Wafer detection apparatus for wafer auto-loading equipment
By separating the wafer inspection unit from the FIMS and using a drive unit and stroke amplification components to achieve independent lifting and moving of the through-beam sensor, combined with a laser rangefinder to measure absolute displacement, the problem of inconvenient assembly and maintenance caused by the compact layout of the wafer inspection unit and FIMS is solved, and the inspection accuracy and stability are improved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202111676814.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2021-12-31
- Publication Date
- 2026-02-13
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-12-31
AI Technical Summary
The compact layout between the existing wafer inspection equipment and the FIMS of the automated wafer loading equipment makes assembly, debugging and maintenance inconvenient.
Design an independent wafer inspection device that enables independent lifting and lowering of the through-beam sensor through a drive unit, a stroke amplification component, and a swing-out component. Combine this with a laser rangefinder sensor to measure absolute displacement, thereby reducing the size of the drive unit and improving inspection accuracy.
This approach separates the wafer inspection device from the FIMS (Film Inspection System), ensuring the operational space for independent assembly, debugging, and maintenance, avoiding electrical safety interlocks and signal noise, and improving inspection accuracy and stability.
Smart Images

Figure CN114300376B_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor processing, and particularly to a wafer detection device for a wafer load port. BACKGROUND
[0002] The wafer load port is a part of the semiconductor processing process to realize wafer loading, wherein the wafer detection device is a key structure of the wafer load port, which detects the pose of the wafer located in the wafer inlet and outlet through the up and down movement of the wafer through sensor at the wafer inlet and outlet. The existing wafer detection device is integrated in the wafer load port, fused in the FIMS (Front-Opening Interface Mechanical Standard), and driven up and down by the lifting belt of the FIMS to realize the detection function. Due to the linkage relationship between the FIMS and the wafer through sensor, the layout of the two components on the LoadPort is too compact, which is extremely unfavorable for the assembly, debugging and maintenance of the two components respectively. SUMMARY
[0003] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects, the purpose of the present application is to provide a wafer detection device for a wafer load port, which is a set of independent motion system, can be embedded into different forms of wafer load port, is used for detecting the pose of the wafer, has simple overall structure, flexible installation and convenient maintenance.
[0004] In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical scheme adopted by the present application is: a wafer detection device for a wafer load port, which is installed on the back of the rack, and the rack is provided with a wafer inlet and outlet; further comprising vertical guide rails symmetrically arranged on both sides of the wafer inlet and outlet, a swing component is slidably arranged on the vertical guide rail, the swing component comprises a through sensor capable of extending into the wafer inlet and outlet to detect the wafer under the guidance of the vertical guide rail; the back of the rack is provided with a driving member, the driving member drives the swing component to move up and down through a stroke amplification component; the back of the rack is further provided with a distance measuring member for measuring the vertical displacement of the swing component.
[0005] During detection, the driving member drives the swing component to move down along the vertical guide rail through the stroke amplification component, until the swing component moves to the position close to the wafer inlet and outlet, at this time, with the continuous downward movement of the swing component, the through sensor in the swing component can extend into the wafer inlet and outlet under the guidance of the vertical guide rail; when the swing component continues to move down, the through sensor extending into the wafer inlet and outlet can detect the wafer. The stroke amplification component can shorten the driving stroke of the driving member, greatly reduce the size of the driving member and the space required for installation, and realize the measurement of the absolute displacement of the through sensor in combination with the distance measuring member, and improve the detection accuracy.
[0006] Further, the swing assembly further comprises a crossbar slidingly arranged on the vertical guide rail, a rotating shaft is arranged on the crossbar, a moving block capable of slidingly contacting with the vertical guide strip is arranged on the rotating shaft, a torsional spring is further arranged on the rotating shaft, and two ends of the torsional spring are respectively abutted against the crossbar and the moving block; a bent rod for mounting the opposite-arranged sensors is further fixedly connected to the moving block.
[0007] Further, the crossbar is provided with a U-shaped accommodating cavity for accommodating the moving block, the rotating shaft is fixedly connected in the U-shaped accommodating cavity, and a convex stepped surface for limiting the movement position of the moving block is arranged on the bottom of the U-shaped accommodating cavity.
[0008] Further, the moving block comprises a moving block body, a slot is arranged on the moving block body, a through hole communicating with the slot is further arranged on the moving block body, and the moving block is sleeved on the rotating shaft through the through hole.
[0009] Further, a lower inclined surface is further arranged on the inner bottom wall of the U-shaped accommodating cavity, the torsional spring is sleeved on the rotating shaft located in the slot, and one end of the torsional spring is abutted against the slot and the other end is abutted against the lower inclined surface.
