Wafer flipping mechanism and semiconductor process apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a wafer turnover mechanism, which comprises a driving module and a plurality of pairs of clamping frames. The clamping frames have wafer contact surfaces, and the wafer contact surfaces of each pair of clamping frames are oppositely arranged. The driving module can drive each pair of clamping frames to move close to each other to clamp a wafer or move away from each other to put a wafer into or take a wafer out of each pair of clamping frames. The driving module can also drive the upper and lower positions of each pair of clamping frames to be reversed, so that the wafer clamped by each pair of clamping frames is transferred from the wafer contact surface of one clamping frame to the wafer contact surface of the other clamping frame. In the application, the driving module of the wafer turnover mechanism can drive a plurality of pairs of clamping frames to clamp wafers and simultaneously rotate the upper and lower positions of each pair of clamping frames to be reversed, so that a plurality of wafers are turned over at the same time, the transmission efficiency of wafers to a process chamber is improved, and the productivity of a semiconductor process equipment is improved. The application also provides a semiconductor process equipment.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor process equipment, in particular to a wafer flipping mechanism and a semiconductor process equipment comprising the same. BACKGROUND

[0002] In integrated circuit manufacturing, wet cleaning is an essential process to obtain high-quality integrated circuits. After etching and deposition processes, the wafer surface needs to be cleaned to remove residual photoresist, particles and unwanted thin film materials on the wafer surface, so as to ensure the cleanliness of the wafer surface. In the prior art, two wafer cleaning methods are commonly used, one is tank cleaning, and the other is single wafer cleaning.

[0003] Tank cleaning refers to placing wafers into a cleaning tank for immersion cleaning by cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank. The advantage of tank cleaning is that multiple wafers can be cleaned simultaneously in the same cleaning tank at the same cleaning step, and the wafer cleaning efficiency is high.

[0004] Single wafer cleaning refers to cleaning one wafer at a time. The wafer surface is flushed by a spray head to remove impurities attached to the wafer surface. This method has good cleaning effect and does not cause cross contamination between wafers. However, independent wafer transfer operations are required for each wafer to be transferred into and out of the process chamber, which reduces the wafer transfer efficiency and further reduces the cleaning efficiency.

[0005] Therefore, how to improve the wafer transfer efficiency in single wafer cleaning process has become a technical problem to be solved in the field. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application aims to provide a wafer flipping mechanism and a semiconductor process equipment, which can flip multiple wafers at the same time and improve the wafer transfer efficiency to the process chamber.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, as one aspect of the present application, a wafer flipping mechanism is provided, which comprises a driving module and multiple pairs of clamping frames. Each clamping frame has a wafer contact surface, and the wafer contact surfaces of each pair of clamping frames are oppositely arranged. The driving module can drive each pair of clamping frames to move closer to each other to clamp a wafer or move away from each other to put the wafer into or take the wafer out of each pair of clamping frames. The driving module can also drive the upper and lower positions of each pair of clamping frames to be reversed, so that the wafer clamped by each pair of clamping frames is transferred from the wafer contact surface of one clamping frame to the wafer contact surface of the other clamping frame.

[0008] Optionally, the driving module comprises a turnover assembly, an opening and closing assembly and a mounting seat, each pair of the clamping frames comprises a first clamping frame and a second clamping frame; a plurality of the first clamping frames are connected with the mounting seat through the opening and closing assembly, and a plurality of the second clamping frames are fixedly arranged on the mounting seat; the opening and closing assembly is used to drive the plurality of the first clamping frames to move close to or away from the corresponding second clamping frames; and the turnover assembly is used to drive the mounting seat to drive the opening and closing assembly, the plurality of the first clamping frames and the plurality of the second clamping frames to rotate.

[0009] Optionally, the mounting seat comprises a mounting plate arranged vertically, a plurality of the second clamping frames are fixedly arranged on the mounting plate, and the wafer contact surfaces of the plurality of the second clamping frames are perpendicular to the mounting plate; the turnover assembly is used to drive the mounting plate to drive the opening and closing assembly and the plurality of pairs of clamping frames to rotate around a rotation axis, and the rotation axis is perpendicular to the mounting plate and passes through the mounting plate.

[0010] Optionally, the mounting seat further comprises a pair of guide rails fixedly arranged on both sides of the mounting plate, and the extension direction of the guide rails is perpendicular to the wafer contact surface.

[0011] The opening and closing assembly comprises a movable plate, a driving part and a pair of sliding connection structures, the movable plate is located on the side of the mounting plate away from the plurality of the second clamping frames, and the movable plate is arranged opposite to the mounting plate; the two side edges of the movable plate are fixedly connected with one of the sliding connection structures respectively, and the two sliding connection structures are slidably arranged on the two guide rails on the mounting seat through the two sliding connection structures; and a plurality of the first clamping frames are fixedly arranged on the movable plate; and the driving part is used to drive the movable plate to drive the sliding connection structures and the plurality of the first clamping frames to move along the guide rails.

