0066] Embodiment 4 differs from Embodiment 3 in that: the active roller 851 rotates clockwise, driving the wafer 1 to rotate counterclockwise. When the groove 11 of the wafer 1 touches the blocking rod 862 and is stopped by the blocking rod 862, the groove 11 causes the wafer 1 to drop relative to the blocking rod 862, causing its center of gravity to deviate toward the direction of the driven roller 852, thereby breaking away from contact with the active roller 851 and sitting on the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852, completing the single-wafer edge finding. This process is repeated until all wafers 1 have completed the edge finding.

[0067] In the above embodiments, d2 is 0.8-0.95d1, the diameter ratio of the wafer 1 to the active roller 851 is 5:1-6:1, and the blocking rod 862 rises to lift the wafer 1 toward the active roller 851 .

[0068] Embodiment 5: In addition, in order to find the edge of the flat groove 12 of the wafer 1, the blocking rod 862 is arranged close to the active roller 851, and the side of the blocking rod 862 away from the active roller 851 is provided with a contact surface 8621 that matches the flat groove 12 of the wafer 1, that is, the contact surface 8621 of the blocking rod 862 and the wafer 1 is inclined toward the direction close to the driven roller 852. The specific coordination is: the inclination angle of the contact surface 8621 is adapted to the distance between the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852, so that when the flat groove 12 of the wafer 1 is in contact with the contact surface 8621, the center of gravity of the wafer 1 is located between the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852.

[0069] Wafer 1 is seated on active roller 851 and driven roller 852. When active roller 851 rotates, wafer 1 rotates with active roller 851. The distance d1 between blocking rod 862 and active roller 851 is smaller than the distance d2 between blocking rod 862 and driven roller 852. Blocking rod 862 rises a certain distance to contact surface 8621 to contact wafer 1 and further lifts wafer 1, so that the center of gravity of wafer 1 shifts toward driven roller 852. Then wafer 1 on active roller 851 and driven roller 852 shifts toward driven roller 852 and sits on contact surface 8621 of blocking rod 862 and driven roller 852, and is out of contact with active roller 851. The inertial force when the wafer 1 is separated from the active roller 851 is matched with the friction force suffered by the wafer 1 after it is separated from the active roller 851, so that the wafer 1 located on the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852 continues to rotate under the action of its rotational inertia, and rotates at least one circle so that the flat groove 12 of the wafer 1 touches the blocking rod 862 and then fits with the contact surface 8621, and at this time, the center of gravity of the wafer 1 is located between the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852, and the flat groove 12 is in surface contact with the contact surface 8621 to prevent the wafer 1 from continuing to rotate to complete the edge finding of the single wafer 1. The final state is shown in Figure 7 (e), and the remaining wafers 1 continue to rotate until the flat groove 12 of the wafer 1 fits with the contact surface 8621, and then the flat groove 12 is in surface contact with the contact surface 8621 to prevent the wafer 1 from continuing to rotate to complete the edge finding of all wafers 1. Furthermore, the active roller 851 drives the wafer 1 to rotate along the high side of the contact surface 8621 toward the low side thereof, so that the flat groove 12 of the wafer 1 can slide down along the inclined contact surface 8621 and finally contact it, thereby improving the edge finding effect.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 7(c), the active roller 851 is located on the right side of the wafer 1, and the distance d1 between the blocking rod 862 and the active roller 851 is less than the distance d2 between the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852. The active roller 851 rotates counterclockwise and drives the wafer 1 to rotate, and the inertial force of the wafer 1 when it is separated from the active roller 851 is matched with the friction force of the wafer 1 after it is separated from the active roller 851, so that the wafer 1 continues to rotate at least one circle by relying on its own inertia after it is separated from the active roller 851. The wafer 1 sits on the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852, and rotates clockwise as the active roller 851 rotates counterclockwise. The blocking rod 862 rises and lifts the wafer 1, so that the center of the wafer 1 shifts toward the driven roller 852, and then the wafer 1 shifts to sit on the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852. Wafer 1 continues to rotate clockwise for at least one circle by its rotational inertia, and when the flat groove 12 of wafer 1 touches the blocking rod 862 and then fits with the contact surface 8621, and at this time, the center of gravity of wafer 1 is biased toward the direction of driven roller 852, the flat groove 12 is in surface contact with the contact surface 8621 to prevent wafer 1 from continuing to rotate, so as to complete the edge finding of a single wafer 1. The remaining wafers 1 continue to rotate until the flat groove 12 of wafer 1 fits with the contact surface 8621, and then the flat groove 12 is in surface contact with the contact surface 8621 to prevent wafer 1 from continuing to rotate, so as to complete the edge finding of all wafers 1.

