A multi-compatible wafer carrier loading station, loading device and detection method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a multi-compatible wafer carrier loading station, which can be compatible with wafer carriers of M sizes; M is an integer greater than 2; it includes a carrier mounting plate, and a carrier front baffle, 2M - 1 transmitting sensors, 2M - 1 receiving sensors and M rear reference blocks located on the carrier mounting plate; the carrier front baffle is located directly in front of the carrier mounting plate, the transmitting sensors include 1 reference transmitting sensor and 2M - 2 side transmitting sensors, the reference transmitting sensor is located at the center of the front end of the carrier mounting plate, and the side transmitting sensors are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the reference transmitting sensor. A multi-compatible wafer carrier loading station, a loading device and a detection method provided by the present invention are mainly used to solve the technical problems of multi-specification wafer requirements and realizing the wafer protrusion detection requirements in the case of multi-specification wafer calibration identification with both Notch and Flat.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of semiconductor devices, and particularly relates to a wafer carrier loading station, a loading device and a detection method with multi-compatibility. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the integrated circuit industry, end customers of process equipment have put forward higher and more stringent requirements for the ability of equipment to process small-sized wafers of multiple specifications. At present, there are mainly two ways to load wafer carriers in the industry. One is automatic loading, which is mainly achieved by placing the wafer carrier on the loading device through automatic devices such as OHT, AGV, and MGV. The other is non-automatic loading, which is realized by manually carrying the wafer carrier for loading and unloading.

[0003] Wafers with specifications of 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 12 inches are commonly used in the industry. At present, 8-inch and 12-inch wafers are the main ones in domestic wafer production lines. However, with the continuous application of other specification wafers in fields such as coating, developing, cleaning, and degumming, the demand for corresponding supporting transmission and process equipment is increasing continuously. In particular, higher and more stringent requirements are put forward for the ability to process wafers of multiple specifications simultaneously. Whether it is automatic loading and unloading or manual loading and unloading of 8- and 12-inch wafer carriers, they are both standardized and the technology is mature. Other specification wafers are also called small-sized wafers, which are mainly manually loaded and unloaded, and there is no unified standard for the fixed interface during loading. In addition, the carrier materials of small-sized wafers are mainly injection-molded from plastics such as PP, PE, and PC, and the dimensional tolerance of the carrier base part is relatively large, which brings great difficulties to the fixation of the carrier during loading. In addition, the calibration marks of 4-inch and 6-inch wafers are both Notch and Flat, which also puts forward very high requirements for the protrusion detection of wafers by the loading device.

[0004] At present, most of the loading devices for small-sized wafers in the industry can load at most two types of wafer carrier specifications. The loading devices that can be compatible with three or more types of wafer carriers at the same time have defects such as immature technology and inconvenient adjustment operations. In addition, these loading devices for small-sized wafers also have a common functional defect, that is, they do not have the function of wafer protrusion detection. In the case of multiple specification wafers and the wafer calibration marks being both Notch and Flat, they are even more helpless. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a wafer carrier loading station, a loading device and a detection method with multi-compatibility, which are mainly used to solve the technical problems of the demand for multi-specification wafers and realizing the wafer protrusion detection requirements in the case where the calibration marks of multi-specification wafers are both Notch and Flat.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions: A multi-compatible wafer carrier loading station, which can be compatible with wafer carriers of M sizes; M is an integer greater than 2; it includes a carrier mounting plate, and a carrier front baffle, 2M - 1 transmitter sensors, 2M - 1 receiver sensors and M rear reference blocks located on the carrier mounting plate;

[0007] The carrier front baffle is located directly in front of the carrier mounting plate and is used to fix the front position of the wafer carrier. The carrier front baffle includes M card slots;

[0008] The transmitter sensors include a reference transmitter sensor and side transmitter sensors. The reference transmitter sensor is located at the center of the front end of the carrier mounting plate, and the side transmitter sensors are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the reference transmitter sensor; The receiver sensors are fixed above the carrier mounting plate, and the receiver sensors and the transmitter sensors are in one-to-one correspondence in the connection direction;

[0009] The M rear reference blocks are located directly behind the carrier mounting plate and are respectively used to fix the rear positions of the corresponding wafer carriers, and the distances of the M rear reference blocks from the carrier front baffle are all different.