[0012] Optionally, the sliding connection structure comprises an adapter and two sliding blocks fixedly connected with the adapter, the two sliding blocks are slidably arranged on the corresponding guide rails, and the two sliding blocks are spaced from each other along the extension direction of the guide rails; and the two sliding blocks are fixedly connected with the movable plate through the adapter.

[0013] Optionally, the movable plate is formed with an avoiding window penetrating through the movable plate along the thickness direction; the turnover assembly comprises a fixed part and a rotating part, the fixed part is fixedly arranged, the rotating part is fixedly connected with the surface of the mounting plate away from the plurality of the second clamping frames through the avoiding window of the movable plate, and the turnover assembly is used to drive the rotating part to drive the mounting plate to rotate relative to the fixed part around the rotation axis.

[0014] Optionally, the clamping frame comprises a clamping frame body and a plurality of supporting blocks arranged circumferentially on the clamping frame body, the wafer contact surface is formed on the plurality of supporting blocks, and a limiting surface intersecting with the wafer contact surface is further formed on the supporting blocks, and the plurality of limiting surfaces are used to limit the wafer in the area surrounded by the plurality of supporting blocks.

[0015] Optionally, the position of the supporting block on the clamping frame body is adjustable along the radial direction of the area surrounded by the plurality of supporting blocks.

[0016] Optionally, the clamping frame body comprises a ring-shaped part, and the plurality of supporting blocks are arranged circumferentially on the ring-shaped part.

[0017] As a second aspect of the present application, a semiconductor process equipment is provided, which comprises a front transmission mechanism, a rear transmission mechanism and the wafer flipping mechanism as described above, the front transmission mechanism is used to transfer a plurality of wafers to each pair of clamping frames of the wafer flipping mechanism respectively, and the rear transmission mechanism is used to transfer the wafers between the plurality of pairs of clamping frames to a plurality of process chambers after the wafer flipping mechanism flips the plurality of wafers.

[0018] In the wafer flipping mechanism and the semiconductor process equipment provided by the embodiments of the present application, the driving module of the wafer flipping mechanism can drive each pair of clamping frames to approach each other to clamp the wafers after the wafers are put into the plurality of pairs of clamping frames, and drive the upper and lower positions of each pair of clamping frames to be reversed, i.e., the clamping frame originally above the corresponding wafer in each pair of clamping frames is rotated to be below the wafer, and the clamping frame originally below the wafer is rotated to be above the wafer, so as to realize the flipping action of the plurality of wafers at the same time, and after the wafers are flipped, the wafer contact surface of the clamping frame originally above the wafer can continue to stably hold the wafer, which ensures the stability of the position of the wafer, shortens the flipping time of the average wafer, improves the wafer flipping efficiency, and further improves the transmission efficiency of the wafers to the process chambers and the productivity of the semiconductor process equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present application, and constitute a part of the specification, and together with the specific embodiments described below, serve to explain the present application, but do not constitute a limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 is a structure schematic diagram of a flipping manipulator in the prior art;

[0021] Figure 2 is a structure schematic diagram of a wafer flipping mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 3is a disassembled schematic view of a wafer overturning mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 4 is a disassembled schematic view of a overturning assembly in a wafer overturning mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 5 is a disassembled schematic view of a connection relationship between a second clamping frame and a mounting seat in a wafer overturning mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 6 is an assembled schematic view of a second clamping frame and a mounting seat in a wafer overturning mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 7 is a disassembled schematic view of a connection relationship between a first clamping frame and an opening and closing assembly in a wafer overturning mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 8 is an assembled schematic view of a first clamping frame, a second clamping frame, a mounting seat and an opening and closing assembly in a wafer overturning mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 9 is Figure 8 is a top view schematic view of a structure in a wafer overturning mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 10 is a position relationship schematic view of a first clamping frame and a second clamping frame in a wafer overturning mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 11 is a structure schematic view of a support block in a wafer overturning mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 12 is an installation relationship schematic view between a support block and a fixing screw in a wafer overturning mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 13 is a position distribution schematic view of a support block on a first clamping frame in a wafer overturning mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 14 is a position distribution schematic view of a support block on a second clamping frame in a wafer overturning mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] as Figures 15 to 20 is a motion disassembly schematic view of a wafer overturning mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present application overturning a wafer;

[0035] Figure 21 is a structure schematic view of a semiconductor process equipment provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0036] 10: Drive module 20: Clamping frame

