Wafer fixing mechanism, wafer flipping device and system having the same

Abstract

The present invention discloses a wafer fixing mechanism, a wafer flipping device and a system having the mechanism, wherein the wafer fixing mechanism comprises: a horizontal support mechanism, the horizontal support mechanism comprises two support comb columns arranged opposite to each other to cooperate with supporting a wafer in a horizontal state, and a channel for the wafer to enter and exit is formed between the two support comb columns; a circumferential clamping mechanism, the circumferential clamping mechanism comprises at least two clamping comb columns arranged at both ends of the channel, at least two clamping comb columns cooperate with the support comb columns to clamp the wafer located on the support comb columns, and the circumferential clamping mechanism also comprises a buffer component, and the buffer component is used to limit the separation of the clamping comb column from the wafer. The present invention realizes the support of the wafer in a horizontal state through the horizontal support mechanism, and clamps and fixes the wafer located on the horizontal support mechanism through the circumferential clamping mechanism, so that it can be separated from the support of the horizontal support mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a wafer fixing mechanism, a wafer turning device and a system having the mechanism. Background Art

[0002] In the semiconductor industry, multiple wafers (chips) are stored horizontally in a wafer box with the front side (chip side) facing upwards, in order from top to bottom, especially the current 12-inch wafers, which are stored horizontally in a FOUP (front-opening wafer box). However, in some process technologies, especially batch cleaning processes, it is not only necessary to change the wafer carrier from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction, but also the wafers in the odd position (or even position) need to be rotated 180 degrees in the vertical direction, so that the vertically arranged multiple wafers are stored in a front-to-face manner to avoid the front side being contaminated by dust from the back side of the wafer (the contact surface of the robot arm) during the process manufacturing process.

[0003] In the prior art, a single-arm single-claw robot arm is generally used to take out wafers from a wafer box one by one. The robot arm directly rotates the wafer taken out from the odd slot (or even slot) by 90 degrees (or -90 degrees), and the other wafers are rotated 90 degrees in the opposite direction. Then, the wafers are placed in a vertical carrier one by one in order to complete the wafer flipping and horizontal and vertical rotation requirements. The biggest problem with this design is that the single-wafer transmission takes too much time and cannot meet the production capacity requirements of mass production equipment.

[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 fixing mechanism, a wafer turning device and a system having the mechanism, so as to overcome the deficiencies existing in the prior art.

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

[0007] A wafer fixing mechanism, comprising:

[0008] A horizontal support mechanism, the horizontal support mechanism comprising two support comb columns arranged opposite to each other to cooperate with supporting the wafer in a horizontal state, and a passage for the wafer to enter and exit is formed between the two support comb columns;

[0009] A circumferential clamping mechanism, wherein the circumferential clamping mechanism comprises at least two clamping comb columns respectively arranged at both ends of the channel, wherein at least two of the clamping comb columns cooperate with the supporting comb columns to clamp the wafer located on the supporting comb columns, and the circumferential clamping mechanism further comprises a buffer component, wherein the buffer component is used to limit the clamping comb columns from detaching from the wafer.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the circumferential clamping mechanism includes two clamping comb columns respectively arranged at two ends of the channel, and the center positions of the two clamping comb columns are matched with the center positions of the two supporting comb columns.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the circumferential clamping mechanism includes at least three clamping comb columns respectively arranged at both ends of the channel, and the center position of the circumscribed circle of the closed figure formed by at least three clamping comb columns is adapted to the center position of the two supporting comb columns.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the circumferential clamping mechanism includes four clamping comb columns arranged in pairs at both ends of the channel, and the center position of the circumscribed circle of the closed figure formed by the four clamping comb columns coincides with the center position of the two supporting comb columns.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the support comb column includes a plurality of support plates, and the plurality of support plates are sequentially stacked and spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to a horizontal plane to horizontally support a plurality of wafers.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the clamping comb column can rotate to drive the clamping plate to move away from and avoid the wafer entering and exiting the channel, or to move closer to and cooperate with each other to clamp the wafer located on the supporting comb column.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the circumferential clamping mechanism further includes two driving assemblies 2, and the driving assemblies 2 are used to drive the two clamping comb columns located at the same end of the channel to rotate.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the clamping comb column includes a plurality of clamping plates, and the clamping plates cooperate with the corresponding support plates to contact the edges of the wafers on the corresponding support plates.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the support plate includes a support surface for supporting the wafer, and the support surface is inclined toward the bottom surface of the channel.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the support comb column also includes a rotating shaft arranged along the height direction of the channel, and a plurality of support plates are connected to the rotating shaft so as to approach and support the wafer, or move away from and avoid the wafer, driven by the rotation of the rotating shaft.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the buffer component is disposed on a rotation trajectory of the clamping comb column away from the wafer, so as to limit the clamping comb column from separating from the wafer.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the second driving component includes a driving member, a connecting rod connected to the execution end of the driving member, and two transmission members, both ends of the connecting rod are respectively provided with waist-shaped holes, one end of the transmission member is fixed to one end of the clamping comb column, and the other end extends into the corresponding waist-shaped hole and can slide along the waist-shaped hole to drive the corresponding clamping comb column to rotate.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the end of the clamping plate is provided with a V-shaped groove matching the thickness of the wafer.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a gap is provided between adjacent clamping plates, and the gap cooperates with the wafer to allow the wafer to pass through.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of the support plates are arranged in a row along the circumference of the rotating shaft, and any one end of the support plate supports the wafer.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of support plates are arranged in at least two rows along the circumference of the rotating shaft, and the support plates in any one of the two rows support the wafer.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the support plate is connected to the rotating shaft via a connecting member, and an escape space is provided between the connecting member and any one end of the support plate, and the escape space is used to avoid the wafer when the support plate is separated from the wafer.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the buffer assembly is disposed on a moving path of the connecting rod to limit the separation of the clamping comb column from the wafer.