[0010] Further, one side of the moving block body is further provided with a connecting plate forming a Z-shaped structure with the moving block body, and the connecting plate is used for connecting the bent rod.
[0011] Further, the moving block body is further provided with a front stepped surface capable of abutting against the vertical guide strip and an upper stepped surface capable of abutting against the convex stepped surface of the crossbar.
[0012] Further, the vertical guide strip is arranged on the back of the rack, and the lower end of the vertical guide strip extends to the upper end edge of the wafer inlet and outlet; a movement surface for slidingly contacting with the moving block body is arranged on the vertical guide strip, and the movement surface is composed of a 90° circular arc movement surface and a tangent flat movement surface.
[0013] In the initial state, the moving block abuts against the vertical guide strip, the torsional spring has a pre-tightening torsional force in the direction of the vertical guide strip, so that the front stepped surface of the moving block is kept in abutment with the flat movement surface of the vertical guide strip; when the crossbar moves downward along the vertical guide rail, the moving block can always move along the vertical guide strip under the action of the pre-tightening torsional force of the torsional spring, thereby driving the bent rod and the opposite-arranged sensors to move synchronously.
[0014] When the moving block moves along the horizontal movement surface of the vertical guide rail (a vertical plane tangent to the 90° circular arc movement surface, i.e. the side surface of the vertical guide rail), when it moves to the 90° circular arc movement surface, the front step surface of the moving block is always in tangential sliding contact with the circular arc movement surface due to the torsional force of the torsion spring, and the moving block also starts to rotate along the rotating shaft. Since the lower end of the vertical guide rail extends to the upper end edge of the wafer inlet and outlet, after the moving block rotates 90° along the 90° circular arc movement surface, the moving block and the bending rod rotate 90° as a whole, and the whole body changes from a vertical state to a horizontal state, and the through-beam sensor mounted on the bending rod also enters the wafer transfer box on the other side through the wafer inlet and outlet. At this time, the moving block is out of contact with the circular arc movement surface, and under the action of the torsional force of the torsion spring, the upper step surface of the moving block abuts against the convex step surface of the horizontal rod, and the horizontal rod moves downward along the vertical guide rail, driving the bending rod and the through-beam sensor to move downward synchronously to complete the detection of the wafer.
[0015] Further, the stroke amplification assembly comprises a pair of upper links, a pair of middle links and a pair of lower links, the side walls of the pair of middle links are hingedly connected through a pin shaft, one end of the pair of middle links is respectively hingedly connected with the pair of upper links, and the other end is respectively hingedly connected with the pair of lower links; the side walls of the pair of upper links are hingedly connected through a pin shaft, and the end away from the middle links is respectively hingedly connected with the main sliding connection block and the auxiliary sliding connection block sliding on the horizontal guide rail, and the end away from the middle links of the pair of lower links is hingedly connected through the hinged seat fixed on the horizontal rod.
[0016] Further, the main sliding connection block and the auxiliary sliding connection block are slidingly arranged on the horizontal guide rail, and the horizontal guide rail is fixed on the back of the rack in the horizontal direction. By arranging the horizontal guide rail perpendicular to the extension direction of the stroke amplification assembly, the required movement space of the moving parts can be greatly reduced, and the overall structure is more compact.
[0017] Further, the driving member comprises a linear motion cylinder, the linear motion cylinder is fixed on the rack, and the piston rod thereof is floatingly connected with the main sliding connection block through a floating joint.
[0018] In the initial state, the stroke amplification assembly is in the retracted state, when the piston rod of the linear motion cylinder extends, the main sliding connection block connected with the piston rod moves along the transverse slide rail, and drives the upper connecting rod articulated with the main sliding connection block to follow, since the pair of upper connecting rods are articulated, the other upper connecting rod moves and drives the auxiliary sliding connection block to move along the transverse slide rail, at this time, the main sliding connection block and the auxiliary sliding connection block present a state of moving towards each other, and the end of the two upper connecting rods articulated with the main sliding connection block (auxiliary sliding connection block) presents a state of moving towards each other; since the side walls of the pair of upper connecting rods are articulated and fixed, the end articulated with the middle connecting rod is stressed and moves towards each other, and since the transverse slide rail limits the sliding connection block, the vertical height of the end of the upper connecting rod articulated with the sliding connection block does not change, realizing the synchronous and constant speed movement of the main sliding connection block and the auxiliary sliding connection block towards or away from each other, so that the articulation points of the pair of upper connecting rods keep vertical downward linear motion, and the end of the upper connecting rod articulated with the middle connecting rod can extend downward while moving towards each other; similarly, the middle connecting rod and the lower connecting rod also present a state of extending downward, and the articulation points between the pair of middle connecting rods or the pair of lower connecting rods keep vertical downward motion, thereby pushing the articulated seat and the horizontal rod to move downward. Conversely, when the piston rod of the linear motion cylinder retracts, the stroke amplification assembly can pull the horizontal rod to move upward.