[0037] 100: Flip-over assembly; 111: Fixing part

[0038] 112: Rotating part; 200: Opening and closing assembly

[0039] 210: Movable plate; 220: Sliding connection structure

[0040] 221: Adapter 222: Slider

[0041] 230: Drive unit; 300: Mounting bracket

[0042] 310: Mounting plate; 320: Guide rail

[0043] 410: First clamping frame; 411: First clamping frame body

[0044] 420: Second clamping frame 421: Second clamping frame body

[0045] 430: Support block; 440: Set screw

[0046] 431: Support section; 432: Strip hole Detailed Implementation

[0047] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0048] In single-wafer cleaning processes, before the cleaning machine cleans the back side of the wafer, it needs to be rotated 180° using a flipping robot. Specifically, as shown below... Figure 1 As shown, the flipping robot includes a base 1, a first rotating module 2, a second rotating module 3, and a gripping arm 4. The gripping arm 4 is used to grip the wafer 6. The gripping arm 4 is connected to the first rotating module 2 through the second rotating module 3. The first rotating module 2 can drive the second rotating module 3 and the gripping arm 4 to rotate around the horizontally extending α axis, so as to drive the gripping arm 4 to lift the wafer 6 it grips away from the buffer platform 5 or put it back on the buffer platform 5. The second rotating module 3 can drive the gripping arm 4 to rotate around the β axis to flip the wafer 6.

[0049] In semiconductor manufacturing, after the front-end robotic arm places the wafer 6 to be flipped onto the cache platform 5, the clamping arms 4 clamp the wafer 6 from both sides. The first rotation module 2 drives the second rotation module 3, the clamping arms 4, and the clamped wafer 6 to rise 45° away from the cache platform 5, leaving sufficient space for the wafer 6 to flip. At this time, both the β-axis and the wafer are at a 45° angle to the horizontal plane. The second rotation module 3 drives the clamping arms 4 to rotate the wafer 6 180° around the β-axis, completing the flipping action. Subsequently, the first rotation module 2 drives the second rotation module 3, the clamping arms 4, and the clamped wafer 6 to rotate downwards by 45°. The clamping arms 4 release the wafer, allowing the flipped wafer to fall onto the cache platform 5, where the rear-end robotic arm will then send the flipped wafer into the process chamber for the cleaning process.

[0050] In semiconductor process equipment that includes multiple process chambers, the multiple wafers to be received in the multiple process chambers need to be flipped by a flipping robot. However, the flipping robot can only receive one wafer at a time for flipping. The wafer flipping time becomes the bottleneck time in the wafer transfer process, resulting in low wafer transfer efficiency.

[0051] To address the aforementioned technical problems, as one aspect of the present invention, a wafer flipping mechanism is provided, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the wafer flipping mechanism includes a drive module 10 and multiple pairs of clamping frames 20. Each clamping frame 20 has a wafer contact surface, and the two wafer contact surfaces of each pair of clamping frames 20 are arranged opposite each other. The drive module 10 can drive each pair of clamping frames 20 to move closer to each other to clamp the wafer 30, or to move further apart to insert or remove the wafer 30 between each pair of clamping frames 20. The drive module 10 can also drive the vertical position relationship of each pair of clamping frames 20 to be reversed, so that the wafer 30 clamped by each pair of clamping frames 20 is transferred from the wafer contact surface of one clamping frame 20 to the wafer contact surface of the other clamping frame 20.

[0052] In this invention, the drive module 10 of the wafer flipping mechanism can drive multiple pairs of clamping frames 20 to clamp the wafer 30, and simultaneously drive the vertical position relationship of each pair of clamping frames 20 to be reversed, thereby realizing the simultaneous flipping of multiple wafers and maintaining the stability of the wafer position before and after flipping. Specifically, after placing a wafer 30 into multiple pairs of clamping frames 20, the drive module 10 drives each pair of clamping frames 20 to move closer together to clamp the wafer 30, and drives multiple wafers 30 to rotate 180°. This causes the clamping frames 20 originally above the corresponding wafer 30 in each pair to rotate to below the wafer 30, while the clamping frames 20 originally below the wafer 30 rotate to above the wafer 30. This simultaneously achieves the flipping action of multiple wafers 30 (i.e., flipping the wafers 30 so that the back of the wafers 30 faces upward). After flipping the wafers, the wafers can still be stably supported by the wafer contact surface of the clamping frames 20 originally above the wafers. While ensuring the stability of the wafer position, the average flipping time for each wafer 30 is shortened, the wafer flipping efficiency is improved, and the transfer efficiency of the wafers 30 to the process chamber is improved, thereby increasing the throughput of semiconductor process equipment.

[0053] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, the drive module 10 includes a flipping component 100, an opening and closing component 200, and a mounting base 300. Each pair of clamping frames 20 includes a first clamping frame 410 and a second clamping frame 420. Multiple first clamping frames 410 are connected to the mounting base 300 via the opening and closing component 200, and multiple second clamping frames 420 are fixedly mounted on the mounting base 300. The opening and closing component 200 drives the multiple first clamping frames 410 to move closer to or further away from their corresponding second clamping frames 420. The flipping component 100 drives the mounting base 300 to rotate, causing the opening and closing component 200, the multiple first clamping frames 410, and the multiple second clamping frames 420.