[0027] Another technical solution is:

[0028] A wafer flipping device comprises any of the above wafer fixing mechanisms, and further comprises:

[0029] The shell is provided with the wafer fixing mechanism in the shell, and the two ends of the shell corresponding to the passage are provided with openings for the wafer to enter and exit.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a driving mechanism is further included, wherein the housing is connected to the execution end of the driving mechanism and is driven by the driving mechanism to rotate around an axis parallel to the horizontal plane and perpendicular to the channel so that the channel is parallel to or perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

[0031] Another technical solution is:

[0032] A wafer flipping system comprises any one of the wafer flipping devices described above.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it further comprises a wafer carrying device, wherein the wafer carrying device is used to carry the wafer flipped into a vertical state by the wafer flipping device.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the wafer carrying device comprises:

[0035] At least two groups of wafer carrier combs are nested, and at least one group of the wafer carrier combs can be raised and lowered relative to the other wafer carrier combs.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the wafer carrying comb assembly includes two wafer carrying combs arranged opposite to each other to respectively clamp opposite side edges of the wafer in a vertical state and cooperate to carry the wafer.

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

[0038] a carrier platform; and

[0039] At least one driving mechanism three is disposed in the carrier platform, and the driving mechanism three is connected to any one of the carrier wafer comb groups to drive it to rise and fall relative to other carrier wafer comb groups.

[0040] A preferred embodiment of the present invention further comprises a wafer scanning device, wherein the wafer scanning device can move along the length direction of the wafer-carrying comb group to scan the wafer located thereon.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it further comprises a second driving mechanism, wherein the second driving mechanism is used to drive the supporting platform to rotate or move up and down.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it further comprises a driving mechanism 1, wherein the driving mechanism 1 is used to drive the supporting platform to move horizontally.

[0043] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0044] The wafer fixing mechanism stably receives the horizontal wafer transferred by the wafer robot arm through the horizontal support mechanism, and circumferentially clamps and fixes the wafer on the horizontal support mechanism through the circumferential clamping mechanism, thereby being able to fix the wafer without the support of the horizontal support mechanism, thereby facilitating the rotation of the wafer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] 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.

[0046] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the wafer flipping device of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the wafer flipping device of the present invention with part of the outer shell removed;

[0048] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A partial top view of a schematic diagram;

[0049] 4(a)-(b) are schematic structural diagrams of support comb columns in different embodiments of the wafer flipping device of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 5 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a supporting comb column in one embodiment of a wafer flipping device of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a supporting comb column in another embodiment of the wafer flipping device of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A front view schematic diagram of

[0053] Figure 8 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a clamping comb column of a wafer flipping device of the present invention;

[0054] Fig. 9 for Figure 8 A top view schematic diagram of

[0055] Fig.10 for Figure 8 A partial side view schematic diagram of

[0056] Fig.11 It is a partial three-dimensional schematic diagram of the wafer flipping device of the present invention;

[0057] Fig.12 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the wafer carrying device of the present invention in a use state;

[0058] Fig.13 It is a partial three-dimensional schematic diagram of the wafer carrying device of the present invention;

[0059] Fig.14 for Fig.13 A front view schematic diagram of

[0060] Fig.15 It is a partial schematic diagram of the wafer carrying device of the present invention in a use state.

[0061] Specifically, 1. wafer;

[0062] 600, wafer flipping device; 610, support comb column; 611, rotating shaft; 612, connecting piece; 613, support plate; 614, driving motor; 615, pulley; 616, belt; 620, clamping comb column; 621, clamping plate; 6211, V-shaped groove; 6212, gap; 622, connecting rod; 6221, waist-shaped hole; 623, transmission piece; 624, limit block; 630, housing; 640, support seat; 650, fixing seat; 651, elastic piece; 652, abutment block;

[0063] 700, wafer carrying device; 710, mounting seat; 720, driving mechanism 1; 730, carrying platform; 731, wafer carrying comb; 740, driving mechanism 2; 750, wafer scanning device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0064] 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] 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.

[0067] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the wafer flipping device 600 is used to flip the wafer 1 arbitrarily between 0°-360°, and includes a wafer fixing mechanism.

[0068] The wafer fixing mechanism includes a horizontal support mechanism and a circumferential clamping mechanism. The horizontal support mechanism includes two support combs 610 arranged opposite to each other to support the wafer in a horizontal state, and a channel for the wafer to enter and exit is formed between the two support combs 610. The circumferential clamping mechanism includes at least two clamping combs arranged at both ends of the channel, and at least two clamping combs cooperate with the support combs to clamp the wafer on the support combs.

