Wafer transfer module and method for transferring pre-transferred wafers

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wafer transfer module in a semiconductor manufacturing machine tool and to a semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing machine tool. By installing two sets of transmitters / receivers on the side wall of the wafer transfer module to monitor the traveling position of the elevator, and installing two sets of transmitters / receivers on the side wall of the wafer transfer module to monitor the position of the transfer arm, and transmitting the signals received by the receivers to the control system, the control system can determine whether the transfer arm can obtain the wafer to be transferred based on the traveling position of the elevator and the position of the transfer arm, thereby preventing the problem of wafer scratching caused by the offset of the elevator position or the offset of the transfer arm position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing machines, and particularly to a wafer transfer module in a semiconductor manufacturing machine. Background Art

[0002] With the development of semiconductor technology, the foundry integration degree has increased, and the wafer size has gradually increased from 4", 5" to 12" or even 18" and other larger sizes. At the same time, the cost of producing a single wafer is required to be rapidly reduced, and the number of wafers produced per unit time by the equipment is rapidly increased.

[0003] The number of wafers produced per unit time is related to both the process time and the transfer time of the wafers. Taking a dry etching and deashing machine as an example, the deashing process time for each wafer is short, about 20 seconds, while the time required to transfer the wafer is long, between about 10 seconds and 20 seconds. Optimizing the transfer method is an effective way to improve production efficiency.

[0004] Such as Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a deashing machine for transferring wafers in a traditional single-wafer manner, which uses single-wafer transfer operations. Specifically, each wafer 100 is transferred from the first carrier (loadport) 210 to the first transfer station 310, and a vacuum pumping operation (pumpdown / vent) is performed; then the wafer 100 is transferred to the process chamber 400, and a deashing process is performed; then the wafer 100 is transferred to the second transfer station 320, and a vacuum pumping operation (pumpdown / vent) is performed; finally, the wafer 100 is transferred to the second carrier (loadport) 220 and leaves the deashing machine. Taking the transfer time for each wafer to enter and leave the process chamber 400 as 15 seconds and the process time as 20 seconds as an example, the total time required for 25 wafers to complete the deashing process is about 1250 seconds, where the transfer time is 25 * 15 seconds * 2 = 750 seconds, and the process time is 25 * 20 seconds = 500 seconds. As can be seen above, the transfer time accounts for a large proportion.

[0005] To improve the problem of the long transfer time of the single-wafer transfer wafers as shown in Figure 1 a deashing machine for integrally transferring wafers came into being, such as Figure 2Schematic diagram of the structure of a debonding machine for traditional integrated wafer transfer, which uses a batch of 25 wafers for one-time transfer operation. Specifically, a batch of 25 wafers 100 are loaded into the first transfer module 510 from the first carrier (loadport) 210 at one time, generally by an elevator and loaded into the first transfer module 510 at one time, and a vacuum pumping action (pumpdown / vent) is performed; then each wafer is sequentially transferred from the first transfer module 510 to the process chamber 400, and a debonding process is performed. After the debonding process, they are respectively loaded into the second transfer module 520, and a vacuum pumping action is performed as a whole in the second transfer module 520; then they are unloaded from the second transfer module 520 to the second carrier 220 at one time, generally by an elevator and unloaded from the second transfer module 520 at one time. Compared with Figure 1 the method shown, the process time remains unchanged, while the transfer time of 25 wafers is greatly reduced, and the number of wafers produced per unit time can be increased by about 2.2 times, that is, the efficiency is increased by about 2.2 times.

[0006] However, with the substantial improvement of production efficiency and the large-scale mass production of wafers, higher stability requirements are imposed on the equipment for each step of integrated wafer transfer. Otherwise, the number of wafers with wafer transfer problems (such as wafer scratching problems) also increases with the improvement of production efficiency. Therefore, it is very important to improve the stability of the equipment for each step of integrated wafer transfer.

[0007] As Figure 2 shown in the debonding machine for integrated wafer transfer, each wafer is sequentially transferred from the first transfer module 510 to the process chamber 400 by a transfer arm, and after the process is completed, each wafer is respectively loaded into the second transfer module 520 from the process chamber 400. Generally, the position of the transfer arm is fixed, and the elevator in the first transfer module 510 and the second transfer module 520 is vertically moved to move the wafer to be transferred. However, when the vertical movement position of the elevator deviates, the transfer arm may scratch the wafer to be transferred or the wafer adjacent to the wafer to be transferred. Specifically, refer to Figures 3a to 3c , Figures 3a to 3c which is a schematic diagram of the relative position relationship between the elevator and the transfer arm in the transfer module during wafer transfer. Specifically, taking the first transfer module 510 as an example, the first transfer module 510 includes an elevator 511. The elevator 511 includes an elevator side wall 512 and a plurality of inserts 513. One end of the plurality of inserts 513 is fixed to the elevator side wall 512, and the other end protrudes from the elevator side wall 512. The part protruding from the elevator side wall 512 can carry the wafer 100. As Figure 3a shown, when transferring the wafer 101 to be transferred, the elevator 511 is vertically moved to a predetermined position. If the final position of the elevator 511 does not reach the predetermined position, but is at Figure 3aIf it stops at a position higher than the predetermined position as shown, the transfer arm 600 may scratch one of the wafers 102 on the lower side adjacent to the pre-transferred wafer 101. Similarly, as Figure 3b shown, if the final position of the elevator 511 does not reach the predetermined position but stops at a position lower than the predetermined position as shown in Figure 3b the figure, the transfer arm 600 may scratch the pre-transferred wafer 101. And as shown in Figure 3c the figure, when transferring the pre-transferred wafer 101, the elevator 511 is vertically moved to a predetermined position and stops at a position exactly at the predetermined position as shown in Figure 3c the figure, then the transfer arm 600 can transfer the pre-transferred wafer 101 without scratching the pre-transferred wafer 101 and one of the wafers 102 on the lower side adjacent to the pre-transferred wafer 101. Among them, the horizontal direction is consistent with the wafer transfer direction, and the vertical direction is the direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction.

