Wafer transfer robot arm, wafer horizontal supporting device and supporting method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a wafer transfer robot, comprising: a robot body; and a wafer horizontal support device arranged on the robot, the wafer horizontal support device comprising a driving mechanism and at least one claw plate, two claw groups are arranged on the claw plate, and both claw groups include at least one claw block, and the driving mechanism is connected to at least one claw group to drive one claw group to move relative to the other claw group, and form a receiving space for accommodating and supporting wafers. The present invention realizes the smooth and efficient placement and transfer of wafers in a horizontal state by cooperating with the robot body and the wafer horizontal support device; further, the wafer horizontal support device drives the claw group through the driving mechanism to form a plurality of receiving spaces for accommodating and supporting wafers, thereby being suitable for wafers of different states or sizes, and the stepped claw block realizes the support of wafers of different states on the same claw block, thereby improving the space utilization rate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a wafer transfer robot arm, a wafer horizontal supporting device and a supporting method. Background Art

[0002] In the semiconductor industry, wafers need to be cleaned or etched before and after certain processes. In these process equipment, wafers are divided into dirty and clean wafers before and after the process. In order to prevent clean wafers from being contaminated, dirty and clean wafers need to be transported separately.

[0003] In the existing robotic arm technology, the most commonly used design is the single-arm single-claw design. When this application is used to transport wafers, because there is only one gripper to grasp the wafer, the dirty wafer will contaminate the claw on the gripper, causing the gripper to carry the clean wafer. The clean wafer will be contaminated by contact with the claw when the gripper is carrying the clean wafer, affecting the subsequent process. At the same time, the single-claw design can only carry one wafer at a time, resulting in a time-consuming process for the entire batch of 25 wafers, which seriously restricts the efficiency of the process. At the same time, repeated operations are too frequent, and the mechanical components also face problems of wear and service life.

[0004] In order to solve the cross-contamination problem, the existing technology also uses a single-arm double-claw or double-arm double-claw design. Dirty wafers and clean wafers are picked up and placed using different grippers, solving the cross-contamination problem. However, the single-arm double-claw design requires almost twice the plane workspace of the double-arm double-claw design, and the double-arm double-claw design can only carry one wafer at a time, so the handling efficiency is limited.

[0005] In order to save flat workspace, the existing technology also adopts a multi-layer stacked gripper design to increase the handling efficiency of wafers. However, the stacked structure of the existing design basically adopts a structure of stacking grippers piece by piece. Since they are stacked piece by piece, if one of the grippers needs to be replaced, all the grippers above need to be removed layer by layer. During assembly, the parallelism and horizontality adjustments between each gripper affect each other, and the entire operation process is cumbersome and time-consuming.

[0006] Therefore, in view of the above problems, it is necessary to propose further solutions to at least solve one of the problems. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present invention aims to provide a wafer transfer robot arm, a wafer horizontal supporting device and a supporting method to overcome the deficiencies in the prior art.

[0008] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is:

[0009] A wafer transfer robot arm, comprising:

[0010] A robot body; and

[0011] A wafer horizontal supporting device is arranged on the robot arm, and the wafer horizontal supporting device includes a driving mechanism and at least one claw plate, two claw groups are arranged on the claw plate, and the two claw groups each include at least one claw block to form a receiving space for accommodating and supporting the wafer, the claw block is stepped, and includes at least two supporting surfaces and a limiting surface along its height direction, the corresponding supporting surfaces in the two claw groups are adapted to support the wafer, and the limiting surface is used to limit the horizontal movement of the wafer, and the driving mechanism is used to drive at least one claw group to move so that the corresponding supporting surface is adapted to the wafer to be received, and the minimum distance between the two corresponding adjacent limiting surfaces is less than the diameter of the wafer.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the robotic arm is capable of driving the wafer horizontal supporting device to translate and / or rotate.