[0010] Further, the carrier front baffle includes a left front baffle and a right front baffle, and both the left front baffle and the right front baffle include M card slots corresponding to wafer carriers of different sizes one by one.

[0011] Further, the transmitter sensors are fixed on the transmitter sensor adjustment block, and the position of the transmitter sensors is adjusted by changing the position of the transmitter sensor adjustment block.

[0012] Further, it also includes M left fixing blocks and M right fixing blocks. The M left fixing blocks are respectively used to fix the left sides of the M wafer carriers; The M right fixing blocks are respectively used to fix the right sides of the M wafer carriers.

[0013] Further, it also includes M in-position detection sensors. The M in-position detection sensors are fixed on the carrier mounting plate in the front-to-back order and are in one-to-one correspondence with the end positions of the M wafer carriers, and are respectively used to detect the in-position states of the M wafer carriers.

[0014] Further, the front-end positions of the wafers in the M wafer carriers are flush in the vertical direction; two side-emitting sensors at the same distance from the reference emitting sensor form a protrusion detection pair, and each protrusion detection pair performs protrusion detection on the wafers in one wafer carrier; assuming that the connection direction of the two side-emitting sensors in each protrusion detection pair is the first direction, the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction and lies in the plane where the protrusion detection pair is located; the distance between the two side-emitting sensors in each protrusion detection pair and the corresponding wafer in the second direction is less than the distance threshold.

[0015] A multi-compatible wafer loading device includes at least one wafer carrier loading station, and further includes a base unit. The base unit includes a base plate and a mounting substrate. The mounting substrate is fixed above the base plate through pillars, and at least one wafer carrier loading station is fixed on the base plate.

[0016] Further, the receiving sensor in the wafer carrier loading station is located on a protrusion detection plate, and the protrusion detection plate is fixed directly above the carrier mounting plate through pillars.

[0017] A method for performing protrusion detection using a wafer carrier loading station. When the calibration mark of the wafer in the wafer carrier is Notch, the protrusion detection function of the wafer in the corresponding wafer carrier is realized through the reference emitting sensor and the paired receiving sensors.

[0018] A method for performing protrusion detection using a wafer carrier loading station. When the calibration mark of the wafer in the wafer carrier is Flat, the protrusion detection function of the wafer is realized through the side-emitting sensors corresponding to the wafer carrier on both sides of the reference emitting sensor and the paired receiving sensors.

[0019] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: The present invention can be compatible with the loading of 3 or more specifications of wafer carriers at the same time, and can realize the protrusion detection function of wafers in the case where the calibration marks of multiple specifications of wafers have both Notch and Flat; the present invention has strong compatibility, is convenient to adjust, and has a wide range of applicable industries, and can be applied to the IC industry and other pan-semiconductor industries such as LED. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Attached Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the wafer carrier loading device of the present invention;

[0021] Attached Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the wafer carrier loading station of the present invention;

[0022] Attached Figure 3 is a top view of the wafer carrier loading station of the present invention;

[0023] AttachedFigure 4 Axonometric view when loading a 3-inch wafer carrier for the present invention;

[0024] Appendix Figure 5 Axonometric view when loading a 4-inch wafer carrier for the present invention;

[0025] Appendix Figure 6 Axonometric view when loading a 6-inch wafer carrier for the present invention;

[0026] Appendix Figure 7 Top view of the wafer carrier loading device of the present invention;

[0027] Appendix Figure 8 Axonometric view of the wafer carrier loading device of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0028] Appendix Figure 9 Axonometric view of the wafer carrier loading device of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0029] In the figure: 1 adjustment plate; 2 base plate; 3 bottom circular pillar; 4 mounting substrate; 5 wafer carrier loading station; 6 top circular pillar; 7 left protruding detection plate; 8 right protruding detection plate; 9 sensor adjustment block; 10 receiving end sensor; 11 carrier mounting plate; 12 carrier left front stop; 13 carrier right front stop; 14 6-inch wafer carrier right fixing block; 15 6-inch wafer carrier left fixing block; 16 4-inch wafer carrier right fixing block; 17 4-inch wafer carrier left fixing block; 18 3-inch wafer carrier right fixing block; 19 3-inch wafer carrier left fixing block; 20 3-inch wafer carrier rear reference block; 21 4-inch wafer carrier rear reference block; 22 6-inch wafer carrier rear reference block; 23-27 transmitter sensor adjustment block; 28-32 transmitter sensor; 33-35 in-position detection sensor; 36 3-inch wafer carrier; 37 3-inch wafer; 38 4-inch wafer carrier; 39 4-inch wafer, 40 6-inch wafer carrier, 41 6-inch wafer. Detailed implementation manners