[0008] However, the current design for monitoring the vertical position of the elevator is blank, that is, regardless of whether the elevator stops at the predetermined position, the transfer arm 600 operates to transfer the pre-transferred wafer 101, and there is a risk of scratching the wafer. And even if the transfer arm 600 only moves horizontally during operation and generally does not have a vertical offset, as the usage time of the machine increases, the transfer arm 600 may also have a vertical offset, resulting in the transfer arm 600 possibly scratching the wafer even when the elevator stops at the predetermined position. Therefore, it is particularly important to monitor the vertical positions of the transfer arm and the elevator. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The present invention aims to provide a wafer transfer module in a semiconductor manufacturing machine tool, comprising: a side wall of a first transfer module and a side wall of a second transfer module opposite to the side wall of the first transfer module; an elevator located between the side wall of the first transfer module and the side wall of the second transfer module for carrying wafers, wherein the elevator includes an elevator side wall and a plurality of inserts, one ends of the plurality of inserts are fixedly arranged on the elevator side wall at intervals along the height direction of the elevator side wall, the other ends of the plurality of inserts protrude out of the elevator side wall, the protruding parts out of the elevator side wall carry wafers, and the elevator side wall is consistent with the extending directions of the side wall of the first transfer module and the side wall of the second transfer module in its height direction; a first transmitter and a first receiver, the first transmitter is arranged on the side wall of the first transfer module, the first receiver is arranged on the side wall of the second transfer module, and the positions of the first receiver and the first transmitter are opposite to each other, so that when there is no obstacle blocking between the first receiver and the first transmitter, the first receiver can receive the signal emitted by the first transmitter; a second transmitter and a second receiver, the second transmitter is arranged on the side wall of the first transfer module, the second receiver is arranged on the side wall of the second transfer module, and the positions of the second receiver and the second transmitter are opposite to each other, so that when there is no obstacle blocking between the second receiver and the second transmitter, the second receiver can receive the signal emitted by the second transmitter. The first transmitter and its corresponding first receiver, and the second transmitter and its corresponding second receiver are used to monitor the position of the wafer to be transferred in the vertical direction, and according to the position change of the wafer to be transferred in the vertical direction, the first receiver outputs a first wafer position signal E1, and the second receiver outputs a second wafer position signal E2, wherein the position change of the wafer to be transferred in the vertical direction is realized by the movement of the elevator in the vertical direction; a third transmitter and a third receiver, the third transmitter is arranged on the side wall of the first transfer module, the third receiver is arranged on the side wall of the second transfer module, and the positions of the third receiver and the third transmitter are opposite to each other, so that when there is no obstacle blocking between the third receiver and the third transmitter, the third receiver can receive the signal emitted by the third transmitter; a fourth transmitter and a fourth receiver, the fourth transmitter is arranged on the side wall of the first transfer module, the fourth receiver is arranged on the side wall of the second transfer module, and the positions of the fourth receiver and the fourth transmitter are opposite to each other, so that when there is no obstacle blocking between the fourth receiver and the fourth transmitter, the fourth receiver can receive the signal emitted by the fourth transmitter, wherein the third transmitter and its corresponding third receiver, and the fourth transmitter and its corresponding fourth receiver are used to monitor the position of the transfer arm for transferring wafers in the vertical direction, and according to the position change of the transfer arm in the vertical direction, the third receiver outputs a first transfer arm position signal H1, and the fourth receiver outputs a second transfer arm position signal H2;And a control system, which receives a first wafer position signal E1, a second wafer position signal E2, a first transfer arm position signal H1, and a second transfer arm position signal H2, and outputs a transfer arm control signal C according to the first wafer position signal E1, the second wafer position signal E2, the first transfer arm position signal H1, and the second transfer arm position signal H2, for controlling whether the transfer arm moves to obtain the wafer to be transferred, where the vertical direction is the height direction of the elevator side wall.;

[0010] Furthermore, the wafer transfer module further includes a third transfer module side wall and a fourth transfer module side wall opposite to the third transfer module side wall, and the wafer transfer module with a box structure is formed by the first transfer module side wall, the second transfer module side wall, the third transfer module side wall, and the fourth transfer module side wall.