[0013] Another technical solution is:

[0014] A wafer horizontal supporting device, comprising:

[0015] At least one claw plate, the claw plate is provided with two claw groups, the two claw groups each include at least one claw block to form a receiving space for accommodating and supporting the wafer, the claw block is stepped, and includes at least two supporting surfaces and a limiting surface along its height direction, the corresponding supporting surfaces in the two claw groups are adapted to support the wafer, and the limiting surface is used to limit the horizontal movement of the wafer;

[0016] A driving mechanism is used to drive at least one of the claw groups to move so that the corresponding supporting surface is adapted to the wafer to be accommodated, and the minimum distance between two corresponding adjacent limiting surfaces is smaller than the diameter of the wafer.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bottom diameter of the accommodating space is larger than the diameter of the wafer.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the two claw groups each include a claw block, and the two claw blocks are arranged along a straight line where the diameter of the wafer lies.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the two claw groups include at least three claw blocks in total.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the two claw groups includes two claw blocks, and the two claw groups are arranged in parallel.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the supporting surface is arranged horizontally; or the supporting surface is arranged inclined relative to the horizontal plane toward the claw plate and the center of the accommodating space.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the limiting surface extends along the height direction of the claw block; or the limiting surface extends along the height direction of the claw block and toward the outside of the accommodating space.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the connection between the supporting surface and the limiting surface is an arc-shaped structure adapted to the circumference of the wafer.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a resistance surface is connected between the supporting surface and the limiting surface, and the resistance surface extends along the height direction of the claw block.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the driving mechanism includes a driving member, a transmission assembly connected to the driving member, a connecting member connected to the transmission assembly, and a mounting member connected to the connecting member and used for mounting any one of the claw groups.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the wafer horizontal supporting device comprises a plurality of claw plates;

[0027] The driving mechanism comprises a mounting member, and the corresponding claw groups of the plurality of claw plates are all connected to the mounting member; or

[0028] The driving mechanism comprises a plurality of mounting members, and the corresponding claw groups of a plurality of claw plates are respectively connected to the corresponding mounting members.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transmission assembly is a small-lead screw transmission assembly.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the driving member is a motor with an absolute encoder.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of the claw plates are included, and the plurality of claw plates are sequentially stacked and spaced apart.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it includes a plurality of claw plate modules which are sequentially stacked and spaced apart from each other. The claw plate module includes a connecting seat and a plurality of claw plates connected to the connecting seat, and the plurality of claw plates are sequentially stacked and spaced apart from each other along the height direction of the connecting seat.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the relative heights of the plurality of claw plate modules are adjustable, and / or the relative heights of the plurality of claw plates in the same claw plate module are adjustable.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it also includes:

[0035] Mounting seat;

[0036] A plurality of overlapping block groups are arranged in the mounting seat along the height direction thereof, wherein the overlapping block groups include two overlapping blocks arranged opposite to each other, and overlapping ears are arranged on the corresponding sides of the connecting seat, and the overlapping ears are connected to the overlapping blocks.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it also includes:

[0038] A sensor is used to detect whether the wafer is on the claw plate.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transmitting end and the receiving end of the sensor are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the thickness direction of the claw plate, and a first avoidance hole is provided on the claw plate corresponding to the detection station of the sensor.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sensor can slide relative to the receiving space so that its orthographic projection on the horizontal plane is located inside or outside the receiving space.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it also includes:

[0042] A regularizing rod, the regularizing rod being arranged on one side of the claw plate;

[0043] The aligning drive mechanism is used to drive the aligning rod to push the wafer on the claw plate to move toward one side and abut against the wafer.

[0044] Another technical solution is:

[0045] A wafer horizontal supporting method adopts any of the above-mentioned wafer horizontal supporting devices and comprises the following steps:

[0046] S101: when carrying a wafer in a state, controlling the driving mechanism to drive a claw group to move, so as to adjust a supporting surface to match the wafer in the state;

[0047] S102: when carrying a wafer in another state, controlling the driving mechanism to drive one of the claw groups to move, so as to adjust the other supporting surface to match the wafer in this state;

[0048] S200 controls the wafer horizontal supporting device to extend into the wafer box and move upward, so that the corresponding wafer falls into the corresponding receiving space and is supported by the corresponding supporting surface.

[0049] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it also includes:

[0050] S300 controls the driving mechanism to drive one of the claw groups to move, so as to push the wafer in the receiving space to move toward one side and be clamped between the two claw groups.

[0051] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0052] The present invention realizes the smooth and efficient placement and transfer of horizontal wafers by cooperating with the robot arm body and the horizontal wafer supporting device; further, the horizontal wafer supporting device drives the claw group through the driving mechanism to form a variety of receiving spaces for accommodating and supporting wafers, thereby being suitable for wafers of different states or sizes, and the stepped claw block realizes the distinction and support of wafers of different states on the same claw block, thereby improving space utilization. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] 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.