[0030] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer, the following further elaborates on the detailed implementation manners of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] In the present invention, the wafer carrier can be one or more of 2-inch, 3-inch, 4-inch, 6-inch, 8-inch and 12-inch wafer carriers; specifically, the size design of each wafer carrier of a specific size is correspondingly enlarged based on the size of the wafer it loads.

[0032] A multi-compatible wafer carrier loading station provided by the present invention can be compatible with wafer carriers of M sizes; M is an integer greater than 2; it includes a carrier mounting plate, as well as a carrier front baffle, 2M - 1 emitter sensors, 2M - 1 receiver sensors, and M rear reference blocks located on the carrier mounting plate. The carrier front baffle is located directly in front of the carrier mounting plate and is used to fix the front position of the wafer carrier. The carrier front baffle includes M card slots; the M rear reference blocks are located directly behind the carrier mounting plate and are respectively used to fix the rear positions of the corresponding wafer carriers, and the distances of the M rear reference blocks from the carrier front baffle are all different. In the present invention, the front baffle and the rear reference blocks are used to fix the front and rear positions of M wafer carriers. According to the size of each specific wafer carrier, the position of the corresponding rear reference block is adjusted. During this process, the position of the front baffle is always fixed. That is to say, M wafer carriers share one front baffle, so the front baffle needs to include card slots for fixing M wafer carriers; in order to better fix the front of wafer carriers of different sizes, the carrier front baffle includes a left front baffle and a right front baffle, and both the left front baffle and the right front baffle include M card slots corresponding one by one to wafer carriers of different sizes. And each rear reference block only needs to fix one wafer carrier, so only one card slot or fixing device can be provided in the rear reference block. The specific position of the rear reference block is set according to the length of the wafer carrier it is to fix.

[0033] In addition to limiting the front and rear of the wafer, the present invention can also limit the left and right sides of the wafer carrier through a left fixing plate and a right fixing plate. That is, the carrier mounting plate also includes M left fixing blocks and M right fixing blocks. The M left fixing blocks are respectively used to fix the left sides of the M wafer carriers; the M right fixing blocks are respectively used to fix the right sides of the M wafer carriers. The specific positions of the left fixing blocks and the right fixing blocks are set according to the width of the wafer carrier they are to fix.

[0034] In the present invention, in addition to fixing the wafer carrier, the loading station also needs to have a wafer carrier detection function, that is, to detect whether the wafers of the corresponding size are properly installed. On the carrier mounting plate of the present invention, there are also M in-position detection sensors. The M in-position detection sensors are fixed on the carrier mounting plate in the front-to-back order and correspond one by one to the end positions of the M wafer carriers, respectively for detecting the in-position states of the M wafer carriers. As described above, the sizes of the wafers loaded in the wafer carriers are different, and their corresponding sizes are also different. In the present invention, the in-position detection utilizes the different end positions of the wafer carriers of different sizes, and in-position detection sensors are installed at their end positions to detect the wafer carriers corresponding to the sizes and determine whether they are properly installed. The specific types of the in-position detection sensors can be any in-position detection sensors in the prior art. Preferably, signal receiving sensors corresponding to the in-position detection sensors can be fixed at the ends of the wafer carriers. When the signal receiving sensors and the in-position detection sensors are successfully matched, it indicates that the corresponding wafer carrier is properly installed.