[0011] Furthermore, assuming the thickness of the insert is d1, the distance between two adjacent inserts is d2, the thickness of the transfer arm is d3, and the thickness of the wafer is d4, if the vertical tolerance acceptable for the transfer arm is h1, then the distance X1 between the third emitter and the fourth emitter is d3 + 2 * h1.

[0012] Furthermore, if the vertical tolerance acceptable for the wafer to be transferred at the wafer target position S is h2, then the distance X2 between the first emitter and the second emitter is d4 + d1 + 2 * h2, and the wafer target position S is the position where, when transferring the wafer to be transferred without the transfer arm offset, the wafer to be transferred is not scratched and the wafer adjacent to the lower side of the wafer to be transferred is not scratched.

[0013] Furthermore, the distance X3 between the second emitter and the third emitter is (d2 - d4) / 2 - d3 / 2 - h1 - h2, and the first emitter is located above the wafer target position S in the vertical direction, the second emitter is located below the wafer target position S in the vertical direction, the third emitter is located above the predetermined position of the transfer arm in the vertical direction, and the fourth emitter is located below the predetermined position of the transfer arm in the vertical direction. The predetermined position of the transfer arm is the position when the transfer arm is not offset.

[0014] Furthermore, the wafers on each insert in the elevator perform a vacuum pumping action simultaneously in the wafer transfer module.

[0015] The present invention also provides a method for a wafer transfer module in the above semiconductor manufacturing machine to transfer a pre-transferred wafer, including: the control system receives a first wafer position signal E1, a second wafer position signal E2, a first transfer arm position signal H1, and a second transfer arm position signal H2, and determines the values of the first wafer position signal E1, the second wafer position signal E2, the first transfer arm position signal H1, and the second transfer arm position signal H2. When the elevator reaches a predetermined position, if either the first wafer position signal E1 or the second wafer position signal E2 is 0, or if either the first transfer arm position signal H1 or the second transfer arm position signal H2 is 0, then the control system is controlled to output a transfer arm control signal C, and this transfer arm control signal C controls the transfer arm not to move and not to obtain the pre-transferred wafer. Otherwise, the control system is controlled to output a transfer arm control signal C, and this transfer arm control signal C controls the transfer arm to move to obtain the pre-transferred wafer.

[0016] Furthermore, the control system monitors the changes in the first wafer position signal and the second wafer position signal (E1, E2) during the movement of the elevator. If the change in (E1, E2) is from (1, 1) to (1, 0) to (1, 1), and it is determined that the signals of the first transfer arm position signal H1 and the second transfer arm position signal H2 are always 1, then the control system is controlled to output a transfer arm control signal C, and this transfer arm control signal C controls the transfer arm to move to obtain the pre-transferred wafer.

[0017] Furthermore, the control system monitors the changes in the first wafer position signal and the second wafer position signal (E1, E2) during the movement of the elevator. If the change in (E1, E2) is from (1, 1) to (1, 0), then the control system is controlled to output a transfer arm control signal C, and this transfer arm control signal C controls the transfer arm not to move and not to obtain the pre-transferred wafer.

[0018] Furthermore, the control system monitors the changes in the first wafer position signal and the second wafer position signal (E1, E2) during the movement of the elevator. If the change in (E1, E2) is from (1, 1) to (1, 0) to (1, 1) to (0, 1), then the control system is controlled to output a transfer arm control signal C, and this transfer arm control signal C controls the transfer arm not to move and not to obtain the pre-transferred wafer. Description of the Drawings

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a conventional single-chip wafer transfer desoldering machine.

[0020] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of a conventional integrated wafer transfer desoldering machine.

[0021] Figures 3a to 3cIt is a schematic diagram of the relative position relationship between the elevator and the transfer arm in the transfer module during the wafer transfer process.

[0022] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the wafer transfer module in a semiconductor manufacturing machine tool according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0023] Next, the technical solutions in the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0024] It should be understood that the present invention can be implemented in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments presented herein. On the contrary, providing these embodiments will make the disclosure thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, for clarity, the dimensions and relative dimensions of layers and regions may be exaggerated, and the same reference numerals throughout the drawings denote the same elements. It should be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as "on", "adjacent to", "connected to" or "coupled to" another element or layer, it can be directly on, adjacent to, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or there may be intervening elements or layers. In contrast, when an element is referred to as "directly on", "directly adjacent to", "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers. It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or part from another element, component, region, layer or part. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the present invention, the first element, component, region, layer or part discussed below may be denoted as the second element, component, region, layer or part.

[0025] Spatial relationship terms such as "under", "below", "lower", "beneath", "above", "upper", etc. may be used herein for convenience of description to describe the relationship of one element or feature shown in the figure with other elements or features. It should be understood that, in addition to the orientation shown in the figure, spatial relationship terms are also intended to include different orientations of the device in use and operation. For example, if the device in the drawing is flipped, then an element or feature described as "under other elements" or "beneath them" or "under them" will be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary terms "under" and "beneath" can include both the upper and lower orientations. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or other orientations) and the spatial descriptors used herein are to be interpreted accordingly.

