Wafer transport apparatus and method, semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

This invention provides a wafer transport device and method, and semiconductor process equipment. The device, applied to semiconductor process equipment, includes a loading mechanism, a storage mechanism, a translation mechanism, a clamping mechanism, and a positioning detection mechanism. The loading mechanism stores unprocessed or processed wafers at a first position; the storage mechanism stores unprocessed or processed wafers at a second position; the translation mechanism is connected to the clamping mechanism and drives the clamping mechanism to move between the first and second positions; the clamping mechanism, when in the first position, moves towards a position to clamp or release the wafer; or, when in the second position, moves towards a position to clamp or release the wafer; the positioning detection mechanism detects whether the clamping mechanism has reached the wafer clamping position. This invention avoids problems such as unsuccessful wafer retrieval or even wafer breakage caused by the clamping mechanism not moving to a position capable of clamping the wafer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and more specifically, to a wafer transport device and method, and semiconductor process equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In the semiconductor industry, cleaning is a crucial step in semiconductor manufacturing and one of the most important factors affecting device yield and reliability. To reduce the impact of impurities on chip yield, wafers need to be cleaned frequently before and after almost all processes, with cleaning steps accounting for about one-third of all steps. Therefore, wafers need to be frequently fed into the cleaning solution tank of the cleaning equipment. Such frequent wafer transport requires specialized wafer transport devices to improve cleaning efficiency.

[0003] Taking a tank cleaning machine as an example, it is equipped with one or two robotic arms to transfer wafers between multiple process tanks arranged in a single layer. The wafer transport device is usually located on one side of the equipment to complete the automatic wafer transport. The reliability and safety of the wafer transport device are particularly important.

[0004] In existing wafer transport devices, when using a clamping mechanism to pick up and place wafers from the loading mechanism, the clamping mechanism often fails to move to a position where it can actually hold the wafer. As a result, the clamping mechanism does not actually hold the wafer. If the clamping mechanism is driven to move in this case, it is easy to cause unsuccessful wafer picking, or even the risk of fragmentation, and there are potential safety hazards. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and proposes a wafer transport device and method, and semiconductor process equipment, which can avoid the problem of unsuccessful wafer picking or even fragmentation caused by the clamping mechanism not moving to the position where it can clamp the wafer.

[0006] To achieve the objectives of this invention, a wafer transport device is provided, applicable to semiconductor process equipment, comprising a loading mechanism, a storage mechanism, a translation mechanism, a clamping mechanism, and a positioning detection mechanism, wherein...

[0007] The feeding mechanism is used to store unprocessed or processed wafers at a first position;

[0008] The storage mechanism is used to store unprocessed or processed wafers at a second location;

[0009] The translation mechanism is connected to the clamping mechanism and is used to drive the clamping mechanism to move between the first position and the second position;

[0010] The clamping mechanism is used to move toward a position for clamping or unclamping the wafer when it is in the first position; or to move toward a position for clamping or unclamping the wafer when it is in the second position.

[0011] The positioning detection mechanism is used to detect whether the clamping mechanism has reached the position of the clamping wafer.

[0012] Optionally, the clamping mechanism includes two clamping assemblies and a first drive source, wherein each clamping assembly includes a rotating shaft and a clamping component fixedly connected to the rotating shaft; the rotating shafts of the two clamping assemblies are parallel to each other;

[0013] The first driving source is used to drive the rotating shafts of the two clamping assemblies to rotate synchronously and in opposite directions, so as to drive the clamping components of the two clamping assemblies to rotate synchronously to a third position or a fourth position; wherein, when the clamping components of the two clamping assemblies rotate synchronously to the third position, they clamp the edge of the wafer on both sides; when the clamping components of the two clamping assemblies rotate synchronously to the fourth position, they release the clamping of the wafer;

[0014] The positioning detection mechanism includes two positioning detection components, which are used to detect whether the rotating shafts of the two clamping components have rotated to the position that causes the clamping component to reach the third position.

[0015] Optionally, each of the positioning detection components includes a first sensor and a first blocking member, which are correspondingly disposed on the translation mechanism and the rotation axis corresponding to the positioning detection component; wherein,

[0016] The first sensor has a signal transmitting end and a signal receiving end that are opposite to each other and spaced apart; the first blocking member is positioned between the signal transmitting end and the signal receiving end of the first sensor, and the first blocking member has a first notch. When the rotating shaft rotates to the position where the clamping member reaches the third position, the first notch on the first blocking member is located between the signal transmitting end and the signal receiving end of the first sensor, so that the signal receiving end can receive the signal emitted by the signal transmitting end.

[0017] Optionally, the wafer transport device further includes an in-situ detection mechanism, which includes two in-situ detection components for detecting whether the rotating shafts of the two clamping components have rotated to the position that causes the clamping component to reach the fourth position.

[0018] Optionally, each of the in-situ detection components includes a second sensor and a second blocking component, which are correspondingly disposed on the translation mechanism and the rotation axis corresponding to the in-situ detection component; wherein,

[0019] The second sensor has a signal transmitting end and a signal receiving end that are opposite to each other and spaced apart; the second blocking member is positioned between the signal transmitting end and the signal receiving end of the second sensor, and the second blocking member has a second notch. When the rotating shaft rotates to the position where the clamping member reaches the fourth position, the second notch on the second blocking member is located between the signal transmitting end and the signal receiving end of the second sensor, so that the signal receiving end of the second sensor can receive the signal emitted by the signal transmitting end.

[0020] Optionally, the wafer is a flat-edge wafer;

[0021] The wafer conveying device further includes a flat edge detection mechanism, which is connected to the translation mechanism. The flat edge detection mechanism is used to detect whether the flat edge of the flat edge wafer on the feeding mechanism is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upward after the translation mechanism drives the clamping mechanism to move to the first position or the second position and before the clamping mechanism clamps the wafer.

[0022] Optionally, the flat-edge detection mechanism includes a through-beam laser sensor, which has a signal transmitting part and a signal receiving part, which are opposite to each other and spaced apart. After the translation mechanism drives the clamping mechanism to move to the first position, the signal transmitting part and the signal receiving part can be located on both sides of the flat-edge wafer on the feeding mechanism.