[0035] The loading station in the present invention also needs to have a wafer protrusion detection function. The wafer protrusion detection refers to detecting whether the wafers loaded in the wafer carriers are properly loaded. In the present invention, the opening of the wafer carrier is provided at the front, that is, at the same side as the carrier front baffle. At the opening, the wafers are moved into and out of the wafer carrier. During the moving-in and moving-out process, the wafers may not be placed properly. If the rear end of the wafer is not completely embedded in the card slot of the wafer carrier, the front end of the wafer will protrude. To facilitate the realization of the protrusion detection function, the present invention first ensures that the front positions of the wafers in the M wafer carriers are flush in the vertical direction.

[0036] To realize the wafer protrusion detection function in the wafer carrier in the present invention, the following structure is set: The transmitting end sensors include a reference transmitting end sensor and side transmitting end sensors. The reference transmitting end sensor is located at the center of the front end of the carrier mounting plate, and the side transmitting end sensors are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the reference transmitting end sensor; The receiving end sensor is fixed above the carrier mounting plate, and the receiving end sensor and the transmitting end sensor are in one-to-one correspondence in the connection direction.

[0037] It is worth noting that in the present invention, the distance threshold changes according to the wafer carrier size and the wafer mark type and is not a fixed value. When the wafer carrier size and the wafer mark type are fixed, under the same tolerated protrusion error value, the distance threshold can be a fixed value. The distance threshold refers to the minimum distance between the reference transmitting end sensor or the side transmitting end sensor and the wafer in the corresponding wafer carrier in the direction perpendicular to the connection line of the reference transmitting end sensor and the side transmitting end sensors. For the convenience of description, the present invention uniformly names the distance thresholds in the detection processes of different wafer sizes and different wafer marks as the distance threshold. Those skilled in the art should know that the value it represents will change with the detection object.

[0038] In the present invention, the reference transmitting end sensor is used to detect wafers with Notch marks. Since the wafers with Notch marks have a circular structure in the wafer part except at the marks, a distance threshold is set according to the size of the wafers and the depth of the Notch marks. When setting the distance threshold, it needs to be designed according to the depth of the Notch marks. The distance threshold is slightly larger than the depth of the Notch marks and within the tolerable protrusion error range. At the same time, the distance between the reference transmitting end sensor and the wafer is adjusted to be less than the distance threshold.

[0039] When the wafer part except the Notch mark is in front of the wafer carrier, by reasonably setting the distance threshold, the distance between the position of the reference transmitting end sensor and the front end of the wafer is less than the distance threshold. Once the reference transmitting end sensor detects the wafer, it means that the wafer protrudes. When the Notch mark in the wafer is in front of the wafer carrier, once the reference transmitting end sensor detects the wafer, it can also mean that the wafer protrudes, because the distance threshold has comprehensively considered the depth of the Notch mark and the tolerable protrusion error value. Therefore, the reference transmitting end sensor and its corresponding receiving end sensor in the present invention can be used to detect the protrusion of wafers with Notch marks in each wafer carrier.

[0040] In the present invention, the side transmitting end sensors are used to detect wafers with Flat marks. The wafers with Flat marks contain a tangent line, which may be directly in front of the wafer carrier, may not be in front of the wafer carrier at all, or may be partially in front of the wafer carrier. The depth of the Flat mark and the length of the tangent line will determine the installation position of the side transmitting end sensors, because the distance between the connection lines of the two side transmitting end sensors must be slightly larger than the length of the tangent line and closer to the wafer center, and within the tolerable protrusion error range.

[0041] For the convenience of description, it is defined that two side transmitting end sensors at the same distance from the reference transmitting end sensor form a protrusion detection pair, and each protrusion detection pair detects the protrusion of the wafers in a wafer carrier; it is assumed that the connection direction of the two side transmitting end sensors in each protrusion detection pair is the first direction, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction and lies in the plane where the protrusion detection pair is located. The distances between the two side transmitting end sensors in each protrusion detection pair and the corresponding wafer in the second direction are less than the distance threshold.

[0042] When the Flat mark in the wafer is not in front of the wafer carrier at all, by reasonably setting the distance threshold, the position of the distance between the side transmitting end sensor and the wafer in the second direction is less than the distance threshold. Once a side transmitting end sensor detects the wafer, it means that the wafer protrudes.