[0026] The purpose of the terms used herein is only to describe specific embodiments and not to limit the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "comprising" and / or "including", when used in this specification, identify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of the related listed items.

[0027] In one embodiment of the present invention, it is to provide a wafer transfer module in a semiconductor manufacturing machine. Specifically, reference may be made to Figure 4 the schematic diagram of the wafer transfer module in a semiconductor manufacturing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 4As shown, the wafer transfer module in a semiconductor manufacturing machine includes: a first transfer module side wall 901 and a second transfer module side wall 902 opposite to the first transfer module side wall 901; an elevator 511 located between the first transfer module side wall 901 and the second transfer module side wall 902 for carrying wafers, where the elevator 511 includes an elevator side wall 512 and a plurality of inserts 513. One ends of the plurality of inserts 513 are fixedly attached to the elevator side wall 512 at intervals along the height direction of the elevator side wall 512, and the other ends of the plurality of inserts 513 protrude from the elevator side wall 512. The protruding parts from the elevator side wall 512 carry wafers, and the elevator side wall 512 is in the same extending direction as the first transfer module side wall 901 and the second transfer module side wall 902 in its height direction; a first transmitter 711 and a first receiver 712. The first transmitter 711 is disposed on the first transfer module side wall 901, and the first receiver 712 is disposed on the second transfer module side wall 902. The position of the first receiver 712 is opposite to that of the first transmitter 711, so that when there is no obstacle blocking between the first receiver 712 and the first transmitter 711, the first receiver 712 can receive the signal emitted by the first transmitter 711; a second transmitter 721 and a second receiver 722. The second transmitter 721 is disposed on the first transfer module side wall 901, and the second receiver 722 is disposed on the second transfer module side wall 902. The position of the second receiver 722 is opposite to that of the second transmitter 721, so that when there is no obstacle blocking between the second receiver 722 and the second transmitter 721, the second receiver 722 can receive the signal emitted by the second transmitter 721. The first transmitter 711 and its corresponding first receiver 712, and the second transmitter 721 and its corresponding second receiver 722 are used to monitor the position of the pre-transferred wafer in the vertical direction, and according to the position change of the pre-transferred wafer in the vertical direction, the first receiver 712 outputs a first wafer position signal E1, and the second receiver 722 outputs a second wafer position signal E2, where the position change of the pre-transferred wafer in the vertical direction is achieved by the vertical movement of the elevator 511; a third transmitter 731 and a third receiver 732. The third transmitter 731 is disposed on the first transfer module side wall 901, and the third receiver 732 is disposed on the second transfer module side wall 902. The position of the third receiver 732 is opposite to that of the third transmitter 721, so that when there is no obstacle blocking between the third receiver 732 and the third transmitter 731, the third receiver 732 can receive the signal emitted by the third transmitter 731;A fourth transmitter 741 and a fourth receiver 742, the fourth transmitter 741 is disposed on the side wall 901 of the first transfer module, the fourth receiver 742 is disposed on the side wall 902 of the second transfer module, and the position of the fourth receiver 742 is opposite to that of the fourth transmitter 741, so that when there is no obstacle blocking between the fourth receiver 742 and the fourth transmitter 741, the fourth receiver 742 can receive the signal emitted by the fourth transmitter 741. Among them, the third transmitter 731 and its corresponding third receiver 732, and the fourth transmitter 741 and its corresponding fourth receiver 742 are used to monitor the position of the transfer arm 600 for transferring wafers in the vertical direction. According to the change of the position of the transfer arm 600 in the vertical direction, the third receiver 732 outputs a first transfer arm position signal H1, and the fourth receiver 742 outputs a second transfer arm position signal H2; a control system 800 receives the first wafer position signal E1, the second wafer position signal E2, the first transfer arm position signal H1, and the second transfer arm position signal H2, and outputs a transfer arm control signal C according to the first wafer position signal E1, the second wafer position signal E2, the first transfer arm position signal H1, and the second transfer arm position signal H2, for controlling whether the transfer arm 600 moves to obtain the wafer to be transferred, where the vertical direction is the height direction of the elevator side wall 511.;