[0019] Further, the distance measuring piece is a laser distance measuring sensor, and the distance measuring piece is fixed on the back of the rack, and the horizontal rod is provided with a reflecting surface matched with the distance measuring piece. The laser distance measuring sensor obtains the vertical motion displacement of the horizontal rod and the opposite sensor by emitting and receiving the laser reflected by the reflecting surface, and the vertical displacement of the opposite sensor and the detection data of the opposite sensor can obtain the pose information of the wafer. The laser distance measuring sensor saves the installation space, and since the laser distance measuring sensor measures the absolute displacement, the signal noise caused by the vibration of the horizontal rod during the movement can be avoided.
[0020] The beneficial effects of the present application are:
[0021] 1. The wafer detection device is directly arranged on the back of the rack, and the independent lifting movement of the opposite sensor at the wafer inlet and outlet is realized through the cooperation of the driving piece, the stroke amplification assembly, the swing assembly and the vertical guide strip, the differentiation of the wafer detection device and the FIMS is realized, and the operable space for independent assembly, debugging and maintenance is ensured.
[0022] 2、In the process of moving along the vertical guide rail, the two-stage lifting movement of the pair of sensors is carried out, the first stage of lifting movement is to move the swing assembly to the vicinity of the wafer inlet and outlet, and then the pair of sensors is extended into the wafer inlet and outlet (i.e. into the detection area) through the guidance of the vertical guide strip; the second stage of lifting movement is to continue moving the swing assembly on the vertical guide rail, and the pair of sensors is lifted in the wafer inlet and outlet to realize the detection of the wafer in the wafer inlet and outlet; through the two-stage lifting movement and the setting of the vertical guide strip, the detection state and the non-detection state of the pair of sensors are separated, and then the position relationship between the pair of sensors and the wafer inlet and outlet is accurately controlled based on physical contact limitation, avoiding the interference between the pair of sensors and the wafer loader, on the one hand, the pair of sensors is protected, and on the other hand, the complicated electrical safety interlocking is avoided;
[0023] 3、The vertical extension of the stroke amplification assembly is realized through the slider connecting block (main sliding connecting block, auxiliary sliding connecting block) moving in the horizontal direction, and then the layout space of the moving parts is saved through the vertical movement driving mode, so that the structure of the moving parts is more compact; moreover, through the extension of the stroke amplification assembly, the stability of the horizontal rod movement is improved, and the displacement stroke of the sliding connecting block is maximized, that is, the longer vertical displacement stroke of the horizontal rod is realized through the shorter horizontal displacement stroke of the sliding connecting block; through the stroke amplification assembly, the stroke of the driving part can be minimized, and the size of the driving part and the space required for installation can be reduced;
[0024] 4、In the swing assembly, the overturning of the moving block on the vertical guide strip is realized through the pre-tightening torque of the torsional spring and the driving force of the driving part, without the need for additional driving power source, saving the cost; and through the pre-tightening torque of the torsional spring, the moving block can always abut against the vertical guide strip, realizing the guiding effect of the moving block;
[0025] 5、By setting the reflecting surface on the horizontal rod and the laser ranging sensor on the rack, the displacement information of the horizontal rod and the pair of sensors can be measured during the movement of the horizontal rod, and the pose information of the wafer can be obtained by combining the vertical displacement of the pair of sensors with the detection data of the pair of sensors. The laser ranging sensor saves the installation space, and since the laser ranging sensor measures the absolute displacement, the signal noise caused by the vibration of the horizontal rod during the movement can be avoided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0026] Figure 1 The structure diagram of the wafer detection device of the embodiment of the application is installed on the rack;
[0027] Figure 2 The structure diagram of the wafer detection device of the embodiment of the application is installed on the rack; Figure 1 The local enlarged view of the A part in the middle
[0028] Figure 3 Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the initial state of the motion block of the wafer detection device of the embodiment of the present application;
[0029] Figure 4 Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the motion block of the wafer detection device of the embodiment of the present application in the process of turning over;
[0030] Figure 5 Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the motion block of the wafer detection device of the embodiment of the present application after completely turning over;
[0031] Figure 6 Fig. 4 is a structural view of the motion block of the embodiment of the present application;
[0032] Figure 7 Fig. 5 is a structural view of the motion block of the embodiment of the present application from another perspective;
[0033] Figure 8 Fig. 6 is a structural view of the horizontal rod of the embodiment of the present application;
[0034] Figure 9 Fig. 7 is a structural view of the vertical guide strip of the embodiment of the present application;
[0035] Figure 10 Fig. 8 is a structural view of the wafer detection device of the embodiment of the present application in the process of detecting a wafer.