[0043] When the Flat mark on the wafer is completely in front of the wafer carrier and the tangent direction is parallel to the first direction, and when the two side emitter sensors detect the wafer together, it indicates that the wafer protrudes because the Flat depth is very large, far greater than the tolerable protrusion error value.

[0044] When the Flat mark on the wafer is completely or partially in front of the wafer carrier and the tangent direction is not parallel to the first direction, once one of the reference emitter sensors detects the wafer, it indicates that the wafer protrudes because at this time the distances from the two symmetric side emitter sensors to the wafer in the second direction are different. We need to consider the detection situation of the side emitter sensor with the shorter distance, and the above distance threshold has comprehensively considered the depth of the Flat mark and the tolerable protrusion error value. At this time, if one of the side emitter sensors can still detect the wafer, it means that the wafer is not placed reasonably.

[0045] In view of the fact that the tolerable protrusion error value will change, in the present invention, the emitter sensor is fixed on the emitter sensor adjustment block, and the position of the emitter sensor adjustment block can be moved so that when the distance threshold changes, the position of the emitter sensor can be adjusted accordingly. Correspondingly, the position of the receiver sensor also needs to be adjusted along with the position of the corresponding emitter sensor.

[0046] In the present invention, the side emitter sensor performs protrusion detection corresponding to the wafer size of the Flat mark. In view of the fact that the position of the side emitter sensor can be adjusted, the present invention can set up a protrusion detection pair to detect all wafers with Flat marks. At this time, the emitter sensor adjustment block can move simultaneously in the first direction and the second direction; for different distance thresholds, the position of the emitter sensor adjustment block corresponding to the side emitter sensor can be adjusted to adjust the position of the emitter sensor and the wafer. The present invention can also set up multiple protrusion detection pairs. At this time, the emitter sensor adjustment block can move in the first direction; for each wafer, a protrusion detection pair is set up, and only the distance of the side emitter sensor in the first direction needs to be adjusted. The specific number of side emitter sensors can be determined according to the number of wafers with Flat marks.

[0047] The present invention also provides a wafer loading device with multi - compatibility, including at least a wafer carrier loading station, and further including a base unit. The base unit includes a base plate and a mounting substrate. The mounting substrate is fixed above the base plate through columns, and at least one wafer carrier loading station is fixed on the base plate. The receiver sensor in the wafer carrier loading station is located on a protrusion detection board, and the protrusion detection board is fixed directly above the carrier mounting board through columns.

[0048] The carrier of the feeding device of the present invention is not limited to the wafer cassette used for silicon-based semiconductors and compound semiconductors, and can also be a carrier in other industries that is made of sapphire, quartz, etc. and has a shape similar to a wafer.

[0049] The type of sensor used for wafer protrusion detection in the present invention is not limited to the opposed sensor, and can also be a reflective sensor or other sensors that can achieve this function.

[0050] The application industry of the feeding device of the present invention is not limited to the integrated circuit industry, and can also be applied to other industries in the field of semiconductors, such as flat panel displays, LEDs, solar cells, etc.

[0051] The types and quantities of wafer carriers loaded by the feeding device of the present invention are at least three, and can also be carriers of different series of wafers of each specification, such as different materials, different numbers of Slot grooves, different process requirements, etc. In addition, the increase in compatible wafer carriers achieved based on the design theory of the present invention is also included.

[0052] For ease of understanding, the content of the present invention is further explained through the following Examples 1-3. It should be noted that in Examples 1-3, the case of compatible with three wafer carriers is taken as an example for illustration. When the number of compatible carriers is greater than 3, the specific structure can be obtained by analogy with Examples 1-3 and in combination with the above description. The three types of wafer carriers compatible in the following examples are 3-inch wafer carriers, 4-inch wafer carriers, and 6-inch wafer carriers.