[0028] As Figure 4 shown, taking the transfer of the wafer 101 to be transferred as an example, the elevator 511 gradually moves upward in the vertical direction to move the wafer 101 to be transferred to the wafer target position S, so that when transferring the wafer 101 to be transferred without the transfer arm 600 being offset (no vertical offset), that is, neither scratching the wafer 101 to be transferred nor scratching the adjacent lower wafer 102. During the process of the wafer 101 to be transferred reaching the wafer target position S, the elevator 511 gradually moves from the elevator position 1 to the elevator position 2, and then gradually moves to the elevator position 3. The elevator position 3 is the predetermined position of the elevator, as Figure 4As shown in the figure, at elevator position 1, since the signals emitted by the first transmitter 711 and the second transmitter 721 are not blocked by obstacles, the first receiver 712 and the second receiver 722 can respectively receive the signals emitted by the first transmitter 711 and the second transmitter 721, making both the first wafer position signal E1 and the second wafer position signal E2 equal to 1. At elevator position 2, since the signal emitted by the first transmitter 711 is not blocked by obstacles, the first receiver 712 receives the signal emitted by the first transmitter 711, making the first wafer position signal E1 equal to 1. However, since the signal emitted by the second transmitter 721 is blocked by the wafer, the second receiver 722 cannot receive the signal emitted by the second transmitter 721, making the second wafer position signal E2 equal to 0. At elevator position 3, since the signals emitted by the first transmitter 711 and the second transmitter 721 are not blocked by obstacles, the first receiver 712 and the second receiver 722 can respectively receive the signals emitted by the first transmitter 711 and the second transmitter 721, making both the first wafer position signal E1 and the second wafer position signal E2 equal to 1. That is, the signal change of (E1, E2) is (1, 1), (1, 0), (1, 1). It is considered that the pre-transferred wafer 101 has moved to the wafer target position S, and the wafer can be transferred. And if the first transfer arm position signal H1 output by the third receiver 732 and the second transfer arm position signal H2 output by the fourth receiver 742 are always 1, it is considered that the transfer arm 600 has not shifted. At this time, the control system 800 outputs a transfer arm control signal C to the transfer arm 600 according to the first wafer position signal E1, the second wafer position signal E2, the first transfer arm position signal H1, and the second transfer arm position signal H2 to control the transfer arm 600 to pick up the pre-transferred wafer 101.

[0029] Similarly, as Figure 4 shown, taking the transfer of the pre-transferred wafer 101 as an example, if the elevator 511 only moves to elevator position 2, as described above, the final position of the pre-transferred wafer 101 does not reach the wafer target position S but only reaches the first position S1 lower than the wafer target position S. Then the signal change of the first wafer position signal and the second wafer position signal (E1, E2) is (1, 1), (1, 0). It is considered that the pre-transferred wafer 101 has not moved to the wafer target position S, and the elevator position is too low, so the wafer cannot be transferred. At this time, regardless of the values of the first transfer arm position signal H1 and the second transfer arm position signal H2, the transfer arm control signal C output by the control system 800 controls the transfer arm 600 not to move and not to pick up the pre-transferred wafer 101.

[0030] Similarly, as Figure 4As shown, taking the pre-transferred wafer 101 as an example, if the elevator 511 moves to the elevator position 4, as described above, the final position of the pre-transferred wafer 101 does not reach the wafer target position S, but reaches the second position S2 higher than the wafer target position S. Then the signal changes of the first wafer position signal and the second wafer position signal (E1, E2) are (1, 1), (1, 0), (1, 1), (0, 1). It is considered that the pre-transferred wafer 101 does not move to the wafer target position S, the elevator position is too high, and the wafer cannot be transferred. At this time, regardless of the values of the first transfer arm position signal H1 and the second transfer arm position signal H2, the transfer arm control signal C output by the control system 800 controls the transfer arm 600 not to move, and does not pick up the pre-transferred wafer 101.

[0031] As described above, as long as either the first wafer position signal E1 or the second wafer position signal E2 is 0 when the elevator reaches the predetermined position (that is, the elevator stops moving), it means that the elevator position is too high or too low. Then the transfer arm control signal C output by the control system 800 controls the transfer arm 600 not to move, and does not pick up the pre-transferred wafer 101.

[0032] When the transfer arm 600 is working, it moves horizontally to pick up the pre-transferred wafer from the susceptor 513 or place the wafer on the susceptor 513. The transfer arm 600 generally does not deviate in the vertical direction. However, as the machine is used for a longer time, the transfer arm 600 may also deviate in the vertical direction, resulting in the transfer arm 600 possibly scratching the wafer even if the pre-transferred wafer 101 moves to the wafer target position S. Specifically, please continue to refer to Figure 4, when the transfer arm 600 is at the predetermined position f, that is, the position when the transfer arm 600 is not offset, the transfer arm 600 neither blocks the signal emitted by the third transmitter 731 nor blocks the signal emitted by the fourth transmitter 741. That is, both the first transfer arm position signal H1 and the second transfer arm position signal H2 are 1. When the transfer arm 600 is at the position f1, the transfer arm 600 blocks the signal emitted by the fourth transmitter 741 and does not block the signal emitted by the third transmitter 731. That is, the first transfer arm position signal H1 is 1, while the second transfer arm position signal H2 is 0. Then the position of the transfer arm 600 is too low and it cannot move to obtain the wafer to be pre-transferred. When the transfer arm 600 is at the position f2, the transfer arm 600 blocks the signal emitted by the third transmitter 731 and does not block the signal emitted by the fourth transmitter 741. That is, the second transfer arm position signal H2 is 1, while the first transfer arm position signal H1 is 0. Then the position of the transfer arm 600 is too high and it cannot move to obtain the wafer to be pre-transferred. That is, as long as either the first transfer arm position signal H1 or the second transfer arm position signal H2 is 0, it means that the position of the transfer arm 600 is too high or too low. Then the transfer arm control signal C output by the control system 800 controls the transfer arm 600 not to move and not to obtain the wafer 101 to be pre-transferred.