[0054] In this embodiment of the invention, the drive module 10 includes a flipping component 100, an opening and closing component 200, and a mounting base 300. Each pair of clamping frames 20 includes a second clamping frame 420 fixedly disposed on the mounting base 300 and a first clamping frame 410 movably disposed on the mounting base 300 via the opening and closing component 200. The flipping component 100 can drive the mounting base 300 to flip multiple pairs of clamping frames 20. The opening and closing component 200 is used to drive multiple first clamping frames 410 to move closer to or away from the corresponding second clamping frame 420, thereby realizing the opening and closing of each pair of clamping frames 20.

[0055] Specifically, during semiconductor processing, if the initial state is that the first clamp 410 is on top and the second clamp 420 is on the bottom in each pair of clamps 20, then after multiple wafers 30 to be flipped are placed between each pair of clamps 20, each wafer 30 to be flipped will fall face up on the wafer contact surface of the corresponding second clamp 420.

[0056] Then, the opening and closing assembly 200 drives the plurality of first clamping frames 410 to descend, so that each pair of clamping frames 20 is close to each other until the two wafer contact surfaces of each pair of clamping frames 20 are in contact with the wafer 30, thereby achieving stable fixation of the wafer 30.

[0057] Subsequently, the turnover assembly 100 drives the mounting base 300 to rotate the opening and closing assembly 200 and each pair of clamping frames 20 to a second clamping frame 420 on top and a first clamping frame 410 on bottom, at which time the back of the turned-over wafer 30 faces upward. The opening and closing assembly 200 drives the plurality of first clamping frames 410 to move away from the corresponding second clamping frames 420, so that each pair of clamping frames 20 releases the wafer 30, at which time the wafer 30 falls on the wafer contact surface of the corresponding first clamping frame 410 with the back facing upward, and can be directly transferred to a process chamber for a cleaning process.

[0058] To improve the compactness of the wafer turnover mechanism and reduce the cost of building a machine, as a preferred embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 2 、 Figure 5 、 Figure 6 The mounting base 300 includes a mounting plate 310 arranged vertically, a plurality of second clamping frames 420 are fixedly arranged on the mounting plate 310, and the wafer contact surfaces of the plurality of second clamping frames 420 are perpendicular to the mounting plate 310. The turnover assembly 100 is used to drive the mounting plate 310 to rotate the opening and closing assembly and the plurality of pairs of clamping frames 20 about a rotation axis, which is perpendicular to the mounting plate 310 and passes through the mounting plate 310.

[0059] In the embodiment of the present application, the turnover assembly 100 can drive the mounting plate 310 to rotate about the rotation axis perpendicular to the mounting plate 310, so that the overall position of the mounting plate 310 does not change when rotating, and the plurality of pairs of clamping frames 20 are located on one side of the mounting plate 310 before and after turnover, thereby reducing the space required for the turnover action of the clamping frames 20, and further reducing the floor area of the wafer turnover mechanism and the cost of building a machine.

[0060] Further preferably, the projection straight line of the rotation axis on each wafer contact surface passes through the center of the wafer contact surface. That is, when the plurality of pairs of clamping frames 20 are in a horizontal state, the projection of the center of the wafer contact surface of each clamping frame 20 on a horizontal plane is located on the projection straight line of the rotation axis on the horizontal plane, so that the projection position of each clamping frame 20 on the horizontal plane does not change before and after turnover, and the action of placing the wafer 30 to be turned over and taking out the turned-over wafer 30 are performed at the same station (hereinafter referred to as wafer turnover station). While reducing the space required for the turnover action of the clamping frames 20, the cost of horizontally positioning the wafer contact surfaces at different positions is reduced, and the cost of building a machine is further reduced.

[0061] The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitation on how the opening and closing assembly 200 is movably connected with the mounting base 300, as long as the opening and closing assembly 200 can stably drive the plurality of first clamping frames 410 to move along the linear path relative to the mounting base 300 and the plurality of second clamping frames 420. For example, the opening and closing assembly 200 can alternatively include a linear motor fixedly arranged on the mounting base 300, which can drive the plurality of first clamping frames 410 to move along the linear path to control the opening and closing of the plurality of pairs of clamping frames 20; or the opening and closing assembly 200 can include a motor fixedly arranged on the mounting base 300, a gear connected with an output shaft of the motor, and a rack movably arranged on the mounting base 300, the rack being engaged with the gear and fixedly connected with the plurality of first clamping frames 410, the gear being driven to rotate by the output shaft of the motor to drive the rack and the plurality of first clamping frames 410 fixedly arranged thereon to move linearly, so as to realize the opening and closing action of the plurality of pairs of clamping frames 20.

