Substrate conveying system

Abstract

The present invention is a substrate conveying system, which comprises a main body, a tray loading box base, a tray alignment device, a tray mechanical arm, a substrate loading box base, a substrate alignment device, a substrate mechanical arm and a white effort arm. The tray can be conveyed to the tray alignment device through the tray mechanical arm, the substrate can be conveyed to the substrate alignment device through the substrate mechanical arm, and the substrate can be conveyed from the substrate alignment device to the tray on the tray alignment device through the white effort arm.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate conveying system, and more particularly to a substrate conveying system that conveys a substrate to a carrier in an automated manner through a carrier robot arm, a substrate robot arm and a blanking arm. Background Art

[0002] In the integrated circuit industry, 4-inch or 6-inch wafers are often used as substrates. In some 4-inch or 6-inch wafer fabs, semi-automatic processes are adopted. For example, before the substrate undergoes the main process, the operator often manually places the substrate on a carrier, and then the carrier carrying the substrate is sent into the cavity of the machine for subsequent processes. However, semi-automatic processes are not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but the substrate is also easily misplaced, contaminated, or even broken, resulting in poor product yield or unnecessary cost expenditures. Furthermore, manual transmission behavior cannot record transmission information (event log), so when it is necessary to track the historical process of the substrate forward, it is difficult to obtain information, thereby increasing the difficulty of debugging the historical process of the substrate. Summary of the invention

[0003] Therefore, in order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, an embodiment of the present invention provides a substrate conveying system, which replaces the manual process of conveying substrates through an automated process.

[0004] The substrate transfer system can transfer the tray from the tray loading box to the tray alignment device through the tray robot arm, and transfer the substrate from the substrate loading box to the substrate alignment device through the substrate robot arm. Furthermore, the substrate rotated to a predetermined angle can be transferred to the tray rotated to a specific angle through the white effort arm. In this way, the manual process can be replaced by an automated process, the error rate during transfer is reduced, and the probability of the substrate being contaminated or broken is reduced.

[0005] Based on at least one of the above-mentioned purposes, the substrate conveying system provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes a body, a tray loading box base, a tray alignment device, a tray robot arm, a substrate loading box base, a substrate alignment device, a substrate robot arm and a white effort arm. The body includes a substrate pick-up and placement area and a conveying area. The tray loading box base is connected to the conveying area and is used to fix the tray loading box. The tray alignment device is located in the conveying area and rotates the tray to a first specific angle according to a first positioning block on the tray. The tray robot arm is located in the conveying area and is used to transfer the tray from the tray loading box to the tray alignment device, and to transfer the tray from the tray alignment device to the tray loading box. The substrate loading box base is located in the substrate pick-up and placement area and is used to fix the substrate loading box. The substrate alignment device is located in the conveying area and rotates the substrate to a predetermined angle according to a second positioning block on the substrate. The substrate robot arm is located in the conveying area and is used to transfer the substrate from the substrate loading box to the substrate alignment device, and to transfer the substrate from the substrate alignment device to the substrate loading box. The white effort arm is located in the transfer area and is used to transfer the substrate from the substrate alignment device to the carrier on the carrier alignment device, and to transfer the substrate from the carrier on the carrier alignment device to the substrate alignment device. After the white effort arm transfers the substrate from the substrate alignment device to the carrier on the carrier alignment device, the carrier alignment device rotates the carrier to a second specific angle.

[0006] Optionally, the substrate conveying system further comprises a substrate loading box sensor and a tray loading box sensor. The substrate loading box sensor is located in the substrate placing and picking area and is used to detect whether the substrate loading box is correctly placed on the substrate loading box base. The tray loading box sensor is connected to the conveying area and is used to detect whether the tray loading box is correctly placed on the tray loading box base.

[0007] Optionally, the substrate conveying system further comprises a substrate displacement sensor (slide sensor) and a carrier displacement sensor (slide sensor). The substrate displacement sensor is located in the substrate loading and unloading area and is used to detect whether the substrate in the substrate loading box protrudes from the substrate loading box. The carrier displacement sensor is located in the conveying area and is used to detect whether the carrier in the carrier loading box protrudes from the carrier loading box.