[0023] The signal transmitting unit is used to emit a light beam toward the signal receiving unit, and the signal receiving unit is used to receive the light beam that is not blocked by the flat-edge wafer, so as to determine whether the flat edge of the flat-edge wafer on the feeding mechanism is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upwards based on the degree of obstruction of the light beam.

[0024] Optionally, the flat edge detection mechanism further includes two angle adjusting members and two fixing members, wherein both fixing members are fixedly connected to the translation mechanism; the two angle adjusting members are rotatably connected to the two fixing members respectively; the signal transmitting part and the signal receiving part are respectively disposed on the two angle adjusting members; the two angle adjusting members are used to focus the signal transmitting part and the signal receiving part by rotation;

[0025] Each of the angle adjusting members is provided with an arc-shaped groove, and a limiting part is correspondingly provided on the fixing member. The limiting part is located in the arc-shaped groove and can move along the arc-shaped groove to guide the rotation of the angle adjusting member.

[0026] As another technical solution, the present invention also provides a semiconductor process equipment, including a process chamber and a wafer transport device. The wafer transport device is used to transfer unprocessed wafers from a loading position to a storage position, so that a robot in the process chamber can take the unprocessed wafers from the storage position and put them into the process chamber. The wafer transport device is also used to transfer processed wafers placed in the storage position by the robot back to the loading position. The wafer transport device adopts the wafer transport device provided by the present invention.

[0027] As another technical solution, the present invention also provides a wafer transport method, which is applied to the wafer transport device provided by the present invention, the wafer transport method comprising the following steps:

[0028] S1. Determine whether there are wafers in the feeding mechanism and whether there are no wafers in the storage mechanism; if yes, proceed to step S2; if no, return to step S1.

[0029] S2. Control the translation mechanism to drive the clamping mechanism to move to the first position;

[0030] S3. Control the state detection mechanism on the translation mechanism to detect the state of the wafer on the feeding mechanism and determine whether the state of the wafer meets the preset conditions. If yes, proceed to step S4; otherwise, trigger an alarm.

[0031] S4. Control the clamping mechanism to move toward the position where the wafer is clamped;

[0032] S5. Control the positioning detection mechanism to detect whether the clamping mechanism has reached the position for clamping the wafer; if yes, proceed to step S6; if no, trigger an alarm.

[0033] S6. Control the translation mechanism to drive the clamping mechanism to move to the second position, and then control the clamping mechanism to move to the position to release the wafer, so as to transfer the wafer to the storage mechanism.

[0034] Optionally, the wafer is a flat-edge wafer; the wafer conveying device further includes a flat-edge detection mechanism, which is connected to the translation mechanism and is used to detect whether the flat edge of the flat-edge wafer on the feeding mechanism is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upward after the translation mechanism drives the clamping mechanism to move to the first position;

[0035] After completing step S2, the wafer transport method further includes:

[0036] S23. Control the flat edge detection mechanism to detect whether the flat edge of the flat edge wafer on the feeding mechanism is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upward; if not, an alarm is triggered; if yes, proceed to step S3 or step S4.

[0037] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0038] In the technical solution of the wafer transport device and method provided by the present invention, the clamping mechanism detects whether the clamping mechanism has reached the position to clamp the wafer by means of a positioning detection mechanism. This can determine whether the clamping mechanism has actually clamped the wafer, ensuring that the clamping mechanism has moved to the correct position. This can avoid the problem of unsuccessful wafer picking or even fragmentation caused by the clamping mechanism not moving to the position to clamp the wafer, thereby eliminating the safety hazards caused by such accidents.

[0039] The semiconductor process equipment provided by the present invention, by adopting the wafer transport device provided by the present invention, can avoid the problem of unsuccessful wafer picking or even fragmentation caused by the clamping mechanism not moving to the position where it can clamp the wafer, thereby eliminating the safety hazards caused by such accidents. Attached Figure Description

[0040] Figure 1 This is a schematic block diagram of the wafer transport device provided in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the wafer transport device provided in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a clamping mechanism used in the second embodiment of the present invention when it is in the position of clamping a wafer;

[0043] Figures 4A to 4C The above are three views of the first blocking member used in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first sensor used in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of another clamping mechanism used in the second embodiment of the present invention when it is in the position of clamping a wafer;

[0046] Figure 7 This is a partial perspective view of another clamping mechanism used in the second embodiment of the present invention when it is in the position of releasing the clamped wafer;

[0047] Figure 8A This is a schematic diagram of a flat wafer structure;

[0048] Figure 8BThis is a schematic block diagram of a wafer transport device provided in the third embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the detection principle of the flat edge detection mechanism used in the third embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 10 This is a perspective view showing the connection between the flat edge detection mechanism and the translation mechanism used in the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 11 This is a structural diagram of the angle adjustment component used in the third embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 12 This is a flowchart of a wafer transport method provided in the fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 13 Another flowchart of the wafer transport method provided in the fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 14 This is another flowchart of a wafer transport method provided in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0055] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the wafer transport device and method, and semiconductor process equipment provided by the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0056] First Embodiment

[0057] The wafer transport device provided in this embodiment is applied to semiconductor process equipment, such as cleaning equipment. Taking a tank cleaning machine as an example, it is equipped with one or two robotic arms to transport wafers between multiple process tanks arranged in a single layer. The wafer transport device provided in this embodiment is located on one side of the tank cleaning machine and is used to transport unprocessed wafers from the loading position to the storage position so that the robotic arms can take the unprocessed wafers out of the storage position and put them into the process chamber. The wafer transport device is also used to transport the processed wafers placed in the storage position by the robotic arms back to the loading position, thereby completing the automatic wafer transport operation.

[0058] Please see Figure 1The wafer conveying device provided in this embodiment includes a loading mechanism 1, a storage mechanism 2, a translation mechanism 3, a clamping mechanism 4, and a positioning detection mechanism 5. The loading mechanism 1 stores unprocessed or processed wafers at a first position A; the storage mechanism 2 stores unprocessed or processed wafers at a second position B. Generally, the unprocessed wafers stored in the storage mechanism 2 can be taken away by a robotic arm; or, the robotic arm can place processed wafers into the storage mechanism 2, i.e., the second position B is the aforementioned storage position. The unprocessed wafers stored in the loading mechanism 1 can be taken away by the clamping mechanism 4 and moved from the first position A to the second position B via the translation mechanism 3, and then transferred to the storage mechanism 2 via the clamping mechanism 4; or, the processed wafers in the storage mechanism 2 can be taken away by the clamping mechanism 4 and moved from the second position B to the first position A via the translation mechanism 3, and then transferred to the loading mechanism 1 via the clamping mechanism 4, i.e., the first position A is the aforementioned loading position.