[0069] The wafer flipping device 600 may further include a housing 630 for accommodating the above mechanisms and a rotating mechanism for driving the housing 630 to rotate. Of course, a detection mechanism may also be included to detect the wafer status and the status of each mechanism in the device to ensure the accuracy of the operating position.

[0070] The wafer fixing mechanism is disposed in the housing 630 , and openings for the wafer to enter and exit are disposed at both ends of the housing 630 corresponding to the channel.

[0071] like Figure 3 As shown, the wafer 1 moves in and out of the wafer flipping device 600 along the direction of the arrow. It can be understood that the wafer 1 can be moved in from one side and moved out from the other side, and of course, can also be moved in or out from the same side.

[0072] The horizontal support mechanism and the circumferential clamping mechanism are arranged in the housing 630 to fix the wafer 1. The rotating mechanism drives the wafer 1 in the housing 630 to flip arbitrarily between 0-360 degrees. In particular, the rotating mechanism drives the horizontal wafer 1 to rotate 90 degrees clockwise to a vertical state, or 90 degrees counterclockwise to a vertical state.

[0073] Specifically, the housing 630 is a rectangular frame structure, including an upper fixing plate and a lower fixing plate that are relatively arranged to install a horizontal support mechanism and a circumferential clamping mechanism, and two relatively arranged rotating fixing plates that are connected to the rotating mechanism to realize overall flipping.

[0074] The rotating mechanism includes two oppositely arranged support seats 640 and a driving mechanism arranged in any support seat 640. The driving mechanism is preferably a hollow rotary motor to achieve precise automatic adjustment of the rotation angle. The housing 630 is arranged between the two support seats 640 and is driven to rotate by a rotary motor with a brake and an encoder, so as to achieve any flip between 0°-360°, that is, to rotate around an axis parallel to the horizontal plane and perpendicular to the channel, so that the channel is parallel or perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

[0075] Preferably, the support seat 640 is connected to the external support structure through a bottom plate, and a waist-shaped hole is provided on the bottom plate to achieve left-right position adjustment, and a top screw may also be provided to achieve up-and-down position adjustment.

[0076] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the horizontal support mechanism includes two supporting comb columns 610 arranged opposite to each other and a driving component 1 for driving the two supporting comb columns 610 to rotate.

[0077] Two support comb columns 610 are arranged opposite to each other. The support comb column 610 includes a rotating shaft 611, a connecting member 612 extending along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 611, and a plurality of support plates 613 arranged along the height direction of the connecting member 612. The connecting member 612 and the plurality of support plates 613 thereon form a comb-like structure. The axial direction of the rotating shaft 611 is perpendicular to the in-and-out direction of the wafer 1, so that a plurality of wafers 1 can be placed on the plurality of support plates 613 accordingly. The support plate 613 is used to carry the wafer 1. Preferably, the support plate 613 is an inclined structure, and the support surface is inclined toward the bottom surface of the channel to reduce the contact area with the wafer 1, that is, when the wafer enters the channel, the channel is parallel to the horizontal plane, and the support surface is inclined toward the bottom surface of the channel, so that the support surface is in line contact or point contact with the wafer. Generally speaking, one side of the connecting piece 612 is provided with support plates 613 equal to the number of wafers 1 stored in the wafer box 3 to completely accommodate a box of wafers 1. Specifically, 25 support plates 613 are provided to respectively carry 25 wafers 1. Of course, it is not limited to this, and the number of support plates 613 can be less than 25, or more than 25.

[0078] When it is necessary to carry the wafer 1, the two support comb columns 610 rotate to the supporting position for the wafer 1 to be inserted and the edge is seated on the support plate 613, that is, the shaft 611 rotates an angle to drive the support plate 613 to rotate to the supporting position and then carry the wafer 1; when it is not necessary to carry the wafer 1 or to avoid the movement of the wafer 1, the two support comb columns 610 rotate to the avoidance position to avoid the wafer 1, that is, the shaft 611 rotates an angle to drive the support plate 613 to rotate to the avoidance position and then away from the wafer 1.

[0079] In order to carry wafers 1 differently before and after the processing or to carry wafers 1 alternately, preferably, the support comb column 610 can be rotated to support position 1 and support position 2 to carry wafers 1 in different states respectively or to carry wafers 1 alternately.

[0080] The plurality of support plates 613 may be arranged in at least two rows along the circumference of the rotating shaft 611, and any one of the two rows of support plates 613 supports the wafer. Figure 5 As shown, in one embodiment, two rows of support plates 613 are respectively arranged along the height direction on opposite sides of the support comb column 610. Of course, the two rows of support plates 613 may not be arranged opposite to each other, and only need to form an angle between the two so that when the wafer contacts one of the two, it does not contact the other. In this embodiment, the 180° setting is conducive to controlling the conversion of the support position and the avoidance position.