[0053] Example 1

[0054] Please refer to the appendix Figure 1-9 , in the present invention, the wafer carrier loading station 5 is composed of a carrier mounting plate 11, a carrier left front stopper 12, a carrier right front stopper 13, transmitting sensors 28-32, transmitting sensor adjustment blocks 23-27, in-position detection sensors 33-35, a 3-inch wafer carrier rear reference block 20, a 4-inch wafer carrier rear reference block 21, a 6-inch wafer carrier rear reference block 22, a 3-inch wafer carrier left fixing block 19, a 3-inch wafer carrier right fixing block 18, a 4-inch wafer carrier left fixing block 17, a 4-inch wafer carrier right fixing block 16, a 6-inch wafer carrier left fixing block 15, and a 6-inch wafer carrier right fixing block 14. Among them, among the transmitting sensors 28-32, the transmitting sensor 30 is the reference transmitting sensor, and the rest are side transmitting sensors.

[0055] In the present invention, the left front stop block 12 of the carrier is fixedly connected to the carrier mounting plate 11 through a long slot, and the right front stop block 13 of the carrier is also fixedly connected to the carrier mounting plate 11 through a long slot. The transmitting end sensors 28-32 are respectively fixedly connected to the transmitting end sensor adjustment blocks 23-27, and the transmitting end sensor adjustment blocks 23-27 are fixedly connected to the carrier mounting plate 11 through long slots. By adjusting the positions of the transmitting end sensors back and forth, a reasonable light intensity value is achieved to meet the requirements of detecting the protrusion of the wafer. The in-position detection sensors 33-35 are fixedly connected to the carrier mounting plate 11. The rear reference blocks 20 of the 3-inch wafer carrier, the rear reference blocks 21 of the 4-inch wafer carrier, and the rear reference blocks 22 of the 6-inch wafer carrier are all fixedly connected to the carrier mounting plate 11 through long slots. The left fixing blocks 19 of the 3-inch wafer carrier, the right fixing blocks 18 of the 3-inch wafer carrier, the left fixing blocks 17 of the 4-inch wafer carrier, the right fixing blocks 16 of the 4-inch wafer carrier, the left fixing blocks 15 of the 6-inch wafer carrier, and the right fixing blocks 14 of the 6-inch wafer carrier are all fixedly connected to the carrier mounting plate 11 through long slots.

[0056] In the present invention, the left front stop block 12 and the right front stop block 13 of the carrier are the reference for the loading of the 3-inch wafer carrier 36, the 4-inch wafer carrier 38, and the 6-inch wafer carrier 40. When loading wafers with Notch calibration marks onto the 3-inch wafer carrier 36, the 4-inch wafer carrier 38, and the 6-inch wafer carrier 40, the leading edges of the 3-inch wafer 37, the 4-inch wafer 39, and the 6-inch wafer 41 are tangent and coincide.

[0057] In the present invention, the rear reference block 20 of the 3-inch wafer carrier can be adjusted in the front-back direction according to the actual size of the 3-inch wafer carrier 36 to achieve the front-back fixation of the 3-inch wafer carrier 36.

[0058] In the present invention, the left fixing block 19 and the right fixing block 20 of the 3-inch wafer carrier can be adjusted in the left-right direction according to the actual size of the 3-inch wafer carrier 36 to achieve the left-right centering clamping and fixation of the 3-inch wafer carrier 36.

[0059] In the present invention, the rear reference block 21 of the 4-inch wafer carrier can be adjusted in the front-back direction according to the actual size of the 4-inch wafer carrier 38 to achieve the front-back fixation of the 4-inch wafer carrier 38.

[0060] In the present invention, the left fixing block 17 and the right fixing block 18 of the 4-inch wafer carrier can be adjusted in the left-right direction according to the actual size of the 4-inch wafer carrier 38 to achieve the left-right centering clamping and fixation of the 4-inch wafer carrier 38.

[0061] In the present invention, the rear reference block 22 of the 6-inch wafer carrier can be adjusted in the front-back direction according to the actual size of the 6-inch wafer carrier 40 to achieve the front-back fixation of the 6-inch wafer carrier 40.

[0062] In the present invention, the left fixing block 15 and the right fixing block 16 of the 6-inch wafer carrier can be adjusted in the left-right direction according to the actual size of the 6-inch wafer carrier 40 to achieve left-right centering clamping and fixing of the 6-inch wafer carrier 40.