[0008] Optionally, the substrate conveying system further includes a barcode reader located in the substrate loading and unloading area and configured to read a barcode on the substrate loading box to identify the type of the substrate loading box.

[0009] Optionally, the substrate robot arm has a substrate checking function (mapping), wherein before the substrate is transferred from the substrate loading box to the substrate alignment device, the substrate robot arm vertically moves corresponding to the substrate loading box to know the number and position of the substrate through the substrate checking function.

[0010] Optionally, the tray robot has a tray checking function (mapping), wherein before the trays are transferred from the tray loading box to the tray alignment device, the tray robot is vertically displaced corresponding to the tray loading box to know the number and position of the trays through the tray checking function.

[0011] Optionally, when the substrate transport system has a plurality of substrate loading box bases, the plurality of substrate loading box bases are arranged adjacent to each other or arranged vertically.

[0012] Optionally, the substrate transfer system further comprises a load lock connected to the transfer area, wherein the carrier robot transfers the carrier from the carrier alignment device to the load lock, and transfers the carrier from the load lock to the carrier alignment device.

[0013] Optionally, the substrate transfer system further comprises a cooling zone connected to the transfer zone, wherein the tray robot transfers the tray from the load interlock chamber to the cooling zone to cool the substrate on the tray, and the tray robot transfers the tray from the cooling zone to the tray alignment device.

[0014] Optionally, the substrate conveying system further comprises a carrier optical character recognizer (OCR) and a substrate optical character recognizer (OCR). The carrier optical character recognizer is connected to the conveying area and is used to recognize the number on the carrier. The substrate optical character recognizer is connected to the conveying area or the substrate loading and unloading area and is used to recognize the number on the substrate.

[0015] Optionally, the substrate conveying system further comprises a lens connected to the conveying area and used to obtain an image of the carrier.

[0016] In short, the substrate transfer system provided by the embodiment of the present invention can transfer substrates in an automated manner by combining a tray robot, a substrate robot and a blanking arm to improve production efficiency and reduce the error rate. Therefore, it has advantages in markets that require automated transfer (e.g., integrated circuits). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a substrate conveying system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2is a schematic diagram of a substrate conveying system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Explanation of the reference numerals: 1-substrate conveying system; 11-main body; 12-substrate picking and placing area; 13-carrier loading box base; 131-carrier loading box; 14-conveying area; 15-carrier alignment device; 16-loading interlocking cavity; 17-substrate loading box base; 171-substrate loading box; 18-cooling area; 19-substrate alignment device; R1-carrier robot arm; R2-substrate robot arm; R3-white effort arm. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In order to fully understand the purpose, features and effects of the present invention, the present invention is described in detail through the following specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The description is as follows.

[0021] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 and Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a substrate conveying system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the present invention provides a substrate conveying system 1, which includes a body 11, a tray loading box base 13, a tray alignment device 15, a substrate loading box base 17, a substrate alignment device 19, a tray robot R1, a substrate robot R2 and a white effort arm R3, wherein the tray loading box base 13, the tray alignment device 15, the substrate loading box base 17, the substrate alignment device 19, the tray robot R1, the substrate robot R2 or the white effort arm R3 provided in the substrate conveying system 1 can be singular or plural, and there is no limitation on the positions between multiple identical components, which can be, for example, symmetrical in pairs or arranged in no specific manner.

[0022] Specifically, the body 11 includes a substrate placement area 12 and a transfer area 14 connected to each other. The tray loading box base 13 is connected to the transfer area 14, and the tray alignment device 15, the substrate alignment device 19, the tray robot arm R1, the substrate robot arm R2 and the white effort arm R3 are located in the transfer area 14. The substrate loading box base 17 is located in the substrate placement area 12.

[0023] The tray loading box base 13 is used to fix the tray loading box 131 . When there are multiple tray loading box bases 13 , each tray loading box base 13 can fix one tray loading box 131 .