[0033] As Figure 4 shown, the wafer transfer module 900 further includes a third transfer module side wall 903 and a fourth transfer module side wall 904 opposite to the third transfer module side wall 903. The wafer transfer module 900 with a box structure is formed by the first transfer module side wall 901, the second transfer module side wall 902, the third transfer module side wall 903 and the fourth transfer module side wall 904.

[0034] As Figure 4As shown, assume the thickness of the insert 513 is d1, the distance between two adjacent inserts 513 is d2, the thickness of the transfer arm 600 is d3, and the thickness of the wafer is d4. If the vertical tolerance acceptable for the transfer arm 600 is h1, then the distance X1 between the third emitter 731 and the fourth emitter 741 is d3 + 2*h1. Preferably, the distances between the third emitter 731 and the fourth emitter 741 and the transfer arm 600 are equal, which is h1. If the vertical tolerance acceptable for the wafer to be pre-transferred at the wafer target position S is h2, then the distance X2 between the first emitter 711 and the second emitter 721 is d4 + d1 + 2*h2. Preferably, the distances between the first emitter 711 and the second emitter 721 and the wafer target position S are equal, which is h2. And the distance X3 between the second emitter 721 and the third emitter 731 is (d2 - d4) / 2 - d3 / 2 - h1 - h2. Among them, the first emitter 711 is located above the wafer target position S in the vertical direction, the second emitter 721 is located below the wafer target position S in the vertical direction, the third emitter 731 is located above the predetermined position of the transfer arm 600 in the vertical direction, and the fourth emitter 741 is located below the predetermined position of the transfer arm 600 in the vertical direction. In an embodiment, the thickness d1 of the insert 513 is about 1 mm, the distance d2 between two adjacent inserts 513 is about 10 mm, the thickness d3 of the transfer arm 600 is about 2 mm, and the thickness d4 of the wafer is about 0.8 mm. If the vertical tolerance h1 acceptable for the transfer arm 600 is about 1 mm, then the distance X1 between the third emitter 731 and the fourth emitter 741 is d3 + 2*h1 = 2 mm + 2*1 mm = 4 mm. Preferably, the distances between the third emitter 731 and the fourth emitter 741 and the transfer arm 600 are equal, which is about 1 mm. If the vertical tolerance h2 acceptable for the wafer to be pre-transferred at the wafer target position S is about 1 mm, then the distance X2 between the first emitter 711 and the second emitter 721 is d4 + d1 + 2*h2 = 0.8 mm + 1 mm + 2*1 mm = 3.8 mm. Preferably, the distances between the first emitter 711 and the second emitter 721 and the wafer target position S are equal, which is about 1 mm. And the distance X3 between the second emitter 721 and the third emitter 731 is (d2 - d4) / 2 - d3 / 2 - h1 - h2 = (10 mm - 0.8 mm) / 2 - 2 mm / 2 - 1 mm - 1 mm = 1.6 mm. Among them, the first emitter 711 is located above the wafer target position S in the vertical direction, the second emitter 721 is located below the wafer target position S in the vertical direction, the third emitter 731 is located above the predetermined position of the transfer arm 600 in the vertical direction, and the fourth emitter 741 is located below the predetermined position of the transfer arm 600 in the vertical direction. As Figure 4As shown, when the pre-transferred wafer 101 is located at the wafer target position S, the vertical distance between the insert carrying the pre-transferred wafer 101 and the second emitter 721 is h2, which is approximately 1 mm.

[0035] In one embodiment, the wafers on each insert 513 in the elevator 511 perform a vacuum pumping operation simultaneously in the wafer transfer module, that is, the wafer transfer module is an integrated wafer transfer module.

[0036] In one embodiment, the wafer transfer module is the wafer transfer module in any machine that needs to transfer wafers, such as the wafer transfer module in a desoldering machine.

[0037] In one embodiment, the first emitter 711, the second emitter 721, the third emitter 731, and the fourth emitter 741 are optical emitters; the first receiver 712, the second receiver 722, the third receiver 732, and the fourth receiver 742 are optical receivers.

[0038] In one embodiment of the present invention, there is also provided a method for the wafer transfer module in the above-mentioned semiconductor manufacturing machine to transfer a pre-transferred wafer, including: the control system 800 receives the first wafer position signal E1, the second wafer position signal E2, the first transfer arm position signal H1, and the second transfer arm position signal H2, and judges the values of the first wafer position signal E1, the second wafer position signal E2, the first transfer arm position signal H1, and the second transfer arm position signal H2. When the elevator 511 reaches a predetermined position, if either the first wafer position signal E1 or the second wafer position signal E2 is 0, or if either the first transfer arm position signal H1 or the second transfer arm position signal H2 is 0, then the control system 800 is controlled to output a transfer arm control signal C, and the transfer arm control signal C controls the transfer arm 600 not to move, and thus does not acquire the pre-transferred wafer 101.