[0036] Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the initial state of the motion block of the wafer detection device of the embodiment of the present application;
[0037] 1-frame; 10-floating joint; 11-main sliding connecting block; 12-horizontal sliding rail; 13- auxiliary sliding connecting block; 151-upper connecting rod; 153-middle connecting rod; 155- lower connecting rod; 16-wafer transfer box; 17-wafer; 18-hinge seat; 19-torsional spring; 2- vertical guide rail; 23-pair of light sensors; 3-vertical sliding block; 4-horizontal rod; 41- reflective surface; 42-U-shaped cavity; 421-convex stepped surface; 422-inclined surface; 5- curved rod; 6-laser distance sensor; 8-linear motion cylinder; 9-vertical guide strip; 91-90° circular arc surface; 92-flat surface; 20-motion block; 200-upper stepped surface; 201- slot; 202-front stepped surface; 203-connecting plate; 22-rotation shaft. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0038] The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that the advantages and features of the present application can be more easily understood by those skilled in the art, and the protection scope of the present application is more clearly defined.
[0039] EMBODIMENT
[0040] Referring to the accompanying drawings Figures 1-2As shown, a wafer detection device for wafer automatic loading equipment of the present application is installed on the back of a rack 1, the rack 1 is provided with a wafer inlet and outlet, and a wafer cassette 16 for loading wafer 17 is arranged in the wafer inlet and outlet. The wafer detection device comprises vertical guide rails 2 symmetrically arranged on both sides of the wafer inlet and outlet, the upper ends of the vertical guide rails 2 extend above the wafer inlet and outlet. A swing assembly is slidably arranged on the vertical guide rails 2, the swing assembly comprises a crossbar 4 slidably arranged on the vertical guide rails 2, and the crossbar 4 is provided with a pair of reflection sensors 23 which can extend into the wafer inlet and outlet under the guidance of vertical guide strips 9 to detect the wafer 17. The back of the rack 1 is provided with a driving member, the driving member drives the crossbar 4 to move up and down through a stroke amplification assembly; the back of the rack 1 is also provided with a distance measuring member 6 for measuring the vertical displacement of the swing assembly.
[0041] During detection, the driving member drives the crossbar 4 to move downward along the vertical guide rails 2 through the stroke amplification assembly, until the crossbar 4 moves to a position close to the wafer inlet and outlet, at this time, with the continuous downward movement of the crossbar 4, the reflection sensors 23 can extend into the wafer inlet and outlet under the guidance of the vertical guide strips 9; when the crossbar 4 continues to move downward, the reflection sensors 23 extending into the wafer inlet and outlet can detect the wafer 17. The stroke amplification assembly can shorten the driving stroke of the driving member, greatly reduce the size of the driving member and the space required for installation, and realize the measurement of the absolute displacement of the reflection sensors 23 in combination with the distance measuring member 6, thereby improving the detection accuracy.
[0042] In the present embodiment, referring to the accompanying drawings Figures 1-2 As shown, the back of the rack 1 is fixedly connected with a horizontal sliding rail 12 arranged in the horizontal direction, a pair of sliding connection blocks moving towards or away from each other under the action of the driving member are slidably arranged on the horizontal sliding rail 12, and the pair of sliding connection blocks are respectively hinged to the stroke amplification assembly. The pair of sliding connection blocks are respectively a main sliding connection block 11 and an auxiliary sliding connection block 13.
[0043] The driving member comprises a cylinder seat 7 fixedly connected to the back of the rack 1, a linear motion cylinder 8 arranged in the horizontal direction is installed on the cylinder seat 7, and the piston rod of the linear motion cylinder 8 is connected to the main sliding connection block 11 through a floating joint 10.
[0044] The stroke amplification assembly comprises a pair of upper connecting rods 151, a pair of middle connecting rods 153 and a pair of lower connecting rods 155, the side walls of the pair of middle connecting rods 153 are hingedly fixed through a pin shaft, one end of the pair of middle connecting rods 153 is respectively hingedly connected to the pair of upper connecting rods 151, and the other end is respectively hingedly connected to the pair of lower connecting rods 155; the side walls of the pair of upper connecting rods 151 are hingedly fixed through a pin shaft, and the end away from the middle connecting rods 153 is respectively hingedly connected to the main sliding connection block 11 and the auxiliary sliding connection block 13; the end away from the middle connecting rods 153 of the pair of lower connecting rods 155 is hingedly connected through a hinged seat 18 fixedly connected to the crossbar 4.