[0063] The in-position sensors 33-35 in the present invention can respectively judge the presence or absence of the 3-inch wafer carrier 36, the 4-inch wafer carrier 38, and the 6-inch wafer carrier 40. Specifically, the in-position sensor 33 realizes the detection and judgment of whether the 4-inch wafer carrier 38 is loaded, the in-position sensor 34 realizes the detection and judgment of whether the 3-inch wafer carrier 36 is loaded, and the in-position sensor 35 realizes the detection and judgment of whether the 6-inch wafer carrier 40 is loaded.

[0064] Embodiment 2

[0065] In the present invention, the transmitting-end sensors 28-32 and the receiving-end sensor 10 are used in pairs, and through different combinations, the wafer protrusion detection requirements for wafer calibration marks with both Notch and Flat in multiple specifications are realized. It is mainly divided into two cases: The first case is when the calibration marks of the 3-inch wafer 37, the 4-inch wafer 39, and the 6-inch wafer 41 are all Notch, regardless of which wafer carrier is loaded on the entire wafer loading station 5, only by the reference transmitting-end sensor 30 and the paired receiving-end sensor 10 can the function of wafer protrusion detection be realized. For wafers of different sizes and the allowable protrusion error values, a determined distance threshold can be set, and the distance threshold is slightly larger than the depth of the Notch mark and within the allowable protrusion error value range. At the same time, the position of the reference transmitting-end sensor 30 is adjusted by the transmitting-end sensor adjustment block 25 so that the distance between the reference transmitting-end sensor 30 and the wafer is less than the distance threshold; thereby realizing the wafer protrusion detection function. The specific detection principle is as described above and will not be elaborated here.

[0066] The second case is when the calibration mark of the 3-inch wafer 37 is Notch and the calibration marks of the 4-inch wafer 39 and the 6-inch wafer 41 are Flat. The wafer loading station 5 realizes the function of detecting the protrusion of the 3-inch wafer 37 through the reference transmitter sensor 30 and the paired receiver sensors 10. It realizes the function of detecting the protrusion of the 4-inch wafer 39 through the side transmitter sensors 29 and 31 and the paired receiver sensors 10. Finally, it realizes the function of detecting the protrusion of the 6-inch wafer 41 through the side transmitter sensors 28 and 32 and the paired receiver sensors 10. For wafers of different sizes and the tolerable protrusion error values, a determined distance threshold can be set. The distance threshold is slightly larger than the depth of the Flat mark and within the range of the tolerable protrusion error values. At the same time, the position of the corresponding side transmitter sensor is adjusted through the transmitter sensor adjustment block, so that the distance between the side transmitter sensor and the wafer in the second direction is less than the distance threshold; thus, the function of detecting the wafer protrusion is realized. The specific detection principle is as described above and will not be elaborated here.

[0067] Embodiment 3

[0068] A loading device compatible with wafer carriers of multiple specifications provided by the present invention includes a base unit, a wafer carrier loading unit, and a wafer protrusion detection unit. The base unit is composed of an adjustment plate 1, a base plate 2, bottom circular pillars 3, and a mounting substrate 4. The wafer carrier loading unit is composed of two wafer carrier loading stations 5 that are symmetrically arranged left and right and are exactly the same. The wafer protrusion detection unit is composed of a top circular pillar 6, a left protrusion detection plate 7, a right protrusion detection plate 8, a sensor adjustment block 9, and a receiver sensor 10.

[0069] In the present invention, the base plate 2 is fixedly connected to the adjustment plate 1, the bottom circular pillars 3 are fixedly connected to the base plate 2, and the mounting substrate 4 is fixedly connected to the bottom circular pillars 3. Further, the long fixing holes on the base plate 2 can realize the adjustment of the mounting substrate 4 in the left and right directions, and the base plate 2 can realize the horizontal adjustment of the mounting substrate 4 by adjusting the set screw.

[0070] In the present invention, the left protrusion detection plate 7 and the right protrusion detection plate 8 are fixedly connected to the top circular pillar 6, and the top circular pillar 6 is fixedly connected to the mounting substrate 4. The receiver sensor 10 is fixedly connected to the sensor adjustment block 9, and the sensor adjustment block 9 is fixedly connected to the left protrusion detection plate 7 and the right protrusion detection plate 8 through a long slot hole.