[0059] In some optional embodiments, the loading mechanism 1 and the storage mechanism 2 can store multiple wafers. Specifically, the multiple wafers stored on the loading mechanism 1 can be loaded by a wafer cassette, and the loading mechanism 1 can store one wafer cassette at a time; the multiple wafers on the storage mechanism 2 can be loaded by a carrier, and the carrier can store a total of two wafer cassettes at a time.

[0060] The translation mechanism 3 is connected to the clamping mechanism 4 and is used to drive the clamping mechanism 4 to move between a first position A and a second position B. The clamping mechanism 4 is used to move towards a position for clamping or releasing the wafer when it is in the first position A; or towards a position for clamping or releasing the wafer when it is in the second position B. Thus, the clamping mechanism 4 can perform wafer pick-up and wafer placement operations at either the first position A or the second position B. For example, when the clamping mechanism 4 moves to the first position A, it can clamp the wafer from the first position A to perform a wafer pick-up operation; then, it transfers the wafer to the second position B and places the wafer on the second position B by moving towards a position for releasing the wafer to perform a wafer placement operation. It should be noted that the mechanical structure of the clamping mechanism 4 is a structure that achieves wafer clamping and release by switching between two different positions (i.e., the wafer clamping position and the wafer releasing position) through movement.

[0061] The positioning detection mechanism 5 is used to detect whether the clamping mechanism 4 has reached the position to clamp the wafer. By using the positioning detection mechanism 5 to detect whether the clamping mechanism 4 has reached the position to clamp the wafer, it can be determined whether the clamping mechanism 4 has actually clamped the wafer, ensuring that the clamping mechanism 4 has moved into position. This can avoid problems such as unsuccessful wafer removal or even fragmentation caused by the clamping mechanism 4 not moving to the position where it can clamp the wafer, thereby eliminating the safety hazards caused by such accidents.

[0062] Second Embodiment

[0063] The wafer transport device provided in this embodiment is a specific implementation of the first embodiment described above. Specifically, please refer to... Figure 2 The wafer transport device provided in this embodiment includes two loading mechanisms (1a, 1b), a storage mechanism 2, a translation mechanism 3, a clamping mechanism 4, and a positioning detection mechanism (not shown in the figure). Loading mechanism 1a is used to store unprocessed or processed wafers at a first position A1; loading mechanism 1b is used to store unprocessed or processed wafers at another first position A2; and storage mechanism 2 is used to store unprocessed or processed wafers at a second position B. The carrier 21 on storage mechanism 2 can load the total number of wafers in two wafer cassettes 11 at once. In this case, by setting two loading mechanisms (1a, 1b), two wafer cassettes 11 can be loaded at once. Then, the translation mechanism 3 and the clamping mechanism 4 sequentially transfer the wafers from the two loading mechanisms (1a, 1b) to storage mechanism 2, thereby improving wafer transport efficiency. Of course, this embodiment of the invention is not limited to this. In practical applications, the number of loading mechanisms can be configured according to the total number of wafers that storage mechanism 2 can store.

[0064] Specifically, the carrier 21 of the storage mechanism 2 and the wafer cassette 11 of the loading mechanism (1a, 1b) have multiple grooves on which wafers can be placed.

[0065] In some alternative embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the clamping mechanism 4 includes two clamping assemblies and a first drive source. Each clamping assembly includes a rotating shaft 42 and a clamping member 41 fixedly connected to the rotating shaft 42; the rotating shafts 42 in the two clamping assemblies are parallel to each other. The first drive source (not shown in the figure) is used to drive the rotating shafts 42 in the two clamping assemblies to rotate synchronously and in opposite directions (e.g., along...). Figure 3 (Rotating in the direction of the arrow in the image) to drive the clamping components 41 in the two clamping assemblies to rotate synchronously to the third or fourth position; wherein, when the clamping components 41 in the two clamping assemblies rotate synchronously to the third position, they clamp the edges of the wafer 6 on both sides; when the clamping components 41 in the two clamping assemblies rotate synchronously to the fourth position, they release the clamping of the wafer 6. Figure 3 As shown, each clamping component 41 is provided with a groove. When both clamping components 41 in the two clamping assemblies are in the third position mentioned above, their grooves can jointly clamp the wafer 6 on both sides. When both clamping components 41 in the two clamping assemblies are in the fourth position mentioned above, their grooves can jointly move to a position away from the wafer 6 to release the clamping of the wafer 6.

[0066] Furthermore, the positioning detection mechanism 5 includes two positioning detection components, which are used to detect whether the rotating shaft 42 in the two clamping components has rotated to the position that causes the clamping component 41 to reach the aforementioned third position. As long as the rotating shaft 42 rotates to the position, the clamping component 41 fixedly connected to it will necessarily reach the aforementioned third position. Therefore, by detecting whether the rotating shaft 42 has rotated to the position using the positioning detection components, it can be determined whether the clamping component 41 has indeed reached the aforementioned third position.

[0067] The structure of the positioning detection component can be varied, for example, such as Figure 3 As shown, each positioning detection component includes a first sensor 51 and a first blocking member 52, which are correspondingly disposed on the translation mechanism 3 and the rotation axis 42 corresponding to the positioning detection component; wherein, as Figure 5 As shown, the first sensor 51 has a signal transmitting end 511 and a signal receiving end 512 that are opposite to each other and spaced apart, for transmitting and receiving signals. Figure 3 As shown, the first blocking member 52 blocks the signal transmitting end 511 and the signal receiving end 512 of the first sensor 51, and, as Figures 4A to 4C As shown, the first blocking member 52 is provided with a first notch 522. When the rotating shaft 42 rotates to the position where the clamping member 41 reaches the third position mentioned above, the first notch 522 on the first blocking member 52 is located between the signal transmitting end 511 and the signal receiving end 512 of the first sensor 51, so that the signal receiving end 512 can receive the signal emitted by the signal transmitting end 511 to trigger the first sensor 51, thereby confirming that the clamping member 41 has indeed reached the third position mentioned above.