[0081] The two rows of support plates 613 correspond to wafers 1 in different states, respectively. The distance D between the two rows of support plates 613, the length L of the support plates 613 and the position of the rotating shaft 611 cooperate to make the support comb column 610 turn 90° and then disengage from the contact with the wafer 1. Specifically, when the two support comb columns 610 are both in the initial state, one row of support plates 613 of the two support comb columns 610 is in a relative state to contact with and carry the wafer 1, that is, at this time, the support comb column 610 is in the first support position; the two support comb columns 610 are both rotated 90° around the axis from the initial state, and the support plates 613 of the two support comb columns 610 are disengaged from the contact with the wafer 1, that is, at this time, the support comb column 610 is in the avoidance position; the two support comb columns 610 continue to turn 90° in the same direction around the axis, and the other row of support plates 613 of the two support comb columns 610 is in a relative state to contact with and carry the wafer 1, that is, at this time, the support comb column 610 is in the second support position. Of course, when the two rows of support plates 613 are not symmetrically arranged, they are rotated at corresponding angles according to their positions to switch to different workstations.

[0082] A plurality of support plates 613 may also be arranged in a row along the circumference of the rotating shaft 611, and any end of the support plate 613 supports the wafer. Referring to FIG4(b), in another embodiment, only one side of the support comb column 610 is provided with 25 support plates 613 along its height direction, and the two ends of the support plate 613 respectively correspond to the wafer 1 in different states, and the length L of the support plate 613, its width W and the position of the rotating shaft 611 are matched so that the support comb column 610 is out of contact with the wafer 1 after rotating a certain angle. Specifically, when the two support comb columns 610 are in the initial state, one end of the support plates 613 of the two support comb columns 610 are in a relative state to contact with the wafer 1 and support the wafer 1, that is, at this time, the support comb columns 610 are in the support position one; the two support comb columns 610 are rotated around the axis by a certain angle from the initial state, and the support plates 613 of the two support comb columns 610 are out of contact with the wafer 1, that is, at this time, the support comb columns 610 are in the avoidance position; the two support comb columns 610 continue to rotate around the axis in the same direction by a certain angle, and the other ends of the support plates 613 of the two support comb columns 610 are in a relative state to contact with the wafer 1 and support the wafer 1, that is, at this time, the support comb columns 610 are in the support position two.

[0083] refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 In order to reduce the size of the support plate 613 and facilitate the support plate 613 to detach from the contact with the wafer 1, the support comb column 610 in the above two embodiments can be provided with an escape space. Specifically, the support plate 613 is connected to the rotating shaft 611 through the connecting member 612, and an escape space is provided between the connecting member 612 and any end of the support plate 613, and the escape space is used to avoid the wafer when the support plate 613 is detached from the wafer. There is a certain distance between the connecting member 612 and the end of the support plate 613, that is, the connecting member 612 is connected to part of the support plate 613. In one embodiment, Figure 6 In the solid line portion, the connecting member 612 is shorter than the supporting plate 613, increasing the space between the connecting member 612 and the supporting plate 613. When the supporting comb column 610 drives the supporting plate 613 to rotate, the wafer 1 gradually approaches the end of the connecting member 612 and then breaks away from the supporting comb column 610. In another embodiment, Figure 6 In the middle dotted line part, the thickness of the connecting member 612 gradually decreases along the direction a toward the direction b, thereby increasing the space between the connecting member 612 and the support plate 613. When the support comb column 610 drives the support plate 613 to rotate, the wafer 1 gradually approaches the end of the connecting member 612 and then loses contact with the support comb column 610.

[0084] Furthermore, the end of the connecting member 612 is reduced from the side away from the support plate 613 to the side close to the support plate 613, so that the end of the support plate 613 is not connected to the connecting member 612, and the contact area between the connecting member 612 and the support plate 613 is as large as possible, thereby improving the strength of the connection between the two and further improving the stability of the supporting wafer 1.

[0085] like Fig.11 As shown, the driving component 1 includes a driving motor 614, a pulley 615, and a belt 616. Specifically, pulleys 615 are respectively provided at the same end of the two supporting comb columns 610, and the two are connected by a belt 616 to achieve synchronous rotation. The pulley 615 on any supporting comb column 610 is connected to the driving motor 614 through the belt 616 to drive the two supporting comb columns 610 to rotate synchronously. The driving motor 614 can be a servo motor or a stepping motor. In order to ensure the rotation balance of the two supporting comb columns 610, a cylinder lock pin is respectively provided near the two supporting comb columns 610 to control the rotation. The lock pin rises to allow rotation and is locked after reset.

[0086] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the circumferential clamping mechanism includes four clamping comb columns 620 and a driving assembly 2 for driving the four clamping comb columns 620 to rotate. In this embodiment, two driving assemblies 2 are used to respectively drive two corresponding clamping comb columns 620. The center position of the circumscribed circle of the closed figure formed by the four clamping comb columns 620 coincides with the center position of the two supporting comb columns 610.

[0087] Of course, the circumferential clamping mechanism may also include two clamping comb columns 620 disposed at both ends of the channel, and the center positions of the two clamping comb columns 620 are matched with the center positions of the two supporting comb columns 610, so as to achieve the clamping and fixation of the wafer located on the supporting comb columns 610.