[0062] To further improve the compactness of the wafer flipping mechanism, as a preferred embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figures 5 to 9 The mounting base 300 further includes a pair of guide rails 320 fixedly arranged on both sides of the mounting plate 310, the extension direction of the guide rails 320 being perpendicular to the wafer contact surface.

[0063] The opening and closing assembly 200 includes a movable plate 210, a driving part 230, and a pair of sliding connection structures 220, the movable plate 210 being located on the side of the mounting plate 310 away from the plurality of second clamping frames 420, and the movable plate 210 being oppositely arranged with the mounting plate 310, both side edges of the movable plate 210 being fixedly connected with one sliding connection structure 220 respectively, and the movable plate 210 being slidably arranged on the two guide rails 320 of the mounting base 300 through the two sliding connection structures 220, and the plurality of first clamping frames 410 being fixedly arranged on the movable plate 210. The driving part 230 is used to drive the movable plate 210 to drive the sliding connection structures 220 and the plurality of first clamping frames 410 to move along the guide rails 320.

[0064] In the embodiment of the present application, the two sides of the mounting base 300 are provided with guide rails 320 extending perpendicularly to the wafer contact surface, and the movable plate 210 of the opening and closing assembly 200 is movably connected to the two guide rails 320 through a pair of sliding connection structures 220, so as to drive the plurality of second clamping frames 420 to move along the direction perpendicular to the wafer contact surface, and thus realize the mutual approach or separation between the wafer contact surface of each second clamping frame 420 and the wafer contact surface of the corresponding first clamping frame 410 (i.e. realize the opening and closing action of each pair of clamping frames 20). Wherein, the driving part 230 can only provide power to the movable plate 210 relative to the mounting base 300, and the function of controlling the movement direction of the movable plate 210 is realized through the guide rails on the two side edges of the mounting plate 310, so as to ensure the parallelism between the movable plate 210 and the mounting plate 310, improve the accuracy of controlling the movement direction of the movable plate 210, and thus ensure the parallelism between the two wafer contact surfaces in each pair of clamping frames 20, and save the space for fixing additional guide structures at other positions of the mounting plate 310, and improve the compactness of the device structure.

[0065] Further preferably, as shown in Figure 2 、 Figure 4 、 Figures 7 to 9 The sliding connection structure 220 includes an adapter 221 and two sliding blocks 222 fixedly connected with the adapter 221, the two sliding blocks 222 are slidingly arranged on the corresponding guide rail 320, and are spaced apart from each other along the extension direction of the guide rail 320, and the two sliding blocks 222 are fixedly connected with the movable plate 210 through the adapter 221.

[0066] In the embodiment of the present application, the sliding connection structure 220 includes an adapter 221, and the adapter 221 is slidingly connected with the guide rail 320 through two sliding blocks 222 arranged at intervals, so as to reduce the contact area with the guide rail 320 to reduce the friction, and at the same time ensure the parallelism between the adapter 221 and the guide rail 320, and thus ensure the accuracy of the movement direction of the movable plate 210.

[0067] As an optional embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 2 、 Figure 4 、 Figure 7 、 Figure 8 The driving part 230 can be a pneumatic cylinder, the cylinder body of the driving part 230 is fixedly arranged on the mounting plate 310, the output rod of the driving part 230 is connected with the movable plate 210, and the movable plate 210 can be driven to move along the guide rail 320.

[0068] In order to improve the compactness of the device structure and reduce the floor area of the wafer overturning station, as a preferred embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 2 、 Figure 4 、 Figure 7 、 Figure 8As shown, the active plate 210 is formed with an avoiding window penetrating the active plate 210 along the thickness direction, the turnover assembly 100 comprises a fixed part 111 and a rotating part 112, the fixed part 111 is fixedly arranged, the rotating part 112 is fixedly connected with the surface of the mounting plate 310 away from the plurality of second clamping frames 420 through the avoiding window of the active plate 210, and the turnover assembly 100 is used for driving the rotating part 112 to drive the mounting plate 310 to rotate relative to the fixed part 111 around the rotation shaft.

[0069] In the embodiment of the present application, the turnover assembly 100 is fixedly connected with the surface of the mounting plate 310 away from the second clamping frame 420 through the avoiding window of the active plate 210, so that the connection position of the turnover assembly 100 and the mounting plate 310 is integrated with the setting area of the active plate 210, and the compactness of the overall structure of the device is improved.

[0070] As an optional embodiment of the present application, the fixed part 111 and the rotating part 112 of the turnover assembly 100 can be the structure of a swing cylinder. Specifically, as shown in Figures 2 to 4 The turnover assembly 100 can comprise a swing cylinder 110, a fixed seat 120 and a connecting plate 130, the cylinder body of the swing cylinder 110 is the fixed part 111, the output flange of the swing cylinder 110 is the rotating part 112, the connecting plate 130 is used for fixedly connecting the fixed part 111 with the fixed structure such as a rack, a platform or a chamber wall in the semiconductor process equipment, and the rotating part 112 is fixedly connected with the mounting plate 310 through the connecting plate 130.