[0068] Specifically, such as Figures 4A to 4C As shown, the first blocking member 52 includes a blocking body 521, which is, for example, a circular piece, and the aforementioned first notch 522 is, for example, a groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the blocking body 521. Optionally, the blocking body 521 has a central hole 523, through which the blocking body 521 can be fitted onto the aforementioned rotating shaft 42, so as to be able to rotate concentrically with the rotating shaft 42. Furthermore, as... Figure 4B and Figure 4CAs shown, a boss 521a is also provided on the blocking body 521, and a threaded hole 524 is provided on the boss 521a, which is radially arranged along the rotation shaft 42. A set screw (not shown in the figure) is installed in the threaded hole 524, and one end of the set screw abuts against the outer circumferential surface of the rotation shaft 42 to ensure that the blocking body 521 and the rotation shaft 42 will not rotate relative to each other. Of course, in practical applications, the first blocking member 52 and the rotation shaft 42 can also be fixedly connected in any other way, and the embodiments of the present invention do not have any particular limitations on this.

[0069] It should be noted that in practical applications, the first blocking member 52 can also be set on the translation mechanism 3, while the first sensor 51 can be set on the rotation shaft 42.

[0070] In some alternative embodiments, such as Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the wafer transport device also includes an in-situ detection mechanism 7, which includes two in-situ detection components for detecting whether the rotating shaft 42 in the two clamping components has rotated to the position that causes the clamping member 41 to reach the aforementioned fourth position. The clamping member 41 is in... Figure 7 The position in the middle is the fourth position mentioned above, that is, the original position of the clamping component 41. With the help of the original position detection mechanism 7, it can be determined whether the clamping component 41 has indeed returned to its original position, so as to perform the zeroing operation and set the rotation angle of the rotating shaft 42.

[0071] In some alternative embodiments, such as Figure 6 As shown, each in-situ detection component includes a second sensor 71 and a second blocking member 72, which are correspondingly disposed on the translation mechanism 3 and the rotation shaft 42 corresponding to the in-situ detection component. The second sensor 71 has a signal transmitting end and a signal receiving end that are opposite to each other and spaced apart. The second blocking member 72 blocks between the signal transmitting end and the signal receiving end of the second sensor 71, and has a second notch. When the rotation shaft 42 rotates to the position where the clamping member 41 reaches the fourth position described above, the second notch on the second blocking member 72 is located between the signal transmitting end and the signal receiving end of the second sensor 71, so that the signal receiving end of the second sensor 71 can receive the signal emitted by the signal transmitting end. The specific structure of the second sensor 71 and the second blocking member 72 is the same as that of the first sensor 51 and the second blocking member 52 described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0072] Third Embodiment

[0073] The wafer transport device provided in this embodiment is an improvement on the first and second embodiments described above, specifically for flat-edge wafers. Specifically, as follows... Figure 8AAs shown, wafer 6 is a flat-edge wafer, that is, wafer 6 has a straight edge 61, and the diameter of wafer 6 is D, which is, for example, 300mm, 200mm or 150mm, etc.

[0074] The wafer transport device provided in this embodiment, based on the first and second embodiments described above, adds a flat edge detection mechanism 8. This flat edge detection mechanism 8 is connected to the translation mechanism 3 and is used to detect whether the flat edge 61 of the flat-edge wafer 6 on the loading mechanism is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upwards after the translation mechanism 3 drives the clamping mechanism 4 to move to the first position A or the second position B, and before the clamping mechanism 4 clamps the wafer. Figure 8A The flat-edge wafer 6 in the middle is in a state that meets the requirements.

[0075] In practical applications, when multiple wafers are placed on the loading mechanism 1, after the translation mechanism 3 drives the clamping mechanism 4 to move to the first position A or the second position B, and before the clamping mechanism 4 clamps the wafers, it is usually necessary to use an alignment operation to detect whether there is wafer stacking or misalignment. The specific process of this alignment operation is as follows: after the loading mechanism 1 rises to the alignment height position, the translation mechanism 3 begins to move. The status detection mechanism on the translation mechanism 3 (e.g., an alignment sensor, which can be a fiber optic sensor) detects the status of multiple wafers one by one during the movement. Then, based on the position information of all detected wafers, corresponding logical judgments are made to finally determine whether there is wafer stacking or misalignment. For flat-edge wafers, it is also necessary to detect whether the flat edge of the flat-edge wafer is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upwards during the alignment operation.

[0076] For flat-edge wafers, by setting up the aforementioned flat-edge detection mechanism 8, it can detect whether the flat edge of the flat-edge wafer is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upwards. This can avoid problems such as unsuccessful wafer picking or even fragmentation caused by the flat edge of the flat-edge wafer being tilted, thereby eliminating the safety hazards caused by such accidents.

[0077] In some alternative embodiments, such as Figure 9 As shown, the flat-edge detection mechanism 8 includes a through-beam laser sensor. This sensor has a signal emitting unit 81 and a signal receiving unit 82, which are opposite each other and spaced apart. After the translation mechanism 3 drives the clamping mechanism 4 to move to the first position A, and after the loading mechanism 1 rises to the combing height position, the signal emitting unit 81 and the signal receiving unit 82 can be located on opposite sides of the flat-edge wafer 6 on the loading mechanism 1. The signal emitting unit 81 emits a light beam S towards the signal receiving unit 82, and the signal receiving unit 82 receives the light beam that is not blocked by the flat-edge wafer, so as to determine whether the flat edge of the flat-edge wafer on the loading mechanism 1 is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upwards based on the degree of beam obstruction. Figure 9As shown, when the flat edge is parallel to the horizontal plane and faces upwards, the light beam S emitted by the signal transmitting unit 81 will not be blocked by the wafer, and the light beam intensity received by the signal receiving unit 82 is at its maximum. When the flat edge is tilted, for example, when the wafer is tilted to the angle of inclination, the light beam S emitted by the signal transmitting unit 81 will not be blocked by the wafer, and the light beam intensity received by the signal receiving unit 82 will be at its maximum. Figure 9 When the flat edge 61' is located, the beam S emitted by the signal transmitting unit 81 will be blocked by the wafer. The intensity of the beam received by the signal receiving unit 82 will be different depending on the degree to which the beam S is blocked. This allows it to detect whether the flat edge of the wafer is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upwards.