[0088] Alternatively, the circumferential clamping mechanism includes at least three clamping comb columns 620 disposed at both ends of the channel, and the center position of the circumscribed circle of the closed figure formed by the at least three clamping comb columns 620 is adapted to the center position of the two supporting comb columns 610, thereby achieving the clamping and fixation of the wafer located on the supporting comb columns 610.

[0089] The clamping comb column 620 can rotate to drive the clamping plate 621 to move away from and avoid the wafers entering and exiting the channel, or to move closer to and cooperate with each other to clamp the wafers located on the supporting comb column 610. In this embodiment, four clamping comb columns 620 are arranged on both sides of the two supporting comb columns 610 to clamp multiple wafers 1 located on the two supporting comb columns 610 after rotation. At the same time, the rotating arrangement of the clamping comb column 620 facilitates the rotation to avoid the wafer 1 when the wafer 1 enters the channel, so that it can be smoothly placed on the horizontal support mechanism.

[0090] like Figures 8 to 10 As shown, the clamping comb column 620 is provided with a plurality of clamping plates 621 along its height direction to respectively clamp a plurality of wafers 1. Generally, 25 clamping plates 621 are provided to respectively clamp 25 wafers 1, but not limited thereto. The number of clamping plates 621 is generally consistent with the number of single-side support plates 613 to correspondingly clamp all wafers 1 located on the support plate 613.

[0091] The clamping plate 621 is provided with a V-shaped groove 6211 on one side facing the wafer 1 to match the edge of the wafer 1. Generally speaking, the maximum width of the V-shaped groove 6211 is slightly larger than the thickness of the wafer to clamp the wafer. The V-shaped groove 6211 is arranged so that the clamping plate 621 and the wafer 1 are in point contact, and the contact surface is extremely small, thereby preventing the wafer 1 from contaminating the clamping plate 621, so that the wafer 1 before and after the processing process can be clamped and moved by the same clamping plate 621.

[0092] There is a gap 6212 between adjacent clamping plates 621 , and the gap 6212 cooperates with the wafer to allow the wafer to pass through, so as to cooperate with the subsequent device to take away the wafer 1 flipped to a vertical state.

[0093] like Fig.11 As shown, the second driving assembly includes a driving member, a connecting rod 622 connected to the driving member, and a transmission member 623 connected to the rotating shaft of the clamping comb column 620.

[0094] Both ends of the connecting rod 622 are provided with waist-shaped holes 6221, one end of the transmission member 623 is connected to the rotating shaft of the clamping comb column 620, and the other end is slidably arranged in the waist-shaped hole 6221. The driving member drives the connecting rod 622 to move along the in-and-out direction of the wafer 1, thereby causing the transmission member 623 to slide in the waist-shaped hole 6221, and then drives the clamping comb column 620 to rotate around its rotating shaft to clamp or move away from the wafer 1 located on the supporting comb column 610. The two clamping comb columns 620 located at the same end of the in-and-out direction of the wafer 1 are controlled by a driving component 2. More specifically, the two connecting rods 622 move in opposite directions so that the four clamping comb columns 620 clamp the wafer 1, and the two connecting rods 622 move relative to each other so that the four clamping comb columns 620 are out of contact with the wafer 1. The driving member is preferably a cylinder.

[0095] Limiting blocks 624 are preferably provided at both ends of the connecting rod 622 in the moving direction to limit the moving distance of the connecting rod 622 .

[0096] The buffer assembly is arranged on the moving path of the connecting rod 622 to limit the disengagement of the clamping comb column 620 from the wafer. Specifically, a buffer mechanism is arranged on the side of the connecting rod 622 close to the outside of the channel, and the buffer mechanism includes a fixed seat 650 fixed to the housing 630, and the fixed seat 650 is provided with an elastic member 651 toward the connecting rod 622, and preferably, a resistance block 652 is arranged at the front end of the elastic member 651. When the clamping comb column 620 is in a clamping state, the side of the connecting rod 622 abuts against the resistance block 652, so that when the wafer 1 in the clamped state is subjected to a radial force, it can be buffered by the buffer mechanism to avoid damage to the wafer 1. Preferably, the maximum compression amount of the elastic member 651 matches the lifting distance of the wafer 1. Further, the resistance block 652 is a sleeve, and a guide shaft is arranged on the connecting rod 622, and the guide shaft is slidably connected to the sleeve, thereby further improving the stability of the movement of the connecting rod 622. The elastic member 651 is preferably a compression spring.

[0097] Of course, the buffer assembly can also be disposed on the rotation trajectory of the clamping comb column 620 away from the wafer to limit the clamping comb column 620 from separating from the wafer.

[0098] When installing, the horizontal support mechanism and the circumferential clamping mechanism can use the wafer positioning tooling corresponding to the size and shape of the wafer 1 to achieve the alignment of the support heights of the support comb columns 610 on both sides, as well as the alignment of the arc centers and heights of the four clamping comb columns 620, so that the wafer 1 in the entire mechanism is centrally aligned with the support comb columns 610 and the clamping comb columns 620 after clamping, and the height is consistent.

[0099] The detection mechanism includes a wafer presence sensor, a comb column position sensor, a drive member position sensor, etc., to detect the state of the wafer 1, the state of the comb column and the state of the drive member.