[0045] The linear motion cylinder 8 is started, and the main sliding connecting block 11 connected with the linear motion cylinder 8 moves along the transverse sliding rail 12, and drives the upper connecting rod 151 hinged with the main sliding connecting block 11 to move, and since the pair of upper connecting rods 151 are hinged, the other upper connecting rod 151 moves and drives the auxiliary sliding connecting block 13 to move along the transverse sliding rail 11, so that the main sliding connecting block 11 and the auxiliary sliding connecting block 13 move synchronously and at constant speed in the same direction or in the opposite direction, and the hinge points of the pair of upper connecting rods 151 keep vertical downward linear motion. Specifically, when the stroke amplification assembly is in the contracted state, the piston rod of the linear motion cylinder 8 is extended, and drives the main sliding connecting block 11 and the auxiliary sliding connecting block 13 to move in the same direction, at this time, the end of the pair of upper connecting rods 151 hinged with the main sliding connecting block 11 (the auxiliary sliding connecting block 13) moves (presents a mutual close state), since the side walls of the pair of upper connecting rods 151 are hinged and fixed, the end hinged with the middle connecting rod 153 is stressed and mutually close, and since the transverse sliding rail 11 limits the main sliding connecting block 11 and the auxiliary sliding connecting block 13, the vertical height of the end of the upper connecting rod 151 hinged with the main sliding connecting block 11 (the auxiliary sliding connecting block 13) is unchanged, so that the main sliding connecting block 11 and the auxiliary sliding connecting block 13 move synchronously and at constant speed in the same direction, and the hinge points of the pair of upper connecting rods 151 keep vertical downward linear motion, and the end of the upper connecting rod 151 hinged with the middle connecting rod 153 can extend downward while mutually close; similarly, the middle connecting rod 153 and the lower connecting rod 155 also present the state of extending downward, and the hinge points between the pair of middle connecting rods 153 or the pair of lower connecting rods 155 keep vertical downward motion; and further push the hinged seat 18 and the horizontal rod 4 to move downward. Conversely, when the stroke amplification assembly is in the extended state, the piston rod of the linear motion cylinder 8 is retracted, drives the main sliding connecting block 11 and the auxiliary sliding connecting block 13 to move in the opposite direction, the end of the pair of upper connecting rods 151 hinged with the main sliding connecting block 11 (the auxiliary sliding connecting block 13) moves (presents a mutual away state), and the end hinged with the middle connecting rod 153 is stressed and mutually away, and since the transverse sliding rail 12 limits the main sliding connecting block 11 and the auxiliary sliding connecting block 13, the vertical height of the end of the upper connecting rod 151 hinged with the main sliding connecting block 11 (the auxiliary sliding connecting block 13) is unchanged, so that the main sliding connecting block 11 and the auxiliary sliding connecting block 13 move synchronously and at constant speed in the opposite direction, and the hinge points of the pair of upper connecting rods 151 keep vertical upward linear motion, and the end of the upper connecting rod 151 hinged with the middle connecting rod 153 can contract upward while mutually away, and further drives the middle connecting rod 153 and the lower connecting rod 155 to present the state of contracting upward, and the hinge points between the pair of middle connecting rods 153 or the pair of lower connecting rods 155 keep vertical upward motion; and further pull the hinged seat 18 and the horizontal rod 4 to move upward.
[0046] A laser rangefinder 6 is also fixedly connected to the frame 1 near the drive cylinder 8, and a reflective surface 41 corresponding to the laser rangefinder 6 is provided on the crossbar 4. The laser rangefinder 6 obtains the real-time displacement of the crossbar 4 by emitting and receiving the laser reflected back from the reflective surface, thereby facilitating the real-time acquisition of the position information of the beam sensor 23.
[0047] In one embodiment, see Appendix Figures 3-5 As shown in Figure 9, a rotating shaft 22 is mounted on the crossbar 4, and a moving block 20 that can slide in contact with the vertical guide bar 9 is mounted on the rotating shaft 22. A torsion spring 19 is also fitted on the rotating shaft 22, with its two ends abutting against the crossbar 4 and the moving block 20, respectively. A bent rod 5 for mounting the through-beam sensor 23 is also fixed to the moving block 20.