[0078] In some alternative embodiments, such as Figure 10 As shown, the flat edge detection mechanism 8 also includes two angle adjustment components 84 and two fixing components 83. Both fixing components 83 are fixedly connected to the translation mechanism 3, for example, to the bracket 31 of the translation mechanism 3. Specifically, as... Figure 10 As shown, the fixing member 83 can be L-shaped, which facilitates the installation of the sensor. Two angle adjustment members 84 are rotatably connected to the two fixing members 83 respectively; the signal transmitting part 81 is disposed on the two angle adjustment members 84 for facing the signal receiving part 82; the two angle adjustment members 84 are used to focus the signal transmitting part 81 toward the signal receiving part 82 by rotation.

[0079] And, as Figure 11 As shown, each angle adjusting member 84 is provided with an arc-shaped groove 841, and a limiting part (not shown in the figure) is correspondingly provided on the fixing member 83. The limiting part is located in the arc-shaped groove 841 and can move along the arc-shaped groove 841 to guide the rotation of the angle adjusting member 84. Of course, in practical applications, any other structure can be used to fix the signal transmitting part 81 and the signal receiving part 82 on the translation mechanism 3. The embodiments of the present invention do not have any particular limitations in this regard.

[0080] It should be noted that in practical applications, it is not necessary for the feeding mechanism 1 to rise to the combing height position. As long as the signal transmitting unit 81 and the signal receiving unit 82 can be located on both sides of the flat-edged wafer 6 on the feeding mechanism 1 after the translation mechanism 3 drives the clamping mechanism 4 to move to the first position A, the detection function can be realized.

[0081] Fourth embodiment

[0082] Please see Figure 12 This embodiment provides a wafer transport method, which is applied to the wafer transport apparatus provided in the above embodiments, to... Figure 2 Taking the wafer transport device shown as an example, this embodiment provides a wafer transport method for moving a wafer from a first position A1 to a second position B, that is, transporting the wafer from the loading mechanism 1a to the storage mechanism 2.

[0083] The wafer delivery method includes the following steps:

[0084] S1. Determine whether there is a wafer in the feeding mechanism 1 and whether there is no wafer in the storage mechanism 2; if yes, proceed to step S2; if no, return to step S1 above.

[0085] In cases where the loading mechanism 1 and storage mechanism 2 can store multiple wafers, the multiple wafers stored on the loading mechanism 1 can be loaded by a wafer cassette, and the loading mechanism 2 can store one wafer cassette at a time; the multiple wafers on the storage mechanism 2 can be loaded by a carrier, and the carrier can store the total number of wafers from two wafer cassettes at a time. In this case, in step S1, it is determined whether there are wafers in the wafer cassette of the loading mechanism 1 and whether there are no wafers in the carrier of the storage mechanism 2.

[0086] S2, control the translation mechanism 3 to drive the clamping mechanism 4 to move to the first position A;

[0087] S3. The state detection mechanism on the translation mechanism 3 detects the state of the wafer on the feeding mechanism 1 and determines whether the state of the wafer meets the preset conditions. If yes, proceed to step S4; otherwise, an alarm is triggered.

[0088] The aforementioned wafer state refers to whether the wafer's position on the loading mechanism 1 meets the aforementioned preset conditions. These preset conditions, for example, are the conditions required for the wafer to be successfully clamped by the clamping mechanism 4 if the wafer does not exhibit stacking, oblique insertion, or other defects.

[0089] The alarm handling described above includes, for example, stopping the wafer transfer, manually checking the wafer's status, and taking appropriate action.

[0090] In practical applications, when multiple wafers are placed on the loading mechanism 1, it is usually necessary to use an alignment operation to detect whether the position of the wafers on the loading mechanism 1 meets the above-mentioned preset conditions. That is, all wafers are scanned to determine whether there are any wafers stacked or obliquely inserted. The specific process of this alignment operation is as follows: after the loading mechanism 1 rises to the alignment height position, the translation mechanism 3 begins to move. The status detection mechanism (e.g., the alignment sensor) on the translation mechanism 3 detects the status of multiple wafers one by one during the movement. Then, based on the position information of all the detected wafers, the corresponding logical judgment is made, and finally it can be determined whether there are any wafers stacked or obliquely inserted.

[0091] It should be noted that in practical applications, it is not necessary for the feeding mechanism 1 to rise to the combing height position. As long as the state detection mechanism can perform the detection function after the translation mechanism 3 drives the clamping mechanism 4 to move to the first position A, it is sufficient.

[0092] S4. Control the clamping mechanism 4 to move toward the position where the wafer is clamped;

[0093] In step S4, the clamping mechanism 4 performs a wafer picking action, that is, it performs a clamping action. Afterwards, the wafer can be separated from the loading mechanism 1 by lowering the loading mechanism 1.

[0094] S5. The control positioning detection mechanism 5 detects whether the clamping mechanism 4 has reached the position for clamping the wafer; if yes, proceed to step S6; if no, an alarm is triggered.

[0095] In some alternative embodiments, combined with Figure 3 The clamping mechanism 4 shown above, and the above step S5, specifically include:

[0096] S51. Control the two positioning detection components to detect whether the rotating shaft 42 in the two clamping components has rotated to the position that causes the clamping component 4 to reach the third position; determine whether any rotating shaft 42 has not rotated to the position that causes the clamping component 4 to reach the third position; if so, an alarm is triggered; if the rotating shaft 42 in both clamping components has rotated to the position that causes the clamping component 4 to reach the third position, then proceed to step S6. That is to say, step S6 is only allowed to be performed when the rotating shaft 42 in both clamping components has rotated to the position that causes the clamping component 4 to reach the third position.

[0097] S6. The control translation mechanism 3 drives the clamping mechanism 4 to move to the second position B, and then controls the clamping mechanism 4 to move to the position where the wafer is released from clamping, so as to transfer the wafer to the storage mechanism 3. At this time, the wafer is separated from the clamping mechanism 4. Thus, the wafer is transferred from the loading mechanism 1 to the storage mechanism 2.