[0039] Further, in one embodiment, the control system 800 monitors the changes in the first wafer position signal and the second wafer position signal (E1, E2) during the movement of the elevator 511. If the change in (E1, E2) is from (1, 1) to (1, 0) to (1, 1), and it is determined that the signals of the first transfer arm position signal H1 and the second transfer arm position signal H2 are always 1, then the control system 800 is controlled to output a transfer arm control signal C. The transfer arm control signal C controls the transfer arm 600 to act, and the wafer 101 to be transferred is obtained to move the wafer 101 to be transferred out of the elevator 511. In one embodiment, the control system 800 monitors the changes in the first wafer position signal and the second wafer position signal (E1, E2) during the movement of the elevator 511. If the change in (E1, E2) is from (1, 1) to (1, 0), then the control system 800 is controlled to output a transfer arm control signal C. The transfer arm control signal C controls the transfer arm 600 not to act, and the wafer 101 to be transferred is not obtained. In one embodiment, the control system 800 monitors the changes in the first wafer position signal and the second wafer position signal (E1, E2) during the movement of the elevator 511. If the change in (E1, E2) is from (1, 1) to (1, 0) to (1, 1) to (0, 1), then the control system 800 is controlled to output a transfer arm control signal C. The transfer arm control signal C controls the transfer arm 600 not to act, and the wafer 101 to be transferred is not obtained. Otherwise, the control system 800 is controlled to output a transfer arm control signal C. The transfer arm control signal C controls the transfer arm 600 to act to obtain the wafer 101 to be transferred.

[0040] Further, in one embodiment, the control system 800 monitors the values of the first transfer arm position signal H1 and the second transfer arm position signal H2. If either the first transfer arm position signal H1 or the second transfer arm position signal H2 appears 0, the transfer arm control signal C controls the transfer arm 600 not to act, and the wafer 101 to be transferred is not obtained.

[0041] As described above, by installing two sets of transmitters / receivers on the side wall of the wafer transfer module to monitor the traveling position of the elevator, and installing two sets of transmitters / receivers on the side wall of the wafer transfer module to monitor the position of the transfer arm, and transmitting the signals received by the receivers to the control system, the control system can determine whether the transfer arm can obtain the wafer to be transferred according to the traveling position of the elevator and the position of the transfer arm, and can prevent the problem of wafer scratching caused by the deviation of the elevator position or the deviation of the transfer arm position.

[0042] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements on some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer transfer module in a semiconductor manufacturing machine, characterized in that, it includes: A first transfer module sidewall and a second transfer module sidewall opposite to the first transfer module sidewall; An elevator, located between the first transfer module sidewall and the second transfer module sidewall, for carrying wafers, wherein the elevator includes an elevator sidewall and a plurality of inserts. One ends of the plurality of inserts are fixedly arranged at intervals along the height direction of the elevator sidewall to the elevator sidewall, and the other ends of the plurality of inserts protrude out of the elevator sidewall. The part protruding out of the elevator sidewall carries the wafers, and the elevator sidewall is consistent with the extension directions of the first transfer module sidewall and the second transfer module sidewall in its height direction; A first transmitter and a first receiver. The first transmitter is arranged on the first transfer module sidewall, and the first receiver is arranged on the second transfer module sidewall. The position of the first receiver is opposite to that of the first transmitter, so that when there is no obstacle blocking between the first receiver and the first transmitter, the first receiver can receive the signal emitted by the first transmitter; A second transmitter and a second receiver. The second transmitter is arranged on the first transfer module sidewall, and the second receiver is arranged on the second transfer module sidewall. The position of the second receiver is opposite to that of the second transmitter, so that when there is no obstacle blocking between the second receiver and the second transmitter, the second receiver can receive the signal emitted by the second transmitter. The first transmitter and its corresponding first receiver, and the second transmitter and its corresponding second receiver are used to monitor the position of the pre-transferred wafer in the vertical direction, and according to the position change of the pre-transferred wafer in the vertical direction, the first receiver outputs a first wafer position signal E1, and the second receiver outputs a second wafer position signal E2, wherein the position change of the pre-transferred wafer in the vertical direction is realized by the vertical movement of the elevator; A third transmitter and a third receiver. The third transmitter is arranged on the first transfer module sidewall, and the third receiver is arranged on the second transfer module sidewall. The position of the third receiver is opposite to that of the third transmitter, so that when there is no obstacle blocking between the third receiver and the third transmitter, the third receiver can receive the signal emitted by the third transmitter; A fourth transmitter and a fourth receiver. The fourth transmitter is arranged on the first transfer module sidewall, and the fourth receiver is arranged on the second transfer module sidewall. The position of the fourth receiver is opposite to that of the fourth transmitter, so that when there is no obstacle blocking between the fourth receiver and the fourth transmitter, the fourth receiver can receive the signal emitted by the fourth transmitter. The third transmitter and its corresponding third receiver, and the fourth transmitter and its corresponding fourth receiver are used to monitor the position of the transfer arm for transferring wafers in the vertical direction, and according to the position change of the transfer arm in the vertical direction, the third receiver outputs a first transfer arm position signal H1, and the fourth receiver outputs a second transfer arm position signal H2; and A control system receives a first wafer position signal E1, a second wafer position signal E2, a first transfer arm position signal H1, and a second transfer arm position signal H2, and outputs a transfer arm control signal C according to the first wafer position signal E1, the second wafer position signal E2, the first transfer arm position signal H1, and the second transfer arm position signal H2, for controlling whether the transfer arm moves to obtain a wafer to be transferred, where the vertical direction is the height direction of the elevator sidewall.