[0048] The vertical guide bar 9 is fixed to the back of the rack 1, and its lower end extends to the upper edge of the wafer inlet and outlet. The vertical guide bar 9 has a motion surface for the sliding contact of the moving block 20, and the motion surface consists of a 90° arc motion surface 91 and a tangent flat motion surface 92. For example, as shown in the attached... Figure 9 As shown, the junction of the side surface and the lower end surface of the vertical guide bar 9 forms the aforementioned 90° circular arc motion surface 91, and its side surface is the tangent planar motion surface 92.
[0049] In the initial state, the moving block 20 abuts against the planar motion surface 92 of the vertical guide bar 9, and the torsion spring 19 has a pre-tightening torque that twists in the direction of the vertical guide bar 9. When the crossbar 4 moves down, under the action of the pre-tightening torque of the torsion spring 19, the front step surface 202 of the moving block 20 always moves down along the planar motion surface 92 of the vertical guide bar 9. When the moving block 20 moves along the planar motion surface 92 of the vertical guide bar 9 to the 90° arc motion surface 91, due to the torque of the torsion spring 19, the front step surface 202 of the moving block 20 and the 90° arc motion surface 91 always slide in tangential contact, and the moving block 20 also begins to rotate along the axis 22. Since the 90° arc motion surface 91 at the lower end of the vertical guide bar 9 extends to the upper edge of the wafer inlet and outlet, when the moving block rotates 90° along the 90° arc motion surface 91, the moving block 20 and the bent rod 5 rotate 90° as a whole, changing from a vertical state to a horizontal state. At the same time, the through-beam sensor 23 installed on the bent rod 5 also enters the wafer transfer box 16 on the other side through the wafer inlet and outlet. The wafer transfer box 16 carries the wafer 17. The wafer transfer box 16 is loaded on the other side of the wafer inlet and outlet. After the wafer transfer box 16 is opened, its opening corresponds to the wafer inlet and outlet. See Appendix. Figure 10 At this time, the moving block 20 disengages from the arc-shaped moving surface 91. Under the torque of the torsion spring 19, the upper step surface 200 of the moving block abuts against the convex step surface 421 of the crossbar. The crossbar 4 moves down along the vertical guide rail 2, driving the bent rod 5 and the through-beam sensor 23 to move down synchronously to complete the detection of the wafer.
[0050] In the embodiment, referring to Fig. 1, the two ends of the horizontal rod 4 are fixedly connected with vertical sliding blocks 3 which can move along the vertical guide rails 2, and the middle part of the horizontal rod 4 is provided with a U-shaped accommodating cavity 42 for accommodating a moving block 20, the U-shaped accommodating cavity 42 is fixedly connected with a rotating shaft 22, and the inner bottom wall of the U-shaped accommodating cavity 42 is respectively provided with a convex stepped surface 421 for limiting the overturning position of the moving block 20 and a lower inclined surface 422 for connecting a torsion spring 19. Figure 8
[0051] Referring to Fig. 2, the moving block 20 comprises a moving block body, a slot 201 is formed in the moving block body, and a through hole which is in communication with the slot 201 is further formed in the moving block body, and the through hole and the slot 201 are jointly provided with the rotating shaft 22. The torsion spring 19 is sleeved on the rotating shaft 22 located in the slot 201, one end of the torsion spring 19 is fixedly connected with the slot 201, and the other end of the torsion spring 19 is fixedly connected with the lower inclined surface 422. Figures 6-7
[0052] The moving block body is further provided with a front stepped surface 202 which can abut against the vertical guide strip 9, and one side of the moving block body is further integrally provided with a connecting plate 203 which forms a Z-shaped structure with the moving block body, and the connecting plate 203 is used for connecting the bent rod 5.
[0053] In the initial state, the moving block 20 abuts against the flat movement surface 92 of the vertical guide strip 9, and the torsion spring 19 has a pre-tightening torsion force which is twisted towards the vertical guide strip 9; when the horizontal rod 4 moves downward, under the action of the pre-tightening torsion force of the torsion spring 19, the front stepped surface 202 of the moving block 20 always moves downward along the flat movement surface 92 of the vertical guide strip 9; when the moving block 20 moves to the 90° circular arc movement surface 91 along the flat movement surface 92 of the vertical guide strip 9, under the action of the torsion force of the torsion spring 19, the front stepped surface 202 of the moving block 20 always slides in contact with the 90° circular arc movement surface 91 in a tangent manner, and the moving block 20 also starts to rotate along the rotating shaft 22. Since the 90° circular arc movement surface 91 of the lower end of the vertical guide strip 9 extends to the upper end edge of the wafer inlet and outlet, after the moving block 20 rotates 90° along the 90° circular arc movement surface 91, the moving block 20 and the bent rod 5 rotate 90° as a whole, and the whole changes from a vertical state to a horizontal state, and the through-beam sensor 23 installed on the bent rod 5 also enters the wafer conveying box 16 on the other side through the wafer inlet and outlet. At this time, the moving block 20 is separated from the circular arc movement surface 91, and under the action of the torsion force of the torsion spring 19, the upper stepped surface 200 of the moving block 20 abuts against the convex stepped surface 421 of the horizontal rod 4, the horizontal rod 4 moves downward along the vertical guide rail 2, and the bent rod 5 and the through-beam sensor 23 move downward synchronously to complete the detection of the wafer 17.