[0054] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the wafer transfer robot arm of the present invention.

[0055] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of a wafer horizontal supporting device of the present invention;

[0056] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the claw block of the present invention;

[0057] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the use state of Example 1;

[0058] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Partial schematic diagram after removing the top plate and top wafer;

[0059] Figure 6 for Figure 4 Explosion diagram of

[0060] Figure 7 for Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the middle claw plate module;

[0061] Figure 8 for Figure 4 A partial schematic diagram after the claw plate module is removed;

[0062] Fig. 9This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the use state of embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0063] Fig.10 for Fig. 9 Partial schematic diagram after removing the top plate and top wafer;

[0064] Fig.11 for Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a single claw plate and part of the driving mechanism;

[0065] Fig.12 for Fig.11 A side view schematic diagram of

[0066] Fig.13 for Fig.11 Schematic diagram of part of the structure.

[0067] Specifically, 1. wafer;

[0068] 500, wafer transfer robot; 510, robot body; 520, wafer horizontal supporting device; 521, claw plate module; 5211, claw plate; 52111, first avoidance hole; 52112, second avoidance hole; 5212, connecting seat; 52121, lap ear; 52122, n-layer supporting block; 52123, pressing plate; 522, claw block; 5221, limiting surface; 5222, supporting surface; 523, driving mechanism; 5231, driving member; 5232, transmission assembly; 5233, connecting member; 5234, mounting member; 525, sensor; 526, mounting seat; 5261, supporting ear plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] 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.

[0070] 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.

[0071] 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.

[0072] like Figure 1 As shown, a wafer transfer robot 500 includes a robot body 510 and a wafer horizontal supporting device 520. The wafer horizontal supporting device 520 is arranged on the robot. The robot body 510 drives the wafer horizontal supporting device 520 to move, including but not limited to one or more of horizontal translation, vertical translation, and rotation, thereby transferring the wafer 1 between different carriers and workstations.

[0073] Among them, Figure 2 As shown, the wafer horizontal support device 520 includes a driving mechanism 523 and at least one claw plate 5211. Two claw groups are arranged on the claw plate 5211, and both claw groups include at least one claw block 522 to form a receiving space for accommodating and supporting the wafer 1. The driving mechanism 523 is connected to at least one claw group, and is used to drive a claw group to move, so as to adjust the receiving space to match the wafer to be received, and the diameter of the receiving space can be changed by the driving mechanism 523, so that a variety of receiving spaces can be realized, and thus suitable for wafers 1 of different states or sizes.

[0074] like Figure 3As shown, the claw block 522 is stepped and includes at least two supporting surfaces 5222 along its height direction. The corresponding supporting surfaces 5222 in the two claw groups are at the same height relative to the claw plate 5211 for supporting the wafer 1.

[0075] Preferably, a limiting surface 5221 is provided on the side of the supporting surface 5222 away from the claw plate, and the limiting surface 5221 faces the center of the receiving space to limit the deviation of the wafer 1 located on the corresponding supporting surface 5222. That is, the limiting surface 5221 and the supporting surface 5222 intersect, the supporting surface 5222 is used to carry the wafer 1, and the limiting surface 5221 is used to limit the circumferential direction of the wafer 1 to prevent it from excessive horizontal movement.

[0076] The supporting surface 5222 can be arranged horizontally to stably support the wafer 1 .

[0077] or Figure 3 As shown, the supporting surface 5222 is inclined relative to the horizontal plane toward the claw plate 5211 and the center of the receiving space. That is, the supporting surface 5222 is preferably an inclined surface, and its high side intersects with the limiting surface 5221, and the low side faces the center of the circle. The supporting surface 5222 gradually inclines from the limiting surface 5221 toward the surface of the claw plate 5211, and is relatively horizontally arranged. The inclined supporting surface 5222 makes the bottom surface of the wafer 1 and the supporting surface 5222 in point contact or line contact, reducing the contact surface to prevent the surface of the wafer 1 from being damaged. Preferably, the bottom surface of the wafer 1 is in line contact with the supporting surface 5222 to ensure the stability of the wafer 1. At this time, the connection between the limiting surface 5221 and the supporting surface 5222 is an arc-shaped structure that matches the circumference of the wafer 1. At this time, it means that when the supporting surface 5222 is an inclined surface, it is an arc-shaped surface that matches the circumference of the wafer 1, and it also means that the limiting surface 5221 is an arc-shaped surface that matches the circumference of the wafer 1. Further, the arc radii of each claw block 522 are the same and concentric.