[0098] By setting step S5, it can be determined whether the clamping mechanism actually clamps the wafer, ensuring that the clamping mechanism moves to the correct position. This can avoid problems such as unsuccessful wafer removal or even fragmentation caused by the clamping mechanism not moving to the position where it can clamp the wafer, thereby eliminating the safety hazards caused by such accidents.

[0099] For flat-edge wafers, refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 The wafer transport apparatus shown in the figure, after completing the above step S2, the wafer transport method further includes:

[0100] S23. Control the flat edge detection mechanism 8 to detect whether the flat edge of the flat edge wafer on the feeding mechanism 1 is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upwards; if not, an alarm is triggered; if so, the execution order of step S23 and step S3 can be used to select whether to perform step S3 or step S4.

[0101] Specifically, there are two possible execution sequences for steps S23 and S3. The first sequence is that steps S23 and S3 can be performed simultaneously. In this case, if step S23 determines that the flat edge is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upwards, then step S4 is performed. Specifically, when multiple wafers are placed on the loading mechanism 1, after the loading mechanism 1 rises to the sorting height position, the translation mechanism 3 begins to translate. The state detection mechanism (e.g., a sorting sensor) on the translation mechanism 3 detects the state of each wafer individually during the movement. Simultaneously, the flat edge detection mechanism 8 detects whether the flat edge of the wafer on the loading mechanism 1 is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upwards. This allows for simultaneous detection of all wafers for stacking, oblique insertion, and flat edge tilting, thus enabling steps S23 and S3 to be performed simultaneously.

[0102] The second order is that step S23 is performed before step S3. In this case, if step S23 determines that the flat edge is parallel to the horizontal plane and faces upward, then step S3 is performed.

[0103] In some optional embodiments, to avoid false alarms, step S23 may specifically include:

[0104] S231. Control the flat edge detection mechanism 8 to detect whether the flat edge of the flat edge wafer on the feeding mechanism 1 is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upwards;

[0105] If so, then step S3 is performed when the second order is used; or, step S4 is performed when the first order is used.

[0106] If not, proceed to step S232;

[0107] S232. Increment the number of times the flat edge is not parallel to the horizontal plane by 1, and determine whether the number has reached the preset upper limit; if yes, then alarm; if no, then proceed to step S233.

[0108] S233. Increment the number of repetitions of step S231 by 1, and determine whether the number of repetitions of step S231 has reached the preset number. If not, return to step S231. If yes, perform step S3 when using the second order. Or, perform step S4 when using the first order.

[0109] As can be seen from the above, an alarm will only be triggered when the cumulative number of times the flat edge is not parallel to the horizontal plane reaches the aforementioned upper limit. Before that, step S231 will be repeated. Furthermore, the number of repetitions of step S231 will be accumulated. If the number of times the flat edge is not parallel to the horizontal plane has not reached the aforementioned upper limit, and the repetition count reaches a preset number, the repetition process will stop. Then, based on the execution order of steps S23 and S3, it will be selected whether to proceed with step S3 or step S4. The aforementioned upper limit is less than the preset number.

[0110] Figure 13 Another flowchart of the wafer transport method provided in this embodiment is shown, such as... Figure 13 As shown, this wafer transport method is applied to Figure 2 The wafer transport device shown is used to move multiple wafers from a first position A1 to a second position B, that is, to transport multiple wafers from the loading mechanism 1a to the storage mechanism 2. Specifically, the wafer transport method includes the following steps:

[0111] S101. Determine whether there is a wafer in the feeding mechanism 1a and whether there is no wafer in the storage mechanism 2; if yes, proceed to step S102; if no, return to step S101.

[0112] S102, The feeding mechanism 1a rotates to the wafer picking angle position;

[0113] When the loading mechanism 1a rotates to the aforementioned wafer picking angle position, the wafer on it is in the position as follows: Figure 3 At the angular position, the two clamping components 41 can clamp the wafer on the feeding mechanism 1a.

[0114] S103, the feeding mechanism 1a rises to the combing height position;

[0115] The aforementioned combing height position is the height position at which the state detection mechanism (e.g., combing sensor) on the translation mechanism 3 can detect the state of multiple wafers on the feeding mechanism 1a.

[0116] S104, the translation mechanism 3 translates so that the status detection mechanism can start sorting the wafers on the loading mechanism 1a; the storage mechanism 3 rotates to the wafer picking angle position.

[0117] When the storage mechanism 3 is rotated to the above-mentioned wafer pick-up angle position, the clamping mechanism 4 can place the wafer on it.

[0118] S105. Determine if there are any wafer stacking or oblique insertion situations; if yes, trigger an alarm; if no, proceed to step S106.

[0119] Step S105 above involves making corresponding logical judgments based on the position information of all detected wafers, and ultimately determining whether there are any cases of stacked wafers or oblique insertion.

[0120] S106, Control the clamping mechanism 4 to move toward the position where the wafer is clamped;

[0121] S107. The control positioning detection mechanism detects whether the clamping mechanism 4 has reached the position for clamping the wafer; if yes, it determines that the clamping mechanism 4 has successfully clamped the wafer and proceeds to step S108; if no, an alarm is triggered.

[0122] S108, The feeding mechanism 1a descends to its initial height position;

[0123] After the loading mechanism 1a descends to its initial height position, the wafer on the clamping mechanism 4 separates from the loading mechanism 1a.

[0124] S109, Control translation mechanism 2 drives clamping mechanism 4 to move to the second position B;

[0125] S110, storage mechanism 3 rises to the film retrieval height position;

[0126] S111, Control the clamping mechanism 4 to move to the position where the wafer is released from clamping;

[0127] The storage mechanism 3 rises to the wafer picking height position, and after the clamping mechanism 4 moves to the position to release the wafer, the wafer on the clamping mechanism 4 falls into the carrier on the storage mechanism 3;

[0128] S112, Storage mechanism 3 descends to its initial height position;

[0129] After the storage mechanism 3 descends to its initial height position, the wafer separates from the clamping mechanism 4.