[0054] The specific working process of the embodiment is as follows:
[0055] Referring to Fig. 3, the wafer conveying box 16 is provided with a wafer conveying box body 16a, a wafer conveying box cover 16b is connected with the wafer conveying box body 16a, and a wafer conveying box cover body 16c is connected with the wafer conveying box cover 16b. The wafer conveying box cover body 16c is provided with a wafer conveying box cover body cavity 16d, and the wafer conveying box cover body cavity 16d is provided with a wafer conveying box cover body cavity cavity 16e. The wafer conveying box cover body cavity 16e is provided with a wafer conveying box cover body cavity cavity cavity 16f, and the wafer conveying box cover body cavity cavity cavity 16f is provided with a wafer conveying box cover body cavity cavity cavity cavity 16g. Figure 3 As shown, in the initial state, the stroke amplification assembly is in the fully retracted state, at this time, the piston rod of the linear motion cylinder 8 is in the fully retracted state, when the wafer detection function is needed, the linear motion cylinder 8 is started, the piston rod is extended, and the main sliding block 11 is pushed to move along the transverse slide rail 12 through the floating joint 10, thereby driving the stroke amplification assembly to extend downward, the cross bar 4 is forced to move downward along the vertical guide rail 2, thereby driving the front step surface 202 of the moving block 20 to move downward along the flat movement surface 92 of the vertical guide strip 9; see FIG. 2. Figure 4 As shown, when the front step surface 202 of the moving block 20 moves to the 90° arc surface 91, the moving block 20 can still move downward with the cross bar 4, and at the same time, under the action of the torsional spring 19, the moving block 20 rotates along the rotation shaft 22, and drives the front step surface 202 thereof to flip over to the lower end surface of the vertical guide strip 9 along the 90° arc surface 91, and in the whole flipping process, the front step surface 202 of the moving block 20 is always in tangential contact with the 90° arc movement surface 91 of the vertical guide strip 9; as shown in FIG. 3. Figure 5 As shown, when the moving block 20 is completely flipped over to abut against the lower end surface of the vertical guide strip 9 (the moving block 20 rotates counterclockwise by 90°), the upper step surface 200 of the moving block 20 is limited by the convex step surface 421 of the cross bar 4 and no longer rotates, at this time, the bent bar 5 is flipped over in place, and the through-beam sensor 23 installed on the bent bar 5 also enters the wafer transfer box 16 on the other side through the wafer inlet and outlet; as shown in FIG. 4. Figure 10 As shown, the wafer transfer box 16 carries the wafer, the wafer transfer box 16 is loaded on the other side of the wafer inlet and outlet, and the opening of the wafer transfer box 16 corresponds to the wafer inlet and outlet after the wafer transfer box 16 is opened; when the cross bar 4 continues to move downward, the moving block 20 moves downward at the same time, at this time, the moving block 20 is no longer limited by the lower end surface of the vertical guide strip 9, but can still keep balance under the joint action of the convex step surface 421 of the cross bar 4 and the torsional spring 19 and no longer rotates, and the bent bar 5 fixedly connected with the moving block 20 can also keep balance, in the process of the bent bar 5 moving downward synchronously with the moving block 20, the through-beam sensor 23 detects the wafer located in the wafer inlet and outlet, at the same time, the laser emitted by the laser ranging sensor 6 is reflected by the reflecting surface 41 and then received by the laser ranging sensor 6, thereby obtaining the real-time displacement data of the cross bar 4, and the wafer placement state in the wafer box is judged by combining the detection data of the through-beam sensor 23; after the detection is completed, the piston rod of the linear motion cylinder 8 is retracted, and the above-mentioned components return to the fully retracted state shown in FIG. 1. Figure 3 As shown, in the initial state, the stroke amplification assembly is in the fully retracted state, at this time, the piston rod of the linear motion cylinder 8 is in the fully retracted state, when the wafer detection function is needed, the linear motion cylinder 8 is started, the piston rod is extended, and the main sliding block 11 is pushed to move along the transverse slide rail 12 through the floating joint 10, thereby driving the stroke amplification assembly to extend downward, the cross bar 4 is forced to move downward along the vertical guide rail 2, thereby driving the front step surface 202 of the moving block 20 to move downward along the flat movement surface 92 of the vertical guide strip 9; see FIG. 2.