[0071] The present invention can be compatible with the loading of wafer carriers of 3 or more specifications simultaneously, and can also realize the function of detecting the protrusion of wafers with calibration marks of multiple specifications in the case of both Notch and Flat; the present invention has strong compatibility, convenient adjustment, and a wide range of applicable industries, and can be applied to the IC industry and other semiconductor industries such as LED.

[0072] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the embodiments are not used to limit the patent protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent structural changes made by using the content of the specification and drawings of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the appended claims of the present invention by the same token.

Claims

1. A multi-compatible wafer carrier loading station that can be compatible with wafer carriers of M sizes; M is an integer greater than 2; Characterized in that, It includes a carrier mounting plate, and a carrier front baffle, 2M - 1 emitter sensors, 2M - 1 receiver sensors and M rear reference blocks located on the carrier mounting plate; The carrier front baffle is located directly in front of the carrier mounting plate and is used to fix the front position of the wafer carrier. The carrier front baffle includes M card slots; Above the carrier mounting plate, there is a protruding detection plate. Sensor adjustment blocks are respectively arranged on the carrier mounting plate and the protruding detection plate. The emitter sensors and the receiver sensors are respectively fixed in pairs on the sensor adjustment blocks of the carrier mounting plate and the protruding detection plate, and the receivers and emitter sensors correspond to each other one by one in the connection direction, allowing vertical coaxial multi-directional movement to adjust the detection distance threshold; The emitter sensors include a reference emitter sensor and side emitter sensors. The reference emitter sensor is located on the sensor adjustment block at the center of the front end of the carrier mounting plate, and the side emitter sensors are symmetrically distributed on the sensor adjustment blocks on both sides of the reference emitter sensor; The M rear reference blocks are located directly behind the carrier mounting plate and are respectively used to fix the rear positions of the corresponding wafer carriers, and the distances of the M rear reference blocks from the carrier front baffle are all different.

2. A multi-compatible wafer carrier loading station according to claim 1, Characterized in that, The carrier front baffle includes a left front baffle and a right front baffle, and both the left front baffle and the right front baffle include M card slots corresponding one by one to wafer carriers of different sizes.

3. A multi-compatible wafer carrier loading station according to claim 1, Characterized in that, It further includes M left fixing blocks and M right fixing blocks. The M left fixing blocks are respectively used to fix the left sides of the M wafer carriers; the M right fixing blocks are respectively used to fix the right sides of the M wafer carriers.

4. A multi-compatible wafer carrier loading station according to claim 1, Characterized in that, It further includes M in-position detection sensors. The M in-position detection sensors are fixed on the carrier mounting plate in the front-to-back order and correspond one by one to the end positions of the M wafer carriers, and are respectively used to detect the in-position states of the M wafer carriers.

5. A multi-compatible wafer carrier loading station according to claim 1, Characterized in that, The front positions of the wafers in the M wafer carriers are flush in the vertical direction; two side emitter sensors at the same distance from the reference emitter sensor form a protruding detection pair, and each protruding detection pair performs protruding detection on the wafers in one wafer carrier; If the connection direction of the two side emitter sensors in each protruding detection pair is the first direction, the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction and is located in the plane where the protruding detection pair is located; the distances between the two side emitter sensors in each protruding detection pair and the corresponding wafer in the second direction are less than the distance threshold.

6. A multi-compatible wafer loading device, Characterized in that, Comprising at least one wafer carrier loading station according to any one of claims 1-5, further comprising a base unit, the base unit comprising a base plate and a mounting substrate, the mounting substrate being fixed above the base plate by pillars, and at least one wafer carrier loading station being fixed on the base plate.

7. A method for performing protrusion detection using a wafer carrier loading station according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, when the calibration mark of the wafer in the wafer carrier is Notch, the protrusion detection function of the wafer in the corresponding wafer carrier is realized by a reference emission end sensor and a pair of used receiving end sensors.

8. A method for performing protrusion detection using a wafer carrier loading station according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, when the calibration mark of the wafer in the wafer carrier is Flat, the function of wafer protrusion detection is realized by side emission end sensors corresponding to the wafer carrier on both sides of the reference emission end sensor and a pair of used receiving end sensors.

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