[0130] S113. Does the loading mechanism 1b have a wafer to be transferred? If yes, then the process of moving the wafer from the first position A2 to the second position B begins. This process is the same as the process of moving the wafer from the first position A1 to the second position B, except that step S113 is not required. If no, then step S114 is performed.

[0131] S114, Storage mechanism 3 rotates to the initial angle position; Feeding mechanism 1a rotates to the initial angle position.

[0132] Thus, the transfer is completed, and the robot arm waits to retrieve the wafer from storage mechanism 3.

[0133] For flat-edge wafers, Figure 14 This illustrates yet another flowchart of the wafer transport method provided in this embodiment, such as... Figure 14 As shown, this wafer transport method is applied to Figure 2The wafer transport device shown is used to move multiple wafers from a first position A1 to a second position B, that is, to transport multiple wafers from the loading mechanism 1a to the storage mechanism 2. Specifically, the wafer transport method includes the following steps:

[0134] S201. Determine whether there is a wafer in the feeding mechanism 1a and whether there is no wafer in the storage mechanism 2; if yes, proceed to step S202; if no, return to step S201.

[0135] S202, The feeding mechanism 1a rotates to the wafer picking angle position;

[0136] S203, the feeding mechanism 1a rises to the combing height position;

[0137] S204. The translation mechanism 3 translates so that the state detection mechanism can start to sort the wafers on the loading mechanism 1a. At the same time, it determines whether the flat edge is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upward. If it is parallel, proceed to step S205. If it is not parallel, repeat the process of step S204.

[0138] The specific implementation method of this repeating process is as follows: Step S204 above specifically includes:

[0139] S2041, The translation mechanism 3 translates so that the state detection mechanism can start to sort the wafers on the loading mechanism 1a, and at the same time determine whether the flat edge is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upward.

[0140] If so, proceed to step S205;

[0141] If not, proceed to step S2042;

[0142] S2042. Increment the number of times the flat edge is not parallel to the horizontal plane by 1, and determine whether the number has reached the preset upper limit value m; if yes, then alarm processing; if no, then proceed to step S2043.

[0143] S2043. Increment the number of repetitions of step S2041 by 1, and determine whether the number of repetitions of step S2041 has reached the preset number n. If not, return to step S2041; if yes, proceed to step S205.

[0144] As can be seen from the above, an alarm will only be triggered when the cumulative number of times the flat edge is not parallel to the horizontal plane reaches the aforementioned upper limit m. Before that, the above step S2041 will be repeated. Moreover, the number of repetitions of the above step S2041 will be accumulated. When the number of times the flat edge is not parallel to the horizontal plane has not reached the aforementioned upper limit m, and when the number of repetitions reaches the preset number n, the above repetition process will stop, and step S205 will be performed.

[0145] S205, the storage mechanism 2 rotates to the film-picking angle position;

[0146] S206. Determine if there are any wafer stacking or oblique insertion situations; if yes, trigger an alarm; if no, proceed to step S207.

[0147] S207, Control the clamping mechanism 4 to move toward the position where the wafer is clamped;

[0148] S208. The control positioning detection mechanism detects whether the clamping mechanism has reached the position for clamping the wafer; if not, an alarm is triggered; if yes, proceed to step S209.

[0149] S209, The feeding mechanism 1a descends to its initial height position;

[0150] S210, control the translation mechanism 3 to drive the clamping mechanism 4 to move to the second position B;

[0151] S211, The storage mechanism rises to the film retrieval height position;

[0152] S212, Control the clamping mechanism 4 to move to the position where the wafer is released from clamping;

[0153] S213, Storage mechanism 3 descends to its initial height position;

[0154] S214. Does the loading mechanism 1b have a wafer to be transferred? If yes, then start the process of moving the wafer from the first position A2 to the second position B. This process is the same as the process of moving the wafer from the first position A1 to the second position B, except that step S214 is not required. If no, then proceed to step S215.

[0155] S215, Storage mechanism 3 rotates to the initial angle position; Feeding mechanism 1a rotates to the initial angle position.

[0156] As another technical solution, this embodiment of the invention also provides a semiconductor process apparatus, which includes a process chamber and a wafer transport device. The wafer transport device is used to transfer unprocessed wafers from a loading position to a storage position, so that a robotic arm can remove the unprocessed wafers from the storage position and transfer them into the process chamber. The wafer transport device is also used to return processed wafers placed in the storage position by the robotic arm to the loading position. This wafer transport device employs the wafer transport devices provided in the above embodiments.

[0157] The aforementioned semiconductor process equipment is, for example, a cleaning device. Taking a tank cleaning machine as an example, the cleaning device is equipped with one or two robotic arms inside, which are used to transfer wafers between multiple process tanks arranged in a single layer. The wafer conveying device provided in this embodiment is located on one side of the tank cleaning machine, which is used to realize wafer loading and unloading, wafer transfer, and allow the robotic arms to perform wafer picking and placing operations, thereby completing the automatic wafer conveying work.

[0158] The semiconductor process equipment provided in this embodiment of the invention, by employing the wafer transport device provided in this embodiment of the invention, can avoid the problem of unsuccessful wafer picking or even fragmentation caused by the clamping mechanism not moving to a position where it can clamp the wafer, thereby eliminating the safety hazards caused by such accidents.

[0159] It is understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer conveying device applied to a semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that, It includes a feeding mechanism, a storage mechanism, a translation mechanism, a clamping mechanism, and a positioning detection mechanism, among which, The feeding mechanism is used to store multiple flat-edge wafers, either unprocessed or processed, at a first position; The storage mechanism is used to store multiple flat-edge wafers, either unprocessed or processed, at the second position; The translation mechanism is connected to the clamping mechanism and is used to drive the clamping mechanism to move between the first position and the second position; The clamping mechanism is used to move toward a position for clamping or unclamping the wafer when it is in the first position; or to move toward a position for clamping or unclamping the wafer when it is in the second position; wherein, when the clamping mechanism reaches the position for clamping the wafer, it clamps the edge of the flat-edge wafer on both sides of each flat-edge wafer; The positioning detection mechanism is used to detect whether the clamping mechanism has reached the position of the clamping wafer; The wafer conveying device further includes a flat edge detection mechanism, which is connected to the translation mechanism. The flat edge detection mechanism is used to detect whether the flat edge of the flat edge wafer on the feeding mechanism is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upward after the translation mechanism drives the clamping mechanism to move to the first position or the second position and before the clamping mechanism clamps the wafer. The flat-edge detection mechanism includes a through-beam laser sensor, which has a signal transmitting part and a signal receiving part, which are opposite to each other and spaced apart. After the translation mechanism drives the clamping mechanism to move to the first position, the signal transmitting part and the signal receiving part can be located on both sides of the flat-edge wafer on the feeding mechanism. The signal transmitting unit is used to emit a light beam toward the signal receiving unit, and the signal receiving unit is used to receive the light beam that is not blocked by the flat-edge wafer, so as to determine whether the flat edge of the flat-edge wafer on the feeding mechanism is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upwards based on the degree of obstruction of the light beam.