[0078] like Figure 3 As shown in (a), the limiting surface 5221 can extend along the height direction of the claw block 522, that is, perpendicular to the horizontal plane, so as to limit the deviation of the wafer 1.

[0079] Of course, if Figure 3As shown in (b), the limiting surface 5221 can also extend along the height direction of the claw block 522 and toward the outside of the receiving space, thereby forming a trumpet-like shape, so that the limiting surface 5221 can guide the wafer 1 to slide toward the supporting surface 5222 at the same time, so that when the wafer 1 deviates from the center of the receiving space, the wafer 1 can still be lifted upward by the device and fall into the receiving space. At this time, a resistance surface is connected between the supporting surface 5222 and the limiting surface 5221, and the resistance surface extends along the height direction of the claw block 522, that is, the resistance surface is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, so as to resist and limit the deviation of the wafer 1 in the subsequent steps, and prevent the inclined limiting surface 5221 from further moving toward the wafer 1, pushing the wafer 1 to move upward.

[0080] In the present invention, the claw block 522 is a two-layer stepped structure, including an upper group and a lower group, that is, two receiving spaces are formed, and the wafer 1 in the wafer box can be taken out by docking the corresponding supporting surface 5222 in the upper group or the lower group with the wafer box. Specifically, a claw block 522 group can be driven by the driving mechanism 523 to move along the disk surface (i.e., horizontal direction) of the claw plate 5211 so that the upper group or the lower group forms an appropriate receiving space to accommodate the wafer 1. The upper group and the lower group can form a receiving space of the same diameter to accommodate wafers 1 of the same size, and the upper group and the lower group can respectively carry the wafers 1 before and after the processing process. Of course, the upper group and the lower group can also form receiving spaces of different diameters to accommodate wafers 1 of different sizes.

[0081] Embodiment 1:

[0082] like Figures 4 to 8 As shown, in this embodiment, the device includes a plurality of claw plates 5211, and the plurality of claw plates 5211 are sequentially stacked and arranged at intervals, so that wafers 1 can be carried in batches at one time. Generally speaking, the device is provided with 25 claw plates 5211 to correspond to 25 wafers 1 in the wafer box, and take them out at one time. Of course, it is not limited to this, and the device may include only one claw plate 5211, or more or less than 25 claw plates 5211.

[0083] Generally speaking, the driving mechanism 523 is used to drive one claw group to translate or rotate relative to another claw group along the surface of the claw plate 5211 to form a receiving space.

[0084] More specifically, the two claw groups are a fixed claw group and a movable claw group that are concentrically arranged, and the arc length formed by the movable claw group is greater than the arc length formed by the fixed claw group, so that when the wafer 1 is subsequently pushed, the force on the wafer 1 is dispersed, and the wafer 1 moves more smoothly. The fixed claw group is fixedly arranged on the claw plate 5211, and the movable claw group is connected to the driving mechanism 523 and is driven by the driving mechanism to translate toward the fixed claw group to form a receiving space.

[0085] The material of the claw block 522 is generally selected according to the process requirements, and commonly used materials include PEEK, PFA, Teflon, etc., but are not limited to the above-mentioned ones.

[0086] In this embodiment, the two claw groups of the device each include two claw blocks 522, and the two claw groups are arranged in parallel. However, it is not limited thereto, and the two claw groups may each include one claw block 522, and the two claw blocks 522 are arranged along the straight line where the diameter of the wafer 1 is located; or the two claw groups include at least three claw blocks 522 in total. It is sufficient to ensure that the center of gravity of the wafer 1 falls within the closed figure formed by the two claw groups, thereby ensuring stable support of the wafer 1.