[0071] As an optional embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figures 10 to 14 The clamping frame 20 comprises a clamping frame body and a plurality of support blocks 430 arranged circumferentially on the clamping frame body, the wafer contact surface is formed on the plurality of support blocks 430, and a limiting surface b intersecting with the wafer contact surface is further formed on the support block 430, and the plurality of limiting surfaces b are used for limiting the wafer in the area surrounded by the plurality of support blocks 430 (i.e. the area for carrying the wafer).

[0072] Specifically, as shown in Figure 11 The limiting surface b is a slope formed towards the center of the wafer carrying area, the support block 430 is formed with a support part 431 protruding upwards on the limiting surface b, and the top surface of the support part 431 is formed as the wafer contact surface a.

[0073] Preferably, the support part 431 is a structure similar to a pyramid, and the wafer contact surface a is located at the top of the pyramid-shaped structure, so as to reduce the top area of the support part 431 while ensuring the structural strength of the wafer contact surface a, so that the support part 431 of each of the plurality of support blocks 430 is in point contact with the wafer 30, thereby reducing the influence of the levelness tolerance of the top surface of each support part 431 on the levelness of the wafer 30, and ensuring the accuracy of the wafer position.

[0074] As a preferred embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 10 , the clamping frame body comprises a ring-shaped portion, and a plurality of support blocks 430 are arranged on the ring-shaped portion in a circumferential direction, so that the wafer 30 can be protected by the circular outer contour of the clamping frame body, preventing collision between other mechanisms (such as a wafer taking and placing robot) and the wafer 30 during movement, and the center of the clamping frame body is a hollow structure, so as to reduce the weight of the clamping frame body, thereby reducing the inertia of the clamping frame 20 during movement and turning, and ensuring the structural strength of the device.

[0075] In order to improve the structural strength of the clamping frame body and ensure the relative positional accuracy between the plurality of support blocks 430 on the clamping frame body, as a preferred embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 10 , the clamping frame body further comprises two spoke portions, and the two spoke portions are perpendicular to each other and fixedly connected to the ring-shaped portion at both ends of each spoke portion.

[0076] In order to improve the adaptability of the wafer turning mechanism to wafers of different sizes, as a preferred embodiment of the present application, the positions of the support blocks 430 on the clamping frame body are adjustable in the radial direction of the area surrounded by the plurality of support blocks 430 (here, the radial direction refers to the radial direction of the circular area for accommodating the wafer surrounded by the plurality of support blocks 430), so that when the size of the wafer to be placed changes, the radial positions of all the support blocks 430 can be adjusted, so that the plurality of support blocks 430 are simultaneously moved away from the center of the wafer (i.e. the center of the circular area surrounded by the plurality of support blocks 430) to accommodate larger size wafers, or the plurality of support blocks 430 are simultaneously moved closer to the center of the wafer to accommodate smaller size wafers.

[0077] Specifically, as shown in Figure 11 , Figure 12 , a strip-shaped hole 432 is formed in the support block 430, which extends through the support block 430 in a direction perpendicular to the wafer contact surface and has a cross section extending in the radial direction, and a plurality of threaded holes are formed on the clamping frame body, and the support block 430 is adjustably fixed on the clamping frame body by a tightening screw 440 sequentially passing through the strip-shaped hole 432 and the threaded hole at the corresponding position on the clamping frame body.

[0078] When the size of the wafer 30 is changed, the tightening screw 440 can be loosened, and the support block 430 can be moved radially, and then the tightening screw 440 can be tightened, so that the accommodation area between the limiting surfaces b of the plurality of support blocks 430 corresponds to the shape of the wafer 30.

[0079] In order to improve the safety of the wafer 30, as a preferred embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 10 , Figure 13 , Figure 14As shown, in each pair of clamping frames 20, the support blocks 430 located on different clamping frame bodies are staggered circumferentially, thereby staggering the contact points between the first clamping frame 410 and the second clamping frame 420 and the wafer 30. This can disperse the stress generated on the wafer 30 when the pressing feed of the first clamping frame 410 and the second clamping frame 420 is too large, thereby improving the safety of the wafer 30.

[0080] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, multiple support blocks 430 on the same clamping frame body are non-uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction to adapt to different robot arm spaces.

[0081] To improve the structural compactness of the wafer flipping mechanism, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 7 , Figure 10 , Figure 14 As shown, the first clamping frame body 411 of the first clamping frame 410 includes an annular portion and a plurality of connecting portions 4111 fixedly connected to the annular portion (preferably formed as one piece). A plurality of clearance through holes are formed on the mounting plate 310, and the plurality of connecting portions 4111 pass through the corresponding clearance through holes and are fixedly connected to the movable plate 210.