2. The wafer transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein The clamping mechanism includes two clamping assemblies and a first drive source, wherein each clamping assembly includes a rotating shaft and a clamping component fixedly connected to the rotating shaft; the rotating shafts of the two clamping assemblies are parallel to each other; The first driving source is used to drive the rotation axes of the two clamping assemblies to rotate synchronously and in opposite directions, so as to drive the clamping components of the two clamping assemblies to rotate synchronously to a third position or a fourth position; wherein, when the clamping components of the two clamping assemblies rotate synchronously to the third position, they clamp the edge of the flat-edge wafer on both sides; when the clamping components of the two clamping assemblies rotate synchronously to the fourth position, they release the clamping of the wafer; The positioning detection mechanism includes two positioning detection components, which are used to detect whether the rotating shafts of the two clamping components have rotated to the position that causes the clamping component to reach the third position.

3. The wafer transport device according to claim 2, characterized in that, Each of the aforementioned positioning detection components includes a first sensor and a first blocking member, which are correspondingly disposed on the translation mechanism and the rotation axis corresponding to the positioning detection component; wherein... The first sensor has a signal transmitting end and a signal receiving end that are opposite to each other and spaced apart; the first blocking member is positioned between the signal transmitting end and the signal receiving end of the first sensor, and the first blocking member has a first notch. When the rotating shaft rotates to the position where the clamping member reaches the third position, the first notch on the first blocking member is located between the signal transmitting end and the signal receiving end of the first sensor, so that the signal receiving end can receive the signal emitted by the signal transmitting end.

4. The wafer transport device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The wafer transport device further includes an in-situ detection mechanism, which includes two in-situ detection components for detecting whether the rotating shafts of the two clamping components have rotated to the position that causes the clamping component to reach the fourth position.

5. The wafer transport device according to claim 4, characterized in that, Each of the in-situ detection components includes a second sensor and a second blocking component, which are correspondingly disposed on the translation mechanism and the rotation axis corresponding to the in-situ detection component; wherein... The second sensor has a signal transmitting end and a signal receiving end that are opposite to each other and spaced apart; the second blocking member is positioned between the signal transmitting end and the signal receiving end of the second sensor, and the second blocking member has a second notch. When the rotating shaft rotates to the position where the clamping member reaches the fourth position, the second notch on the second blocking member is located between the signal transmitting end and the signal receiving end of the second sensor, so that the signal receiving end of the second sensor can receive the signal emitted by the signal transmitting end.

6. The wafer transport device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flat edge detection mechanism further includes two angle adjustment components and two fixing components, wherein both fixing components are fixedly connected to the translation mechanism; the two angle adjustment components are rotatably connected to the two fixing components respectively; the signal transmitting unit and the signal receiving unit are respectively disposed on the two angle adjustment components; the two angle adjustment components are used to focus the signal transmitting unit and the signal receiving unit by rotation; Each of the angle adjusting members is provided with an arc-shaped groove, and a limiting part is correspondingly provided on the fixing member. The limiting part is located in the arc-shaped groove and can move along the arc-shaped groove to guide the rotation of the angle adjusting member.

7. A semiconductor process apparatus, comprising a process chamber and a wafer transport device, wherein the wafer transport device is used to transport a plurality of unprocessed flat-edge wafers from a loading position to a storage position, so that a robot in the process chamber can remove the plurality of unprocessed flat-edge wafers from the storage position and transfer them into the process chamber; the wafer transport device is further used to transport a plurality of processed flat-edge wafers placed in the storage position by the robot back to the loading position, characterized in that... The wafer transport device is the wafer transport device according to any one of claims 1-6.

8. A wafer transport method, characterized in that, The wafer transport apparatus according to any one of claims 1-6, the wafer transport method comprising the following steps: S1. Determine whether there are wafers in the feeding mechanism and whether there are no wafers in the storage mechanism; if yes, proceed to step S2; if no, return to step S1. S2. Control the translation mechanism to drive the clamping mechanism to move to the first position; S23. Control the flat edge detection mechanism to detect whether the flat edge of the flat edge wafer on the feeding mechanism is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upward; if not, an alarm is triggered; if yes, proceed to step S3 or step S4. S3. Control the state detection mechanism on the translation mechanism to detect the state of the flat-edge wafer on the feeding mechanism, and determine whether the state of the flat-edge wafer meets the preset conditions. If yes, proceed to step S4; otherwise, trigger an alarm. S4. Control the clamping mechanism to move toward the position where the wafer is clamped; S5. Control the positioning detection mechanism to detect whether the clamping mechanism has reached the position for clamping the wafer; if yes, proceed to step S6; if no, trigger an alarm. S6. Control the translation mechanism to drive the clamping mechanism to move to the second position, and then control the clamping mechanism to move to the position to release the wafer, so as to transfer the wafer to the storage mechanism.

9. The wafer transport method according to claim 8, characterized in that, Step S23 includes: S231. Control the flat edge detection mechanism to detect whether the flat edge of the flat edge wafer on the feeding mechanism is parallel to the horizontal plane and facing upward; if yes, proceed to step S3 or step S4; if no, proceed to step S232. S232. Increment the number of times the flat edge is not parallel to the horizontal plane by 1, and determine whether the number has reached the preset upper limit; if yes, then alarm; if no, then proceed to step S233. S233. Increment the number of repetitions in step S231 by 1, and determine whether the number of repetitions in step S231 has reached the preset number. If not, return to step S231; if yes, proceed to step S3 or step S4.

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