[0056] The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and characteristics of the present application, the purpose is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of the present application and implement it, and cannot limit the protection scope of the present application, any equivalent changes or modifications made according to the spirit and essence of the present application should be covered within the protection scope of the present application.
Claims
1. A wafer detection device for wafer automatic loading equipment, which is installed on the back of a rack, and the rack is provided with a wafer inlet and outlet; characterized in that: The vertical guide rails are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the wafer inlet and outlet, a swing assembly is slidably arranged on the vertical guide rails, the swing assembly comprises a pair of emitting sensors which can be extended into the wafer inlet and outlet under the guidance of the vertical guide strips to detect wafers; a driving member is arranged on the back of the rack, the driving member drives the swing assembly to move up and down through a stroke amplification assembly; the back of the rack is further provided with a distance measuring member for measuring the vertical displacement of the swing assembly; The swing assembly further comprises a cross bar slidably arranged on the vertical guide rail, a rotating shaft is installed on the cross bar, a moving block capable of slidingly contacting the vertical guide strip is installed on the rotating shaft; a torsional spring is also installed on the rotating shaft, and the two ends of the torsional spring are respectively attached to the cross bar and the moving block; a bent rod for installing the pair of emitting sensors is further fixed to the moving block; the vertical guide strip is arranged on the back of the rack, and the lower end of the vertical guide strip extends to the upper end edge of the wafer inlet and outlet; a movement surface for sliding contact of the moving block body is arranged on the movement guide strip, and the movement surface is composed of a 90° circular arc movement surface and a tangent flat movement surface.
2. The wafer inspection apparatus of claim 1, wherein: A U-shaped accommodating cavity for accommodating the moving block is arranged on the cross bar, the rotating shaft is fixedly connected in the U-shaped accommodating cavity, and a convex step surface for limiting the movement position of the moving block is arranged on the bottom of the U-shaped accommodating cavity.
3. The wafer inspection apparatus of claim 2, wherein: The moving block comprises a moving block body, a slot is formed in the moving block body, and a through hole communicating with the slot is further arranged on the moving block body, and the moving block is sleeved on the rotating shaft through the through hole.
4. The wafer inspection apparatus of claim 3, wherein: A lower inclined surface is further arranged on the inner bottom wall of the U-shaped accommodating cavity, the torsional spring is sleeved on the rotating shaft located in the slot, and one end of the torsional spring is attached to the slot and the other end is attached to the lower inclined surface.
5. The wafer inspection apparatus of claim 3, wherein: One side of the moving block body is further provided with a connecting plate forming a Z-shaped structure, and the connecting plate is used for connecting the bent rod.
6. The wafer inspection apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The stroke amplification assembly comprises a pair of upper connecting rods, middle connecting rods and lower connecting rods, the side walls of a pair of the middle connecting rods are hingedly connected through a pin shaft, one end of a pair of the middle connecting rods is respectively hingedly connected with a pair of the upper connecting rods, and the other end is respectively hingedly connected with a pair of the lower connecting rods; the side walls of a pair of the upper connecting rods are hingedly connected through a pin shaft, and the end away from the middle connecting rods is respectively hingedly connected with a pair of sliding connecting blocks slidably arranged on the horizontal guide rail, and the end away from the middle connecting rods of a pair of the lower connecting rods is hingedly connected through a hinge seat fixedly connected to the cross bar.
7. The wafer inspection apparatus of claim 6, wherein: A pair of the sliding connecting blocks are respectively a main sliding connecting block and an auxiliary sliding connecting block, the main sliding connecting block and the auxiliary sliding connecting block are slidably arranged on the horizontal guide rail, and the horizontal guide rail is fixedly connected to the back of the rack in the horizontal direction.
8. The wafer inspection apparatus of claim 7, wherein: The driving member comprises a linear motion cylinder, the linear motion cylinder is fixedly connected to the rack, and the piston rod thereof is floatingly connected with the main sliding connecting block through a floating joint.
9. The wafer inspection apparatus of claim 3, wherein: The moving block body is further provided with a front step surface capable of abutting against the vertical guide strip and an upper step surface capable of abutting against the convex step surface of the cross bar.
10. The wafer inspection apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The distance measuring member is a laser distance measuring sensor, the distance measuring member is fixedly arranged on the back of the rack, and the cross bar is provided with a light reflecting surface matched with the distance measuring member.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
System for transferring semiconductor wafer
KR1020070056228A
KR20210068706A