[0082] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 13 As shown, the second clamping frame body 421 of the first clamping frame 420 has a fixing surface c on the side facing the mounting plate 310. The second clamping frame body 421 contacts and is fixedly connected to the mounting plate 310 through the fixing surface c.

[0083] As an optional embodiment of the present invention, different components in the wafer flipping mechanism provided in the embodiments of the present invention can be fixedly connected by fasteners.

[0084] As a second aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor process apparatus is provided, such as... Figure 21 As shown, the semiconductor process equipment includes a front transfer mechanism A, a rear transfer mechanism C, and a wafer flipping mechanism B provided in this embodiment of the invention. The front transfer mechanism A is used to transfer multiple wafers 30 to each pair of clamping frames 20 of the wafer flipping mechanism. The rear transfer mechanism C is used to transfer the wafers 30 between the multiple pairs of clamping frames 20 to multiple process chambers E after the wafer flipping mechanism flips the multiple wafers 30.

[0085] like Figure 21As shown, the semiconductor process equipment includes multiple process chambers E, and the front transmission mechanism A includes multiple front mechanical hands for taking out multiple wafers 30 to be flipped from the cassettes D and placing the wafers 30 into the multiple pairs of clamping frames 20 one by one, and the rear transmission mechanism C includes multiple rear mechanical hands for taking out the flipped wafers 30 from the multiple pairs of clamping frames 20 and transferring the wafers 30 into the multiple process chambers E one by one.

[0086] In the present application, the driving module 10 of the wafer flipping mechanism can drive the multiple pairs of clamping frames 20 to clamp the wafers 30 and synchronously rotate 180° around the horizontally extending rotation shaft, so that the upper and lower positions of each pair of clamping frames 20 are exchanged, thereby realizing the simultaneous flipping of multiple wafers and maintaining the stability of the wafer positions before and after flipping. Specifically, after the wafers 30 are placed into the multiple pairs of clamping frames 20, the driving module 10 can drive each pair of clamping frames 20 to approach each other to clamp the wafers 30 and rotate the multiple wafers 30 by 180°, so that the clamping frame 20 originally above the corresponding wafer 30 in each pair of clamping frames 20 rotates to be below the wafer 30, and the clamping frame 20 originally below the wafer 30 rotates to be above the wafer 30, thereby realizing the flipping action of the multiple wafers 30 at the same time (i.e., flipping the wafers 30 to make the back surfaces of the wafers 30 face upward), and after the wafers are flipped, the wafer contact surfaces of the clamping frames 20 originally above the wafers can continue to stably support the wafers, thereby shortening the average flipping time of each wafer 30, improving the wafer flipping efficiency, and further improving the transmission efficiency of the wafers 30 to the process chambers, thereby improving the productivity of the semiconductor process equipment.

[0087] For the convenience of the technicians, the detailed steps of the wafer flipping mechanism in the semiconductor process equipment for flipping multiple wafers are provided as follows:

[0088] As shown in FIG. 1, Figure 15 As shown, the wafer flipping mechanism is in an initial state, and the first clamping frame 410 is above and the second clamping frame 420 is below in each pair of clamping frames 20;

[0089] As shown in FIG. 2, Figure 16 As shown, the front transmission mechanism A places the wafers 30 to be flipped into the multiple pairs of clamping frames 20, and each wafer 30 to be flipped falls onto the wafer contact surface of the corresponding second clamping frame 420 with the front surface facing upward;

[0090] As shown in FIG. 3, Figure 17 As shown, the opening and closing assembly 200 drives the multiple first clamping frames 410 to descend, so that each pair of clamping frames 20 approaches each other until the two wafer contact surfaces of each pair of clamping frames 20 are in contact with the wafers 30 (and the limiting surfaces b of the multiple support blocks 430 limit the horizontal positions of the wafers from all around), thereby stably fixing the wafers 30;

[0091] As shown in FIG. 4,Figures 17 to 18 As shown, the flipping assembly 100 drives the mounting base 300 to rotate the opening and closing assembly 200 and each pair of clamping frames 20, so that the second clamping frame 420 is on top and the first clamping frame 410 is on bottom, and the flipped wafer 30 has its back face upward;

[0092] As shown, the opening and closing assembly 200 drives the plurality of first clamping frames 410 to move away from the corresponding second clamping frames 420, so that each pair of clamping frames 20 releases the wafer 30, and at this time, the wafer 30 falls on the wafer contact surface of the corresponding first clamping frame 410 and has its back face upward; Figure 19 As shown, the post-transmission mechanism C takes out the flipped wafer 30 from between the plurality of pairs of clamping frames 20 and sends the wafer 30 into the plurality of process chambers one by one for cleaning process.