[0100] More specifically, the upper and lower fixed plates are respectively equipped with wafer presence sensors, using a beam sensor, wherein the front and rear pairs are used to detect the position of the wafer to determine whether the wafer is in the centering state, and the middle pair is used to detect the presence of the wafer to determine the next step of operation. The comb column position sensor is set on a pulley 615 of the driving component to confirm the rotation angle of the supporting comb column 610.

[0101] The wafer flipping device 600 may be disposed in a wafer flipping system.

[0102] The wafer flipping system may further include a wafer carrying device 700 , and the wafer carrying device 700 is used to carry the wafer flipped to a vertical state by the wafer flipping device 600 .

[0103] like Fig.12As shown, the wafer carrying device 700 includes at least two sets of nested wafer carrying comb groups, and at least one set of wafer carrying comb groups can be raised and lowered relative to other wafer carrying comb groups. Specifically, the wafer carrying comb group includes two wafer carrying combs 731 arranged opposite to each other to respectively clamp the opposite side edges of the wafer in a vertical state and cooperate with the wafer carrying.

[0104] The wafer carrier 700 may further include a carrier platform 730 and at least one driving mechanism 3 760 disposed in the carrier platform 730 . The driving mechanism 3 760 is connected to any carrier wafer comb group to drive it to rise and fall relative to other carrier wafer comb groups.

[0105] In a specific embodiment, the wafer carrier 700 includes a mounting seat 710, a driving mechanism 1 720 for driving the mounting seat 710 to move, a carrier platform 730 disposed on the mounting seat 710, a driving mechanism 2 740 for driving the carrier platform 730 to move, and a driving mechanism 3.

[0106] The mounting seat 710 can move horizontally under the drive of the driving mechanism 1 720, that is, the mounting seat 710 can move horizontally between the initial position and the position for taking and placing the wafer 1 under the drive of the driving mechanism 1 720. The driving mechanism 1 720 can be a linear module to drive the mounting seat 710 to move forward and backward along a straight line.

[0107] The carrier 730 is arranged at the top of the mounting seat 710 to carry the wafer 1. The second driving mechanism 740 is arranged in the mounting seat 710, and is used to lift and rotate the carrier 730 so that the carrier 730 can be further moved to the corresponding position for wafer 1 to be placed and taken, and is used to lift and lower the carrier 730 to a corresponding height to cooperate with the wafer scanning device 750 to scan the wafer 1. The second driving mechanism 740 can specifically include a vertically arranged linear module to achieve lifting and lowering, and a cylinder connected to the linear module for rotation.

[0108] like Fig.13 and Fig.14 As shown, the carrier 730 includes at least two nested wafer comb groups to respectively carry wafers 1 in different states. The wafer comb group includes two wafer combs 731 arranged opposite to each other, so that the wafer 1 is vertically clamped between the two wafer combs 731.

[0109] Take two wafer comb groups as an example, including an inner wafer comb group and an outer wafer comb group, the two wafer combs 731 of the outer wafer comb group are respectively located outside the two wafer combs 731 of the inner wafer comb group, and the inner and outer wafer comb groups are connected with a driving mechanism 3 to change the working state of the inner and outer layers, for example Fig.15As shown. The driving mechanism three can be a cylinder, which drives the inner and outer layers to rise and fall to replace different groups of wafer combs. Specifically, the inner wafer comb 731 is connected to the cylinder adapter plate through the inner wafer comb mounting plate, and the cylinder adapter plate is connected to the cylinder through the cylinder upper plate. A box structure composed of a box cover, a box side plate and a box bottom plate is provided below the wafer comb mounting plate, that is, the carrier 730. When the outer wafer comb 731 is used, the cylinder is in the initial position, that is, the inner wafer comb 731 is at a position lower than the outer wafer comb 731 by a certain distance. The cylinder adapter plate and part of the inner wafer comb mounting plate are located in the lower part of the box structure, and are also at a certain distance from the box bottom plate. When the inner wafer comb 731 is used, the cylinder is lifted, and the wafer comb 731 is driven to rise together through the cylinder adapter plate, and its height is higher than the outer wafer comb 731 by a certain distance. Considering the aesthetics and installation space, the cylinder is fixed to the bottom plate of the box through the cylinder bracket horizontal plate, the left and right cylinder vertical plates and the cylinder fixing plate, and is located in the cylinder that rises and falls with the lifting linear module. On the cylinder, openings are set on the side of the cylinder for the cylinder speed regulating valve and sensor, and a cylinder cover is provided. When using, just remove the cover.

[0110] The wafer comb 731 is provided with a plurality of slots along its length so that the edge of the wafer 1 is embedded in the slot to fix the position. Specifically, the wafer comb 731 is provided with 50 slots to receive two groups of 25 wafers 1, so as to achieve a single processing volume of 50 wafers 1. It is preferred to load a group of 25 wafers 1 in front and back, and the two groups are arranged alternately, that is, a group of 25 wafers 1 is first loaded and arranged at intervals on the 50 slots, and the latter group of 25 wafers 1 is inserted between the two adjacent wafers 1 of the previous group, that is, the two groups of wafers 1 are distributed alternately.