[0071] Referring to FIG. 7(d), the active roller 851 is located on the left side of the wafer 1, and the distance d1 between the blocking rod 862 and the active roller 851 is less than the distance d2 between the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852. The active roller 851 rotates clockwise, and the inertial force of the wafer 1 when it separates from the active roller 851 matches the friction force of the wafer 1 after it separates from the active roller 851, so that the wafer 1 continues to rotate at least one circle by inertia after it separates from the contact with it. The wafer 1 sits on the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852, and rotates counterclockwise as the active roller 851 rotates counterclockwise. The blocking rod 862 rises and lifts the wafer 1, so that the center of the wafer 1 shifts toward the driven roller 852, and then the wafer 1 shifts to sit on the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852. Wafer 1 continues to rotate counterclockwise for at least one circle by its rotational inertia, and when the flat groove 12 of wafer 1 touches the blocking rod 862 and then fits with the contact surface 8621, and at this time, the center of gravity of wafer 1 is biased toward the direction of driven roller 852, the flat groove 12 is in surface contact with the contact surface 8621 to prevent wafer 1 from continuing to rotate, so as to complete the edge finding of a single wafer 1. The remaining wafers 1 continue to rotate until the flat groove 12 of wafer 1 fits with the contact surface 8621, and then the flat groove 12 is in surface contact with the contact surface 8621 to prevent wafer 1 from continuing to rotate, so as to complete the edge finding of all wafers 1.

[0072] like Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the wafer edge-finding device 800 may further include a transfer mechanism 830 to support the wafer 1 in and out of the entrance and exit 811 to dock with external equipment to transfer the wafer 1, for example, docking with a wafer 1 robot arm to transfer multiple wafers 1 in a vertical state.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 7( a), the transfer mechanism 830 includes two symmetrically arranged transfer wafer combs 831. The transfer wafer comb 831 is provided with a plurality of slots along its length direction to clamp the wafer 1, and the length direction of the two transfer wafer combs 831 is consistent with the length direction of the limiting wafer comb 2 841, so as to facilitate the placement of the wafer 1. The two transfer wafer combs 831 can be raised and lowered to enter and exit the entrance 811 and place the wafer 1 on the rotating drive mechanism 850. A set of corresponding sensors are preferably symmetrically arranged on the two transfer wafer combs 831 to confirm whether the wafer 1 is carried.

[0074] The transfer mechanism 830 and the second limiting mechanism 840 are nested, that is, the two transfer wafer combs 831 are both located on the inner side of the two limiting wafer 1 combs, or are respectively located on the outer side of the two limiting wafer 1 combs. In this embodiment, the transfer mechanism 830 is arranged on the inner side of the second limiting mechanism 840. At the same time, in the edge-finding operation, the transfer wafer comb 831 preferably also clamps the wafer 1. Of course, it can be understood that there is a gap between it and the second limiting mechanism 840 and the edge of the wafer 1 to facilitate the radial offset transfer of the wafer 1 without contacting the active roller 851 or the driven roller 852.

[0075] In this embodiment, the device simultaneously adopts a limiting mechanism 860, a limiting mechanism 840 and a transfer mechanism 830. Through the limiting wafer comb 861, the limiting wafer comb 841 and the transfer wafer comb 831, accidental touching of wafer 1 causing excessive radial displacement of wafer 1 is avoided, and its vertical state stability is improved, while irregular rotation during edge finding is reduced. That is, the axial shaking of wafer 1 caused by blocking rod 862 is limited to a smaller range through wafer combs 1 arranged step by step along the circumference of wafer 1 to avoid touching adjacent wafer 1 and escaping from blocking rod 862.

[0076] The working process of the wafer edge finding device 800 is as follows:

[0077] S1 When it is necessary to dock with an external wafer robot to transfer the wafer 1 , the transfer mechanism 830 rises to above the second limiting mechanism 840 and passes through the entrance 811 to receive the wafer 1 .

[0078] S2 After the wafer 1 is taken, the transfer mechanism 830 descends, so that the wafer 1 is seated on the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852 , and the edge of the wafer is inserted into the second limiting groove 8411 .

[0079] S3 The transfer mechanism 830 continues to descend and is out of contact with the wafer 1 , and the wafer 1 is completely seated on the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852 .

[0080] S4 The blocking rod 862 rises to a certain height so that the wafer 1 is offset and sits on the blocking rod 862 and the active roller 851, and the edge finding is completed.

[0081] S5 The blocking rod 862 descends so that the wafer 1 is offset and seated on the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852 .

[0082] S6 starts the active roller 851 again as needed, so that the wafers 1 are uniformly rotated to a certain angle.

[0083] S7 The transfer mechanism 830 rises and takes away the wafer 1 with a regular angle.

[0084] Among them, S1 - S3 ie S100 places the wafer 1 in a vertical state on the active roller 851 and the driven roller 852 .