[0087] like Figure 6 As shown, in this embodiment, multiple claw plates 5211 of the device are assembled by modules, specifically, they are composed of multiple claw plate modules 521 that are sequentially stacked and spaced apart. The claw plate module 521 includes a connecting seat 5212 and multiple claw plates 5211 connected to the connecting seat 5212, and the multiple claw plates 5211 are sequentially stacked and spaced apart along the height direction of the connecting seat 5212. Specifically, five claw plate modules 521 are provided in this embodiment, and each claw plate module 521 includes five claw plates 5211. By modularly arranging multiple claw plates 5211, it is more convenient to load, unload and adjust the claw plates 5211. When replacing a claw plate 5211, it is only necessary to remove the claw plate module 521, and then remove the corresponding claw plate 5211 in the claw plate module 521, thereby reducing the number of disassembly times.

[0088] It is understandable that, in order to take out wafers 1 in batches at one time, taking the wafers 1 in the wafer box as an example, the spacing between the plurality of claw plates 5211 matches the spacing between the plurality of wafers 1 in the wafer box, so that the claw plates 5211 extend between adjacent wafers 1 and lift the wafers 1 to take them out. More specifically, the sum of the thickness of the claw plates 5211 and the height of the claw blocks 522 matches the spacing between adjacent wafers 1.

[0089] Preferably, the relative heights of multiple claw plate modules 521 are adjustable, and / or the relative heights of multiple claw plates 5211 in the same claw plate module 521 are adjustable, so as to achieve uniformity and facilitate one-time batch loading and placement of wafers 1.

[0090] Specifically, on the inner side of the device, that is, inside the mounting seat 526, a plurality of support ear plates 5261 are provided along the height direction to install the corresponding modules. The spacing between the support ear plates 5261 is adjusted according to the height of each group of modules to ensure that after each group of modules is installed, there is still a small amount of adjustment space for adjusting the level of the entire group. Each layer of the support ear plates 5261 is provided with screw holes for fixing and steel sheets for top screws, which are respectively used to fix and adjust each group of modules. Each module is installed independently, and can be independently adjusted in terms of height and levelness. If one of the claw plates 5211 needs to be replaced, it is only necessary to replace the module including the claw plate 5211, which solves the cumbersome operation of disassembling and assembling the traditional claw plates 5211 layer by layer when replacing them. During specific installation, such as Figure 7 As shown, each module group is composed of n claw plates 5211, a layer of support blocks, a second layer of support blocks, a third layer of support blocks, ..., n layers of support blocks 52122, and a pressing plate 52123. First, install a claw plate 5211 on a layer of support blocks, and then install the second layer of support blocks, adjust the height and level of the claw plate 5211, and then lock it. Install the second claw plate 5211 on the second layer of support blocks, and install the third layer of support blocks, adjust the height and level of the claw plate 5211 of this layer, and then lock it. And so on, install the remaining claw plates 5211 and support blocks. After the n layers of claw plates 5211 are installed, install a pressing plate 52123 on top of them to tighten the last layer of claw plates 5211. In this way, a group of claw plates 5211 is assembled, and at this time, the relative height and level of each claw plate 5211 in the group are consistent. According to the same method, assemble the remaining groups of claw plates 5211. Install a group of claw plates 5211 on the vertical plate, let the corresponding overlapping ears 52121 of the top support block or other layers of support blocks overlap with the support ear plate 5261, and align the mounting holes. Measure the height of the claw plates 5211 at different positions of the group, and adjust the top screws on the top support block according to the height difference until the height of each point is consistent and the screws are tightened after the requirements are met. At this time, it is necessary to continue to monitor the height of the claw plates 5211 at different positions of the group. If the height difference exceeds the required range, it is necessary to loosen the screws and continue to adjust the top screws at the corresponding positions until the height difference of each point of the claw plate 5211 is within the required range after locking. In this way, a group of claw plates 5211 is installed. Repeat the above steps to install the remaining groups of claw plates 5211. When replacement is required, just remove the corresponding group of claw plates 5211 and replace it. After replacement, the height of the group needs to be re-tested and adjusted to ensure that its levelness is qualified.

[0091] like Figure 6 The driving mechanism 523 includes a driving member 5231, a transmission assembly 5232 connected to the driving member 5231, a connecting member 5233 connected to the transmission assembly 5232, and a mounting member 5234 connected to the connecting member 5233 and used for mounting any claw group.

[0092] In this embodiment, the driving mechanism 523 may include a mounting member 5234, and the corresponding claw groups of the plurality of claw plates 5211 are all connected to the mounting member 5234. Figure 8 As shown, the mounting member 5234 is similar to a rectangular frame structure, and the claw assembly is installed on the side of the mounting member 5234.