2. The wafer transfer module in the semiconductor manufacturing machine tool according to claim 1, characterized in that the wafer transfer module further includes a third transfer module sidewall and a fourth transfer module sidewall opposite to the third transfer module sidewall, and the first transfer module sidewall, the second transfer module sidewall, the third transfer module sidewall, and the fourth transfer module sidewall form a box-structured wafer transfer module.

3. The wafer transfer module in the semiconductor manufacturing machine tool according to claim 1, characterized in that assuming the thickness of the insert is d1, the spacing between two adjacent inserts is d2, the thickness of the transfer arm is d3, and the thickness of the wafer is d4, if the vertical tolerance acceptable for the transfer arm is h1, then the spacing X1 between the third emitter and the fourth emitter is d3 + 2 * h1.

4. The wafer transfer module in the semiconductor manufacturing machine tool according to claim 3, characterized in that if the vertical tolerance acceptable for the wafer to be transferred at the wafer target position S is h2, then the spacing X2 between the first emitter and the second emitter is d4 + d1 + 2 * h2, and the wafer target position S is the position where, when transferring the wafer to be transferred without the transfer arm being offset, neither the wafer to be transferred nor the wafer adjacent to the lower side of the wafer to be transferred is scratched.

5. The wafer transfer module in the semiconductor manufacturing machine tool according to claim 4, characterized in that and the spacing X3 between the second emitter and the third emitter is (d2 - d4) / 2 - d3 / 2 - h1 - h2, and the first emitter is located above the wafer target position S in the vertical direction, the second emitter is located below the wafer target position S in the vertical direction, the third emitter is located above the predetermined position of the transfer arm in the vertical direction, and the fourth emitter is located below the predetermined position of the transfer arm in the vertical direction, and the predetermined position of the transfer arm is the position when the transfer arm is not offset.

6. The wafer transfer module in the semiconductor manufacturing machine tool according to claim 1, characterized in that the wafers on each insert in the elevator are simultaneously evacuated in the wafer transfer module.

7. A method for transferring a wafer to be transferred by the wafer transfer module in the semiconductor manufacturing machine tool according to claim 1, characterized in that comprises: The control system receives the first wafer position signal E1, the second wafer position signal E2, the first transfer arm position signal H1, and the second transfer arm position signal H2, and judges the values of the first wafer position signal E1, the second wafer position signal E2, the first transfer arm position signal H1, and the second transfer arm position signal H2. When the elevator reaches a predetermined position, if either the first wafer position signal E1 or the second wafer position signal E2 is 0, or if either the first transfer arm position signal H1 or the second transfer arm position signal H2 is 0, then the control system is controlled to output a transfer arm control signal C, and this transfer arm control signal C controls the transfer arm not to move and not to obtain the wafer to be pre-transferred. Otherwise, the control system is controlled to output a transfer arm control signal C, and this transfer arm control signal C controls the transfer arm to move to obtain the wafer to be pre-transferred; When the signal emitted by the transmitter is received by the corresponding receiver, the corresponding position signal is 1; When the signal emitted by the transmitter is not received by the corresponding receiver, the corresponding position signal is 0.

8. The method for transferring a wafer to be pre-transferred according to claim 7, wherein, The control system monitors the changes in the first wafer position signal and the second wafer position signal (E1, E2) during the movement of the elevator. If the change in (E1, E2) is from (1, 1) to (1, 0) to (1, 1), and it is judged that the first transfer arm position signal H1 and the second transfer arm position signal H2 are always 1, then the control system is controlled to output a transfer arm control signal C, and this transfer arm control signal C controls the transfer arm to move to obtain the wafer to be pre-transferred.

9. The method for transferring a wafer to be pre-transferred according to claim 7, wherein, The control system monitors the changes in the first wafer position signal and the second wafer position signal (E1, E2) during the movement of the elevator. If the change in (E1, E2) is from (1, 1) to (1, 0), then the control system is controlled to output a transfer arm control signal C, and this transfer arm control signal C controls the transfer arm not to move and not to obtain the wafer to be pre-transferred.

10. The method for transferring a wafer to be pre-transferred according to claim 7, wherein, The control system monitors the changes in the first wafer position signal and the second wafer position signal (E1, E2) during the movement of the elevator. If the change in (E1, E2) is from (1, 1) to (1, 0) to (1, 1) to (0, 1), then the control system is controlled to output a transfer arm control signal C, and this transfer arm control signal C controls the transfer arm not to move and not to obtain the wafer to be pre-transferred.

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