[0024] Specifically, the substrate conveying system 1 further includes a tray loading box sensor (not shown) connected to the tray loading box base 13 to detect whether the tray loading box 131 is correctly placed on the tray loading box base 13. For example, when the detection result shows that the tray loading box 131 is correctly placed on the tray loading box base 13, the substrate conveying system 1 can obtain information, and the tray loading box base 13 and the tray loading box 131 can be locked to each other so that the tray loading box 131 will not fall off. Alternatively, when the detection result shows that the tray loading box 131 is not properly placed on the tray loading box base 13, the substrate conveying system 1 can issue a warning message to remind the user.

[0025] The substrate conveying system 1 may further include a slide sensor (not shown) located in the conveying area 14. When the tray loading box 131 is placed on the tray loading box base 13, the slide sensor may detect whether the tray in the tray loading box 131 protrudes from the tray loading box 131. For example, if the slide sensor detects that the tray protrudes from the tray loading box 131, the substrate conveying system 1 may issue a warning message to remind the user, thereby preventing the tray from falling or being hit.

[0026] The substrate conveying system 1 may also include a carrier optical character recognition (OCR) and a camera (CCD) (not shown), and the carrier optical character recognition and the camera are connected to the conveying area 14. The carrier optical character recognition is used to read and identify the number on the carrier to avoid using the wrong carrier, and when historical event tracking (event log tracing) is required, it is selected to be used with or without SECS / GEM (SEMI Equipment Communication Standard / Generic Equipment Model), and the historical information of the carrier is queried according to the carrier number to be tracked, which is beneficial to the subsequent tracking and debugging of the previous process. The camera is used to obtain an image of the carrier to detect defects on the carrier (for example, whether the carrier has back plating) to understand whether the carrier can continue to be reused.

[0027] The substrate loading box base 17 is used to fix the substrate loading box 171. When there are multiple substrate loading box bases 17, each substrate loading box base 17 can fix one substrate loading box 171 respectively, and the multiple substrate loading box bases 17 can be arranged adjacent to each other or vertically, or multiple substrate loading box bases 17 can be arranged adjacent to each other and vertically at the same time.

[0028] Specifically, the substrate conveying system 1 may further include a substrate loading box sensor (not shown), which is located in the substrate placing and retrieving area 12 (e.g., connected to the substrate loading box base 17), and is used to detect whether the substrate loading box 171 is correctly placed on the substrate loading box base 17. For example, when the detection result shows that the substrate loading box 171 is correctly placed on the substrate loading box base 17, the substrate conveying system 1 can obtain information, and the substrate loading box base 17 and the substrate loading box 171 can be locked to each other, so that the substrate loading box 171 will not fall off. Alternatively, when the detection result shows that the substrate loading box 171 is not properly placed on the substrate loading box base 17, the substrate conveying system 1 can issue a warning message to remind the user.

[0029] The substrate conveying system 1 may further include a barcode reader (not shown) located in the substrate loading and unloading area 12 and used to read the barcode on the substrate loading box 171 to identify the type of the substrate loading box 171. For example, the substrate loading box 171 may be classified into different types according to different process attributes. When the barcode reader identifies that the barcode on the substrate loading box 171 is of a target type, the substrate loading box base 17 and the substrate loading box 171 may be locked to each other. Alternatively, when the barcode reader identifies that the barcode on the substrate loading box 171 is not of a target type, the substrate conveying system 1 may issue a warning message to remind the user, thereby preventing the wrong substrate from being misused.

[0030] The substrate conveying system 1 may further include a substrate slide sensor (not shown) located in the substrate loading and placing area 12. When the substrate loading box 171 is placed on the substrate loading box base 17, the substrate slide sensor may detect whether the substrate in the substrate loading box 171 protrudes from the substrate loading box 171. For example, if the substrate slide sensor detects that the substrate protrudes from the substrate loading box 171, the substrate conveying system 1 may issue a warning message to remind the user, thereby preventing the substrate from falling or being hit.