[0093] Figure 20 Subsequently, the next wafer placing and taking cycle can be directly entered, that is, the pre-transmission mechanism A continues to place the wafer 30 to be flipped into the plurality of pairs of clamping frames 20, and the wafer 30 is flipped in the order shown in

[0094] The post-transmission mechanism C takes out the flipped wafer 30 from between the plurality of pairs of clamping frames 20 and sends the wafer 30 into the plurality of process chambers for cleaning process. Figures 20 to 15

[0095] It can be understood that the above embodiments are only exemplary embodiments for illustrating the principles of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. Various modifications and improvements can be made by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and essence of the present application, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the protection scope of the present application.​​

Claims

1. A wafer flipping mechanism, characterized in that, The wafer flipping mechanism includes a drive module and multiple pairs of clamping frames. The clamping frame has a wafer contact surface, and the two wafer contact surfaces of each pair of clamping frames are arranged opposite to each other; The drive module includes a mounting plate and a movable plate, the movable plate being disposed opposite to the mounting plate, and each pair of clamping frames including a first clamping frame and a second clamping frame; a plurality of first clamping frames are fixedly disposed on the movable plate, and a plurality of second clamping frames are fixedly disposed on the mounting plate; The drive module can drive the movable plate to move multiple first clamping frames closer to the corresponding second clamping frames to clamp the wafer or move away from the corresponding second clamping frames to place the wafer between each pair of clamping frames or remove the wafer between each pair of clamping frames. The drive module can also drive the vertical position relationship of each pair of clamping frames to be reversed so that the wafer clamped by each pair of clamping frames is transferred from the wafer contact surface of one side of the clamping frame to the wafer contact surface of the other side of the clamping frame.

2. The wafer flipping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive module includes a flipping component, an opening and closing component, and a mounting base. The opening and closing component includes the movable plate, and the mounting base includes the mounting plate. A plurality of first clamping frames are connected to the mounting base through the opening and closing component, and a plurality of second clamping frames are fixedly disposed on the mounting base. The opening and closing component is used to drive the plurality of first clamping frames to move closer to or away from the corresponding second clamping frames. The flipping component is used to drive the mounting base to rotate the opening and closing component, the plurality of first clamping frames, and the plurality of second clamping frames.

3. The wafer flipping mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that, The mounting plate is vertically arranged, and the wafer contact surfaces of the plurality of second clamps are perpendicular to the mounting plate. The flipping assembly is used to drive the mounting plate to drive the opening and closing assembly and the plurality of clamps to rotate around a rotation axis, which is perpendicular to the mounting plate and passes through the mounting plate.

4. The wafer flipping mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The mounting base also includes a pair of guide rails fixedly disposed on both sides of the mounting plate, the extension direction of the guide rails being perpendicular to the wafer contact surface; The opening and closing assembly further includes a drive unit and a pair of sliding connection structures. The movable plate is located on the side of the mounting plate opposite to the plurality of second clamping frames. The two sides of the movable plate are respectively fixedly connected to one of the sliding connection structures, and are slidably mounted on the two guide rails on the mounting base through the two sliding connection structures. The drive unit is used to drive the movable plate to move the sliding connection structures and the plurality of first clamping frames along the guide rails.

5. The wafer flipping mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that, The sliding connection structure includes an adapter and two sliders fixedly connected to the adapter. The two sliders are slidably disposed on corresponding guide rails and spaced apart from each other along the extension direction of the guide rails. The two sliders are fixedly connected to the movable plate through the adapter.

6. The wafer flipping mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that, The movable plate has a clearance window that extends through the movable plate along the thickness direction. The flipping assembly includes a fixed part and a rotating part. The fixed part is fixedly disposed. The rotating part passes through the clearance window of the movable plate and is fixedly connected to the surface of the mounting plate opposite to the plurality of second clamps. The flipping assembly is used to drive the rotating part to drive the mounting plate to rotate relative to the fixed part around the rotation axis.

7. The wafer flipping mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The clamping frame includes a clamping frame body and a plurality of support blocks circumferentially arranged on the clamping frame body. The wafer contact surface is formed on the plurality of support blocks, and the support blocks are also formed with limiting surfaces that intersect with the wafer contact surface. The plurality of limiting surfaces are used to restrict the wafer within the area surrounded by the plurality of support blocks.

8. The wafer flipping mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The position of the support block on the clamping frame body is adjustable radially along the area surrounding the plurality of support blocks.

9. The wafer flipping mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The clamping frame body includes an annular portion, and a plurality of support blocks are arranged circumferentially on the annular portion.

10. A semiconductor process apparatus, comprising a wafer transport device and a plurality of process chambers, characterized in that, The wafer transfer device includes a front transfer mechanism, a rear transfer mechanism, and a wafer flipping mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 9. The front transfer mechanism is used to transfer multiple wafers to each pair of clamping frames of the wafer flipping mechanism, and the rear transfer mechanism is used to transfer the wafers between the multiple pairs of clamping frames to multiple process chambers after the wafer flipping mechanism flips multiple wafers.

Images