[0085] S4 is specifically:

[0086] S200: The blocking rod 862 is arranged close to the driven roller 852, and the blocking rod 862 is controlled to rise to lift the wafer 1, so that the lifted wafer 1 is carried on the blocking rod 862 and the driving roller 851;

[0087] S300 controls the active roller 851 to rotate to drive the wafer 1 to rotate, and after the groove 11 of the wafer 1 is embedded in the blocking rod 862, the wafer 1 deviates toward the direction close to the driven roller 852, and is carried on the blocking rod 862 and the driven roller 852, or on the blocking rod 862 and the limiting wafer comb 841 close to the driven roller 852, and stops rotating.

[0088] In summary, the present invention realizes edge finding for batches of wafers in a vertical state through the coordination of multiple mechanisms, and the wafers that have completed edge finding are carried on the driven rollers and the blocking rods through the coordination of the driven rollers and the blocking rods, thereby preventing the wafers from being supported only by their grooves, thereby avoiding damage to the wafers.

[0089] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims be included in the invention. Any reference numeral in a claim should not be considered as limiting the claim to which it relates.

Claims

1. A wafer edge finding device, characterized in that: include: A rotation drive mechanism, the rotation drive mechanism comprising a driving roller and a driven roller, the driving roller and the driven roller are arranged in parallel and at intervals to carry a wafer in a vertical state, and the wafer can rotate around its own axis under the drive of the driving roller; a blocking rod, the blocking rod being arranged in parallel between the active roller and the driven roller, and the blocking rod being able to be raised and lowered to lift the wafer on the active roller and the driven roller so that its center of gravity is located between the active roller and the blocking rod, and the center of gravity is located between the driven roller and the blocking rod after the wafer finds an edge; and A limiting mechanism 1, wherein the limiting mechanism 1 comprises a limiting wafer comb 1, and the limiting wafer comb 1 is arranged in parallel between the active roller and the driven roller to clamp the edge of the wafer; When the blocking rod lifts the wafer, the orthographic projection of the blocking rod on the plane where the circumferential cross section of the active roller is located is located within the orthographic projection of the limiting wafer comb on the plane; It also includes at least one limiting mechanism 2, which includes two limiting wafer combs 2. The two limiting wafer combs 2 are respectively and parallelly arranged on the outer sides of the active roller and the driven roller to clamp the edge of the wafer.

2. The wafer edge-finding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The invention also comprises a transfer mechanism, which comprises two transfer wafer combs for clamping the edge of the wafer and driving it to rise and fall.

3. The wafer edge-finding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The blocking rod is a round rod, and the diameter of the blocking rod is smaller than the opening size of the wafer groove.

4. The wafer edge-finding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A reinforcing block is arranged on one side of the blocking rod facing away from the wafer, and the reinforcing block and the blocking rod are raised and lowered synchronously, so that the reinforcing block always supports the blocking rod.

5. The wafer edge-finding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance between the blocking rod and the active roller is greater than the distance between the blocking rod and the driven roller, so that after the blocking rod lifts the wafer, the wafer is carried on the blocking rod and the active roller.

6. The wafer edge-finding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The limiting wafer comb is provided with a plurality of limiting slots along its length direction, and the blocking rod passes through the plurality of limiting slots to contact the edge of the wafer.

7. The wafer edge-finding device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The limiting wafer comb 1 is provided with a cavity for accommodating the blocking rod along its length direction, and the cavity is communicated with the limiting clamping slot 1.

8. The wafer edge-finding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The limiting wafer comb 2 is provided with a plurality of limiting slots 2 along its length direction, and the depth of the limiting slots 2 is adapted to the size of the wafer so that there is a gap between the edge of the wafer carried by the active roller and the driven roller and the bottom of the limiting slots 2.

9. The wafer edge-finding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer cover of the wafer edge-finding device is provided with a cover body.

10. The wafer edge-finding device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The top of the cover body is provided with an entrance and an exit for the wafer to enter and exit the cover body.

11. The wafer edge-finding device according to claim 10, characterized in that: It also includes a shielding plate, which is arranged close to the entrance and exit and can move horizontally to open and close the entrance and exit.

12. The wafer edge-finding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance between the blocking rod and the active roller and the distance between the blocking rod and the driven roller are adapted to the state of the wafer when lifted by the blocking rod, so that the wafer in the rotating state is blocked by the blocking rod and deviates toward the direction close to the driven roller.

13. A wafer edge finding method, characterized in that: A wafer edge finding device as described in any one of claims 1 to 12 is used, and includes the following steps: S100 placing the wafer in a vertical state on the active roller and the driven roller; S200: placing the blocking rod close to the driven roller, and controlling the blocking rod to rise to lift the wafer, so that the wafer is carried on the blocking rod and the driving roller; S300 controls the active roller to rotate to drive the wafer to rotate, and after the wafer groove is embedded in the blocking rod, the wafer deviates toward the direction close to the driven roller, and is carried on the blocking rod and the driven roller, and stops rotating.

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