[0031] The substrate conveying system 1 may further include a substrate optical character recognition (OCR) (not shown), and the substrate optical character recognition and the camera are both connected to the conveying area 14, or the substrate optical character recognition may also be connected to the substrate loading and unloading area 12. The substrate optical character recognition is used to read and identify the number on the substrate to avoid using the wrong substrate, and when historical event tracking is required, it is selected to use with or without SECS / GEM, and the historical information of the substrate is queried according to the substrate number to be tracked, which is beneficial to the subsequent tracking and debugging of the previous process.

[0032] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 In order to know the transfer process of the substrate before entering the process. When the target tray loading box 131 is placed on the tray loading box base 13, the tray loading box 131 and the tray loading box base 13 are locked to each other, and the tray displacement sensor detects whether the tray in the tray loading box 131 protrudes from the tray loading box 131. Then, the tray robot R1 can vertically displace the tray loading box 131 accordingly, so as to know the number and position of the trays through its tray inspection function (mapping), and confirm whether the trays are placed inappropriately (for example, whether the trays are inserted obliquely), and read and recognize the number on the tray through the tray optical character recognition. Further, the tray robot R1 transfers the tray from the tray loading box 131 to the tray alignment device 15.

[0033] After the target substrate loading box 171 is placed on the substrate loading box base 17, the substrate loading box 171 and the substrate loading box base 17 are locked to each other, and the substrate displacement sensor detects whether the substrate in the substrate loading box 171 protrudes from the substrate loading box 171. Then, the substrate robot arm R2 can vertically displace in response to the substrate loading box 171 to know the number and position of the substrate through its substrate inspection function (mapping), and confirm whether the substrate is placed incorrectly (for example, whether the substrate is inserted obliquely), that is, through the substrate optical character recognition to read and identify the number on the substrate. Further, the substrate robot arm R2 transfers the substrate from the substrate loading box 171 to the substrate alignment device 19.

[0034] Next, the carrier alignment device 15 can rotate the carrier to a first specific angle according to a first positioning block on the carrier (for example, a notch or a flat edge of the carrier) (not shown), and the substrate alignment device 19 can rotate the substrate to a predetermined angle according to a second positioning block on the substrate (for example, a notch or a flat edge of the substrate) (not shown).

[0035] Furthermore, the arm R3 transfers the substrate from the substrate alignment device 19 to the carrier on the carrier alignment device 15. Please note that one carrier can carry multiple substrates, and the process of sending multiple substrates to the same carrier can repeat the above-mentioned substrate transfer steps.

[0036] Specifically, after the white effort arm R3 transfers the first substrate from the substrate alignment device 19 to the carrier on the carrier alignment device 15, the carrier alignment device 15 will rotate the carrier carrying the first substrate to a second specific angle. Then, the next substrate that has been rotated by the substrate alignment device 19 is transferred by the white effort arm R3 to the carrier on the carrier alignment device 15, and the first substrate and the next substrate are placed at the same position relative to the substrate conveying system 1 (for example, but not limited to, without considering the position of the first positioning block of the carrier, the first substrate and the next substrate are placed at the 12 o'clock position of the carrier). The process of sending other substrates to the same carrier can repeat the above-mentioned substrate transfer steps. Furthermore, different substrates are not limited to being placed in the same position relative to the substrate conveying system 1 (for example, but not limited to, the last substrate is placed in the middle of the carrier).

[0037] For example, if the carrier can carry a total of seven substrates, after the white effort arm R3 transfers the first substrate to the carrier, the carrier alignment device 15 will rotate the carrier carrying the first substrate by 60 degrees. Then, the next substrate that has been rotated by the substrate alignment device 19 is transferred to the carrier by the white effort arm R3, so that the first substrate and the second substrate are placed at the same position relative to the substrate conveying system 1. Then, the carrier alignment device 15 will rotate the carrier carrying the two substrates by 60 degrees again, and continue to place the next substrate through the white effort arm R3. After placing the first six substrates in sequence, the seventh substrate is transferred to the middle of the carrier by the white effort arm R3. Of course, the first substrate can also be transferred to the middle of the carrier first.

[0038] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The substrate transfer system 1 further includes a single or multiple load lock chambers 16 (load lock) connected to the transfer area 14, and a carrier carrying a target number of substrates can be transferred from the carrier alignment device 15 to the load lock chamber 16 through a carrier robot R1 to perform pre-processing (e.g., vacuuming) of the process.