[0111] like Fig.12 As shown, the wafer carrier 700 can also be connected to a wafer scanning device 750 to scan and map the state of the wafer 1 on the wafer carrier 700. Specifically, a wafer scanning device 750 is arranged near the initial position of the wafer carrier 700, and the wafer scanning device 750 includes a scanning sensor, and the scanning sensor can move along the length direction of the wafer comb group to fully scan the wafer 1 clamped therein, and quickly detect the information of the wafer 1, the position state of the wafer 1, etc.

[0112] In this system, the wafer carrying device 700 is used to dock with the wafer flipping device 600 to transfer the vertical wafer 1 between the two. Taking wafer 1 as an example, the operation process is as follows:

[0113] The wafer flipping device 600 flips the 25 wafers 1 from a horizontal state to a vertical state, and the support comb column 610 rotates to an avoidance position, that is, it is out of contact with the wafer 1. The wafer 1 is clamped and fixed by four clamping comb columns 620 to avoid friction between the surface of the wafer 1 and the support surface of the support comb column 610 during the subsequent wafer removal process, thereby preventing the wafer 1 from being damaged by friction;

[0114] The driving mechanism 1 720 drives the mounting seat 710 to move to the bottom of the wafer flipping device 600, and the driving mechanism 3 drives the corresponding required wafer comb group to rise and prepare to carry the wafer 1;

[0115] The second driving mechanism 740 drives the carrier 730 to rotate to a corresponding angle, generally 0° or 180°, so that the two groups of wafers 1 can face each other with different faces, for example, the two groups of wafers 1 can face each other with their front surfaces face to face, face each other with their rear surfaces back to back, face each other with their front surfaces and rear surfaces face to back, etc.;

[0116] The second driving mechanism 740 drives the carrier 730 to rise, and the wafer comb 731 contacts the wafer 1 clamped in the wafer flipping device 600, and further slightly lifts the wafer 1. Due to the buffer mechanism on the wafer flipping device 600, the wafer 1 will not be damaged;

[0117] The clamping comb column 620 close to the carrier 730 rotates away from the wafer 1, so that the wafer 1 is seated on the carrier wafer comb group on the carrier 730, and the clamping comb group away from the carrier 730 rotates away from the wafer 1, so that the wafer 1 is completely seated on the carrier wafer comb group;

[0118] The second driving mechanism 740 drives the carrying platform 730 to descend, completing the film removal;

[0119] When taking the second group of wafers 1, the driving mechanism 1 720 drives the mounting seat 710 to move a distance so that the vacant position on the wafer-carrying comb 731 is aligned with the wafer flipping device 600, and the moving distance matches the spacing between the adjacent clamping plates 621 of the wafer flipping device 600 to avoid the first group of wafers 1 from colliding with the clamping comb column 620;

[0120] The driving mechanism 1 720 drives the mounting base 710 to return to the initial position, and the wafer scanning device 750 starts to scan the wafer 1 .

[0121] The above method uses the wafer supporting device 700 to rotate horizontally 180° to achieve face-to-face wafers. Of course, the wafer flipping device 600 can also be used to rotate clockwise / counterclockwise alternately to achieve face-to-face wafers.

[0122] In summary, the wafer fixing mechanism stably receives the horizontal wafer transferred by the wafer robot arm through the horizontal support mechanism, and circumferentially clamps and fixes the wafer on the horizontal support mechanism through the circumferential clamping mechanism, thereby being able to fix the wafer without the support of the horizontal support mechanism, thereby facilitating the rotation of the wafer.

[0123] 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.

[0124] 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 fixing mechanism, characterized in that: include: A horizontal support mechanism, the horizontal support mechanism comprising two support comb columns (610) arranged opposite to each other to cooperate with supporting the wafer (1) in a horizontal state, and a channel for the wafer (1) to enter and exit is formed between the two support comb columns (610); A circumferential clamping mechanism, the circumferential clamping mechanism comprising at least two clamping comb columns (620) respectively arranged at two ends of the channel, the at least two clamping comb columns (620) cooperating with the supporting comb columns (610) to clamp the wafer (1) located on the supporting comb columns (610), the circumferential clamping mechanism further comprising a buffer component, the buffer component being used to limit the separation of the clamping comb columns (620) and the wafer (1); The support comb column (610) comprises a plurality of support plates (613), wherein the plurality of support plates (613) are sequentially stacked and spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to a horizontal plane so as to horizontally support a plurality of wafers (1); The clamping comb column (620) comprises a plurality of clamping plates (621), and the clamping plates (621) cooperate with the corresponding support plates (613) to contact the edge of the wafer (1) on the corresponding support plates (613).

2. The wafer fixing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The circumferential clamping mechanism comprises two clamping comb columns (620) respectively arranged at two ends of the channel, and the center positions of the two clamping comb columns (620) are matched with the center positions of the two supporting comb columns (610).

3. The wafer fixing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The circumferential clamping mechanism comprises at least three clamping comb columns (620) respectively arranged at both ends of the channel, and the center position of the circumscribed circle of the closed figure formed by the at least three clamping comb columns (620) is matched with the center position of the two supporting comb columns (610).