[0093] Preferably, the transmission assembly 5232 is a small lead screw transmission assembly 5232, thereby improving the stability and accuracy of the drive. Further, the driving member 5231 is a motor with an absolute encoder, thereby further improving the accuracy of the drive, making the moving distance of the claw group more small and accurate.

[0094] The device further includes a sensor 525, which is used to detect whether there is a wafer 1 on the claw plate 5211. Specifically, the transmitting end and the receiving end of the sensor 525 are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the claw plate 5211 in the thickness direction, and a first avoidance hole 52111 is arranged on the claw plate 5211 corresponding to the detection station of the sensor 525. Furthermore, the sensor 525 can slide relative to the receiving space so that its orthographic projection on the horizontal plane is located inside or outside the receiving space.

[0095] Embodiment 2:

[0096] On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, the difference of this embodiment lies in the installation method of the claw plate 5211 and the different structures and installation methods of the claw group and the mounting member 5234.

[0097] like Figures 9 to 12 As shown, the driving mechanism 523 includes a plurality of mounting members 5234, and the corresponding claw groups of the plurality of claw plates 5211 are respectively connected to the corresponding mounting members 5234, that is, an alternating stacking installation method of one layer of claw plates 5211 and one layer of mounting members 5234 is adopted during installation.

[0098] like Fig.11 and Fig.12 As shown, in order to save space, the tail of the mounting member 5234 passes through the claw plate 5211 to connect with the mounting member 5234 below, and a second avoidance hole 52112 is provided at the corresponding position of the claw plate 5211 for the mounting member 5234 to pass through and move in the second avoidance hole 52112 to drive the claw group to move.

[0099] Preferably, if Fig.13As shown, taking the bottom supporting surface 5222 supporting wafer 1 as an example, to ensure that wafer 1 can be taken, preferably, the bottom diameter of the receiving space, that is, the diameter of the maximum circumference a formed by the edge of the bottom supporting surface 5222, is greater than the diameter of wafer 1. The driving mechanism 523 drives so that the diameter of the hollow circle formed by the corresponding supporting surfaces 5222 in the two claw groups, that is, the diameter of the minimum circumference b formed by the edge of the bottom supporting surface 5222, is smaller than the diameter of wafer 1. Through the coordination of these two sizes, even if wafer 1 is horizontally offset in the original carrier, the device can still take wafer 1, and wafer 1 will not fall.

[0100] In this embodiment, four claw blocks 522 arranged in an isosceles trapezoid are provided on the claw plate 5211. The four claw blocks 522 are located on the same plane and have the same curvature and meet the following conditions:

[0101]

[0102] Wherein, D is the diameter of the receiving space, d is the diameter of the wafer 1 to be received, x1 is the tolerance distance of the receiving space on the diameter, x2 is the horizontal offset distance of the wafer 1 in the original carrier, w1 is the width of the orthographic projection of the supporting surface 5222 on the horizontal plane, and w2 is the width of the orthographic projection of the limiting surface 5221 on the horizontal plane. By limiting the size of the claw block 522 and the receiving space formed by it, it is ensured that the wafer 1 can fall into the receiving space and will not fall from the receiving space.

[0103] Furthermore, x2≤x1≤1.5x2, so that the size of the accommodating space is more appropriate, avoiding the wafer horizontal supporting device 520 being too large, and preventing the subsequent claw group from pushing the wafer 1 to move too long, causing excessive friction on the supporting surface 5222 and causing damage to the wafer 1.

[0104] Embodiment 3:

[0105] In this embodiment, on the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, the device further comprises a regularizing rod and a regularizing driving mechanism. The regularizing rod is arranged on one side of the claw plate 5211, and the regularizing driving mechanism is used to drive the regularizing rod to push the wafer 1 on the claw plate 5211 to move toward one side and contact the wafer 1, so that the multiple wafers 1 supported by the device can be coaxially aligned, and the efficiency of subsequent process operation can be improved; and by contacting the wafer 1, the restriction on it can be increased to avoid the wafer 1 being thrown out and damaged during the movement of the device, and correspondingly, the moving speed of the device is also increased, thereby increasing the transfer rate of the wafer 1.