[0039] Next, please continue to refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 After the substrate has completed the process in the chamber, the carrier robot R1 can transfer the carrier from the load lock chamber 16 to the carrier alignment device 15 .

[0040] Alternatively, after the process is completed, the carrier carrying the substrate can be transferred to a cooling zone 18 connected to the transfer zone 14 for cooling according to the process requirements. The cooling zone 18 is, for example but not limited to, another carrier loading box 131 for providing a cooling environment.

[0041] When cooling is required, the carrier carrying the substrate can be transferred from the load lock chamber 16 to the cooling zone 18 by the carrier robot R1 to cool the substrate. After cooling, the carrier carrying the substrate is transferred from the cooling zone 18 back to the carrier alignment device 15 by the carrier robot R1.

[0042] When cooling is not required or has been completed, the white effort arm R3 transfers the substrate from the carrier on the carrier alignment device 15 back to the substrate alignment device 19 .

[0043] Specifically, after the white effort arm R3 transfers the first substrate from the carrier on the carrier alignment device 15 back to the substrate alignment device 19, the carrier alignment device 15 can rotate the carrier carrying other substrates to a third specific angle. Then, after the first substrate leaves the substrate alignment device 19, the next substrate is transferred to the substrate alignment device 19 by the white effort arm R3, and the first substrate and the next substrate can be located at the same position relative to the substrate conveying system 1 and taken away by the white effort arm R3 (for example, but not limited to, without considering the position of the first positioning block of the carrier, the first substrate and the next substrate are taken away by the white effort arm R3 at the 12 o'clock direction of the carrier). The conveying process of other substrates can repeat the above-mentioned conveying steps. Furthermore, different substrates are not limited to being located at the same position relative to the substrate conveying system 1 and taken away (for example, but not limited to, the first or last substrate is taken away by the white effort arm R3 in the middle of the carrier).

[0044] Next, the substrate robot R2 transfers the substrate from the substrate alignment device 19 to the substrate loading box 171. The process of transferring the plurality of substrates from the carrier plate back to the substrate loading box 171 is the same as described above.

[0045] After all the substrates are transferred from the carrier to the substrate loading box 171 , the carrier robot R1 transfers the carrier from the carrier alignment device 15 to the carrier loading box 131 and completes the substrate transfer process before and after the process.

[0046] Please refer to Table 1 and Table 2 to understand the advantages of the substrate conveying system 1 of the present case (compared to manual conveying). Table 1 is a comparison table of substrate quality and production efficiency, and Table 2 is a comparison table of conveying accuracy and function. As shown in the table, by conveying the substrate through the substrate conveying system 1 described in the present case, better particle control can be achieved for the substrate, and a lower substrate breakage rate, a larger number of good dies can be achieved, and production efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, the accuracy of substrate placement can also be improved. The substrate conveying system 1 also has substrate inspection functions, historical event tracking, remote operation and supports SECS / GEM, which can reduce the error rate of transmission, or facilitate subsequent debugging of the previous process and improve the convenience of operation.

[0047] project Substrate conveying system Manual transfer Particle control good none Substrate fragmentation rate Low high Number of good dies many few Production per hour high Low

[0048] Table 1

[0049] project Substrate conveying system Manual transfer Particle control good none Substrate fragmentation rate Low high Number of good dies many few Production per hour high Low

[0050] Table 2

[0051] In summary, compared with the prior art, the technical effects of the substrate conveying system described in the embodiment of the present invention are described as follows.

[0052] In the prior art, the transfer of some substrates is still done manually, which is prone to operational errors and difficult to control, and may cause problems such as reduced product quality and even breakage. In contrast, the substrate transfer system described in the present invention uses an automated process to transfer the substrate, which not only reduces the dirtiness and breakage rate of the substrate, but also speeds up production efficiency, and when the historical process of the previous process needs to be tracked later, information can be easily obtained.