4. The wafer fixing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The circumferential clamping mechanism comprises four clamping comb columns (620) arranged in pairs at both ends of the channel, and the center position of the circumscribed circle of the closed figure formed by the four clamping comb columns (620) coincides with the center position of the two supporting comb columns (610).

5. The wafer fixing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping comb column (620) is capable of rotating to drive the clamping plate (621) to move away from and avoid the wafer (1) entering and exiting the channel, or to move closer to and cooperate with each other to clamp the wafer (1) located on the supporting comb column (610).

6. The wafer fixing mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The circumferential clamping mechanism also includes two driving components 2, and the driving components 2 are used to drive the two clamping comb columns (620) located at the same end of the channel to rotate.

7. The wafer fixing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support plate (613) comprises a support surface for supporting the wafer (1), and the support surface is inclined toward the bottom surface of the channel.

8. The wafer fixing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support comb column (610) also includes a rotating shaft (611) arranged along the height direction of the channel, and a plurality of support plates (613) are connected to the rotating shaft (611) so as to approach and support the wafer (1), or move away from and avoid the wafer (1) under the rotation of the rotating shaft (611).

9. The wafer fixing mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The buffer component is arranged on a rotation trajectory of the clamping comb column (620) away from the wafer (1) to limit the separation of the clamping comb column (620) from the wafer (1).

10. The wafer fixing mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The second driving component comprises a driving member, a connecting rod (622) connected to the execution end of the driving member, and two transmission members (623), wherein waist-shaped holes (6221) are respectively provided at both ends of the connecting rod (622), one end of the transmission member (623) is fixed to one end of the clamping comb column (620), and the other end extends into the corresponding waist-shaped hole (6221) and can slide along the waist-shaped hole (6221) to drive the corresponding clamping comb column (620) to rotate.

11. The wafer fixing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end of the clamping plate (621) is provided with a V-shaped groove (6211) matching the thickness of the wafer (1).

12. The wafer fixing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: A gap (6212) is provided between adjacent clamping plates (621), and the gap (6212) cooperates with the wafer (1) to allow the wafer (1) to pass through.

13. The wafer fixing mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The plurality of support plates (613) are arranged in a row along the circumference of the rotating shaft (611), and any one end of the support plate (613) supports the wafer (1).

14. The wafer fixing mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The plurality of support plates (613) are arranged in at least two rows along the circumference of the rotating shaft (611), and any one of the two rows of support plates (613) supports the wafer (1).

15. The wafer fixing mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The support plate (613) is connected to the rotating shaft (611) via a connecting piece (612), and an escape space is provided between the connecting piece (612) and any one end of the support plate (613), and the escape space is used to avoid the wafer (1) when the support plate (613) is detached from the wafer (1).

16. The wafer fixing mechanism according to claim 10, characterized in that: The buffer assembly is arranged on the moving path of the connecting rod (622) to limit the separation of the clamping comb column (620) from the wafer (1).

17. A wafer flipping device, characterized in that: The method comprises a wafer fixing mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 16, and further comprises: A shell (630), the wafer fixing mechanism is arranged in the shell (630), and the shell (630) is provided with openings for the wafer (1) to enter and exit at two ends corresponding to the channel.

18. The wafer flipping device according to claim 17, characterized in that: It also includes a driving mechanism, the housing (630) is connected to the execution end of the driving mechanism, and is driven by the driving mechanism to rotate around an axis parallel to the horizontal plane and perpendicular to the channel, so that the channel is parallel to or perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

19. A wafer flipping system, characterized in that: Includes the wafer flipping device (600) as claimed in claim 17.

20. The wafer flipping system according to claim 19, characterized in that: It also comprises a wafer carrying device (700), wherein the wafer carrying device (700) is used to carry the wafer (1) flipped into a vertical state by the wafer flipping device (600).

21. The wafer flipping system according to claim 20, characterized in that: The wafer carrying device (700) comprises: At least two groups of wafer carrier combs are nested, and at least one group of the wafer carrier combs can be raised and lowered relative to the other wafer carrier combs.

22. The wafer flipping system according to claim 21, characterized in that: The wafer carrying comb group comprises two wafer carrying combs (731) arranged opposite to each other, so as to respectively clamp the opposite side edges of the wafer (1) in a vertical state and cooperate to carry the wafer (1).

23. The wafer flipping system according to claim 21, characterized in that: Also includes: A carrier platform (730); and At least one driving mechanism three (760) is disposed in the carrier platform (730), and the driving mechanism three (760) is connected to any one of the carrier wafer comb groups to drive it to rise and fall relative to other carrier wafer comb groups.

24. The wafer flipping system according to claim 21, characterized in that: It also comprises a wafer scanning device (750), wherein the wafer scanning device (750) can move along the length direction of the wafer carrying comb group to scan the wafer (1) located thereon.

25. The wafer flipping system according to claim 23, characterized in that: It also includes a second driving mechanism (740), and the second driving mechanism (740) is used to drive the supporting platform (730) to rotate or move up and down.

26. The wafer flipping system according to claim 23, characterized in that: It also includes a driving mechanism 1 (720), wherein the driving mechanism 1 (720) is used to drive the supporting platform (730) to move horizontally.

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