[0106] Of course, in this embodiment, a regularizing rod and a regularizing drive mechanism are additionally provided to achieve the purpose of regularizing and restricting the wafer 1. However, since the claw group of this device itself can move, after the claw group supports the wafer 1, the driving mechanism 523 can be used to drive the claw group again to move further toward the center of the circle, thereby contacting the wafer 1, thereby achieving the purpose of regularization and restriction, and being able to simplify the structure.

[0107] In order to ensure that the wafer 1 does not escape from the receiving space, the minimum distance between two adjacent limiting surfaces 5221 in the same receiving space is preferably smaller than the diameter of the wafer 1 .

[0108] A wafer horizontal supporting method adopts any of the above wafer horizontal supporting devices 520 and comprises the following steps:

[0109] S101: When a wafer 1 is carried in a state, the driving mechanism 523 is controlled to drive a claw group to move, so as to adjust a supporting surface 5222 to match the wafer 1 in the state, that is, a first receiving space for accommodating and supporting the wafer 1 is formed by corresponding to the supporting surface 5222;

[0110] S102: When carrying another state wafer 1, the driving mechanism 523 is controlled to drive a claw group to move, so as to adjust another supporting surface 5222 to match the wafer 1 in this state, that is, a second receiving space for accommodating and supporting the wafer 1 is formed through another corresponding supporting surface 5222;

[0111] S200 controls the wafer horizontal supporting device 520 to extend into the wafer box and move upward, so that the corresponding wafer 1 falls into the corresponding receiving space and is supported by the corresponding supporting surface 5222 .

[0112] S300 controls the driving mechanism 523 to drive a claw group to move, so as to push the wafer 1 in the receiving space to move toward one side and be clamped between the two claw groups.

[0113] In summary, the present invention realizes the smooth and efficient placement and transfer of horizontal wafers through the cooperation of the robot arm body and the horizontal wafer supporting device; further, the horizontal wafer supporting device drives the claw group through the driving mechanism to form a variety of receiving spaces for accommodating and supporting wafers, thereby being suitable for wafers of different states or sizes, and the stepped claw block realizes the distinction and support of wafers in different states on the same claw block, thereby improving space utilization.

[0114] In addition, it should be understood that although the present specification is described according to implementation modes, not every implementation mode contains only one independent technical solution. This description of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment may also be appropriately combined to form other implementation modes that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A wafer transfer robot, characterized in that: include: Robotic arm body; as well as A wafer horizontal supporting device is arranged on the robot arm, and the wafer horizontal supporting device includes a driving mechanism and at least one claw plate, two claw groups are arranged on the claw plate, and the two claw groups each include at least one claw block to form a receiving space for accommodating and supporting the wafer, the claw block is stepped, and includes at least two supporting surfaces and a limiting surface along its height direction, the corresponding supporting surfaces in the two claw groups are adapted to support the wafer, and the limiting surface is used to limit the horizontal movement of the wafer, and the driving mechanism is used to drive at least one claw group to move so that the corresponding supporting surface is adapted to the wafer to be received, and the minimum distance between the two corresponding adjacent limiting surfaces is less than the diameter of the wafer.

2. The wafer transfer robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robotic arm can drive the wafer horizontal supporting device to translate and / or rotate.

3. A wafer horizontal support device, characterized in that: include: At least one claw plate, the claw plate is provided with two claw groups, the two claw groups each include at least one claw block to form a receiving space for accommodating and supporting the wafer, the claw block is stepped, and includes at least two supporting surfaces and a limiting surface along its height direction, the corresponding supporting surfaces in the two claw groups are adapted to support the wafer, and the limiting surface is used to limit the horizontal movement of the wafer; A driving mechanism is used to drive at least one of the claw groups to move so that the corresponding supporting surface is adapted to the wafer to be accommodated, and the minimum distance between two corresponding adjacent limiting surfaces is smaller than the diameter of the wafer.

4. The wafer horizontal supporting device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The bottom diameter of the accommodating space is larger than the diameter of the wafer.

5. The wafer horizontal supporting device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The two claw groups each include a claw block, and the two claw blocks are arranged along a straight line where the diameter of the wafer is located.

6. The wafer horizontal supporting device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The two claw groups include at least three claw blocks in total.

7. The wafer horizontal supporting device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The two claw groups each include two claw blocks, and the two claw groups are arranged in parallel.