[0053] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. That is, all equivalent changes and modifications to the shape, structure, characteristics and spirit described in the patent application scope of the present invention should be included in the patent application scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A substrate conveying system, characterized in that: The substrate conveying system comprises: A main body, including a substrate placement area and a transfer area; At least one tray loading box base, connected to the transfer area and used to fix the tray loading box; At least one carrier alignment device is located in the conveying area and rotates the carrier to a first specific angle according to a first positioning block on the carrier; At least one tray robot arm is located in the transfer area and is used to transfer the tray from the tray loading box to the tray alignment device, and to transfer the tray from the tray alignment device to the tray loading box; At least one substrate loading box base is located in the substrate loading and placing area and is used to fix at least one substrate loading box; At least one substrate alignment device is located in the conveying area and rotates the substrate to a predetermined angle according to a second positioning block on the substrate; at least one substrate robot arm, located in the transfer area and used to transfer the substrate from the substrate loading box to the substrate alignment device, and to transfer the substrate from the substrate alignment device to the substrate loading box; and At least one white effort arm, located in the transfer area, and used to transfer the substrate from the substrate alignment device to the carrier on the carrier alignment device, and to transfer the substrate from the carrier on the carrier alignment device to the substrate alignment device; wherein after the white effort arm transfers the substrate from the substrate alignment device to the carrier on the carrier alignment device, the carrier alignment device rotates the carrier to a second specific angle; The white effort arm transfers the first substrate and the next substrate from the substrate alignment device to the carrier on the carrier alignment device, and the first substrate and the next substrate are placed at the same position relative to the substrate conveying system.

2. The substrate conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate conveying system further comprises a substrate loading box sensor and a tray loading box sensor. The substrate loading box sensor is located in the substrate picking and placing area and is used to detect whether the substrate loading box is correctly placed on the substrate loading box base, while the tray loading box sensor is connected to the conveying area and is used to detect whether the tray loading box is correctly placed on the tray loading box base.

3. The substrate conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate conveying system also includes a substrate displacement sensor and a carrier displacement sensor. The substrate displacement sensor is located in the substrate picking and placing area and is used to detect whether the substrate in the substrate loading box protrudes from the substrate loading box, while the carrier displacement sensor is located in the conveying area and is used to detect whether the carrier in the carrier loading box protrudes from the carrier loading box.

4. The substrate conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate conveying system further comprises a barcode reading device, which is located in the substrate taking and placing area and is used for reading the barcode on the substrate loading box to identify the type of the substrate loading box.

5. The substrate conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate robot arm has a substrate inspection function (mapping), wherein before the substrate is transferred from the substrate loading box to the substrate alignment device, the substrate robot arm is vertically displaced corresponding to the substrate loading box to know the number and position of the substrates through the substrate inspection function, and the tray robot arm has a tray inspection function (mapping), wherein before the tray is transferred from the tray loading box to the tray alignment device, the tray robot arm is vertically displaced corresponding to the tray loading box to know the number and position of the trays through the tray inspection function.

6. The substrate conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the substrate transport system has a plurality of substrate loading box bases, the plurality of substrate loading box bases are arranged adjacent to each other or arranged vertically.

7. The substrate conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate transfer system further includes at least one load lock connected to the transfer area, wherein the carrier robot transfers the carrier from the carrier alignment device to the load lock, and transfers the carrier from the load lock to the carrier alignment device.

8. The substrate conveying system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The substrate transfer system further includes a cooling zone connected to the transfer zone, wherein the carrier robot transfers the carrier from the load lock chamber to the cooling zone to cool the substrate on the carrier, and the carrier robot transfers the carrier from the cooling zone to the carrier alignment device.

9. The substrate conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate conveying system also includes a carrier optical character recognizer (OCR) and a substrate optical character recognizer (OCR). The carrier optical character recognizer is connected to the conveying area and is used to recognize the number on the carrier, while the substrate optical character recognizer is connected to the conveying area or the substrate loading and unloading area and is used to recognize the number on the substrate.

10. The substrate conveying system according to claim 1, wherein: The substrate conveying system further comprises a lens connected to the conveying area and used for acquiring an image of the carrier.

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