8. The wafer horizontal supporting device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The supporting surface is arranged horizontally; or the supporting surface is arranged inclined relative to the horizontal plane toward the claw plate and the center of the receiving space.

9. The wafer horizontal supporting device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The limiting surface extends along the height direction of the claw block; or the limiting surface extends along the height direction of the claw block and toward the outside of the accommodating space.

10. The wafer horizontal supporting device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The connection between the supporting surface and the limiting surface is an arc-shaped structure adapted to the circumference of the wafer.

11. The wafer horizontal supporting device according to claim 3, characterized in that: A resistance surface is connected between the supporting surface and the limiting surface, and the resistance surface extends along the height direction of the claw block.

12. The wafer horizontal supporting device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The driving mechanism includes a driving member, a transmission assembly connected to the driving member, a connecting member connected to the transmission assembly, and a mounting member connected to the connecting member and used for mounting any one of the claw groups.

13. The wafer horizontal supporting device according to claim 12, characterized in that: The wafer horizontal supporting device comprises a plurality of claw plates; The driving mechanism comprises a mounting member, and the corresponding claw groups of the plurality of claw plates are all connected to the mounting member; or The driving mechanism comprises a plurality of mounting members, and the corresponding claw groups of a plurality of claw plates are respectively connected to the corresponding mounting members.

14. The wafer horizontal supporting device according to claim 12, characterized in that: The transmission assembly is a small-lead screw transmission assembly.

15. The wafer horizontal supporting device according to claim 14, characterized in that: The driving component is a motor with an absolute encoder.

16. The wafer horizontal supporting device according to claim 3, characterized in that: It comprises a plurality of claw plates, and the plurality of claw plates are sequentially and spaced apart and stacked.

17. The horizontal wafer supporting device according to claim 3, characterized in that: It comprises a plurality of claw plate modules which are sequentially stacked and spaced apart from each other. The claw plate module comprises a connecting seat and a plurality of claw plates connected to the connecting seat. The plurality of claw plates are sequentially stacked and spaced apart from each other along the height direction of the connecting seat.

18. The wafer horizontal supporting device according to claim 17, characterized in that: The relative heights of the plurality of claw plate modules are adjustable, and / or the relative heights of the plurality of claw plates in the same claw plate module are adjustable.

19. The wafer horizontal supporting device according to claim 17, characterized in that: Also includes: Mounting seat; A plurality of overlapping block groups are arranged in the mounting seat along the height direction thereof, wherein the overlapping block groups include two overlapping blocks arranged opposite to each other, and overlapping ears are arranged on the corresponding sides of the connecting seat, and the overlapping ears are connected to the overlapping blocks.

20. The horizontal wafer supporting device according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also includes: A sensor is used to detect whether the wafer is on the claw plate.

21. The horizontal wafer supporting device according to claim 20, characterized in that: The transmitting end and the receiving end of the sensor are respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the thickness direction of the claw plate, and a first avoidance hole is arranged on the claw plate corresponding to the detection station of the sensor.

22. The wafer horizontal supporting device according to claim 21, characterized in that: The sensor can slide relative to the receiving space so that its orthographic projection on the horizontal plane is located inside or outside the receiving space.

23. The horizontal wafer supporting device according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also includes: A regularizing rod, the regularizing rod being arranged on one side of the claw plate; The aligning drive mechanism is used to drive the aligning rod to push the wafer on the claw plate to move toward one side and abut against the wafer.

24. A wafer horizontal support method, characterized in that: A wafer horizontal support device as described in any one of claims 3 to 23 is used, and includes the following steps: S101: when carrying a wafer in a state, controlling the driving mechanism to drive a claw group to move, so as to adjust a supporting surface to match the wafer in the state; S102: when carrying a wafer in another state, controlling the driving mechanism to drive one of the claw groups to move, so as to adjust the other supporting surface to match the wafer in this state; S200 controls the wafer horizontal supporting device to extend into the wafer box and move upward, so that the corresponding wafer falls into the corresponding receiving space and is supported by the corresponding supporting surface.

25. The wafer horizontal supporting method according to claim 24, characterized in that: Also includes: S300 controls the driving mechanism to drive one of the claw groups to move, so as to push the wafer in the receiving space to move toward one side and be clamped between the two claw groups.

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